Chapter 7
CHAPTER 7
S hit, I’m going to fall!
Millie let out a small involuntary yelp as her legs started to wobble. She’d been bottle-walking for years. It was a skill that required balance and concentration. But no amount of practice could guarantee a perfect act. Thankfully, all her years of practice did ensure she knew how to fall properly without hurting herself. After twisting her ankle a few years back from a particularly nasty fall, she’d spent hours learning the right way to hop off the bottles once she felt that tell-tale wobble in her balance.
Her stomach dipped as her body leaned to the side. Millie quickly adjusted her posture, knowing if she didn’t lift her foot off the bottles they would tip, and she’d slam into the hard bar floor. She could do this. It was a simple matter of hopping off and jumping to the floor. But before she could execute her plan, a pair of solid, warm arms surrounded her, lifting her against a hard chest.
Millie glanced up into the handsome and very angry face of her boss, Ace Jackson.
A hush fell over the room. Ever the performer, Millie pasted a big, bright smile on her face, threw her arms into the air and shouted, “Ta da!”
A roar of cheers and applause filled the bar.
“That was amazing!”
“How did she do that?”
“I’d break my neck for sure.”
Millie soaked in the praise, joy filling her at the delighted expressions on the customers faces. Some of the words jumbled together. It was always difficult for her to pick out sounds in a noisy room, but most sounded amazed, warming her heart. The best part about performing was making people happy. She loved it. The money was crap in circus arts. The hours were long, and it absolutely killed your body, but it was all worth it to see the delight and astonishment on the faces of an audience. She’d been the same. At the age of five her mother had taken her to an acrobatic circus show. Her little heart had beaten so fast she feared it would pound right out of her chest as she watched them flip and fly through the air. From that day on she’d been hooked. There’d been no going back. Circus life was in her blood.
“What in the hell do you think you’re doing?”
The darkly growled words dimmed her mood, bringing Millie back to the fact that she was currently being held in Ace’s arms. Not a bad place to be if she did say so herself. He was surprisingly warm for the cold front he presented to the world. His hold was gentle, and he smelled like slightly burnt oak. She took a small inhale, savoring the delicious smell discreetly so he wouldn’t notice.
“I’m working,” she said through her teeth as she gave the crowd a big smile.
“Backroom. Now,” Ace demanded.
She glanced up at him with a smirk. “You gonna carry me there or can I walk.”
His icy blue eyes narrowed. Slowly, he lowered her to the ground with a gentleness that surprised her for how pissed he appeared to be. His hands stayed on her hips, warm and steadying, until she got her balance. Then he leaned in close, bending down.
“We need to talk.”
Crap. Knowing she was in big trouble, Millie turned to the crowd, pulling out her secret weapon and the reason for her impromptu performance.
“Remember don’t try bottle-walking at home but do try our new drink special, The Bottlewalk. Buy one get one for the rest of happy hour!”
The customers cheered, moving toward the bar where Kelley and Jace were bartending. Trisha grabbed the bottles Millie had been walking on and gave her a worried look as she passed by, taking them back behind the bar. Millie shrugged. She wasn’t worried about getting into trouble.
“Millie,” Ace growled, pointing to the back. “A word.”
A lump formed in her throat. Okay, she might be a little worried. She needed this job, but she also was kicking ass at it. Guilt and indignation warred inside.
Ace turned and stormed off through the bar, pushing past the swinging door and disappearing into the back. Millie let out a heavy sigh, rolling her eyes as she followed him.
“Good luck, Millie,” Kelley called out with a laugh as she fielded three people shouting at her for the drink special.
“I’ll be fine,” she replied with a wink.
Kelley and Jace both laughed while Trisha still had that worried frown on her face. The poor woman had thin nerves. Made Millie wonder how she dealt with rude customers. In the service industry you had to deal with people screaming in your face, sometimes even throwing food at you. Trisha looked like a harsh word would knock her over.
“Millie!”
Her shouted name came from beyond the swinging door. Irritation rose, winning the war over guilt as she quickened her pace. “Ugh, coming!”
She pushed through the door into the back, muttering to herself. “Get your boxers out of a bunch you grumpy asshole. It was five damn seconds.”
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Ace demanded the second the door stopped swinging.
“Well, I was working, until you pulled me back here to yell at me like an angry schoolmarm.”
Confusion drew his brow down. “What the…never mind. How is pulling some dangerous stunt and almost breaking your fool neck working? Last time I checked this was a bar, not some ridiculous stunt show.”
That was it. She knew the guy was her boss, but he was being a giant dick. No one talked to her that way.
“First of all, I wasn’t about to break anything. Before you rushed in and grabbed me—”
“Saved you.”
She arched one eyebrow in disbelief. “Is that what you thought you were doing? Saving the helpless damsel in distress? I got news for you buddy. I have been bottle-walking for years. I know how to fall from the bottles safely. Provided some jackass doesn’t grab me off them and tweak my back.”
His angry demeanor disappeared in an instant. Ace took a step forward, eyes scanning her body as his voice softened. “Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”
Shocked by the sudden switch—and his concern—she shook her head. “No. I’m fine.”
The sudden grab had surprised her and put her off kilter, but he hadn’t injured her back.
He glanced into her eyes, stealing her breath as she saw the unmasked worry filling them. Wow. Who knew Mr. Ice had feelings?
“Really, Ace,” she said gently, placing a hand on his arm. “I’m okay.”
He glanced down at her hand on his arm. The air in the room thickened. A rush of heat filled her. A bolt of electricity shot through her body, her fingers tingling against his warm skin. She quickly pulled her hand back, clenching it into a fist and placing it behind her.
What the hell was that?
Pushing the moment away, Millie cleared her throat. “I know how to fall safely off the bottles. I promise you I would have been fine.”
Ace shook his head, blinking a few times before the angry scowl returned to his face. “Why the hell were you on top of those bottles in the first place? We pay you to work, Millie. Not goof around.”
And there went all her warm fuzzy feelings for this man. Jeeze, it was like Jekyll and Hyde with him.
“I was working.” She lifted onto her toes, still not high enough to be eye to eye with the Grumpy Green Giant. Lifting a finger, she poked him in the chest. “If you take a peek out that door you will see.”
Ace glanced down at her finger, raising a brow when he looked back up at her.
Maybe poking her boss wasn’t the best idea, but he was being a jerk, and she didn’t like to be pushed around. Especially not when she was making him a ton of money.
“Look,” she huffed, flopping back onto flat feet and pushing the door open a crack. “See all those people rushing to get the new drink special? I did that. It’s called creative marketing.”
Ace leaned over her. His chest pressing against her back, the heat radiating off his body nearly suffocating her with its warm, intoxicating scent. Dammit! Why did he have to be so hot? Normally it didn’t matter how attractive a person was, if they were an ass, she wasn’t attracted to them. Her body didn’t get that memo with Ace. Didn’t matter. Wasn’t like she was going to do anything about it.
“Fuck,” Ace muttered at the mass of people still clamoring to get the drink special.
“I think the words you’re looking for are ‘thank you Millie’.”
He pulled back and scowled down at her.
“I am not thanking you for pulling a stunt that could result in an injury lawsuit.”
She wouldn’t sue Jacks if she fell and hurt herself bottle-walking. To be fair, he didn’t know that. She supposed she could understand where his anger was coming from.
Ace let out a heavy sigh, rubbing a hand over his face. “Look, Millie, I appreciate that you’re working hard to sell the product, but a stunt like that is dangerous and opens us up to all kinds of liability issues.”
Shit, he was right. She tended to be a little impulsive when a great idea popped into her head. Ace was the owner. The one who had to think about liability and stuff. Guilt soured her stomach as she swallowed down her pride and nodded.
“You’re right. I’m sorry. Next time I’ll clear it with you.”
“There won’t be a next time,” Ace insisted. “This isn’t some circus show. We sell drinks. That’s it.”
“But why not have a little fun with the sales pitch?”
“Alcohol doesn’t need a sales pitch. It sells itself. Has for years.”
“Just because something has been done one way for years doesn’t mean you can’t shake things up.” Doing the same thing day in and day out was so boring. That’s why she loved circus arts and the service industry. There was always a new trick to learn, a new customer to get to know. Every day held the potential for something new and exciting.
Ace crossed his arms over his chest. A chest that up until now, Millie hadn’t realized was so broad and yummy.
Dammit, Millie, stop it! He’s a jerk.
A hot jerk, but still a jerk.
“If it’s not broke, don’t fix it,” Ace said.
A groan escaped her lips. “Please don’t tell me you’re one of those guys who speaks in annoying cliches?”
“I’m your boss, Millie,” he replied with a stern tone pointing a finger in her direction. “Pour the bottles, don’t walk on them. Now get back to work with both feet on the floor.”
With that he turned and headed to the small office in the far back of the room.
Millie flipped him the bird, sticking her tongue out.
“The stills are very reflective, just so you know,” Ace called out, pointing to a large silver still to the left where Millie could clearly see her insubordinate reflection.
Oops! Quickly tucking her hand behind her back, she yelled back, “I’m not apologizing. You deserved it.”
Then she turned and hurried back out the swinging door, but not before she heard the faintest deep chuckle coming from Ace.
Well, how about that. Maybe the grump had a sense of humor after all.