“No thank you,” she smiled. “…I’m working, remember?”
Ax smiled wryly and ran his hand across the bottom of his beard.
“And I’m the boss, remember?” he said as he took a step closer.
“Well then, I better make a good impression,” Jill raised her shoulder and turned slightly toward the other men.
She didn’t want to turn her back to him, but at the same time, she wanted him to know that she wasn’t to be played with.
“Feisty,” Ax whispered in her ear as he leaned forward. “I like it.”
“I bet you do,” Jill said cockily as she strode forward on her high heels and made her way toward the stage. She flicked her hair and could feel his eyes on her. He was drinking her all in, working his gaze across every inch of her body. She was barely wearing any clothes and she was completely on display, but it felt liberating and exciting. It had been a long time since she had been in the company of anyone she was even remotely attracted to, so feeling his eyes on her, as he mentally undressed her and removed the tiny little panties she was wearing, she felt herself begin to unravel.
“The boss says you should have a drink,” Ax called after her.
A little smile crept across her face, and she had to wait until she managed to drop it before she turned back to look at him.
“Is that right?” she asked with a hand on her hip.
Ax nodded slowly and looked from Jill to a quiet table in the corner.
“But what about all the work I have to do?” she asked teasingly.
“Well, this is an urgent meeting, so I suppose it’ll have to wait,” he winked.
Jill was rooted to the spot. There was such a big part of her screaming at herself, telling her not to do it, not to drink with him, not to get to know him anymore. But then the other part of her, the part ruled by her heart, was starting to feel open again. Something inside of her was yearning for something she couldn’t explain.
“Shall I clock out?” she joked.
Ax smirked and shook his head and then he nodded at the table in the corner.
“Go and take a seat,” he said. “I’ll join you in a moment.”
Jill did as she was told and already, her skin was prickling with desire. She tried to hide the fact that she was watching him as he moved back over to the bar and some of the other bikers began to slap him on the shoulders affectionately as they tried to pull him into conversation. She felt nervous sitting there, as if, somehow, she could get into trouble from Bull or one of the others, and she bit her lip with anxiety.
Ax looked over his shoulder and nodded to her as he was chatting with Bull and she saw how Bull’s eyebrows raised with whatever he was saying. Her heart began to hammer in her chest and she flicked her hair back over her shoulder. She sat up tall and breathed slowly. She had this. She was the one in control. Not him.
Jenny passed some drinks across the bar to him, and he thanked her before he turned on his heel and began to stride back across the room to where she was sitting. He was wearing a rough leather jacket that was open, revealing his bulging muscles that were covered by a thin, tight t-shirt. He was tanned and golden, as if he had been chasing the sun for months, and Jill wanted to ask him again where he had been all this time. If she had never met him, or heard much about him, then surely, he must have been out of town for a while. It was interesting to her, but it also frightened her. What if it was so dangerous and taboo that it would scare her off if she knew?
Ax sat down and slid a glass across the table to her. It was thick and round and full of whiskey.
“Thank you,” she smiled shyly.
Ax leaned back and looked across at her. Being there like that, opposite a man who could crush her with his bare hands, was more exciting than she had bargained for. But it was also pretty intimidating.
“Jill…” he said her name slowly and with purpose, as if he was still trying to get used to the sound of it in his mouth. And then his eyes flickered up to hers and locked in.
Her breath caught in her throat for a moment and she felt paralyzed.
“I’ve been told that out of all the girls, you run the show around here,” he said finally as he took a long, drawn out sip from his glass.
Jill faltered. She didn’t quite know how to respond.
“Oh really?” she asked as she straightened up and brushed a strand of hair over her shoulder.
“Really,” he raised his eyebrows.
“You make it sound so dubious,” Jill whispered. “As if I’ve done something bad…” The way she pronounced bad came out breathy and sexy, Ax smirked.
“I just like to get to know who I’m working with,” he said as he leaned in closer to her. “And you stood out from the second I arrived back here last night.”
Jill felt heat rush to her face and could tell she was blushing.
“So you’re going to be in charge here from now on?” she asked as she looked around the room. “Bull has been here a lot…”
“Bull’s going to be concentrating on other matters for now,” he said. “He is the man in charge of The Forsaken, after all.”
Ax sipped from his drink again and she felt his big, heavy boot knock against her toe beneath the table. The feeling of his body against hers, even for that split second, made her pussy throb.
“And you’re going to be the head honcho here?” she asked. “So if I have any troubles, I should come straight to you?”
Ax smiled and nodded his head slowly.
“You can come to me for anything,” he said, without breaking eye contact. “Anything at all.”
Her heart was fluttering away in her chest and seemed to rise right into her throat. He smelled strongly of gasoline and stale cigarettes, and his hands were big and rough, and she could see the remnants of oil clinging to the underside of one of his thumbs. She thought about what else he could do with his hands, if he put his mind to it. She felt the heat and the blush crawling up her neck again.
“Star seemed to like you,” she said nonchalantly to change the subject and throw him off guard. But it didn’t have the desired effect. Ax half rolled his eyes and half laughed.
“Yes, I never would have been able to guess,” he said dismissively. “Isn’t it just so boring when someone makes a huge play for you and makes it obvious?”
“So you like a challenge…” Jill said with irritation. “A man who likes to play the game, how ever would I have guessed that…?”
She crossed her arms over her chest and felt instantly annoyed.
“I didn’t say that,” he leaned in even closer. “All I said was I don’t enjoy being the subject of attention I don’t want.”
She swallowed, he was so close to her she could practically taste the sweet whiskey on his lips. He was still staring into her eyes and it made the rest of the room and activity around them fall away. In that moment, it was just him and her.
“Well, you can’t have much sympathy for me then,” she whispered. “I’ve felt a little like that lately.”
She smirked and bit her bottom lip and luckily, he took the bait. He threw his head back and roared with laughter before slapping his hand down on his thigh.
“I think we both know what’s going on here,” he said seriously when his eyes met hers again. “But maybe you’re right… Maybe I should just leave you to it.”
He raised his eyebrow and then got to his feet. The second he did, Jill’s heart almost fell to the floor, but she kept her cool. She didn’t break away and she didn’t let her mouth sag open a little as he started to walk away.
He sidled up back at the bar and turned to look at her before he dipped his head and raised his drink. Jill wanted to flip him the bird, but she absolutely wouldn’t. Even with all of their unexpected chemistry, he was still her boss. She smiled at him with a hint of sarcasm and snark and then picked up her drink, knocked it back in one and strode over to the stage.
Two could play that game and she was about to show him who could play it better.
> 8.
His eyes never left her as she rose up onto the stage in front of all of The Forsaken Riders and took hold of the pole. She had danced up there night after night for well over a year and yet, this time, it all felt so different.
This time, she was doing it with real purpose.
This time, she had something to prove.
Ax’s eyes glinted at her from across the room, through the dark, and it only spurred her on. She thrust her hips harder, and she swiveled and slinked around the pole as if it were a part of her. The bikers all cheered and whistled as she jumped up high and crossed her ankles into position and spun around to the floor. Normally, she would be ready to start peeling away the little clothes she had on, but not this time. This time, nothing was going on show. She was going to make him beg for more.
She noticed how Ax’s mouth sagged a little as she locked eyes with him. For that moment, it was only the two of them in the room, and she seemed to completely forget where they were and who was around them. Even with it being her place of work, she felt empowered and in control. In that second, she was the one holding all the cards, she could have done anything and each and every one of those men would have obeyed. She was a goddess. A higher power. She was the ultimate.
All of the men watching her, the bikers and the truckers included, were all jeering and clapping their hands. They were all well-oiled with booze and it was making them even more appreciative of her and her expert skills as a dancer. Ax shifted on the spot and she saw him clench his fists. She had to turn quickly around and jiggle her ass to distract them all from the growing smile that was spreading across her lips.
She was getting to him. She could see it, even with all that distance between them. He didn’t like her being up there, and that, most of all, was what made her carry on.
The song started to finish and Jill worked her way to the front of the stage to take a bow. All of The Forsaken rose to their feet, whistling and clapping and screaming for one more.
But Jill gracefully bowed. All of her clothes still intact, and she demurely and slowly stepped down from the stage and made her way to the swinging doors.
When she burst through them, her heart felt as if it were about to explode. She walked quickly and with determination down to the changing room and threw open the door and slipped inside. She was breathing quickly, and she half felt like she wanted to laugh and she half wanted to bury her head in a pillow and scream.
She grabbed hold of her silk robe and threw it on over her shoulders and tied it at the waist. She flicked her long hair right down her back and looked at herself in the mirror. Her eyes looked wild and alive, and her skin was dewy and rosy from the exhilaration.
When she left the dressing room and began to walk back down toward the main body of the club, she had no idea how her performance really would have gone down with him, but she suddenly realized she didn’t care. He could take it or leave it. And that was that.
She strode inside and even though she was more covered than she had been when she had walked into the room only half an hour before, she felt a lot more on display. Some of the truckers were looking at her with the familiar turned on eyes that were never welcomed, and she found herself clinging to the belt of her robe, just in case one of them had the brilliant idea of trying to pull her close to them by it.
She stepped up to the bar and Jenny smiled and came straight over.
“I honestly have no clue how you dare do that,” she said, impressed. “I’d be useless.”
“I used to think the same thing when I was working behind this bar,” Jill admitted. “I used to watch girls like Candy and Renee up there and wonder where the hell they got their nerve… But suddenly, something just took over, it was like a calling suddenly arrived and I just never looked back.”
“I don’t think I’ll ever dare,” Jenny said shyly as she poured Jill a drink and passed it over.
Jill smiled and leaned in closer to her.
“If you’re here now, you’re already wondering about it…” Jill said confidently. “Just like I was, and probably just like any other girl who ended up dancing was too. You don’t end up tending bar in a club like this unless you’re slowly being pulled over to the dark side.” Jill winked. “Don’t be afraid of it… Embrace it.”
Jenny smiled and nodded shyly and Jill sipped her drink before she turned around and came face to face with Ax himself.
He stood there, looking her up and down, half with curiosity and half with annoyance. Jill’s heart was racing again and all she wanted to do was tell him he was messing with the wrong girl. But she knew she couldn’t. And besides, the more time she was spending with him, the more she was liking the idea of him messing with her. Messing with each and every bit of her.
“You’re going to be trouble, aren’t you?” Ax said as his deep eyes engulfed her once more.
“I don’t know about that,” Jill said.
“Oh, I do,” Ax smiled. “But that’s okay with me… I like trouble.”
He turned and began to walk toward the hallway to the right of the stage. He looked back at her over his shoulder as he disappeared through the doors and made his way down to the office.
Jill had won this fight, but the war was still anyone’s game.
She was angry with herself for being so weak and allowing herself to be so swept up in it, and so quickly. But it was fun, and there was something about him that appealed to her, she just couldn’t put her finger on it.
She sipped the rest of her drink and then placed the glass down on the bar and looked around. She still had a long night ahead of her, and just like Ax had said, he was going to be there from dusk until dawn. She had another eight hours at least to play games and to rebuff his advances, but with the club being as lively as it was for a Sunday, she didn’t know where she would find the time, and tiredness was quickly working its way around her.
She turned back to Jenny and asked her for a water.
“Sure,” Jenny smiled as she passed her some in a huge glass filled with ice.
As she stood there sipping it and bringing her body temperature down, Jill suddenly realized that working at Tanner’s, for as long as Ax was around, at least, would never be the same again. She knew from the minute she had seen him there that morning, and it was only being reaffirmed to her now, that the second she was in the building, she was looking for him. Her eyes were moving from one corner of the room to the other, seeking him out, wondering if his eyes were on her too. She knew that whenever she was there, she would be wondering if he was watching her. What he was thinking. Every dance she would do, would secretly be for him. And although it felt crazy to be thinking this way so suddenly, she also couldn’t deny that it just felt right. It was as if she had known him her whole life and he had just walked back in after being away for five minutes. There wasn’t a part of him that felt unfamiliar, or like a stranger. They clicked that well.
She suddenly thought of Star and a pang of guilt pinned her stomach. Had Star really liked him? If Jill admitted to her how she was feeling after spending a little time with him, could it possibly affect their friendship?
She shook her head and made a mental note to not be so stupid. For all she knew, Ax could have a serious girlfriend at home, or just like Jack, could have a girl in every town. It was typical of Jill to get carried away.
And with that, she clicked on her most beaming and charming smile and decided that all she could do was work her ass off and have a good night. The club was busy and she was in a perfect position to make some of her money back that had been unfairly taken from her the previous evening. And with so many of the bikers around, she sincerely hoped the security guard wasn’t going to try his usual trick.
Come on Jill, she told herself. Let’s get to work.
And she stepped into the crowd and began to roll with the night.
9.
The sun began to rise over the desert, and Jill stood out back in the parking lot and watched the glint of pink and gol
d break over the horizon.
She had done it.
She had survived her first night working in Tanner’s with Ax under the same roof.
After she had gotten up on stage and shown him what she was made of, he had disappeared down into the office rooms and hadn’t returned, and it had killed her. She had tried to be so strong and so in charge, but the second he had taken a bit of power back, it had left her begging for more. And now she was hooked.
She wrapped her arms around herself to try and keep her body heat contained within the silk robe. Even though there was still a warmth to the air, it was nothing like she was used to, and it was making her shiver.
The last few trucks were leaving the front, and she listened to them pull onto the highway as she watched dawn break. This was a ritual she had loved to do when she had first started working nights, but of late, she had stopped taking the time to appreciate the beauty that was all around her. The desert was so vast and sprawling, she often wondered how many miles it extended in each direction before it gave way to the other towns. Where there were no roads, she was sure that it must have been a frightening prospect to get caught out there, and she often wondered how many people had gone missing, either by accident, or on purpose, out there amongst the sand and the dust.
“I’ve missed it,” Ax said suddenly.
His voice was unexpected and it cut through the silence and made Jill jump. She turned to look at him to see him standing in the doorway, much like he had done in the changing room the previous day. But this time, because of the rising sun, she could see his face, and those incredible eyes, and she couldn’t help but smile.
“I love these views,” he said as he stepped forward and reached into his pocket for a packet of cigarettes. He pulled one free and clamped it between his teeth before he lit the end and inhaled deeply.
“So do I,” Jill whispered. “I used to come out here most mornings and watch the sunrise after I’d finished my shift.”
“Used to?” Ax exhaled a plume of smoke into the air and came to stand directly beside her.
AX (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 10) Page 6
