Bewitching: His Secret Agenda

by Carla Neggers

* * *

  BEING SURROUNDED BY barely dressed coeds sure made a woman feel every single one of her almost thirty-two years.

  Allie drew a beer and handed it to her customer, a fully dressed, beefy kid of twenty-two. “Here ya go,” she told him with a grin.

  Hey, she could flirt with younger guys just as easily as men her own age. And if she gave some kid a thrill by smiling at him, who was she hurting? In the dim light of the bar she noticed him blush all the way to the dark blond roots of his crew cut. He stammered a thank-you as he hurried off.

  See? She was just doing her best to spread a bit of sunshine wherever she went.

  Allie turned her attention back to her lineup of thirsty customers. A brunette in a bright pink tube top sauntered to the horseshoe-shaped bar in her three-inch sandals.

  Someone needed to tell these kids that it may be called spring break, but that didn’t mean they should dress as if they were in Florida. For God’s sake, it was ten degrees outside.

  Dear Lord, she’d sounded like her mother. And had called her customers—most of whom were barely ten years younger than her—kids.

  She might as well start wearing support hose and let her hair go gray.

  “Two cosmos and a strawberry margarita,” the brunette said over the blaring jukebox and loud voices.

  “Coming up.” Allie poured the margarita ingredients into a clean blender and added a scoop of ice. With the machine whirring, she then worked on the cosmos. After making at least a dozen tonight, she didn’t even have to consult the cocktail book Kelsey had given her.

  Go her. If she didn’t have another, oh, twenty or so people wanting drinks, Allie would take the time to pat herself on the back.

  Too bad memorizing the ingredients in a few select drinks was about the only thing that had gone right tonight. After a small Saturday night dinner crowd, The Summit had been inundated with college kids ready to party. The sight of her bar packed wall to wall with customers had made Allison’s heart go pitter-pat.

  Until Terri Long called five minutes before her shift was to start to say she wouldn’t be coming to work for Allie, after all. Seemed she had a shot at the big time—whatever that meant—and wasn’t even in Serenity Springs anymore.

  Allie viciously shook her cosmo ingredients and filled two glasses. She hoped there was a special place in hell for people who blew off work.

  That was the last time she’d ever hire someone without checking references.

  She tossed straws into the cosmos and poured the margarita into a glass. She sent tube-top girl on her way and began filling the next order as the too-familiar opening chords of “Hotel California” came on the jukebox. Allie gritted her teeth. No doubt about it. This was not her night.

  She finished the drinks and recorded the sale on the register. At least her male customers were easy to please. A smile or flip of her hair and they were falling all over themselves to charm her. Even after waiting in line for a solid fifteen to twenty minutes to get a beer. She just thanked God all they wanted to drink was either beer, shots or the occasional rum and coke.

  Noreen, her very grumpy middle-aged waitress, was keeping beer pitchers full and the rowdiest customers in line.

  Allie glanced at the door, where Luke Ericson was perched on a stool, a grin on his too-handsome face as one of the three girls surrounding him whispered in his ear. When he’d walked in an hour ago, Allie had given him free drinks for the night in exchange for him checking IDs at the door.

  None of that made up for the fact that her feet were killing her, she had a huge cranberry juice stain on the front of her favorite jeans and she was starting to wonder if she was breaking a fire code with so many people in the place.

  She stepped back toward the line of customers, but stopped when something at the far end of the bar caught her eye.

  Her heart thumped heavily in her chest—once, twice, before it found a quick rhythm. Well. Her night might be getting better, after all.

  “You must’ve found something in town to keep your interest,” she called over to Dean.

  “How do you figure?”

  She crossed to him. “You’re still here.”

  “I’m heading out tomorrow. Got a job in Saranac Lake.”

  She kept her smile firmly in place. Well, that’s what she got for not hiring him when she’d had the chance. “Congratulations. How about a drink to celebrate?”

  “Whatever you have on tap is fine.”

  She got his beer and took it over to him. When he pulled out his wallet she waved him off. “On the house.”

  He studied her for a moment before putting his wallet away. “Appreciate it.”

  For the next half hour, she poured drinks, all the while aware of a pair of aquamarine eyes following her every move. She set a fresh beer in front of Dean—who seemed oblivious to the fact that the three giggling, just-this-side-of-legal girls next to him were vying for his attention.

  Sometimes men could be so clueless.

  “What can I get you?” Allie asked the girl with the cute pixie haircut.

  She slid a look at Dean. “Sex on the Brain.”

  “Sweetie, sitting next to this guy—” Allie motioned to him “—would give my ninety-two-year-old grandmother sex on the brain. What drink do you want?”

  The girl giggled and leaned on the bar, the better for Dean to have a clear view down her low-cut top. “Sex on the Brain is a drink.”

  Allie glanced at Dean, arching an eyebrow. He nodded. She sighed and brushed her hair back. Well, that figured.

  “Could I speak with you for a moment?” Before Dean could answer, she walked around the end of the bar, took him by the arm and pulled him off his stool. “Don’t worry, ladies. I’ll bring him right back.”

  He didn’t fight her and she easily hustled him behind the bar. “Quick. What’s in a Sex on the Brain?”

  He scratched his cheek. “Couple of things.”

  “Okay,” she said to no one in particular, “that’s it.” She wrapped both hands around the lapels of his jacket and yanked him forward. Noted how his eyes widened slightly. “I’m not in the mood for games, so you can drop the laconic cowboy act.”

  He kept his hands at his sides. Just tilted his head to the side. “What act?”

  She growled. “Listen, I’m tired, I have an endless supply of people waiting for drinks and I’m surrounded by about a million overly perky, faux-tanned coeds.” Allie inhaled, then rushed on when he opened his mouth. “I’ve had to pull the same girl—intent on showing everyone her coyote-ugly act—off the bar not once, but three times, and I’ve been hit on by just about every guy in here. But the worst thing is I don’t know what I’m doing. And I can’t call my sister-in-law to come and show me because she caught some nasty stomach bug from my niece. Suffice it to say I’m not in the best of moods.” Allie tightened her hold on his jacket and stood on her toes so that her forehead bumped his chin. “So, do not even think about messing with me.”

  “I wouldn’t dream of messing with you,” he said, his voice husky and somehow intimate.

  Oh. She blinked. Pried her fingers open and stepped back. “Well then.” She swallowed. “How do I make a Sex on the Brain?”

  “I’ll show you.” He took off his jacket, and she could’ve sworn every female in the room sighed. His black T-shirt hugged the smooth planes of his chest and molded to his biceps. The man was beautiful.

  Now if only he’d left his hat on, the moment would’ve been perfect. Allie knew she was going to have some erotic dreams about that hat.

  Dean tossed his jacket on a shelf under the bar. “Fill a tall glass with ice.”

  She set the glass of ice in front of him. He stuck a straw in it and added a shot each of peach schnapps, vodka and Midori melon liqueur. He then laid an upside-down spoon against the glass and slow
ly poured in pineapple juice, followed by orange juice and then sloe gin, resulting in a drink that resembled a stoplight: green on the bottom, yellow in the middle and red on top.

  “You’re a genius,” Allie declared. “And my personal hero. I’ll give you three hundred bucks to work the rest of the night.”

  She forced herself not to back up when he leaned toward her. “Darlin’,” he purred into her ear, his warm breath causing her to shiver. “I thought you’d never ask.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  ALLISON MARTIN DIDN’T know squat about tending bar.

  But she sure knew how to work a crowd, Dean thought as he collected empty bottles and carried them to the recycling bin. She’d flirted, socialized and kept her customers happy while they waited for their drinks.

  He glanced at her as she cleared tables. They’d had last call twenty minutes ago and after the final drink had been served, she’d turned on the lights and dived into the cleanup with the same get-it-done spirit she’d demonstrated behind the bar.

  The owner wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty.

  And she was easy on the eyes. Tonight she had on a pair of snug, dark jeans tucked into those same pointy-heeled boots she’d worn during his botched interview. Her shirt was the color of cranberries, with a wide, square neck and long, filmy sleeves that billowed out over her wrists.

  Dean took the mixers apart to be washed. She’d had every poor sap in the place drooling over her, wishing that somehow, miracle of miracles, she’d end up with him tonight.

  “Well, you sure proved me wrong,” Allie said as she came behind the bar and set down her full tray.

  She’d told him to call her Allie, although he wanted to continue to think of her as Allison. Or better yet, Ms. Martin. He needed to keep as much distance and formality between them as possible. But she didn’t make it easy.

  He stacked dirty dishes to the left of the three-bay sink. “How so?”

  “I should’ve hired you in the first place.” She gave him a pat on the arm, and damn if he didn’t want to back up. Out of range. She moved away to empty the garnish tray. “You charmed every girl in here—heck, you even managed to get Noreen to smile, which, believe me, is an accomplishment.”

  “She was laughing at my suggestion that she stay to help clean up.”

  “Well, that makes more sense.” Allie washed her hands and dried them on a clean towel. “I’m sure she told you cleanup’s not part of her job.”

  He rubbed the back of his wrist over an itch on his forehead, then resettled his hat on his head. For some reason, Allie had asked him to wear it while he worked. “I couldn’t repeat what she told me. At least not in mixed company.”

  Allie waved at a departing customer. “Noreen was one of the very few females in here tonight immune to your charms. And don’t think I missed that brunette with the big—” he raised his eyebrows and she grinned “—lungs hand you a cocktail napkin. I’m guessing it had her name, phone number and even a hand-drawn heart on there, as well.”

  He kept his attention on the glasses he was washing. “It wasn’t a cocktail napkin,” he mumbled.

  “I saw her give you something, and it wasn’t very big.” Allie swept her hair back and put it in a messy, sexy knot at the back of her head. “Please tell me she didn’t write her number on toilet paper.”

  “Not toilet paper, either.”

  “Come on,” she said, swatting him with the towel. “Don’t be cruel. I’m too tired to play guessing games.”

  He pressed his lips together as he rinsed a glass, then cleared his throat. “It was her thong.”

  Silence filled the room. He glanced at Allie, just to make sure she was still breathing.

  Her mouth popped open. “Oh, my God. You’re a rock star.” Chuckling, she shook her head. “Well, the poor girl was no match against you. You throw out some mighty strong pheromones.”

  To Dean’s everlasting shame, heat climbed his neck. “She was just...friendly.”

  Allie laughed even harder. “I think it’s safe to assume she wanted to show you how friendly she could be. Now I have to ask—did you keep it?”

  “I thought it’d make a nice addition to my collection.”

  “No doubt about that.” She poured herself a diet cola. “I hope you washed your hands after touching it.”

  “Washed them and then stuck them in the disinfectant just to be safe.”

  Allie picked up her tray. “You don’t know how relieved I am to hear that.”

  He waited until she was out from behind the bar before saying, “And you were right.” She stopped and looked at him. “Her name and number were on the thong,” he said, “along with a little heart.” Which had half amused, half horrified him.

  Allie laughed again as she went to finish clearing tables.

  Dean lifted his hat long enough to run a wet hand through his hair. He needed to watch himself. She was damn likable, but he couldn’t let his guard down.

  Allie came back and set her tray on the bar. “So, tell me about this job in Saranac Lake.”

  She stood on tiptoe and reached for her soda. He caught a brief, tantalizing glimpse of smooth cleavage and a lacy black bra.

  He cleared his dry throat. “Tending bar at the Valley Brook Resort. Starts Monday.”

  “I’m impressed. The Valley Brook is pretty upscale. You must’ve wowed them with your interview.”

  “Like I didn’t wow you?”

  She tapped her fingertip against her glass. “Let’s just say I’m used to more...vocal interviewees. You know, people who speak when spoken to.”

  “Good thing for me the people at Valley Brook didn’t have the same problem.” He dried his hands and grabbed a bottle of water from the cooler. “Besides, I’m not sure what you’ve heard, but it’s important for bartenders to be good listeners. Not talkers.”

  She set her glass down with a soft clink. “Well, then you must be a great bartender.”

  He almost grinned. “I saved your ass tonight, didn’t I?”

  “That you did. Could you hand me a clean rag so I can wash off the tables?”

  He handed her one, making sure he didn’t touch her, then took a long drink before asking, “What happened to the bartender you did hire?”

  “Not sure. She seemed excited to get the job, and was even apologetic when she called to tell me she wasn’t coming in.” Allie shrugged. “Guess she had a better offer.”

  Yeah. She had. He’d made sure of it. Katherine had found out that Terri Long’s real ambition was the stage. She’d followed her boyfriend—a ski instructor—to Serenity Springs. Dean had pulled some strings and got Terri hired as an understudy in an off-, off-Broadway show, effectively ending Terri’s desire to work at The Summit.

  He wondered if it ended her desire for her boyfriend, as well.

  “That’s too bad,” he said. “Hope you find someone else.”

  * * *

  “OKAY, GUYS, NIGHT’S OVER,” Allie told the last three men left in the bar. “Last call was forty-five minutes ago. Time for you to move on.”

  Two of them slid their chairs back, but the dark-haired one in the middle, the biggest one, didn’t budge. “I’m not done with my drink,” he slurred.

  She sighed. Why were the biggest ones always so much trouble? “You’ve got five minutes to finish it and get on your way. Or else I call the cops to come and escort you out.”

  “That won’t be necessary,” the taller, lankier one on the left said, his Adam’s apple bouncing as he swallowed. “Right, guys?”

  The shorter one with the thick neck nodded, while Big Guy glared at his beer.

  “Five minutes,” she repeated, walking away.

  Since Dean had everything under control behind the bar, she finished wiping off tables. She hated to think about w
hat her night would’ve been like if he hadn’t shown up. Even Noreen had said he wasn’t half-bad.

  And from Noreen, that was high praise indeed.

  Allie scrubbed at a sticky spot on a corner table. She had to admit Dean had impressed her. He’d not only saved her ass—as he so eloquently put it—but he’d stuck around to help clean up. Which meant she might get home and in bed before the sun rose.

  Yep, no doubt about it. Dean was her hero. She wiped the table dry before setting the chairs on it. She just had to figure out how she was going to persuade him to give up his job in Saranac Lake and work for her instead.

  She ran her hands down her jeans, picked up her rags and headed behind the bar. “You have everything under control back here?”

  “So far,” Dean said.

  He was quite the man of understatement. But during the past few hours she’d come to realize that although he talked slowly and took his time, he was far from stupid or lazy. He got the job done, kept the customers happy and seemed at ease whether trying to sweet-talk Noreen into cleaning, or shutting down a young coed when they’d overimbided.

  Hey, maybe there was something to being laid-back.

  She’d have to give it a try sometime.

  She refilled her glass, drinking from it and then nodding at the three young men getting to their feet. “I’m glad they’re leaving. I was afraid I’d have to call Jack.”

  Dean tipped his hat back. “Jack? That your boyfriend?”

  “No, my brother.” She ran her finger through the condensation on her glass. “He’s also the police chief.”

  “That’s handy.”

  “It’s great,” she agreed. “I can always count on him to bail me out. And then lecture me until my eyes cross.”

  Was it any wonder she’d never told Jack what had happened a year ago, what she’d done, before she’d bought The Summit? Even after all these months she still had a hard time facing herself in the mirror. She didn’t need to face her family’s disappointment in her, as well.

  She bent to tie a bag of garbage closed as the three kids passed the bar. Instead of moseying on out, though, the big one stopped. “I changed my mind.” He hefted himself onto a stool and slammed his hand on the bar. “I want another beer before we go.”