One Night Stand With My Husband’s Brother

Mackenzie ran the white towel over the plate till it was a pristine, squeaky white . She placed it on the rack, ready for use, and took another.

It was a week after a crushing disappointment at the employment interview at DarkWood Furniture Company, and she had gotten a job.

As a waitress.

In some four star restaurant in a bustling part of greenfield. The only bright side about this job, was that it was not located right at the heart of the city like all the other places she has been. It lessened her anxiety and paranoia quite a bit.

This was not something she had ever pictured herself doing, but she needed this job to survive. Her savings from North Dakota had completely run out. She had two kids to feed, clothe and take care of.

Desperation had clutched her heart like a vice when she realized that they could starve if she didn’t take a drastic decision.

That drastic decision was not an easier option for Mackenzie either. Her job hunt was incredibly crippled by the four-year gap in her resume. It had looked sketchy and mysterious to most of the hiring managers, as though they suspected of something crazy like having spent that four-year gap in jail.

But that was just the time she spent hiding away in North Dakota.

Asides that, her resume was excellent. She went to a good college, with a great degree. And even had working experience as a manager in an Axford Conglomerate branch.

That name being in her resume alone was impressive, despite how much she despised it.

And that was how she got this job. The manager liked what he saw in her resume, especially her managerial position at an Axford Company. So he put her on a two-week probation, to watch her skills and capabilities before deciding what to do with her.

Mackenzie could not be more grateful for that.

It was like a new ray of hope, after no company reached back to her after all the entries she submitted. It was like they all went strangely silent after the massive disappointment she faced at DarkWood Furniture Company.

She did not bother to call Uncle Maverick to ask for any feedback, because she was too ashamed. He had done so much work for her already, and there was nothing to show for it.

This job would be enough to keep Mackenzie standing till she can figure out her next move. Her friends were not well off either.

Charlotte could not find any magazine jobs, and was now dead broke. She was now grasping at straws, any job at all, to ease the situation.

Her part-time job as an online editor was the only thing keeping her afloat, and even that was still barely enough.

Mackenzie’s phone chimed inside the pocket of her uniform. She dropped the towel and pulled it out, glancing at the screen.

Her heart dropped.

PAYMENT FOR TERMINATION OF AXFORD EMPLOYMENT CONTRACT, the first line of the text read. It was a notice of the debt she has been tricked into.

A heavy, frustrated sigh left her. Being reminded about it made her mood so much worse. She quickly dropped her phone back into the pocket of her waitress frilly skirt, which was a new habit she had learned from working here.

The staff were not allowed to have phones around during work. But Mackenzie had kids, and she needed to be easily reachable. So she had explained to the manager, and he made an exception for her, as long as she did not abuse her freedom.

She had no idea that the manager had given her a special pass not just because she had little kids, but because he wanted to get in her skirts. Of course, she shut down his advances faster than lightning.

Since then, he had majorly been ignoring her existence. Until now.

“Mackenzie!”

The Manager’s voice echoed up from nowhere.

She perked up from her thoughts, slowly making a discreet expression of confusion when she saw the huge smile spread on Manager Ty’s pudgy face.

He paused in front of the glistening counter, eyes fixed on her so brightly like fireworks. He was literally bouncing in his shiny black shoes.

“Is there something you want me to do, Manager Ty?” Mackenzie asked, warily.

“Yes!” He squealed. “We have just received a VIP customer, and he wants to be served right now! He is so important and even mentioned that he came here for you!”

Mackenzie blinked, staring at the Manager like she did not understand what he just said. She had only worked here for a week, so she had definitely not gotten popular enough with the customers for anyone to specifically request her service.

Manager Ty rubbed his hands together. “So drop everything on your hands right now and come with me to welcome our highly esteemed customer!”

He looked over her with a dubious smile, “What’s your secret, exactly? Huh, Mackenzie?”

She had no answer to that. She just straightened her uniform our and picked up the menu, slightly wondering how just one customer could get the staff all buzzed up.

She walked up the stairs leading to the VIP section, with the manager and a few other staff members following closely. She got to the door, and knocked.

“Come in.” A deep, masculine voice filtered in from the other side of the door.

The manager grinned at the sound of his voice, quickly mopping his face with a face towel. Mackenzie looked away from him with a flat expression and pushed the door open.

The footsteps of the manager and the others echoed behind as she stepped in, only to freeze to standstill when her eyes fell on the customer.

It was Chase.

He was sitting in a relaxed, confident man-spread in the middle of the leather couch. His black shirt flowed loosely down his torso, but clung to his biceps sensually. The same went for his thighs, which looked so mouthwatering in his relaxed posture.

Mackenzie immediately averted her gaze to his face, but that didn’t help much. That gorgeous face was just as dangerous as the rest of him.

But her entire body was stiff with shock. What was Chase doing at her work place? How did he even know she worked here??

“Oh, Mr. Chase Axford ..” The manager bustled closer, his voice dripping with barely controllable excitement. “It is such a great honor to have such a powerful man, most wanted in the entire continent, in our restaurant today. Your privacy is perfectly protected in here, sir, there are no paparazzi around, isn’t that right, staff?!”

“Yes, sir.” The staff members behind him chorused.

The manager nodded with satisfaction, and flashed his salesman grin back at Chase.

“If you don’t mind, Mr. Axford, after you are done in here, can we get a complimentary photo with you? This moment is a huge one for our establishment, sir, it would be amazing of we could have something to remember it by.”

“Of course.” Chase answered.

Manager Ty grinned in reverence, then bowed his head, with the others following his lead as well.

“Thank you for coming, Mr. Axford.”

When he straightened from his deep bow, he asked again, his voice turning soothing like someone trying to calm a baby down.

“Are there any things you specifically like or don’t like, so we can exclude that from your orders? Any allergies, sir?”

Chase’s sea blue eyes sliced over to Mackenzie, then with his eyes never leaving her shocked ones, he responded,

“You don’t have to worry. I’m sure..” His eyes nonchalantly dropped to her name tag and he read the name, “Mackenzie Torsney here would attend to my needs well.”

The way he said it had Mackenzie’s face heating.

All eyes turned to her, filled with silent questions. She was the only one who had not uttered a word since they stepped in here, yet, all of his attention was on her.

The manager wondered if there was something about Mackenzie he was missing. But he smiled radiantly and gave a last now, “Alright then. Please excuse me, and enjoy your meal.”

Enjoy your meal.

The way Chase looked at her when the manager said that made her knees suddenly tremble. That gaze was so predatory.

They all moved out of the room and closed the door behind them. There was a meaningful silence left behind by the last click of the door. Mackenzie could barely believe Chase was here right now.

What did he want?

She was just trying to make an honest living here, hoping she wouldn’t be on anyone’s radar while she slowly sorted her life out till she can get back up and pursue her dream job as a furniture designer again.

She just didn’t want any problems, and just because of Chase, this unrelenting man, her kids couldn’t even go to school anymore. And now he was at her Job?

She glared at him with all the frustrations she felt and asked in a hushed voice,

“What in the world are you doing here?”