“I thought maybe there was trouble in paradise,” Joanie said, staring at Maura.
“Nope. You just think too much.”
“Is that right? Well obviously if you think everything is fine, you’re not thinking enough.”
Maura picked up her tray, ignoring the woman. Toby’s eyes lingered on the curve of her hips as she walked away from the bar. He could see Joanie watching him from the corner of his eye.
“Put your dick back in your pants, Toby. I’m sure she’ll give you what those eyes of yours are lusting after when her shift’s over.”
“Best not to go there, Joanie,” he said, trying to keep himself from insulting the woman.
Turning to Max, who was nearby, Joanie ignored Toby’s warning. “So, what did she do this time to get you two all riled up?”
“I can’t talk about the staff with you, Joanie. Wouldn’t be very professional.”
“Guess any excuse is a good excuse not to tell me. But I’ll tell you this, even though she might not be my favorite Bitch, damned if I didn’t think she was yours.”
“How about a refill on the pretzels?” Max asked, picking up the half-empty bowl sitting in front of her. “And if you promise to let the subject drop, your next drink’s on the house.”
“Whatever you say, Max. But if you really want to shut me up, tell me you’re coming home with me tonight so that I can help you forget all about that girl.”
Grinning, Max just shook his head in exasperation. “If nothing else, Joanie, you’re persistent. You really are. Now, why don’t you tell me again how that third husband of yours got you to marry him when you had turned him down five times.”
“That’s not fair. You know how much I like telling that story. But if you’re willing to hear it, I’m willing to tell it.”
Toby knew that Joanie hadn’t been kidding about Max coming home with her. He also knew that she was smart enough not to push Max about Maura. However, what he didn’t know was that Joanie could be relentless when it came to her pursuit of the truth, even if it meant letting her own interests take a backseat. If he had, he wouldn’t have dismissed her so easily.
Chapter Fourteen
Maura wasn’t surprised when she saw Bart at table ten. She smiled when he looked her way. It took her a couple minutes, but she finally made her way to his table.
Bart had become a regular customer of hers. He liked to talk about general things most of the time when he wasn’t feeding her ego by telling her that he thought she was terrific at her job. Lately she found herself looking forward to seeing him. It was nice having someone stroke her bruised ego. She was, after all, only human. She was thankful that his sister never came in with him. That could have been awkward.
If Toby and Max noticed the attention Bart was giving her, they kept it to themselves. She knew she should have never told Max she loved him. It was a mistake she wouldn’t repeat. And when the time came, she prayed she could leave them without making a fool of herself. She had to salvage some of her pride.
“You’re looking more beautiful than ever.” Bart eyed her up and down with appreciation.
“Thank you. I’m glad I’m not too worse for wear since I feel like I haven’t slept in ages.”
“You do look tired. Beautiful, but tired. You okay?”
She thought she heard genuine concern in his voice. “I’ll be fine.”
“I know you make good money here, but I think you could do even better if you wanted to make enough to quit your day job.”
“Really? And where would that be?”
They were interrupted by one of her more vocal customers who wanted another drink. She smiled at Bart. “I’ll be right back.”
This time when she went up to the bar, it was Max that took her order. At one point she lost her train of thought and stumbled over a few of the drinks. Max waited patiently without comment. She felt the intensity of his gaze, but thankfully he didn’t say anything about her lack of focus or the way she looked. She knew at this point her eyes had to be bloodshot from lack of sleep.
Bart was waiting for her with a smile when she made her way back to his table. “You know, while you were gone I was thinking about you.”
“I wasn’t gone that long,” she said, laughing.
“That’s not what I meant,” he said, pulling out a card from his wallet. “I was thinking about that job I mentioned.”
“I don’t think you said where it was?”
“A buddy of mine works at a place called the Pink Petunia. It’s an after-hours club like this except, I have to honest, it’s a bit more risqué. But then again, the money is unreal. I bet that you could make twice as much as you make here.”
“I wouldn’t have to walk around with less clothes on than I do now, would I?”
“They have a couple openings for waiting tables. The dress code for the servers isn’t that different from what you’re wearing now. However, they do have exotic dancers.”
“You mean strippers?”
Bart smiled. “I bet you’d make an exceptional stripper, but I don’t think that’s your scene.”
“You’re right. That’s not my scene. I would think the clients could be a bit rough there, too. Not that we don’t have our share here, but I would imagine a strip club caters to a different clientele.”
“They can be, but my buddy’s one of the bouncers, and from what he says, they watch closely to make sure no one gets out of hand. And again, the tips are phenomenal.” He handed her a business card with the name and phone number of the manager on it.
Maura looked at it. “I’m not sure that’s for me, but I want to thank you for thinking of me.”
“If you decide to give it a try, just tell him you’re a friend of Bart Romano’s. It will at least get you an interview.”
“Thanks.”
“Oh, and on the other side of the card is my cell phone number. I won’t ask you for yours because I doubt that you would give it to me. If you ever want to go for something to eat or a movie or just to talk, call me, okay?”
Maura slipped the card in the pocket of her skirt. She liked Bart, but she had no interest in dating him. She wasn’t sure she’d call what she had with Toby and Max dating. She wished they weren’t constantly in her thoughts. “Thanks, Bart.”
It was getting close to the end of her shift when a couple of guys she had never seen before came into the bar and sat at the table that Bart had recently vacated. They looked like bad-ass bikers with their studded black leather jackets, long hair, tattoos, and black boots. She groaned.
Sensing they were going to be a challenge, she looked around, but all the other servers were busy. Maybe it was time to prove she could handle herself without asking for help. Max and Toby needed to see that regardless of the fact they didn’t love her, she was at least good at her job. Poor logic, she knew, but she was too tired to argue with herself.
Maura approached the table and smiled at the two men. They both looked up, undressing her with their eyes. The taller one with long, stringy blond hair and a receding hairline spoke first.
“Hey girl, you looking good tonight. What’s your name? I’m Jack.”
Maura pointed to her badge above her right breast. “Maura.”
“Yeah, like that name. How about you, Beamer, you like that name?”
The man he had called Beamer smiled and nodded. “I like more than just her name.” His eyes were focused on Maura’s breasts and then dropped lower to her pussy.
Maura took a breath but kept the forced smile in place. She had a bad feeling about these two.
“What can I get you?”
“How about a couple drafts, baby?”
“Sure. I’ll be right back.”
“Better bring two each,” Beamer called after her.
The two men kept her busy. They guzzled down their beer like there was no tomorrow. However, neither of them acted as if they were drunk. With each visit to their table, they questioned her about her likes and dislikes, especially where men
were concerned. She tried to be friendly but kept her answers short. The last thing she wanted to do was to encourage their questions.
“You know, baby, you seem a little lonely to me. You got a boyfriend?”
“Yes,” she said, removing the empty bottles from the table. “I’ve got two.” She knew immediately from the look on their faces that she had said the wrong thing.
“Whew!” Beamer said with a whistle. “You are hot!”
“If you like two, then you’re going to love us,” Jack said, his hand going down to his crotch.
“Not interested. I’m well taken care of. You boys will have to look elsewhere.”
“Maybe we don’t want to look elsewhere,” Beamer said, his hand suddenly grabbing Maura’s arm.
“Let go,” Maura said, trying to remove her arm from his grasp.
“I want you, baby. Have since we walked in here.” Beamer hauled her closer to him, forcing her to sit on his lap.
Jack leaned over and slipped his hand into the V-neck of her shirt, latching onto her nipple that he twisted painfully. “Those are some nice tits you got there.”
Beamer slid his free hand under her skirt. She felt like it was Frank all over again. She went totally cold. She couldn’t move. They had her trapped.
“Take your filthy hands off her!”
“You think I give a flying fuck what you want?” He ended with a growl, looking up to where Max towered over them.
Maura’s eyes searched frantically for Antoine.
Toby arrived as Max’s fist slammed into Beamer’s face, knocking him off his chair. Jack lunged toward Max, but Toby stopped him in mid stride. Dumped on the floor, Maura crawled to a nearby table. When she looked back, all hell had broken loose. Antoine was in the middle of the four men, trying to break them apart. The customers were watching with their mouths open while others were shouting encouragement to Max and Toby.
Maura gasped when she saw Beamer’s fist connect with the side of Max’s face with enough force that it brought him to his knees. Blood trickled from his mouth.
Maura cried out Max’s name. Without thinking about anything but Max, she ran to where he was dazed and bleeding. From the corner of her eye she saw Katie running toward the men with a bat in her hand. Antoine now had Beamer in a choke hold. However, Toby was still locked in combat with Jack, who must have seen Katie coming at him, because he pushed Toby and ran toward the door. Toby caught his jacket, following his body down to the floor. Katie shoved her bat in Jack’s face.
Within minutes, the police arrived. Jack and Beamer were escorted out of the bar in handcuffs. Antoine ended up going with them to fill out the complaint. It was near closing time anyway, so what customers were left were asked to leave. Joanie refused to leave and continued to sip her drink.
Maura held Max’s head in her lap.
Katie’s worried face looked down at him. “You okay, Max?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
“You took a helluva hit there. You’re bleeding, but nothing that needs stitches.”
“Thanks, Katie. I got sucker punched.”
“That bastard blindsided you. Police have them both now.”
“Good. We’re pressing charges.”
“Antoine’s seeing to that. You need help?” Katie held out her hand.
Max shook his head.
“I’m so sorry,” Maura cried, tears running down her cheeks. She looked up to see that Toby was standing above them, watching them. “I’m so sorry, Toby. Are you okay?”
“I’ll live.”
Max shook himself free of Maura’s arms. Katie and Toby helped him to his feet.
Katie looked down at Maura. “You okay?”
“I’m okay. I can’t believe this happened. I’m so sorry.”
“Not as sorry as I am,” Max said. “I want you in my office, Maura. Now!”
Maura looked from Max to Toby. There was no warmth in their eyes. It was obvious that they blamed her for what had just happened.
Ignoring Maura, Candy walked up beside Max. “Here’s something for your head, Max.”
She handed him a wet towel that he used to wipe off the blood. Some of it had already started to clot.
Katie gave Maura a sympathetic look before she walked with Toby to the bar. Candy glanced briefly at Maura, her eyes showing no sympathy, only anger.
Max turned without a word and walked to his office. Maura followed, knowing the worst was yet to come.
Chapter Fifteen
Maura stood nervously in Max’s office. Without a word he disappeared into the bathroom. When he came back out, he sat down stiffly behind his desk.
“Sit down, Maura.” She just stood there. How had everything gotten so out of control, and why did it keep happening to her? Was she really a magnet for trouble? None of the other girls had this kind of drama.
“I said, sit down,” he said more sharply.
She sat down immediately, her hands in her lap.
“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to say it. You’re fired.”
She had anticipated this so many times, but now, hearing him say the words, it didn’t seem real.
“You put me behind the bar to avoid this kind of thing. I was a good bartender, wasn’t I? You should have never put me back on the floor. Why can’t I go back to doing that?”
“I put you where I needed you. I gave you another chance against my better judgment. I knew your youth and inexperience would be a liability. It didn’t work out. I should have let you go the last time this happened.”
“So that’s it, then? You’re just going to fire me without hearing my side? I guess this means you want me out of your house and your bed tonight, too?
“Damn it, Maura. You can’t handle working here, and I can’t handle you working here. What’s happened between us should have never happened. Mixing business with pleasure has always been a recipe for disaster. I’m going to give you a severance package that will help you find a new place and will tide you over until you find another job. I know it’s not the usual thing to do, but considering the circumstances, I want you to take it.” He reached inside his desk drawer, pulling out his checkbook.
In shock, she watched him fill out a check and then stuff it in an envelope that he handed to her.
Maura went cold. Did she really mean that little to him?
“So, you’re paying me off like a whore who’s displeased you. Do you always buy your way out of unpleasant situations? How could I have thought you…” she hesitated. “You really are a bastard.”
She knew her voice was cracking, but she didn’t care. She looked down at her hands that were still folded on her lap and then back to Max, who was still holding out the envelope in her direction. She wasn’t going to let him get away with what he was doing quite that easily.
“Why don’t you tell me why you’re really firing me, Max?”
“I just told you.”
Maura jumped up from her chair and walked around the desk. She grabbed the arms of Max’s chair and twirled it so that he was facing her. “I don’t think you’re being entirely truthful,” she said in her most seductive voice. “I think there’s a lot more to it than my youth and inexperience. In fact, I think my youth and inexperience are exactly the reason you hired me.”
“Watch yourself, Maura.” What had started as a warning ended with her name sounding like a caress.
Whatever insanity had taken hold of her now gave her the courage to push his legs apart with her knee. She slid in between them. “You and I both know you’re not firing me because of the way I wait on tables. You’re firing me because you and your brother like fucking me too much.”
Max growled. He started to push her away, but she surprised him and pushed him back in his chair to straddle him.
“You want me, Max. And it’s driving you crazy that you can’t control your lust around me. You want my cunt wrapped around your cock, don’t you?”
“You’re going too far, Maura.” Max’s e
yes glittered dangerously, but he didn’t move.
“Am I, or am I not going far enough?” She leaned her head down toward his.
Max groaned with a curse as he grabbed a handful of her hair that he twisted around his fingers, pulling her lips to his. She could taste his blood. The envelope, forgotten, had fallen to the floor.
His cock rose beneath his jeans. His tongue forced her lips open. She moaned, enjoying her victory. At least his body couldn’t lie to her. He still wanted her the way a man wanted a woman.
Without warning, the door flew open. “What the fuck’s going on? Is this how you fire someone?”
Maura looked from Max to where Toby stood watching them. “Max and I were just saying our good-byes.”
Toby stiffened. “How touching.” His flippancy tried to mask the hurt she saw in his eyes.
“Would you like your turn?” Again she felt the recklessness that had overtaken her moments before consume her once again.
“Stop it, Maura.” Max pushed her body upward, this time forcing her to stand.
Toby walked out, slamming the door behind him.
“Damn it all to hell,” Max yelled.
“That’s right, Max,” Maura yelled back at him, heading for the door. “Damn you both to hell!”
She stumbled out the door and ran right smack into Toby’s hard chest. Looking up at him, she said, “Decided you want your turn after all?”
“Maura,” Toby said gruffly. Grabbing her arm, he pulled her back as she tried to get around him. “What I want is to talk to you.”
“What I want is to never see either one of you again. I’ll sleep at Rhonda’s tonight. I’ll be by to pick up my things when you’re not home. I’ll leave the key.”
“Maura, we have to talk.”
“Get out of my way, Toby.”
“No. You’re coming with me.” He held her firmly as he moved her with him down the hall. He opened the supply room door and turned on the light before he slammed the door behind him.
“I want you to understand this has nothing to do with you.” His voice had become calmer.
Serving the Wolf's Den (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 11