Beyond Reckless

by Autumn Jones Lake

  He leans over the desk. “For a woman who thinks she’s so fucking smart, you’re stupid as fuck if you don’t think he’s with you for anything other than to get at me.”

  “Get over yourself.”

  The wicked smile he flashes sends fear trembling through my belly.

  “Besides gettin’ in your pussy as a fuck you to me, all he wants is information about my club, sweetheart.”

  Ignoring the gross comment, I lean forward, meeting him halfway. “Then it’s a good thing I never wanted anything to do with your club, isn’t it?”

  By Thursday I can’t stand it anymore. Mid-week, I realized Charlotte and I never exchanged numbers. I suppose I could ask Heidi for Charlotte’s office number, but then I wouldn’t have an excuse to see her.

  I show up at her office close to noon, figuring she’ll be free for lunch or something. Not going to lie, I have two extra Magnums stashed in my pocket.

  Joke’s on me. She’s headed out with that douchewad-guy who was here the last time.

  “Marcel! Hey. Hi,” she greets.

  Her flustered gaze darts between douchebag and me. After a few seconds of panic, she seems to collect herself and come to a decision. “I’m so sorry, David. I forgot about this appointment.”

  Caveman triumph boils up inside me.

  David, or D for Douchebag as I’ve named him in my head, runs his gaze over me, a slight sneer forming at the corner of his mouth. “I’ll wait for you, Charlotte.”

  Her mouth twists in frustration and I almost laugh. Instead, I cross my arms over my chest and stare D down.

  “It’s fine, David. This might take a little while. Mr. Whelan if you want to wait in my office, it’s the first door on the right,” she says, gesturing to the hallway. Obviously she wants me to get lost so she can deal with this prick.

  “I’m fine right here, Miss Clark.”

  She grinds her teeth.

  “If you’re sure you’re okay?” D says, inching toward the door.

  What kind of asshole leaves a woman all alone with a guy like me?

  When he finally leaves, Charlotte locks the door behind him and marches down to her office. I follow a few feet behind, enjoying the way her ass moves and her sexy fucking legs in her heels.

  Shit, I missed her.

  And now I’m hard as fucking steel.

  She shuts the door behind us. In a quick move, I wrap my arm around her waist, spinning her around so her back’s to me and press her against the door. My hands travel everywhere. At her waist, pulling her blouse loose so I can get her smooth skin under my fingertips.

  A soft moan falls from her lips. “What are you doing?”

  “I missed the fuck out of you.” I work the top buttons of her blouse loose, pulling it sideways to expose her neck. I press my lips to her skin and enjoy the way she shivers.

  She laughs softly. “Feeling territorial?”

  That pulls a dark chuckle out of me and I slowly turn her around.

  I push her hair back behind her ear and stare into those hypnotic blue eyes that hold the power to make me forget my own fucking name.

  “It didn’t seem like much of a contest.”

  “Just so you know. I’m normally not the kind of woman who ditches her friends for a guy.”

  “I didn’t ask you to.”

  “I could tell,” she chews her bottom lip, “that it bothered you.”

  She respects me enough that she didn’t want to make me jealous. Isn’t that a jolt? There’s no point denying what’s obvious as fuck, so I don’t bother.

  “I expected you to pull some caveman act, but…you didn’t,” she continues.

  Who knew keeping my cool instead of running my mouth would actually pay off? I would’ve loved to knock that guy’s teeth down his throat, but that would be disrespectful to Charlotte, so I kept it in check.

  “This is your office, Charlotte. Besides, if that’s the kind of guy you’d rather be with, go ahead. You don’t need to explain it to me.” The words almost stick in my throat.

  “Do you really mean that?”

  My jaw works from side to side.

  “Be honest.”

  Fuck me, but she’s a damn current sucking me under.

  Her eyes never leave my face. Waiting. Challenging me to admit what I feel.

  “Why’d you act like I was a client instead of the guy you spent all last weekend fucking?”

  She doesn’t react to my crudeness. “I haven’t heard from you all week. I didn’t know where we stood. Or what you wanted me to say.”

  “Fair enough.”

  “Why are you here today, Marcel?”

  “I told you. I missed you. Wanted to see you.”

  “Muffler bunnies not cutting it?”

  I snort and shake my head. “No bunnies. I’ve been busy watching my niece and going to physical therapy all week.”

  She softens at the mention of Alexa. I take a step closer, backing her up against the door. “Are we going to talk about us now?”

  “What about us?”

  “Where do we stand?”

  “Is that really why you came? To have a relationship talk? Seemed like you had something else on your mind.”

  Fuck if I don’t love every smart-ass remark that comes out of this woman’s mouth. Especially when she’s basically challenging me to fuck her.

  I ease my hands up under her skirt. Shoving it up around her waist. A wicked smile curves my lips. “Those stockings are getting shredded.”

  She turns her head. “I wasn’t exactly expecting anyone to inspect my undergarments today.”

  I cup her pussy, forcing her legs apart, and lean in to whisper in her ear. “I like how well you keep my pussy hidden.”

  Her body trembles as I stroke her slit. “Oh, are we at the claiming-each-other’s-genitals stage of our relationship?”

  I snort. “You bet your hot fucking ass we are.”

  Even with her eyes half-closed and moans falling from her lips, she reaches out and squeezes my cock. “That better be a two-way street.”

  “It’s all yours, Sunshine.”

  She gives me a wry smile in return—as if she thinks I’m full of shit. I’m too worked up to correct her right now.

  Instead, I spin her to face the door. She slaps her hands against the wood and arches her back, sticking her beautiful heart-shaped ass in my crotch.

  “Change of plans.” Slowly, I work my fingers under the waistband of her stockings and underwear, dragging them down her legs. “Don’t want you spending the rest of the afternoon naked under that hot little skirt.”

  She turns her head slightly. “How considerate.”

  My fingers grip her chin, turning her so I can take her mouth. With my other hand, I rub and stroke her hip, thigh, pussy, ass. Basically every part of her I can reach.

  “You ever fucked in your office?”

  “No.”

  “Good.”

  At the sound of my belt coming undone, she wiggles her ass. “Hurry up.”

  “Needy today?” I ask as I rip into one of the Magnums.

  I grab her hips, pulling her backward and she moves to step out of her shoes. “No. Leave those on. They put you at the right height.”

  She stops fidgeting with the shoes and unbuttons her blouse the rest of the way, tossing it away from us.

  “Put those palms against the door and stick your ass out.”

  No protests or sassy comebacks this time. She does what I ask and gasps when I slide into her.

  Even though I’m worked up, I take things slow. Enjoying the feel of her. The soft noises she makes. The thunk of her forehead as she rests it against the door. The way she arches her back, begging for more.

  “I missed you too,” she says.

  I slip one of my arms around her waist and the other one over her chest. The shoes help, but the angle’s still a bit off for me.

  She moans when I pull out and spin her around. I pick her up and shuffle us over to her desk. Her arms lace around
my neck, clinging to me. Trusting me. My heart kicks. Like it’s been gathering dust for the last few months and being with Charlotte is the only thing that makes it work properly.

  “How sturdy is that chair?” I jerk my chin toward the large leather office chair behind her desk.

  She eyes me warily. “It’s okay.”

  “Good.” I throw myself into it and stroke my hand up and down my dick a few times. “Get over here.”

  Pretending to be annoyed, she huffs and kicks her shoes off, then wriggles out of her stockings, throwing them on her desk and hiking up her skirt. “You’re awfully demanding, you know.”

  “Mmm. Put your tits in my face.”

  It’s awkward, but she manages to straddle me in the chair. I push the cups of her bra down so I can get my mouth on her nipples. One of my arms bands around her waist, holding her, while she balances her hands on my shoulders and rides me.

  “Fuck. Marcel.” Those are the last full words she speaks, the rest is soft moaning and breathy cries as she comes.

  She wraps her arms around my neck, resting her head on my shoulder while I thrust up. I’m not as quiet. Can’t be.

  I’m so fucking lost in the blinding-white pleasure shooting down my spine, I miss the first creak. As I’m shouting through my release, the chair cracks. By some miracle, we end up against the wall instead of on the floor.

  “Oh my God.” Charlotte covers her mouth and gently extracts herself. She stands in front of me holding out her hand. “Get up before you end up on the floor.”

  Still stunned from the loss of her body against mine, it takes a second to react. But then I grasp her hand and she gives me a gentle tug.

  The rest of the chair goes clattering to the floor.

  I swipe my hand over the back of my neck and laugh. “Sorry about that.”

  She kisses my cheek. “Worth it.”

  “I’ll buy you a new one.”

  “Yes, you will,” she says in a teasing voice as she extracts her underwear from the pile on her desk. She slides them up, then smooths her skirt into place. How can she even be sexy putting clothes on?

  “I’m not wriggling back into my pantyhose. You’re lucky I bothered to shave my legs today.”

  I finish fixing myself up then hold my hand out. “Get over here. That’s not why I came to see you.”

  “And yet, you magically had Magnums in your pocket.”

  I place my palms on her cheeks and pull her in for a kiss. “Figured I should always be prepared around you.”

  She snorts as she kisses me back.

  Her phone rings and she groans. “Let me grab that. I’m supposed to be in court at one-thirty.”

  While she answers the phone, I take my time admiring her disheveled appearance. Her hair’s mussed, lipstick smeared, breasts still spilling out of her bra. Fucking beautiful. She glances at me and winks.

  I’m a goner.

  From the clipped way she’s speaking, I can’t tell who’s on the other end. A client? Someone hassling her? That David guy?

  When she finally hangs up, her demeanor has completely changed. “I have to go.”

  “Who was that?”

  She bites her lip and glances away. “I can’t discuss that with you.”

  “Okay. What time are you done?”

  “Late.”

  “What about this weekend.”

  “Do you think that’s a good idea?”

  What the fuck?

  “Seemed like a good idea five minutes ago when you were coming on my dick and moaning in my ear.”

  Her eyes widen at my crude description. I don’t get it. She’s never struck me as the type who got girl-guilt over a hookup.

  “It was good. I’m not denying that,” she says in a cool tone. “I don’t think we should keep doing this. Aren’t you worried your club will be pissed?”

  “No.”

  She grabs her blouse off the floor, slipping it on and buttoning it quickly.

  “Charlotte.”

  “I’m late.” She points to the door. “Please. I need to compose myself.”

  I leave without another word.

  But I’ll be back.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Another Friday night, another clubhouse party.

  Two girls next to me bump my arm. I recognize both of them.

  The blonde runs her hand up my arm and squeezes my shoulder. For some reason, her touch bothers me. I reach up and gently remove her hand.

  “Where’s your partner in crime?” the brunette asks. “Haven’t seen him in forever.”

  She means Murphy because the two of us have definitely fucked her and her friend before. Probably more than once.

  Charlotte’s the only woman I want touching me that way. Like she has some sort of claim on me. And both these girls are a poor substitute for what I actually want. Even though Charlotte all but shoved me out the door yesterday, I don’t have a speck of desire in entertaining either one of them tonight.

  “Is Murphy okay? He’s still in the club, right?” the brunette asks.

  “He’s over there with his ol’ lady.” I nod my head toward the couch. “I wouldn’t bother him if I were you.”

  They both ooo and ahh and generally act as if they’re happy for Murphy instead of jealous. Maybe they are. I don’t know or care.

  “Fuck that ginger,” Sway says, stumbling closer and wrapping his arms around the girls’ shoulders. “His lil’ ol’ lady keeps his balls locked up tight.”

  Sway’s drunk and since there’s some truth to his statement, he isn’t exactly disrespecting Murphy or Heidi, so I let the comment slide.

  The blonde squints up at him. “Aren’t you married?”

  He puffs out his chest. “Yeah, but we have an understanding.”

  The motto of cheating assholes everywhere.

  Not long ago, I would’ve laughed it up right alongside Sway. Mocked my brothers who had settled down with one girl and one girl only. Wouldn’t have thought twice about bending the blonde—or the brunette, I’ve never been picky—over the couch and fucking her. Or taking her upstairs if she was the shy type.

  Now, the whole thing seems sad.

  Did Charlotte break me?

  If I’m honest, probably not, because this numbness has been spreading inside of me for a long time. Or maybe it’s always been there and the methods I used to chase it away don’t work for me anymore.

  Murphy motions me over.

  “What’s wrong?” I ask as I sit next to him.

  “Nothing. You look so miserable you’re going to scare the bunnies away.”

  “Good,” Heidi mumbles, glaring at the room.

  “What’s wrong, sis? You’ve been dying to come to these parties for years.”

  Heidi’s gaze swings my way. “Yeah, I’m not sure what I was thinking.” Murphy squeezes her and she seems to relax.

  “Why are you here instead of Rock?” I ask Murphy.

  “We drew the short straw. Winning couple got to stay and watch Alexa,” Murphy jokes.

  Actually, he’s probably not joking.

  Z drops down next to me, reeking of pot and whiskey. “Were you rolling around in Sparky’s garden?”

  He glances over with a dazed expression. “No. Were you?” Then cracks up laughing.

  “Christ,” I mutter.

  He sits back and closes his eyes. “Full house,” he mutters.

  “No shit. Maybe you should be sober.”

  Without opening his eyes, he thrusts his middle finger in my face.

  “Whoever thought there’d be a day when we were the responsible adults left in charge,” Murphy says, shaking with laughter.

  Even Heidi chuckles.

  “Is that Willow?” I ask, pointing to a blonde coming in the front door.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Z mutters. “Sparky will light you on fire.”

  “I wasn’t thinking about it. Just surprised to see her here. Is she still bartending at CB?”

  “When she’s not mode
ling for Trinity, yes,” Z answers.

  Huh?

  Heidi waves to Willow and she makes her way to us, sitting down next to Heidi.

  Z seems to come to his senses and slowly sits up. “Who let you up here?”

  Willow tilts her head toward the front door. “Dex said it was okay.”

  I can’t tell if Z’s annoyed or messing with her. Doesn’t matter. A few seconds later, Sparky pops out of the basement and she runs off.

  “Hey,” Hoot says, stopping in front of us. “There’s a kid outside asking for Murphy.”

  While Hoot and his buddy Birch earned their full patches a while ago, we still consider them new patch members and shovel all our shit work on them. Things like watching the front gate of the property to make sure no one questionable gets in.

  “So let him up,” Z says.

  “Well, uh. He’s got a girl with him.”

  Now Z shows more interest. “Then definitely let him up.”

  “No, uh. I think she’s underage.”

  “Jesus Christ,” Murphy grumbles as he stands. “You get his name?”

  Hoot ducks his head. “No. Says he knows you from the ring.”

  Murphy gives Hoot a subtle head-shake, not that it matters. My sister’s not listening to their conversation.

  “Go with him, Heidi, please,” Z says. “In case the girl really is underage.”

  “Sure. No problem.” She takes Murphy’s hand and they follow Birch outside.

  “Look at your sister. Already the perfect ol’ lady,” Z snickers.

  “Yeah, who thought Murphy would settle down before either of us?”

  Z stops laughing.

  “Your prez stopping by tonight?” Sway asks, taking the place Murphy vacated.

  “Probably not,” Z answers. “You got business you need to discuss with him?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Stick around for church tomorrow.”

  The blonde and brunette from earlier circle the couch. Sway pats the spaces on either side of him and they settle down. I’m pretty sure the blonde cringes when he throws his arm around her shoulder. Poor thing, if Sway’s wife were here she’d have ripped her a new one by now.

  Murphy returns a few minutes later. He nods at Sway and flings himself down next to me, pulling Heidi into his lap. “Shit, you know who the girl was?” he asks.