Page 46 of Mace

I peer up at him, irritation rolling through me. I don’t even try to be polite and friendly. I’m pissed.

“So, I look like a wet dream, but you won’t let me dance? Why not? You can never have too many girls, and if it’s about losing a bartender, I’ll help find my replacement.”

“I don’t give a shit about losing a bartender. You just ain’t doing it.”

I grind my molars together, trying not to let my frustration and desperation mould into something ugly.

“I need this, Mace. Please.”

His brows come together. I’ve said too much, and now, he’s going to pry into my shit… shit I don’t want to confess to anyone. I’ll take Bernie’s dirty little proposition to the grave. “Why?”

“None of your business. Are you going to let me dance or not?”

“I’m not.”

I glare at him. “Then I guess I’m looking for a new job.”

I try to move out from under him, but Mace’s huge frame pins me against the wood. My heart is pounding, though not out of fear. I’m not scared of him. Maybe I should be, but all I feel is heat coursing through me at the look he’s directing at me. He makes my body come alive in a way I didn’t know was possible.

“You ain’t leaving because I won’t let you get your tits out on stage,” he growls.

“Well, unfortunately, I have no choice.”

“Are you in trouble, Maylie?”

So much…

It sits on the tip of my tongue to reveal all the pressure weighing down on my shoulders, but the truth is, I don’t know Mace well enough to divulge my problems. And as much as I want to trust him and put my faith in him, I can’t. He might decide my shit is too much and fire me.

“The girls get better tips on the stage.”

There’s a flash of disappointment.Is he annoyed I’m not telling him the truth?

“The answer is still no.”

I wrap my arms around my middle, my gut churning. “I’d better go help Bella behind the bar,” I say, slipping from under him, and this time, he lets me go, lifting off the door so I can open it.

“If you’re in trouble, I can help.”

Can he stitch the broken pieces of my life back together?Somehow, I highly doubt it.

“I’m fine.”

He doesn’t stop me as I leave, hurrying across the main floor towards the bar. Bella looks at me as I approach, question in her eyes.

“Let’s hope we have a good night tonight,” I say around a huge smile I don’t feel. I’m going to have to work harder than usual to get tips tonight. Maybe if I can give Bernie whatever I have after each shift, he’ll leave me the hell alone, then I can just focus on the nightmare of my sister dating an adult.

“Everything okay?”

“Of course.”

But nothing is okay. My landlord wants to sleep with me to reduce my rent, my sister’s dating a man, and I just tried a lap dance for Mace.

Could things get any worse?

TWELVE

MACE