Frantic barking from behind the barn had Melody running full sprint and skidding to a stop when she rounded the corner. "Coal, what did you do?!" Melody groaned as she looked at the bloody mess.

                     Coal just looked up at her smiling and wagging his tail like he had found the best present ever. Instead, Melody was staring down at a pile of fur and blood from what looked to be a squirrel of some sort. It was small and fat with grey fur but no tail and looked mouse like in what was left of the face. Looking back at Coal, Melody growled in frustration at seeing the blood flecked all over his silver coat. At six years old, Coal had had plenty of experience with wild animals and had never brought a dead animal to their doorstep. Melody chalked it up to the move and knowing sometimes dogs can act out in strange ways when faced with changes in life.

                     Melody took out her cell phone and snapped a quick picture to investigate later before shooing Coal away. Walking back to the house, she grabbed gloves and a plastic bag before returning to clean up the animal and area before tossing it into one of the outside trash barrels she had. Coal just followed her around, watching as she tossed the critter away.
                  "Coal, you cannot just go around eating animals. I feed you plenty and I don't even know what that was, or if it had rabies. Ugh!" Melody looked down at Coal who just stared up at her, continuing to wag his tail. She ushered him inside for a quick bath of warm water and Dawn dish soap, scrubbing all the bloody remnants from his coat before drying him off with a towel.

                           Melody had gotten most of the boxes unpacked over the weekend and now the house felt more like a home. She had ventured out for some interviews Monday and Tuesday without success and now would be heading out for another one for bar management.

"Alright, now stay out of trouble you little rascal. I have an interview today and cannot be late". Melody said as she threw her jacket and boots on before heading out the door.  Coal just sat wagging his tail as he watched her leave the house. 

               Unlocking her black, Dodge Ram,  Melody pulled herself into its raised cab and started the engine up before letting it idle.  The blue skies were bright today and she was still getting used to all the sunshine compared to the cloudy skies of New England. Placing her sunglasses over her eyes, she shifted the truck into gear and headed down to Denver for her interview.

                   Bumping down the road over the frost heaves, Melody took in the miles of trees and mountains she could see in passing before reaching her first neighbor. The tall, fenced in structure boasted a garage that could fix anything, by appointment only.  Trucking past the closed gate of the garage, Melody spied the sign hanging above, "Decker's Garage" and counted her blessings of having such a close vicinity to a place she may need to use. Tune-ups for her dad's car and the bikes were in order but for now, Melody had to focus on getting a job.

                 While her dad had left her money in his will, Melody had spent a large portion taking care of his affairs and left over debts before purchasing her new house in Colorado. Her dad had had an unfortunate gambling problem which he had hid from the rest of the family. It wasn't until a month after her dad's death did all the debtors come calling including a couple of shady bookies that her dad had used. She had been dumbfounded and since her brother was not as close to her dad as she was, he had been just as clueless.

                     She had been helping her dad run his small business of overseeing several rental properties at the time of his death and had been willed his business. Melody instead sold the business as the books were slowly on the decline from her dad's gambling and barely broke even.  The frustration and exhaustion from it all had led Melody down the path of wanting to get away from it all. When her brother moved to Tennessee with his wife quickly after their father's death, Melody had clung to the only person who she thought had had her best interests at heart. Bryce.

                      Her heart ached at the reminder and she shut down her memories before accelerating on the gas. Steering the truck through downtown Denver, Melody kept her eyes peeled for the sign of 'Warriors Bar and Grille' . It wasn't her dream job, helping to manage a bar, but Melody knew she was good at managing and had past experience working in the bar and restaurant industry.  The prior interviews for management at offices and retail stores held too many constraints for a free spirit like Melody. Despite turning twenty-eight over the winter, she was not looking to settle down anytime soon and wanted to focus on getting herself back. She had to find her happiness and health again.

                    While she had never gone to school, she had always worked jobs that had her physically and mentally exhausted by the end of the day or night.  Melody had wanted to start up her own business but helping her father had taken over her life. Now that she had the opportunity to start fresh and seek something out, Melody figured she'd start with helping to run another business to get a foot back in the door.  She knew she would be good at it but just wasn't sure what direction she wanted to go with it.

                             Finally seeing the sign for the bar, Melody pulled her truck into an empty spot, which were plenty since the bar didn't open for another two hours. Pulling down her visor, she checked her makeup free face and smoothed her hand over her auburn hair, pulled up into a pony tail. She skipped the makeup, wanting to instead have the focus on her resume and qualifications for the job. Glancing down at her black skinny jeans, biker boots and long sleeved, Harley Davidson shirt, Melody smiled hoping she looked the part to help run a bar known for its patron of motorcycle riders.

              She had done research on what little there was on the Warriors Bar and Grille since it was newly opened last year. Discovering it was frequented by local motorcycle clubs and run by an affiliate of a local motorcycle club called the Silent Warriors hadn't scared her off. There was nothing she  could find out about the owner but reviews of the place had been positive about the service, food and atmosphere. The only name connected to the place she had was the person interviewing her today, Oaklen, and Melody wondered what his connection to the bar was.

          Hopping down from her truck, Melody looked around and spotted a blue, Ford pickup truck parked near the rear of the building.  The parking lot was large and rectangular with more parking across the street. Motorcycle spaces were designated near the main entrance with a couple of handicap spots but  she bet that in the summer most of the parking would be motorcycles.  Standing in front of the main entrance and looking up, she approved of the symbol above the sign reading Warriors Bar and Grille . A gold, Spartan looking half helmet sat over the face of a smirking white skull with burning coals for eyes and a black backdrop. 

             Melody smirked back at the sign before tugging on the front door to find it unlocked. Stepping inside the darkened doorway, she was immediately impressed by  the cleanliness of the entrance leading down a short hallway before opening up to the large, open concept bar. 

                  Two Spartan soldier figurines towered over her on either side of the entrance like scary bouncers but not one speck of dust could be seen on them. Three different main bars were scattered throughout the first floor before she saw stairs leading up to a second level with another two bars. The place was huge with large floor to ceiling windows, currently covered with large blackout curtains to help keep the sun out but wondered how they would look open at night. Running a hand over the closest bar top, Melody admired the glossy wood finishes swirled with knots and uneven edges that ran smoothly down the sides where patrons sat.

             Looking above the second floor had Melody's smile widen at seeing the stone ceiling, giving the feel of being underground in a cave. It curved and dipped giving off shadows on the top floor and across the whole room of the bar. Lights hung down from the ceiling, small and twinkle like that would make it appear like stars in the darkness if they were on. Melody could definitely  see herself working with such an establishment. They appeared to know what they were doing in the atmosphere department and could only imagine how good the food and service was.

                          Suddenly, a cough interrupted her exploration of the bar, having her spinning and coming face to...chest? Melody looked up into a pair of amused eyes  as she stepped back a few steps and took in the man who she assumed was her interviewer.

                                                                  -------------------------------------------------

                    Oak saw the door open on the camera feed from his office and watched the woman slowly walk into his bar. Her slim build and small figure made her seem like a child but their phone interview proved otherwise. She had come across as confident and smart with a great resume.  He watched as she took in the hard work he had put into the bar and saw her smile appreciatively.

                      Leaving his office, he decided it was time to stop spying and see how the interview would go. He had had ten interviews prior to this and all had been a disaster. They all had been either club wannabees or club groupies with one girl offering to do more than just manage. Oak shook his head at the thought as he came up behind the woman whose name was Melody.  Coughing to get her attention he smiled with amusement at catching her unaware as she spun around and stepped back from him.

                     "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you, but you must be Melody?" Oak asked while offering his hand for a greeting.  Melody stared back at him before offering her hand and firmly shaking his much larger hand.

                 "Yes, that would be me and you must be Oaklen?" His attention was drawn to her pale face and golden brown eyes that appeared troubled. He let her hand go and perused her face before replying.

                   "You can call me Oak, everyone does and no one calls me Oaklen anymore. So you said you moved out from the east coast, whereabouts?" Oak motioned to a bar stool and took a seat next to her.

             "Yes, Maine actually. I helped oversee rental properties for my father's company there until we sold it after his death. Years prior, I had visited a friend out here in Evergreen and instantly fell in love. I got lucky because she's a real estate agent in the area and found the perfect house for me when I had called her last year. I needed a change of scenery so I decided to put my roots out here in Colorado. Are you the bar manager currently?" She seemed out of breath as Oak stared at her in amusement.

                  "I am sorry to hear about your father. But no, I own this bar and now need some help with running this place when I can't be here. I don't have much in the way of office help and now that spring is approaching its going to get a lot busier. I have several bartenders, hosts, servers and bussers as well as bouncers and a full kitchen staff. As I explained over the phone, your duties would be to make sure shifts are running smoothly and the staff have someone to go if I am not there and to start designating the management positions for each separate part of the bar. You would need to learn all the different aspects of how things run for each position and be available to fill in when needed. This position is high stress but you are paid well and only need to worry about what is going on inside here. My bouncers are supplied by the local motorcycle club, Silent Warriors, and know what their jobs are and who to report to if need be so need to worry about them. Your resume matches what I am looking for and I do need to be blunt...if you are here to be a groupie than no need to continue this interview because that is not what we are hiring here. Any questions?" Oak leaned away from Melody to take in her full profile as she turned away a moment.

            Turning back to him, Oak watched as she smiled at his words. "Nope you answered them all on the phone and made yourself very clear. I am not a groupie, I am just looking to gain more experience with running a business and see where it takes me. I am reliable and can hold my own and feel this would be a great fit." She stared at him with a small smile on her face as she waited for his response.

             Oak contemplated her words and figured he mine as well give her a shot and see what happened. He was exhausted with running the bar and hadn't wanted to involve any of the prospects since the job involved so much time away from the club.

                 "Well, the job is yours if you want it. I have to run a background check,  have you sign some paperwork and sign off on your salary, otherwise you can start this weekend to get a feel for the place. We can discuss a schedule and figure out if anything else needs to be taken care of. What do you say?" Oak watched Melody chew her bottom lip in thought before nodding her head.

               "Yes, I will take the job. I just have one request since I wasn't expecting to start so soon. I need to find someone to help me with my dog as I won't be able to take care of him on the days of my shifts since they will be long here. He is a really good dog and listens perfectly off leash and..."

               "Stop right there. I can't have a dog here at the bar as it is against code but..."Oak interrupted but was quickly cut off by Melody.

            "Oh no, no I wasn't going to ask to bring him to work but he is a Pitbull and I know the city has an ordinance against them. I wasn't sure if you knew of anyone or a place where I could bring him on my days I work?" Melody looked at him hopefully and he had the perfect solution.

             "I have your address and your actually right near where my brother lives so I'll just have someone go to your house and take care of him for you, no problem at all. Call it a perk of the job." Oak wondered why he was being so helpful and put it down to his desperate need for more help. 

            "I really would not want to impose on your brother or you like that and I don't mind paying at all for it, really." Melody implored him as she leaned back on the bar stool.

               "It truly is not a problem so consider it done, we can figure out the logistics Friday night when you start. Let's get this paperwork squared away and you can get back to your dog." Oak liked the fact she cared so much about her dog and really hoped this worked out. 

                    Oak placed the paperwork and pen in front of Melody before sliding off the bar stool and going behind the bar. He watched her lean forward to write on the paper and couldn't help but to stare at her. Her pale face was freckled across the bridge of her nose but otherwise milky white. It set off her golden brown eyes he found fascinating and pink, full lips had his mind going down an inappropriate train of thought. Her long, auburn hair was pulled up in a high ponytail that had his hand...Shaking his head, he mentally made a note to check in with Sasha before the weekend. He needed to get a grip and not scare off his new bar manager.

                "All set Oak, and thank you again for this opportunity. I am really excited to see how this goes." Melody stood next to the bar stool with keys in hand as he stayed behind the bar, not wanting to show the evidence of his wayward thoughts.

             "No problem. I will see you Friday at four." Oak watched Melody walk out of the bar before he dropped his head to the bar top and let out a breath. He felt like a raging teenager with no control over his dick, making him reach for his cell phone to text Sasha.

            "Your place. 8pm tonight?" Her instant reply of yes made him wonder if she just sat around on her phone all day. Not really caring, Oak was just happy he would be able to get laid and get Melody out of his head. He went back to his office to complete her background check before the bar opened up. Before long the night was underway with a light crowd and Oak was able to leave the bar and head over to Sasha's. He liked the fact she wasn't clingy and never invaded his life. It didn't hurt that she was an expert at pleasing him in bed or that her seductive body curved in all the right places. Completely opposite of Melody and just what he needed.

              Parking in front of Sasha's house, Oak was barely at the door before Sasha had it open with nothing on but panties. Oak chuckled before pushing Sasha back into the house and against her living room wall. Aggressively, he invaded Sasha's body with his mouth as she moaned and leaned back against the wall,  tugging on his hair with her long, manicured fingers. As he let Sasha drag him upstairs to her bedroom, Oak pushed all thoughts  of the bar and Melody from his head before giving into his lust.