Torch (Great Wolves MC - Ohio Chapter Book 5)

by Jayne Blue

  “Your little girlfriend is the problem,” Lori said. “She just served about seven hundred dollars of food and alcohol without tracking it.”

  “No,” I said. “That’s not what happened at all. Everything’s under control. Lori’s just going to help me update the computer.”

  “She giving you a hard time?” Torch asked me.

  Lori’s mouth dropped open. This time, Shannon was the one sweating.

  “Not at all,” I said. “Shannon and Lori have been great. I’ve learned a lot.”

  “Good,” he said. “How’s she doing?”

  The two women looked at each other. Finally, Shannon spoke up first. “She’s catching on,” she said.

  Torch’s jaw twitched. His fists still clenched, he let out a breath and finally headed back into the bar.

  I pulled the tablet out of my apron and gave it to Lori. “You ready?” I said. “Start typing.”

  She did.

  After that, Lori stayed close by. The tablet miraculously worked like a charm and we finished serving the dinner crowd. Time flew, and by eleven, I was ready to drop. The rest of the girls started making plans to gather at a nearby diner. One of them invited me, but I declined.

  Instead, I punched out and started the long, slow walk to the bus stop. When I got out of anyone’s sightline in the parking lot, I finally let out a breath and started to cry.

  The bus stop was deserted. I sank down on the bench and buried my face in my hands.

  I almost didn’t hear the powerful engine roll up beside me. When I looked up, Torch straddled his Harley. He cut the engine and sat down beside me.

  “You did all right back there,” he said.

  “Thanks,” I sniffed. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a wad of cash. He handed it to me.

  “What?”

  “Your share of the tips for the night,” he said.

  “But ... Lori and Shannon said …”

  “Forget what they said,” he said. “You did all the work. And they both know better.”

  I took the cash. There was easily two hundred dollars there.

  I bit my lip, staving off another round of sobs. I didn’t want Torch to see me cry. He put an arm around me and the world fell away.

  “You surprised me tonight,” he said.

  “I surprised myself.”

  His deep laughter skittered across my skin. Just then, the bus pulled up.

  “Come on,” he said. “I’d rather you let me give you a ride home.”

  I should have said no. I was exhausted. Nearly defeated. But when Torch offered me his hand, it made me feel like he would conquer the world for me if I asked.

  He helped me climb on the back of his bike and waved off the bus driver. I slid my arms around his waist.

  Oh. He smelled as good as I imagined it in my dreams. His engine roared to life between my legs, and we sped off into the night.

  Chapter Eight

  Torch

  She felt good. No, she felt fucking amazing. Even though it was July, there was a chill in the air now that the sun had gone down. It made her hug me just a little tighter as we made the last turn into her apartment complex.

  I scanned the lot. One light was out near the back corner. The place abutted a gas station on the north side. It wasn’t a bad part of town, but I didn’t like the idea of her coming here alone at night after working at the Den. Any dirtbag with half a brain could figure out she’d be coming home with a purse full of cash from her tips.

  I parked the Harley near the front entrance and climbed off. Sydney peeled off my helmet and handed it to me. Her hair had come undone and hung loosely around her shoulders.

  Fiery red. And it smelled good.

  She took my hand and slid off the bike, her legs still a little wobbly.

  “Thanks,” she said. “You didn’t have to do that. The bus is fine. You were right.”

  “I was a dumbass,” I said. “We’re going to have to come up with another plan. I don’t like the idea of you taking public transportation with an apron full of tips.”

  That’s when I noticed she wasn’t carrying an apron. She just had a tiny purse barely big enough for her phone.

  “Lori was supposed to keep the tips, remember?” she said. “I’m just a trainee. Thanks for this but I really don’t want to cause trouble.”

  Fucking Lori. I bit back what I really wanted to say. If I had my way, Lori would be out on her ass after tonight. Maybe Shannon too.

  Sydney must have read something on my face anyway. She put a hand out, touching my arm. “Please don’t get in the middle of anything on my behalf,” she said. “I get it. I’m new. And I know I leapfrogged over more qualified applicants because of who my uncle is. It’s funny, I came all the way out here to get away from that kind of thing.”

  “You don’t need to worry about how we run the bar,” I said.

  Her color drained. “Oh. No. No, I didn’t mean to imply …”

  “It’s okay, is all I’m saying,” I interrupted.

  “It’s just ... I don’t want any more special treatment. I told you the other day I was willing to prove myself.”

  I smiled. “You did.”

  Her color came back. “It was really kind of okay, wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “It was.”

  “Torch ... I mean ... what’s your name? Really?”

  She put her hand on my shoulder. Her eyes went to the patch I wore. Fire licked the edges of my memory, burning the same color as her hair. I felt a monster stir inside of me with such force. It startled me. I wanted her. I wanted her to burn for me.

  “Torch is my real name,” I said, my tone going flat. “It’s the only one anybody needs to know.”

  I hadn’t meant to push her away. But a wall went up.

  “Oh,” she said. “I’m sorry. It seems like I can’t ever say the right thing.”

  She threw out a lifeline. I could have put her at ease. I should have. I don’t know why I didn’t. It was just, she was nothing like any girl I’d ever gone for. And I would never let any of them in.

  “When do they have you on the schedule after tonight?” I asked.

  Sydney blinked rapidly. “I don’t know. Shannon just said we were going to see how tonight went. Then ... play it by ear.”

  I smiled. “Tonight went fine. You’ll be hearing from her. But I meant what I said. You’re going to have to figure something out as far as transportation. The bus won’t work for you long term.”

  She took a step back. “I think that’s something I need to worry about on my own.”

  My back went up. I don’t know what it was about this girl that had me feeling so damned overprotective.

  “I don’t want you on that bus late at night like this. We take care of our own.”

  “I’m not yours,” she said, her voice rising. “I don’t need anyone’s protection. I just needed a chance. So for that, thank you. As far as everything else, I’ve got it.”

  “No,” I said. “You don’t. So, here’s what we’re going to do. You’re going to tell me what you think you can afford, and I’m going to get a hold of a used car dealer I trust. He’ll find something that won’t break down.”

  “Why?” she asked.

  I opened my mouth to answer, then realized I didn’t have a good one. I only knew the idea of Sydney walking around unprotected had me half-crazed.

  I wanted her. Fuck. I wanted her. I wanted to throw her over my damn shoulder, take her up to her apartment, then spank her into submission for not doing what I damn well said. There it was. The monster. The demon inside of me. Would she bend for me the way I needed? Was she strong enough?

  Could she see it in my eyes? Fire seemed to dance in hers like it did in her hair. This girl had no idea what she was messing with. Only she didn’t shy away.

  “Why?” I finally said. “Because it’s bad for business if one of our girls gets jumped on the way home from work. When you wear that brand, it means something.”

&nbs
p; She looked down. The wolf logo on her tank top glittered under the streetlamp. Fuck. She had the most perfect tits. Her nipples peaked under the fabric, and I realized she wasn’t wearing a goddamn bra.

  “Thank you,” she said. “But the truth is, the amount of money I can afford for a car right now is zero.”

  “What?”

  “It’s zero. Whatever money I make in tips the next night I work plus what you just gave me will be all the money I have.”

  “What about what George pays you?” I asked.

  “It’s an unpaid internship. He’s paying the rent for me at this place. I left home with enough cash to keep me in groceries for a little while. But I wasn’t kidding about how badly I needed this job at the Den.”

  I reached into my back pocket and pulled out my wallet.

  “Torch …”

  I handed her what I had on me, just two hundred.

  “I can’t take that,” she said.

  “Consider it an advance,” I said. “I expect you to work it off.”

  I meant it plainly, but the minute the words came out, new heat flared through me. Shit.

  A blush crept into her cheeks. Her skin was so damn hot as she took the money from me.

  “Thank you,” she said. “I really do appreciate it. You’ve been so nice to me.”

  Nice. That was for sure a word I wasn’t used to having applied to me.

  “Give me your phone,” I said.

  “My phone?”

  “Yes. I want to put my contact in it, so I can get you that info with my dealer.”

  She bit her lip. “Um ... I’m kind of in between phones right now too. I ... uh ... it’s the real reason why I’m taking this cash. I’m going to head over to the store tomorrow and get a new one.”

  “What number did you give Shannon on your application?” I asked.

  “I gave her my Uncle George’s office number.”

  I didn’t like it. Not only was she facing the prospect of riding a damn bus alone, she had no phone in case of an emergency.

  “It’s okay,” she said, interjecting before I could express my anger. “I promise. I’m going to get a new one tomorrow.”

  She reached into her apron and pulled out a pen. “Why don’t you just write it down for me, and I’ll text you tomorrow as soon as I get my phone.”

  I took the pen. Sydney held out her palm. Dammit if I didn’t have a fantasy about writing it somewhere more intimate. Fuck. It had been almost a throwaway comment I’d made about her wearing the club brand. It was exactly what I dreamt about doing to her.

  Taking her. Branding her. Claiming her. Yeah. She was every bit the spoiled little rich girl I knew she was. She admitted as much, and I respected her for having the guts to own up to it. And to try to prove herself. But I also knew it meant she’d never had anyone as rough as me.

  Even that thought set my blood racing. I didn’t like the idea of her having anyone else at all.

  I wrote my number on her hand.

  “Thanks,” she said. “I’ll text you tomorrow.”

  “And I’ll give your new number to Shannon. She’ll get you on the schedule next week, for sure. And you don’t have to worry about Lori being a bitch to you anymore. That’s a promise.”

  “Torch ... please ... don’t.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said.

  The door opened, and another tenant came out of the building. He looked scared as he recognized my cut. Sydney smiled and gave him a polite wave.

  “I’d better go,” she said. “I want to get a shower. My feet are killing me. Then, I plan to sleep like the dead.”

  If she’d have invited me in that night, I might have gone. Even though I knew it was a bad idea, the urge to fuck this girl burned through me.

  We had rules. She was George Bailey’s niece. She was now a waitress at the club. Bad idea on every front.

  But I was feeling bad as hell that night.

  Sydney gave me a killer smile as she headed up the steps and went into the building.

  I ran a hand through my hair and waited. A minute later, a light came on on the second floor. Good. I would have killed George if he’d put her in a ground unit.

  I mounted my bike and started it. The curtains on that second-floor window moved. I could see Sydney’s silhouette through the glass as I peeled out and headed back to the Den.

  Chapter Nine

  The next morning, I laid it out for Shannon and Lori. I walked in as they were doing clean-ups behind the bar.

  Shannon, to her credit, could sense the problem as soon as she saw me walk in. “Hey, Torch,” she said, poking Lori in the arm, so she turned and faced me too.

  “You both tried to fuck that girl over,” I said. “Prove me wrong.”

  Lori’s face went white. “She wasn’t ... I didn’t …”

  “Colt told you to train her. You got some sort of problem with that?”

  “Uh ... no,” Lori said. “I was just …”

  “You gave her a busted tablet. You threw her out there when we were busy and just took off. You wanted her to fail. You don’t like her, that’s your problem. But when you pull shit that affects the service our people get when they’re in here, then it’s my problem. I didn’t tell you to like her. I don’t give a shit if you hate her. But I expect both of you to do your jobs and cut the mean girl shit as far as it gets in the way of our business. You got me?”

  I’m not into making girls cry. I wasn’t about to now. But Lori and Shannon appeared to have gotten the message. I left it there and headed back into the meeting room.

  Joker was already there, and he’d witnessed the whole thing with the girls and me. He had a shit-eating grin on his face.

  “Don’t start,” I said. “You were here last night. You saw what happened.”

  I was ready for some ball-busting, but Joker surprised me and just shrugged. “Yeah. It was bullshit. Colt actually already said something to Shannon. I think she thought he was going to fire her.”

  Colt, Kellan, and Brax came in just then. Colt looked over his shoulder. Shannon was still sheet white. She turned and busied herself cleaning a counter that was already spotless.

  “We good?” Colt asked.

  “I think they got the message,” I said. Colt shut the door behind him.

  “Good,” he said. “Now enough of that crap. That girl needs to fight her own battles with those two. You got some kind of claim on her I need to know about?”

  His question hit me right between the eyes. Part of me knew I should have said yes right then and there. Sure, it was club code to leave the help alone. But I wouldn’t be the first to violate it.

  “No claim,” I said. “I just call out bullshit when I see it, is all. That girl was good last night. She thinks on her feet.”

  Colt cocked his head, considering me. “Yeah. Maybe she’s tougher than George thinks.”

  “What?”

  Colt raised a brow and sat down. “Her being here is causing him some grief with his family. He’s hoping she turns tail and heads on back to Daddy. He gives her another month, tops, before she breaks.”

  Anger rose in me. I knew in my bones that girl might be tougher than all of them thought. Still, she didn’t belong in Lincolnshire. Maybe they were all right, and I should have just kept my damn mouth shut. I settled on the plan to do just that.

  Then my phone buzzed. I looked down and saw a text from a brand-new number.

  It was Sydney. Her message was simple.

  “All set up with the new phone. Thanks again for everything. It’s nice to have at least one friend.”

  When I looked up, all eyes were on me. Fuck. I got up and left the room.

  Friends. I didn’t want to be her friend. What I wanted from this girl was primal. I wanted to ruin her. And I wanted her on her knees, ass up, begging for the pleasure.

  Chapter Ten

  Sydney

  Every night I worked for the next week, Torch offered to give me a ride home. At the end of that week,
I had five hundred dollars in tips ready to deposit in my new checking account. My parents, my mother in particular, would be horrified if she knew. But the money was mine. I earned every cent through hard work.

  I’d never felt more rich in my life.

  Then there was Torch. He became a quiet, strong presence in my life. There was just no question with him. No argument. He just flat out wasn’t going to let me get on a bus after a shift. He made me feel safe, protected. And yet, I couldn’t figure him out.

  The first night of my second week at the club ended early because we were slow. “You okay if I cut you first?” Shannon asked. She hadn’t exactly warmed to me since that first night, but she’d been professional and courteous. I had a feeling Torch said something to her and wasn’t sure how I felt about that. But I needed this job. I needed to stay in Shannon’s good graces. And I think she now legitimately respected that I could figure out what the hell I was doing.

  “Sure,” I said. It was still light out, not quite eight o’clock.

  “You know,” Shannon said. “Friday is a fight night. I didn’t have you scheduled. It’s a seniority thing. We do really well, and everyone puts in for it. But one of the girls is in a wedding this weekend. I have a spot to fill. Are you interested?”

  “Yes!” I said. “Shannon, that's great. I really appreciate it.”

  She had a tablet in front of her and made the adjustments to the schedule. My new phone vibrated. I’d have a notification from the scheduling app we used.

  “It might get rough,” Shannon said. “I mean, the guys keep the crowd under control. Nobody in Lincolnshire is dumb enough to cause a real ruckus on club property. But they’ll run your ass ragged. And I won’t have time to babysit.”

  “I understand,” I said. “I can handle it.”

  She considered me. No smile. But she gave me a nod at least.

  “Can I ask you?” I said. “I mean ... when you say we do well. How well?”

  Shannon set down her tablet. “We get lots of big groups. We will for sure fill to capacity. Lots of drinking. The last night I worked one, I went home with seven hundred.”