“Do whatever you want, Seven,” Alexis said as I sat down at the table I would be signing at. “Just do no harm, yeah?”
I glanced over my shoulder at her. “You’re acting like I’m physically ripping the hearts out of these chicks or something.”
“Forget I said anything, yeah? I must be starting my period soon or something,” she muttered.
I wrinkled my nose and scowled. “You think you could leave that information to yourself, yeah?”
She laughed and stood straight. “Your adoring fans wait, Mr. Motorcycle.” She pasted a huge smile on her face and nodded to the two security guys who were flanking my table.
It was showtime.
*
Chapter Three
Blue
“These guys don’t look like they have money, but my tips say something different.” Alyssa leaned against the bar and smiled wide. “I don’t think I’ve had this good of day since we had that convention with all the doctors.
I grabbed a stack of plastic cups from under the bar and stacked them next to the tap. “And this was only day one.” Tips had been amazing today. Things had started out somewhat slow, but by the time two o’clock hit, the VIP lounge stayed full of people moving through it all day.
And I thankfully didn’t have another run-in with Seven. It had been embarrassing enough to fall and be a bumbling idiot in front of him, but to then have his girlfriend walk in and be catty about getting his drinks for him was too much for me.
“I hope Karen puts me in here tomorrow,” Alyssa sighed.
“Don’t tell her the tips are good. She’ll put herself in here,” I laughed.
Alyssa blew a raspberry. “As if. You and I both know Karen would never actually work an event.”
Now that was the damn truth. Karen had worked her ass off to get where she was, and she never worked an event more than walking through the room. “I’m sure you’ll be here the rest of the weekend.”
“Oh,” Alyssa gasped. “Looks like maybe we could get a little more tips tonight.” Alyssa nodded to the door and my heart sank to my toes.
There went me not having to see Seven again today.
“Oh, wow,” Alyssa gasped. “That man is beautiful,” she whispered under her breath.
And Seven knew he was. “I’m sure his girlfriend thinks he is, too.”
Alyssa frowned. “Well, shoot.” Alyssa was always hitting on and dating guys who were at events. None of them lasted longer than a week or two before she found another guy at another event. “There was another guy I saw who caught my eye earlier.”
I rolled my eyes. “I can get him whatever he needs and then I’ll close up the room.”
“You’re sure?” Alyssa asked.
I nodded. “Yeah.”
Alyssa clapped her hands together. “Thanks, Blue.” She ducked around the bar and headed out the door.
“I was wondering if you were going to be here,” Seven drawled when he was halfway across the room.
“For the next four minutes, and then I’m off for the night.” I grabbed a glass and set it on the bar. “What can I get you?” I wanted to ask him if his girlfriend knew he was in here getting his own drink, but I held my tongue. I was here to serve drinks, not be catty.
“Just water.”
He could have gotten a water from one of the vending machines in the vending area. I filled his glass with ice and cracked open a bottle of water. “Anything else?”
He shook his head and leaned against the bar. “I need to drive home, better stick with the water.”
At least he was smart about that. “Did your day go well?” I asked. I filled the glass with water and pushed it toward him.
“Kissed some babies, shook a fuck ton of hands, and hugged a bunch of sweaty yet excited people.” Seven shrugged and grabbed the glass. “A good day overall.”
I had no idea who the hell this guy was, but he must be someone important in the world of motorcycles. “Congratulations.” I pasted a smile on my face and feigned interest.
Seven chuckled. “Tomorrow will be more of the same with the bike build judging thrown in there.”
“You’re a mechanic?” I asked. If he was going to stand here and drink his water, I figured I might as well make conversation. Afterall, he knew I was a waitress.
“I guess you could call me that, though I do a lot more than that.”
I grabbed a rag and wiped the top of the bar. “What would you call yourself? I heard your girlfriend call you Mr. Motorcycle.”
Seven chuckled. “Two things.” He held up two fingers. “Alexis is not my girlfriend. Not in the least. She is my publicist.”
“Oh,” I mumbled. “Sorry.” That had been a weird way for a publicist to act earlier. Maybe she had some unrequited feelings for him.
“And second, she only calls me Mr. Motorcycle to annoy me. I only like to be called Seven, that’s it,” he clarified.
“Well, Seven,” I laughed, “tell me what it is you do for a living. Fully. Not just the mechanic part.”
He traced the rim of his glass with the tip of his finger. “Business owner? Entrepreneur?” Seven cleared his throat. “Millionaire?”
“Are you all three of those rolled into one?” I laughed. “One on their own is impressive, but something tells me you’re all three.” I had met many men and women like Seven before. Most of the people who were in the VIP lounges of Hoist Halls were successful and expertise in their field of work.
“I own Seven Builds. We make custom motorcycles and have an aftermarket parts line.”
“If I knew anything about motorcycles, I’m sure I would have my socks blown off by that information.” I knew absolutely nothing about motorcycles or parts for them.
Seven busted out laughing. “You have no idea how refreshing it is to talk to someone and have them not be impressed by me at all.”
My cheeks heated and I knew I was blushing seven shades of red. “I didn’t mean to offend you. I’m not good at blowing smoke up people’s butts.” I cleared my throat. “Wow, you are amazing,” I drawled.
Seven shook his head and laughed even more. “I think I need to keep you around, Blue. You’ll be good to keep me grounded.”
“Well, I’ll be in this room for the next two days. Stop on by for a drink and I’ll land a blow to your ego if you really want. Tell me how much people adore you and I’ll give you a bored look, yeah?”
“I might just take you up on that, Blue.” Seven drained his glass of water and pulled his wallet out.
“Please, you don’t need to tip for a glass of water,” I insisted. The guy had money, I got it. He didn’t need to throw it around to try and impress me.
Seven shook his head and pulled out a fifty-dollar bill. He shoved it in the tip jar at the end of the bar and then pulled out a rectangular card. “Always leave a tip, babe.” He laid the card on the bar and slid it toward me. “And give me a call if you ever feel like it.”
“So, I can get some advice on my bike I don’t own?” I laughed.
“Or something.” Seven winked and pushed off the bar. “I’ll see you around, Blue.” He waltzed out of the lounge with a raise of two fingers over his shoulder.
What in the world had just happened?
This wasn’t the first time I had been given a guy’s card, but it was the first time I picked it up and put it in my pocket. Normally the cards found their way into the garbage without another thought.
Would I call Seven? No.
Would I go home and daydream about the handsome biker who treated me like a person and not just a waitress? Hell yes.
*
Chapter Four
Seven
“I don’t even know why we even come to these things anymore,” Devin, from Mark Builds, laughed. “You’re going to wipe the floor with us tomorrow during the judging.”
I shrugged and took a drag off my cigarette. After I had shot my shot with Blue I planned on heading home, but Devin and some of the other builders were gathered in the
parking lot of the exhibition hall shooting the shit with each other. We were all each other’s competition, but at the end of the day we recognized there were plenty of customers in the world, and we all had the same things in common. “You never know,” I shrugged. “Who the hell knows what these judges are looking for. I tried something new with the rear fender and they might not like it.”
Devin scoffed. “Yeah, and pigs fly, brother. You know they are going to eat that shit up.” He slapped me on the shoulder. “I don’t mind coming in second as long as the guy coming in first is you, Mr. Motorcycle.”
I knocked his hand off my shoulder. “Good, then I’ll start calling you Mr. Second-Place, yeah?” I suggested.
“Burn,” Trent from East Shores laughed.
Devin pointed his finger at Trent. “Yeah, but not as bad as being Mr. Third-Place,” he shot back.
My phone rang in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a number I didn’t recognize. I connected the call and put the phone my ear. “Yo,” I called.
“Uh, Seven?” a women’s voice replied.
“Yeah, you got him.”
The woman cleared her throat. “Um, this is Blue.”
Well, fuck. I had hope that Blue would call me, but I did think it would be a few days, not just thirty minutes. I turned away from the guys and stepped toward my bike. “Hello, Blue.”
The line was silent, but I could hear her breathing.
“You call me for a reason, babe?” I asked. I was glad she had called me, but I wanted to hear more than her breathing.
“Are you busy right now?” she timidly asked.
“Just talking to some guys in the parking lot.”
“Adoring fans?” she laughed.
I glanced over my shoulder at Trent and Devin. “Uh, more like friends who love to hate me.”
“Odd,” she muttered.
“What are you up to, babe?” I asked.
“Funny you should ask,” she laughed nervously. “I am also in the parking lot.”
“Okay,” I drawled. I looked around but did not see Blue anywhere. There were only a few cars left in the parking lot.
“And I’m looking at my car that won’t start.” She sighed heavily. “Do you think you could come look at it or something? I called a tow truck, but there is some big accident on the interstate and it’s going to be hours before they can get to me.”
“Where are you?” She didn’t need to say anything more. “I don’t see a damsel in distress.”
Blue laughed lightly. “That’s because I’m in the staff parking lot. It’s behind the convention center.”
“What color car do you drive? Blue?”
She groaned. “Ugh, yes, it’s blue. I know the irony in it all.”
I chuckled and ran my fingers through my hair. “Give me five minutes and I’ll be right there.” I ended the call and shoved my phone in my pocket.
“Where the hell are you going?” Trent called.
“I’ve got a damsel in distress I need to rescue,” I replied. I threw my leg over my bike and kicked up the kickstand.
“What the hell does that mean?” Devin laughed.
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll see you assholes tomorrow when I kick your asses in the bike build.” I started my bike and revved the engine. The opportunity to spend the night with Blue was a million times more appealing than shooting the shit with Devin and Trent.
Trent flipped me off and Devin nodded.
I drove around the side of the building and pulled up to an open gate. I pulled through and circled the parking lot. Blue was standing next to a dark blue sedan with her arms folded over her chest. She had changed out of her work clothes and was wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. Blue didn’t look very happy, but I didn’t think anyone would be happy if their car wouldn’t start.
I parked next to her car and killed the engine. I kicked down the kickstand but didn’t get off the bike. “Gotta tell ya, babe. I was pretty shocked to hear your voice.”
“You mean your adoring fans don’t call you right after you give them your number?” she laughed.
“Well, none of them have my number, and we decided you weren’t an adoring fan since you didn’t even know who I was.” I swung my leg over my bike and stood. “Pop the hood.”
Blue moved around to the driver’s door and leaned into the car. “And I thought it was good that I wasn’t an adoring fan so I can bring you back down to earth.”
The hood popped and I stuck my hand inside to pull the release. “You try anything other than start it?” I raised the hood and looked at the engine.
“I think it’s the battery.”
I leaned to the side and nodded to her. “Hit the key. I want to see what it does.”
She nodded and sat in the car. She turned the key but all it did was click. “You leave your lights on or maybe one of the cargo lights?”
Blue shook her head. “Not that I know of, but who knows. So, the battery is dead?” she asked.
I nodded. “You got jumper cables?”
She shook her head. “No. I had a pair, but Alyssa needed them a couple of months ago and I never got them back.”
I dropped the hood and wiped my hands on my pants. “I don’t have one either. I’ll give you a ride home and I’ll see about getting your car jumped tomorrow.”
“No,” Blue exclaimed. “You don’t need to give me a ride. I just wanted you to look at the car.”
“I looked at it, Blue, and you can’t drive it.”
“Okay,” she replied simply. “Thank you.”
I looked around the deserted parking lot. “You gonna thumb it home? You and I are the only ones here.”
Blu looked around. “Uh, I can call for a taxi or something. I don’t want to bother you anymore than I already have.”
“So, you’re going to send me away and call someone else to pick you up?” I laughed.
“Well, yes.” She cringed and pulled her phone out. “I don’t want to keep you from whatever it is you had planned.”
“I planned to go home and have a drink, Blue. Taking you home seems like a better night than I had planned.” I stepped toward her and grabbed her phone from her hand. “Just let me take you home.”
She tried to reach for the phone, but I held it over my head.
“I don’t even know you, Seven.”
I scoffed. “And you know the taxi driver you were about to call?” I shook my head and shoved her phone in my pocket. “I’m taking you home and then you can have your phone when we get there.”
“How am I supposed to know that you aren’t trying to kidnap me right now?” she insisted.
I tipped my head to the side. “Because I don’t need to kidnap women to have them spend time with me.”
“Until you met me.”
I shook my head. “You’re a crazy one, Blue.”
“Did you really think someone with the name Blue is sane?” she laughed. “My parents painted me crazy the second they named me.”
“Funny how our name vaguely sets us up for life, yeah?” With the name Seven I was either going to be a huge success or a weirdo squirrelled away in the corner talking to myself. “My parents named me seven because I was born July, the seventh month, on the seventh in nineteen eighty-seven. They claimed they couldn’t ignore the seven.”
“My father died before I was born. My mom said the second she saw my eyes she knew they were my dad’s. My dad’s name was Gary.” Blue pointed to her eyes. “She couldn’t really call me Gary, so she decided to go with Blue.”
I bobbed my hands up and down. “Blue or Gary,” I hemmed. “I have to think that she made the right choice between the two.”
“More than likely,” she murmured.
“So now will you get on my bike since you know why my name is Seven?” I asked.
“Only if you give me back my phone before I get on the bike,” she bargained.
“Fine.” I pulled out her phone and held it out to her. “Lock your car and let’s go, babe.”<
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Blue grabbed her phone and shut the driver’s door. She beeped the locks and followed me over to my bike. “I’ve never been this close to a motorcycle before, let alone been on one.”
“Well, I’m glad to be the one to pop your motorcycle cherry, babe.” I reached into the saddle bag and pulled out a helmet. “Put this on.”
“Aren’t you wearing one?” she asked as she plopped it on her head and snapped the clasp under her chin.
I shook my head and threw my leg over the bike. “Get on.”
“I find it questionable that I have to wear a helmet and you’re not,” she countered.
“You can take it off if you want, babe. I just figured since it was your first time on a bike you would feel more comfortable wearing one.”
“So, you’re saying you won’t kill me, right?”
I chuckled and motioned for her to get on behind me. “Can’t make that big of a promise, Blue, but I’ll do my damnedest to get you home safe.”
She huffed but nodded her had. “I guess I can’t really ask for more than that.” She slid on behind me and rested her hands on the tops of my shoulders.
I reached for her hand and placed it on my waist. “Hold on there, babe.”
“That seems rather personal,” she muttered.
I grabbed her other hand and placed it on my waist. “I think we passed personal seeing as your legs are wrapped around me, babe.” This was one of the reasons why I loved riding; my passenger plastered against me with no place to go. I laid my hand on her leg and squeezed gently.
Her body tensed behind me, but she didn’t move away. “I live over on Weston.”
I nodded. “Okay. We’ll get there eventually.” I circled around Blue’s car and then headed out of the parking lot.
“What do you mean eventually?” she called. “You said you were taking me home.”
I glanced over my shoulder at her. “And I am. Figured we could take the long way there.”
She furrowed her brow. “I guess that’s okay.”
I smirked and turned back to the road. I was going to make sure the rest of the night was more than okay.
It was going to be unforgettable.
Mr. Motorcycle: A Billionaire Romance Page 2
