Page 30 of Primal Urges

Marcus raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair like he didn’t like what he was hearing.

Lucas felt his palms begin to sweat, and his heart was racing a mile a minute.

Shit, this wasn’t going well.Marcus looked pissed.

“The bar’s not up to your standards?” Marcus asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared.

“No. No. That’s not what I meant.” Lucas suddenly felt flustered. Perhaps he should just apologize and leave the office immediately.

No.He needed to do this. He couldn’t spend his whole life running.

“What I meant to say is that perhaps I could work an extra shift or two overnight to give the place a deep clean. This way, it wouldn’t impact your customers, and it could help spruce up the place a little bit.”

Marcus’s glare softened. He didn’t look like he was ready to rip off his head anymore or make kindling out of his arms and legs.

“And you’re suggesting this because you think my bar is dirty?”

Lucas blushed. “Well… nooo.” He paused for a moment as he tried to collect his thoughts. “To be honest, I kind of need to make a bit of extra money, so I thought this might be a good way to help us both out. But if you don’t like the idea, I totally understand, and I’m sorry that I said anything. Please don’t fire me.”

All traces of annoyance had disappeared from his boss’s face. He stood and walked around his desk, resting his butt on thecorner. Marcus reached out and placed his hand on Lucas’s shoulder.

“Your job is never in jeopardy here. Unless you steal or hurt someone, I won’t ever fire you from this job. You’re family now, and family takes care of one another.”

It was nice knowing that Marcus saw him as more than just an employee. Most companies say you’re family but dump you when the bottom line is threatened. Working at Ride ’em Hard and being part of Marcus’s new family somehow felt right. He wasn’t quite sure why, but he thought it had something to do with the closeness of its members. Who knew that a biker gang could be so sweet?

“And as for your proposal, that sounds like a great idea,” Marcus said, giving Lucas a firm squeeze on his shoulder. He stood and began walking back around his desk.

“Oh! Thank you, boss! You won’t regret it!” Lucas cheered, suddenly feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. If he could make just a few extra dollars a week, that would help him save and get out of that shithole barn ASAP.

Feeling excited and hopeful, he jumped to his feet and rushed to the door before his boss had a chance to change his mind.

“Oh, since you’ll be working overnight, I’ll double your pay rate since we need to include ‘danger pay.’”

“Danger pay?” Lucas asked, looking over his shoulder. Suddenly, he wasn’t so sure that working alone overnight was such a good idea.

Marcus chuckled. “Relax, it’s just what they call it. Basically, you get extra money because you’re working alone and everything is closed. Oh, that reminds me. Since everything will be closed while you work, you’ll need to bring your own food for your break. I’ll give you an extra fifty dollars per night on top of your regular pay to cover the added food costs.”

So, double his usual pay, plus an extra fifty dollars a night? Holy shit!That was definitely going to help him with expenses and perhaps even help him begin saving up some money.

With excitement coursing through his veins, he turned and ran back to his boss’s desk.

“Thank you, thank you! You’re going to be so impressed with my cleaning skills! I won’t let you down, boss!” Lucas threw out his hand and waited for his boss to shake it.

The man chuckled. “I’m sure you won’t. You’re doing a great job here, Luc. Always know that.”

Feeling like he had just won the lottery, Lucas turned and darted from his boss’s office.

Holy. Shit!He couldn’t believe that that had just happened.

See what happens when you take a chance?that voice inside his head said.

Lucas couldn’t stop smiling. He picked up a case of beer and carried it out to the front of the bar. Caden was busy unloading the bar’s weekly beer delivery, so Lucas figured he would help the guy out by bringing a case or two out to the front bar.

He was in a fantastic mood, after all.

The front of the bar was empty. Alexis was probably off helping the guys with the delivery or something.

Smiling to himself, Lucas placed the case of beer on the bar, then spun around, doing a single ballerina pirouette turn.

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