Rocco

by Blair Grey

  He could see right through me. At least, that’s the expression I read when I looked into his eyes. I was good at reading people, but he was right. It was a foolish plan, and one that I hadn’t thought through very well before coming down here.

  At the same time, I did know what I was doing. I wanted to talk to him, and if he and the rest of his friends were as worried with getting Roman out of jail as he told me they were, I was sure they weren’t going to do anything to me for asking to find him.

  All I had to do was bring up the fact I was trying to help their friend. They were looking for someone who knew what she was doing, and if he figured I was the best option, then I wasn’t going to shy away from looking him up.

  It felt like I had that much for security. Whether I really did or it was nothing more than an illusion I had convinced myself of to feel safe, I wasn’t sure. But, the fact of the matter was that I was there now, and I had found Rocco. So, I was going to make sure he felt the confidence I still had.

  But, it was hard for me to maintain that level of confidence with Rocco standing so close to me. He wasn’t pressed up against me, but he was right in front of me, his body blocking any chance of escape I could possibly have. He radiated power…and I found myself irresistibly drawn to it.

  I found myself wondering things about him I knew I shouldn’t, but it was nearly impossible with him so sexy and right on top of me. But, he brought my mind back to the present conversation with a light scoff.

  “Do you now?” he asked. “You think you can just walk right into a band of criminals and be just fine?”

  “So by your own admission, there’s a lot more going on here than just an innocent man being in jail?” I challenged.

  “I didn’t admit to anything,” he laughed. “I’m asking you why you think you’re so special coming in here. Like you belong, even.”

  “I didn’t say I belonged. I said I was going to talk to you. And if you want to talk about your friend, then I suggest you come find me in my office tomorrow morning,” I told him. I knew I had to get the point of why I was there out sooner rather than later. The last thing I needed was to bond with this guy or do something stupid to try to show him that I fit into the group in some way.

  Because God knew I didn’t want to fit in with these people. Hell, that was about the last thing I wanted to do.

  But, it was hard for me not to want to impress him in some way. There was just something so magnetic about him. Something that challenged me in ways I wasn’t sure how to handle.

  It was hard for me to be around him without feeling a little rush inside me. A little something that wanted to prove I really was the best. But I had to stay focused. I had to maintain the upper hand here. If I was going to be the one to take control of this situation, I knew I had to be careful to maintain it from the beginning.

  “So, you changed your mind,” he said as he grinned. “I’m glad.”

  “I said I want to talk about the case,” I retorted. “That’s not quite the same thing.”

  “Sure it is,” he said with a smile and a small nod. “You said you had no time, now you suddenly have the time to talk about it. Trust me, you made the right choice.”

  I felt pricks run up the back of my neck, but I fought to maintain the carefree attitude I had when I walked through the door. I wasn’t going to argue with him, but I wasn’t going to promise anything, either. I had made the choice to come in to find him, yes, and there was a part of me that knew it was going to be a bad idea to do it.

  But, I had gone through with it anyway, and now, I was too far in to back out. I told him I would talk to him about his friend, and I knew at this point, if I chose not to take the case after all, I was going to have to have a damn good reason for it. Of course, I could worry about that then.

  Now, I had to get out of the bar before I let myself do something I would regret later. I didn’t know why or how I was so attracted to this man, but I was. There wasn’t any denying that, and I wasn’t going to make an ass out of myself because of it.

  I had to stay focused and professional.

  “Alright, if we are in agreement, then come in around eight-thirty, and I’ll have the time to talk to you,” I said as I pushed against him slightly. I felt his rock hard muscles as I did, but he didn’t challenge me. He moved out of the way, following me down the hall and back through the door into the parking lot.

  “What? I managed to get here and inside on my own, what makes you think I’m going to need your help getting back out to my car?” I asked him.

  “I know the kinds of people who hang around here,” he said with a shrug. “And despite what you think, I’m not so sure you want to meet any of them. Especially dressed like that.”

  I felt a blush threaten to rush through my cheeks at his nod. I was dressed casually in a tight skirt, but I wasn’t going to look down or even appear to be threatened by what he said.

  “I know where to draw the line,” I told him coolly. “And, I know how to press charges if anyone does anything wrong. Trust me, you might think that I’m not able to take care of myself, but I can surprise you. You said I was the best at this, didn’t you? Well, there’s a reason for it.”

  “But to press charges, you’re going to have to make it back home,” he said with a shrug that made me not want to pursue what he was talking about. “But don’t you worry. With me here, I’ll make sure you get there safe. Even if I delay you for a few hours along the way.”

  “I stayed as long as I intended.” I looked at the time on my phone, but he leaned into the car with a smirk. The smell of his cologne drove me insane, and I knew I’d have to fight another blush before I left.

  “That’s because I let you go before I got to do all the things I could imagine doing to you in the dark corners of the back room,” he said with a wink. My mouth fell open to reply, but then I closed it again. I wasn’t going to argue with him, but I wasn’t going to tell him anything that would encourage him, either.

  There was something about what he said that bothered me, but more than that, there was something that turned me on. I knew I shouldn’t let it, but that didn’t matter. It did, and I knew better than to lie to myself.

  With the blush I knew was flushing my cheeks, I started my car and pulled out of the parking space. He lifted his arms to move out of the way as I drove, but I refused to make eye contact with him again. I didn’t know what it was he did to me, but I knew I had to get out of there.

  He turned me on in ways I never knew were possible, and I was going to have to be damn careful with that. I knew it could get complicated, and I wasn’t going to get myself into something I couldn’t get myself back out of.

  He was part of an MC, and I wasn’t going to get involved with that. I didn’t care how sexy he was. I had to keep my head on straight, take the case, do the right thing, and move on with my life.

  That was my plan. And, I would be sticking with it.

  No matter what, I would stay focused on the innocent man.

  That was why I was doing this.

  Chapter 11

  Rocco

  I stood in the parking lot for a moment, watching the car speed away from me. I could only imagine the blush fading slowly from Amelia’s sexy cheeks as she glanced into the rearview mirror to see me disappearing into the background, and I smiled.

  It felt good knowing I had that effect on her. It only confirmed in my own mind I knew what I was doing when it came to women, and I had the power to make them blush. I had the power to make them want me, no matter what.

  Hell, this was so much more than me just wanting her. This was deeper than being attracted to her and wanting to push her up against that wall before having my way with her. It was so much more than just the carnal need rushing through my veins.

  There was something about her that just got to me in ways I wasn’t used to, and I wasn’t sure how to handle the feeling. It was hard for me to explain it, really, but there was another part of me that didn’t care to explain
it, either. I was just going along with it, enjoying it, having fun with it.

  And, there was a part of me that wanted to explore what that could mean.

  I certainly didn’t see myself doing anything but fucking her. There was sexual tension between us. There was no denying that, and I had no doubt in my mind that I could get her in bed if I wanted to.

  But, I had to be careful. I had to be smart. I was smart about everything, so that wasn’t going to be difficult for me. But, I had to be able to keep her on the case with Roman. That was first priority. I could seduce her afterward, but we had to focus on getting him out of jail first and foremost.

  I shook my head, quieting the surge of power that was running through me. There were so many things I wanted to do to her, it was hard for me to focus. But, I had to think straight if I was going to keep the upper hand in this situation, and I had every intention of doing that.

  She might be the one who knew the law, and she might be the only one who was able to get our friend out of jail, but I was still going to maintain being in charge of this entire operation. I would guide her hand how I wanted, and we would end up with the results we wanted.

  Before I was even back in the bar I was more than certain she was going to get Roman out of jail, and we could all move on with our lives as if none of this had ever happened in the first place. I would get the satisfaction that would come with sleeping with her, and she would get another notch in her case belt.

  It would work out for everyone, I was sure of it. Hell, Roman would even end up with one Hell of a story at the end of all this. He might even have more information on what was happening on the streets from his time spent on the inside.

  There was a lot of MC politics discussed behind bars, and I had a feeling he would be gleaning as much information as he could during the time he spent in there. Of course, he was likely to get punched in the face for doing so if he got caught, but it was worth it to him.

  Roman knew what he was doing, and he knew behind bars was a good place to get information. It might not mean much right now, but if he were to pay attention, he could find out inside scoop on all kinds of MCs in the area.

  And, that was ideal. The more information we could get on what was happening on the streets, the better. We could use that information for a lot of purposes within our own MC, and I knew Jett was always hungry to stay on top.

  There was a reason we were the biggest, most established MC in the entire country. And with Jett having us well-versed in the art of getting more information when we were behind bars, I had no doubt Roman was doing that very thing.

  But still, getting him out of there as soon as possible was top priority, and we were all on board for that.

  Now, with this lawyer interested in being on our side, I knew we would get Roman out of jail before long, and I already looked forward to the next step in the process.

  I turned, heading back inside to find all the guys sitting at the table still waiting for me.

  “Who the Hell was that?” Blade asked with a nod toward the door.

  “That was the lawyer,” I said. “She stopped by to let me know she wanted to talk in her office tomorrow. I told you guys she was going to come around, she just needed the time to think it over and make the right decision. You know how women can be.”

  “She was hot,” Knox commented.

  “There are a few things I’d like to do to her,” Ares chimed in, but I was quick to shut down all talk like that as soon as it started.

  “We’re hiring her to work with us to get Roman out of jail,” I told them. “Nothing else.”

  Of course, I knew they were going to say she was attractive. Hell, anyone who looked at her could see she was. But, I wasn’t going to sit around and hear that sort of talk. I was the only one who would be thinking about her that way, and that was all there was to it.

  I was glad when Jett kept the conversation moving along. He didn’t care to sit and talk about how attractive someone was. He had a girl at home waiting for him. I, on the other hand, didn’t have any interest in hearing what any of the other guys wanted to do.

  Jett nodded. “We need to stay focused. The longer Roman’s in there, the more chance there is for trouble. We want to get him out of there as soon as possible. Ares, I want you to stop by tomorrow morning and tell him we’re getting this lawyer for him. Rocco, I’m assuming you’ll check in with me after you get in touch with her?”

  I nodded. “I’ll let you know what she’s got to say, and I’ll stop by the jail later in the afternoon to give Roman an update, as well.”

  “Excellent,” Jett said with a nod. He sat down and grabbed the beer in front of him. “Then it sounds like we’re making progress. Let’s get it done. Life is boring without Roman around.”

  We all laughed, but I knew he wanted Roman out of jail for more reasons than mere entertainment. But, it felt good to be moving forward, and now, we knew for sure that we were. We’d have Roman back on the right side of the bars in no time, and things would go back to normal.

  Well, as normal as they ever were, anyway.

  “Right this way, thank you.” The secretary opened the door for me, said something to Amelia inside, then smiled nervously as she moved out of the way for me to head into the office.

  Amelia was sitting at her desk, a bowl of fruit next to her with coffee next to the computer.

  “Rocco, I’m glad you could make it,” she said with a smile as I walked into the room.

  “I’m glad you finally have the time to talk to me,” I told her as I moved toward the chair she nodded to as I stepped in.

  “Tell me what you can about your friend. I’ve been looking at his case file, but I want to know what you’ve got on your end of things.” She looked at me with her bright eyes, and I took a deep breath, trying to decide where to start.

  “Do you want a character reference or what?” I asked.

  “I want you to tell me what you know that makes him innocent,” she said flatly.

  “I know where he was that night, and I know what he was doing. He wasn’t stabbing some rich jerk in the back of a restaurant,” I said with shrug.

  “I’m going to need more to go on than just that if I’m going to build a case for the defense,” she replied. I smirked, but she didn’t so much as smile as she gave me the cold stare. I liked her more each passing moment. The way she wasn’t messing around, the way she wanted to get right down to business…it felt good.

  There was something right about her, I just knew it. But, she was pushing to keep things on track, and I was going along with it. This was for Roman, after all. I couldn’t forget that.

  I wouldn’t forget that.

  So, I started from the beginning, laying out all he had told me that night and letting her know everything I could. I added in what I knew about him personally, throwing in as many character references as possible. I wanted her to be on my side on this.

  On Roman’s side, too. I didn’t want there even to be a chance we would come out of that courtroom with anything less than him being set free.

  By the end of the meeting, she sat back in her chair and took a deep breath.

  “Well, I think this is enough to start,” she said. “I need to get down there and talk to Roman myself. I want to hear what he has to say in his own words before I can really make progress on this case.”

  “Be my guest,” I said with a shrug. “You know where to find him.”

  “Hopefully, we can get him out of there soon,” she said with a nod. “It doesn’t do any of us any good to have him sitting back there when we could be working on proving he’s an innocent man.”

  “That’s the idea,” I said.

  She jotted a few more things down before giving me a smile. “Thank you for coming in. I think that’s all I need. I’ll be in touch with you, and I hope you’ll do the same.”

  She handed me her phone number, but I didn’t rise. I had more on my mind than just coming in to talk about Roman, and I wasn’t going
to just leave now that I had.

  “Is there something else?” she asked with raised eyebrows, and I gave her a small smile.

  “There is,” I said.

  “What?” I sensed she was growing nervous, wanting me to get out of her office and leave her to work in peace, but I wasn’t done yet.

  “I want to know something,” I said.

  “I don’t have any promises for you right now,” she said, as though she already knew what it was I was going to ask, but I brushed off her comment with a wave of my hand.

  “It’s not that,” I said.

  “Then what is it?” she looked up at me, and I held her gaze.

  “I want to know what changed your mind,” I said.

  Chapter 12

  Amelia

  Although I insisted to myself and would have happily insisted to anyone around me that Rocco coming to the office was nothing more than a professional visit, there was no denying the fact I took a little extra time with my makeup that morning, and my heart skipped a beat in my chest when he walked through the door.

  He commented on my fruit and coffee, but I was careful to get right down to business with him. I wanted to keep this entire thing short and to the point. There was no need to drag it out, and certainly no need to talk about anything but his friend.

  So, when he asked me why I changed my mind about helping him, I wasn’t entirely sure how to answer.

  “Well,” I said after a moment of hesitation, “I guess I decided it was my duty to help someone who was in a tough spot, and it sounds to me like your friend may be innocent, but in a bad situation.”

  “I know he’s innocent,” Rocco replied without any hesitation. “But I told you that from the beginning. I wanted to know what made you change your mind after you told me yesterday not to bother you at work.”