HIS BRANDED BRIDE: Steel Devils MC

by Sophia Gray

  “This is so funny,” I said. My voice echoed in the big room, and I blushed. “I mean, it feels like we’re alone in here. Is it always like that?”

  “When the staff knows that I’m arriving, they clear out the other patrons,” Enzo said. He took a sip of water, his features perfectly composed in the dim lighting. “I prefer to be alone, usually, but there are some things we need to discuss.” He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands in his lap, and stared at me. “Audrey, I don’t want to frighten you, but Hodges is a very powerful man. He knows that I’ve gone out of my way to avoid working with him in the past. He almost ruined me, you know. LennoxCo almost went under as a result of his scheming.”

  I blinked. “Wow. And now he’s badgering you for help?”

  Enzo shook his head. “No, not exactly.” He chuckled.

  The waiter arrived with a bottle of wine, which he opened and poured into Enzo’s glass. “How is it, sir?”

  “Perfect,” Enzo said drily. “Thank you.” When the waiter had gone, Enzo picked up the bottle and poured a generous amount of wine into my glass. “Audrey, Richard’s a dangerous man. He’s very powerful.”

  I nodded. “I understand.” When I sipped the Malbec, it wasn’t at all how I’d imagined. It was fruity and chocolatey and dark, almost like a piece of candy. At the same time, I could tell that it was savory, too, and that it would pair perfectly with the lamb. I began to feel overwhelmed again. This was just another way that Enzo and I were polar opposites. He knew about wine and fancy dining. I, well, didn’t.

  “I’m worried that he’s going to try to buy me out of LennoxCo,” Enzo said carefully. He lifted his glass of wine to his mouth and drank deeply. “He’s threatened as much, and I know that’s what he wants. He can’t stand how I managed to survive what happened all those years ago.”

  “I see. But why you? What about LennoxCo is so appealing to him? Why not find some other company? If he’s as powerful and rich as you say, he shouldn’t have a hard time finding someone willing to sell to him.”

  Enzo chuckled and sighed. “I wish I could give you a good answer to that. But unfortunately, I have a feeling that the only reason he’s interested is because of me. He resents me for building the company back up to a level of greatness. He’s jealous he hasn’t managed to do that.”

  “What is he doing right now?”

  “He was just hired as a temporary CEO for a banking company, which doesn’t bode well. I’m surprised the company didn’t look into his background—it’s pretty spotty.”

  I bit my lip. “If he’s as bad as that, why did you work with him all those years ago?” I blushed as Enzo chuckled in response to my question. “I mean, I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be impertinent. I just don’t understand.”

  Enzo shrugged. “It was my own fault,” he admitted. “I was stupid enough to be taken in by the idea of being able to make so much money, so quickly. I bought everything he sold me, hook, line, and sinker. If I’d been more careful, he’d probably be in a white-collar prison somewhere, doing time for embezzlement and money laundering.”

  My mouth felt dry. I picked up my wine glass and took another long sip. The Malbec was beginning to warm up, and I felt a slightly hot sensation in my throat. I wasn’t used to it, but it felt good. My head felt a little watery, almost floaty. I swallowed hard. “This is good wine,” I murmured. “Thank you.”

  Enzo waved his hand in the air. “This isn’t the best place around, but I’ve made some solid business decisions here.” He sighed, and I watched the long curve of his neck. Desire prickled at my body, making me feel alien in my own skin. “I had a feeling you’d like it.”

  “It’s wonderful,” I said honestly. “I’ve never been somewhere so posh.”

  “So now that you know what’s happening,” Enzo continued, as if we’d never broken in conversation, “you have to be on your guard, Audrey. Make sure that Hodges doesn’t hear anything scandalous. Always try to hold him off. If he wants to come in, suggest it in a couple of weeks. Don’t act like he’s worth as much as he is. Make him feel like we’re interested, but not interested enough.”

  “I don’t know that I can do that,” I replied. “I’m not a very good liar.” My cheeks were burning hot, but somehow, I knew that it wasn’t just from the wine. “I’ve never been able to lie convincingly. What if he knows? What if he calls my bluff?”

  “He won’t,” Enzo said smoothly. “He won’t know because you’ll lie very well. Understand?”

  I nodded. An odd feeling came over my stomach, and I licked my lips. “Enzo, this isn’t… illegal or anything, right? I mean, I’m not doing anything that’s really wrong?”

  Enzo waved his hand in the air again. “Don’t be ridiculous,” he chided me. “Of course not. This is all part of business. I just don’t want him getting any designs or ideas. Not until I’ve come up with a good way to get him the hell away from my company.” Enzo’s nostrils flared, and he looked almost angry. “This company is the only thing I have,” he said bitterly. “I’ve spent so much time working on it, I couldn’t let it fall now. I couldn’t let that asshole take it away from me.”

  I stared at him in quiet surprise. I’d always known that Enzo’s company was incredibly important to him, but it almost came as a shock to hear him sound so passionate. I’d never heard him sound like that about anything, especially not work. Slowly, in my wine-addled brain, I began to realize that there was a lot about Enzo that I didn’t know.

  The waiter swooped down in front of me, placing a small salad to the side and a tasteful rack of lamb chops on the table. My mouth watered at the delicious smell of the roasted meat. I closed my eyes, inhaling deeply. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten anything this good, if ever before in my life. Most dinners consisted of sandwiches with Pepper on the couch, or sometimes takeout cheeseburgers if I was feeling really lazy. Back in college, sometimes I’d go out for pizza or cheap Italian food with my study groups, but none of that had ever come close to this.

  “Are you okay?” Enzo’s voice shook me out of my reverie. “You’re staring down at your food.”

  I nodded quickly as I grabbed my wine glass and tilted the last of the red liquid into my mouth. “I don’t think I’ve ever had lamb before,” I said shyly. “It smells amazing.”

  “They do a good job here,” Enzo said. He winked at me. As he refilled my wine glass, I went to yank it away.

  “Oh, no,” I said with a giggle. “I think I’ve had too much already.”

  “I insist,” Enzo replied. He gently pried my fingers apart and took the glass from my hand. “This wine is excellent with the lamb. You should try.”

  I swallowed uncomfortably. “What happens if I get drunk?”

  Enzo raised his eyebrows. “Then you get drunk,” he replied simply.

  I giggled. “What if you have to carry me home?”

  Enzo chuckled darkly. “Don’t worry,” he said in a silken voice, reaching for his knife and cutting a delicate bite of lamb away from the bone. “I’ll make sure no harm comes to you.”

  I shivered. There was something about eating with him, alone, that was almost more sensual than our sex had been. The lamb was delicious, unlike any other meat I’d ever tried, and Enzo was right, it matched perfectly with the wine. The combination of spicy, heady, and rich flavors on my tongue filled me with a kind of ecstasy that I’d never felt before. The wine was swimming in my brain and making me feel sexy, fluid, relaxed. For once in my life, I actually felt comfortable in my own skin.

  And sitting across the table from Enzo was its own kind of amazing reward. Every time he looked at me, every time his perfect gray eyes flicked over my body, I felt a rush of warmth and lust. I wondered if we’d sleep together again. Did he still desire me?

  I was always horrible at trying to figure things like that out, but somehow, I knew that the answer was yes.

  When we were finished eating, I watched as Enzo declined the dessert menu. “I have something in my apartment,”
he said with a smirk, handing his credit card to the waiter. I hadn’t even glanced at the menu, but I knew the meal couldn’t have been cheap—it was some of the most luscious food I’d ever tasted in my entire life.

  I swallowed as I stood up. The room seemed to shake, or spin, just a little bit. I steadied myself with a hand at the back of my chair. The waiter had returned my parka and my bag, and he held out the coat for me to slip into. Even though I didn’t want to put it on while we were still inside, I felt like I couldn’t refuse.

  As soon as the jacket was on my shoulders, I felt uncomfortably warm.

  “Shall we go to my apartment?” Enzo raised his eyebrows at me. “I think that would be for the best.”

  I frowned. “I can’t leave Pepper. I mean, I’ll have to call the dog sitter or put her in a facility or something.”

  Enzo grimaced. “I don’t love dogs. Is she well-behaved?”

  I swallowed again and nodded. “Of course,” I said quickly. “She’s perfectly well-behaved.” That wasn’t exactly true—Pepper had a few accidents over the course of the last year. But I didn’t want Enzo to forbid her from entering his place. I vowed that I’d keep an eye on her.

  “We’ll take a cab to your place, of course,” Enzo said smoothly. He stepped forward to the road and raised his arm.

  I shivered at the sight of his face in the moonlight—he looked cold and determined, but also sexier than I’d ever seen him. The alcohol kept rising inside of me, almost like something wanting to get out of my belly. I shuddered with lust as Enzo turned around and locked eyes with me. When he glanced at me like that, I felt like we were the only people left in the world.

  Chapter Sixteen

  An hour later, Pepper and I were sitting in Enzo’s living room. He lived in a beautiful high-rise building downtown with an infinity pool on his balcony and a ton of space. It looked big enough to have three or four bedrooms, and I was relieved to see that the floor was a dark wood.

  “Good girl,” I whispered to Pepper, scratching her between the ears. “You settle in and don’t cause any trouble, okay?”

  Now that we were alone, I felt nervous again. Some of the effects of the wine had worn off, and I was beginning to feel both tired and anxious at the same time.

  Enzo reappeared with two glasses of red wine. “Here,” Enzo said. He thrust one glass at me. “This will help.”

  “Help?” I frowned. “What’s wrong?”

  Enzo chuckled as he lowered himself down next to me on the couch. His condo was beautiful, and just like I’d imagined, it was all glass, leather, and chrome. The furniture was black leather. In the kitchen, I’d briefly glimpsed stainless steel and chrome appliances with a silver-tiled floor. It looked chic and modern, but almost like a model home. Aside from his pair of leather loafers at the door, there was hardly a sign that anyone lived here.

  “Audrey, you should look into moving someplace nicer,” Enzo said. He leaned back on the couch and took a long sip of wine. “That neighborhood is dangerous.” He raised his eyebrows. “And think about getting a new wardrobe, too.”

  I glanced down at the jumper and turtleneck I was wearing. “This is fine,” I said with a shrug. “I mean, they’re just clothes.”

  Enzo inched closer, and a wave of lust washed over my body. “Audrey, that may be the truth, but in my industry, at LennoxCo, people judge you based on your appearance. For me, I know that I have to look professional all the time. And technically that would extend to you as well. You’re my secretary. People are going to think of me based on what you look like.”

  I blushed. I’d never thought about that before, but I didn’t think he was wrong exactly. Still, it was embarrassing to know that the man I was becoming obsessed with found my clothes ugly. I knew that I wasn’t exactly fashionable by any stretch of the imagination. But usually, I didn’t think I looked that bad.

  “Audrey.” Enzo spoke my name as a command. “Come with me.” He stood up from the couch and walked down the hallway, into a room opposite from the kitchen. I swallowed hard and trotted after him, the heels of my shoes clicking on his unfamiliar floor.

  “What is this room?” I stepped inside and glanced around. What I saw shocked me. There was an open wardrobe bigger than my closet at home filled with women’s clothing. There was everything I could think of: dresses, blouses, jeans, skirts, even shoes and handbags at the bottom. All of it looked brand new. There were even price tags dangling from some of the garments that Enzo had pulled into his arms.

  “Strip,” Enzo said softly. He stepped closer and put a hand on the back of my neck. Nervously, I took a sip of my wine before setting the glass down on a small table.

  “What is all of this?” I stepped closer, gazing at the clothes in wonder. I’d never seen anything like this before. I had never shopped in a department store; I bought most of my stuff secondhand or at discount shops. But this was a level of luxury that I’d never even imagined. “Is this for me?”

  “It is my most fervent hope that you’ll wear some of it,” Enzo said. He didn’t smile as his fingers gripped my shoulder. “I believe I told you to strip.”

  I shivered at the feeling of Enzo’s fingernails on the back of my neck. “Yes, sir,” I replied automatically. Suddenly, the air between us was tense and full of lust. I wondered what he would do when I was naked. Would he touch me? Try to seduce me again?

  I licked my lips and unfastened the big buttons on each shoulder holding my jumper in place. Then I pulled the jumper over my head and tossed it on the floor until I was standing in front of Enzo clad in my turtleneck sweater and baggy leggings. The air in the room was chilly, and I crossed my arms over my chest and hugged myself as Enzo reached forward and yanked my leggings down. Goosebumps sprang up over my flesh, and I stepped out of the material.

  “That, too,” Enzo said. He plucked at the cotton of my turtleneck. “Take it off, Audrey.” His voice was low and deathly calm. I closed my eyes, pulling the shirt over my head and feeling it tug my ponytail upwards.

  When I was standing in only a bra and panties, Enzo walked around me in a circle. “Strip,” he repeated, reaching out and gently spanking my ass.

  My cheeks turned crimson as a bolt of desire and pleasure went through me. It scared me how much I’d liked it when he spanked me just now. I wondered if he was going to do that again later. I want him to! I thought desperately. I really do!

  Licking my lips nervously, I reached behind myself and unfastened my bra. It was an older one—the white material was yellow with age–and I let it drop to the floor. As I closed my eyes, I hooked my fingers on the waistband of my panties and tugged them down my legs before kicking them to the side.

  When I opened my eyes, Enzo was staring at my chest. I glanced down to see my hard nipples protruding, and a wave of self-consciousness washed over my body.

  “Very nice,” Enzo purred out. “Now stay there.”

  I swallowed and watched helplessly as he stalked across the room. Enzo opened a set of drawers adjacent to the wardrobe and pulled out something dark green and silky. When he walked back over to me, he handed me a silk thong of a brilliant turquoise and a matching bra.

  “Put these on,” Enzo instructed.

  I bobbed my head and fumbled with the clasp on the bra. Even though it was silk, it wasn’t all that comfortable—it pushed my breasts high in the air and pinched at my rib cage. I’d never worn a thong before either, and I was surprised at the feeling of the material on my labia. It cradled my pussy in a sensual way that made me think of Enzo’s touch. As I took a step forward, the silk twisted between the cheeks of my ass and sent a tingling sensation straight to my clit. My cheeks broke out in a blush as I let out a little gasp.

  “I was mostly right about your size,” Enzo said in a lazy, low voice. He walked around me once more, inspecting me. “Those will do nicely. Come with me, Audrey.”

  I glanced at the open doors of the wardrobe. “What about the other clothes?” I crossed my arms over my chest, conscious of m
y breasts sticking up in the air. “Shouldn’t I get dressed?”

  Enzo raised his eyebrows. “Why, Audrey? There’s no one here save for Pepper and me. Surely she’s seen you naked before.”

  I blushed and looked away. “Yes,” I mumbled in reply. “She has.”

  Enzo smirked at me, and I felt another strong thrust of desire towards him. I licked my lips and stepped forward. Each step wearing the silk thong was torturous, almost like Enzo himself was rubbing between my legs.

  “Trouble?” Enzo raised his eyebrow.

  “No,” I managed to say clearly. “I’m fine.”

  “Good.” Enzo winked at me. “Let’s go have some dessert.”

  Ten minutes later, we were standing in Enzo’s kitchen. Pepper lay on the floor, contentedly snoozing after Enzo had given her a ham bone.

  “Come here, Audrey.”