She nods quickly. “And then you’ll see.”

He reaches up and pries her fists from his shirt. He turns around and falls into the chair in front of my desk. “We need to talk about last night, Rachel,” I say.

She wipes the tears from her face and then looks at me. “What about it?”

“You have been causing problems in this club. More than usual,” I add tightly.

“It’s not my fault,” she whines.

“It never is,” Brecken adds.

“Case …” She walks over to my desk. “That guy grabbed my ass. I can’t help that his wife didn’t like it. What was I supposed to do?”

“Maybe not put your ass in his face?” I offer with a raised eyebrow. Rachel has to have all the attention. She can’t live without it.

“Come on, Rachel. Be smart. He was married and here with his wife. He just looked at you as a fuck toy, for fuck’s sake.”

She spins around giving me her back so she can face Brecken. “That’s all I ever am. Just a fuck!”

He snorts. “Maybe if you didn’t act like such a whore, then men would treat you differently.”

She slaps him across the face so hard the noise echoes in my office. I sigh. Typical Rachel. Brecken just sits there in his chair as he looks up at her, his face red from her hand and jaw tight. He’s probably turned on by it. He is just as fucked up as the rest of us. We love pain. Without it, we would feel nothing. “You two don’t seem to have a problem with me being your little whore,” she spits out.

“Neither one of us are married or have a girlfriend,” he growls.

I don’t feel sorry for her. She knows she needs help. Brecken and I have offered to pay for therapy—even medication, if that’s what she needs. But she always refuses. This is her high. This is what she likes. To be treated and talked down to like she’s nothing. She uses sex as a weapon.

I stand from my desk crossing my arms over my chest. “You’re not working tonight,” I announce.

She spins back around to face me. “Why the hell not?” she snaps.

“Because you’re a liability.” Her mouth falls open in shock. “Take your drug test tomorrow. If everything comes back normal, you can work tomorrow night.”

“You’re gonna let him do that?” she demands to Brecken. He just stares up at her, her handprint still on his face. He shrugs as if to say he doesn’t care what I do.

“We open in an hour. No one is going to take my shift that quick,” she says all but crying once again. I hate to see a woman cry, no matter who it is. She knows that. She knows everything about me.

“I’ll have Taylor cover it.” She did just fine last night when Brecken gave it to her.

She takes a step to the side and looks back and forth between the two of us. “Are you both fucking her too?” she demands.

I cough as if I’m all of a sudden choking as Brecken just sits there, still staring at her with heat in his eyes. She turns to me. “So it’s just you?” she declares. “You’re the one fucking her,” she yells. “Who the fuck is breaking the rules now, Case?” she demands. “Does she even know who you really are …?”

“Fucking drop it,” I growl as I lean over my desk.

She throws her head back and lets out a laugh and it sounds evil. Fuck, even if I haven’t touched Taylor, I hate that she knows I want to. She will start trouble. “This is rich,” she says through laughter. “You’ve always had these rules! What makes her so fucking special to break them? Maybe I’ll just fill her in, and then you wouldn’t be breaking them …”

I walk around my desk and grab her by the neck, cutting off her laughter along with her air. “I have not fucked her. Nor will I touch her. So do what I say and fucking drop it.” I let go of her neck, shoving her back. She stumbles but doesn’t fall over.

She looks up at me through thick, dark lashes as her chest rises and falls quickly with her heavy breathing. She’s turned on. She loves a hand around her throat. I bet her pussy is soaking wet for us. Too bad I don’t want it at the moment.

“Don’t you dare say one word!” I point a finger at her chest. “I’m not playing with you, Rachel. I fucking mean what I say. And I will throw you back out onto the streets where you came from.”

She steps up to me, placing her hands on my chest. “Case …” She sighs as she runs her tongue across her lips, no doubt imagining my cock between them. “I wouldn’t do that to you.” Yes, she would! “I just get jealous.” She pushes her hands down my chest to my stomach. “I hate to imagine you with someone else. We’re a team,” she says referring to Brecken and me. “You guys are my boys.” She grabs for my belt, but I grab a hold of her wrists and grip them tightly. “She wouldn’t be able to give you what you need. And she wouldn’t understand who you truly are.” A fucking lying bastard!

“It doesn’t matter,” I say swallowing hard. “She is nothing but an employee.”

I look over at Brecken, and he raises a dark eyebrow in question but doesn’t voice his opinion. He knows why I’m getting close to Taylor. Because of Blane. When shit goes down, and it will, I want to make sure she knows I will protect her even if that means I have to lie to do it.

“You’re so stressed.” She looks down at my hands that grip her wrists. “Let me help you relieve some of that,” she offers with a purr.

I let her hands go with a shove. “I’m fine. You owe Brecken for that slap, though,” I remind her.

She gives me a soft smile as she turns to Brecken. She walks over to his chair. He lets out a shaky breath when she drops to her knees before him and goes for his belt.

I turn away and walk out of my office to let them be alone. For once, I don’t feel like joining them.

***

“Did our shipment of glasses come in today?” I ask looking over at Bryan as we stand behind the bar.

He’s been here since the day before we opened. He just happened to be driving by when he saw them putting the sign up outside of the building. He walked in and asked if we were hiring a bartender. Brecken and I decided to hire him on the spot, and he has turned out to be the best bartender we have.

“Yes,” he says as he wipes off the bar top one last time. “I have already washed them and put them away.”

I smile. “Thanks, man.”

He turns to face me, wiping off his hands with the bar towel. “That new girl, Taylor, is doing well,” he says with a smile.

I nod. “She said that she’s starting to get the hang of it. But you may wanna keep an eye out for her tonight. I just gave her Rachel’s section on top of her own,” I inform him.

He frowns. “Why? Is Rachel sick?” He looks around the dead club. “I could have sworn I had just seen here walk in earlier.”

“You did. But she needed the night off.” I shrug. “So I thought I would give it to Taylor. Push her a little more.” I think she’ll do just fine.

“Okay. I’m sure between Jackie and myself, we can help her out when she needs it.”

I walk out from behind the bar and start to head back up to my office, knowing that Rachel and Brecken should be done by now. It’s been well over thirty minutes. I look over to see Taylor walk in the front door with a smile on her face and her head held high. “Just the woman I wanna see,” I say, and she comes to a stop as she spots me. Her smile drops off her face and a look of worry takes over her beautiful blue eyes.

“What’s wrong?” she questions.

I chuckle. “Quit assuming something is wrong.” I walk over to her. “I wanted to let you know I gave you Rachel’s section tonight along with your own.”

She looks up at me, those blue eyes wide. “Case, that’s too much. I can’t …”

“Yes, you can,” I interrupt her with a snort. Then I point over at the bar. “Jackie and Bryan will help you out. So if you have any problems, just let them know.”

She nods her head slowly as she still doubts herself. “If you have any problems you need me to handle, go to the bar and tell Bryan to call me. He has a radio, and I can be down here in seconds.”