This is the official site of M. S. Born fantasy novelist, Custom Italian Charm
maker, and web guru. I shouldn't have to say this, but all works on this site
are Copyright © 2006 to Melissa S. Born. Copyright for like my lifetime plus 78
years.
In a world where people walk into dreams, dragons hide among humans, and
nightmares can devour you, only you can keep the dream alive. Ride your
imagination.
You're the
visitor to explore the DreamWorld.
“It’s not them, it’s you.” Jason snidely said as I growled at the
measly $2 tip left at the table.
“Is there some reason you have to be such an ass?” I stuffed the money
in my apron pocket and adjusted my ponytail. Maybe I should have worn less
clothing tonight. More skin brought more tips, groping hands too, but you took
the good with the bad.
“Because I’m good at it?” Jason grinned at me with that odd lopsided
smile of his, and swept his long hair over his shoulder. He needed a ponytail
holder more than I did. But the girls had been oozing money over him all night.
He probably had it wrapped around the large wad of cash stuff in his pants. No
man had a package that big.
“Apparently. So who are you taking home?”
He blinked, and it was a long one, like he wasn’t sure what I meant.
“Kisten, table five looks done,” Gabriel said as he passed by with a
plate of food and a pitcher of beer. “Jason, back to the bar, I don’t pay you to
talk to employees.”
Jason chuckled his way back to the bar; his tight butt snug in leather
gaining nearly as many as Gabriel’s did in his casual jeans. I gave table five
my best smile and the bill, and got a $5 tip. Damn. What a crappy night.
I worked my best charms on the next table, all slobbering drunks who
wanted to pinch my ass more than order food. But I flirted and sat in their laps
like the little whore they expected me to be, and got a pretty good order
written up for them having convinced them to add on two appetizers, four main
courses and desert all around. They’d tip me well or I’d spit in their next
pitcher.
Getting up to put the order in back, I caught an irritated look from
Jason’s direction. What was his problem? He looked like he’d swallowed a live
fish and it was trying to wriggle its way back up. The bar was empty, the girls
having swarmed a table for some reason. I dropped the order off and stepped up
to the counter to fill a new pitcher from the tap.
“You shouldn’t do that,” Jason said.
My eyes shifted from the pitcher filling with golden liquid to Jason
and back again. Do what? “Huh?”
“Let those men degrade you.”
I swallowed a laugh. Was he jealous? Setting the beer on the counter,
I put my foot up on the shelf, letting the short skirt slide up my leg. Just
like every other man, Jason’s eyes followed the peachy path, but he yanked his
eyes away. “Why have you and I never had sex before?” I asked him. I moved in
closer to him, rubbing my thigh against his. “You’re stacked, and I see the way
you look at me. So what’s deal?”
His horrified expression made me wonder briefly if he was gay. Gabriel
coming out of the kitchen and giving me a glare to make anyone shudder made me
put my leg down and head back to my table.
Gabriel grabbed my arm later, gripping a little harder than he
normally did, his dark eyes shooting anger, “Leave Jason alone.”
“Jealous?”
“If I say yes will you let it go?”
“Maybe.”
“Then let me put it this way. If you fuck him, you’re fired. If you
blow him, you’re fired. You do anything with him that can be considered sex in
any country by any religion and you’re fired. Got it?”
It was my turn for a long blink. “You don’t have the right to decide
who I sleep with and who I don’t. We aren’t a couple, Gabriel.”
“And he’s not your type. Don’t torment him.”
“Are you fucking him? Is that why you’re jealous? Not of me having
him, but of him having me? I didn’t know you swung that way.”
He let go of my arm, “There’s a lot of things about me you don’t know.
Stay away from Jason.” Gabriel returned to the kitchen, and I knew he’d been
angry enough to need more blood now. He’d take a break, grab a bottle of
QuickLife synthetic blood and maybe relax a little. Jason hadn’t moved from the
bar, his chocolate brown eyes sad.
I emptied a table, brought out rounds of foods and by the time I’d had
a moment free Jason was back at the tables and Gabriel was at the bar. He didn’t
look any less angry though. The full moon was close, and vamps always seemed
moodier around the full moon, maybe it was cause they could hear the shifters
howling from miles and miles away. It probably would have pissed me off too.
Someone battered into me and nearly knocked a tray of dirty dishes
from my grasp. I kicked out at Frank who just tittered a stupid girly laugh
cause Gabriel was so close by. Damn vamp wannabe. I should have gotten some
faerie dust and put it on his apron. But he was coming to pick up his check, not
to work. “You could say you’re sorry you blind bastard. Hitting a girl makes you
such a manly man.” I chided him.
He licked his lips and let his eyes rove over the flesh I offered as
eye candy tonight. Everyone else had been looking all night, but his glare felt
more lewd, like hands groping instead of eyes. “You looking to take someone home
tonight?”
“Not you, she doesn’t want fleas.” Jason said as he walked by, stole
the stack of dishes from my grasp and disappeared into the kitchen.
“Not him either,” Gabriel said.
Both Frank and I turned to look at Gabriel, who seemed momentarily
confused. Then I thought I saw his cheeks redden, if that was possible. Maybe
he’d had a few QuickLife’s already. Frank’s spine stiffened. He snatched his
check from Gabriel’s hand and stomped toward the door. Jason reappeared, “What’d
I miss?”
“I’m fucking Gabriel tonight.”
Jason seemed to pause, but then said, “Oh, okay,” And headed back to
the filled tables. Guess if they had a relationship, Gabriel was the only
possessive one in it and he wouldn’t look at me for the rest of the evening.