Queen Bitch of the Callowwood Pack (Siren Publishing Classic) (23 page)

She sat up and looked around, her heart pounding once more. Her room above her mother’s garage was empty, the silence broken only by her panting breaths. The scent of sex perfumed the space around her and her pussy juices soaked the sheets between her legs.

“Oh my God. That was only a dream?”

Julianna dragged a hand over her clenching pussy, rubbing her cream into her lips.

Damn, it had felt so real.
She giggled and lay back in her bed, trying to catch her breath. She listened to her heart hammer against her ribs as she thought about her sexy dream lover. Just the memory of him riding her hard had her pussy clenching with erotic aftershocks.

Julianna closed her eyes and tried to slow her breathing, inhaling the scent of sex. Could she detect a little of Jeff’s scent in the room?
Nice try, Morris. He wasn’t really here.

Her rational mind finally clicked back into place, and relief trickled through her.

Thank God, he wasn’t really here. We would’ve been in so much trouble.

She snorted and rolled onto her side, wrapping the sheets around her. Snuggling deeper into her bed, she chuckled with wicked amusement.

But he can visit again. I don’t mind. Really.

Testing Begins

Julianna’s first day on the job went rather well, though her mother dropped by the bar. Julianna had been surprised and nervous, not only because of the species difference, but also because of the wet dream. She’d worried everyone could scent it on her, but Jeff and his friends hadn’t seemed to notice and greeted Beth warmly. She promised to stay out of Julianna’s way and watched her with a big ‘proud-mama’ smile. Julianna blushed but focused on the job at hand.

She learned the rules and schedules quickly, and even managed to iron out some of the previous snags affecting the smooth operation of the bar. There were a total of eight waitresses, four barkeeps, and twelve bouncers. She met with all of them over the course of her first week and managed to get their schedules worked out to everyone’s mutual satisfaction. She coordinated with Zach to make sure the bouncers rotated and each one was given at least two nights off a week, though not necessarily consecutively. Jeff and Zach took turns for the morning shifts as barkeep, so Zach could have some time off as well. He returned as head bouncer in the evenings.

The other three bartenders–Laura Thomas, Gary Howler, and William “never Bill” Phillips–all worked the evenings, rotating the weekends so everyone got a chance for bigger tips. There were always two bartenders each night to spell each other and to work the rushes. Six of the waitresses were full time, three working Tuesday through Saturday, and three working Sunday through Friday. The last two were part-time workers who filled in shifts when someone was sick or needed some time off, as well as serving as backup on the weekends. Laura and William were human, as were four of the waitresses, but all the bouncers were
west of left field
. Julianna wondered what they did for security on the nights of the full moon.

The four
west of left field
waitresses were omega members of the pack, but they held their own with the humans and the other patrons. Most of the bouncers were beta, though one or two of them were omega, and deferred to the others. They stood up to humans without any trouble.

Julianna liked all the bouncers, though most of them belonged to Jeff as part of some sort of group she didn’t understand. They had their own ranking within the group, and the other bouncers outside the group deferred to them, regardless of rank. Despite their size and strength, all were intelligent and sharp and treated her with respect and deference, particularly after they saw her work with Woody, an omega bouncer younger than the others but well-liked.

On her third night at the bar, a young alpha and his beta friends got a little too worked up. Woody moved in to escort the young man and his rowdy friends outside so they didn’t disturb the rest of the bar. Julianna saw Woody gesture in his careful, polite way to encourage the offenders to leave, but she could scent the alpha’s anger and disdain all the way across the bar, and the hair on the back of her neck rose. The other patrons around them scented it, too, and edged away from the burgeoning confrontation. Julianna wove slowly through the crowd, watching the exchange very carefully.

Woody politely suggested they take their “discussion” outside, and the young alpha sneered at him, flipping him the bird and turning his back. Woody’s jaw clenched, but he, again, politely urged the party outside. Julianna was impressed with how “cool” his scent remained.

The betas around the alpha began to taunt the omega, calling him a carrion dog and insinuating his manhood was less than it should be for a grown man. Woody took it all stoically and pulled the chairs away from the table to allow the party room to move away. The alpha and his friends shook in inebriated fury and turned on Woody, snarling and shouting drunken curses at him.

Julianna slid past the other patrons, who backed hastily away, trying to catch the eyes of Zach or some of the other bouncers. She found Zach and they’d almost reached to the table when the alpha took a swing at Woody. The omega bouncer ducked and caught the alpha’s hand, using the momentum to swing it around the other man’s back and pin it there. The alpha screamed in rage and tried to throw him off, but Woody held on and shoved him toward the bar. The group of betas with the alpha leapt at Woody, but a sharp whistle aborted their motion, and Woody stilled.

“Hey!” Julianna shouted into the startled silence. Even the players at the pool tables looked up in surprise. “What’s all the shouting about?”

The young alpha jostled in Woody’s grip, but the omega bouncer didn’t let go.

“Lemme go, you mangy cur!” he bellowed, still struggling. He shot a venomous look at Julianna. “He’s got no right to hold me like this!”

Julianna looked over at Woody and nodded slightly, and the bouncer released the young alpha and stepped back out of reach.

“Now, sir, what seems to be the problem?” she drawled blandly.

“The problem is that stupid asshole grabbed me and dragged me toward the door for no damn reason!” the young man shouted, and his friends muttered assent.

Julianna raised her eyebrows. “Is that the way it seemed to you? Because I saw my bouncer ask you to leave politely, and you took a swing at him in response. I think he has every right to escort you to the door. However, if you’re willing to go under your own power, he’ll merely watch your back until you’re outside.”

The young alpha snarled. “He had no right to touch me or any of us! He’s only a—”

“Sir, you’re in danger of losing much more than just a night at the bar,” Julianna said sharply, and the young man glared at her, seething. “Now, I think everyone might be better served if you and your friends found other entertainment this evening.”

Julianna gestured toward the front doors.

“Who are you, bitch, to tell me what to do?” he sneered, his body bristling with cocky rage. “You might be the newest bitch in town, but you’re nothing! You can’t tell me what to do or where to go, so you can just fuck off!”

Julianna’s temper began to boil, and she narrowed her eyes, but she carefully considered her next move. Drunk as a skunk and feeling his oats, the young idiot was in no condition to fight more than one bouncer, and they’d have him and his friends out before he knew what hit him. She’d opened her mouth to call more bouncers when a low growl filled the silence. The base animal inside her screamed in panic, demanding she hide from the oncoming deadly predator.

Turning her head, Julianna’s gaze caught Jeff stalking toward them through the crowd. His face was composed and looked even mildly amused, but Julianna scented the fury rolling off him in waves. Excitement zinged through her at the sight of his furious beauty, and she inhaled shakily.

Holy God, he’s frickin’ sexy!

“Is that any way to talk to a lady, Bobby?” Jeff said, his voice deceptively calm.

He stopped next to Julianna and cocked his head like a curious wolf. Bobby swallowed hard and held very still.

“I’d appreciate it if you kept a civil tongue while in my bar. I don’t tolerate insults to my employees, and this lady is the bar manager. Not only is she an employee, but she’s also in charge of the bar. What she says goes. You been making trouble in my bar tonight, Bobby? Did you take a swing at one of my bouncers?”

Bobby took a breath to say something, his expression rebellious.

“Think carefully before you say anything,” Julianna admonished. “You’re already treading a very fine line. Don’t compound your troubles.”

Bobby glared daggers at her until her words sunk in through the alcohol soaking his brain. His eyes widened and shifted to Jeff’s forbidding presence beside her. Whatever he saw there killed his belligerence, and the color washed out of his face. His head dropped into a submissive position as his eyes slid to one side, no longer challenging either Jeff or Julianna.

“I’m sorry, J—” Bobby stopped and swallowed hard when Jeff growled, dropping his head lower. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lightfoot. I’m not myself tonight.”

Jeff raised his eyebrows expectantly.

Bobby cleared his throat. “I’m sorry, Ms. Morris. I think I’ll take your advice and go home.”

“I think that’s a wise choice, Bobby,” Jeff said. “I’ll tell your dad hello the next time I see him.”

Bobby’s face, already white, paled even more. Apparently, his father still held sway at Bobby’s household. The young man nodded jerkily, retreating backward, never turning his back. A few loose chairs toppled to the floor as he and his friends fled.

Julianna let out the breath she didn’t even know she’d been holding as she watched the other patrons regroup and relax. When the doors closed behind the troublemakers, she turned her attention to Woody. He stood silently, his face a mask of impassiveness, but she could smell his unspent fury. This close to the full moon, he’d held back admirably well.

Catching his eye, she gestured with her head toward the back of the bar, and he followed her, his strides stiff and sharp. He stubbornly refused to look at her, and Julianna’s frustration rose until she remembered an omega wouldn’t challenge an alpha by looking her in the eye.

“Nice job, Woody. You kept your cool and held your ground. Good work.”

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” he snapped, still not meeting her eyes. When she raised her eyebrows, he added quickly, “I’m sorry, Ms. Morris.”

“In answer to your question, I never thought you couldn’t do the job for which you were hired,” she said, stuffing her anger down deep. “On the contrary, most men wouldn’t take a verbal assault as calmly as you did, and I was both impressed and pleased with your performance. I was merely expressing my approval and trying to offer you a compliment. If that offends your delicate sensibilities, I’ll keep any praise I have to offer to myself.”

Woody breathed out roughly, staring at her chin to remain submissive despite his greater height.

“Forgive me, Ms. Morris. Those taunts were hard to take. I’ve worked hard for this position and earned my place. I didn’t mean to take my frustration out on you. It won’t happen again.”

“Good.” Julianna nodded. “I don’t enjoy being snapped at any more than you do. Why don’t you take a five-minute break to let out some of that frustration and then come on back in to finish your shift.”

As he began to turn away, she added, “You’re a better man than he is, Woody.”

Woody paused with his body turned three-quarters away from her then nodded sharply before he left the bar through the back. Julianna bit the inside of her mouth thoughtfully but turned her attention back to the crowd. She didn’t see Jeff anywhere, and disappointment thumped with each beat of her heart. She knew it was probably for the best. He couldn’t show her favoritism, and she couldn’t push him up against the wall and kiss him.

Yep, definitely better that he’s not here
.

She did notice the other bouncers and Zach watching her impassively. As she caught Zach’s eyes, he inclined his head respectfully, and she thought she saw some gratitude flash through his expression before he returned to impassiveness. The tightness in her shoulders eased a little, and the rest of the night passed without incident.

At the end of the night, just before closing, Zach came up to her and touched her elbow to get her attention.

“Oh, hi, Zach,” she said as she gathered her things. “What can I do for you?”

“I wanted to say thank you for sticking up for Woody, Mistress Morris.” His voice wasn’t as deep as Jeff’s, but she sensed quiet authority in it all the same. Still, his body language and scent offered nothing but respect.

“You’re welcome. Woody did his job well in a difficult situation. When he’s doing his job, the patrons had better listen to him, regardless of their status.”

“Still, thanks.”

“Welcome.”

Zach gave her one of his rare smiles and turned away to help close up. Julianna realized he was younger than she’d thought and quite handsome when he dropped his stoicism. She grunted softly to herself and returned to her duties. She marked down the few changes to the schedule and left it in the office for Jeff then grabbed her purse and her keys, and headed for the door.