A good-looking man wearing a sleeveless black shirt jogged in my direction—presumably the bartender who worked the late shift. I could see why Jake would want him during peak; he had a mess of sexy blond hair and an athletic build. I guessed him to stand just shy of six feet tall.
“How’s it going, honeypie?” he said, jogging up the steps and giving me a friendly wink.
I slid a last glance at the entrance to Howlers before getting in the car and ending the first night of my new life.
Chapter 2
My eyes snapped open when someone slapped my ass and jolted me awake.
“Get up, sexy.”
I flew at Hawk, clocking him in the jaw with my fist.
“Holy fuck, girl! What the hell is your problem?”
“You know what!” I caught my breath and sat up against the headboard, knees to my chest. My heart pounded out of control as I remembered when my sister used to shift into her cougar and prowl on my bed in the morning. “I told you I don’t like being woken up like that.”
I preferred soft kisses to the back of my neck by a lover, or even a plate of food beneath my nose. I often had violent outbursts when I was startled awake—sometimes shifting into my wolf.
And nobody wanted to tangle with my wolf from what I’d heard. She had a nasty temper and represented my alter ego with a proud wag of her tail.
“I’m not in the mood to fry bacon just to wake your ass up. Deal with it. I’m heading out to take care of business. It’s already two in the afternoon, so I think you need to get moving and shower for work.”
“Maybe my customers like me stinky.” I snatched up an automotive magazine from the end table in our garish bedroom.
Whatever he did, Hawk made money. Good money. He also liked to flaunt it, and a man with money and no taste was not an agreeable mix. Seashells and birds decorated our mauve bedspread, the oval tables were made of etched glass, the brass lamps were shaped like a woman’s nude body, and don’t even get me started on the hideous drapes. It wasn’t the style so much as the money he coughed up to make it so atrocious.
“I’m letting you drive to work tonight, but if you come home late, the deal is off.”
I swung my legs over the bed and stood up. “Letting me?”
He spanked my ass again, and I scowled at him. “Yeah, letting you. Just remember who pays the bills around here.”
“Not for long!” I snarled, slamming the bathroom door.
That just rubbed me the wrong way. Hawk could be a real jerk when he wanted, bragging about how he brought in the cash and how grateful I should be. He didn’t think I could pull in much money as a waitress, but little did he know. I had this niggling feeling that our relationship was doomed. Eventually Hawk was going to become insecure about his woman making money and would give me an ultimatum. I’d never allowed anyone to dictate how I live my life. Maybe I didn’t look like much of a tough girl with my slender frame and innocent face, but a female wolf either learns to be assertive or becomes nothing more than a submissive bitch.
And I was nobody’s bitch.
I’d seen the influence some corrupt packs had on their women. I felt sorry for those girls. Not the ones with a sharp tongue, but the girls who’d lost their identities after being swallowed up by the dominance of an unworthy mate. It wasn’t the Shifter way, because most of the men revered their mates, protected them, and supported their desires to work or raise a family. Shifter women were outspoken and headstrong, but it frightened me to think I might end up in the wrong pack.
At least with rogues, I didn’t have a sense of being trapped. Lone wolves were sometimes involved in criminal activities in order to pay the bills. They saw themselves as badasses who didn’t need to follow orders, but most were just men who had issues. Only a rare few were alphas. Alphas instinctively formed packs, but once or twice I’d run into a lone alpha. Those were the dudes I stayed far away from.
Scary dudes.
After my shower, I shaved my legs and gave them the full shea-butter treatment. I used to wear pants, but now I dressed the way I wanted, and if I ended up with a scratch or mark, I’d shift long enough to heal it. I just had to deal with my wolf getting pissed at me for not letting her stay out. Hell, maybe some of her attitude helped me get through a rough night. Eventually I’d succumb to the call—like all Shifters do—and allow her two nights a week to run loose.
Not on the streets, of course. I didn’t know my way around Austin well enough, so I’d been confined to the backyard after I’d torn up Hawk’s drapes. I guess my wolf didn’t like his taste either.
I threw on a pair of frayed jean shorts and a sleeveless white shirt. There were a few things I needed, so I headed to the drugstore. By then, Hawk had already left the house.