Most of the men in the club had no problems with expressing their interest. It wasn’t like I was surprised by their groping hands or fuck-me eyes. We were practically wearing nothing, so it was to be expected. That didn’t mean I liked it, in fact I hated it. It made me feel sleazy and dirty.

That wasn’t the case when tall, dark, blue eyes looked at me though. There was something dangerous about him. He encouraged the extra sway in my hips when I moved through the room, and as much as I wanted to be embarrassed by it, he was the reason I pulled my shirt down a few extra inches.

The way he watched me made me think he was interested in me, but apparently it was because he was the owner and I was obviously doing something wrong.

I followed him over to the bar and he motioned for me to sit down on one of the stools. I sat and he moved to stand in front of me. He turned his baby blues on me and reached up to tuck a stray hair behind my ear.

His simple touch heated my skin and my breathing got harder. I felt embarrassed by my reaction to him. Experienced girls didn’t fall apart at such an innocent gesture. Out of the corner of my eye I could see the motionless bodies of the staff and if I strained, I could hear their whispers.

It wasn’t normal for the owner of a club to tuck the wait staff’s hair behind their ears.

“Jessica,” he said with a seductive grin.

I almost didn’t realize he called me by the wrong name. His voice was so dark and deep—hypnotic. I shook my head, my correction on the tip of my tongue. “No. My name is—”

He stopped me with a rough finger over my lips.

Sparks tickled my lips, making me roll them together.

“No. When you’re with me, you’re Jessica.”

And then it all made sense. The owner of Clive’s was certifiable. It was a shame for such an attractive man to be totally crazy, but there you go.

“Sir, I’m not really sure what this is about, but…”

“My name’s Sebastian.” His words were rough and clipped.

“I’m sorry, Sebastian…” I said slowly, not wanting to make any sudden movements. “Is there something I can do for you? I really need to get back to work so I can get out of here as soon as possible.” My eyes flew toward the club doors and I was ready to flee any minute. But Sebastian, a.k.a. my crazy boss, obviously had other plans.

He put his head down and chuckled softly to himself. It was a deep, erotic sound that punctured all the right places.

“As a matter of fact, there is something you can do for me. A lot of things actually, but we’ll get back to that later.”

The bartender slid him a drink across the bar, and he watched me over the rim of his glass as he took a quick sip.

“I hate to do this, but I have to let you go. We at Clive’s appreciate you applying for the job, but I don’t think this is the right position for you.”

He said the word position like it was the name of a dirty movie. Listening to his smooth voice and staring into his never-ending pools of blue, I almost missed the point behind his words.

And then, his words sank in and gutted me.

This couldn’t be happening.

Not with my brother, outside parked in our home, waiting for me. I had to do something. I wasn’t certain I could find another job quick enough. Things were already sitting at rock bottom. I wasn’t sure I was going to come back after this hit.

“Sir…” the word slipped from my lips. It sounded broken and afraid.

“Sebastian,” he corrected.

“Sebastian, I—”

He cut me off again. “I love how you say my name.” He appeared to be thinking to himself.
“You’re actually the first one to know my name. It’s inconvenient, somewhat forbidden, but I kind of like it.”

I had no idea what he was talking about. Of course people knew his name. Before I knew who he was, I distinctively remember Trish talking about the owner who was named Sebastian Black.

I didn’t know how to respond to him, so instead I chose to ignore what he said. “I can’t lose this job. Please, let me try again tomorrow night. I know I’m not perfect, but I didn’t drop anything tonight. I’ll be even better next time. Please, give me—”

Again, he silenced me with a single finger. What was with this guy?

“I have something else in mind for you, my beautiful, perfect myth.”

I didn’t hate that he was flirting with me, and I already gave up trying to understand what the hell he was blathering about, but I sensed if I wanted to keep my job, it was best to not respond.