Secrets

by Miranda Bailey

  Mike stared at Julia in shock, as he had never had anyone talk to him like that. He had never met someone who was that passionate about their job, and who was willing to stand up to him and tell him how it really was. While he had been attracted to Julia from the start, he truly started to admire her as he wanted a woman who wasn’t afraid to stand up to him, but who would also be willing to obey him when necessary. He wanted to be the dominant partner in the relationship, and with that he didn’t mean to control every aspect of his partner’s life, he meant that if it came down to it his partner would follow his lead. As a lion shifter, he was a natural leader which is what had made him so successful in life. But he didn’t want a doormat, and the fact that this beautiful woman was standing up to him while at the same time accepting his leadership was doing things to him he didn’t really want to focus on at the moment. “If that is right, what happened last night?”

  “You did. You can truly stand in the way of what I love to do and you are a very handsome man, which makes me nervous. I can’t believe I just said that, but quite frankly you don’t scare me nearly as much as losing this job scares me.”

  “I scare you?”

  “You have this way of making me want to listen to you and do what you say. I will admit that I’m not the most obedient person you will ever meet and I will do what I want and what I feel is right regardless of what I’m told.”

  “I won’t deny that I expect absolute obedience from anyone who works for me, but I also respect how you feel about this job and how you feel our customers are best served. John told me that if anyone understood this club and the people who come to it, you’d be the one to talk to which is why I was so strict with you last night. I was disappointed that I wasn’t seeing it for myself, and I hoped that this would get you back to the level you could clearly be at.”

  “Would you really fire me?”

  “I don’t know. If you kept messing up, absolutely. If the problem truly is me watching you I can stop watching you even though that is hard for me. If you just need a kick in the butt to learn to work while I’m watching you, that’d be the best solution. Maybe today we can work on getting you to do your job while I’m watching?”

  “I felt really bad when you got mad at me last night. I’ve never been scolded like that while on the job, but I understood why you did which is what made it even harder. Then despite the fact I was screwing up the way I did, you still walked me home like I mattered. It was incredibly confusing.”

  “That’s because you do matter. Everyone matters, no matter how much you’d like to convince yourself otherwise. Now tell me what you like to do in your free time.”

  “Free time? Mike, I work six days a week. With us working nights, we sleep in in the mornings and then take care of the apartment and get groceries and all that stuff. We don’t have that much free time as most of our friends are at work while we aren’t, and are free when we are at work. Sundays are usually our days to do things for fun, but clearly I’m here today. I don’t really have many hobbies outside of work, but as long as I’m with friends I don’t mind too much what I’m doing. We could be watching a movie or going hiking, I’d be happy either way.”

  “So maybe I should require everyone to take two days a week off so you can spend more of your life away from work?”

  “You are clearly not listening. Mike, I love my job. Sarah loves her job. Jared loves his job. Our friends are the people we work with. We don’t want an extra day off, we want to continue loving the job we have.”

  “Very well. Why don’t you show me opening procedures?”

  With that the ‘training’ started and Julia tried to make it through without doing anything stupid. When she dropped her third glass of beer, she got mad and smashed the glass on the ground before storming out. Mike immediately came after her and took her by the arm back inside, sitting her down at the table. “Alright, you were doing great, where did it go wrong?”

  “I hate being watched the way you are watching me. Why are we here? You know that I know what I’m supposed to be doing.”

  Mike didn’t want to admit that they were there because he enjoyed spending time with Julia. He found her opinions on things enlightening, and he truly enjoyed her company. He usually spent all his time working or by himself, and to spend it with Julia might be work but it didn’t feel that way.

  “I like your opinions on things and the way you do things even though they might not be exactly according to the handbook, sometimes it makes more sense.”

  “You can see that any night you want, just stay away from me and make sure I don’t know you’re there and we’ll be fine. You make me nervous and it’s hard for me to admit that.”

  “Alright. Clean up the mess you made and then you’re free to go. I will see you tomorrow, after your shift.”

  Julia was glad when she was allowed to leave, but on her way home she had the distinct feeling she was being followed. It definitely made her walk faster, and when she once again saw the yellow eyes across the street she knew she wasn’t imagining things anymore. What was it that was there? It appeared to be some sort of animal but she had never seen anything like it around town, and she didn’t know enough about animals to identify it on eyes alone. If she was braver than she truly was she might have gone over and looked, but at the moment she just wanted to get inside, where she was met by Sarah who was nervous that she might have lost her job.

  “I’m fine. I don’t know what it is about him but he didn’t seem upset at all and he was more concerned with getting to know me than with actually training me. I don’t know, I’m very confused. I admitted that I was distracted when he was nearby so I think he’ll stay away, but yet he seems to want to stay close. I don’t understand him, and I don’t understand my place in all of it. Right now I really need to get some sleep because despite the coffee he had ready for me, I’m exhausted.”

  Sarah looked after her friend as she disappeared into her bedroom, smiling as she knew something Julia clearly hadn’t figured out yet. Mike was attracted to Julia and Julia was attracted to Mike, yet they both hid behind their job titles to avoid admitting it. When Julia had been sent home the night before Sarah had been worried that she had gotten fired, yet when Julia had explained what had happened Sarah knew it was quite the opposite. If her instinct was right, which it usually was, Mike and Julia would soon be more than employee and boss.

  Julia was incredibly nervous for work the next day, as she knew that Mike expected her to be at her absolute best and while he would stay out of sight, she knew he would be watching. Mondays were usually quiet nights at the club, with just a few regulars and an after work crowd, but no late night partiers. Julia didn’t mind as much, as it allowed her to talk to everyone more as opposed to just serving drinks as fast as possible while there was a club full of people waiting to be served. The night had been going incredibly well, and Julia had spent some time talking to a few regulars who would stop in for a drink after work. The music was definitely on and loud, but not as much as on the weekends as it was more a bar than a club during the week.

  Since Mondays were so quiet, Sarah and Julia were the only two bartenders there and there were no bouncers (with the exception of one security guy for safety reasons), but Julia never saw Mike. It appeared he had truly listened to her when she had said he made her nervous, and while she knew Mike was in the building as she had heard his voice, she never once saw him. That was, until they were close to leaving and she turned around before promptly tripping over her own feet when she saw him on the other side of the bar. Mike raised an eyebrow, clearly aware that she had just stumbled upon seeing him, before extending a hand to steady her.

  “I came to see if you ladies would appreciate an escort home?”

  “No thank you,” Sarah said with a smile. “We always walk by ourselves and we’re fine. Thank you for the offer though.” Sarah guided her flustered friend out the door, not saying a word the whole way home.

  “Alright, have you seen that
animal in the bushes on the other side of the street? I saw more of it today as I looked back and I swear it’s a lion,” Julia said the second they walked in the door. “It’s starting to creep me out a little bit, even though at first I thought I was imagining things.”

  “I have not seen anything,” Sarah said, sounding concerned and looking out the window. “Maybe it’s a large cat or a dog or something? I can’t imagine what a lion would be doing in the middle of town. I’ll watch for it, alright?”

  “Alright. I started seeing it after Mike came to the club, so maybe I really am imagining things.”

  “I’m sure if you say you’re seeing something, you’re seeing something, but I doubt it’s a lion. Now I’m getting a drink, do you want anything?”

  “No, I need to go to bed. Even after that nap yesterday, I still feel exhausted.”

  The remainder of the week went in much the same fashion, with Mike not showing his face until the end of their shift, and Julia tripping or dropping something whenever he did. Sarah never once saw the animal Julia was referring to, but Julia saw it every night as they walked home. It made her slightly paranoid, and when Sarah took the day off on Thursday Julia asked Mike to walk her home. As luck would have it, the lion did not make an appearance that night.

  Julia knew that if Mike were to ask her out, she’d say yes and she’d be lost forever. Mike on the other hand wanted to ask Julia out but had no idea how. He knew that under normal circumstances he would have done so already, even though it wasn’t entirely appropriate since he was her boss, but he had a secret and he had seen how afraid she had looked when she had seen a lion watching her. He would never admit to being scared of anything, but having Julia walk out of his life was one of those things and he would rather have her as an employee than have her run away because of what he was. Mike was honorable enough that he would never start a relationship with anyone without telling them the truth first, which had caused him to avoid relationships in general.

  Three more weeks went by, and each night Mike would try to talk to Julia at the end of her shift, and he would offer to walk them home. Each night Julia would decline but would end up seeing the lion somewhere along the way. It never came close, and it didn’t take long for Julia to forget about her fear of the animal and ignore it whenever she did see it. Mike saw this as a sign that she might be more open to accepting him, and one night after a long Saturday night shift he asked Julia to stay behind, after reassuring Sarah that he wouldn’t hurt Julia.

  4

  Julia was nervous as she didn’t know why Mike wanted her to stay, but she knew she had not messed up at all over the past few weeks so she couldn’t imagine it being for anything bad. Once she finished wiping the bar she sat down on a bar stool, waiting for Mike to come find her. She knew John was still there and assumed he was with him, as John was officially leaving town the next day.

  They had thrown a large goodbye party for John after his last official workday, but he had continued to stop by occasionally to see how things were going or to help out. Now that he was truly leaving town they knew he wasn’t going to do that anymore, and the atmosphere had been different that day. John had provided a smooth transition in ownership, but they all knew that everything would still be different, despite the fact that Mike tried to keep everything the same. For starters, Mike had announced that he would be promoting some employees to shift managers, as Mike had many businesses to run and couldn’t continue to be at the club every night. Those interested had been asked to submit their applications, and practically every employee had done so as it was a huge opportunity to move up. For Julia it would mean getting management experience, which was exactly what she went to school for. Bartender definitely looked less impressive than shift manager would.

  “Thank you for waiting,” Mike said with a smile when he joined her. “I had a bit of a parting gift for John, but we’re alone now. Do you have any idea why I asked you to stay?”

  “No, I do not.”

  “First, thank you for submitting your application for one of the management positions. You are the only employee with a management degree, so I’d say you definitely have a good shot at the promotion. Now that I’ve said that I’d like to forget that we are boss and employee, and pretend we are just Julia and Mike. Do you think you can do that and make the distinction?”

  “I can. I do that with everyone else here anytime I see them outside working hours. It makes things easier.”

  “Excellent. What I’m going to tell you is not easy for me to tell anyone and I must request that you do not discuss this with others as it could quite easily ruin everything I’ve worked very hard for. I like you Julia, a lot. I would love it if you would do me the honor of going out with me, but there is something you need to know about me before you say yes or no. I will respect either answer and will not let it affect any other aspect of our lives. If you say yes and it doesn’t work out, I will not treat you any differently. If you say yes and it does work out, I will not treat you differently while at work. Now, what I need you to know is complicated and please hear me out before you run. Have you ever heard of a lion shifter?”

  Julia was ecstatic that he asked her out, but worried about what it was that had him assuming she’d say no. What was so important that she had to know even before their first date? When he asked her about a lion shifter, she shook her head, as she had never heard of that before. The image of the lion in the bushes popped into her mind and she wondered if the two were related somehow. There’s no way that could be possible though, could it?

  “Some people have the ability to shift into an animal at will, and we often have some of the characteristics of that animal in everyday life. A lion shifter is someone who can shift into a lion, and he or she is often more dominant and protective of those he or she cares about. I want to tell you this because it’s a big part of my life, and you should know before deciding what to do. Julia, I’m a lion shifter.”

  “You’ve been following me, haven’t you?”

  “I have. Despite the fact that you turned down my offer to walk you home each night, I feel protective of you and made sure you got home safely each time. I’m sorry if I scared you at first.”

  “I honestly don’t know what to say. Can I see?”

  Mike stood up and shifted into his lion form, much to Julia’s fascination. She watched as he slowly changed, limb for limb, into an animal she should be terrified of, yet she couldn’t do anything but watch. She couldn’t deny he was a beautiful lion once he was fully in front of her, but something about it just didn’t sit well with her. No man should be able to do this, no man should be able to change their entire body to suddenly become an animal, and no woman should trust a man who can do something so unbelievable. If she hadn’t see it with her own two eyes she would have probably laughed at him, but seeing it in front of her she couldn’t deny it. She jumped off the bar stool and grabbed her purse, getting ready to leave. She had to get out of there and think, something she couldn’t do with him in front of her, because everything inside her was screaming for her to run and never come back. She was barely aware of Mike shifting back, the only proof that he had being the fact that he was once again the gorgeous man she knew. “I have to go.”

  “Julia, please. Don’t run.”

  “Mike, I need to think about this. Before this I would have said yes in a heartbeat, but this is a little bit surreal to me and I need time to think. I will see you tomorrow.”

  Julia was out the door before Mike could say anything else, and she ran the entire way home. She couldn’t talk about this with anyone, especially not Sarah whom she knew wouldn’t approve, yet she needed to either talk with someone or leave town to collect her thoughts. She suddenly remembered that John was leaving town the next morning, and the second she was inside she started packing. John had mentioned that he was packed and ready to leave, so he wouldn’t notice if she snuck into the back of his car and hitch hiked across the country with him. She could get out somewhere along t
he way and find a place to stay for a few days without anyone knowing where she was.

  As soon as she was done packing, and before Sarah could come back from whatever date or one night stand she was on, Julia left for John’s house. She had written a note for Sarah to let her know not to worry, and to please let Mike know that she was taking a week off. Mike would know why she left, and she hoped Sarah would forgive her when she got back. She arrived at John’s just as the first sunlight was visible on the horizon and she quickly slipped into the back of John’s car. He drove an SUV and there was plenty of space back there for her without being seen, unless he opened the trunk, and still be fairly comfortable.

  Fairly comfortable turned into fairly uncomfortable after several hours, and when John stopped for lunch she quickly got out of the car, slung her backpack over her shoulder and started walking. She had no idea where she was, or even what state she was in, but it looked like a small town which she preferred. Small town people were generally nice and welcoming, and life was cheaper. Julia wasn’t necessarily short on cash, but she didn’t want to splurge either so the first thing she did was find a small diner to eat lunch, hoping to find a place to stay afterwards.

  “Passing through?” the waitress asked after coming up to her and filling her coffee cup while putting a menu in front of her.

  “I just arrived and I’m hoping to stay about a week. This looks like a nice little town to relax for a bit.”

  The waitress smiled and nodded. “It definitely is. Jotson is a small town, and we don’t get many visitors since there isn’t much to do, but if you are trying to get away from something or someone, it is perfect. I get off after lunch, and I can show you where to find the local bed and breakfast if you’d like? We don’t have a hotel but the bed and breakfast is run by Mr and Mrs Singer and they take excellent care of their guests.”