Free The SEAL Next Door (Alpha SEALs Book 5) by Makenna Jameison Page A

She quickly removed her hand.  “Don’t worry about it.  I should get going anyway.”  She stood, Matthew quickly rising beside her.  He towered above her, and she had to look up to meet his gaze.
    “Bri, I didn’t mean it like that.  And I had fun last night, but—”
    “I get it.  I’ll see you later,” she said, turning away as she felt the pinpricks of tears in the corners of her eyes.  Matthew hesitated, seeming unsure what to do, but he didn’t follow as she walked away.  It was for the best.  Last night had been surreal—dancing with Matthew, letting him hold her in his arms.  Rehashing the details of their relationship—one in which they were strictly friends and nothing more—wouldn’t make her feel any better.  Matthew had his own life back in Virginia.  One which she had absolutely no place in.
     
    ***
     
    Brianna changed into her cocktail waitress dress back at the bar later that afternoon, ready for her long Saturday shift.  She shoved her casual clothing into her locker and adjusted the zipper on her dress, fussing with the revealing outfit.  The black satin and lace frock dipped lower than she liked, showing off her cleavage to its fullest advantage, and the frilly skirt barely covered her bottom.  Once she stepped into her heels, she’d be strutting around with her tits and ass waving around for all the customers to admire.  Just the way management liked it.  She blew out a sigh.  Thank God she’d convinced her parents she’d be out apartment hunting all afternoon.  If they knew she’d been laid off and was serving drinks while scantily clad in what looked more like lingerie than an actual uniform, they’d flip out.
    She had a full eight-hour shift today, but the evening crowd always tipped the best.  Hopefully in another month or so, she’d have nailed a new marketing position so that she could dust her hands of this waitressing business.  She’d sent out ten resumes last week to potential leads but hadn’t heard back yet from a single one.  At least she was able to make her student loan and car payments with her current soul-sucking job.  MBAs didn’t exactly come cheap.
    “Frank is managing tonight,” Ella said as she slammed her locker shut next to Brianna.  Her long, dark hair hung loose down her back, and without any makeup on, Ella looked even younger than usual in a tank top and leggings.  Her willowy frame leaned against the wall as she sighed.
    “Great,” Brianna muttered.  Ten years her senior, Frank had asked her out.  Twice.  The way his beady eyes slid over her body creeped her out, and she made sure she was never alone with him.  Once after an all-hands meeting he’d invited her back into his office, but she’d made her excuses and fled.  She shuddered to think of what he really wanted.  He’d somehow managed to cage her in at the bar one night when she was getting drinks, and she’d nearly dropped the entire tray when she’d felt his hot breath on her neck.  Creep.
    “How’d the paper go?” Brianna asked as she touched up her lipstick.  She fluffed her hair in the mirror, and the blonde waves she’d curled earlier framed her face.  Her size D cups looked closer to DDs with the way the dress pushed up her breasts.  God.  She wasn’t normally one to flaunt her assets, but she had to admit that the dress made her look good.  Too bad it was more appropriate as something worn in the bedroom, in front of a lover, not in a roomful of males who had been drinking.
    “Finished.  Stayed up until 3:00 a.m., but it’s done.”
    “When’s it due?” Brianna asked in surprise.
    “Monday morning.  But I’m working a double shift tomorrow, and I needed it finished.”
    “Have you looked into scholarships or anything?” Brianna asked.  Ella was working way too hard to put herself through school, she thought.  She was going to burn the candle at both ends at this rate—working all weekend, taking extra classes each semester.