Free Overtime Play by Kasey Moone Page A

mouth, thanking the gods for her quick reflexes. Her pouty mouth was a major pain in the butt sometimes.
    Roger moved closer. “What was that?”
    To keep from responding, she bit her tongue.
    “Ms. Perrin, you were about to say something?” He folded his arms across his beer belly. A smug look enlivened his face.
    Fuming, she remained silent. Great. Now she had to listen to the jerk’s career advice on top of everything else? Could her night get any worse? For a moment, she seriously thought about kneeing him in the nut sac, but opted for a tongue lashing instead. Something told her that if she gave in to violence, he’d be laid up in a hospital for weeks. She opened her mouth to tell him where he could shove his advice —
    “Lay off the lady.”
    At the sound of Jeremy’s husky voice, Mira froze. This was not happening to her. Jeremy Rain was not defending her against Roger Denkins. She’d laugh at the irony, if she wasn’t so embarrassed. Why couldn’t he just mind his own damn business? It was bad enough that he invaded her thoughts every moment of the day at her daytime job. Now he had to torture her at The Dollar Place, too? Perfect.
    She spoke over her shoulder. “Sir, I have this under control.”
    Suddenly he was leaning beside her ear, speaking very slowly and very clearly, as though she was hard of hearing. “I’m not going anywhere.”
    Mira swallowed. Heat rose on her face. And between her legs. She wondered what would happen if she leaned back. Would he wrap those big strong arms around her? Would his orders grow harsher by the minute? Nastier? The thought felt outrageously good.
    No, no, no. Don’t go there, girl!
    She took a deep breath and mentally untangled herself from the fantasy. She didn’t need Jeremy to defend her. She could handle Roger on her own, dammit. “Look Roger, I’m on my way to aisle seven.”
    Roger’s expression turned severe as he looked above her head. “Call off your dog, Ms. Perrin.”
    Jeremy growled loudly. “Apologize to her.”
    “Excuse me?” spluttered Roger, outrage flashing across his red face. “Who do you think you are?”
    “Apologize.”
    Mira cleared her throat. “Please, let’s not get all worked up. I’ll get back to work, Roger.”
    “No,” Jeremy whispered. “You’ll do no such thing.”
    Shocked beyond words, she spun around to face him and immediately caught her breath. In all of her fantasies of him, she’d never been so close to the “goods” before. He was pure man—sun-warmed bronze skin, bulging biceps, and a strong stubborn chin. If the phrase “sex on a stick” needed a poster boy, he should apply, since he was all that and then some. Her nipples burned and puckered, wanting his tongue to lap at them, as a warm pool of liquid gathered between her thighs. The green uniform she’d grown accustomed to suddenly felt hot on her skin. She longed to rip it off, to rub her aching nipples against his hard, lean body in an effort to satisfy her ever-growing desire for him. She looked up. And up. And met Jeremy’s penetrating eyes.
    “I can handle this, mister.”
    Bright hazel eyes, so mesmerizing, stared at her intensely. No recognition shown in them. No whisper of familiarity. Just complete and utter indifference. Despite herself, Mira sighed. She couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. A part of her wanted him to recognize her from the station, wanted him to acknowledge her presence, just this once.
    Oh, get real, she thought bitterly. Who was she kidding? Of course, Jeremy Rain wouldn’t recognize her. He owned a handful of successful media stations and partied with celebrities every weekend. He didn’t have to talk to the little people.
    She searched his face. “I can handle this.”
    “Can you now?”
    Her micro braids tumbled around her shoulders as she nodded her head. “Yes, I can.”
    “You heard her, pal,” snickered Roger. “Fuck off.”
    Jeremy’s big body tensed. He arched an eyebrow in Roger’s