“I just need the job.”
He glared at me and for a moment, I worried he would kick me out of his office with nothing. My stomach fluttered watching him, waiting for a decision.
“Fine. you can keep the job,” he said begrudgingly.
A knock sounded on the door.
“Come in,” Miller snapped
Jason popped his head in the door. “Miller?”
Miller looked at me, his face all hard lines. A boulder settled in the pit of my stomach. Then he sighed. “Make sure Tess has the maximum number of shifts at peak times.”
“What about—”
“Jason, maximum shifts.” Miller’s tone brokered no argument.
“You got it. I’ll go redo the schedule right now.”
“And no one touches her. I mean no one.”
Jason nodded once. “I’ll make sure everyone keeps their hands to themselves.”
I should have kept my mouth shut. He hadn’t fired me, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t. But I couldn’t stay quiet. “What does that matter? Everyone here gets their ass smacked or grabbed at least a few times a night.”
“Jason, leave us.” Miller’s cold gaze stayed focused on me. Jason hustled out the door and I was half tempted to follow him.
“I will not repeat myself again. No one touches you but me.”
“I’m not some dog that you can command, Miller.” Brazen asshole that he was.
“No, but if you want to keep this job, hands off . . . except me.”
Why in the hell was I arguing? Jason was going to keep the guys from grabbing me every time I walked by. I would have to be crazy to fight against this. Still, even though he was doing me a favor, I wasn’t a fan of him telling me what to do.
“Oh no. Deal breaker. Hands off—including you. You sound like a jealous boyfriend.”
He scoffed. “I don’t do relationships.”
“Exactly why the only person who decides who’s touching me is me.”
His nostrils flared. “Fine. No one touches you then.”
“Great. Can I get back to work now? Without tips I don’t make anything.”
Almost to the door and he called my name once more. When I turned, his features had softened. Here was the man who caught my attention every time I saw him. The man who could be sweet. The man who had caressed every inch of my body with those warm hands. The enigma I wanted to solve.
“Yeah?”
“Does Ray know where you are?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Good. Hopefully no one else knows where you moved to either, you should be safe there. I’ll see what I can find out about Ray’s debt with Marcello.”
The mood swings on him made a woman with PMS seem sane. I was grateful for his help. I didn’t know anything about Nathan Marcello, but the rage in Miller’s eyes and his words, made me fear that I didn’t want to. “Thanks, Miller.”
I walked out the door, knowing that Miller was watching my ass. The same feeling from the first night we met stirred in my blood. Without the distractions of our conversation, I knew my attraction to him had only grown in the days since I’d seen him last. What I found appealing had to be his looks. Dark hair, dark eyes. Yeah, it had to be the looks because his personality left something to be desired.
Whatever it was, I needed to stop thinking about Miller Hawes. It would seem I had bigger problems to worry about.
CHAPTER 11
Miller
Un-fucking-believable.
Walking into the bar and seeing Tess’s ass on display for all to see sent me right to the edge. Then the shit in the booth had to go and grab it, bringing her closer to him. My blood burned, every limb stiffening, every muscle clenched to keep myself from slaughtering the asshole right there in the middle of the bar.
Her ass called to me, putting all the others in the room to shame. As much as I hated to admit it, Tess had the perfect body for the uniform. It would have been perfect, provided I was the only one to see it.
And therein lay my problem.
Why the fuck was I so obsessed? I’d never had a problem resisting women before. They were good for sex, nothing more.
Whatever caused it, I needed to get over it quickly. Too much was riding on me being in control of my life for me to get involved with someone. That didn’t mean I would leave her fate to Nathan Marcello. That bastard didn’t care who he hurt in the process of getting his money. Dad had been trying for years to convince people to stop going to him. Obviously, it hadn’t worked. And now Tess was in his sights.
I pulled my phone from my pocket and took a seat behind my desk. If anyone could find out about Ray’s debts, it was Ashton. He answered after a few rings.
“Miller.”