Sinful Biker

by Terri Lane

  She gently pulled her arm out of his hand, jaw tensing as she struggled to keep herself from slapping him. She didn’t mind the occasional friendly banter that was more flirting that anything, but she wasn’t okay with him touching her.

  “I take care of myself well enough,” she said, stepping away when his hand twitched like he was going to reach out to her again. “Thank you for the offer, though.”

  “You know, lots of women enjoy being around me,” he said, his face darkening with what Kayla thought was barely contained anger.

  She was shocked by his sudden change in demeanor.

  “Look, I’m sorry if you think that me being friendly means that I’m leading you on, but I’ve made it clear on more than one occasion that I’m not interested.”

  “You would be, if you weren’t such a snotty bitch,” he muttered.

  Kayla took another step back, taking a deep breath when she saw more people on the sidewalk, making their way toward the door.

  “Look, James. Let me get Nick to help you. I think that you’ve misunderstood me, and I don’t want to have-”

  Before she could finish her sentence, James shot out of his chair, grabbing the front of her shirt in his fist and pulling her face within inches of his. He lifted her up until just the tips of her toes were on the floor.

  “I saw you with that guy yesterday,” he said, eyes flashing with rage as Kayla tore frantically at his hands to release herself. “You’re a whore, and all this bull you’ve been feeding me about not dating customers is-”

  “Is there a problem here?” a man said.

  James turned, dropping Kayla and advancing on the man who had spoken.

  “What a surprise,” James sneered. “Her knight on the motorcycle is here to rescue her.”

  Kayla stood, backing away from the two men, shocked to see her big tipper from the day before back in the diner. Nick had heard the commotion and was coming around the corner, face red and baseball bat in hand.

  “James Reeves,” he hollered, brandishing the bat as he walked by a stunned Kayla. “You get out of here and you don’t dare show your face here again!”

  James turned, but his anger faded when he saw the bat in Nick’s hand. He held his hands up in surrender, backing away and all but running out the door.

  Nick stopped, breathing hard where he stood.

  He nodded to the other man, then turned his attention to Kayla.

  “Are you alright?” he asked.

  “I am,” she said, tugging at her shirt and pulling at a wrinkle where he’d grabbed her. “Thank you.”

  He nodded.

  “I’m too old for this crap,” he said, still breathing hard. He looked at the man again and nodded. “Breakfast is on the house. Let Kayla know what you want and I’ll take care of it.”

  Without waiting for the man to respond, Nick huffed his way back to the back of the diner, leaving the bat in its place beside the ice machine when he did.

  Kayla looked at the man, her head still spinning with all that had happened so quickly.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  He chuckled softly.

  “Hell of a way to say thank you,” he said. “But I’ll take it. I decided that a place with pie that good probably served a good omelette, so I thought I would stick around and see if I was right.”

  “Don’t you work?” she asked, almost kicking herself for such a ridiculous question.

  “I work in Seattle.” He was still smiling. “Look, how about I seat myself and you take a few moments to calm down. I’m sure you’re rattled after that. I’m sorry I didn’t realize what was going on sooner.”

  “I didn’t see your bike pull up.”

  “I drive a car sometimes. Since it’s supposed to rain today, I thought I would stay dry. I’m Dylan, by the way. I don’t think I’ve introduced myself.”

  “You weren’t exactly friendly yesterday,” Kayla joked.

  “Ouch,” he said pleasantly. “I earned that, I’m sure.”

  “I guess it could be worse. I’m Kayla.”

  Kayla stuck out her hand and he took it gently, his hand warm and just slightly rough. His touch sent shock waves through her. She pulled her hand back, but not too quickly, smiling to try and cover up the awkward moment.

  “It’s alright,” Dylan said knowingly. “You’ve had a rough morning.”

  Kayla nodded.

  “I think I need a moment,” she finally said, feeling completely unbalanced and still in shock.

  “Take all the time you need.”

  ***

  The rest of the day went by in a blur, and pretty soon, the last of the lunch crowd was clearing out. Dylan left after breakfast, leaving another hundred-dollar tip and telling her not to bother running after him today as he was walking out. She’d laughed, but the truth was, she needed the money. In just two days, Dylan had changed her housing emergency into a non-issue, and she knew that she should just be grateful instead of worrying about the whys of it.

  Besides, he would get bored with her like a lot of the men who came and flirted with no results, and then he would be gone. If he wanted to leave her large tips until then, she wasn’t going to apologize for being friendly. She had never suggested that she could be bought, and she wasn’t going to apologize for being good at her job.

  Nick called her to the back as she was about to leave, leaving Tina on the floor of the empty diner by herself.

  Kayla walked into the office, feeling like she was going to be in trouble. She was quiet as she sat down in the small office, trying to figure out what she would say if Nick blamed her for the incident with James that morning.

  “I wanted to start by apologizing about James,” Nick said.

  Kayla’s jaw nearly dropped. That was the last thing she was expecting him to say.

  He held up his hand, asking for her silence.

  “Anyway, I should have seen how he was acting and realized that he needed to be booted. We need customers, but I don’t allow my girls to get treated like that, and I should have put an end to his foolishness weeks ago.”

  Kayla considered pointing out the irony in his words, but she let it go. He was an old man, and very set in his ways. Calling adult women “girls” was something his generation did without malice.

  “Did you need to take tomorrow off?” he asked softly. “I can have Tina come in early and-”

  “No, I’ll be here,” she interrupted. “I need the money and really, I’m fine.”

  “That was the other thing I wanted to call you in here for,” he said. “I know you run on a tight budget, and I feel awful having to pay you Monday. You worked a lot last two weeks, and your check was almost eight hundred with the credit card tips. How about I pay you four hundred and I’ll pay you for the other half of your check Monday?”

  “That sounds good,” Kayla said. “Are you sure you have enough?”

  He waved her off.

  “Things are tight, but I can afford to give my best waitress half of her paycheck. Besides, you more than earned it, and it’s a hassle for me to deposit it when I’m just going to pay it out again.”

  He counted out four hundred dollars in large bills, pushing them across the table to her.

  “There you go,” he said. “I’m sorry business is so rough right now. But I promise, you’ll get paid what you deserve soon enough.”

  She smiled.

  “Thank you. I know you’re trying.”

  “I appreciate that. No matter what happens, I promise that I always have the best intentions.”

  “Thank you,” she said again, then stood. “I have to get home. It’s been a long day and tomorrow isn’t going to be any shorter.”

  “And then, there’s Sunday,” Nick said encouragingly. “Rest up, Sunday. Monday is going to be a doozy.”

  She laughed.

  “You’re so funny sometimes,” she said. “I really enjoy working for you.”

  “And I’ve always enjoyed working with you. Take care of yo
urself.”

  She left the office, feeling a little lighter as she did. Until he had offered to pay her for half of the check she should have collected that day, she hadn’t realized how much the paycheck delay was weighing on her. Now that she could deposit that money and her tips from the day, she would feel a lot better about waiting until Monday for the rest. It was only two more days, after all.

  With Dylan’s tip and the rest, she would be depositing just over six hundred for the day.

  Kayla was on cloud nine, hanging her apron up for the day and grabbing her purse. She kept the money in her pocket, just in case, slinging the purse over her shoulder and heading for the door. If she hurried, she could get to the bank before it closed and still be home long before seven. Maybe she would even treat herself to dinner somewhere other than the diner or home.

  She left the diner and turned right, going away from her apartment. The bank was three miles in the opposite direction of her house. On the way back, she would stop and get something small for dinner and rest, then head the rest of the way home.

  She took off at a fast walk, knowing that her tired legs would slow her down by the time she was almost home. But it didn’t matter. For right now, she was on top of the world and feeling like her worries from the night before would work themselves out. Things were looking up, and Kayla was ready for the next chapter in her life.

  ***

  James didn’t show up to the diner the next day, which was just as well, since Nick would have chased him off with a bat again. He was banned for life, and nothing James could say would change that.

  Tina came in at noon, ready to help with the lunch rush. Saturday was their busiest day, and Kayla worked until four to help Nick out with the extra business. Tina would close that night, and the diner would stay closed until Monday morning when they started their week all over again.

  Saturdays were also the hardest for Nick, who always struggled with being alone on Sundays despite how exhausted he was from working sixteen hour days six days a week. This week was no different, though Nick looked more exhausted than he had in a long while, and Kayla was starting to worry about him. He needed to hire some kitchen help so he could slow down a little.

  The lunch crowd had dwindled around two, giving Kayla a chance to take a break before the final two-hour push. Sometimes, she skipped her breaks on Saturdays, but Tina was starting to find her groove and was shaping up to be a decent waitress.

  But Kayla was only in the back for a moment when Tina came to find her, smiling apologetically.

  “There’s a man here, and he only wants to be seated at one of your tables.”

  Kayla felt her stomach clench with fear.

  “Is it an older guy, late thirties with blond hair?” she asked, dreading the answer.

  “Nope,” Tina said. “Twenties, black hair, green eyes, tattoo.”

  “That’s Dylan. Seat him at table four and get him a drink, would you? I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

  “No problem.” She dug into her pocket. “Table eight left this at your table.”

  “Keep it. You’ve worked your tail off and you helped me a lot when we got slammed.”

  “Thanks,” Tina said, beaming. “You really are the sweetest.”

  She left, headed back onto the floor and seating Dylan. Kayla resolved to give Tina a twenty, even though she was only spending a few minutes with Dylan while she was on her break. Tina deserved a little extra, and Kayla wanted this new girl to stick around. She was better than Sara had been by far.

  Kayla finished up her break and headed to the floor, filling water pitchers and making her way to Dylan.

  “I thought you were skipping out on me today,” she said with a smile, filling up his drink and taking his order.

  “I wouldn’t dream of it,” he said, though his tone was gruff and he didn’t look up from his menu until she put her hand out for it.

  Maybe he was starting to regret tipping her so well without her reciprocating. It wouldn’t be the first time a customer had thought his money entitled him to something more.

  She left quickly, feeling a little disappointed. She should have known that Dylan wasn’t just a generous tipper. He had wanted more, and even saving her from James hadn’t gotten him anything beyond the good service that she gave everyone who walked into the diner.

  His order was up quickly, and he finished his meal in record time. His table was empty from ten until four, and he and his car were nowhere to be seen.

  She was anxious when she went to clear his table, but he’d left her another hundred-dollar tip despite his foul mood. Kayla was floored. Was this man made of money?

  Shaking her head, she pocketed the money and pulled out twenty for Tina before changing her mind and adding ten more.

  “Here you go,” she said a few minutes later, handing the money to Tina.

  “I couldn’t,” Tina said.

  “You helped and you deserve some of the rewards. Take it. Don’t make me give it to Nick to put in your paycheck.”

  Tina smiled.

  “You’re the best,” she said.

  Kayla smiled and thanked her, rushing out the door and into the chilly afternoon.

  She held her purse close, looking up at the sky and wishing she had thought to bring a jacket. Almost as soon as she had the thought, there was a crash of thunder and the sky opened up.

  Kayla hurried to a covered bus stop, moving into the corner as far from the edge as possible, trying to avoid the blowing rain that still managed to reach her. She was drenched, and already half way home. It would be just as quick to run home in the rain as it would to run back to the diner.

  She was gearing up to make a run for it when a car horn honked and a sleek, black SUV pulled up to the curb. The passenger window rolled down and Dylan’s face smiled at her from the driver’s side.

  “Need a ride?” he asked.

  “No, thank you,” she said automatically.

  Dylan rolled his eyes.

  “Don’t be like that. I promise, it’s just a ride. I won’t even pay attention to your address, or I can drop you off around the corner or something.”

  She looked at him, and onto the empty street darkened by the afternoon rainstorm. She wanted to tell him that she would wait it out, but she was shivering. She could see her jacket in her mind, hung by the door, neatly. She didn’t know if she could run all the way home, just to take a cold shower and end up even colder. Besides, Dylan had saved her from James, so it wasn’t like he was a bad guy, right?

  Before she could change her mind, she thanked him and opened the door, jumping in and setting her purse on the floor.

  “Are you cold,” he asked.

  “Freezing.”

  He turned on the heater, pointing the vents her way and carefully turning around in the pouring rain.

  ***

  “This is my place,” she said, pointing to the end of the street. “You can drop me off there.”

  “I’m surprised,” he said.

  “Why?”

  “I didn’t expect to get to your door. You seem like someone who is overly cautious.”

  “I normally would be, but I know you. Well, sort of.”

  The inside of the spacious SUV felt tiny, and Kayla was resisting the urge to jump out and run the last half a block. Until she’d warmed up and stopped shaking a little over a mile ago, she hadn’t realized just how much his presence in such a tight space affected her.

  Just hold it together until you get out of the car, she told herself. You can act like a lovesick fool when you’re alone in the apartment.

  Dylan smelled heavenly, the unfamiliar scent manly and clean. There wasn’t a hint of cologne, and Kayla had a thought that a man like Dylan didn’t care what others thought about him. She doubted Dylan cared much about anyone else’s opinion.

  Dylan put the SUV in park and smiled at her.

  “You’re here, safe and sound. It’s even stopped raining.”

  “Thank you,” she said. “
I think I got your seats wet. I’m sorry about that.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” he shrugged. “It’s nothing a trip to the detailer can’t fix.”

  Kayla cringed before she could stop herself.

  “Sorry,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean it to come out like that.” He was scowling again, a look that was somehow sexy on him. “It’s just a stupid car. I was worried about you.”

  “Why?”

  “That man at the diner is nothing to mess around with,” he said. “I don’t think he’ll be back, but I’m not willing to bet your life on that.”

  He was scowling again, and Kayla was waiting patiently for him to disengage the locks on the doors. She didn’t want to offend him, or seem like she was scared by pulling on the handle. The engine was still running, or the locks would have opened on their own. Still, his silent brooding was starting to make her uncomfortable.

  It gave her too much time to think about how soft his lips might feel against hers, and…

  She stopped herself mid-thought, mentally shaking her head at how ridiculous she was behaving. Sure, he was sexy, he’d given her some amazing tips and he had saved her from James. But he hadn’t even expressed interest in her beyond being friendly.

  “Why do you work at that place, anyway?” he asked suddenly.

  “Well,” Kayla said, a little surprised by his outburst. “It’s a good job and I need to save up for college.”

  “I’m sure you can get a better job.”

  “Not really. I don’t have any skills, no references, and I didn’t get my GED until I was nineteen.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

  “Why won’t you just answer?”

  Her face was hot now, and it had nothing to do with the car heater. He was pushing her for information that she didn’t want to share. She wasn’t ashamed of her reasons, but they were hers and she wasn’t going to share them because he demanded answers.

  “You don’t own me,” she blurted out. “Just because you’re a good tipper doesn’t mean that I owe you anything. I don’t even know why I let you pick me up. That was stupid. Let me out.”

  She was fishing in her jacket pocket for her keys, wishing she hadn’t gotten into the SUV.