Seduction by Violetta Rand Page A

whistles. “Serious money. We get a mixture of executives and cowboys, tourists and locals. A few bikers now and again.”
    My body goes stiff at the mention of bikers.
    He laughs, then throws Craig a cryptic look. “How many shifts are you willing to work?”
    I don’t know.
    “Three,” Craig answers for me. “Wednesday through Friday.”
    “All days
you
work,” Henry shrewdly observes. “Anything going on between the two of you we should know about up front?”
    My heart does a little flip. Is it that obvious? I’ve purposely stayed as far away from Craig as possible. And something tells me he did the same as soon as we entered the club.
    “We’re spending some time together.” Craig flashes me a sharp look. Is he testing me? Reminding me we have unfinished personal business? Regardless…
Oh. My. God.
He’s more or less claiming me. I feel the blood drain from my face.
    “Good to know,” Darren says. He pats my hand. “Nothing to be embarrassed about—it’s perfectly natural. It helps promote good employee relations.”
    Someone raps on the door and then it opens. The waitress with our drinks. She hands me mine and I suck half of it down. Craig is staring at me, his gaze slowly sweeping up my legs. I take another swallow, waiting for the calming effects of the wine. Now he’s focused on my mouth. What’s going on inside that gorgeous head of his? Has he completely lost it?
    “Let’s get you ready for a guest dance,” Darren says. “If the customers respond favorably, you can start work next Wednesday. Okay?”
    I lean forward and put my drink on the coffee table. “That’s it?”
    “Want me to give you the skinny on our 401(k) and profit-sharing program?” Henry asks.
    My mouth twists. I don’t know if this guy is serious or screwing with me.
    “Knock it off.” Craig punches Henry’s arm. “She’s nervous enough.”
    Henry chortles. “Just trying to make you laugh. We’re happy to have you join the team. Why don’t you run to the DJ booth? We’ll send Craig along shortly.”
    I smile, glad to be done.
    —
    “She’s adorable,” Darren says.
    Adorable
isn’t what comes to mind when I look at Marisela. “But…”
    “I want you to team her up with one of the veterans…maybe Macey or Desire.”
    Yeah. Darren wants to see a catfight between the girl I used to fuck and the one I want to sleep with. “Always trying to start trouble.”
    “No,” he denies. “Just want to make sure this one knows what she’s getting into. She’s young and inexperienced. Without Robyn here, she’s gonna face a lot of challenges. She’s beautiful. Isn’t that reason enough? What about Sargent? How do you want to proceed?”
    “Let’s see if he picks her out the next time he decides to visit.” I know he will.
    “Sounds reasonable to me. And if he does, we’ll deal with it. You’d better get out there so you don’t miss your girl’s first dance.”
    I finish my drink, then join Dave in the DJ booth. “What’s she dancing to?”
    “Avenged Sevenfold’s ‘Hail to the King’ and Alice in Chains’ ‘Hollow.’ She’s up after the next song.”
    The same song I played in the garage. I rub my hands together. Should I wait here or sit at the stage? Isn’t the answer obvious? I head to pervert row. Not my favorite place to hang out. There are only a couple of open chairs. I grab the one closest to the catwalk. Dave already announced her guest dance a few minutes ago, which brings guys out of the woodwork. Fresh meat is a turn-on to these hard dicks. There are forty guys sitting at the main stage; another twenty line the catwalk. I hope she’s prepared for this.
    “All the way from Austin, Texas, please welcome the gorgeous Marisela to the Devil’s Den…”
    She’s wearing black bell-bottom pants and a sequined bra two sizes too small that can’t contain her perfectly shaped breasts. She stands, closes her eyes, and begins to sway her hips hypnotically. I clench my teeth when she