by Mia Miles
“Hey, don’t start thinking anything. He’s definitely the person you think he is. He doesn’t hide behind anything. He’s about straightforward as they come, okay? Have you met his brothers yet?” Jay was trying to distract me. I wondered why he kept me talking instead of letting me get to work, but I was glad that I was starting to get answers for some of the things that were bugging me.
“I thought you were all brothers,” I said, smirking.
“We are, but he has two younger brothers, actual brothers, named Nails and Draw. You’ll meet them soon enough. Nails used to work for me, but they should have named him Loose Screw. I taught him what I could, but then I had to let him go. He just doesn’t work well underneath people, you know?”
“What about Draw?” I asked. That was a peculiar name.
“Draw is a tattoo artist. How much do you really know about Cutter?” he asked abruptly.
“We’ve only known each other for a little while. It’s been kind of a whirlwind with me trying to get settled and him trying to help me,” I admitted.
“Well, don’t worry. You’ll learn your way around us. I guess I should go ahead and put you to work,” he said, getting up from his desk.
I felt like our conversation was ending prematurely. It seemed like he had more that he wanted to tell me, but we’d reached a point where he realized he needed to be quiet. I agreed. There were more questions after talking to him. I wanted to ask him if he could introduce me to everyone I hadn’t met so far, like Cutter’s actual brothers. I also wanted to know the story behind Cutter’s name. Who did he have to cut to get the name? Did it mean anything else?
I went back out to the front and got on the phone. Jay left after he got me situated, and I spent most of the rest of the day with the other ladies in the office. We sat and joked in between calls and files. They didn’t say anything about the MC, and I assumed they didn’t know. Jay didn’t walk around in his vest the way Cutter did at the strip club.
They both ran pretty straightforward businesses, it seemed, and it seemed that they went out of their way to make it look that way. There were cracks in the façade, and I was starting to get curious. But I didn’t want to know. I didn’t want to know anything that would change how I felt. By the end of the day, it didn’t matter anyway. I had made three new friends, and I had spoken to several of Jay’s clients over the phone. They all seemed very nice and told me they were looking forward to dealing with me in the future when it came time to continue doing business with him.
Chapter Fifteen
Cutter
It was the end of Missy’s first day working for Jay. I was waiting for her back at the clubhouse after leaving Lex in charge at the club. After spending the previous night at home alone, I decided I wanted to pick her up after she got back from work. I was going to surprise her with dinner after her first day.
My possessive feelings toward her were growing stronger and turning into something else. I was starting to see her less as a girl who needed someone to watch over her and more as a young woman who had a mind of her own and just needed a helping hand.
“Waiting on her, huh?” Ren asked in his gruff voice as he came downstairs to find me sitting in a metal folding chair just outside the open bay door.
“Is it that obvious?” I replied.
“Well, usually, you’re at the club right about this time, aren’t you?” He came over and stood next to me as he lit up a cigarette. He took a couple of long drags off of it and let out a small cloud of smoke.
“I’m thinking about making her my old lady, Ren. I can’t get her out of my mind,” I told the old man.
He chuckled in his knowing way and nodded his head. He stared off into the distance for a few moments before saying anything, probably searching for the right words or just letting what I’d said sink in.
“That’s not like you,” he finally said.
“I know.” I laughed and looked down.
“You’re usually out there running around with this one, that one, and all the others. You tried this once before and wound up marrying the wrong one,” he observed, but it sounded more like a warning.
“I’m well aware. Believe me, there’s a reason why it’s been so long since the last time I really wanted to get serious about anybody. But there’s something about her,” I started, unable to really put into concise words what I was thinking. There were so many things about her that felt right.
“She reminds me a lot of your ex-wife. Back in the beginning, when you first brought her around. Young, inexperienced, fresh, and full of life. Except, there was something in her, and we all warned you about it, kid,” Ren said with a hand on my shoulder, a fatherly gesture.
“I guess that’s it, but there’s a strong independence about her. She’s not sorry for who she is. She’s very proud of herself and everything she’s done so far in life. She’s also taking these changes like a champ. She hasn’t backed down. She hasn’t really fought anything a whole lot. She’s been nervous, sure, but wouldn’t anyone?” I said, defending her. I felt that comparing her too much to my ex meant fearing the same thing would happen with her that happened before. I couldn’t quite explain why, but I felt pretty sure it wasn’t going to be the same with her.
“No one’s saying anything bad about her, man. Just watch yourself. Don’t fall for the first cute, young piece of ass that comes around,” Ren said as Jay’s truck turned into the lot.
“You know she’s not the first,” I told him quickly.
“And you know what I mean,” he said in his lazy voice before walking off to leave me with her.
She sort of bounced out of the passenger side of the truck as Jay lumbered out of his side. He stretched and closed his door as she ran up to me and gave me a hug, throwing her arms around my neck. I had expected her first day to be a little rough on her, but she seemed energized instead.
“I take it you had a good day,” I said to her.
“It was great,” she said.
I cocked an eyebrow. She was too happy to be getting off work.
Jay came up just then and patted me on the back with one of his monstrous hands. His voice boomed. “You got a good one here. Thanks for letting her come in.”
He put a hand on her shoulder, too, and looked down at her. “See you tomorrow?” he asked.
“Of course.” She sounded downright chipper. I hadn’t seen her that happy since I’d met her. She was a different person.
Ren’s warning stayed in my head, not to let myself fall for her too easily. I didn’t really know a whole lot about her other than what I had learned from being around her. I knew her personality more than the facts of her life, but I was beginning to feel like I only knew part of her personality. I hadn’t really seen her happy, so I didn’t know how different that was. But I was going to find out. I wasn’t going to let it scare me away.
“Well, I guess you’ll have to tell me all about it at dinner,” I told her.
“Dinner?” She looked at me, and her beautiful blue eyes focused on me suddenly, like she’d had other plans.
“Yeah. I figured I’d take you out to celebrate your first day at work with Jay and his company. I made reservations at one of the nicest restaurants in town,” I explained, trying not to sound put-out because she obviously had other plans.
“That actually sounds great,” she said. The light in her face was replaced with a comforting, loving glow, and she took my hand in hers. “When do we leave?”
“Whenever you want,” I told her.
“Then, let’s go.” She put her other hand on my cheek and kissed me. Our lips lingered together for a moment, as if we were both waiting to see if the other would take the kiss further, but we slowly drifted apart and opened our eyes.
“Come on.” I took her out to my car and opened the door for her.
“No bike tonight?” she asked as she slid into the passenger seat.
I smiled and closed the door. When I got in on my side, I looked at her and said, “I didn’t kn
ow if you were going to be wearing something appropriate for riding today.”
“Good point.” She pulled the seatbelt down across her chest, and I watched as it stretched perfectly between her breasts.
I knew that once dinner was over, I was going to want to keep her at the house with me. I had grown accustomed to her body lying next to mine in the bed. It had been lonely without her, even for just one night. I had tossed and turned, and I even thought about driving out to the clubhouse to be with her. I was going to ask her to come back.
Once we got to the restaurant, we were seated. We both ordered water. Since I knew she couldn’t drink wine with her dinner, I didn’t want to drink it with mine. We sat and talked as we waited for our food to arrive. She ordered pasta, and I ordered steak, of course. I wasn’t about to pass up a good steak if I didn’t have to.
I asked her how work went, and she beamed as she told me about how Jay had made her feel welcomed. She told me about working with the other girls in the office. Apparently the position was customer service, working directly with Jay’s clients to make sure everything went smoothly.
“You know, it makes me want to go back to school to finish my business degree,” she said after telling me about work itself.
“Well, I’ll be happy to pay for it,” I responded quickly.
“I’m not going to ask you to do that for me. You’re doing enough already. If I keep working for Jay, I can eventually figure it out on my own,” she said, furrowing her brow like I was suggesting something that was just preposterous.
I put my fork down and ran a hand through my hair. It was time to tell her how I felt and what I was thinking.
“You’re too kind, really. You don’t have to do all of this for me, Cutter. Why are you, anyway?” she asked, as if she knew I was about to tell her.
“Well, that’s what I want to talk to you about. I’ve been thinking a lot while you’ve been gone, and I want you to be my old lady,” I said.
She stopped eating and looked at me. She put her fork down on her plate and rested her hands on the table, her fresh red nail polish standing out against the white tablecloth.
“I can take care of you and protect you if you’re part of the Renegade Lions family. I can support you and help you finish college. I want to see you achieve your dreams instead of just scraping by month after month,” I continued.
“Are you serious?” she asked me. I couldn’t read the look on her face. I couldn’t tell if she was considering what I had proposed or if she thought it was too much.
“I’m dead serious, Missy,” I told her. “I want you to be mine, and I want you back at the house,” I added with a little laugh.
“I knew that was coming. I already know you, Cutter,” she said with a sly little smile.
“Last night was rough. I missed having you next to me.” I was still laughing nervously.
“I take it you’re not used to admitting things like that,” she said in a kind voice.
“You can tell, huh?” We had gone back to eating. I cut of a piece of steak so I could eat instead of focusing on how she had me figured out.
“You’re obvious with me, but I get the feeling you’re not as obvious around everyone else,” she continued.
“There are people who can read me, like the guys in the MC,” I admitted.
“That must explain why everyone assumes I’m your old lady already,” she joked.
“Yeah, I guess so.” I sat back and let out a hearty laugh.
We ate for a minute in silence, both of us letting everything sink in I figured.
“So, what about tonight?” I asked her.
“What about it?” She flashed me a teasing little smile.
“You know what about it. Are you staying with me tonight?” I could feel desire stirring, waking in my pants as our talk turned toward what was going to happen later. If she stayed, I knew exactly what was going to happen, and I was willing to bet she did, too.
“We’ll see,” she said with a sparkle in her eyes.
I took the sparkle in her eyes as a yes. I hadn’t told her everything I was thinking. I was going to save the rest for later. First, I wanted to get her home, with me. I wanted to get an answer from her about being my old lady. She still hadn’t answered that proposal yet. I wanted an answer before the night was over, and I figured I’d be able to press for it again later.
Ren’s warning not to fall for her was still in my head, but she wasn’t the first one who had come along. She was the first one who had touched me the way she did, the first one in a long time. I watched her as she finished her pasta. I was falling in love with her. I couldn’t help how I felt, and I didn’t want to help how I felt. I wanted to feel it.
There was so much more to say to her, but the moment had passed. It was time to finish eating and get home. I wanted to please her. It had been too long since the last time. I wanted to show her how I felt as much as I wanted to tell her.
Chapter Sixteen
Missy
I didn’t expect Cutter to be waiting for me when I got off of work and came back to the clubhouse. I had expected another night like the first one. I expected someone to prepare dinner for anyone staying at the clubhouse for the night. Lynn had told me that it was a pretty normal occurrence for the members of the MC to have dinner together. It wasn’t a big deal; usually, it was whoever was able to make it or happened to be hanging out. They were a very communal group.
I was glad to see him. It felt like it had been forever since the last time I saw him, even though he had only dropped me off the day before. We had been in pretty constant contact since I walked into his strip club that night. Plus, he was responsible for getting me the job with Jay. I wasn’t worried about how he’d earned his name when I saw him. I was just happy to be back with him.
Dinner was fabulous. We went to a nice restaurant, one of the highest rated in the city. We sat at a small round table covered in a white cloth. The place was brightly lit, and everything seemed to sparkle, like we were at the grand ball in some fairy tale where the prince swept the maiden off her feet.
I was certainly being swept off of mine with fine dining and how much Cutter cared for me. He was doing more than just taking care of me. He was trying to make me his. Of course, I was reluctant. I had felt myself becoming too close to him already. And he was very persistent in his offers to help me, but more and more it seemed like he was helping me to help me, unlike the men in my life who tried to control me when I stepped out of the lines they had drawn for me.
After dinner, on the way back to his place, I brought up my appreciation again. I had thanked him before, at the restaurant, for everything he’d done for me, but I felt that it bore repeating. I wanted to take some time to think about everything he had said. As much as my heart leapt in my chest for him, I didn’t want to move too fast.
Yes, we’d slept together. Yes, we’d spent the night in the same bed several times. Yes, that was confusing, and that made me want to take a step back to analyze what I was doing. I didn’t want Cutter to become another Eddie. I also didn’t want to be the one moving too fast when it turned out that he was just trying to help me get through a rough patch. When he asked me be his old lady and offered to help me with school, it was everything I could do to keep from jumping across the table and letting him take me right there.
“I really appreciate everything you’ve done for me,” I told him from the passenger seat of his car. I felt like I was in another world, separated from him by such a great distance that was really only a couple of feet.
“Well, I meant everything I said back there,” he told me in a serious but caring tone.
“I know you did. But why me?” I looked out the window at the streetlights passing us by as we drove through the city at night. It was so beautiful. There were so many people out enjoying themselves and each other. So many couples! It always made me feel lonely, especially when I had a lover who couldn’t share the night with me. I hoped that if I agreed to be Cutter’
s, exclusively, I would have someone who could be with me even when we weren’t in bed.
“From the moment you walked into my office, I was drawn to you. There was something different about you, something special. When you got on stage, I was moved. Actually moved, and you see how many girls I see on that stage on a regular basis. You are a strong woman, and with the right support, there’s no telling what you can achieve. At the same time, your strength doesn’t take away any of your femininity. You are still one hundred percent a woman.”
