“Kendra?”
She turned around to the voice behind her. Shane was not what she had expected at all. He was so different than the slick-haired man that had ran the franchise in Washington. Shane was dressed more like the cowboy patrons out front. His skin was tanned, bright eyes blue, filled with a look that Kendra was used to. It made her respond with a slight skip in her heartbeat and a slow smile. It seemed that things were getting better.
“Yes, are you Shane?”
“Yes. Come in.”
He moved back into the small office and sat back down. Motioning her to the chair, she took a seat.
“I see you have brought your other uniform.”
“Yeah sorry, I thought that were the same at every Discos.”
“No, but they should be. My girls around here would never go for that sort of thing.”
“Monica said she was looking for one in my size.”
“I doubt we have one. You are fine to wear that.”
“Are you sure?”
He nodded his head, eyes trained on her generous bosom for a moment too long for propriety sake. “Okay.”
Shane handed her a schedule and asked her a few questions, but that was that. She left the room feeling strange and slightly horny. It didn’t seem that work was going to be a problem, though maybe keeping her boss at bay might be.
Kendra got back to what she did best, talking and making drinks. She liked to think of it as a facilitator of fun. Everyone was happy and drinking before she was thirty minutes into her shift. The men seemed to like the new uniform and she was getting better tips than she had ever gotten in Seattle. Kendra was being flirty and she didn’t notice Shane coming up behind her.
“So how do you like it?”
She looked behind her to see him standing there, but it was the dark look in his eyes that threw her off more than his words. “Sorry?”
“How do you like it here so far? It seems that the customers really seem to like you.”
She looked where he was nodding and the two men at the end of the bar that couldn’t keep their eyes off of her. One in particular had been tipping too much, as well as giving plenty of compliments.
“Everyone has been really nice.”
“I bet. So I had a few questions about paperwork I wanted to ask you about.”
“Okay, I will be back to the office in a minute.”
“No, not there. Meet me out back.”
When she gave him a look that was clear how untrusting she was, he tried to smile it off. “All my paperwork is in the trunk to be sent to corporate for their records. There were a couple things missing in your file when I went back over it.”
It sounded semi-legitimate and since he was her boss, she tried to wave off the feeling telling her no in the pit of her stomach. There was just something about him that made her pause. Moving back to the bar to refill a drink for one of her admirers, the tall, blonde-haired one grabbed her arm. “Be careful with him Kendra. He is not a good man.”
His words surprised her and she wanted to ask more, but she had to go out back to straighten out the paperwork. It was dark in the back lot and there were only a few people out around the parked vehicles. Kendra had a shiver run over her. Something was wrong, but she could not figure out what it was that made her feel so ill at ease.
“Shane?”
“Over here.”
He was parked in the darkest part of the parking lot and as she made her way over to him, the unease got stronger. Kendra remembered the words of the man from a moment before. What did he mean by be careful?
Against her better judgment, she walked over to the car window that he was sitting in. The items were supposed to have been in the trunk, but he called her over to the interior. “Get in and we can get this all straightened out.”
Kendra went to the other side of the small sedan and got in the passenger seat. It smelled of fast food and beer or he did. She wasn’t sure which one. Looking at the paperwork in his hand, it was the transfer request that she had sent in to the company.
“So why did you leave Seattle?”
“Just needed to get away I guess.”
“Dane told me that it was because of a break-up.”
“Well I hardly see how that is anyone’s business, but yes I just broke up with my boyfriend. I didn’t know anyone there, so it seemed like the thing to do.”
“Do you know anyone here?”
She nodded her head that she didn’t.
“You must be brave to be out here all by yourself.”
She looked at him puzzled, not sure if he meant in Idaho or in his car. She was starting to question the latter decision, the creeping feeling back in her gut. He leaned towards her and she moved back towards the window. Kendra had found him handsome when she had first met him, but with the look in his eyes and the slow grin on his mouth, it was hard to see him the same way as before.
“I really like your uniform Kendra. It makes me want to touch what you have out on display. I wonder if anyone has tried yet?”
“No, I don’t think anyone is that drunk yet.”
“Pity. I don’t think you would put up much of a fight” He moved closer until she could feel the heat of his breath on her neck. He was halfway on her side and Kendra started to be more than a little alarmed. He was a lot bigger than her and his large arms flexed as he grabbed the seat behind her head. “It looks to me like you need some male attention since you are all alone.”
He moved in for a kiss and with nowhere else to go, he succeeded in kissing the side of her mouth, she moved her mouth away, but it just made him move down her neck, making her cry out, “Get off of me! What are you doing?”
“Just giving you what you need, I saw the way you were looking earlier.” His hands moved to the bottom of her skirt and her effort to get away strengthened. She felt a rough finger on her panties. Trying to shut her legs on his hand, he growled and yanked them back apart, his hot mouth on her neck. “Please stop!”
Kendra could hear the desperation in her voice and she hated the sound of it. She was already feeling like she had used up all of her energy and barely made him budge. He was not listening to her and she was starting to feel helpless. With one more surge of strength, she yelled at him to stop and pushed away as hard as she could.
The door opened suddenly next to her and she was pulled out by a strong grip. She didn’t see who it was before he had gone back into the car and started to pull Shane out her side. It was the man that had warned her about him earlier and she didn’t know what to do but stand there and watch him pound his fist into Shane’s face. There was a satisfaction in seeing it and hearing the sound of each contact.
Finally she stopped him. “Enough, you are going to kill him.”
“So.”
“Well I don’t want that on my conscious or yours. Thank you for saving me…”
“Joel.”
“Joel.” She said his name lightly as his dark eyes looked concerned. “I’m fine, really.”
“Do you need a ride home?”
“No, I guess I need to call the cops or something. He might need an ambulance.”
Joel shrugged, “Someone will find him eventually. I don’t really need the trouble if you don’t mind.”
She looked down at the man on the ground, he wasn’t making any sound, but he was breathing, so she didn’t feel so bad. “Okay, I don’t want to give you any problems for helping me. I should have listened.”
“Let me take you home.”
Kendra almost said no, that she was fine, but she wasn’t. Her hands shook and after living in a big city most of her life, she had never felt so close to danger before as she did then. Joel made her feel safe and she could figure out getting her car the next day.
“Would you mind? I don’t want to put you out, but I am a nervous wreck right now.”
“Come on. Where do you live?”
“Off James Street. Turn right after Turner.”
“I know where that is. I have a friend that lives over there.”
“I don’t really know anyone yet, just got in town last night. First day of work and all.”
“Well don’t think we are all like him.”
How could she think that about Joel who had come to her rescue?