He glared at her. “Oh, so you think it is funny that you just hired someone who is going to have customers running out of here as fast as they can?”
“I’m sorry,” she said through her remaining giggles. Astoria straightened, swiping away the tears that were falling from her eyes. “I just thought you might actually get laid if she came back and seduced you again. You seemed really into it.”
“She even left you a gift to remember her by,” I said into my coffee mug, eyes staring at the blonde hair extension on the ground.
This sent Astoria sprawling out onto the bar floor, clutching her stomach as she howled out laughter.
“It’s fine. I am sure our stray here knows how to pour a good drink.” Kaius spoke over his sister’s laughing, eyes scanning over my body. “When that girl doesn’t work out, you’ll be our new bartender, won’t you, kitten?”
Astoria stopped laughing. “Absolutely not. Every bartender we have ever had besides me and Josie, you have fucked. Acelynn is off limits. No sticking your dick in places it doesn’t belong!”
“Over my dead body would I fuck your brother, Astoria.” I sneered at him, but the idea of being dominated by the man in front of me had me clenching my thighs together.
Kaius shot me a wink. “Over a dead body? That’s a new one for me, but I’m down to try anything at least once, kitten.”
“You are a pig,” Astoria screeched, reaching down to remove her flip-flop and chuck it at her brother’s head.
He dodged it easily and rolled his eyes at his sister’s words.
I turned fully around on the barstool, staring him down with a challenge. “I’ll make you a deal. When that girl ultimately fails at this, I will bartend for you. But only bartend, I am not getting up on that bar and shaking my ass for every man who waltzes through that door.”
Kaius’s gaze flicked to mine, sharp and unreadable. “I require all my bartenders to be able to dance.”
“I never said I couldn’t dance, just that I wouldn’t.”
He cocked his head to the side, smirking at me. “One dance a night. That is all. The rest of the time, you can spend your nights making drinks.”
And just like that, the game between the two of us had begun. I reached out a hand. “Deal.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
acelynn
Astoria droppedme off in front of an aging brick building nestled in the heart of downtown Lovelen. The town’s main street was barely a mile long, a sleepy strip of timeworn storefronts, weathered signage, and fading paint adding to the character of the small town. On either side, law offices and small businesses sagged under the weight of the desert heat and decades of dust.
I waved toward Astoria, smiling brightly to mask the feeling of a thousand knives lodging themselves in my gut. Only once she turned the corner and vanished from view did I pivot away from the law office and quickly walk two doors down to the police station.
The lobby was dead quiet. It was just past noon, and it looked like the place had already given up on the day. A long admin desk sat in the space’s front, a girl no older than twenty-one sitting behind it. Her light red hair was knotted into a bun on the topof her head, and she’d ditched her blazer in favor of just wearing the cream-colored blouse that had lain underneath. Two buttons at the top were undone, causing the shirt’s material to lie open against her sweaty skin. A small desk fan buzzed lightly as it spun on high speed, sending hot air through the space, but all anyone cared about during the Arizona heat was the illusion of it helping.
She looked up from the book she was reading as I made my way further into the waiting room, brows lifting in question.
“Can I help you?” Her voice was light and airy as she asked the question.
“Tell Detective Parsons his midday appointment is here to see him.” I smiled sweetly.
Her eyes widened before she shot to her feet so fast the chair squeaked and nearly toppled over. Without another word, the girl rushed down the dim hallway.
My smile faded as soon as she disappeared. The fear she radiated—pure, stifling, and far too familiar—twisted something deep in my stomach. Parsons had a talent for breaking people down, especially the ones just trying to hold their heads above water. If I had my way, I’d force him into early retirement with a fistful of evidence and a one-way ticket to hell. Muffled voices carried from the back of the station. A door slammed hard against a wall, and heavy boots stomped toward the front.
“Penelope, how many goddamn times do I have to say I don’t take midday appointments!” Parson bellowed as he rounded the corner, the young girl trailing behind him with her head bowed, jaw opening and closing to respond.
My arms folded one over the other as I leaned casually against the doorframe, clearing my throat to get his attention away from her. Parsons whipped toward me, an agitated sigh slipping from his lips. “Ms. Thorton, I forgot we were meeting today.”
“Detective,” I said with ice in my voice. “Do you always scream at your employees, or is that treatment only reserved for the sheriff’s daughter?”
Penelope’s face was tinged a light shade of pink at the comment, but it wasn’t from embarrassment. No, the look she shot me was pure venom. If Parsons weren’t standing between us, I had no doubt she would lunge.
The detective’s gaze snapped to me, and the irritation in his eyes was evident. He stepped aside, placing one hand out to gesture for me to lead the way down the hall. I pushed off the frame, sauntering past Penelope and ignoring the glare drilling into the back of my skull.
