Chapter Three
Blaze
My skin tingled and, in a daze, I returned to the kitchen.
The alpha I saw only moments ago was the most alluring man I’d ever laid eyes on.
He was dressed all in black, like me, but unlike me, his outfit had some style.
His shirt must’ve been custom tailored to fit him.
Rolled up sleeves revealing forearms filled with tattoos of all kinds that looked like they belonged together as art on his body.
He smiled at me. Then again, he seemed like a person who smiled at everyone.
He was muscular but lean and moved like this place belonged to him and only him.
I knew from the others I worked around that there was a team of owners.
A dozen of them, I thought. Maybe more. Most were mated, but a few who were not.
As the club expanded, more owners and investors came on.
I thought he might be one of them. At least he was seated with a couple.
Somehow I had stumbled upon a great place to work and, from the little I’d seen of the club’s offerings, I wondered if one day I would be able to experience some of it firsthand.
With him.
No! I shook my head and got back to work. The glasses and plates in this place were never ending, and there was always something to do. The pace made the hours go by faster, but having seen that alpha, I was preoccupied.
Too bad I couldn’t pursue him. He would find out one way or another that I wasn’t all wolf, jeopardizing my job and, in turn, my life.
There was no way I would return to the pack lands with my tiger tail between my legs. I feared they wouldn’t accept me even if I could push past my pride.
As I finished out my shift, I let my thoughts run wild. What if the alpha had spoken to me. What if he invited me to play another night. I’d learned from my research that some called the activities play. What was his name? What stations did he like to play on?
I had no business asking any of those questions.
I slipped out the back door after my shift ended.
We were paid weekly but in the meantime, I was running very low on cash.
But I still had money on the gift card I was given by the club, one I could use anywhere.
I’d bought the cheapest non-slip shoes I could find and pants from the thrift store.
The club provided some T-shirts on my first night, so there was money left over.
Cuffed served food, and we were allowed one meal per shift, but the night had been so busy I’d had only a few mozzarella sticks to tide me over. I was starving.
A tiger had to eat, right?
I walked into the market on the way home and picked up ground beef and hamburger buns. It wasn’t steak, but it would do. After adding cheese and ketchup, I had thirteen cents left on my card. Without this job, I didn’t know how I would’ve survived.
At home and cooked up as many burgers as I could. I ate four of them and saved the rest for another day. I should’ve been more prudent with the money I had left, but I was so hungry, and my tiger needed meat.
After dinner, I cleaned up but was too awake to try and sleep even though it was almost two in the morning. Now would be a great time to take my tiger for a run, but I didn’t know the city well enough. Perhaps there were designated areas for shifters to run but there was no one to ask.
I could ask someone at work but if they wanted to show me and then maybe shift with me? Nope. Not taking that chance.
I took a hot shower, rinsing the night away but as I slipped between the sheets for the night, my thoughts drifted back to the alpha I’d seen.
I’d taken a stroll past the main floor stations and peeked into a few playrooms on my breaks, seeing things that intrigued me.
Was the alpha into spanking? Would he like to strip my pants off, bind me onto one of those pieces of furniture, and spank my ass?
Or maybe the cross thing? TI shivered at the thought.
Talon, the man who interviewed me, played with fire, rolling balls of flame over his bare skin without leaving a single mark.
I didn’t know about that one but honestly, I was open to testing out the waters, with the right person.
Could that alpha be that person?
I slapped my palms down on either side of me, getting ahead of myself. One smile passing in the hallway set me to planning on all kinds of things. The man probably hadn’t even noticed me. A random worker who smelled like dish soap and kitchen things.
I had to focus on my job and saving as much money as possible to get out of this place.