Snippet Saturday ~ Work

Welcome to another Snippet Saturday! Today's theme is 'work'. Check out my excerpt below from Negligee Behavior, and then visit the blogs listed for other excerpts!

When lingerie heiress Brandy Summer gets cold feet and runs out on her Vegas wedding, she has nowhere to turn—so she hijacks a hunky biker waiting for a red light and begs him for help. What she doesn't know is that her instincts are right: the groom has a hidden agenda. He needs her money to pay off his gambling debts and she's his ticket to the good life.

Marco Vargas isn't sure what he's getting himself into when he rescues Brandy, but figures he'll do the chivalrous thing. He offers her a job in his bar and the chance to sort out her feelings. But it seems that keeping Brandy hidden is easier than keeping his hands off her—and what will happen when Brandy discovers that Marco has secrets of his own?

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EXCERPT

The bar was crowded as all hell. Marco kept half his attention on Brandy, while working behind the counter taking money and making drinks.

She held her own, though just barely. Running around like her ass was on fire, eyes bright with excitement.

Fortunately for her, half the crowd came to the bar and ordered drinks directly from the bartenders; she only had to worry about the customers who were seated at the tables or people who came up to her. Even with those it was strictly drink orders since the kitchen had closed two hours ago.

"Hey, I'll take a light beer." A regular sidled up to the counter and grinned. "So what's with the waitress in the cat shirt? You pick her up at a library convention or something?"

Marco bit back a smile as he slid the beer toward the man. "Something like that."

"Yeah, she's kind of cute. Got that whole innocent look about her." He leaned across the bar. "But you know those are the same girls who've got a kinky streak a mile wide. Probably has one of those dominatrix outfits at home or some shit."

"You think so, huh?" He gave a silent harrumph and looked past the customer to see Brandy making her way back to him.

"How's it going?" Marco asked her.

She shook her head. "I'm so tired. But I'm having a great time."

"How are you doing on tips?"

She shrugged. "I've gotten a few dollars here and there. But it doesn't matter. I'm not here for the money."

Valerie usually scored big on tips, but then again she was a seasoned flirt and dressed in a provocative way that was guaranteed to turn men on. Brandy struck out on both of those counts.

He'd actually been kind of worried about the backlash from some of the regulars. Thought they might get annoyed with an inexperienced waitress dressed like she was attending a church picnic. But besides a couple comments, no one seemed to care much.

"You've got two more hours, princess. Think you can make it?"

"Sure." She didn't protest or seem the slightest bit annoyed by the princess reference this time. A yawn popped her jaw and she raised a hand to cover her mouth, giving him a guilty smile. "So I'm a little sleepy, I can make it."

"You want an energy drink?"

She wrinkled her nose, but before she could turn him down he pushed on.

"It'll wake you up."

She narrowed her eyes and gave him suspicious look. "Do you even have an energy drink?"

He gave a deep laugh and shook his head. She didn't have a clue what was in half of the drinks she was serving.

"Of course we do. Though usually we're mixing them with Vodka." He grabbed one of the drinks and cracked the can open. "Pound it. It'll wake you up a bit."

"Are you sure? What about the tables—"

"They're good for now. You can take a minute to drink this."

"Okay." She snatched the can out of his hand and slammed it back, swallowing a bunch of times before she dropped it back on the counter.

Damn, she'd taken pound it seriously. He gave a slow nod of admiration.

"Yikes." She blinked and shook her head. "I think I'm going to get a sugar high."

"And then some. Good, that's what you need to get through the night. Now get your butt back out there now."

Giggling, she spun away and went back to check on the tables.

"That was nice of you," Sebastian said to Marco.

"What are you talking about?" Of course he knew exactly what his friend was referring to, but Marco kept his expression unreadable as he topped off a glass of beer.

"What with the way you were treating her earlier, I would have thought you'd be thrilled if she keeled over from exhaustion."

"I might be an asshole, but I'm not that big of one."

"Really? Where's she staying tonight?"

The same question had crossed his mind a few times throughout the evening. Where would she be staying? They hadn't talked about it since breakfast. This morning—before she'd become the newest employee at Dante's Place—he'd just assumed he'd drop her off at a hotel in town.

Now the entire game plan had changed. It was going on one in the morning and now the idea of her getting a room in a small off-Strip motel didn't seemed like a real shitty one.

But he didn't want to admit his thoughts to Sebastian. The guy already thought he'd slipped off the deep end over the choir teacher.

"I don't know where she's staying, and it's not my business." The words left a bitter taste in his mouth. You're an asshole.

Marco spotted the flicker of surprise and annoyance in Sebastian's eyes, but he didn't say anything and just shook his head.

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