Chapter 1
Tilly
Sitting on the floor in the center of my living room, I count through the cash left in my savings jar. $42.15.ย Great. If I didnโt need that damn car to get to work, Iโd set it on fire. Iโll never get ahead at this rate.
I let out a sigh, stretching my legs out in front of me. โI am never going to college.โ
Dropping the money back into the jar beside me, I let my head fall back against the couch. Itโs old and worn, and itโs seen better daysโjust like everything else in my life.
โGet used to it, Tilly,โ I say to myself. โThis is obviously as good as it gets for you.โ
Once upon a time, I had goals, dreams,ย aspirations. But that was before I found out that the college fund my grandparents had set up for me as a baby was emptier than the jar on my floorโthanks, Mom. When graduation came, the only hope I had to better myself was to get a job and save toward paying for community college myself. But two years later, we can see how thatโs goingโฆ
โWhatโre you doing on the floor?โ my mother grunts as she shuffles toward the kitchen, obviously hungover, cigarette dangling from her mouth, and an empty coffee cup in her hand.
I hide the jar beneath the couch and stand. If she sees me with money, sheโll take it. โI didnโt realize you were home.โ
โBoss cut my shifts again,โ she says, her back facing me as she mutters, โWhy is there never any fuckinโ coffee made when I need it?โย Probably because youโre the one who drank itโฆ
I keep my job to myself, knowing it wonโt get me anywhere anyway and try to keep on topic. โWhy did he cut your shifts?โ
She scoffs, sucking hard on her cigarette as she sets up the coffee machine to percolate. โA customer reckons I shortchanged him. And the customer is always right.โ She rolls her eyes, blowing out a lungful of smoke as she puts the cigarette out in the sink and leaves it there. โWhat areย youย doing here?โ
โMy shift doesnโt start for another hour. I was just about to get ready.โ
She nods, pulling out a fresh cigarette. โRentโs due. Gonna need you to cover my half this month, or the landlordโs gonna kick us out. You know what heโs like.โ
โSure,โ I say, eyes down.ย Thatโs my paycheck gone.ย Iโll be lucky if I can afford ramen after this, but it wonโt be the first time. My mother has a habit of pissing people off. Hence why my college fund was empty by the time I needed it. She canโt hold down a job to save herselfโor me. She has sticky fingers and a quick temper, two qualities most employers donโt tolerate for long. Iโm surprised she hasnโt been arrested yet.ย At least thatโs somethingโฆ
I know I could leave. I know I could go somewhere else and start again, but where am I going to go? I have no money, no extended family; my car barely runs well enough to get me anywhere far, and even if I did leave, Mom would still hit me up for moneyโฆ And I canโt say no to her. Sheโs family.
โYou hear that bar on Main Street is hirinโ at the moment?โ She clicks her lighter, the flash deepening the dark lines around her eyes, showing her age. โThey need new girls.โ
โIsnโt that one of those places where they dance on the bar?โ
She nods. โReckon youโd do real well swinging what God gave you up there.โ With the fingers that grip her cigarette extended, she points to my breast and hip area, indicating my abundance of curves.
โI donโt want to get up and dance, Mama,โ I say. โI donโt have the coordination.โ
โSure you do. And the tips will be a hell of a lot better than you get at that dive youโre working at now. You should apply.โ
โIโm fine working at that dive.โ
โApply,โ she insists, cupping my face in her hands. โUse what you have to your advantage while youโre still young enough to make money off it.โ
โI would like to use my brain.โ
She laughs, but it turns into a cough. And she steps back, angling away from me. I pat her back until it subsides, wishing sheโd quit the smokes already.
โSweetheart,โ she says when sheโs caught her breath. โI know you wanted better than this. Maybe this job is how you get it? Doesnโt hurt to try, right?โ
โFine.โ I roll my eyes. โIโll go down there and check it out. No promises, though.โ
Mom smiles. โGood. Because electric is due in two weeks, and I doubt Iโll have the money to pay it.โ She pulls the bill off the top of the microwave and hands it to me before she pours her coffee and leaves the room.
I look at the bill and sigh. Just like that, I know I donโt have much of a choice. Iโm getting a new job.
ย
Chapter 2
Noah
Clamping my hand around the wire strippers, I pull the plastic coating off the speaker wires and wind them together. This was supposed to be done three days ago, but good workers are hard to come by. I find myself being boss, repairman, barmanโyou name it, Iโm the guyโmore often than not. Next thing I know, Iโll be up on the bloody bar dancing myself. Thatโd be a sight.
I chuckle to myself as Iโm threading the wires into the wall before I hook the speaker in place. Big ex-military me, clicking my heels together and wiggling my ass.
โWhatโs so funny up there, boss daddy?โ Elijah, my bar manager, says as he places his hands on the legs of the ladder Iโm standing on.
Pasting an unimpressed glare on my face, I stare down at him. โBoss on its own is just fine. I ainโt your daddy, son.โ
His eyes light up as I realize what I just said. โBut you just called me son. And I would really love it if youโd be my daddy.โ
I scoff out a laugh and climb back down to the floor, dusting my hands off on my jeans. โDoesnโt that count as sexual harassment or something? Asking your boss to be your daddy?โ
Elijah purses his lips and juts out one hip as he considers this. โI think it doesnโt count if the employee does it to the boss. It only counts if itโs the other way around. Plus, I think youโd have to feel intimidated. And since youโre twice the size of me, big daddy, I donโt think youโre intimidated at all.โ
I shake my head. โYouโre incorrigible, kid. Howโs everything for tonight?โ
โWell,โ he starts. โEverything is fine exceptโฆ weโre a girl short.โ He says the last part really fast, his hand half covering his mouth as he speaks.
โA girl short? Fuck. Who is it this time? Stacey? Natasha?โ
โTonyaโ
โAre you for real? Thatโs the third time in a week.โ I shake my head, hands on my hips. I donโt enjoy having to come down hard on my employees, but in this case, itโs affecting my business. I need a full staff to run efficiently. โNext time sheโs in here, tell her to come see me. Sheโd better have a good reason if she wants to keep working here.โ
โYes, sir.โ Elijah salutes, walking along behind me as I close up the ladder and carry it into the storage room. โI was kind of hoping that I could call one of the new girls as a fill-in.โ
โAre any of them trained?โ I take quick, long strides to my office and he runs to keep up.
โTrained in dancing, not so much in bar work. But Iโm sure I can teach them to pull a beer in no time.โ
โWhat the hell are you doing hiring girls who canโt pull a fucking beer? This is a bar.โ
โWith dancers. I have to hire them based on their moves, or whatโs the point in them being here?โ
โTo serve food and drink. You know, the stuff that makes me money. Thatโs more important than how well they dance.โ
Elijah places his hands on his hips and presses his lips into a tight line. โTry telling your clientele that. The girls are why they come.โ
I stand in the doorway of my office and let out a growl. โI didnโt open this place so I could be a fucking drink slinger every night of the damn week, but fine, Iโll man the goddamn bar tonight.โ
I slam my door, just as I hear him say, โThank you, daddy.โ
As pissed as I am, it makes me laugh. He knows Iโm straight as an arrow, but he seems to get a kick out of this daddy gag he has going on. And heโs the best worker I have, so I let him get away with it. Still, the last thing I want is to be anyoneโs โdaddy.โ Iโve got three grown kids of my own, and I sure as hell donโt need anymore, hell, I havenโt even looked at a woman for...fuck, I forget how long. Once my wife passed, I left the army life behind me and focused on working and raising my kids. Now that theyโre all off at college, Iโm finally in a position to do what Iโve always wanted to doโopen a bar with great music and even better food. All I need now is enough employees to run the damn place.
ย
Chapter 3
Tilly
Making my way up High Street, I find myself standing in front of the Stomp & Swill bar. Itโs fairly new in town, barely open six months. From what I hear, it can get pretty crazy in here. Iโm not sure Iโm ready to have men throwing money at me while I dance and pour liquor down their throats. I mean, I can do the pouring part, but dancing, even flirting, are foreign concepts to me.
But I need the money, and I have zero qualifications for anything else.
I raise my hand and knock, seeing through the window that a guy with spiked brown hair and black eyeliner is restocking the bar. He spots me and moves to the other side of the door. โWeโre closed, sweetheart. Come back at five-thirty when we open.โ I can barely hear him through the glass.
โIโm here about a job,โ I yell back, fighting against the noise of the street behind me.
โThereโs no Rob here,โ he says, scrunching up his face and turning away.
โNo. Aย job.ย I need work.โ
He stops moving, turns around, and flashes a straight-toothed smile my way. โCan you pull a beer?โ
โIโve been working at OโSullivanโs since I turned twenty-one in March.โ
โShow me.โ He pulls the door open and waves his arm to usher me in. When I hesitate, he purses his lips. โDo you want a job or not? I don't have all day.โ
โOh, sorry,โ I say, hurrying to step inside.
He leads me to the bar and gives me about a second to look around before he starts throwing orders at me. At first, Iโm not sure whatโs going on. But I quickly realize heโs giving me a test to see if I can handle the pace here. I twist my long blonde hair into a knot on my head and get to work. Heโs obviously never worked St. Patrickโs day in an Irish pub beforeโit was one of my first shifts, so I step up to this challenge with little trouble, lining up the orders without breaking a sweat.
โGood.โ He nods, an interested gleam in his eye. โBut can you dance?โ
โUhโฆโ My cheeks flame. โNot really. I mean, Iโm not sure.โ
Tilting his head to the side, he frowns. โNot sure? How can you not know if you can dance?โ
โWell, of course I can dance, just like anyone else can dance. But there havenโt been many occasions for dancing on bars in my life, so if Iโm being honest here, Iโm not sure how Iโll do with that particular requirement of the job, sir.โ
โSir,โ he repeats with a chuckle. โWhy in Godโs name would you callย meย sir?โ
I open my mouth, closing it again when Iโm unsure what words I should be letting out. โWell,โ I start. โI donโt know your name.โ
โQueen,โ he states. โIf you must call me anything other than Elijahโwhich is my nameโthen you may address me as queen. I run the girls, so youโll answer directly to me.โ
โWait. Are you telling me I have the job?โ My eyes go wide, and I bite my lip to hide my smile.
โIf you can be here at five, you have a job. But, sweetheart, you must learn to dance, or you wonโt last long here.โ
โOh, I will,โ I say. โIโm a real fast learner.โ
He laughs. โThatโs what they all say. How about you clean up this mess while I get you some paperwork? Oh, and I should probably ask your name.โ
โTilly,โ I say, beaming while hoping my financial troubles are about to be a thing of the past. โMy name is Tilly Adams.โ
โWell, Tilly Adams. Welcome to the Stomp & Swill.โ
ย
Chapter 4
Noah
โDonโt mind me, boss,โ Elijah says, bursting into my office and heading straight for the filing cabinet.
โNo daddy this time?โ I joke while I continue inputting expenses into this blasted spreadsheet, one digit at a time. Computers have never really been my thing.
โIโm trying out this crazy thing called listening. Not sure how long itโll last for,โ he teases back as he slides the drawer closed and turns around, new employee paperwork in hand.
โWhoโs that for?โ
โWell, youโre about to love meโI have the answer to your prayers out in the bar right now.โ
โThe answer to my prayers, huh?โ I stand and move to the doorway. It gives me a view straight into the bar where a blonde with curves for days is rigorously wiping down the stainless steel prep area, her breasts and booty jiggling hypnotically from the movement. Iโm not the kind of boss who creeps on the girls who work for me. Iโve always been adamant about keeping my distance and providing a workplace that paid them well and kept them safe. We have a no touching policy that is fiercely upheld by security. But as I watch this new addition to our team drop the rag she was using into the sink then turn our way and smile, something flips in my chest and twitches in my jeans.ย Fuck.ย Iโm a fifty-three-year-old man. Iโve never had this kind of reaction to a woman beforeโespecially one whoโs obviously half my age at the most. But Iโm having visions of grabbing those round hips of hers and throwing her on the bar while I bury myself deep inside her. I want to take her home with me, wake up with her in my bed. I want to be the sole reason those pink lips of hers smile. I want her to beย mine.
โNoah.โ Elijah clicks in front of my face, snapping me out of my inappropriate stare fest. I feel like a kid again, drooling over a girl Iโve no right to even look at.ย What is wrong with me?
โCan she pull a beer?โ I demand, my voice gruffer than I intend as I frown and turn away from her.ย She looks too innocent to be in a place like this.
โThatโs what I was trying to tell you,โ he says, looking at me like Iโve gone crazy or something. โTilly here can not only pull a beer, but she can make any drink order you can throw at her. Believe me, I put herย through it,ย and she passed with flying colors. And sheย cleans.ย Look at that bar shine! Girl, you are Godโs gift to us right when we needed you.โ
The girl beams. โThank you.โ My heart flutters even faster.ย What the fuck?
โOne problem,โ Elijah starts. โShe canโt dance. Iโll need to teach her.โ
โDance?โ Alarm bells go off in my mind. I donโt know why, but the idea of her up on that bar, dancing for anyone other than me has all kinds of protective instincts inside me going haywire. โNo.โ
โNo?โ Tillyโs smile falls as she looks from me to Elijah. Suddenly I feel like shit. I never want this beauty to look hurt because of my words. Iโm quick to clarify.
โYou donโt need to dance. I want you on the floor, pouring drinksโno dancing.โ
โOh. Um, OK.โ
I catch Elijahโs brows knitting in confusion as I turn around and shut my door, flicking the lock behind me. The way her mouth looked when she formed that O with her lips has my dick straining to get out past my zipper. I need to put some space between me and Tilly before I say or do something crazy. Sheโs an employee. Sheโs young. And the way Iโm feeling toward her is not OK. In fact, itโs downright filthy.
