Page 38 of Dragon Boss (Paranormal Delights 2)

"He's going to kill you," Bash said matter-of-factly.

"Don't say that!" Gamble groaned. "I'm already avoiding any sort of punishment as is. As soon as I'm sure he's calm enough, I'll stop hiding and he can forgive me and I can keep my job and not be murdered."

Bash snorted and the sound surprised even him.They're all nuts.The host club was filled with one insane character after the next. It drove him crazy for the first few days of him being there, but maybe he was getting desensitized because they weren't making him want to pull out his hair anymore. They were more like a screwed-up reality Tv show in real-time.

"I better get ready," Bash said, shutting down again.

"Hey, you laughed though," Gamble pointed out. "It's a lot better than all the growling."

Bash stared at him. "I will fuck you up."

The brown-skinned man pushed himself away from the counter and grinned. "And we're right back to being mean. Damn. I thought we'd had a breakthrough." He paused before his eyes widened. "Gotta go!"

Gamble disappeared as if he'd never been there. Bash looked around, his brows knitted as he tried to figure out where Gamble had gone that quickly. When Arden stormed into the bathroom and charged at him, Bash growled but to no avail. Arden's big hand wrapped around his throat and his back slammed against the wall. Bash’s claws extended and he dug them into the man’s arm.

"I have had more than enough," Arden snapped. "Drinking on the job, smoking pot and I know you got it from Gamble. Where is he?"

Bash’s grip tightened. "I don't know," he managed to get out. "He disappeared."

"Little shit," Arden muttered under his breath before his eyes trained on Bash's. "That's two strikes. One more and I throw your ass out on the streets. I won't have you or anyone else fucking this up! Do I make myself clear?"

"I wasn't trying to," Bash shot back.

"But you are. You needed this job, right? So, act like you need it and get back to work."

"Do you manhandle all of your employees?" Bash snapped. "Or just the ones you don't fuck?"

Bash had heard the rumors swirling around the host bar. Stories about Arden taking hosts up to his quarters and sleeping with them. Whispers about the way he lost his temper with them. The man was going crazy from what Bash could see, but he didn't need to know any of that. All he needed was to be able to work the job, get a paycheck, and have a place to rest his eyes.

But if Arden was going to push him around, the man would find out that he could push right back.

"Boss," Eldon said as he walked into the bathroom. "Some of the guests are here early and I wanted to ask about some of the seating arrangements." He reached out and laid a hand on Arden's arm. "Can we talk about it downstairs?" When Arden's eyes didn't leave Bash's, Eldon tugged on him gently. "Arden, please."

Arden finally pulled his gaze from Bash and looked at Eldon closely. The vampire offered him a tentative smile and Arden finally let go.

"I...I lost my temper," Arden grumbled. "I never do this shit,” he said to himself, confusion plaguing his face tinged with panic. He glanced up at Bash. “Sorry. That won’t happen again. Just...get back to work. Please."

The anger had disappeared from his face and was replaced with a conflicted sadness. Bash touched his throat as Eldon led the man away, talking to him softly about work. When they were gone, he turned and stared in the mirror at the red mark around his neck.

What the hell was going on with him?

Arden couldn't rememberthe last time he'd gotten so drunk.

As soon as the host club was closed and the employees had either left or returned upstairs, he'd done something he never did. He poured himself a drink behind the bar, the Dragon Island he'd made for Porter the first night they met, and downed it.

Dragons weren't the easiest to get drunk so he kept making them for himself over and over again. Every drink that slipped past his lips and poured down his throat eased some of the tension in his shoulders. Seeing Ezra had scratched the surface on memories long ago stored away and forced to be forgotten. Now, they were stirring up like a tornado and Arden was falling apart.

But he couldn't let anyone see that.

Arden reached underneath the bar and found the pack of cigarettes he'd stashed underneath. Slipping one into his mouth, he lit it and watched the smoke curl into the air. By tomorrow the smell would be gone and the bar would be cleaned and no one would know he was sitting in the dark in his bar sinking into the depths of darkness.

"Arden?"

He glanced up and saw a concerned face looking back at him. Eldon. The vampire frowned softly and laid a hand on Arden's shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

Arden narrowed his eyes and blinked, trying to get rid of the film that had settled over his vision.How long had he been sitting there?He pulled out his phone and blinked at the time. Ten AM. He'd been there for hours.

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