Meghan March – Beneath These Chains
Release Date: 6/16/2015
Release Date: 6/16/2015
About Beneath These Chains
I was raised on the streets, so I know
things are rarely as simple as they appear—especially this rich girl showing up
at my pawnshop demanding a job.
She’s the most tempting thing I’ve ever
seen, and I’ll be damned if I can make her leave.
Shit just got complicated … but when it
comes to her—I want complicated.
We’re both fighting our own demons, and our
only chance at a future is to let go of the past.
But will we be strong enough to break free
from beneath these chains?
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SNEAK PEEK:
Chapter 1
Lord
I fucking hated people who stole from me.
Which was ironic, considering the only thing that had kept me from starving as
a kid had been picking pockets and snatching purses. I dropped my elbows to the
desk and rubbed a hand over my buzzed head.
“Goddamn, karma’s a bitch.”
“She the bitch you fucked last night, bro?”
The leather of my office couch creaked as Mathieu sank his tall, lanky frame
into it.
“How many times do I have to tell you not
to call women ‘bitches,’ boy?”
My words were met with a long sigh from
Mathieu. Ever since he’d walked into Chains and tried to grab a guitar and run
back out the door—only to be tackled to the ground by yours truly—he’d been a
fixture in my life. To be fair, his choices had been to work off the price of
what he’d attempted to steal, or go directly to the nearest cop shop. The
entire situation had been such a blast from the past, I’d caught myself smiling
when I should’ve been glaring and scaring the piss out of the kid. But
apparently I’d done an okay job of it because he’d decided starting a rap sheet
at seventeen wasn’t a good plan. Thank fuck. Almost two years later, the kid
was my right hand.
And now that Chains was mine, someone was
stealing from me—but not just someone. An employee. Someone I should’ve been
able to trust. The cameras I had installed on her day off had already paid for
themselves.
I rolled my head from side to side,
cracking my neck. I hated firing people. It never got easier. And this time?
This time it was going to be even worse … because there would be tears. And
quite possibly claws.
Pushing up from the chair, I strode to the
door without looking at Mathieu. Over my shoulder, I tossed, “You might want to
stay here; Brianna’s ass is about to get canned.”
“For real?” His words followed me out, but
I didn’t bother to reply.
Every time I stepped foot onto the shop
floor, a feeling of pride surged through me—pride that I’d helped build this
business into one that was not only honest, but profitable. At least, it was
profitable when one of my employees wasn’t skimming off the till and messing
with my bank deposits.
Finger twirling in her long, dark
extensions and gum snapping between her teeth, Brianna flipped the pages of a
magazine with a giant black Sharpie in one hand, circling shit. Probably shit
she wanted to buy with the money she’d been stealing from me. The store was
empty, which made what I was about to do a little easier.
“Bree, need a few minutes.”
Her head popped up, lips pursing as she
took me in. “You can have all the time you need, boss.” Her gaudy fake
eyelashes batted at me in what I assumed was supposed to be a sexy move. I
stowed the urge to tell her to save it for someone whose dick got hard at the
sight of her … but since I was about to fire her, why add insult to injury? The
woman had been unsuccessfully trying to add her notch to my bedpost since I’d
hired her. Bringing her on had been a mistake, and I’d known it from the minute
she’d walked in the door, but a friend had called in a favor.
“Boss? You had something to say?” she
prompted.
I watched her, not speaking.
She stopped the hair twirling and capped
the Sharpie, resituating herself on the stool and folding her hands in her lap.
“Lord?”
“You’re done.”
Bree’s dark eyes flew wide. “Done? You mean
done for the day?”
“Done. For good. Get your shit and get
out.”
Bree lost the innocent pose as she crossed
her arms and stared me down. “Not until you tell me why.”
In two long strides, I closed the distance
between the register and me and pressed my hands to the counter.
“I gave you a job. Gave you a paycheck you
didn’t have to suck a dick to get. But that wasn’t enough for you. You had to
have more, and instead of coming to me and asking for a raise, you decided to
make it happen yourself.”
The color faded from her face, leaving her
mocha-colored skin sallow. “Wh-what?”
“Get your shit.”
“I swear, I didn’t—”
“Don’t fucking lie to me. I can show you
the tape if you want to see what I saw.”
Her lower lip started to wobble. It wasn’t
going to work. I’d given her the benefit of the doubt, hoped I was wrong or it
was just a one-time thing. But she’d gotten too bold.
“But I need this—”
I
cut her off. She wasn’t even going to deny it. Not that she could. We both knew
she’d done it, and I wasn’t in the mood to listen to her beg or justify her
actions. Even though she didn’t know it, I’d already given her a second chance.
And all that had done was cost me even more than I could afford to lose. “I
needed someone to work the shop—someone who wasn’t going to fuck me over and
steal from me. You weren’t capable of that, so you’re out. Now get your shit.”
“But—”
“Save your breath, Bree. I ain’t listening
unless you’re here to tell me you’ve got all the money you’ve taken, and you’re
putting it right back where it belongs.”
Her face twisted into an angry glare even
as the tears started falling. “You … you don’t understand.”
“No, I really don’t understand.” I crossed
my arms and waited her out. When she realized the water works weren’t changing
my decision, she spun off the stool, grabbed her giant purple purse from behind
the counter, and stalked toward the door.
“You get all self-righteous with me about a
little cash while you basically steal from people? Giving ‘em twenty dollars
for their shit? Like you’re one to judge.”
A little cash? She’d skimmed enough to buy
a nice used car, and I’d been too trusting to even realize it until the numbers
hadn’t added up in a big way.
She slowed near the guitars at the front of
the store and malicious glee lit her eyes.
She wouldn’t.
Oh, but she did.
Bree grabbed a guitar and swung it toward
the rack as the chimes above the front door jangled. Wood crashed against wood,
and two female screeches erupted.
Shit … if she injured a customer…
I charged Bree and ripped the guitar from
her hands before she could swing again. A swirl of red hair caught my attention
as the other woman dodged out of the strike zone.
Bree struggled against my hold, and I
wondered if I was going to end up with a face full of the acrylic claws tearing
at my arms. “Let go of me, you asshole!”
“Whoa, boss. Getting the door for ya.” Mathieu
bolted across the shop and yanked the door open again. I hustled Bree out and
set her free on the sidewalk.
She spun to face Mathieu and me. “You’re
gonna regret this,” she hissed. “I swear, you will.”
A soft laugh came from the open door. “From
what I’ve seen, I highly doubt it.”
Bree opened her mouth to spew something
else, but I shut her down. “Get gone. I don’t ever wanna see you near my shop
again.”
Bree’s flinty eyes narrowed as she
shouldered her purse. “Fuck you, Lord. You think you’re better than me? Not a
chance. You’re just thievin’ street scum. Fuck you.”
“And now she’s getting repetitious,” the
husky female voice commented from behind me.
Lip curling in disgust, Bree turned and
marched toward the corner, never looking back.
“Her exit could totally use some work, but
all-in-all, that was one hell of a welcome.”
I turned to survey the woman standing in
the doorway of Chains. Even without a photographic memory, I didn’t think I’d
ever forget this particular pose: one arm braced on the doorframe and the other
propped on her hip, a green dress hugging curves that had my entire body
sitting up and taking notice. Matched with her long, curling red hair, she was
a goddamn knockout. What the hell is she doing here?
“You lost, sweet thing?”
She stepped onto the sidewalk and tore the
HELP WANTED sign off the bottom corner of the front window. Holding it between
two fingers, she smiled. “Nope. I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. I’m your
newest employee.”
About Meghan March:
Meghan March is the author of contemporary
and erotic romance novels.
Meghan March has been known to wear camo
face paint and tromp around in woods wearing mud-covered boots, all while
sporting a perfect manicure. She’s also impulsive, easily entertained, and
absolutely unapologetic about the fact that she loves to read and write smut.
Her past lives include slinging auto parts, selling lingerie, making custom
jewelry, and practicing corporate law. Writing books about dirty talking alpha
males and the strong, sassy women who bring them to their knees is by far the
most fabulous job she’s ever had. She loves hearing from her readers at meghanmarchbooks@gmail.com.
Website: http://www.meghanmarch.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeghanMarchAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Meghan_March
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8184875.Meghan_March
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MeghanMarchAuthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Meghan_March
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8184875.Meghan_March
Catch Up on the Beneath Series:
Beneath This Mask (Beneath #1)
Beneath This Mask (Beneath #1)
He loves me, and he doesn’t
even know my real name.
The limelight that follows him could expose everything I’m hiding. But even knowing the risks, I can’t force myself to stay away.
I’m going to break his heart, but mine will shatter right along with it.
Will we lose it all when I reveal what’s beneath this mask?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22458416-beneath-this-mask
Buy Links:
The limelight that follows him could expose everything I’m hiding. But even knowing the risks, I can’t force myself to stay away.
I’m going to break his heart, but mine will shatter right along with it.
Will we lose it all when I reveal what’s beneath this mask?
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22458416-beneath-this-mask
Buy Links:
Kindle: http://amzn.to/1csyHrZ
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Meghan_March_Beneath_This_Mask?id=SAijBAAAQBAJ
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/beneath-this-mask
Kobo: http://store.kobobooks.com/en-US/ebook/beneath-this-mask
Beneath This Ink (Beneath #2)
I’ve always known she was too good for me,
but that never stopped me from wanting her.
And then I finally had her for one night.
A night I don’t remember.
I figured I’d blown my shot.
But now she’s walked back into my life, and
this time, I have the upper hand. I want my second chance.
Will she be able to see the man beneath
this ink?
Buy links:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1QtBDY4
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/books/details/Meghan_March_Beneath_This_Ink?id=YaCTBgAAQBAJ&hl=en
Contest Alert!
Starting June 16th, readers can
enter the contest to win a Coach Purse from Meghan March!
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