by Jayne Rylon
“How short are you?” Mike asked. “And are you talking about a donation? Or an advertising buy?”
“You’d get sponsorship. I’m not sure exactly how that could work for you guys…” Holden sighed.
Neil jumped into the discussion. “We build a hell of a lot of garages, dude. Guys with discretionary income, who want something beyond the ordinary to house their collections make really fucking great customers. We could put together a commercial featuring some of those high-end jobs we’ve done. It’s a good business. Profitable. Plus, we know tool suppliers who could cross-promote on a show about cars, don’t we?”
A flurry of agreement came from the other end of the phone line. Holden’s stomach did cartwheels as he listened to their enthusiasm growing.
Morgan spoke up. As a business owner herself, she helped the crew with their finances and budgeting. “We could drop a hundred thousand for the right deal.”
Dead silence from the Hot Rods.
“It’s not enough, is it?” Mike asked.
“Half of what we need,” Holden confirmed. “Look, we won’t take any more than that from you. It’s beyond generous.”
“Shit,” one of the guys cursed.
Then Devon piped up from the crew side. “We can promise you half right now. I’m sure we can find the rest from people we know in the morning. Put us down for two hundred thou. We’ll cover it by selling half of our share.”
“Are you sure?” Eli gripped the edge of the desk as he looked around the room. Each of the guys and their women seemed to hold their breath as the crew murmured between themselves until they reached agreement.
A few heartbeats later, Mike’s clear, authoritative answer sealed the deal. “Yes. Definitely. Do it.”
The Hot Rods roared, a few people landing thumps on Holden’s back.
He didn’t hear any of it. Didn’t feel a thing. Couldn’t see or breathe. The only thing he could imagine was the look on Sabra’s face when he broke the good news to her first thing in the morning.
Holden wished he could be there to hear her tell her ex-boss to shove his sabotage attempt up his wrinkly, old ass. And hopefully slap a sexual harassment suit on his desk to boot.
Chapter Eleven
Sabra rolled into the Hot Rods lot with sickness coating her guts. It felt like she’d swallowed a handful of the river rocks she’d decorated her yoga studio with. After an entire night of meditation, she had no clue how to proceed with her life. Nothing met the requirements for a satisfactory solution. Either she had to give up Holden and look for a job elsewhere, beyond Grill’s reach, or she had to be a bum.
Opening a yoga studio of her own was the best Plan B—or was it Plan F by now?—she could think of. Resistant, though, she hated turning the one thing that relaxed her into a business. Plus, then the important social messages she advocated would remain unheard.
Part of her knew she’d be unhappy settling for something less than her best, even if it meant she got to keep the man of her dreams and the friends that came with him. Without him, success wouldn’t be enough to keep her happy.
She was officially screwed.
Buster McHightops barked and ran over to greet her with happy puppy licks completely at odds with her frazzled mental state. Irresistible, he lured her into petting him, then slurped a lined across her cheek when she knelt.
A laugh escaped the tightness strangling her.
“That’s the sound I love so much.” Holden strolled from the garage. He didn’t wag his tail like Buster, but she knew he’d been waiting for her. Banishing him from her apartment last night, refusing to stay with him, had been tough, but she’d better get used to it.
She smiled sadly at him, kind of surprised by the answering grin he flashed her.
Didn’t he realize things were in the crapper after yesterday?
Cheering his friends came naturally, but he’d have his work cut out for him today. Nothing could lift the murk that had descended on her heart.
Unless it was what he said next.
Holden put out his hands and drew her to her feet when she laid her fingers in his. He tugged her to him and administered a bear hug the likes of which she’d never received before. When she looked up at him with questioning eyes, he covered her mouth with his.
Enveloped in his heat and protection, it’d be easy to believe things would be okay.
Except they weren’t. Wouldn’t be.
“I want to tell you how much your pilot of Hot Rods impressed me.” He refused to let her interrupt, so she listened. Really listened to what was so important to him. “When I saw us through your eyes, I could feel how much you loved the Hot Rods. And I want you to know I feel the same. About you. Us.”
Silent tears made tracks down her cheeks. Damn him, she was tired of crying.
He paused to kiss them, then continued, “Every one of us here believes in you, your work and your place in our gang. That’s why they spent all night raising sponsorship money. We’ve secured two million dollars of pledged advertising spend for commercials run during Hot Rods. So you can tell your old boss to take that and stuff it where the sun doesn’t shine. Then buy your show.”
“What?” Thank God he was holding on to her or she would have flopped to the ground in an apoplectic fit.
“Yep. Two mil. Guaranteed. Only for you and your program.” Holden’s smile nearly blinded her.
“You did that, for me?” She swallowed hard, terrified and more queasy than before. “Please tell me you didn’t call in any big favors or anything.”
“Uh, okay. I won’t say that.” He lost some of his easy looseness as he studied her face. “Sabra, what’s wrong? I kind of thought you’d be jumping my bones about now. What am I missing?”
Shudders racked her and her teeth clicked together.
“I can’t accept that.” She groaned.
“Sure you can. Everyone who signed on stands to benefit too. They’re not doing it to be generous. The show is going to be a hit and they want to ride the wave. Sell their products.” Holden frowned. “What’s really going on here?”
“I might not have told you the full extent of my run-in with Grills yesterday.” She clenched her teeth, angrier than ever that some son of a bitch had the power to ruin her life.
“Did he hurt you more than you let on?” Holden’s hands ran over every inch of her he could see as if x-raying her with his fingertips.
“I’m okay. But I won’t work with him.” She couldn’t put herself in that position. “And even if I file a lawsuit against him, which I am considering if only to help other people that may be abused by him, it won’t be speedy. Plus, there will be all kinds of residual issues.”
“Damn, Sabra.” Holden rocked her against his chest. “I wish you’d told me yesterday how badly he scared you. Or what he did. The guys wouldn’t really let me kill him, you know. They don’t want me in jail. But I sure as hell would make sure you’re safe. Always.”
“I have no idea what’s going to happen now.” She squelched the tears that loomed near the surface again. Crying was not her thing. “But, Holden, I love you too. I can’t believe you did this for me.”
“We’ll make it work. Somehow.” He rested his chin on the crown of her head and held her tight. “What you did was special. The world deserves to see it. I think it could make a difference for some kids out there. Kids like us.”
Slipping her hands into the back pockets of his jeans, she held on tight and prayed he was right. It’d been stupid to leave him last night. Surrounded by his strength, she found hope again. Even if it was foolish.
They stood there for a long time.
Until someone burst from the garage shouting their names. Eli. “You guys didn’t talk to the station yet, did you?”
Holden separated them only enough to make eye contact with the head of their gang. “No. We’ve got a situati
on.”
“With the show?”
“No, with her ex-boss. She won’t be working with that creeper. Now or ever. There’s no way she’s selling to the station.” Holden didn’t question her. He trusted her instincts and had her back. Even if it meant going against his friends until they could understand his objections.
Eli looked first at Swinger and then Sabra. He nodded. “I want to know the details later. But for now, don’t say that too loud. I just got a call. From Mike.”
“He’s the foreman of the Powertools crew?” Sabra double-checked. They had a lot of friends.
“Yeah.” Eli replied. “They wanted to let us know they came through on the extra hundred grand in sub-pledges. Plus it turns out one of the guys they called, Denver Hart, is interested in placing a competitive bid. He’s an exec at one of the independent cable networks. Turns out the crew built a fancy-ass garage for the dude to house his collection of Lambos. Well, a leading actor in one of his series wrecked his bike. The guy didn’t make it and they can’t do the show without him. They’re in a bind and they need something to put in its place quick. Hot Rods appeals to the same demographic. He wants to see it.”
Sabra couldn’t speak. Her mind went blank and stars danced across her vision.
“Yo, Sabster.” Eli snapped his fingers in her face. “Don’t check out over there. This is good news. Right?”
“Right?” Holden echoed.
And this time she couldn’t hold back the tears. Happy ones. “Yes. It’s a miracle.”
“Okay, well, get your shit together. You two are going on a road trip. He wants to meet you in person and he wants a screening of the pilot before he can vouch for you to his executive team. So you have to get your asses in gear.” Eli handed Holden his keys before smiling at Sabra. “See you when you’re the producer of this year’s hottest show. Swinger, drive safe. And fast.”
Before anything could happen to change the man’s mind, Sabra grabbed Holden’s hand and sprinted toward his sexy car. After a few steps she did a one-eighty and ran back, throwing herself at Cobra. She smothered him in hugs and kisses before dropping to the ground and tearing off toward a laughing Holden once again.
“You’re welcome!” Eli shouted through cupped hands around his mouth. “Kill it!”
The ride there was tense and quiet as Sabra practiced her pitch in her mind and Holden concentrated on delivering her to the appointment in record time. The meeting passed in a blur that resembled a dream. The independent network could take chances. She could add more commentary, have full creative control and make buckets of money. By the time they’d left the building, she had a handshake agreement and a future brighter than she’d ever imagined possible unfolding before her. The pilot had an airdate. Depending on ratings, they could have a deal.
When she emerged and caught sight of Holden, leaning against his car with his ankles crossed, she nearly dropped dead from an overdose of lust mixed with love. Love.
They’d said it.
And meant it.
Now she couldn’t wait to share the sentiment with the Hot Rods. Emotional and physical connections. If they hurried, they could make it home tonight.
Sabra launched herself into his arms for a congratulatory make-out session. Before they ripped each other’s clothes off right there, she twisted out of his hold, then hopped through the open passenger window of his Swinger as if she were a stunt double for one of the brothers on The Dukes of Hazzard. If she flashed him in the process, all the better.
“That’s fucking sexy,” Holden growled as he took his place behind the wheel. Proving that great minds thought alike, he said, “We can be home in four hours. I think it’s time we celebrate properly.”
“By properly, do you mean you’re going to watch your friends fuck me?” She shifted so her back pressed into the door and her legs spread wide. Rubbing herself drew his attention from the road and they swerved. Okay, better hold off on that.
They both laughed.
“If I don’t manage to kill us before then. Hell yes.” He moaned. “I’m so hard right now I could use my cock as the gear shifter.”
“Can I ask you something?” She schooled her features to stay calm and open, unthreatening. Never would she judge him.
“Of course.” Holden answered automatically.
“Before you were with me, did you ever get it on with the other guys? Like Eli and Alanso, or Carver and Roman or whoever else?” Sabra had sure as hell pictured it since Roman had casually touched Holden during their group encounter.
“Ah, shit. Does it matter?” He swallowed hard enough to make his tan throat flex.
“Only if you’re not doing it now because you think you can’t.” She smiled at him. “I want you to have everything you need when you’re with me. And if that includes being with them, then you should do it.”
“Seriously?” He shot her a glance from the corner of his eye.
“As long as I can watch. Yeah. Definitely.” Sabra squirmed in her seat, wishing they were closer to home.
“You’re killing me, Sabster.” A groan rumbled from his chest. “We might have to make a pit stop at the next rest area.”
“Yep. Yep, we might.” She whipped out her phone to look for the closest one along their route.
“But then again, that will make it take longer to get home. And there are things I’m dying to do when we get there.” He passed a car fast enough to make it look like the other vehicle was standing still instead of flying down the highway at the speed limit.
“So after you watch me, I get a turn, right? I want one of the guys to fuck you while you screw their girl. Will you let me see that, Holden?” Bravery flooded her, secure in his unflinching love and the lengths he’d go to for her happiness. She owed him the same.
“You’d want to see me bottom for a guy?” He tried to be casual, but the careful stillness in the way he held himself gave him away.
“Are you afraid of losing me if you say you need that?” she asked him point blank.
He glanced over at her, then back to the road. “Yes.”
“You don’t have to be scared, Holden.” She slid over so she could rest her palm on his thigh. “I love you, remember? All of you. Whatever you need, that’s what we’ll do. And I’ll love every moment that I get to witness your pleasure. Your happiness makes me happy.”
“I would like that, then. Except…” He paused.
“Yes?” It was important to her that he get exactly what he wanted.
“What if I was fucking you while one of the guys did me? I want to be a part of both you and them at the same time.” He gripped the wheel and licked his lips. “If you want to watch another time, that’s totally cool, but tonight—I want to be with you.”
“That’s…” A wave of lust blinded her temporarily. Imagining it was easier now that she’d seen them all take their pleasure. It blew her away.
“It’s okay if it’s not your thing,” he hedged.
“It’s so my thing.” After placing a kiss on her palm, she reached across the car and touched his cheek. “You’re my thing.”
“I really do love you, Sabra.” He shifted into sixth gear and flew along the highway toward home. “And I can’t wait to show you how much. Tonight and always. If you feel differently when it’s actually happening, that’s fine too. You can tell me. You say stop and we do. For tonight or longer. Until you’re ready, or forever if that’s what makes us happy.”
“Stop worrying.” She slid her hand higher until she cupped his hard cock. “I’ve been thinking about it for weeks. What it would look like, sound like. Twice as often since the send off you guys gave me yesterday morning. Pure hotness is all I can imagine. I want this. I’m dying for it.”
Holden cursed when red and blue lights flashed in the rearview mirror, accompanied by a siren. “Shit. Well, there went that extra time we made up.”
“Probably I shouldn’t tell him why we’re in a hurry, right?” A coquettish smile graced her lips.
Holden was still laughing when he rolled down the window to talk to the officer.
Sabra held Holden’s hand as they entered Hot Rods. Suddenly nervous, she wasn’t sure what waited for them inside. After they’d gotten their ticket, they’d slowed the pace a bit and the longer drive home seemed endless to her, though the time-out had given him a chance to text the Hot Rods before they got going again.
At least she assumed he had when he opened the door and revealed the whole lot of them lounging naked beneath a cloud of balloons and a banner that read, Congratulations, Sabster.
The lump in her throat bulged when she spied another one that read, Welcome home.
Somehow, she figured they realized how entangled their futures had become. Not only were they accepting of her presence in the garage and in their group, but they were also excited about it.
Who was she to turn away?
Sabra pounced on Holden’s back. He instinctively grabbed her legs and whooped as he ran to the living room and deposited her in the middle of the Hot Rods, both of them laughing like fools in love. Because they were.
She searched her heart for the right thing to say as she scanned the room and the people surrounding them with shared joy. In the end, talking was unnecessary.
Before she could utter a word, Kaige stepped forward. He looked back at Nola and she nodded once, definitively. “I’ve decided what I want as my prize from yesterday’s game.”
Sabra shivered when he encroached on her personal space. He leveled a sexy gaze at her that singed her with heat he’d never blasted full-on in her direction before. She squeaked, “Me?”
