Marie Harte - The Fire Within

Not wanting to delve into her earlier dealings with him, she’d flashed him a warning look and continued with Gerry’s introductions. A gorgeous blonde named Ellie was apparently his favourite, and from what she had thus far observed of the woman, Samantha could clearly see why.

For the three hours she’d been watching, both Ellie and Darius worked nonstop. As bombarded by male patrons as Darius was by the females, Ellie had a ready smile and friendly efficiency that bolstered sales while encouraging an atmosphere of fun. A man carrying three drinks bumped her, interrupting her musings. Murmuring an apology, she neatly sidestepped him and saw Gerry conversing with one of the VIP patrons on a raised platform across the room. He nodded at her and she smile back encouragingly, not needing to pretend satisfaction with the huge crowd dominating Outpour. She had already noted a few things he might want to change to increase profits, but advertising to increase patronage wasn’t one of them.

She noted the majority of women plaguing the bartenders near Darius’ station and forced herself to keep her attention on the dance floor.

The minute she had left him after Gerry’s introduction, she’d felt his eyes on her. Despite not wanting to renew their acquaintance from before, she’d been tempted to chastise him for causing such a scene in public this morning, even knowing she had no right to do so. She couldn’t help remembering how it had felt to be dumped, and that Darius obviously cared so little for the woman he’d left crying in public, well, it made her feel that much worse for responding to his touch last night.

An arm shot around her waist, startling her out of her musings.

“Come on baby, dance with me,” a handsome blond man cajoled as he tugged her towards the dancefloor. “Someone as gorgeous as you shouldn’t be sitting on the sidelines.”

She glanced at the smiling stranger and shrugged. Why not? She’d see how the club felt from the middle of the crowded dancefloor.

Her partner introduced himself over the loud music as John, and as she moved closer to respond, she felt a tangible urge to step away.

A low growl came out of nowhere, but she didn’t see anyone near her expressing interest in her or her dancing partner. Without knowing why, her eyes found Darius glowering at her from the bar before he dismissed her and turned to another woman clamouring for his attention.

“Odd,” she muttered. She turned back to John with an apologetic smile. “I’m Samantha.” He nodded. After several minutes of dancing, he grinned when the music shifted to a more sensual beat and pulled her close, allowing her to feel every nuance of his aroused body.

Unfortunately for John, her body still hadn’t recovered from Darius, nor had she the inclination to indulge his forward actions.

“Thanks, but I have to get back to work,” she said and easily disentangled herself. She wanted to like him. He seemed like an ordinary guy and she found him pleasantly attractive. Maybe a short roll in the hay would diminish the aggravating attraction she felt for the he-man at the bar.

Again disapproval shot through her system with enough fire to burn her into acquiescence. She rubbed at her thundering heart and glanced around her, not surprised to see no one but John paying her any attention.

“Sorry, John. But I appreciated the dance.”

He shrugged and leaned close with a grin meant to entice. “I’ll be here all night, waiting and watching for a change of mind.” He licked his lips in what should have passed for a come-on but instead made her think he needed to hold back on the alcohol. He smelled like a brewery.

Making her way through the crowd, she returned to the sidelines of the dance floor, pondering her odd subconscious. Samantha always listened to the little voice inside her. But she couldn’t imagine why her inner voice had suddenly taken on a masculine tone. Perhaps more of her sexual frustration coming to the fore. She sighed. Whatever. She wasn’t here to fool around anyway. She had goals, she had discipline, and she had a job to do.

Disgusted at her lack of willpower, she resumed her professional persona and focused again on the dynamics within the club.

Gerry had a surefire hit with Outpour. The DJ, atmosphere and flowing alcohol clearly attested to a prosperous business. And the potential for growth was enormous.

She took out a small PDA and made notes on possible improvements and items she definitely wanted to emphasise as effective. An hour passed and she began to grow thirsty amid the hot bodies and pulsing lights, so she purposefully moved to the bar not occupied by Darius to order a water. Ellie, the head bartender, handed her a glass without pause.

The tall blonde wore a tight blue shirt that set off the bright blue of her eyes, and a thin gold rod piercing her navel accentuated her slim belly. Gerry had told her that though Ellie looked like a typical blonde bombshell, she was anything but. Highly intelligent and well-spoken, Ellie worked at Outpour only to ’finance her future’, as she liked to say—whatever that was. Gerry had been agonising over losing her since he’d contacted Samantha. Hiring Darius had been a breakthrough but still wouldn’t heal the tear when Ellie left.

“Looks hot out there,” Ellie said, nodding to the dance floor as she filled another order.

“It is.” Samantha closed her eyes and swallowed her water. Nothing had ever tasted better. “So how are things on your end?”

“Just a sec.” Ellie smiled as she worked, easily able to multitask as she prepared an order for a waitress while taking the order of the patron leaning closest to her over the bar. “I love the rush,” she said as she handed the waitress her drinks and prepared another. “Of course, I’m not as crowded as Darius and Mike over there.” She nodded towards the bar opposite her. “But in another hour or so the men will start pouring through those doors knowing the women are here.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah. Happens every week like clockwork, or at least it has since Darius started.” Ellie paused to stare. “You’d have to be dead not to notice how hot he is.”

Samantha glanced over her shoulder at the man surrounded by women. “So why not make a play yourself?” Ignoring the tingle of irrational jealousy, she studied Ellie. “You’re popular enough, judging from your share of admirers,” she said, seeing the men around Ellie angling for her attention, and not just for the alcohol.

Ellie grinned. “I’ve tried. He politely but firmly said no.”

Surprised, Samantha stared at Darius. She wouldn’t have pegged him as so discerning, but recalling the expensive blonde he’d been with earlier in the day, perhaps his tastes ran to the more sophisticated.

“And to be honest, it’s for the best. There’s no spark there.”

“No spark?”

“You know, chemistry? When I stand near him, I just want to look at him.” Ellie grinned. “He’s handsome, but not my type. Weird, huh?”

Ignoring her relief, Samantha asked if there was anything she could do to help when the number of orders increased.

“If you wouldn’t mind, would you grab me some more Zinfandel and J.D. from the basement? They’ve been stacked and ready to move for an hour, but Sean and Maggie have been stuck helping me.”

“Sure. Just use the freight elevator, right?” Gerry had shown it to her earlier, under the now working basement lights.

“Yeah. Once you bring it up, just let Sean know. ” Ellie turned to help the next customer and Samantha left to grab the supplies. She refused to glance at Darius before she left, more determined than ever to avoid him in the future.

The minute Samantha left the floor Darius turned to Mike. “I’m going to grab some more house bottles. Need anything while I’m gone?”