Kate was the female version of what would be called a player. Tia would never call her a slut, because Kate wasn’t a slut. She was about as classy as they came. She just liked sex a little more than the average woman. She liked to shake things up and keep things casual. She didn’t like getting attached. She said, even when they were young, that she had no intention of getting married, ever. At twenty-eight, she was a long way from settling down, if it ever happened.
“I- okay, it is about a guy,” Tia admitted.
Kate’s coral colored lips curled up triumphantly. “I knew it.” Her fingers with their pretty gel nails gripped the table top. “Tell me about it. Was it good at least?”
“Was what good?”
“The sex of course. No, scratch that. Of course it was good. You wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t good. You’re over being with guys who don’t know where to put it or how to use it.”
“Kate, come on,” Tia begged. “I came to talk to you because I really am serious here.”
“Alright, alright.” Kate sipped her peppermint latte. Compliments of the upcoming holiday, everything was bloody peppermint flavored. “I’m sorry. I won’t say anything until you finish. On one condition. That you tell me if he has a big dick.”
“Kate!” Tia glanced around, mortified at her sister.
Fortunately they were alone in the little shop. It was downtown on a Wednesday afternoon just after lunch. The crowds had cleared out an hour before. Kate had the day off and Tia- well, she had all her days off at the moment.
“Sorry. Okay, don’t answer that. Just tell me what it is you need to talk about.” Kate glanced at her phone, which sat silent and dark on the edge of the table. “But can you keep it brief? I want to get my Christmas shopping done this afternoon and god knows the malls are going to be a zoo.”
Tia made a choked noise even though she didn’t mean to. This was just Kate. She should have been used to it by now. Kate lived life to the fullest. She was always on a mission, never stopping to set down roots anywhere. Tia just wished her sister could be a little more sensitive, but then again, no one, no man, had the power to break Kate’s heart.
“Alright.” Tia groaned inwardly. She had yet to start her shopping and with little money left over and no job prospects in sight, she wasn’t sure how she’d accomplish it.
“Alright you’ll tell me or alright you’ll make it brief.”
“I’ll make it as brief as I can and you’re going to listen, because you’re my big sister and that’s what a nice, loving big sister should do.”
Kate rolled her pretty blue eyes. She reached up and gave her long, ebony hair a swish over one shoulder. “Alright, alright.” She sighed, like being nice was the biggest chore on the planet. “Go ahead. Spill the whole sordid story.”
“It’s not exactly sordid.”
“I can tell it’s sordid. You have that look on your face. Like someone who won a prize and lost it.”
“I didn’t lose it. I- I chose to give it up.”
“That’s still losing it.”
“I didn’t lose it! I know where it is. Where he is. God, he’s not a prize.”
“Clearly. Most of the men you choose aren’t.”
“Kate!” Tia slammed her hand down on the tabletop so hard that the attendant behind the counter, who had been wiping down a huge piece of coffee brewing, latte making, whatever the hell it was, equipment, turned to stare at them. Tia felt her face go red. “You know what, never mind. This was a shitty idea.”
She went to stand, but Kate reached out and gripped her arm. The genuine emotion in her eyes, something close to concern or even care, stopped Tia in her tracks.
“I’m sorry. Sit down. I just can’t resist bugging you. What are sisters for? You always were a brat. Always getting yourself into trouble. Always making a mess of things. You’ve always had troubles with guys. You’re pretty, smart, talented. You’re amazing, Tia. You don’t have to put up with that.”
Tia was a little taken aback. Those sentences were about the nicest thing Kate had ever said to her. She certainly didn’t know her sister thought of her like that and some place deep inside of her warmed.
“Okay, well…” Tia sighed. “It’s complicated. I fell for this guy and it was completely inappropriate.”
“Please don’t tell me he’s married.”
“No, he’s not married!” Oh god, I don’t think he’s married! Anything was possible. Tia’s stomach churned with a wave of nausea. She decided to push that thought away. Something told her Jack wasn’t married. He wasn’t the marrying type. “I- he’s just- one of those guys that is unavailable. I believe you’d call him a player.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “Oh. One of those types.”
“That’s not all of it. I- I just get this feeling that something isn’t right. I mean, he’s- well, he’s high up in the company.”
“Oh my god, he’s your boss?”
“No! I- that wasn’t what I was going to say.” Tia knew her face was on fire. She needed to get Kate off that track real fast. “I just… these guys came into the office and he says they were just clients, but they looked like they were in a gang. I told him I just saw them in passing, but really I hid at the corner of the office and I watched the whole thing through the glass. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but their body language was really aggressive. I swear that the one guy had a gun tucked into the back of his pants. They were wearing leather jackets and they had matching patches on them, like what guys would wear if they were in some kind of gang. When I got home I tried to find them on the internet, searching for that patch, but I couldn’t find anything. It’s weird, they looked like guys that definitely would make some headlines. If they manage to stay out of the spotlight, they’re probably very professional at what they do. Scary thought, don’t you think?”
“How the hell would I know?” Kate was sitting up straighter though, her posture far more rigid. “I- uh- seriously? Why would they have come in there and talked to him?”
“I don’t know. That’s the thing. I asked him about it and he brushed it off. Said they were clients who were doing a fundraiser, some biker rally thing. He basically admitted they were bikers, but they weren’t friendly. They weren’t talking business either, at least not the kind of thing that people should be talking about in an office. I don’t know. I just think that something isn’t right.”
Kate rolled her eyes. “You always worry too much. If he said they were clients, then they were probably clients. And people carry guns. Or maybe you were just seeing things. Did they rough him up? Yell at him? Put a gun to his head? Do anything suspicious at all?”
“No,” Tia admitted. She hated that Kate could talk down to her like that. Like only a sister could. She felt entirely stupid and she’d been so sure that something was wrong before.
“Tell me about the good stuff,” Kate insisted. “I don’t want to hear about creepy guys. I want to hear more about your sexy boss.”
“He’s…”
“Not your boss? I’m pretty sure that he is.” Kate flashed a devious smile that tied Tia’s stomach up in knots. She knew she just had to spill it, no matter how merciless Kate might be.
“Well, here’s the thing. We- uh- had some casual sex. Twice.”
Her sister’s eyes widened. “You? Casual sex? Those two things don’t go together.”
“I know, I know. Don’t make this worse than it is. I just like it to mean something before- well- anyway… I was kind of down since Jeremy and- things happened. I didn’t think it would happen again, but then we bumped into each other-”
“It sounds like you did more than bumping.”
Tia snorted. “You really are the worst, Kate. Seriously. We may have had some inappropriate sex in the- uh- at work and I didn’t know there were cameras and I ended up getting fired and he didn’t. I was so mad I caused a big scene and had to be escorted from the building.”
Kate’s mouth dropped open somewhere around the part about office s
ex. She stared at Tia for a long moment before she burst out laughing. She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my god. That is seriously the funniest thing I’ve heard in a long time. I never would have pegged you for it, Tia, but I have to say, I’m proud.”
“It’s not something to be proud of,” Tia mumbled. “Now I have no job. Please don’t tell mom and dad. I’m working on finding something else. I don’t want them to worry.”
“Alright, I won’t tell.” Kate stared at her so solemnly that Tia knew she could trust her sister to keep it under wraps.
“The thing is- I thought it was over at that. I could tell the last time that he didn’t want there to be a next time. It was just the way he looked at me that made it clear he didn’t do more than one night stands kind of a deal. Not that it was night and not that it was just once, but you know…”
“Yeah.”
“Anyway, well- the weird thing is, he’s been calling me. I don’t know why.”
“You haven’t answered? Maybe it’s to apologize. He did get you fired.”
“Maybe. I’ve been too afraid to pick up. I’m pathetic. I want to stay angry at him. I want to hate him. I want to- god, I want a lot of things. I didn’t really even realize what was going on until after the second time, or after I got fired. I don’t know. I just haven’t been able to stop thinking about him. I know he’s not in for more than some casual sex, but it’s been almost a week and he hasn’t stopped calling. He’s called me like, forty times or something. Would he really be calling all those times if it was just to say sorry?”
Kate frowned. “Honestly, I don’t know. I haven’t met him. I could probably gauge the situation if I knew him even a little. Why don’t you just answer and hear what he has to say?”
“I said, it’s because I don’t trust him. Or myself. I- I don’t want to be weak. I don’t want to just let him use me for sex.”
“You feel something for him, don’t you? Oh god, Tia! Every single guy you’re with you try and fall for. Can’t you just for once have something casual with someone and call it a day?”
Tia sunk her top teeth into her bottom lip. She bit back a harsh retort about her sister getting a life and finally stopping all the casualness, but this wasn’t about Kate and how she chose to live her life at the moment.
“I wanted it to be casual but- I don’t know. There’s something about him. I don’t know how I know, I just- feel it. Like something isn’t quite right.”
“All the more reason to steer away. Complicated isn’t good. Troubled isn’t good. The worst thing you can do for someone is try and save them. That never works out.”
“He’s not the kind of guy that needs saving. He’s sexy. Amazingly sexy. He could have any woman he wants. He has a good job. Probably a nice house and he has a decent car. He’s smart and a good leader. He brings out the best in everyone. He has this charming, magnetic personality, but underneath it all, when I really started to think about it, which I didn’t do until after that last time, he just seems… a little lost.”
“Well, guys aren’t like puppies. It honestly sounds like you dodged a bullet. Just be happy you had a few good times.” Kate winked. “And they sound like they were really good times.”
“Really? That’s your advice?” Tia waited. She wanted her sister to tell her that she should answer the damn phone. That maybe she wasn’t imagining things and reading way too much into the situation. She wanted her to tell her that she didn’t have to stay mad and maybe things could work out for the best. Then again, she was an eternal optimist and Kate was a pretty glass half empty, or all the way empty, kind of a person, at least when it came to relationships.
“Yeah. That’s my advice. Now, will you please tell me how big his cock was?”
“Jesus. You disgust me sometimes.” Despite herself, Tia giggled.
“I take that as like ten inches.”
“I didn’t fucking measure it,” she hissed. I’m sorry, next time I’ll be sure to bring a ruler and stop him in the middle of it.”
Kate grinned. “Good. I’m proud of you. Way to go, Tia. You deserve to have some fun. All your life you’ve picked the wrong men. And by wrong, I mean they’re wrong for everyone. They were losers. You wasted your time supporting them and being faithful to them and they never returned the favor. And they probably had small dicks.”
“Well… Jeremy might have needed a set of tweezers to find his. That’s all I’m going to say.”
Kate burst out laughing and Tia joined in. Her sister extended a hand, surprisingly, and Tia let herself take it. Kate squeezed and her eyes softened.
“Answer the damn phone next time. Let him apologize and tell him to take a hike. If you truly want to see him again, that’s the best way to do it.”
Tia stared at her sister open mouthed while Kate laughed softly. She withdrew her hand and went back to drinking her expensive coffee. Her sister seemed to be queen of reverse psychology.
“Oh, and if you want a latte, I’ll buy you one. My treat. I didn’t know about your job or I wouldn’t have let you get away with having a glass of water.”
“Well… now that you mention it, anytime that I can spend your money is a good time.”
Kate grinned. “It’s good to see you, baby sister. It’s been too long. Don’t be a stranger next time.”
Tia couldn’t agree more. Despite how aggravating Kate was, how obnoxious or all-knowing or judgmental her sister could be, she loved her. After all, what were big sisters for?
Chapter 17
JACK
There were few times in his life where he could have called himself awkward. Standing on the front doorstep of Tia’s house, box of doughnuts in hand, dressed down in jeans and a leather jacket, he knew he was the picture of it. He might have come right from work, but he didn’t want to show up in a suit. It felt a little like it would be rubbing Tia’s nose in the dirt. He still had a job and she didn’t. Because of him.
Stupid. I look stupid. Why did I ever think this was a good idea?
What had he thought? That showing up and asking for forgiveness was going to help anything? Like sorry was enough. The word was paltry and there was no way Tia was going to hear him out.
He rang the doorbell anyway. She hadn’t answered any of his calls and he felt that if he came in person and tried, maybe he could let it go. Maybe he could stop thinking about her. Tasting her. Hearing her.
The truth was, he’d never felt so fucked up in his life and she was responsible. Solely responsible. He had to do something or he was going to go insane.
Of course, there was no answer. Tia was probably inside. She’d probably seen him walk up and decided to pretend that she wasn’t there. He rang the bell again, which would likely only serve to piss her off. No answer.
For good measure, just to say he’d really honestly tried, Jack pulled out his phone and dialed her number. He only had it for work purposes and he was really abusing that privilege, but hell, they were probably past the point of propriety. That line hadn’t just been pushed, it had been completely shattered.
After a few rings, Tia’s phone went right to voicemail. He would have left a message, had the automated voice-over not come on and informed him that Tia’s mailbox was full. Probably because he’d left too many messages all the other times he tried calling.
Pathetic. It was something he’d never been in his life, but he sure felt like it at the moment. No, not just at the moment. He’d been pathetic for days. He’d even gone so far as to drive hours and hours down some roads that were pretty damn dangerous at that time of year, just to try and get his head on straight. It didn’t work. If anything, he felt worse than ever.
Jack sighed. He set the box of doughnuts on the doorstep. It was bright and sunny out, so they’d probably be fine there. Unless some animal got into them.
He turned and walked across the grass, back to the sidewalk. It was crumbling and full of holes and barely passed as something walkable. For anyone with a set of wheels, young kids with bikes
or the elderly with walkers or canes, it was a deathtrap.
He crossed the street and was just about at his car, when a black sedan appeared. He watched, eyes boring a hole through the windshield, as the car got closer.
When he realized it was Tia behind the wheel, his whole body went into a series of simultaneous spasms and shutdowns. He reacted the way he always did when she was near. He wished he could say it was like a lovesick teenager, but he’d never really been one of those. He was too busy trying to survive to worry about things like love. Certainly what he’d done with women after that couldn’t be classified as love.
Jack edged into her driveway and stopped halfway up. Car still running, she flung open the door and pointed an angry finger in his direction.
“You!” She seethed. “What are you doing here? At my house?”
Jack tried to keep himself calm but nonchalant wasn’t exactly in his vocabulary at the moment. He hurried across the street when he told himself to regulate his pace. He stopped far too close when he told himself to keep a safe distance. He was probably imposing as hell, as he towered over Tia. She was too angry to notice. Her eyes widened as they swept over him, warning him painfully.
“I- I came to apologize,” he mumbled. The only thing I’m damn well missing is a World’s Greatest Fool Banner slung across my shoulder and chest.
“Oh really?” Tia’s frown deepened. She looked beautiful, even scowling. She had on a red casual dress that was fitted at the waist and flared out in little pleats from there. Since it was short and she was tall, she’d paired it with black leggings. For good measure, she’d also thrown a long black cardigan thing overtop, hiding her best assets.
“Yeah. Really. You wouldn’t answer any of my calls so I- I wanted to tell you in person.”
“Why would I answer your calls? The only real apology you could give me is to tell me that you quit.”
“What?” He winced and wished he could take the word back.
Lonely Rider - The Box Set: A Motorcycle Club Romance - The Complete Series Page 22
