Adrian's Wrath(6)

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“Hey, Brea.”

Brea set the empty glass on the rubber mat on the bar and glanced up. Matt, the bartender on Thursday nights handed her two filled glasses of beer and smirked at her.

“You free Saturday?” She stifled the urge to roll her eyes at yet another one of Matt’s attempts to pick her up. If not for the fact she knew he slept with a different woman every single night, she might have humored the thought of taking note of how attractive he was. His shaggy brown hair hung across his forehead in the latest boy-band style and his whiskey-colored eyes rivaled their most expensive bottle of Jameson.

“Sorry, I am working.”

He looked mortally wounded as he placed his hand over his heart. “Shot down again.” He leaned forward on the bar and wagged his brows at her. “If I didn’t know for a fact you truly do work every fucking night I’d think you were purposefully avoiding me.”

She grabbed the two glasses and set them on her tray, not bothering to hide her smile. Matt was a flirt, but the teasing note in his voice was extremely addictive. “Don’t act like you can’t get any female in this place. In fact”—she turned around but looked over her shoulder—“I know you have.” She didn’t wait to hear his response, not that she would have been able to anyway given the fact the music was so loud her ears rang. She deposited the filled glasses to the customers and made a sweep, taking a few more orders and collecting more empties.

“Brea. Please come to my office.”

The voice in her ear was deep and authoritative. Brea adjusted the ear piece that connected every employee with the owner, Tate Wessen. Instantly her heart started to pound. There were only two reasons the boss called an employee into his office. He was either about to fire her or ask her to work underground. Both scared the shit out of her. Matt gave her a nod when she gestured she would be heading in the back to talk to Tate. She hadn’t been the only one to hear Tate’s deep command. Everyone working the floor had heard him. She couldn’t help how her legs slightly shook as she made her way through the thick sea of bodies and toward the steel side door. A big, burly bouncer stood in front of it, and at her arrival he gave a tight nod and let her pass. Once the door was shut behind her all sound from the club ceased. A long, brightly lit hallway stood before her along with another bouncer-guarded door. Once she was through that one as well and the steel closed behind her with a deafening click, she forced herself to breathe.

Tate’s office was just as intimidating as he was. Dark hardwood and brushed steel covered every square inch. Brea stayed close to the door, although she knew it was false security. Tate would let her leave when he wanted her to. She didn’t know why she felt so uneasy around him. He had been nothing but professional and nice to her, but underneath all of that she sensed something dangerous about him. It was the same thing she sensed inside of Cameron. And that scared the hell out of her.

“Brea.” Tate glanced up from the stack of papers scattered around his desk. He smiled almost warmly, but Brea wasn’t fooled. She had seen false security from Cameron way too many times to not know what it looked like. He might be one of the most attractive men she had ever seen, what with his short dark hair and amber-colored eyes, but Brea knew a dangerous man when she saw one. Tate was definitely one of those men.

“Please, have a seat.” He gestured toward the plush black leather chair in front of his steel-and-glass desk. When she was seated in front of him he laced his hands together on top of his desk and watched her. “You like it here, Brea?’

“Yes, sir.”

His grin widened and he leaned back in his chair, getting more comfortable. “Please, call me Tate.” Brea nodded but didn’t speak. “You’re one of my best workers. You get along with everyone and I’ve never had a complaint about you.”

Brea had no clue where this had come from. “Thank you, Tate.” She shifted in her seat uncomfortably. She didn’t want to be put in any kind of spotlight. She wanted to go unnoticed. If people started paying attention to her that could cause her a lot of problems.

“You worked underground before, right?”

Instantly her heart beat a little faster and her palms started to sweat. “Yes, that’s right.” Throat gone as dry as the desert, Brea already knew what he was going to say. Hell, she had known it was one of two things before she had even set foot in his office.

“How would you like to work down there permanently?” She didn’t respond right away and he must have sensed her unease. “I know it’s a different crowd down there, but I’ll increase your pay and the tips are far better.”