by Fox, Regina
With determined steps, I walked over to the front door of Automotive Repair Cars and pushed the door open. A bell clang above me, announcing my presence. Jack giggled in excitement over the foreign sound, which took me a few seconds to settle him down. Following the bell were loud male hollers greeting me as I stepped inside the mechanic shop. Looking around, I took in the unfamiliar faces.
“Hey there, sweetheart.” I turned around to see a man with red, spiky hair grinning down at me, his body a little too close for comfort.
“Hi,” I said.
“What can I do for ya?” the red-head asked. The smile was still plastered on his face, but now he was looking down at Jack with curiosity in his gaze.
I cleared my throat and stood a bit taller. “I’m looking for your boss. I filled out an application, and received a call from your secretary asking me to come over for an interview.”
“Cam’s been waiting for you.” The red-head man said as he looked down at his expensive watch, his brows furrowed together. “I don’t think Cam would be happy to see you’re late.”
My stomach sank at the red-head man’s words. I was never late when it came to job interviews—never. I was sure I was asked to come by at exactly two-thirty in the afternoon. Still, I didn’t want to start this off on the wrong foot by correcting the man, so I shrugged my worries aside and tried to think positively. Jack and mine’s future were settled into this job offer. I now had no job and desperately needed money to pay the bills, put food on the table and pay for Jack’s supplies.
“Yo, dickheads!” he yelled at the hollering men from before. “Get the fuck out of that couch and see what this pretty lady needs. She’s here for a job interview, and Cam’s gonna get even more pissed if he has to wait for another couple of minutes. You know that shithead ain’t like waiting.”
The men jumped off the couch and walked over to me. Their eyes half amused and half confused—probably as to why I carried a toddler in my arms. I didn’t blame them; it was an odd situation. But the daycare center was closed today, and I couldn’t leave him alone at home. What else was I supposed to do?
I knew one of the mechanics, and he was the one that recommended I fill out a job application. He came over and smiled. He only worked there once a week for extra money. Daryl had another job already working forty hours at Ed’s Mechanic Service.
“Hi Abby,” my friend said.
I smiled. “Hey, Daryl.”
“Do you want me to take him?” he asked, his arms extended expectantly toward my nephew.
I started to shake my head but told myself I should stop refusing people’s help all the time.
I nodded. “That would be wonderful.” I thanked him and handed Jack to my friend.
I cast a look at Daryl before following another man to what I assumed was the boss’s office. I tried to crush the nagging feeling inside me and ignore the tiny voice inside my head. I needed to learn how to cope when it came to someone looking after my nephew while I worked, but it was hard. It had always been a hard decision to make, one that caused a pang of anxiety to circle around the pit of my belly.
Two years ago, I dated one of the clients at the strip club I used to work at. After a couple of months together, he decided that he wanted me to put Jack up for adoption so that he could have me all for himself. Infuriated, I decided to call it quits.
When we broke up, he finally showed his true colors. It was then that I found out he was a drug dealer and meth user since before we started dating. To me, it was all the more reasons to break up with him.
Vince didn’t take the breakup very well. He became extremely obsessed and followed me wherever I went. He was determined to get me back and put the baby for adoption still, even if he had to kidnap and sell Jack to get his way. I’ve been running away from his crazy, stalker ass ever since.
The running away is why this job interview is so important. For the past year, Jack and I made Fargo, North Dakota our home. This was my last chance at keeping it as such.
“Here’s his office.” The friendly bald man patted my shoulder gently. “Just go in quickly. He doesn’t like the cold air wafting into the room. Good luck.” He smiled and went back up front.
With a deep breath and a pep talk, I knocked on the door.
“Come in,” the gruff voice said and I did.
Two steps into the room, I stopped in my tracks at the sight of who it was sitting on the boss’s chair. My body grew rigid as my eyes widened. “Aiden.”
Chapter 4
“You’re late,” Aiden stated.
I blinked a few times before I realized he was talking. It took me a few seconds before I could wrap my head around the idea of having Aiden—the notorious and dangerous biker of Rough Riders Bikers MC and my wet dream—as my boss.
I glanced down at my watch and saw that I was indeed late. Ten minutes late, to be exact.
“I expect my employees to be on time,” Aiden continued, a smug smirk on his lips.
“It won’t happen again,” I said.
He gazed at me as recognition sparked. “You’re the lady with the groceries. And the cute kid.”
“Yeah. Thanks for all your help.”
The door swung open and bald man from before rushed into the room. “Yo, Cam!”
Cam was Aiden?
“What the fuck do you want, bro? I’m tryin’ to do an interview here.”
The bald man glanced at me with an amused look in his face for a moment before focusing back on Aiden. “There’re some guys out front lookin’ for ya. Do you want me to send them up here or something?”
Aiden shot me a look and I sat stiffly in my seat.
“Do somethin’ about it, Dave. I ain’t got time to deal with their shit. Tell them to come by later, after closing time. It’s bad enough I have to sit here and go through these piles of paperwork.”
“You got it, boss.”
“And Dave?” Aiden called.
Dave turned to look at Aiden. “Yes?”
“Get your lazy ass to the workshop. There’s a load of shit to do. I don’t want to see any of those cars tomorrow morning. Need to get them done now.”
“You got it, dickhead,” Dave replied as he left. His chuckle echoed down the stairs. Through my peripheral vision, I saw Aiden shake his head, but when his gaze focused back on me, I pretended I didn’t see anything.
He continued the interview and asked me all the basic questions. I thought it was going pretty smoothly.
“When can you start, Abigail?” Aiden asked.
“I guess I can start tomo—”
“Actually, I need you to start now. Haul that beautiful ass up front and wait for me. I’ll show you how to use the program. You better be ready to write notes down. I’m not about to repeat myself, darlin’.”
I gulped from the sudden change of his mood and opened my mouth to speak. “Aiden, I can’t. I brought—”
He stopped me once again. “I don’t have all day to show you shit, girl. So, I suggest you get up and make your way to the counter like a good little girl.” His eyes drifted back to the spreadsheet spread out before him.
“I can’t go. I brought my son with me.” I blurted out. I was growing more and more accustomed to calling Jack my son since he’d been with me for nearly two years.
“You brought who now?” Aiden growled, bringing me out of my reverie.
I steeled myself and replied, “My son. Jack.”
“The kid?”
“He’s not just any kid. He’s my son,” I said defiantly, raising my chin up in the air as if to dare him to repeat himself again.
His brows furrowed. He looked at me like I just grew two heads. “Why did you bring him?”
I knew that I needed this job. I needed this to give Jack a better future than I did. And I certainly needed Aiden to put money into my now empty bank account, but I wasn’t a total pushover.
I took a deep breath, telling myself that I needed this job, and so I had to put up with Aiden to provide for m
y baby. This could be a temporary job. I could just stay long enough until I found something better.
“I couldn’t leave him by himself, could I? I have no one around to look after him. Plus, I didn’t know I’d be starting today. If I did, I would have gotten a babysitter.”
His jaw clenched at my answer. “Listen, babe. This will be the first and the last time you bring your kid to work. If it happens again, you can kiss your job goodbye.”
“You can bet your ass on that.” The words spewed out of my mouth. “And please don’t call me babe. I have a name. Babe isn’t one of them, and never will be.”
Before he could even have the chance to speak, I continued, “My name’s Abigail. Abigail John. Some people call me Abby. Now that I’ve gotten that across, I’m going to go down and wait for your instructions. Thank you, sir,” I added, holding his gaze at the last word.
I turned around and shut the door behind me, not bothering to peek at his reaction. I descended the stairs and found the boys looming over an overexcited Jack. His giggles filled in my ears and made me smile despite my irritation at Aiden. I refused to let Dick Face get the best of me and ruin my day. I came here for a job, and I would be damned if I didn’t get it.
“Hey, sweetheart. Glad you made it alive from the interview,” Dave said with a grin as he walked up to me.
I returned his smile with a frown. “What do you mean?”
Dave shrugged as if it was no big deal. “Most of the people who go in for an interview, run off the moment they step foot in the office. I don’t think many people would like to work with Cam.”
“I wouldn’t either. He’s tough as a nutcracker and as intimidating as a bull. Looks like one too, but with tattoos instead of horns, though.”
Dave threw his head back and laughed. His deep voice vibrated through the room. “He’s not as bad as you think. You’ll get used to him.”
“What the fuck are you guys talkin’ about?” Aiden’s voice cut in. His loud bark nearly shook the walls and cut through the excitement that radiated off the group surrounding Jack. Even my son quieted at Aiden’s threatening tone.
“Nothing that concerns your pretty little dark head, princess,” Dave teased.
“Fuck off, bro,” Aiden said as his eyes glanced my way.
I averted his gaze and made a disapproving noise in my throat. I had to work with loud, rowdy men, but that didn’t mean I wanted Jack around them. The last thing I wanted was him learning how to cuss at an early age, or any age before sixty, for that matter.
I walked over to the boys and retrieved Jack back from Daryl, sending him a smile as I adjusted my baby in my arms.
“Did he cry?” I asked.
A man in his early twenties shook his head. “I was expecting him to, but he was pretty content with me throughout your interview. He seemed excited about having people around him. I thought he was going to ask for you or something, but he didn’t.”
I pressed a kiss on Jack’s downy head before answering. “We don’t have many visitors. I guess it does get lonely when it’s just him and me all the time. It’s probably why he’s so happy to have people around while mommy’s busy, right buddy?”
Jack merely popped a thumb in his mouth and started sucking. The gesture reminded me it was almost time for a bottle soon. I excused myself and went back to my car for Jack’s bag. I grabbed his already made bottle from inside and handed it to him, all the while ignoring Aiden. He seemed about to bust his pants for being ignored, which I gathered wasn’t something he was used to.
Jack’s eyes started getting droopy, making me realize it was past his nap time. I knew that if I kept him up he’d be grumpy later on. Without sparing a second thought, I cradled him in my arms and started rocking him back and forth. I looked around me and saw male faces staring back at me with soft expressions.
Although Aiden’s face remained passive and blank, he met my eyes and surprised me with his words. “You can bring him up to my office. I have a cot in the closet. I can make it up for him to take a nap. There’s an electric fan there as well, he’ll be comfortable.”
I stood in front of him, with my son in my arms and my mouth gaped open in shock. He was offering to let Jack sleep in his office after what he’d said to me earlier? I shook the fog away from my brain as I continued to stand before him, stunned.
“I don’t have all day to show you shit, so we need to get started,” Aiden said, returning back to his usual dick self.
I pressed my lips in a tight line and followed him up the stairs.
As I watched Aiden make the bed, I scolded myself on being crazy enough to leave my child in an office, being looked after by a gang member. Yes, I’d be working a stairwell away, but still, I didn’t know what was going to happen to my child. I tried to push the worries and anxieties aside as my new boss stepped aside to allow me to place the baby in the makeshift bed. Aiden turned the fan on as put the baby to sleep.
Jack lay on his back, and I lingered longer than necessary, concerned that something might happen to him while in this stranger’s care. After all, he wasn’t just a stranger; he was the president of a well-known gang in Fargo, North Dakota.
“I’ll even put Daryl and Thick on babysitting duty while I show you how to do shit in the shop,” Aiden assured in his usual gruff voice. Although I wasn’t assured at all, and nagging guilt was deeply settled in me, it was sweet of him to do that.
“Alright.” I pressed a kiss on Jack’s cheek before standing up. I caught a glimpse of the weird expression on Aiden’s blue eyes, but as soon as it had come it faded away.
My grumpy boss pressed a few buttons on his phone and pressed it in his ear. Moments later, he was growling, “Yo, Daryl. Come up here and look after the kid while I show Abby how to use the program.” I heard a muffled answer and moments later, the door opened. Daryl came in with some other guy named Thick.
I expected Thick to be as big as his name described, but I was wrong. I ran my eyes over his physique and saw that he was neither big nor thick. Rather, he was well-built and nearly as muscled as Aiden, though slightly on the lanky side.
“I’ll be downstairs for a few minutes, half-hour max, before I come back,” Aiden said, as he made a move toward the door.
Instead of following him right away, I stayed a bit longer to give Thick instructions. “He normally takes a nap for an hour or two. Don’t disturb him as he can get pretty cranky and won’t be able to go back to sleep. Please keep an eye on him. I’ll come by when I can.” Daryl nodded and patted my shoulder before reassuring me that everything would be okay.
From the door, I smiled at him and said, “Thanks, guys.” I left Aiden’s office with heavy heart but reassured that he was in good hands.
Chapter 5
Aiden showed me how to use the computer program to book appointments. I jotted notes down throughout the process and made sure to remember the basic stuff that didn’t need writing. Whenever Aiden turned to look my way, I nodded briskly making sure that I was getting everything he said.
After a while, my head was so filled with information, I thought it would burst. Things were jumbling together, and some bits went into one ear and continued to go out through the other, making it incredibly hard for me to remember all of the things Aiden kept babbling about. It also didn’t help that my mind was still on my son. I hope Daryl wasn’t mad at me. I so owed him. However, I continued to nod my head as if I understood it all, even though I was such a friggin’ liar.
“Did you catch all that?” Aiden asked when he stopped talking, leaning his forearms against the wooden table that separated us.
Shit. Eff me. Eff me a hundred times. I did not get all of that at all, but I found myself nodding anyway. “Yeah, I got it. Don’t worry, boss, I’m going to be fine.”
Reassured, Aiden walked away, leaving me alone staring at the front door, as if a customer would barge at any minute.
I glanced down at my watch and saw that it was already twelve o’ clock in the afternoon. I sa
t down on the desk’s chair and worried about Jack. I knew that most likely there was nothing to worry about it. He was fine and surely I would hear him cry if something happened. Still, my heart was pounding.
The thumping of steps coming from the stairs echoed through my brain, forcing my eyes to look up. Thick was descending the stairs; his head bent to avoid hitting the low ceiling.
I was a second away from bolting out of my seat and storming into Aiden’s office when Thick materialized in front of me. “He didn’t wake up at all when you left him. Slept like the baby he is. Snored too.” Thick’s lips curled up on the side.
A relieved laugh bubbled up from my chest. “He didn’t wake up at all? Didn’t even ask for me?”
My new co-worker shook his head and left a moment later. I sat back down and stared at my chipped nail polish. I was so relieved to hear that Jack was doing fine, and might still be asleep at this very moment.
I busied myself with the paperwork on the table and spent time going through my written notes to ensure that I wouldn’t screw things up. By the time the clock struck two, I heard thumping coming from the stairs. I looked up to see Aiden carrying a yawning Jack in his arms.
I stopped what I was doing and continued to look at them. My son’s arms wrapped around my boss’ thick inked neck. It was an interesting sight. Aiden’s intense blue eyes met my green ones, our gaze never breaking away.
“He woke up a few minutes ago. I thought he’d start bawling his eyes out for you, so I brought him down. I don’t wanna get a headache from a cranky toddler,” Aiden grumped and handed me my baby.
I flashed him a grateful smile and settled Jack on my lap, pushing hair away from his face. I picked up a bottle from the bag under my desk and fed him when I looked up my grumpy boss was still looming over us.
His tall, muscular frame towered over me. His eyes focused intently on Jack before they flicked to mine. Seconds after, he left in silence. I stared at his retreating back, wondering about his sudden mood change. He was still grouchy about, but seemed to be in a better mood, or at least I liked to think so anyway.
