Until Valerie: Happily Ever Alpha World

by Jessica Marin

  Sometimes.

  “In all seriousness though, no more sexy time with the ex-boss. It won’t end well,” I advise, praying she sees that normally this type of circumstance always involves someone getting hurt and it would most likely be her.

  “I know,” she says with a deep sigh. “It probably won’t happen again.”

  “Probably?” I give her a questioning look. “It should never happen again!”

  “Whatever, let’s move on. To what do I owe the pleasure of seeing your face so early this morning?”

  I accept her change in subject because I really need to finish getting ready so I’m not late on the first day. “I need you to help me pick out an outfit for the audit I’m going to.”

  She stares at me in disbelief before closing her eyes while mentally counting to ten. I bite my lip to contain my laughter as I can tell she’s even more annoyed with me. She clears her throat, opens her eyes and smiles at me with as much kindness as she can muster right now. “Why would you need my help getting dressed when you have no problem getting yourself dressed the other 364 days out of the year?”

  “Because I’m auditing a motorcycle repair shop and for some reason, I’m stumped on how I’m supposed to dress.” The words coming out of my mouth sound even more pathetic than when I was thinking them. I’m a grown woman who shouldn’t care about this sort of thing.

  Her eyes go wide with the first spark of excitement I’ve seen the whole time we’ve been talking. “Finally your job is requiring you to be in the presence of hot men! You need to wear something professional, yet sexy.”

  “Why sexy?” I ask in confusion as I turn the camera around for her to view the clothes in my closet. While I’ve always loved numbers, there is nothing remotely sexy about auditing.

  “Because you’ll be in the presence of hot, rough, sexy-as-fuck, motorcycle men. They might want you to take a test drive on their goods.” She laughs at her underlining sexual innuendo and I can’t help but shake my head at her. I turn the camera back around so she can see the seriousness on my face.

  “Emma, not every guy who rides a motorcycle looks like the men you read about in your smut novels. In fact, most motorcycle guys are older gentlemen who have served in Vietnam.” I personally don’t know anyone who owns a motorcycle, but every time I do see a guy on one, he’s the age of my father or looks like Santa Claus incognito in biker clothes.

  “That’s not true, especially the guys who ride the crotch rocket bikes.”

  “Well, it isn’t that kind of shop, and it isn’t even in Nashville. The shop is in Murfreesboro.”

  Her smile fades and all excitement vanishes from her eyes. “You’re right. No sexy biker guys will be there. Wear a potato sack to your audit.”

  “Murfreesboro has changed since the last time you were home. I hear more young people have moved into that area.” I chuckle at her, not revealing that I stereotype Murfreesboro the same way she does - old country with only old people living there.

  “Have I ever been to Murfreesboro?” she asks me as if I would even know that answer. The closest I have ever gotten to Murfreesboro was to its neighboring suburb, Smyrna, and that’s only because there is a boutique out there that my sister keeps in business due to her love for their clothing. One day she tricked me into thinking we were going to a new place for lunch and actually drove us there for her to shop, while I watched in boredom since the clothes are exactly her style and not mine.

  “Probably not,“ I answer before looking at my alarm clock to see that my time talking to her is up. “Listen, I’ve got to go. I’ll take your advice and wear a potato sack to my audit. Thanks for not being helpful. Oh, and by the way, I really miss you.” I give her a sad smile, hating that we are so far away from each other.

  “I love you too, Val. Let me know how today goes.” She blows me a kiss and ends the call.

  I throw my phone on my bed and go back to my closet, allotting myself only five more minutes before making a final decision on my attire for today. I grab a silky, white, baggy button down shirt and start looking for a pair of black slacks, when my fingers touch upon a soft, black leather pencil skirt. My mother has a key to my apartment, so I’m always finding little ‘surprises’ in my wardrobe that she knows I would not approve of. The tags are conveniently missing on the skirt, preventing me from demanding she take it back. My mother doesn’t know what kind of business I am auditing this week and since there will be plenty of leather in their establishment, I feel I might fit in better if I wear it. I decide to try it on, pairing it with the white blouse, and my signature black heels that I wear every day to work.

  I look at myself in my mirror, shocked by how much I like the skirt. The leather feels as smooth as butter and I can’t help but to continue rubbing my hands up and down my hips and thighs in awe of the material. I don’t know how long this skirt has been in my closet for, but I decide to take this as a sign that today is the day I should wear it for the first time. Saying a tiny prayer of thanks to my mom, I grab my bag and keys to start my drive to the Broken Eagles Motorcycle Repair Shop.

  Chapter Five

  ROWAN

  I feel the soft tap on the back of my shoulder and turn off my welding torch so I don’t burn whoever is interrupting my work. I lift up the front of my helmet and look behind me to find Z waiting for me.

  “Clean up. Wes is bringing the auditor around for introductions.” I lift my chin in acknowledgement and remove my helmet before grabbing a towel to wipe the sweat off my face. I stand up and put my supplies back into my work station, not knowing how long this initial meeting with the auditor will last. I grab the water bottle sitting on top of my desk and start drinking, looking out of my peripheral vision to see Wes standing a few feet away. I turn to get a better look and start to choke on the water I accidentally inhale from the shock at seeing the most beautiful woman standing next to him. I turn my back on them as I start to cough uncontrollably, my lungs screaming at the liquid intrusion. I bend over, placing my hands on my knees as I try to cough up the remaining water and get air back into my lungs. I feel a pounding on my back and see Kyle standing over me in concern.

  “You okay? Do I need to perform CPR or the Heimlich on you?” He squeezes my shoulders as he looks at me, the twinkle in his eyes indicating that he sees I’m okay.

  “You wish I would let you perform CPR on me,” I rasp in between coughs, shrugging his hand off of me. I look up at the fluorescent lights above to catch my breath, my body beginning to calm down so I can breathe normally again. I look at Kyle and tilt my head toward Wes. “Who is with Wes?” I demand, needing to know the identity of the woman he’s with.

  “That. Is. Our. Auditor!” My mouth drops open in shock as the full affect of his words sink in. I wasn’t expecting the auditor to be a she, which is pretty judgmental on my part, but what is most surprising is how gorgeous she is. Her facial features are strong, with high cheekbones and blue eyes that seem to blaze out from her black rimmed glasses. Her blonde hair is pulled tightly back in a high braided ponytail. My eyes travel up and down her body, her baggy clothes doing nothing to hide her petite, sexy curves. She might have thought this look wouldn’t bring her attention, but I can recognize the kind of world she lives in because it’s the exact same world I come from.

  Expensive.

  Pretentious.

  This woman screams big city, her designer clothing and expensive perfume completely standing out in our rough and country shop. I try to study her body language, curious to see if she’s intimidated by us or even thinks we’re beneath her. We’re a rough looking bunch of guys, all of us towering over her by at least a foot. We’ve been working on bikes, so we’re dirty and sweaty compared to the crisp whiteness of her skin that screams pure and clean. Most women of her upbringing would be scared to be around us, yet her body doesn’t seem tense at all. Her stance is relaxed, but professional. I’m too far away to read the expression in her eyes, but her body language doesn’t seem flustered when shaking Eve
rett’s hand, who is a good-looking son of a bitch. She gives him a polite smile and then her eyes travel to look behind him at his station. While Wes walks her over to Mic, she assesses the shop, her eyes calculating how much inventory she sees. She’s already in auditor mode, not caring that she’s the only girl surrounded by rough men. This woman is not only sexy, but it’s clear that she’s intelligent as well. Two qualities in a woman that always pique my interest.

  My dick starts to twitch just staring at her.

  “What a dumbass her boss must be to send a hot piece of ass like that to a biker shop. He just dangled a piece of steak to this hungry lion,” Kyle laughs, his words making my blood boil. No woman should be talked about like that.

  “It’s that kind of talk that will lead you to a lonely life, my friend.” I smack Kyle’s chest and decide not to wait for Wes to come to me - I’m going to them. I walk over to where they’re standing and patiently wait for my introduction. Wes sees me standing toward his side and is about to introduce us when Kyle bulldozes his way in front of me and gets into her personal space. She takes a step back and I bite the inside of my cheek to hide my smile when she wrinkles her cute nose in disgust at his rude interruption. Even Wes looks at Kyle with a what the fuck kind of look.

  “Hi, I’m Kyle, head accountant here and I’m really looking forward to working with you.” I’ve seen that smile that Kyle gives her before. It’s what he thinks is his panty melting smile, but it’s not working on this female. He sticks out his hand for her to shake, which she hesitantly takes. She winces as Kyle squeezes her hand and proceeds to pull her hand out of his grasp. I notice that she doesn’t answer Kyle back and instead, gives Wes a questioning look.

  “Valerie, this is Kyle Perry, our main accountant on staff. Kyle, this is Valerie Dawson, our auditor. Kyle will be at your beck and call, providing you with whatever information you may need. You’ll also be working with Rowan Pryor, our second accountant,” Wes says, placing his hand against Kyle’s chest to move him out of the way so that I can step forward. Her eyes start out on my chest and slowly make their way up to my face. I hold her stare and smile gently at her, noting the grey and yellow specs in her ice, blue eyes.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I say, my voice husky from her scent rocking my senses. My heart starts to beat rapidly as I hold out my hand for her to shake, needing to know if her skin feels as smooth as it looks. The second her palm slides into mine, a bolt of electricity zaps through us, causing me to gasp from the shock of it. I look down at our hands before bringing my eyes back up to hers to see if she felt what I did. I’m regarded with cool eyes that show no emotion before she removes her hand from mine. Her lack of reaction leaves me wondering if I’m crazy from what just occurred. I look more closely at her and that is when I see it.

  The slight movement of her neck from swallowing.

  The gesture happens so fast that I almost miss seeing the clue that she felt it too. Did she feel that with any of the other guys, I wonder.

  She better not have.

  “Likewise,” she says in her smooth, clear, Southern drawl. The sound of her sweet voice is so damn sexy that I can’t help but smile down at her. I take note of her newly flushed cheeks, knowing it’s from me since we have the air conditioning cranked up in here. She diverts her eyes quickly to look at Wes, making it crystal clear that she’s done speaking to me.

  “Valerie, let me escort you to our conference room, which is where you’ll be working from for the duration of your stay with us. Gentlemen, clean up and meet us there in twenty minutes.” Wes nods at Kyle and me before escorting Valerie to the conference room. I cross my arms over my chest, feeling the need to apply pressure to this foreign tightening I’m feeling around my heart. I watch her go, my eyes staring down at that delectable ass filling out that skirt nicely as her hips swivel from side-to-side while she saunters out of the room. Her braided ponytail swings with each step she takes, making my hand itch to wrap that braid around it and pull her head back so I can devour those luscious full lips of her.

  Where the fuck did that thought come from?

  I close my eyes and give my head a shake to clear my thoughts. Calm down, I say to my lower brain as my dick throbs from the strain in my now tight pants. No woman has evicted such a strong reaction out of me as Valerie Dawson has. I open up my eyes and look around to see if anyone else just watched her walk out of the room like I did. Instead, everyone else is watching me.

  “Hey Rowan?” Z calls out, walking over to where I’m standing. He stops in front of me and studies me for such a long time that I start to feel uncomfortable. I unfold my arms from my chest and place my hands on my hips, wondering what Z is up to with that shit eating grin on his face. His grin starts to become downright creepy the longer he keeps staring at me with it.

  “What?” I ask in annoyance while he continues his staring contest. His eyes are locked with mine when he steps closer and yells out the one word that I used to never believe would happen to me.

  “BOOM!”

  Chapter Six

  VALERIE

  When we exit the service room, I ask Wes the location of the bathroom. I walk there calmly, but as soon as I close the door and lock it, I am anything but calm. What the hell is wrong with you, Valerie? I brace my hands against the sink and stare at my reflection in the mirror. My cheeks are beet red, my eyes are dilated, and there’s a sheen of sweat glistening on my forehead. My heart is pounding so loudly in my chest that I’m shocked Rowan didn’t hear it as I gawked like a teenager at him. Or maybe he did know when he stopped my heart with his stare, and his wicked smile shocked it back like a defibrillator. I grab a paper towel, wet it with cold water, and pat my neck and chest with it. Good lord, I’m a hot mess - literally and figuratively. Never has a first encounter with a man unraveled me like this.

  But I’ve never met a man like Rowan Pryor.

  I didn’t notice him at first because I was pre-occupied with getting to know my surroundings, checking out the shop to see how much extra inventory they had laying around. When we walked into the service department, I was surprised to see how many employees were working on bikes. My surprise soon turned into confusion. Was I in the Twilight Zone? I’ve never visited a working establishment that had so many hot men employed in one place. All of the men in the Broken Eagles Motorcycle Repair Shop were handsome giants, towering over me like I was a child. Despite their good looks, they have an air of confidence and danger to them. It can be intimidating to be in all of their presence at the same time, but most of them treated me with respect.

  That one exception being Kyle Perry.

  I don’t like people in my personal space without an invitation, and I especially don’t appreciate it when it’s someone as cocky and smug as he was. It’s obvious that Kyle uses his arrogance to charm women. His attitude had the opposite affect on me - it repulsed me. I was ready to meet the next employee when Wes pushed Kyle aside.

  My heart was not ready for the vision that was Rowan.

  It happened exactly how it’s portrayed in the movies - time stood still as his head lifted up and he stepped closer to me. My eyes grazed over strong forearms and bulging biceps before they focused on the bead of sweat that slowly slid down his neck, past his exposed sternum from his low cut shirt and disappeared behind the fabric. My imagination took over as I envisioned it running through the valley of his six pack before being absorbed by his boxers.

  If he was even wearing boxers.

  I tried to clear my mind as my eyes headed north to his face. They quickly bypassed his strong, facial features to go to his blue-green eyes that numbed me with their startling intensity. Everyone faded and it was only us, our eyes locked on each other. I was scared to blink, thinking I might wake up and this man in my dreams would disappear. His deep voice brought me back to reality, but it was the spark from the touch of his hand that sent a wave of heat straight to my core. I swallowed down the moan of pleasure that wanted to escape from the delicious sensation. He
smiled at me with full lips that I know would render me helpless from their touch. Pleasure radiated from his eyes, sending flashes of images through my brain of him pinning me against the wall, his lips burning me with his kisses while his dirty hands roam all over me. I could’ve sworn he read my mind as his smile got broader, which dissolved my lust and instead turned into embarrassment.

  How could I have such dirty thoughts over a man I just met?

  The sirens in my head started to go off, warning my heart that this man was like a tornado and I was straight in the path of his destruction.

  I was not here to get my heart broken - I was here to do a job. And Rowan Pryor was the type of man that would shatter my heart into a million pieces.

  With that mental pep talk, my walls went up and I vowed to never look him in the eye for the rest of my time here.

  The vibration of my phone clears the memories of our encounter. I pull it out from my pocket to see that I have a text from Emma.

  Emma: How are you doing? Are the old geezers trying to get their cold, clammy hands all over you?

  I shouldn’t answer Emma’s text right now, but I know if I don’t, she will hound me until I answer. Plus, I’ve got to tell someone that a place of hot, biker men does really exist and I know she would be the only one who would appreciate that.

  Me: No, the situation here is actually worse! The men here are exactly out of your dirty, motorcycle club fantasies. It’s like the Magic Mike of motorcycle shops, except no one is stripping. They’re all good-looking, especially this one guy, and I might’ve made a fool out of myself already in front of him.

  Not ten seconds later, my phone is buzzing from an incoming call from her. Shit, I should’ve never responded to her text!