Notorious (Rock Bottom #2)

by Jennifer Ann

  Holding a hand over her gaping mouth, her watering gaze locking with mine. A collection of emotions brew in those whiskey eyes, the strongest feeling a lot like love.

  Then there’s an impatient pounding on the door to the suite, followed by my brother shouting my name over the music.

  With a shake of my head, I scowl. “Are you fuckin’ kidding me? That punk has shit for timing!”

  Zoe laughs softly, tears trailing down her cheeks. “My answer’s yes, Ryk.” She sinks all the way down into my lap, sliding the ring on her finger before taking my face in her hands. It’s hell on my engorged dick to be so close to her with my brother still pounding on the door. “I can’t imagine anything that would make me happier.”

  To say her answer makes me happy would be an injustice. I’m more fucking ecstatic than I’ve ever been in my entire goddamned life. Her warm mouth returns to mine, her tongue sweeping over mine, but it doesn’t last when Bender threatens to find housekeeping to let him in.

  She draws away, cheeks flushed red. “Doesn’t sound like he’s giving up. I better put something on.”

  As she sprints back to the bedroom, I pull on the handcuffs. “The fuck?” I call out. “Babe! You can’t leave me here like this!”

  She lets out a wicked laugh from the other room, coming out a second later in the sexy little dress she wore to the studio this morning, towel in hand. She tosses it over my erection, bending to whisper in my ear, “Your dance isn’t over, my beautiful fiancé. I’m not taking those off until you come twice at the very least.”

  With that she leaves me breathing heavily through my nose, fantasizing about the different ways she plans to make that happen. Next thing I know, my brother, Morrison, Stone, Rook, and Brooke are standing in a circle around me, a few of them trying not to laugh.

  Rook throws me a wide smile, eyes dancing with amusement as he hooks his arm around Brooke’s neck. “That’s some way to celebrate.”

  “Thought we agreed we were all doing our own thing until tonight,” I snarl. “The fuck you jackasses doing here?” Then I turn to Brooke, offering a less threatening look. “Excluding you, of course.”

  “Brooke just got a call from the attorney that represented Trask,” Bender tells me. “The cops are looking for two girls that went missing from the U. Witnesses last place them in the South Side. He says word among law enforcement is they have a lot in common with the girls Terrance slaughtered five years ago.”

  As my gut folds over itself, Stone’s dark glare meets mine. “Sounds like that fucker Terrence is back in town.”

  “Christ,” I mutter, wishing my hands were free so I could pull my hair. This is the chance I’ve been waiting for…to avenge the deaths of my mom, uncle, and friend. As much as I’d love to put a bullet in his head myself, I couldn’t do that to Zoe. “We have to be smart about this. We need a way to draw him out, get him upset enough to grab his attention. Make him feel exposed.”

  Bender crosses his arms, eyes skipping from me to the rest of the guys as he speaks. “I’ve been thinkin’. What if we made an alliance with the Martyrs of Mayhem, told them Terrance is planning to overrun their business of selling military weapons?”

  “You think they’d go after Terrance simply based on our word?” Rook asks.

  “It’s worth a shot,” Stone grunts, bouncing on the balls of his feet. “We just need something to give them as proof.”

  I shake my head, thinking there has to be another way. “How the fuck would we manage that?”

  Bender lifts one shoulder. “Easy. We get the cartel to loan us a supply…claim we intercepted a deal between Terrance and one of the MC’s regular clients.”

  “They’re going to wonder why we give a shit,” I argue, wishing I wasn’t fucking cuffed to a chair while we’re discussing something of dire importance. “Why would we get involved?”

  “We tell them it had something to do with your uncle’s death,” Rook says. “Find a way to make them believe King Marty was killed because of a deal gone bad between him and Terrance.”

  Zoe pulls her bottom lip into her mouth, giving me a weary glance. “Rather than one of you telling them, we could plant the seed another way, and wait for them to take the bait.”

  Before she says anything more, I shake my head with rage thickening in my throat. I know where her idea is going, and it’s not happening. “Abso-fucking-lutely not. You’re done stripping for other men. No way I’m letting you go to their clubhouse alone.”

  “I could go along with her,” Brooke blurts. When Rook looks ready to blow a nut, eyes bulging and neck strained with veins, she narrows her eyes on him. “Don’t even start with me, Rook. Her idea could work. If she goes through with it, someone needs to have her back.”

  With a stern look, Zoe sets her hand on my shoulder. “This conversation isn’t over. We will talk about it in more detail later.”

  Brooke gasps, clapping her hands together. “Oh my god! Is that what I think it is?”

  Following Brooke’s gaze, Zoe gapes down at the new diamond like she forgot it was there. A smile slides over her lips when she holds her hand up for everyone to see. “Yes! Ryker just asked me to marry him!”

  Rook’s lips bend with a sideways smirk in Zoe’s direction. “And you said yes?”

  “Wise ass,” I mutter.

  Stone shoves his hands into his jean pockets, shaking his head. “Ho-ly shit. Another man down.”

  Brooke runs to Zoe, throwing her arms around her. “Congratulations, you guys!”

  At my side, Bender laughs heartily. “Congrats, man! I’d shake your hand, but…”

  Rook claps me on the shoulder. “Want us to find a justice of the peace so you can seal the deal right now? The timing seems perfect.”

  Morrison steps in beside him. “The pictures alone would make for a great publicity stunt.”

  “Fuck all you clowns,” I retort, unable to hide my own smile. I pull against the handcuffs, digging the metal into my wrists. “Zo, get these things off me so I can kick their asses.”

  With her arm around Brooke’s waist, my gorgeous fiancée throws me a smirk. “I think I’d rather leave you there, break you down until you agree to my idea.”

  As angry as it makes me, I can’t deny she may be onto something. And she knows more than anyone how badly I want to avenge my loved ones. Fuck. I just wish there was another way.

  (three days later)

  ZOE

  When I worked with Brooke after we returned from New York, she was such a natural at stripping that I figured she does it for her husband on a regular basis. Between stage makeup, contacts, and a sexy blond wig that goes down to her elbows, she’s completely unrecognizable as sweet little Linkin’s doting mom, just as Rook requested. The only tiny stretch marks remaining from her pregnancy are concealed underneath her standard dancer’s thong. Confidence seeps from her as she sways her hips in sync with the music, bold smile on her lips while dancing around topless.

  But I can sense her fear from the other side of the room filled with sweaty, vile men that are far hornier than I remember from past gigs with the Martyrs of Mayhem. Then again, I’m so terrified of doing anything in danger of breaking Ryker’s trust, or blow our covers with the bikers that my insides are trembling uncontrollably. We’re both dangerously close to blowing our cover.

  It didn’t take as much convincing as I thought before Ryker finally agreed to the idea. I think it helped that I also wore stage makeup, something I hadn’t done since the night he walked into Pinky’s. Once I contacted my old boss, it was only a matter of hours before we received an invite for tonight’s party. Ryker and Rook made us run through the plan and different ways to abort it a hundred times, each of them visibly shaken by our insistence on following through with this idea. They gave us high-voltage stun-guns that sit in our purses in a back room, but they won’t help us if hell breaks loose while we’re dancing.

  Ryker and Rook wait down the road in Brooke’s new Range Rover as Stone and Morrison keep a c
lose watch for any signs of trouble from the parking lot. Everyone agreed our men would be too wound up to stay calm, and could only put us in more danger with any erratic behavior. Stone’s military training made him the logical choice to be put in charge.

  I subtly make my way over to Brooke, sliding my backside against hers as we shake our asses to the live band, reminding her we’re in this mess together. As I turn to her, wanting to give her a smile of assurance, a mountain of a man snags me by my wrist, yanking me down into his lap on a worn couch. The stench of cigarettes, leather, and whiskey seeps from his pores, triggering my gag reflex. Long wavy hair, thick beard, square jaw, and dark eyelashes make him notably attractive. But his dark, dangerous stare drives a spike of fear right through my heart. Either he’s a new member, or I’ve been fortunate enough to avoid him in the past.

  He sneers while digging his thick fingers into my side. “How ‘bout you grind that sweet pussy on me instead? After all, this is my party.”

  Although being groped at one of these gigs is forbidden unless there’s more money handed out under the table, this is the chance we’ve been waiting for. It’s an intimate moment with one of the MC’s members in which we can “spill the beans on Terrance,” planting the seed of rivalry.

  Meeting Brooke’s wavering expression beside us with a confident wink, I hook my leg around his thigh, and threading my fingers through his dark beard the way I do with Ryker. Pretending he’s my man may be the only way to survive this act.

  Once I get a glimpse of the patch on his vest, I’m thrilled to discover we’ve stumbled across the vice president. Everything is going according to plan.

  “With pleasure, sugar,” I purr, rising to my knees so my breasts are level with his hungry eyes. While I twist and bend to the beat, arching my back to give him a good show, his greedy hands slide from my waist up across my ribs, lingering beneath the swell of my breasts. Sickness stirs in my stomach with every second of his touch. Never imagined I’d be in this kind of situation again after Ryker first told me he loved me, and now I’m having second thoughts.

  The man grunts, his cock thickening against my leg. I twist my fingers through his soft hair and bring my lips down to his ear. “Not surprised to see you’re the MC’s vice president. Someone as big and strong as you can only be a man in charge.”

  “How ‘bout you and me head into the back so I can show you just how big I am?”

  Before I can muster a response, he jerks me closer, and takes a breast into his mouth. A squeal wrenches from my throat right before I’m unceremoniously shoved down to the floor onto my ass.

  A younger girl with blond hair and eyes so dark they swallow her pupils glares down on me. In skin-tight jeans and a see-through tank top over a lacy black bra, brushing around her eye, she’s hauntingly beautiful. “Stay away from my man, skank! I catch you with him again, and I’ll slice your throat open!”

  The club’s vice president chuckles like her threat’s the funniest thing ever. “Babe, I was just havin’ me a little fun. You know, celebratin’ my promotion and all.” He leans forward to wrestle her down to his side. “Come on, now. Don’t get your panties in a twist. You’re the only woman I love, baby.”

  Grabbing her jaw, he forces her mouth to meet his. As they kiss, she crawls into his lap, and he shoves his hands up her cropped shirt to knead her breasts. The way they continue to kiss passionately and unabashed, I’m convinced they’re one second away from fucking in front of everyone.

  “Oh god…it can’t be her,” Brooke says behind me in a voice that’s hushed yet strained. She hooks her hand under my armpit, pulling me to my feet. “We have to tell Rook.”

  I turn to find her face so white that I’m convinced she’s going to faint. Before she drops to the beer-covered floor, I grab onto her waist. “Tell Rook what? What’s wrong?”

  Looking right through me, she hooks her arms with mine, and digs her fingernails into my skin. Lips trembling, her eyes fall to the couple going at it on the couch. “Why is she here? With him?”

  I shake my head. “Brooke, you’re not making any sense. Her who?”

  “Sasha.” She hiccups on a little cry, watering eyes finally meeting mine. “Trask Green’s little sister.”

  Note from the Author

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  Coming Soon

  Courageous, Rock Bottom #3

  ALSO BY JENNIFER ANN

  NOW AVAILABLE ON

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  KENDALL FAMILY SERIES

  Brooklyn Rockstar

  Midwest Fighter

  Manhattan Millionaire

  Oceanside Marine

  Kendall Christmas

  Miami Bodyguard

  American Farmer (coming June 2018)

  ROCK BOTTOM SERIES

  Outrageous

  Notorious

  Courageous (coming soon)

  Undercover Rockstar (spinoff coming Sept 2018)

  STANDALONES

  Broken Little Melodies

  The Secrets Between Us

  FALLEN HEROES DUET

  Saving Phoebe

  Saving Alexa

  NYC LOVE SERIES

  Adam’s List

  Kelly’s Quest

  Chloe’s Dream

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  Praise for Brooklyn Rockstar

  “BROOKLYN ROCKSTAR was an amazingly sexy & exciting Rockstar-Romance!” ~BJ’s Book Blog

  “Jennifer Ann gave me all I could want in a sexy, bad boy rocker with way too much of most things. Who would have thought he would have self-esteem issues. I got a great read and a hot story. Bring on the next book.” ~Miley the Book Junkie Reads

  I read it in one sitting (and it's not a small book) it was that good! The writing is phenomenal, the characters were amazing, and I can't wait to read the next book! ~Annalisa Nicole, author of I See…Love

  Evelyn Kendall can hardly wait to move in with the spunky New Yorker she met online, leaving the life of a farmer’s daughter behind. Not only is it a chance to start over in a big city, but she can finally date without her overprotective brothers ruining everything.

  With the looks of a Greek god and the voice of an angel, rocker Charlie Walker is the worst kind of bad boy all wrapped up in a smoking hot body. Although he’s surrounded by scandal and completely untouchable to someone as ordinary as Evelyn, she falls under his spell when catching his first solo performance.

  Evelyn’s world is royally rocked when Charlie tracks her down a week later, ready to break his coveted rule of no kissing. But it’s not only the threat of fame and family that could break them apart and destroy both their lives.

  He’s harboring a dark past…one that will end with deadly consequences.

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  Praise for Broken Little Melodies, a standalone second chance, rockstar romance

  "A very moving, wrong side of the tracks, second chance, rockstar romance. …it certainly does not disappoint.” ~Backstage Books

  "Young love rises to epic proportions in this emotionally intense romance between two people from opposite sides of the tracks. As readers become more captivated by their unforgettable romance outside influences, distance, and self-perceptions all weigh on them to pull them apart in a heartbreaking and hard-fought journey to HEA." ~Goodreads

  Music was his first love.

  Hers was the lanky boy from summer camp with a beautiful voice and starlit green eyes.

  Isabelle and Roman thought they’d be together until the end of time. Then fate proved an orphan from the West Coast couldn’t have a future with a wealthy New Yorker hiding the scars of an abusive home.

  Five years aft
er their hearts are broken, fate strikes again when they’re reunited as a waitress headlining a bar-band, and a successful rockstar kicking off his first tour. Even though the past nearly destroyed them both, the attraction is stronger than ever, and Roman refuses to let the girl he promised to love forever slip away a second time.

  But picking at old wounds proves to be dangerous when the reasons they were driven apart as kids won’t stay buried.

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  Praise for Saving Phoebe, the first book in Jen’s romantic suspense duet (Fallen Heroes)

  “…Ann’s unique plot weaves together a complex cast into a dystopian setting. [Saving Phoebe] is a dark and twisted read sprinkled with a hint of hope and eroticism.” ~RT Book Reviews (rated “Top Pick”)

  “…a must read. I enjoyed reading every moment of the story. It grips your attention with it's hot, steamy, suspenseful storyline from beginning to the end.”

  ~Shirins Book Blog and Reviews

  Jace Daniels is undeniably sexy.

  I mean who doesn’t like the muscular, tattooed type who’s all mysterious and brooding? But he’s on the run from something dangerous, and I have enough of my own problems.