Chapter 1
Ava, Susanna, Juliet, Paula, Elise, Sally, and Alexa gathered around the front bar before Dixie Chix opened for another wild Saturday night.
“Okay, ladies, are we set and ready?” Susanna asked. The women cheered and smiled, nodding their heads and all seemingly feeling the excitement of the night. Billy, the leader of the house band, Cowboy Up, was testing the mic.
“On three. One, two, three.”
“Dixie Chix!” they all cheered with their hands touching in the center of the circle.
“Whoo hoo, let’s have a great night,” Ava stated, and the women parted and went to their stations.
Juliet Saville straightened out her short black skirt and adjusted the tank top she wore that had the words Dixie Chix in sequins across the bust. She had a nice figure, and she didn’t mind flaunting it a little as she ran the main bar. She was a different person when she was behind the large mahogany bar. She was in charge of four other staff that assisted in running the main bar at Dixie Chix. Juliet pulled her long red hair into a ponytail at the side of her shoulder. She stared into the mirror at the bar to make sure that her tank top wasn’t too low when she bent down to wash mugs or glasses or when she served the drinks. London, one of the other barmaids, was feeling a little under the weather, so Juliet was going to have to do some floor work tonight. There was a set of five booths along the back side of the main bar set aside for special guests or reserved seating. Tonight, all five booths were reserved.
“Hi, Juliet. I’m sorry I feel like shit tonight. I don’t know how long I’ll last. This sucks,” London complained as she pulled her long black hair into a ponytail. She really didn’t look as sick as she sounded. London’s voice sounded terrible. She was hoarse, and she kept swallowing when she spoke as if her throat really hurt.
Juliet sure didn’t want to get sick.
“Hey. If you really feel that crappy, just go home. Don’t even bother working. I can’t exactly have you serving drinks if you’re really this sick. Go call the doctor and see if he’ll see you now,” Juliet suggested as Tye and Clifford, two other bartenders, joined the conversation.
“Yeah, London, we sure don’t want to lose any hours here by getting what you got. Just go home and rest. You’ll feel better after the weekend,” Tye offered as he touched her shoulder.
“I feel really bad. Are you sure, Juliet?”
“I’m positive. Go buy some chicken soup and head home and go to bed. You’ll feel a lot better.”
“Thanks, guys,” London stated then walked out from behind the bar and headed across the dance floor.
Juliet could see the crowds beginning to form. She smiled as Clifford tugged her ponytail. He was five feet seven, very good looking, and muscular. He was a total flirt with the ladies, and he knew it. He flirted with her constantly and teased her about being a little pixie because she was so much shorter.
“This is a sexy look for you, boss,” he teased. She eyed his very tight-fitting black Dixie Chix shirt and the way the ridges of his muscles pushed against the fabric. The short sleeves were rolled up as high as they could go to show off his muscles. He was hot. She laughed as
she folded her arms in front of her chest.
“Don’t you own any looser-fitting T-shirts?” she teased as he looked her breasts over with his eyes.
“The ladies like it, and I need some good tips. I’m trying to save for that fishing trip, remember?”
She uncrossed her arms and began to get the bar ready alongside Clifford.
“Oh yeah, that’s right. Well I think you’ll get a lot of tips as usual, Clifford. The ladies like the tight-fitting shirts and bulging muscles.”
He flexed for her and smiled.
“How about you, Juliet? Do you like them?” he asked in his usual manner. It wasn’t like they flirted a lot. They just did it to pass the time, and it meant nothing.
“Why, Clifford, are you hitting on the boss again?” Tye chimed in, and Juliet laughed as Clifford gave Tye a dirty look.
“Hey, watch it, Tye. If Juliet ever decides to date an employee, I want to be first on her list,” Clifford teased, and Juliet felt her cheeks warm. She hit him in the arm with a rag.
“Cool it and get back to work. It’s going to be a crazy night.”
He saluted her and so did Tye. Juliet laughed.
“Hey, Juliet, Turner wants you to wait on him,” Sienna stated as she joined their conversation. They all turned to look, and Juliet swallowed hard. Turner was a very big, very mean-looking cowboy. He had issues, he liked to cause fights, and he had a bit of a sarcastic personality. It got under a lot of people’s skin, but Juliet knew it was his way of hiding his sadness. One night while he was drunk, he had confided in her that he lost a lot of friends in the war and the one woman he truly loved. She had tried to console him, and when she touched his arm, he flinched and abruptly returned to his nasty self. But since that night, he continued to come to the bar every Saturday and drink his sorrows away.
“I’ll take care of him.”
Juliet made her way over toward Turner, and the moment she said hello he was courteous and respectful. But she knew that after some beer and shots, this wouldn’t be the case any longer.
He eyed her over, and he took a deep breath.
“You look different,” he scolded as she filled a beer from the tap and placed it on the coaster in front of him.
“I don’t know. I don’t think I did anything different. How are you?” she asked him.
“Fine. Come here. Come closer,” he barked, and she cautiously leaned closer to the bar. He reached for her hair and tugged the pony on the side.
“Nice.” He leaned back, pulled the mug of beer off the coaster, and took a sip as he glanced around the room. He didn’t look back at her or say another word. Juliet shook her head. As long as he wasn’t drunk or causing trouble she really didn’t mind him one bit at all.
* * * *
“If one more fucking guy tugs on her hair, I’m going to lose it,” Carl stated as he stood next to his brother, Richie, in the security room.
“I know. It’s fucking killing me. Look what she’s wearing. I’m thinking of taking up Susanna’s suggestion of patrolling the floors tonight and not waiting until next week,” Richie stated.
“I know what you mean. I wish she would respond to us. I mean I’ve tried having simple conversations with her and she gets all panicky then finds an excuse to disappear,” Carl complained.
“Tell me about it. Maybe it’s our size that really intimidates her. We are well over six feet and I’m sure she’s heard rumors about our experiences,” Richie replied as he ran his fingers through his crew-cut hair. He reached back, crossing his arms behind his head as he stared at Juliet’s image on the surveillance monitor.
“She’s timid around us, but look at her with that guy Turner. She should be wary of him. He’s the one who starts fights and gets drunk on a regular basis. I don’t get it. She flirts a little bit, she smiles wide, but the moment she’s finished with work, her entire demeanor changes. It leaves me with a lot of questions. Especially since her friends, Susanna, Paula, and Alexa, had some problems in their pasts as well. I want to know everything about her,” Carl said.
“I agree with you a hundred percent. We could find out what we need to, but it just doesn’t seem fair.”
“Not only is it not fair, but it may stir up trouble she’s trying to hide from. Perhaps asking Susanna would be our best bet.”
“This is ridiculous. In the past we’ve always just taken what we wanted. Our women knew we were into sharing, and if the sparks flew, then it was a done deal. This is so complicated.”
“That’s because we actually have strong feelings for Juliet already. If we can get her to relax around us, then maybe we can work on bringing her out on a date or something.”
“A date? What the fuck is that? I’m a soldier. I’ve planned and completed missions most people would shudder over. I think I can handle one pint-sized, sexy young female who’s playing hard to get.”
“She’s special. We both agree on this, so let’s make our move and start infiltrating her defenses. Think of it like a mission, but one that if accomplished will bring us ultimately everything we’ve ever hoped for.”
* * * *