“No thank you, ma’am.”

I turned away, finding something else to do that didn’t put me right in front of the cougar making eyes at me. She’d made me an indecent proposal when I delivered her drink. It wasn’t the first time, either.

I was behind the bar, forcing Jaken to wait tables. He’d been my bartender for years and was a damn good one. But I was the boss and I was tired of running around like a chicken without it’s head.

So I pulled rank.

It was much more relaxing behind the bar. But there was just one problem. The women.

My place used to be a biker bar. I’d eased it more into a rustic country road juke joint after the drama from last year. There’d been a murder in the parking lot, and Cass had gotten dragged into it.

That’s how she’d met Connor, the bastard. It’s not that I didn’t like him, I did. But I didn’t want him to know it.

Not after he’d fallen for my girl.

Anyway, the place was much more mainstream these days. The bikers still came in, but not in droves. Now it was more of a colorful bar with damn good food. But try telling that to the ladies.

They wanted bikers and they weren’t shy about asking for what they wanted.

I was a biker, even though I wasn’t active in the club. I was a member for life, whether I liked it or not. Just wearing leather and having wheels was like catnip to these chicks. So, I spend a lot of time fending off advances. Some that were not too subtle.

At the moment, it was a woman named Mag who was making eyes at me from the other end of the bar. I kept moving so she couldn’t get too close. I could tell she wanted someone to get rough with her, and that had never been my idea of a good time, even back in the day.

I groaned, rubbing the back of my neck. I used to hide in my office if I got wind of a woman like Mag on the prowl. They were easy to spot, and Jaken warned me sometimes too. But until I hired more staff, that was going to be impossible.

It was still early and destined to get worse. I served another round and snuck up the stairs in the back to get some peace and quiet. I sat heavily in my old leather desk chair. It had conformed to my body over the years and was super comfortable. Almost an easy chair.

I’d even fallen asleep in it a couple of times.

Okay, more than a couple.

I had five minutes tops before I had to get back out to the floor. Jaken could run drinks and orders and man the bar for a little while. I closed my eyes and heaved a sigh of relief.

Of course, someone knocked at the door almost right away.

“Yeah?”

I tried not to sound surly but I was. I was surly.

“Boss? Someone here to see you.”

“Who?”

Jaken raised his eyebrows meaningfully.

“Someone about the ad in the paper.”

I sat up straight.

“Okay.” Jaken turned to go but I waved him back. “Wait. Anything I should know? Does she seem crazy?”

“Not even a little.”

“Anything else?”

He smiled.

“Well, let’s just say that if this one falls in love with you too, you won’t be complaining. I’ll send her back.”

I was still frowning over that last comment when I heard a soft rap at the door.

“Come in.”

The door opened and time stood still. I stared at the girl standing shyly in the entryway, my hand frozen in mid-air. Long auburn hair and hazel eyes in a heartbreakingly pretty face, with a sprinkle of freckles over the bridge of her dainty, slightly upturned nose.

I wasn’t thinking coherently, so that was all I saw. Until she moved. I cleared my throat and gestured to the seat.

“You can sit.”

She nodded shyly and took the seat opposite my desk. I barely had time to register the threadbare coat and long legs encased in faded jeans. She was thin. Nervous. She clutched a handbag on her lap, holding on for dear life.

Like her coat, the purse was beat up. But everything else about her was fresh as a daisy. Her shiny hair, her glowing skin.

I wondered how old she was. Mid-twenties, I thought. A couple of years older than Cassie.

Her clothes had seen better days but it only made her beauty more obvious. She was flawless. Neat as a pin. But it was the serious look in her eyes that took my breath away.

This girl was not about to start professing her love for me or modifying her uniform to show off her feminine assets. She was too shy and she had too much dignity. Her eyes said it all.

And the colors. Her eyes were a rich combination of green and gray and yellow. Not dark, like hazel tended to be. They were bright, lit up like the colors of mother nature in all her glory.

They actually sparkled.

“What’s your name?”

“Shell. Michelle.”

Her voice was soft and melodious. Sweet and feminine and alluring. It did something to me. Made me want to lean forward and hang on every word.

The name suited her, I thought. Shells were delicate and pretty, like her. And she looked like she was the type to take long walks on the beach.

I shook my head. I had to focus. She was pretty enough to be in one of those natural beauty commercials, but she was here for a job, not to be gawked at.

“I’m Mason. This is my place.”

She nodded earnestly and I felt my insides twist. I was already trying to figure out a way to let her down easy. I needed a waitress badly, but this girl was trouble. Not only was she too fragile looking for the rough crowd we got sometimes, but she would be a constant distraction to everyone who worked here.

Especially me.

Then again… Cass had handled it. She was a beautiful girl, too. And even a little younger when she worked here. Maybe it wasn’t fair to discount her, just because the girl seemed so shy.

“Have you waited tables before?”

Again, she nodded. Not one for talking then. Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing.

“What kinds of places?”

“A couple of diners, a sports bar, and a chain place. You know, endless bread bowls”

I smiled at that.

“Are they really endless?”

She bit her lip and shrugged. Obviously, my jokes were not landing. I felt like a damn fool, truth be told.

I leaned back in my chair, feeling like my insides were all twisted up. I had to get rid of her. I’d scare her off, then I wouldn’t have to be mean. That would be best for everyone.

“This place can get pretty rough sometimes. Especially late at night. Think you can handle it?”

She nodded. This time I raised my eyebrows, encouraging her to answer me. She was making me nervous. I needed to know she could speak.

Plus, I wanted to hear her voice again.

“I can. Handle it, I mean.”

She held up her keychain. Pepper spray. I looked at her eyes quickly, seeing something there I didn’t like.

She had seen trouble before, without a doubt.

“You run into a problem out there? Somebody messing with you?”

She shrugged.

“No. Just working late shifts. I’ve had a few close calls.”

It chilled my blood, the thought of someone trying to hurt this beautiful girl. It really did.

“I hope you don’t think that’s enough to protect you if someone really wants to hurt you.”

I sounded like her father. Or a cop, for God’s sake. I was seriously fucking furious that someone had bothered this beautiful, delicate looking girl.

She smiled and I inhaled, holding my breath. It felt like the sun came out. My office wasn’t dark anymore. The day wasn’t overcast anymore outside the window behind me.

Or at least, it felt that way.

“I know. I always ran. But I had this ready just in case.”

“Good.”

I made the decision without thinking. I just opened my mouth and the words came out.

“Pay is eight bucks an hour, plus tips. You keep all of those. We are short staffed so you can work as much as you want. We’ll feed you, one meal per shift. And you can take a fifteen minute break every couple of hours, as long as it’s not super busy. Sound good?”

“Yes. Sounds great.”

“You just need to fill out some paperwork and we’ll get you in the payroll system. Do you have photo ID?”

She nodded eagerly and fished in her bag for her wallet. I felt my gut turn over when she pulled it out. A popular cartoon character was printed on the front.

She was a kid. Just a kid.

So why was I fantasizing about pulling her onto the desk and having my way with her?

She was holding her ID out to me expectantly, I realized. I glanced at the card, clocking her age. Mid-twenties, thank God.

I might be acting like a lech, but at least I wasn’t a dirty old man.

“I just need to make a copy of this.”

She nodded, looking so relieved that I almost cried. She must be in dire straights. I glanced at her shoes on the way out of the office to the copy machine in the hallway.

Yep. Just as I thought. They were lace up booties, scuffed up like crazy. The girl was on hard times. But she had pulled herself together nicely, all the same.

I made a photocopy of her ID for her file, then hit the button and made another. This one I folded up and put in my pocket. I couldn’t have told you why I did that though.

“Here you go.”

I handed her back her ID, then pulled a t-shirt from a box in the corner.

“Is small okay?”

She nodded, clutching the t-shirt against her like it was a baby. I frowned again, deciding I was going to get to the bottom of who this girl was, and what was going on with her.

“So, when can you start?”

A huge smile lit up her face. It hit me like a punch to the gut. My chest felt like it cracked open, but it didn’t hurt. It felt fucking amazing.

Her beauty literally overwhelmed me.

I realized in that moment I had made a very big mistake. Huge. Monumental.

“Right now, if that’s okay. I just need to run out to my car.”

I nodded and she was off like a shot. I blinked a few times once she was gone. Then I reached for the bottle of bourbon I kept on my desk and poured myself a drink. I had a feeling I was going to need it.

“Mason, you are a bona fide idiot.”