Other than that, the office was empty. It was glass on all sides, with a huge bank of windows that overlooked the city, far below. The other side was blacked out, as was the front, except for the door. Privacy was obviously taken into consideration and the place was bright and surprisingly cheerful for an office.
Tia found that she liked it very much. It made the eight months she’d spent applying for jobs, hoping like hell to get out of the retail position she’d been in, worth every single frustrating, long minute.
Behind her, the door creaked open and despite what Sandy said about her co-workers giving her an hour to get settled, a tall, broad shouldered, blonde haired, blue eyed giant filled up the entrance.
Tia nearly died. As in literally. She was pretty damn sure her heart stopped beating. Him. Oh please god no. Anyone but him. Friday night came back at her in a painful rush. Her body clamped up and she was sure her face was redder than a damn firetruck. Which she could have used at the moment, to put out the burn creeping through and igniting every single inch of her skin.
Why? Why, when it could have been anyone? He looked equally as surprised to see her, but he recovered well, his face nothing more than a professional mask. His eyes gave nothing away.
Somewhere, from the far corners of her thick as fog, slow as molasses brain, Tia realized that the low, deep rumble in the room, was coming from him.
“I’m Jack.” He stuck out a hand, stared at it for a second, re-decided, and tucked it back at his side. “Looks like I’m your new boss.”
Please no, not him. Anyone but him. He’s seen me naked. He’d seen her a hell of a lot more than that. It finally sunk in. Tia finally realized, even though she’d known as soon as he walked into the office, that she was the punchline of one hell of a humorless joke.
Chapter 8
JACK
The universe had finally succeeded in getting him. In teaching him a lesson. Haha, the joke was on him. He acted like a gentleman for once, though he still had a serious case of the world’s worst blue balls, and this was what he got as a reward.
A damn succubus invading his workspace. At least he now knew her name. It was emblazed across the front door in black block letters. Tia Reid. His new assistant and his new nightmare. Goddamn it to hell. I should have known better. I should have known that she wasn’t someone’s date. Jack wished he could say, honestly, that he would have steered clear of her, but he didn’t even know if that was the truth. He’d spent Saturday and Sunday reliving Friday night, or the early hours of Saturday morning, as it were. He might have jacked off in the shower, Tia’s nameless face heady in his mind…
“Fuck me,” he ground out under his breath, then realized that was the perfectly wrong thing to say and not just because they were in the workplace.
Surprisingly, Tia’s gorgeous rose hued lips turned up at the corners. “I would say that that’s about the worst thing you could do at the moment.”
Jack winced. He swore that his balls just went a shade bluer. At the rate they were going, they were probably purple. No amount of getting himself off seemed to help. “You know what I mean.”
Even though he knew the door was shut, he looked over his shoulder, just to be sure. No one else was there. No one else was even in the hallway, he was pretty damn sure. While the others had been instructed to let their newest team member settle in, he decided to introduce himself before a crowd was clamoring at her door. After all, she would be working directly under him.
Tia’s eyes followed his to the door before they flicked back to his face. “Yeah,” she agreed. “I might know what you mean. I- we- look, we can just forget that Friday night ever happened. I doubt anyone saw us leave and as far as anyone has to know, we live in close proximity, I think… and- and you helped me catch a cab home because I was drunk. You did the honorable, gentlemanly thing.”
Jack barely covered up a snort. He just about dropped a snide retort, but managed to choke back the words as a faint blush crept up on Tia’s cheeks. She was pretty when she was blushing. Hell, she was always pretty. He didn’t like it. His hands balled into tight fists. He didn’t like it at all. He didn’t like his lack of restraint or how he wished he could throw her up on that desk, push up that pretty black pencil skirt, tear open her pale blue blouse, and fuck her senseless. A nice welcome to the company.
He gave his head a shake. That wouldn’t be nice at all. She was standing there, as professionally as she possibly could after she’d been fucked by him on her staircase two nights ago, giving him an out. And he was damn well going to take it. Because what happened between them was never going to happen again.
“I doubt it was overly gentlemanly. Unless servicing you was the honorable thing to do. You were obviously hard up.”
Her lips thinned out in a hard, thin line and her brow creased into a frown. He wanted to kick his own ass at the moment, for his decided lack of tact.
“No one has to know. I’m saying we can both move on. Maybe we can’t pretend it never happened.” She paused for a minute, her mouth working uselessly. “No, we will do more than pretend it never happened,” she amended. “It never happened. We will never speak of that again. We won’t even think about it.” The blush riding high on her cheekbones belied her words.
Jack was willing to bet she was indeed thinking about it. Which part? Which part is she thinking about at the moment? Which part did he want her to be thinking about? He didn’t like the fact that he was currently thinking about it, but what else was there to do?
Tia slowly extended her hand. “I’m Tia Reid. Good to meet you Jack-”
“Jack Stevens.”
“Jack Stevens.” She mulled that over. God, even his name sounded sexy coming from her. She could probably read the damn phone book out loud, name by name, number by number, and he’d get a hard on.
“You’re going to be assisting me,” he nearly choked on the word. He did indeed have something she could assist him with. His aching fucking balls. “I- uh- we- are working on a new campaign about…”
She waited patiently, eyes locked on his face. He cursed his bone dry mouth and a throat that felt like someone jammed an old gym sock down. Thinking about gym socks made him think about that old joke about condoms which made him think about the fucking fact that they hadn’t had one on Friday night and if they did, he wouldn’t be standing there with the world’s hardest hard on.
Tia was diplomatic enough not to look down. Maybe because she knew what she’d find and she didn’t want to notice it.
“About?” She finished for him, waiting.
“Right. About- well it’s a campaign geared on showing people that they don’t have- all the- uh- time in the world and they shouldn’t wait to get life insurance. We’re trying to make it sensitive while at the same time, drive the nail into the coffin.”
“How apt. A coffin.”
He nearly smiled, just because she suddenly did. He folded his hands in front of him, carefully hiding the damn tent going on in his pants. “Yes- well- we would never put that on an ad.”
“No, that’s been done. It’s too obvious.” Tia walked around to her desk and sat down. “I have a few ideas that might be useful. Unless- unless, that’s not what I’m supposed to be doing. I was told that I’d receive a more detailed work-description on the job training. I have a degree with a major in marketing, so I don’t feel out of my element, just so you know.” Her eyes narrowed. “There might be a few things that I actually am proficient at, whatever you think.”
She sat there, daring him to challenge her, and for once, he was struck speechless. It didn’t happen very often. He couldn’t remember it ever happening once. His background in life had prepared him for more- scenarios- than most people could dream up.
“Yes, that’s fine,” he managed to say, voice thick. “I’ll have some emails you can go through, phone calls for you to field and answer, that kind of a thing. You’ll deal with our printers and the people involved, should we decide to do things like TV or radio ad
vertising, but for now, yes, just- just sit there and come up with ideas. That would be helpful. I’ll tell the rest of the department to leave you alone. We have a meeting at eleven. I’ll introduce you then.”
Tia nodded sagely. Her hands flew to the laptop and pulled it open. “Great. Does this thing have a password?”
“No. Not unless you set it.”
Her head bobbed again. A strand of her long, gloriously shiny hair flew free from the loose braid and flew to her cheek. He wanted, more than anything, to step closer, reach out, and brush it away. She beat him to it, tucking the strand firmly back behind her ear.
“I just have one more question.” She paused and when he waited, she continued. “What’s the company’s policy on after hours work? Overtime, if you will? Just so I know.”
“I’m the only one allowed to put in overtime. Or if I really need it, one or two others.”
“Good.” She breathed a long sigh and her shoulders slumped with relief. “Thanks again.” Her smile was fake and dismissive and he took the hint.
Jack turned around and left Tia’s office. As the door shut behind him, he had to give her credit. No one had simultaneously struck him wordless and dismissed him. Ever. If only she knew his background. She might have been less hesitant to tell him, with a look, to get the hell out of her space. Or would she? He thought not. For a woman who was so woefully unpracticed and even shy when it came to getting naked, she was a tiger in other parts of her life.
Lord. That’s the last thing he needed to think about. Tia aggressive, making demands, telling him what to do. He never thought it could be sexy, that thought, but when Tia was involved, it sure as hell was. God, she isn’t even my type. His internal battle of words died a hard death. She was indeed his type and he damn well knew it.
It didn’t occur to him until just before he went into their meeting, what she’d meant about overtime. She was relieved because she didn’t ever want to be in the office with him alone. Without anyone else around.
Which meant that maybe even a tigress had a weakness. Maybe even stair goddesses were human.
Chapter 9
JACK
Jack couldn’t afford to be off his game. In his past life, being off his game meant winding up on the wrong side of the turf.
He’d never allowed himself to be distracted by anyone before, let alone a certain goddess who was definitely too pretty to be working at his office. She was fucking temptation incarnate.
He had his dreamy head so far up his ass that it made sense that he didn’t see the warning signs before they slammed into him like a bus raging off track. Or maybe he was just the idiot who stepped out in front of it because he didn’t look both ways before he crossed the damn street.
Walking down the street dressed in jeans and a leather jacket like the old fucking days wasn’t smart. There was a reason he wore a suit to work every day and did the nine to five grind.
Jack didn’t see the brick wall coming until he was slammed face first up against the hard abrasive surface. The scratches in his cheek were probably embedded deep enough that they’d take weeks to heal.
“Well looky what we fuckin’ have here.”
“A fish out of water. A big fucking greasy fish who’s managed to evade capture for a long fucking time.”
Jack could pick those voices out of a crowd. Anyone from his former club. The voices, the things he did, those bastard’s faces still haunted his dreams.
He didn’t have to ask how they’d found him. He knew it was only a matter of time.
He hadn’t survived as long as he had being a first class pussy, so he shoved back against the hands that held him firmly by the jacket. His palms planted hard on a rock solid chest, but he wasn’t a small man either, and he managed to shove hard enough that Rock, aptly fucking named, rocked back on his heels.
“Fuck off. I left that life behind a long time ago.”
“No one leaves the life.” Robber grinned, showing off a mouth full of decaying teeth. Jesus. With the money the bastards made dealing arms and drugs and even women, you’d think he could afford some decent dental work.
“Yeah, well, I did. That shit’s done for me now,” Jack snarled. Even though panic clenched his gut hard, he wasn’t going to back down. Bastards like Rock and Robber fed off that shit. They’d eat a man alive for less.
“Come back with us, Jackie. Living the civilian life ain’t for guys like us. Guys like us are meant to be fuckin’ free, doing as we please.” Rock hocked back a string of dirty snot right near the toe of Jack’s boot.
He suppressed a shudder.
“Yeah, Jack, it’ll be fun. You don’t really like doing that grind every day, do ya? Living in a piece of shit little house like that alone, no brothers to have yer back when you need it.”
An icy cold shiver ripped up Jack’s spine. How the fuck did they know where he lived and worked? He immediately thought of Tia, her sweet face, the gentle innocence she kept wrapped around herself like a velvet cloak. He hated that just by working in the same office with her, he’d probably endangered her in some form already.
Of course, there was a good chance the pieces of shit were bluffing. They knew what it took to rattle him. They’d once been his brothers.
“Don’t want to live that life anymore,” he snapped. “I’m out. Want to stay out. That’s my decision.”
“We have a new club.” Robber crossed his arms. “Why don’t you come on by? We’ll have a fuckin’ information night, just for you, Jack, seein’ as you’re an old friend.”
“Yeah. Our Prez is good shit. He won’t mind takin’ you on. Might even cut your prospectin’ down by half the time, seein’ as you’re already good and seasoned.”
“Fuck off,” Jack ground out. “My answer is no. I’m not your brother anymore. That is long over for me. I’m a civilian now and I want to keep it that way. Don’t even tell me where your club is, because I’m sure your Prez wouldn’t like to hear about you spreading intel to an outsider.”
Robber snarled while Rock crossed his arms so his leather jacket creaked where his muscle bulged. The guy was big, but he was also dumb as fucking dirt. Robber was lean, but he was also far more deadly. He wasn’t more than 5’9” but his small stature was deceptive. The whole compensating thing definitely applied. He was mean as they came to make up for what he lacked in size.
“We’ll be watchin’ you Jack. Case you change your mind and come back to your brotherhood. By the way, that piece of ass you have in your office, she’s real pretty. Kind of makes a man understand why you wouldn’t want to give up the old day job.”
Jack wanted to ball his hand into a fist and slam it into Rock’s face, but he knew it was what the bastard wanted. Both Rock and Robber were standing there in their leather cuts, black jeans, and shit kickers, just waiting for him to make a mistake and give himself away.
“Yeah, well, you should try going legit. There’s lots of nice pussy to be had in office work. Makes the sluts you have at your club look pretty dismal in comparison.”
Robber’s eyes lit up with a feral, slimy gleam. He produced a tin of chew from the back pocket of his jeans and proceeded to pack a dip that made it look like he’d just shoved a baseball into his lip.
“We’ll be watching you, Jackie. You have a fine day now. I’ll talk to our Prez for you. For when you come to your senses.”
“Or when we bring you round to it,” Robber tacked on. He hocked a black spray of spittle across the entrance of the alley where they’d come up from behind and cornered Jack.
Jack kept his face carefully neutral. “Wouldn’t waste my time on it, boys. Thanks, but no fucking thanks for the offer.” He made the first move, giving them his back as he turned and headed out of the alley.
It was a gesture of trust that he couldn’t really afford to make, but it also showed that he wasn’t afraid of their threats and intimidation. He’d always known his past would catch up with him at some time. If he broke down and wailed like a damn infant, guys lik
e Robber and Rock would eat him alive.
Instead, he flipped the bird over his shoulder and listened for the harsh guttural sounds of laughter that trailed him out of the alley.
That was the kind of man he wanted his enemies to think he was. The kind who didn’t give two fucks about them showing back up in his life.
He couldn’t let them know that even as he walked down the street and mounted his bike, cursing himself the entire way for having his head wrapped up in Tia and not on being careful and discreet, the hair on the backs of his arms stood on end. That chill in his bones never left, even as he went roaring off into traffic. The thrill of riding his bike couldn’t pierce through the black shadow that caged his heart.
Chapter 10
TIA
Tia made it four whole days. As it turned out, working with Jack Stevens was just about passable. Just about. Until he startled her at a large bank of filing cabinets and she was so shocked she slammed the drawer right on his hand.
“Holy fucking hell,” Jack cursed under his breath. He carefully undid the metal drawer and produced a few mangled fingers. Tia let out a gasp at the sight of blood.
“Oh god,” she muttered under her breath. “Oh dear god. I’m sorry! I didn’t- you scared me- I…”
Jack rolled his eyes. He held his wounded hand up to his chest. “Office hazard, I suppose. Right up there with violent paper cuts and run ins with the photocopier.”
“Let me see.” Tia reached for his hand and carefully gripped it around the wrist. She brought it down to eye level for inspection. She realized, far too late, that she was touching him and what that meant.
She’d sworn to herself she wouldn’t get within five feet of him. Sworn it, in order to keep herself safe. In order to stop replaying that night they’d had a week ago on her steps. A zing of straight energy flashed up her arm and her breathing suddenly didn’t feel right. When had her chest shrunk down to being too tight, like a shirt she’d thrown in the dryer only to find later that it was dry clean only?
Lonely Rider - The Box Set: A Motorcycle Club Romance - The Complete Series Page 17
