Sweet Seduction Read online

  Macon stilled, as though processing his good fortune. He nodded slowly, but there was a satisfied gleam in his eyes. “I can do it.”

  “Good because that’s the last time I hire some dude from France.” His eyes trailed to her. “Can you handle her? She’s shaky.”

  “Yes, Chef. I’ll take care of her.” Macon reached out a hand.

  She wasn’t getting fired? She wasn’t getting fired. The knowledge seeped into her like a warm blanket. She really should have tried harder. She would have liked to have been the reason Timothy had turned that peculiar shade of purple.

  She looked at that big hand of Macon’s. It was callused and rough and it had defended her. Maybe he’d been born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but it seemed like years in the Army and hard work in the civilian world had toughened him up. He wasn’t the guy she’d thought he was.

  “You don’t have to be scared of me, sweetheart,” he said quietly. “Let’s go and I’ll get you a drink and you can settle down. He’s not going to hurt you. No one’s going to hurt you here. Not while I’m around.”

  She put her hand in his and the minute that massive slab of flesh closed over hers, she felt warmer, stronger than before. Safer.

  She followed him inside, her fingers tangling with his.

  Chapter Two

  “That wind is picking up,” Sean said as he stepped out into the alley. “Has anyone checked the weather?”

  Macon hadn’t worked at another restaurant, but he was fairly certain most head chefs didn’t take out the trash. Sean dumped the bag and let the lid close with a crash.

  “We’re under a watch until two a.m. Both tornado and flashfloods.” It wasn’t raining yet, but there was a heaviness to the air he didn’t like. Dinner service was long over and the rest of the staff had done their jobs. It was just him and Taggart and Ally.

  “Okay, let’s clean up and then I’ll come in and do the books tomorrow. I don’t want to risk getting cut off. The road into our neighborhood floods sometimes and I don’t want Grace and Carys alone if we’ve got tornados to worry about.”

  “I’ll do it.” It seemed a shame to make the man come in on his day off when Macon didn’t mind. “I wasn’t doing anything else tonight anyway.”

  Except maybe talking to Ally. Since that moment he’d opened the door and realized she was in trouble, something had taken root in his chest. She needed someone to look out for her. She’d made a single, pitiful attempt to protect herself, but he hadn’t missed how her eyes had slid away after he’d clocked Timothy the Ass. She’d expected to get fired. She’d been surprised when it didn’t work out that way. She would have walked out with her head hung low if Taggart hadn’t proven to be the man he was.

  “Are you sure?” Taggart asked. “Because I was really looking forward to the day off. My stepsons are in town and I’d like to spend some time with them. I would owe you, man.”

  He shrugged. “If it gets really bad, I’ll sleep on the sofa in your office. I’ve slept worse places. And besides, you don’t owe me a thing. I appreciate how you handled Asswipe today.”

  Arms crossed over his big chest. “Yes, about that…I was planning on talking to you. Now seems as good a time as any. That girl is in trouble.”

  Well, Eric had warned him. He’d already made his decision. He’d made it the minute she’d put her trembling hand in his and laced their fingers together. He was an idiot but somehow she’d become his in that moment. “I’ll take care of her.”

  Taggart’s eyes narrowed and Macon was reminded of a dad looking out for his daughter. Taggart gave a damn about his employees. “Really? How much care are we talking about?”

  “I don’t know. I’m not declaring my love for her or anything. I barely know her. I’m attracted to her. It’s not simply physical. I like her. She’s a sweet kid.”

  “She’s twenty-six. She’s not a kid. And she’s got some issues. I think she thought I was going to blame her for the incident.”

  Macon nodded. “Yeah, I caught that, too.”

  “Look, I’ve talked to Adam. I know you’re not completely settled in. If you want, I’ll find a way to take her home with me. She can stay in our guest room.”

  What was left unsaid was the fact that she wouldn’t stay there for long. He’d been training at Sanctum for a few months now and even he recognized that Ally would likely enjoy D/s. It was all there in the way she deferred to those around her, the way her eyes slid away the minute someone she admired put some bite in his or her tone. As a long-term Dom, Sean wouldn’t have missed any of that. Sean would introduce her to friends who would pick up on the highly submissive streak she had and before Ally knew it, she would be some well-meaning Dom’s sub, taken care of and protected.

  Fuck that.

  “I said I’ll take care of her.”

  Sean’s lips curled up and he chuckled. “Damn, that’s quite a look on your face. Okay. You’ll take care of her. Let me know if you need anything. And service went well tonight. You did a great job.”

  All his doubt came back, needling him. “I don’t have the education Timothy had.”

  Taggart shook his head. “You’ve got the skill. Practice a lot. Send anything you work on over to my brother’s house. Ever since the twins were born my brother drowns himself in sweets. Seriously, he’s getting fat. Fatherhood is putting a nice spare tire on the old boy. Big Tag is going to mean something totally different soon.”

  Were they talking about the same Ian Taggart? There wasn’t an ounce of fat on that man. He was all muscle and sarcasm from what Macon could tell. Ian was his brother’s favorite sparring partner. They could trade jibes all day long.

  “Will do. I’m really thankful for the opportunity, Chef.”

  Sean put a hand on his arm. “Make the most of it. If you think you’re in over your head, let me know. I’ll be honest, I would rather go with you than find someone else. You’re family. So we’ll cook what you know for a couple of weeks. Practice at home and we’ll expand the menu. We’ve got strawberries coming in Thursday. A big case of them. I’ll expect something good.”

  His mom had a great recipe for strawberry pie and shortcake. He could tweak it, elevate it. He could make a shortbread cookie and whip his own cream with an infusion of vanilla that would truly show off the flavor of the berries.

  “And you’re off in your own world already figuring out how to use those berries. I told you, you’ll be fine. You were born to do this job.” Sean headed for the door. “And thanks for filling in on the paperwork. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it. There are pillows and blankets in the closet in my office. There’s also a bottle of excellent Scotch you can dip into. And don’t mind the other things you might see in there. They’re only for play.”

  Dear god, that could mean anything coming from Sean or his friends. Macon had accidently walked in on Jake and Serena testing some sort of suspension thing Serena assured him was all for research. He’d seen way more of his sister-in-law than he’d ever expected to see and way, way more of his…well, of Jake.

  He knocked now. He knocked a lot.

  A raindrop fell, hitting him squarely in the forehead. It looked like one of those nights, but at least he wouldn’t toss and turn. Doing the books would give him something to do. He stepped back into the kitchen and walked toward the front of house.

  He would get right on that paperwork after he dealt with the problem of Ally Jones.

  He strode through the door that separated the kitchen from the dining area as Sean was waving good-bye to Ally. Chef Taggart ducked out into the rain.

  And they were alone.

  “Sean said you’re working on the books so he could head home before the storm.” She glanced at the doors Sean had gone through.

  He needed to lock those suckers. He made quick work of it and pulled the blinds closed.

  When he turned back around, she was clutching the broom she held like it was a lifeline. Maybe this wouldn’t be so easy. “Do you want to hold the keys?”
He placed them on the hostess desk and backed away. “That way you know you can leave when you want to.”

  She sighed. “God, am I that much of a scared mouse?”

  He wouldn’t put it that harshly. “It’s obvious you don’t trust men.”

  “It’s not like that. I’m jittery from earlier. I’m sorry. It’s nothing personal.”

  “I won’t take it personally, Ally. We’ve all got scars. Some of us wear them on the outside and some of us got ’em buried deep. You don’t feel comfortable being alone with me, but I promise you have nothing to worry about. How can I make you feel better? You got a phone on you? You can keep it close. There’s an emergency button on most phones. You can call it without having to unlock the phone.”

  Her eyes rolled. “Fine. You’re not the big bad wolf.” She walked up to him, putting her feet in front of his. She had to turn her neck up to see him. “I’m not scared of you. You’re a big old teddy bear, but you’re not like a lot of the men I grew up around. They were a bit more like Timothy.”

  He had the most insane urge to reach out and tangle his hands in that soft brown hair of hers. It was in a bun on the back of her head, but he’d seen it long, flowing down her back. When the sunlight hit her hair he could see strands of brown and red and yellow. Complex. Like the woman herself. Like a lemon tart. Sweet and sour and perfect. “Is that why you thought Sean was going to believe Timothy?”

  She took a step back and started sweeping the lobby. “It wouldn’t be the first time someone believed a male employee over a female one.”

  So it had happened to her before. “I wouldn’t have believed it. Even if he’d had his tongue halfway down your throat I would have thought he was assaulting you.”

  She stopped and looked at him thoughtfully. “Because you think I’m too sweet to have an affair with a coworker?”

  “You’re too sweet to want that asshat.” Damn, he probably shouldn’t have said that. He could feel himself blushing. “I’m sorry. That was inappropriate.”

  She sighed. “It wasn’t. I said it first. And I’m sorry if I made you think I’m some fainting female. I’m not. I can take care of myself. Usually. I’m afraid that asshat brought back a whole ton of bad memories. When I was fifteen I worked at a movie theater and the manager there was a big fan of inappropriate touching. When I complained, I found myself out of a job. He was the owner’s son. It’s not the only crappy thing in my background. Most women have a file marked ‘skeevy dudes’ in their personal histories. I’m sorry. I had a bad reaction.”

  “You should have a bad reaction. You weren’t yelling.”

  She frowned. “It’s embarrassing.”

  “Why? If some dude was trying to mack down on me and I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t be embarrassed. I’d be pissed.” He needed to figure out what was going on in her head. “No one thought less of you, Ally. Did you think they would?”

  “Maybe.”

  He crossed the distance between them. She was turned away. He didn’t try to hide his steps. He wanted her to know he was behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders. “What happened today was on him. Not you. Him. The next time some idiot so much as touches you, you scream and shout for help and one of us will come running.”

  “Like you’re touching me now?”

  He pulled his hands back. “Sorry.”

  She turned and he was happy to see a smile on her face. “Now I know how to get to you, Miles. You’re a sucker for a down-on-her-luck girl.”

  Was she flirting with him? “I’m a down-on-my-luck guy. I guess like attracts like.”

  She studied him for a moment and he wished he’d shaved. He was a little scruffy. He really wasn’t kidding about being down on his luck. “Why did you show up today? You weren’t taking out the trash and you don’t smoke.”

  He thought about lying and then decided not to go that way. “I was looking for you.”

  “Why?”

  “I wanted to talk to you. I heard a rumor.”

  Her jaw went tight. “Really?”

  He didn’t like the militant light in her eyes, but he plowed ahead anyway. “Yeah, are you living in your car?”

  She waved that off with a laugh. “Oh, that. Yes. I can’t afford a place close to work yet. I’ll find something in a couple of weeks.”

  He didn’t understand her. She was acting like homelessness was a nothing problem she would deal with later. “It’s dangerous.”

  “No more so than anywhere else. I wasn’t exactly safe here at work earlier. At least I can lock the doors. And the horn makes a really good deterrent. Not to mention my LifeHammer. Sounds silly. It’s really supposed to be for breaking a window if your car goes underwater. Not surprisingly, it also works on car thieves and pushy drug dealers.”

  She was going to give him a heart attack. “You took a hammer to a guy trying to jack your car?”

  One shoulder shrugged and she went back to sweeping. “Yeah. After I brought that sucker down on his hand, he decided to try again elsewhere. And the drug dealer was actually kind of nice. I mean in the beginning. He was just getting started and his sales pitch needed work. Then he tried to rob me and he met my life hammer, too.”

  He opened his mouth but nothing came out. What was he supposed to say to that?

  She kept on. “I would have called the cops, but I don’t exactly have a cell. It’s sweet of you to tell me how to protect myself. Oddly, most guys who intend to harm me don’t give me lectures on protecting myself.”

  The rain was starting to come down hard, beating against the rooftop. He finally managed to find some proper words. “You can’t stay in your car.”

  “Sure I can.”

  His first instinct was to tell her what she was going to do, but he had to wonder if she would come after him with that hammer. The woman in front of him was a far cry from the one who hadn’t screamed out when Timothy cornered her. He was smart enough to understand. She was comfortable with him. She could joke because she didn’t believe he would hurt her. If he applied some pressure, intimidated her, he would likely get her to do what he wanted. And that would make him one more asshole who used her. “It makes me nervous. Especially on a night like this. Maybe you could stay in Sean’s office tonight?”

  He would sleep on the floor. He hadn’t been joking. He’d slept in much worse places. Hell, no one was shooting at him. He called it a win.

  “You think you should drive home in this mess?” She peeked out through the blinds.

  “I don’t have a car. I take the train. Station’s right down the street.” He would rather stay with her, but now that he thought about it, she might be uncomfortable with that. If he was leaving, he would have to be fast though. DART didn’t run all night. He could call Adam, but he felt like an idiot calling his big brother to pick him up from work. He was thirty years old. He’d been driving since he was sixteen.

  He couldn’t work the gas pedal anymore and getting a vehicle fitted for him would cost more money than he had.

  She perked up. “I have a car. I can totally give you a ride. And the good news is if we find ourselves in high water, I can also smash through the windshield.”

  “You are entirely too invested in that hammer.”

  She chuckled. “Maybe. I’m really okay, Miles. Despite the idiocy of this afternoon, I’ve been taking care of myself for a long time. It’s not the first time I’ve been on my own. Hell, I have a car. It’s practically the Ritz compared to some of the places I’ve slept.”

  “You’ve been homeless before?” He’d had a rough childhood. Not financially. He’d had all the money he needed, but he’d been raised in military academies, and they weren’t the best at giving a child affection. Talking to Kai for all these weeks had taught him that affection was something he needed. But he couldn’t imagine being a homeless kid.

  “Sure. I was once given a blue ribbon by this cop in my hometown. He said I was the best runaway he’d ever seen. I might have said I couldn’t be too good since he kept catc
hing me, but he told me he liked to reward persistence.”

  “What were you running away from?” He asked the question, but had an idea. She could go up against drug dealers and car thieves, but she turned into a mouse around an authority figure trying to take advantage of her.

  “My dad was kind of a jerk.” She finished sweeping up and turned to him. “Did I say thank you for saving me today? I don’t usually play the damsel in distress but you were a damn fine knight.”

  “There’s no shining armor here, sweetheart.” He’d given that up long ago. Actually, when he really thought about it, he’d never been the type.

  “Let’s see. You served your country honorably, you help out your boss, save waitresses from nasty assholes. You’re looking pretty shiny to me, Miles.”

  She set the broom aside and something shifted in the room. He could see it in the way she relaxed as she moved toward him.

  What was she doing? The air suddenly seemed more sultry than before. “I’m no hero. I went in the Army because it was expected of me.”

  “That’s what a hero usually says. Why were you really looking for me, Miles?” She stepped up, leaving very little space between them.

  “I told you.”

  “Yes, you wanted to find out about my living situation. Do you treat all the waitresses like this?”

  “No.” He tended to leave them alone. They were attractive women, but he didn’t have anything to offer a girlfriend. He could barely take care of himself. He knew he should stay away from her, too, but she moved him in a way he hadn’t felt before.