Page 10 of Bred By the Mercenary

“Oh my God, he’s that guy?” Jessi blurts loud enough to draw everyone’s attention in the locker room to us.

“Shhh, not here,” I say, cringing at her words, fire flushing over my cheeks. Grabbing her hand, I drag her out of the locker room and lock us in the storage room, which is like a cone of silence, blocking out all sounds.

Switching on the light, she grins from ear to ear. “Girl, this is the guy who fingered you on the balcony, then jumped off it to get away from you?”

“Hell, when you put it like that, I sound like some swamp monster.” I’m already feeling awkward about the whole situation.

But Jessi isn’t really listening. “None of that matters,” she says with urgency, her eyes lighting up with a kind of scheming glee. “This is our answer. We have an interview with the new boss.”

“No,” I say instantly, the idea sounding all kinds of wrong.

“Hear me out,” Jessi insists, leaning closer. “If we want to keep our jobs, maybe we need to suck up to him, be super nice, do anything he asks.” She wiggles her eyebrows suggestively.

“Eeek, I’m not selling myself,” I respond, feeling disgusted by the idea.

Jessi gives me a deadpan look. “There’s no selling… you’re offering it for free.” Then she bursts out laughing… “Oh my God, Ame, you should see the look on your face.” She howls with laughter.

I’m breathing heavily now, a little freaked out by my new boss.

“Not funny,” I say, but she’s hugging me.

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist. You’ve been talking about this guy for the past three months.”

“I have not…” I protest, even though part of me knows she’s right.

She breaks our hug, raising her eyebrows. “But seriously, this is your chance. Maybe you can woo him, find out why he acted so strangely, and who knows… finally get a boyfriend who isn’t a loser.”

I sigh, thinking about my ex, Ryker. “Yeah, he was the biggest loser in the world. He’s been leaving me messages on my answering machine at home about getting back together.”

“Gah, you need to put a restraining order on him,” Jess advises. “To ensure he doesn’t start stalking you.”

The idea terrifies me. “Anyway, just don’t say anything to anyone, please,” I plead. “I’m just slightly paranoid about facing Daxton again. Maybe I’ll pretend I don’t remember him. Yeah, that might work.”

Jessi gives me a deadpan look, the one that says I’m overthinking it.

“Don’t,” I say, seeing her expression. “I know, but I’m freaking out a bit.”

“Come on.” She takes my hand. “Let’s go out for a late burger. I’m starving, and we can hash this out, okay?”

“You’re the best,” I say, feeling a bit better. Though on the inside, I’m in panic stations. The problem is that as much as I hate to deny it, Daxton has made an impact on me, and I like him. Or at least I liked him. What if I find out that he really tried to ditch me… could I continue working with him, knowing he rejected me?

CHAPTER TWO

DAXTON

Staring across the desk, I lock eyes with a blonde who’s grinning a bit too widely, a bit too eagerly at me. It’s been a damn long day of back-to-back interviews with the staff at The Cactus Canyon Bar since buying the place. I wanted an immediate transfer of me taking it over. My patience is close to zero when I have my sights set on something…or someone. So, some random broad flirting with me is the last thing I want.

Since arriving, I’ve been cooped up in this hellish office that reeks of cigarettes, and the dark wood decor feels like something out of a dated gangster movie. I’ve got a window cracked open, letting in the cool night breeze, but it offers little reprieve. I’ll get this whole place refurbished and put in a manager to run the day-to-day of the bar.

I only bought this pit because of Amelia. After tracking her down a week ago, I knew she’d be pissed at me for ditching her. That night at the masquerade party, I was there for a job… a job that was meant to be my last before I hit retirement. But things turned out fucking complicated, and I went underground until I could track down the new problem and finish the job.

But now, I’m free, something I’ve been planning for too long. Buying a bar isn’t exactly the most conventional move, but sometimes you do crazy things for a woman who’s been on your mind nonstop.

The blonde in front of me clears her throat, pulling me back to the present.

“Thank you for your time,” I begin. “You can head back to work.”

She takes her sweet time standing up, clearly trying to draw my attention to her chest with her low, unbuttoned shirt. If I wasn’t her boss, I’d have zero patience for this.

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