Grace looked around the full bar and smiled. She was going to earn some nice tips tonight, and she could use them. Although she was almost out of the hole that Hank had tossed her into, she still had a little ways to go, and a short time to get there. Getting this job at Del Fantasma had been a blessing in more ways than one.
There hadn't been a night since she started that she hadn't gone home with less than a couple hundred in tips in her pocket, or a good feeling in her heart.
She didn't know why, either. After working an eight plus hour shift in any bar, she should be exhausted and drained. Instead she usually found herself rejuvenated and feeling better than she had when she went in.
Maybe it had something to do with the cute owner, Cody Warren. The man was hotter than a god, and built like one too. His short dark hair and striking blue eyes turned the head of more than one female--and a few males here and there, too.
Although he flirted with her on a regular basis, she knew he didn't mean anything by it. He flirted with her the same as he did the other females on staff, including Tara, the singer up on the stage.
Grace sighed. Now there was a singer. Tara could take a song and make you feel the emotions behind each and every word. The first few nights Grace had worked, she'd been caught not doing her job more than once when she was arrested by Tara's voice. Now Grace just chalked it up to part of the ambiance of the place and let it soothe her. She just figured it was one of Tara's gifts.
Cody had asked her about her prejudices and beliefs before he hired her, and even though she knew he had no right she had told him she was Wiccan, and as such, would have no problem working the religious holidays.
He had smiled strangely and told her she was hired. She hadn't realized it was because he expected her to be a bit more open minded about strange happenings than the average citizen on the street.
It hadn't taken her long to figure out that most of his customers weren't all human. Her first hint had been the floating drinks when the group of women usually found in the back corner had gotten a little bit drunk the first full moon she was here. Add in the constant territory challenges, understated though they may be, and she'd have to be a hell of lot more close-minded not to be able to figure out something was different about this place.
But it suited her. She was a misfit in the world of normal people, too. At least here everyone had their own shields and she didn't have to worry about stray images of their lives, or emotions and desires getting past her shields. At least most of the time.
She could handle the occasional emotion getting out of hand. Anything dangerous and Cody and his regulars would take care of it before it became a major issue. Most of the time, though, the emotions were strongest when Cody used his little matchmaking talent to get people together. Somehow, he could tell when the time was right to give away one of his special drinks to an unsuspecting customer. That was when the fireworks would fly. What did you expect in place where many of the customers mated for life?
Grace envied Cody that ability. She only saw the possible results after he linked people together. And even then she was never sure. But Cody was never wrong.
Grace glanced over the patrons of the bar and smiled. Brandon was beside the bar staring at Tara, his girlfriend of the past few months, and growling at anyone who got too close to her, or stared at her too long. Most knew that his bite was even worse than his growl, and did their best to avoid him. Why mess with a Werecat unless you had to?
Her eyes drifted across some of the other regulars. Mundanes and paranormals together, creating an atmosphere that was different from any other place she'd ever been in. Even the tourists that were unaware of the true nature of the bar sensed something different here. It was one of the things that made the place so popular.
It was also one of the things that made her feel more comfortable than she'd ever felt before. The abilities and talents of most of the customers made her paltry ability seem nonexistent, which was what she preferred. It was sporadic and entirely undependable at the best of times. Take her present financial situation as a perfect example.
If her ability worked when and how she wanted it to, she wouldn't have found herself in the position to pay off ten thousand dollars in debt accrued by her ex-boyfriend--all in her name.
She tried to fight it, but since most of the things he had ordered through her credit cards and accounts he'd opened in her name, and had been delivered to her house and signed for by a woman with a signature that looked amazingly like her own, she had no case. That wasn't including the leg breakers that he had borrowed from either.
Since Hank had disappeared, they had come after her. She'd been paying them off ever since then. That was the last time she ever trusted a man.
And the money wasn't the only reason she'd kicked the bastard out. Whoever the woman was who had been in on it with him had been much more than a business partner. Something Grace had learned the hard way.
So, Grace had been screwed over, twice. Her ability had done nothing to help her. Hell, it had done the opposite. When she had first met Hank her inner voice had encouraged her to go out with him. Talk about worse than useless powers.
Well, at least she got a friendship out of the deal. Tara and she had become pretty good friends, and Grace could always use another one of those. In fact, Tara had been urging her get to know more of the customers and employees on a personal basis.
Regardless, Grace was happy with the way things were. She knew the regulars casually, and was friendly with them. That was enough for her. She had no desire to be burned again by anyone. And in her experience, that was what relationships tended to do.
Grace brought Brandon a beer and grinned at him as he growled at another patron.
"Easy, boy. That one's more interested in you than in Tara."
At his second growl, she snickered and walked away to serve the rest of her customers. Poor kitty never got a break.
"Hey Grace, give us another round." She nodded to the back table of witches to show that she'd heard them and turned to the bar after dropping off the last of the drinks on her tray.
She spent the next hour hustling tables and seeing to her customers before she could finally sit down and relax.
"Busy night tonight." Cody sauntered over and put an icy concoction in front of her on the bar.
"I'm still on the clock." She was not a fan of alcohol herself, despite where she worked.
"It's finally calmed down. No one else is gonna be coming in. You're pretty much done for the night."
Grace smiled. "Yeah, right."
At Cody's laugh, her exhausted body perked up, getting a little bit more energy. "Well, either way, take a break. I just found this recipe and wanted to give it a shot."
She eyed the drink carefully, "What is it?"
"Just give it a try. I'm sure you'll like it."
Warily, she took a sip and was pleasantly surprised by the taste. "Fruity. Is that orange or pineapple juice I taste?"
Typical Cody, he didn't answer, just winked and walked away to help someone at the other end of the bar.
Sighing, Grace took another sip of the drink and cast her eyes over the bar one more time. She had about an hour left on her shift, but Cody was right. It was getting late, even for Del Fantasma, and not many people were coming in. Most of the crew were regulars, and would be heading out within the next thirty minutes or so. Hell, she could set her watch by some of them.
Finished with her drink, she set it closer to Cody's side of the bar and hopped off the barstool. The drink must have been more powerful than she had thought, because she lost her balance and fell against a hard, warm chest.
The thumping of a heart beat against her hand. Her pulse instantly responded, matching its speed to that of the man that held her tight in his arms. The scent of forest and ocean waves assailed her senses and her mind spun as she heard a sigh in her head.
"Cuidado, querida. You don't want to fall into the arms of too many strangers. You never know who, or what, you may bump into here." The smooth bass of the voice sent moisture to her core and dragged her eyes up to his face.
Sharp features met her gaze. Smooth, taut lips quirked led her eyes up to a long Roman nose, then to eyes which were a deep brown that she felt herself get sucked into, causing her to go breathless.
His Latino accent sent her pulse fluttering immediately. A hotter man she couldn't remember ever seeing. His biceps were strong and hard where she held them, and her hands tightened against them of their own accord. The rest of her body responded to his nearness unexpectedly, melting into him too eagerly as she pictured the two of them in bed together, rolling around the sheets in ecstasy.
His mouth widened into a full-blown smile as if he knew where her thoughts had gone. Her pussy clenched at the sensuality inherent in that one look.
Dammit, woman, get your hormones in check. You don't need another man in your life. Least of all one so attractive all you want to do is fuck his brains out.
She hissed. Oh, gods, she'd just been sucked under by a vamp, and if she didn't miss her guess, an old vamp. She swallowed hard.
)
