Page 1 of Fierce-Hyde

PROLOGUE

“The usual tonight?”

“How about sex on the beach,” Tori said.

Tori Miller looked at Bryon, the hot bartender who normally worked during the week. She rarely came in for a drink on the weekends when it’d be busy.

“Sex on the beach sounds like something I could use right now too,” Bryon said.

She laughed. He was flirting with her like he always did, but she knew he was gay.

Tori heard the snort next to her and looked to her right. A guy was sitting there staring into his whiskey. She couldn’t tell if he had made the noise, or if it was aimed at her and Byron.

She shrugged and went back to Bryon while he mixed her drink. Her normal wine wasn’t going to cut it today.

Bryon set the citrus concoction down. “Thanks,” she said, picking up the fruity drink and taking a sip. Peach and orange exploded on her tongue, then the bitter notes of cranberry and vodka chased it.

“Rough day?” Bryon asked.

“I’ve had better,” she said.

Her job as a Program Manager for a not-for-profit had her overseeing counselors and prevention educators who worked in schools, the community, and saw patients in the office.

There was a time she’d been doing all those things and she missed it more than she realized.

Especially when being the boss came with duties like firing an employee who was good but just made a stupid mistake.

But it was a big mistake, and she had no choice, even though her bleeding heart didn’t want to let Lena go.

Got to play by the rules. At least she did.

“Tell me all about it,” Bryon said. “Better yet, hold on.”

She took another sip while Bryon moved to the guy two stools next to her. His whiskey was gone and Bryon poured him another.

“Can I get some nachos?” she asked when he came back to her.

“I’ll put the order in now,” Bryon said. “Which is smart since you don’t want to be drinking the hard stuff on an empty stomach.”

“You’re too good for me,” she said, winking at him.

She took another sip and looked around the bar. Her eyes landed on the stranger to her right again.

He was still staring ahead. She wondered if he was drunk or just drowning his sorrows. Maybe trying to take the edge off of a bad day like her.

Her counseling background couldn’t let her leave well enough alone and she opened her mouth to ask if he was okay, but her phone rang in her purse.

At the same time, a guy bumped into her on her left getting to the bar, but she turned and reached for her phone in her purse hanging closer to the stranger.

She saw it was Lena and knew she shouldn’t be talking to her right now. She’d have to follow the HR policies and silenced the call.

“Are you an idiot?”

Her eyes glanced up quickly to see who that was being asked of.

It was her!

And this time she knew it was the sexy stranger talking.

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