by HJ Bellus
“So, how do you know her?” he asks.
“Um, I used to work with her. Well, I did cover a shift in here yesterday morning, but now I work in housekeeping.”
“You work in housekeeping?” The question comes from Cole, and she can’t help but detect the disgust covering his face.
“Quit being a dick,” Kam scolds.
Cole brings his hands to his chest. “I’m not being a dick. I’m just shocked you work. Most women Dax lands are tramps wanting shit for free.”
“Jesus Christ, let’s get off the Dax bashing train.” Dax slams his fists down on the table. “Holden is my girlfriend, she has a job, and loves to fuck me. Get over it and change the fucking subject right now.”
The table falls silent for several moments until Jett returns and sets down sodas and juices in front of the men. They sure didn’t order light, and Jett finally sets down a glass of water in front of Holden. Just water with no ice or lemon. The men notice the odd choice.
“Do you want something else?” Kam asks. “I mean, Jett didn’t offer you a drink.”
Jett throws her hands on her hips and gives Kam the look of death. “Excuse me, I know Holden and what she likes.”
“It’s okay,” Holden mumbles.
Dax squeezes her hand under the table. “Try something new, Holden. I bet they have pink lemonade.”
“I’m all right…No, wait.” Holden stumbles over words. “Actually, I’ll take a pink lemonade, no ice.”
Dax kisses her temple while squeezing her tighter.
“You allergic to ice?” Kam asks.
“God, you’re a dick.” Jett points right at him with her accusing finger. “I don’t even care if I get fired for saying it, you’re a dick.”
She spins on her heel, setting off to get Holden’s drink. Little giggles escape Holden, and she only wishes she had the ability to tell someone off as easily as Jett. Sometimes when the men in the kitchen were throwing shit, she knew if Jett had ever witnessed it she’d probably cut their balls off, but as for Holden, she believed she deserved the treatment.
“Ice, or anything too cold or hot, hurts my teeth. I’ve just always eaten bland and room temperature food.”
Holden is shocked by her candid admission. She steadies herself as her head spins, unwilling to believe she just shared so much.
“Gotcha,” Cole adds.
“Good job, Birdy,” Dax whispers.
The men jump right back into conversation, but this time it’s about Eli. Holden doesn’t want to interrupt and ask them who he is, so she just listens and tries to pick up clues. Dax stops mid-sentence and turns to her.
“Sorry, we can get pretty caught up in our own world. It’s real fucking rude.”
“No, it’s okay. I like listening to you.”
“Well, Eli is the fourth brother. He’s at the hospital with his girlfriend.”
Holden slaps her hands over her mouth. Sue has warned her that hospitals are the root of all evil. Hell, Holden has never been to a doctor or dentist her entire life.
“His girlfriend was attacked and is fighting to live. The doctors have given Eli very little hope, but he refuses to leave her side.”
Dax’s words nearly make her cry, feeling such heartache for strangers and the trials they’re going through.
“So, that leaves the three of us to keep the club on schedule.”
“Club?” she asks.
Dax’s phone rings and Holden nods to him to take it. Kam steps up and finishes explaining.
“We own a chain of nightclubs, Made To Sin. We have a dozen of them on the East Coast, and now we’re bringing our clubs to the West Coast, and you can see that’s why I was shocked you were a housekeeper and with Dax. He usually has women hanging from him.”
Kam produces a loud umph following a thud as Dax kicks him under the table. Holden looks to Dax, who is holding his phone in one hand and flipping off Kam with the other.
“Fuck, you’re not just a dick, you’re a motherfucker.” Jett sets down the glass of pink liquid in front of Holden.
She’s gone before Kam has the chance for rebuttal, and Holden’s thankful for that.
“You’re right. I’m just a housekeeper, but you don’t have to worry about me being around for all the wrong reasons. I pretty much have nothing, and your brother made me promise to give him six weeks.”
Cole and Kam exchange a curious stare, and then Kam keeps going.
“So, we’re over halfway done with construction here in L.A. It’ll be the first Made To Sin on this side of the country. We’ve run into a few snags, with one being fuckface here.” He stops pointing to Dax and then flips him off. Holden’s mind races to keep up with the conversation.
“Got himself into quite a bit of trouble with the law, but Chloe has kept it all bottled down. But Chloe’s the one lying in a hospital bed fighting for her life, and she was the big brain of the project.”
“So you guys are the builders?”
Kam laughs loudly at her words. “No, we’re the fucking owners. We’re businessmen by day and party boys by night, and the only rule that applies is there are no rules. We decide what we want, then we get it.”
“Prime rib for the asshole.” Jett sloshes Kam’s plate in his direction while she sets all the other ones down quite nicely. She doesn’t try to make small talk before she leaves.
Kam and Cole stare at the white bread on Holden’s plate, making her feel naked. Dax remains on the phone, and as the two other brothers start to eat, she focuses on his words, coming to the conclusion he’s talking to someone pretty important about a court date and possible probation.
Holden begins eating her sandwich while listening to Dax and the conversation of the other two brothers. A few fries drop onto her plate, and when she looks up she sees Dax smiling down at her as he ends the phone call.
“Start flying, little bird.” He kisses her again on the temple.
The golden string of fries lying on her plate freak her out. She finally touches them, and they’re hot to the touch. Holden ignores them while finishing her sandwich.
“Was that about your court date?” Kam asks.
“Yeah. Two weeks from today.”
“What court date?” Holden asks, swallowing her last bite.
“Ahhh, nothing to worry about. I got myself into a bit of trouble.” Dax flops a fry in his mouth.
Holden doesn’t like the sound of the court case, but decides not to dwell on it. She loves how easily the men all fall back into conversation about the club while she focuses on the fries. It takes everything inside her to pick one up, and she’s relieved to find they’ve cooled down. She catches Dax staring at her and pushes the fry to his lips. He opens up to take it, and even nibbles on the tip of her finger. Holden jumps back and laughs at him while shaking her head.
Before she knows what’s happening, next a fry is held up against her lips with a smiling Dax studying her. Unsteadily and very slowly, she parts her lips, and Dax doesn’t back down from the opportunity. She chews the tender potato and thinks to herself that it’s not half bad.
“We’re getting out of here. You two love birds are making me fucking nauseated.”
Dax bids both men farewell and reminds them about the meeting today at the club, then turns to Holden and scoops her up into his lap, pushing another fry into her mouth.
“What do you think?”
“Not bad,” she admits.
“Here, try it dipped in ranch.” Dax dips a fry in a white sauce. Holden doesn’t think twice about tasting it. Her eyes shut as she relishes the taste of the dressing.
“Wow, now that was good.” Holden picks up one more fry and dips it freely in the sauce.
“Sorry about my brothers, but I figured no amount of sugar coating would warm you up to them, so I did the rip the Band-Aid off approach.”
“They weren’t that bad.” Holden shrugs.
“Are you serious? I was ready to fucking strangle Kam.”
“I thought he was c
ute. He was just protecting you. I think all the puzzle pieces are finally coming together. Women want you Sterlings for the sex and money, right?”
“Yeah, and my looks, of course.” He pets the fallen pieces of hair from Holden’s face.
“Oh, and your looks, of course.” Holden touches his hand on her face, stopping the motion. “I’m really scared, Dax.”
“You did amazing this morning. I didn’t pick up on any panic attacks, and you drank pink lemonade and tried a new food.”
“No, it’s not that. “ She shakes her head. “When you leave me after the six weeks are up, I’m not going to be okay. It will be like losing Sue all over again.”
Dax tries to interrupt her but she keeps talking.
“I know it’s fucked up to be sad and messed up over losing a person who I now realize abused me my whole life, but it’s what I knew. I’m not sure if getting attached to you is the best thing for me right now.”
“I’m not leaving.” His other hand cups her face and pulls her to his lips. “Please trust me.”
“I trust you, Dax. I just don’t trust the ways of the world.”
He kisses her gently. Holden pulls back. “Never leave me.”
Holden’s been raised never to follow her heart or fall prey to emotions, but she’s doing all of that with Dax. It scares her, but there’s something about the man that makes her want to believe in the good of the world. Even though she was a prisoner her whole life, she still read books—lots and lots of books—and Sue was okay with it if Holden would convince her she didn’t believe in any of it, and most of it was so abstract she didn’t even comprehend it.
But the stories that captured her heart and made her feel were fairy tales, and now she’s living one.
“Dax, I don’t think moving in to your penthouse is the best choice I’ve ever made.”
Dax doesn’t give a fuck if she thinks it’s the best choice or not. There’s no way in hell he’ll spend a single minute apart from her these six weeks. He’s still not sure if she’s going to bolt after the time’s up, or stay. She sends him mixed signals all the time, and he hopes like hell she’ll stay.
Even his brothers picked up on his different demeanor at breakfast this morning. They sent him text after text asking him if he was dying or mentally ill. They are genuinely concerned about him, but have a fucking funny way of showing it. He ignored all of the messages, because he still doesn’t know what he’s going through. How can he explain something he’s never felt? And he’s pretty sure that emotion is love, so there’s no way in hell Holden would be taking the public bus to her dumpy apartment as long as he was around.
“Okay, listen.” He drops to his knees in front of her, grabbing her around the waist. “I’m down on my knees, begging you. That should count for something. Stay here with me. We’ll go get some of your stuff, and I’ll cover rent while you’re here with me. We’ll keep room 211 so we have a place of peace and quiet all to ourselves.”
He watches as his Birdy chews on her finger, deep in thought. Her long braid is draped over her shoulder with her head tilted slightly. Everything about her causes his cock to twitch with desire. He fights to push all thoughts away.
“I guess, but I’m really not loving the idea.”
Dax stands and lifts her up, cupping her ass cheeks. Holden’s hands fly to his shoulders to steady herself.
“Let me make you feel a little better.”
Tossing Holden to the soft mattress, he brings his shirt up and over his head.
“Baby, this is going to be fast because we have to be at the club in thirty, and I’m going to be greedy. I need inside you.”
He pulls down her shorts, then her panties, and can’t help but take a quick taste, dipping his tongue deep. He loves the way her hips innocently buck up to meet his mouth. He doesn’t have to make her go twice, so he raises to his knees and steadies himself, resting his elbows on either side of her face and cupping her head.
“Let me.”
Dax feels Holden’s delicate hand reach between their bodies and wrap around him. She guides his tip to her entrance while pushing up her hips.
“Feel us,” Dax whispers against her forehead with his lips pressed to her skin.
Her fingers freeze with his demand. Dax begins to slowly move, coating his cock with her fluids, and then he feels her fingers curiously touch the top of her entrance and glide over his cock as he pumps in and out of her. In moments she’s strumming herself while he pounds.
“I’m going to go, Dax, fuck me,” Holden screams arching as far as possible up into him.
Her words and wanton behavior cause Dax to blow.
***
He’ll kill his brothers if they even start in on his Birdy at the club. This morning’s breakfast was bad enough. He needs to find some time to let them know about her, but it seems that might be difficult considering she doesn’t want to be away from him, and vice versa.
“Buckle up for safety.” Dax pats Holden’s thigh.
“I’ve never ridden in a sports car.” Her innocent smile breaks something in him. Dax doesn’t completely understand all of it, but he knows he’ll do anything for her.
“I’ve only ridden in a car a handful of times. The rest has been public transportation.”
“Do you know how to drive, Birdy?”
“No. Sue had me take an online driver’s ed course, but she never took me in for the riding part.”
“Why?”
“Well, she just wanted me to know the basics of driving in case I ever needed it.”
“Have you ever driven?” Dax glances quickly at her before returning his attention to the road.
“No. I mean, her old car was in the garage when she died, but I just walked away.”
“How did she die?”
“Pink.”
It takes Dax a moment for the code word to sink in, and when it does, he has no problem changing the subject. Deep down, he appreciates the fact she chose to use the code word and not panic.
“So, have you ever been to a nightclub?”
“Um, that would be a big ol’ negative.” Holden brushes his jawline. “Some girls, oh, like Jett, have tried to get me to go, but I dodged the bullet every time.”
“Why didn’t you ever try?”
“Oh, that’s easy. I would’ve died from massive heart failure. It took everything I had today to go the restaurant with you.”
“But you work in public. I’m not arguing, Birdy, just trying to understand.”
“I blend in to the crowd when I work. No one looks at me because they’re so busy with their daily lives. I’ve found a way to cope and function.”
“Nice.”
Holden leans over and places a tender kiss on Dax’s cheek then wipes at her mouth.
“What’s that about?”
“You’re tickly to my lips.”
“Make that both sets of lips.”
“Dax.”
He gets the reaction he was going for and can only smile at her giggle and blush. He wonders if there’ll be a day when she doesn’t react to him this way. It might break his heart if she does.
“You live in the moment, Birdy. There’s nothing wrong being proud of it.”
“Shut up, Dax. Tell me more about your brother, Eli.”
“Nice subject change.” Dax leans over and offers his cheek to her, expecting another kiss. Holden wraps one hand under his chin, cups the other side of his face, and goes in for a kiss. The way her sexy hips writhe a bit in the black leather seat, he knows she wants more.
“I guess I should’ve told you that all four of us were adopted.”
“It’s not your fault. We were kind of distracted last night.” Dax keeps her breast propped up on his elbow resting on the console and steals another kiss.
“Eli is the baby and has been hopelessly in love with Chloe since they were kids. They dated in high school, and his fucking head was never on straight when she was around.” Dax pauses and mentally scolds himself for the he
ll he put Eli through.
“But you told me last night that you grew up on the East Coast. Did she follow you guys out here?”
“That’s the funny part.” Dax hesitates again, leaving out the part of the story where Chloe bails him out jail. “She works for the company that’s manning our construction project.”
“Oh my god, it’s a second chance romance,” Holden squeals, making Dax jump a bit.
Her lips are on his cheek before he can form a coherent thought.
“You know, Dax, like in the books where they’re in love and something horrendous tears them apart, and then they reunite in an unexpected way. Oh, my favorite kind of romance to read.”
Stopped at a red light, Dax stares at Birdy with a raised eyebrow.
“I might be naive to the one hundredth power, but I do know how to read, and it may be the one thing that has kept me going.”
“Sometimes you’re too much, missy smarty pants.”
“So, what tore them apart? A miscarriage, affair, misunderstanding? Oh, misunderstandings are my favorite. It’s like I want to reach into the book and shake the shit out of both characters.”
“Kiss me.”
Holden obeys, reaching over and kissing his cheek, but Dax turns his head to face her. Their lips meet, and soon their tongues intertwine, exploring each other. Dax reaches down to grope Holden’s covered core, and she bucks against him.
A steady stream of honking pulls them from the kiss. Dax looks straight ahead and notices the green light. He pushes down on the accelerator, and the light changes to yellow.
“Oh fuck, that’s a good way to piss a lot of people off.” Dax jams his foot on the gas, and Holden flies back into her seat. “Sorry.”
They pull up to an enormous building, and even in the daylight it’s the king of the night. The chrome trim demands attention, and the red paint on the brick building stands in sharp contrast to the shiny details. It’s a combination that forces you to stop and stare. In bold black script letters, “Made To Sin” adorns the top.
Dax still finds himself staring at the marvel of a club. It’s something he and his brothers built from the ground up, from the fine details to the monstrosity of running a successful business.
