Man and the Beast by J. Ashburn

Author:J. Ashburn
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Published: 2016-06-15T16:00:00+00:00

On the night of the full moon, Nan’s Bar and Grill was at its busiest. Of course the moon just had to become full on a Saturday night, and the irony of it was not lost on Alec. He rushed around the room, serving table after table. He realized Saturday was the most popular night for eating out, but he’d never seen the restaurant this full.

All Alec could think of was his newfound friends, his pack, as he had come to think of them. He noticed how much more confident he felt, strong, unbeatable, the world in his hands, since discovering them. Shifting under his own control had changed his entire world. No more blackouts and no more surprises, at least he hoped not.

He wanted to hunt with Luca, and he couldn’t wait to see him again, but right now, Max was making that seem like a pipedream. She kept strutting past him, seating more people in his section with a huge grin on her face. She accepted more reservations and told people the wait for a table wasn’t all that bad.

Thanks so much, Max. What he was happiest about was that he and Philip were friends again. They joked, they laughed, and they traded stories about demanding customers and young women handing them their phone numbers, but mostly Alec had found camaraderie with Philip. The two of them battled through the droves of demanding people and squealing kids.

Philip mixed and poured drinks like a champ. Bottle caps flew, the shaker rattled nonstop, and glasses clinked as the alcohol flowed like a river.

“How you keeping up?” Philip asked Alec.

“About the same as you.”

“So nearly dead on your feet?”

Alec laughed. “You got it. Think of the money, my friend. Think of the money.”

“Yeah, Max used to try that one on me all the time. Still doesn’t make my feet feel any better.”

“Just buy more comfortable shoes, then.”

Philip’s face lit up with a smile. Alec enjoyed seeing that and was glad for it. He made the time pass.

“Here,” Philip said. “Take your drinks and get away from my bar.”

“You’re the best bartender I know.” Alec swept the drinks up and headed back to the tables.

He heard Philip call behind him, “I’m the only one you know.”

The night grew long and the people scarce. Eventually, Nan’s served its last customers and locked up for the night. Philip and Alec divided up the tips as Max closed out the register.

“Our best night yet, boys!” Max squealed with delight. “I swear, Alec, it’s like you’re some kind of good luck charm or something. Ever since you came to town, our place just gets busier and busier. It doesn’t hurt that you’re gorgeous. Who wouldn’t come in to see that face?” She reached over and pinched his cheek.

Philip smiled, his face flushing slightly red, and he made himself look busy. Alec saw right through it.

“All right, reel it in, Max.” Alec untied his apron and put his tips into his jeans pocket.

“I’m serious, blondie. We are busier.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.