Luscious (Topped #1)(8)

She felt the hard metal of the trash bin at her back. God, she hated being crowded. “I need to get back to work.”

His hand came up, blocking her from moving to her left. “I think they can spare you for a few minutes. I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”

He was a perfectly made man with movie star good looks. Tim had fashionably cut blond hair. His face was quite lovely, but she’d always seen the hardness beneath his pretty exterior. He was a man who sneered instead of smiled, who only seemed to find humor at the expense of others. She’d heard him making fun of Macon when he stumbled one day, calling him a one-legged wonder.

Yeah, she didn’t like Timothy. Her instincts told her to fight. She should push the * back and tell him she would rip his balls off if he touched her again.

But he was important here at Top. He was a European-trained chef and she was an easily replaceable waitress. She was well aware of how the world worked. If he wanted to, he could likely get her fired in a heartbeat. Sean would be sweet about it, but he couldn’t take an unskilled laborer over a man who studied in France. From what she’d heard, he’d given Timothy a nice signing bonus when he’d agreed to work at Top. Sean was invested in this man. She had to be careful.

She inched to her right. “That’s nice, but some other time. Deena needs me to help out with setup.”

His other hand came down and she was trapped. “I think she’s fine. She can certainly spare you for a few minutes. I’ve been watching you.”

Yes, she was well aware. She’d been able to feel his lecherous stare like a spider crawling slowly across her skin. “I can’t imagine why.”

He moved in closer, until he was close enough for her to smell the liquor on his breath. God, she hated that smell. “I think you can.”

Her stomach dropped. As much as she liked her job, she wasn’t willing to let this idiot paw her over it. “Not really. I need to go back inside now.”

He didn’t move an inch. “I think you’ve been sending out signals.”

Why did guys have to be jerks? “The only signals I’ve been sending out are for you to back off.”

His lips curled up in that sneer he was always sporting. “So you want to play hard to get? I can understand that as long as you understand that the ending is going to be the same. I’m more than ready for you, sweetheart. Let me have a taste.”

She was done. It was time to fight her way out. She brought her hands up, pushing against his chest. “Let me go.”

He pushed back, proving how weak she was. “I will. Once I’ve got what I want.”

Tears started to blur her vision. She hated this feeling. So weak and useless. Pathetic. “Let me go and I won’t tell Chef what you tried.”

He chuckled but it was a nasty sound. He pressed his body to hers. “You really think Taggart is going to listen to some two-bit whore over me? You’re a dime a dozen. He can replace you in a heartbeat.”

She hated that word. What she hated even more was the way some men used their strength against women, as though being bigger gave them rights. She brought her knee up as hard as she could, but she was too close. She caught his thigh and it only seemed to make him madder.

His right hand tangled in her hair, pulling and making her scalp ache. Pain sizzled along her skin, making her grit her teeth. “You’re going to pay for that, bitch.”

And then she could breathe again. Timothy was gone in a flash and she heard a strangled shout before her eyes could process what was happening in front of her. She fell back against the Dumpster, only barely managing to stay on her feet.

Macon was here. He’d pulled Timothy off of her, but it seemed he wasn’t satisfied with breaking them apart. He punched Timothy squarely in the gut and the older man hit the concrete. “You want to pick on someone your own size, *? Or do you get your kicks off raping women?”

Her hands were shaking, her whole body aflame with shock. They weren’t alone in the alley anymore. It seemed like the entire staff of Top had come out to witness her humiliation. Tears poured from her eyes. They would all know what kind of trouble she’d gotten into. They would probably side with the man.

“The bitch wanted it,” Timothy managed to squawk, holding his gut. “She asked me to come out here for a quickie. I’m going to sue the f*ck out of you, you one-legged freak.”

“Did he really say that?” Eric grinned. He was standing next to one of the line cooks, a big guy named Drake.

Drake shook his head. “I think so. Go on, Macon. Beat the little shit to death with your prosthetic.”

“He doesn’t need two legs to kill you, *,” Eric said. “He could do it with no legs and one hand tied behind his back. I suggest you shut your trap.”

They weren’t reacting like she’d expected. There were no pitying looks her way. Eric gave her a reassuring smile.

“Let Macon handle it,” Drake said, nodding her way. “The big guy can take care of this. Don’t you worry.”

Macon ignored everyone, choosing to put himself between her and Timothy. He didn’t crowd her, didn’t back her into a corner, simply offered himself as a wall against the man who’d tried to hurt her. “You okay?”

“Yes,” was all she could manage.

“All right, let’s break this up. We’ve got service in less than two hours.” When Sean Taggart barked an order, every man snapped to attention. She’d heard rumors that Taggart had been a Green Beret. She believed them. The blond god of a man stalked out of the back door, gesturing for everyone to head back inside. He was six foot three, a bit shorter than Macon, but there was no question who was in charge. Chef Taggart had led men into battle.