Serving the Wolf's Den (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) (5 page)

Maura felt embarrassed for the woman, who was pathetic in her desire to get Max into her bed. She found her repulsive with her too-heavy makeup that made her wrinkles even more pronounced. She knew she was being uncharitable, but for some reason she was feeling less than sympathetic toward the woman.

Max laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

Joanie turned her head to look at Maura, who was still watching her. “What you looking at, Bitch?”

“Nothing. Just waiting for my drinks.” She immediately turned back toward Toby, who was working to fill her order.

“Hurry those drinks up, Toby,” Max ordered. “I don’t like to see one of my Bitches standing around annoying my customers when she could be working.”

Not only was it the first time since her interview that she had heard Max use the term “Bitch,” but using it as a public reprimand shocked her as much as if he had physically slapped her. She looked over at Toby, who had stopped pouring his drink in midair.

He turned to Max. “What did you say?”

“You heard me.”

Toby glared at Max before he went back to loading her serving trays. When he was done, he brought them over to her. He lowered his head and whispered in her ear sympathetically, “He’s just trying to make that old woman feel special. Unfortunately, it was at your expense. Sometimes he can really be an ass. Just ignore him.”

She shrugged and took her trays. It was a difficult balancing act with the two trays loaded with drinks, but she was doing pretty well until she reached Frank’s table. She was about to set the trays down, leaning into the table for support, when she felt something under her skirt. She realized too late that it was Frank’s hand. She gasped and looked at him in confusion. He was smiling, but for the first time, it wasn’t pleasant. It was twisted and ugly. She felt his fingers push upward between her legs as his fingers caught her panty, pulling it back enough for his fingers to touch her.

“Frank,” she whispered harshly into his ear. “Please don’t do this.” The other people at the table were engrossed in their conversation and seemed to be oblivious to what was happening

“You know you’ve been wanting me to finger that cunt of yours since you served me the first time,” he said so no one else could hear. “You’ll be screaming for more when I’m done with you, my sweet Bitch.” She could smell his stale breath as he drew her even closer with his leg that wound itself behind her own.

Panicking, she jerked her body away from him, but in doing so, she lost control of the serving trays. The drinks tipped over, spilling liquid all over Frank as she lost her balance and fell backward. Startled, he moved his leg as she continued her backward spiral onto the floor. The sound of shattering glass vibrated all around her.

“Fuck!” Frank yelled.

Instantly Antoine was there beside her, helping her up. “You okay, Maura?”

No, she wanted to scream.
I’m not okay
.

“Why don’t you ask me?” Frank said in disgust, looking down at his shirt and pants. “I need a towel and another drink, and I want that Bitch to bring it to me,” he said, his eyes blazing in her direction.

“Will do, sir.” Antoine turned to Maura, his kind eyes telling her not to worry. “Why don’t you go get some drinks for the table. I’ll take care of getting this cleaned up.”

Maura was stunned into immobility. She thought she knew Frank, but she didn’t know anything about him or any man. He was the worst kind of asshole, and she hadn’t even picked up on it. The thought of being anywhere near him made her physically ill.

Antoine turned back toward Frank. “Accidents happen, sir. Maura’s still kinda new here. She didn’t mean to spill those drinks.”

“Well, she should be more careful.”

“I’m sure she will be in future,” Antoine said calmly. “You give Mr. Max your cleaning bill. He’ll take care of it. And the next couple rounds are on the house.”

Frank turned toward his friends. “Looks like we at least got us some free drinks coming.”

Antoine put his hand on her shoulder. “Maura,” he said softly. “It’s okay. No harm done. Just go get some more drinks, okay? Frank’s not himself tonight.”

“Is that why you kept calling him sir when it was his fault I spilled the drinks to begin with?”

“I’m just trying to defuse the situation as quickly as I can. That’s my job, Maura. You know that.”

Before Maura could say anything more to Antoine, Candy came over and picked up her trays, handing them to her. “Hey, don’t look so down, hon. We’ve all spilled drinks. It’s par for the course.”

Candy took her arm and moved her away from the table, toward the bar.

“I wish I had a penny for every drink that’s ever been spilled in this place. I’d be able to retire.” Candy laughed. “And if it’s Frank you’re worried about, don’t. He was just hoping to get free drinks for the night. He’s a slick son-of-a-bitch. I’ve never liked him much.”

“I thought he was a nice guy, but he’s not.”

“Living and learning. That’s always been my motto.”

“Frank wanted more than free drinks,” Maura said, casting her eyes downward. “He wanted me.”

“Of course he wants you. Every man in the place wants you, and some of the women, too. You’re a beautiful girl. None of us are hard on the eyes, but you’re not only young, you’re exceptionally good looking, in a Grace Kelly kind of way, with more curves.” Candy laughed. “Now, don’t let what I said go to your head. I don’t normally tell someone they’re good looking unless I’m working on getting me some. Now don’t you be telling anybody I said that.”

“He trapped me between his leg and the table. He wouldn’t let me go.”

“You talking about Frank?”

Maura stopped short before they reached the bar. “He grabbed me between my legs,” she began, her voice trembling.

“He what?”

“He forced his hand into my panties and began to…”

A number of expletives dropped from Candy’s lips. “Did anyone else see what he was doing to you?”

She shook her head. “No one saw it, not even Antoine. I can’t go back to that table,” Maura whispered. She couldn’t hide her fear and disgust.

“Of course you can’t. That fucking asshole.” Candy looked back over her shoulder. Maura followed her gaze to where Antoine and one of the guys from the kitchen were cleaning up the mess, with Frank directing them like he was their supervisor. He caught them looking his way. He smiled and pointed his finger at her before he licked it. She thought for a minute she was going to throw up.

“I knew he was a fucking lowlife. I could feel it. I just didn’t realize how low. Don’t worry. I’ll take them their drinks. But you need to tell Antoine what happened. He’ll get rid of him and he’ll never be allowed back in here again.”

“No! He’ll feel obligated to tell Max and I’ll be fired for being incompetent. I’m not letting Frank ruin this job for me. I just won’t wait on him anymore. I’ll stay as far away from him as possible. I’ll threaten him with the police if I have to.”

“Now you’re talking. But the best thing is to stay one step ahead of guys like that. First, never get too close to any one of them. Play them as a group, never one-on-one. And never forget that they come here to drink, eat, and fantasize about what they can’t have. No matter how nice they are, you can never let your guard down.”

“I know. Rhonda’s told me that before. But if you knew Frank was a lowlife, why didn’t I?”

“I’ve got a helluva lot more experience.” Candy put her arm around her. “My God, you’re shaking like a leaf. Is that blood?”

Maura followed Candy’s eyes down toward her legs. She hadn’t even realized she was bleeding. “I think a piece of flying glass must have hit me. Oh, God, I need to clean this up before Max sees it. He’s looking over at us right now,” she said, trying to smile.

“Don’t you worry about Max. He’s always looking at you. I want you to go to his office. He’s got a bathroom in there and a first-aid kit in the bottom of the vanity. Check yourself out. Make sure you’re okay. I’ll tell Max you got to clean up. Maggie and I can watch your tables until you come back.”

Maura didn’t want to leave Candy and Maggie with her tables, but she knew she had little choice. Nodding, she gave Candy a hug, and using every ounce of willpower she had left, she walked to Max’s office with her head up and a smile on her face.

Maura opened the unlocked door and slipped inside, leaning against it as she closed it quietly behind her. Max’s desk lamp was lit. There were papers everywhere. The door to his bathroom was slightly ajar. She felt weak. She barely made it to the sofa, where she sat down and put her head between her legs. Tears cascaded down her cheeks. How could she have been so stupid? Since she had started working at the Wolf’s Den, that was a question she had asked herself way too many times.

Her head was throbbing, and now so was her leg. She could still feel the way Frank had used his finger to try to probe her without any thought for her protests. She suddenly felt light-headed. She laid her head back and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure how long she had been there when she heard the door open. Candy walked in carrying her clothes.

“Hey, how you feeling?” she asked, leaving the clothes on Max’s desk before she walked over and sat next to her on the sofa. “I brought your clothes. When you didn’t come back, I figured you might need to go home. You don’t look so good.”

“I just needed to rest for a few minutes. Thanks for bringing my clothes and my purse, but I’ll be back. How did you get my clothes?”

“Max opened your locker for me.”

“What did you tell him?” She prayed Candy hadn’t told him the truth.

“He asked me what was going on. I said you were cleaning up but that you didn’t feel so good, too. I asked him if I could get your stuff for you in case you needed to go home.”

“Thank you,” she said, grateful for Candy’s forethought and discretion.

“I know you’re afraid of being fired, but you can’t let Frank get away with what he did to you. It’s not right.”

“You don’t understand. I’ve got bills. This job is the only way I’m going to pay them off. I can’t do anything that’s going to hurt my chances of keeping it.”

“Hon, I want to understand, but keeping this a secret isn’t in anyone’s best interest.”

“Candy, please.” Maura took her hand. “You can’t tell anyone. You have to promise me.”

“I don’t like this. Not one bit. And by the looks of that leg, you haven’t even cleaned it yet.”

“Promise me, please.”

“I’m not promising anything. Let me get a washcloth.”

“No. I’m okay. I’ll wash it.”

“Do you want me to stay with you?”

“No. You’ve got your customers and mine to wait on. I’m fine. I’m starting to feel better,” she lied. The last thing she wanted was for Candy to stay and have Max come looking for the two of them.

“Well, if you’re sure. I should get back.”

“I’m sure. Don’t worry. I’m going to wash the cut, wrap it, and then if I still don’t feel well, I’ll get dressed. However, my plan is to get back out on the floor. Everything will look a lot better tomorrow because I’ll still have a job. Believe me, that’s more important than anything right now.”

She wasn’t sure that Candy was totally convinced. However, she didn’t say anything else. When Candy had shut the door to Max’s office, Maura pulled herself off the sofa. She could still smell the stench of Frank’s breath on her body. It was sickening. She walked slowly into the bathroom and shut the door behind her.

Suddenly she couldn’t get her skirt off fast enough. Soaping up her hands, she gently began to massage her labia and clit. When she was done, she washed her hands and lifted her leg up on the toilet. Pain sliced through her calf. She hadn’t realized how deep it was until now. Using a washcloth, she began to wipe off the crusted blood that gave way to fresh blood. She gasped. Opening a drawer in the vanity, she looked for gauze or Band-Aids, anything to stop the flow of blood. She remembered Candy saying there was an emergency kit somewhere. She put her hand on the vanity for support, but her legs failed to cooperate. She sat down on the toilet. Blood dripped onto the tile.
What a mess I’ve made of everything.

The bathroom door opened. She looked up expecting to see Candy, but instead it was Max that was staring down at her.

“I’m not feeling so well. I need to get dressed. Please, I’ll be out of here in a minute.” She didn’t even have the energy to try to cover herself.

Without a word, Max swooped down and picked her up in his arms.

Maura opened her eyes. She was in a strange bed in a strange room. Max and Toby each slept in a chair on either side of the bed. The last thing she remembered was Max carrying her to the sofa in his office and wrapping her in a blanket before he cleaned her cuts. Had he actually stitched her calf?

She saw Max stir. He opened his eyes.

“How are you feeling?”

“I’m not sure,” she said weakly.

“The whole place is worried about you. I told Candy I’d call as soon as you woke up.”

“Is this your house?”

“My house and my bed.”

“How?”