Fire and Water (Dragon Mates book one)

1-Denon's Bar

Zara

The worst day ever started out with me leaping out of my bed five minutes before I was supposed to be at work. I scrambled around my room, breaking a few hangers as I pulled my skirt and tank top down from the closet. I dressed as quickly as I could, flying through my apartment to grab a banana, and my makeup bag. I tossed them both in my purse, grabbing my keys off the hook as I slipped into my heels and ran for the door. I did my makeup and finger-combed my hair as I sped to work.

When I parked in the parking lot of Denon's, where I worked as a bartender, I checked in the mirror. I smoothed down a few of my long silky black tresses and then headed in to the bar. I knew last night when I was working those extra hours, that I would regret it today, and I definitely was. I'd worked until 4am last night, and apparently I woke up just before 2, which is when my shift was supposed to start. Luckily, I live close and was able to clock in by 2:08. Maybe Denon won't notice?

Denon—the owner of the bar— is a scary-looking man, but he's really nothing more than a creep. He "protects" his ladies, of course, but he also can't keep his hands to himself. I was lucky enough to have made it to work before him, so I was hoping he wouldn't notice my tardiness....except he did. Because somehow, even though I hadn't seen his car in the parking lot, he was already here.

"Zara, honey? I need you in my office." I heard his voice from over my shoulder, and my heart sank. This was not the first time I'd been late. It was also not the first time I'd been called into his office.

I swallowed the rising fear in my belly and followed him into his office. It was a tiny little room with a few certificates for the good food on the walls. There was a tiny desk next to a window, and a sofa chair across from the desk. I sat on the arm of the chair, and looked at him to find that he was already staring at my chest. "Look, Zara. I don't want to fire you because you're my best worker. You're also my favorite to look at." He grinned at me and my stomach turned. I swallowed down vomit. "But, seriously. You have to stop being late!"

I nodded and crossed my arms over my chest to keep him from staring anymore. Unfortunately, my DDD's just pushed up more, so I dropped my arms again. "I'm sorry. I'll work on it."

He sighed and stood. He moved around his desk to stand in front of me, and my heart rate instantly accelerated. I knew he was letting me off easy, and I knew that he was going to expect something for it, but still my stomach rolled. His hand landed on my thigh, slowly moving forward as he started to speak again. "All I want is for you to succeed here, Zara." His thumb brushed the hemline of my skirt—which was pretty high, considering the dress code says it must be shorter than your fingertips. I bit my lip as he lifted a strand of my hair off my shoulder and brought it to his nose. He inhaled deeply before speaking again. "And next time, take a fucking shower before you come to work. I like you better when you smell like coconut." He patted my head as though I were a school child. As I stood to leave, he patted my ass too, and I bit my tongue to keep myself from quitting my job here on the spot.

I quickly left his office and made my way to the bar. It was already packed with patrons, and I was able to quickly settle into my groove. Sunny, my best friend and fellow bartender, was already there and in the swing of things. We worked perfectly alongside each other, and I was glad to have her.

"Hey, perky tits. I need some scotch, babe." I turned and had to try hard to hide my disgust as I took in his appearance. I couldn't see him below the bar, but I could see his black motorcycle jacket, missing teeth and ugly mustache.

I rolled my eyes pointedly, but turned my back again and poured his scotch. I passed it to him, and he held my gaze as he tossed it back. "I'm gonna need at least three more, but it's mostly because I like staring at your ass."

I didn't bother to hide my disgust this time. "Keep your thoughts to yourself, you perv." I served his drinks, but only after making eye contact with Aron, one of the undercover security guards. His job was the best, because he got paid to sit and drink lightly alcoholic beverages all night at the bar-top and watch to make sure us female bartenders felt safe. Since 90% of the waitstaff at Denon's is female, we begged him to hire at least one burly male security guard. So finally, he broke down and hired Aron. Today was his fourth night on the job, and I was already wondering how useful he would be. When he locked eyes with me, I didn't see a protective gaze. In fact, the look on his face looked alarmingly like anger.

I tried to move on and continue with my groove, but I must admit I was shaken. Sunny noticed, and the second there was a lull in the crowd, she scooted over to me and asked, "What's cookin, good-looking?" I couldn't help but grin at her adorable, goofy nature.

"Nothing. I just had a creepy client, and I looked at Aron, but I...didn't feel like he was on my side." We both continued to wash dishes as we talked, and we both knew we wouldn't get long before we'd be pulled away by other bar patrons, so we had to speak fast. There was no time to skirt around problems we might be having.

"Are they still here? Do you want to switch sides?" We'd often done this when one of us needed a break from a customer. We'd simply tag each other out so that we could trade problems if one of us couldn't handle it anymore. I think this buddy system of ours has kept both of us from getting fired, because we've both been working with shitty customers for too long.

I glanced back to my bar side, searching the seats for that creep from before, but he was gone. My blood boiled a little when I realized he hadn't paid his bar tab. I pinched the bridge of my nose and filled her in. She rubbed my shoulder, but was saved from thinking of encouraging words when one of her patrons asked for another round of shots. "Z, you got this. Just get into the groove and worry about that guy later."

I sighed and went to check on my patrons, throwing myself back into the work again. It wasn't a very good coping mechanism, but at least it made me a better employee. When Sunny and I finally closed up, it was well after 3am. "Hey, at least we're out early tonight!" Sunny is exactly what her name implies, always the optimist. "And it's your Friday, right?"

I gasped, because I had totally forgotten. "You're so right! And Sunday is Easter, so I have a three-day weekend!"

She giggled, which instantly made me smile. "Tomorrow is my Friday. Do you want to hang out this weekend?"

For the first time all day, I laughed the way that only Sunny could make me do. "You know I'm not doing anything, Sunny." She grinned at me, and her dimples popped in her cheeks. She really is the cutest thing, with her long blonde hair, bright blue eyes and those dimples. She hates them, of course, but the rest of the world loves them.

"Okay, Z. I'll call you tomorrow before work." She kissed me on the cheek, and then skipped to her boyfriend's waiting car. Her boyfriend, Carl, must be a saint to handle all that energy.

I turn and head for the parking lot on the other side of the building. I looked down at my phone, trying to decide if I should text my mom to see what she was doing for Easter. She and I hadn't spoken since she started sleeping with my boyfriend....but that's a different story.

I looked up when I heard the gravel crunch to my left. I turned into a hard chest, and my attacker grabbed me around my waist, practically dragging me to the side of the building. The parking lot was dark, and there was no one around (of course, right?). No one... except Aron, who appeared beside my attacker. When he pressed me into the side of the building, I looked up to find the asshole from before. The one with the open bar tab. They both smelled heavily of cigarettes and liquor, which meant they'd been here for awhile, possibly waiting for me.