Although she’d already indulged in one good stretch before leaving the server room, Mara discreetly stretched her arms and legs as she descended the stairs toward the dance floor. Too much time huddled over keyboards and leaning over equipment took a toll even on Mara’s preternatural physiology. She needed a walk and some pleasant company to share it, and she knew exactly who she wanted to ask. When she arrived at the bar and squirmed her way through the crowd surrounding it, she leaned over it to ask the bartender.“Where is James tonight?”“He’s on the back door,” with a tilt of his head the werewolf indicated the back of the room and the door there leading to the back of the building. A smirk pulled at his mouth and Mara had a feeling whatever he was going to say next was going to be annoying. “Should I call a replacement for him?” he asked mock-innocently, and Mara gave him the look that deserved. “No, thank you,” she responded, all stiffness and disapproving wounded dignity. Her relationship with James wasn’t exactly a secret and although people were happy for them, they also took the occasional bit of ribbing about it from people close to them.She made her way to the back door and came outside to where James and another security guard were watching the door. Both of them turned when the door opened, checking who was coming out. Jake, the other guard, was wise enough not to make any smart comments and if his eyes danced a little in amusement, Mara could easily ignore it in favor of James’ welcoming grin.“Hey beautiful,” he greeted her.“Hey yourself,” she smiled back. “I was thinking when your shift ends we could go for dinner at the diner and then a walk in the park. Interested?”“I’ll be lookin‘ forward to it,” a hint of his Brooklyn accent was noticeable, as it often was when he was feeling flirtatious. “Great, I’ll meet you back at the Circus in an hour then.” She gave Jake a sidelong glance and found the werewolf several paces away, whistling and ostentatiously had his back to them. She chuckled and took advantage of it to stand on her tiptoes and give James a quick kiss before the murmured goodbyes.“Later, Jake,” she called to the other guard. He took the hint and turned back, and in light of his discretion she elected to ‘not notice’ his mild amusement.“Later, Mar.” As she left down the alley toward the parking lot and her car, she was already smiling in anticipation of the outing with her new boyfriend.
