by L. Wilder
“Not yet, but he should be here soon.” When he saw the panicked look on my face, he asked, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Maybe. I don’t know. I can’t really say for sure.”
“Anything I can help with?”
“No, I really need to talk to Menace.”
“All right. Suit yourself.” He motioned his hand to the stool next to him. “You might as well take a load off until he gets here.”
It was still too early to start getting ready for work, so I nodded and sat down next to him. I glanced up at the stage and watched as one of the young blondes twirled around the pole, and I shook my head with a groan as I thought about what I would’ve done if Menace had actually hired me as one of their new dancers. It would’ve been a nightmare. I couldn’t dance, at least not like the blonde on the stage, and I certainly couldn’t have done it up there with no clothes on. It seemed Marlowe and Frankie were right. Menace really was a great judge of character, but he was also an all-around good guy.
He’d helped out Jessie, Brandy, and Mazie from having to endure their old manager’s sexual harassment by hiring them to work here, he’d also hired me for a more suitable job, and he’d even come to my rescue with that jerk who had his hands all over me. I might’ve been wrong about the sexy biker with the brooding eyes, but I felt like I could trust him—I wasn’t sure just how much, though, especially after what Frankie had told me. That thought had my panic returning. I glanced over at Rafe. “What time does he typically come in?”
“He’s usually here before the rest of us, but he had something to take care of today.”
“Oh?” My mind started racing. “Is something wrong?”
“We’ll know soon enough.”
The words had barely left Rafe’s mouth when Menace came walking through the back door. His eyes immediately met mine in an intense glare that sent a chill racing down my spine. He held my gaze as he kept walking in our direction. Damn. Why did he have to be so incredibly hot? I couldn’t even look at the man without thinking about our encounter in the hallway, but those thoughts were now clouded with fear and anxiety. This handsome brute had the power to destroy me—literally, and he didn’t even know it. When he approached us, he didn’t stop. Instead, he gave Rafe a quick nod and continued to his office as he said, “It’s been handled.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.” As soon as Menace was out of view, Rafe gave me a little nudge with his elbow and chuckled. “Hey, ah... Menace is here.”
“Yeah, I see that.”
“Aren’t you gonna go back and talk to him?”
“I don’t know.” My anxiety was at an all-time high. “He doesn’t look like he’s in a very good mood.”
“No, but I wouldn’t let that deter you. Menace can be pretty intense, but he’s a good guy.” It was almost as if he knew what I wanted to tell him. “If you’ve got something to talk to him about, you should go do it. Waiting is just going to make it harder.”
“You’re right. I’ll speak with him now.” I got up from the stool and took a step towards Menace’s office, but the thought of actually walking in and talking to him made my heart start pounding against my chest. My pulse was rushing through my ears, making it impossible to think. I was on the verge of a full-on panic attack. Knowing I couldn’t talk to him until I’d settled my shaky nerves, I quickly veered in an entirely different direction and muttered, “Um, later. Yeah, I’ll talk to him later.”
I was so screwed.
Menace
“Aubrey.”
“Oh, hey, Menace.” She nervously raked her teeth over her bottom lip. “Was there something you needed?”
“No.” Damn, she looked fucking incredible. Thoughts of the night before came crashing through my mind, and it was all I could do to keep my fucking hands to myself. “Just doing my rounds.”
“Oh.” A little blush swept over her face as she smiled and said, “Well, things are okay here.”
Before I could say anything more, Country came up beside me and said, “Well, hey there, sunshine. Nice to see you’re out of your office and reaping the benefits of all your hard work.”
“Seems like you’ve been doing that enough for the both of us.” I sounded more irritated than I’d intended when I asked, “What are you doing here so early?”
“Yeah, just filling in until Lynch can get here. I think he ate a bad batch of tacos or something.” A mischievous smirk crossed Country’s face as he turned his attention to Aubrey. “How was the big date last night?”
“Even better than I hoped.” I don’t know what got to me more—the fact that Aubrey had gone on a date after our encounter in the hall or the fact that Country knew about it. Aubrey’s eyes lit up as she told him, “I’m thinking we’re going to meet up again tonight.”
“Is that right?” Country snickered as he teased. “Let me know if you wanna make it a threesome.”
“I wouldn’t hold my breath there, buddy.”
She gave him a quick wink, then turned to leave. We both stood there and stared at her ass as she headed over to the bar to put in her order. As soon as she was out of earshot, I turned to Country and asked, “What the fuck was that?”
“What?”
“The fucking date,” I growled. “She seeing someone?”
“Why?” Country gave me a nudge with his elbow. “You worried about a little competition?”
“Just answer the damn question.”
“There was no big date, brother,” Country replied with a smirk. “She blew me off so she could go home to fucking bed.”
“Hmmm.”
“So, you into this chick or what?”
“Just asking a question.”
“Yeah, if you say so.” Country studied me for a moment, then said, “I best get to work. You need anything, like a wingman or an in with Aubrey, just let me know.”
Without any further mouthing off, Country set off for the front door, leaving me alone at one of the back tables. I sat down, and it wasn’t long before I found myself looking over to watch Aubrey as she talked to a young couple in the corner. Her hair was swept back with little strands flowing down around her face. My cock stirred as I watched her head fall back when she started laughing at something the couple had said. I had to give it to her. The girl was breathtaking.
When Rafe mentioned that Aubrey had something she wanted to talk to me about, I couldn’t help but wonder if it had something to do with last night and our heated exchange or with her real identity—something that had been on my mind since the morning she walked into my office, even more so after last night. I was tempted to call her into my office and push her to tell me what was really on her mind, but I decided against it. I wanted her to gain the courage to come on her own, but it had been hours since he’d told me about their exchange. Hours upon hours of watching her walk past me, seeing the worried look in her eyes and not knowing why it was there, and it was getting to me. Yet, I did nothing. That wasn’t something I did very well, especially when it came to what I wanted—and I wanted her.
It was crazy to be so attracted to someone I didn’t really know, but I was. It sounded cliché, but there was something about her that got to me. Maybe it was lust or simple curiosity that was fucking with my head. Something had happened to her, and I had no idea what, but it had left its mark. I could see it in her eyes, but she hadn’t let it consume her. She seemed to have found a way to move past it. She’d even found a way to smile, and damn, that fucking smile could light up the entire room. The woman was strong and determined as hell, and I was undeniably intrigued.
Damn.
I needed to get a fucking grip.
I was so focused on Aubrey and her exchange with the young couple that I never noticed Hawk had sat down next to me until he said, “You ever find out anything about her?”
“What?”
“Aubrey... You find out anything more about her?”
“No, not yet, but I’m working on it.”
“Mm-hmm. I gotta say
that I’m having a hard time figuring out what’s going on with you and this chick.” I could hear the concern in his voice. “You seem to be putting a lot on the line for this woman.”
“I’m aware.”
“So, how far are you gonna let this thing ride?”
“I don’t know.” I glanced back over at Aubrey. “Guess that’ll be up to her, but I got this. If there’s any trouble, I’ll handle it.”
“And what if it’s more than you can handle?”
He didn’t give me a chance to answer before he got up and walked over to his ol’ lady, Delilah. She was talking to Danny, her brother, and one of our prospects, from the look on Delilah’s face, they were having a heated discussion. If I had to guess, it was Delilah’s attempt of getting him away from the club long enough for us to plan his induction. He’d been prospecting for almost a year, and had recently earned the road name Locke for being someone the brothers considered reliable and steadfast. The brothers were proud of his commitment to the club, and after a unanimous vote, we’d decided to patch him in. We wanted to plan something special for him, but to do that, we needed him to actually leave the premises—something he clearly wasn’t happy about. I wasn’t surprised. Since the day he’d started prospecting, the kid had given it his all and never once failed to be there when one of us needed him. Thankfully, Delilah was even more stubborn than he was, so I had full faith that she’d take care of getting him out of here long enough for the girls to get things ready for him.
Just as I expected, it wasn’t long before Locke turned and followed Delilah out of the club. As soon as they were certain he was gone, the girls got busy getting the decorations and food together. I took that as my cue to head back to my office. I closed the door and sat down at my desk, then got to work on the previous night’s receipts. I’d been at it for a couple of hours when there was a knock at the door. I figured it was one of the girls coming to get me for Danny’s patch in, but it was Aubrey who peeked her head inside the door. “Hey… You got a minute?”
“Yeah, I’ve got a few.” I motioned her inside and tried to play it cool as I said, “Whatcha need?”
“I was hoping I could talk to you about something.” She sat down in the chair in front of me and immediately started fidgeting. “I went by the coffee shop this morning and had a talk with Frankie.”
“Okay. Was this talk about anything in particular?”
“It was about you. Well, technically it was about all the brothers, but she said something about you that concerned me.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.” She started to fidget even more as she continued, “She said you look into the people you hire to work for you. That it’s part of your job, and you have real talent for finding out things that others can’t.”
“She told you that, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s why I came to talk to you.” Her eyes skirted around the room as she pressed her lips together. Hoping this was the moment I’d been waiting for, I didn’t push her to continue but instead waited until she gathered the courage. “Have you looked into me?”
“Like you said, it’s part of my job.”
“I know, and I get why, but if you haven’t already, please don’t go looking for information about me. I know I shouldn’t ask that of you, but I promise you I’m not a criminal. I haven’t done anything wrong. I just...”
“Just what, Aubrey, or whatever your real name is.”
“So, you already know I’m not Aubrey Cash?”
“I do.”
“Oh God. I shouldn’t have come to you with this.” She stood and started to leave. “I don’t know what I was thinking. I’m just gonna go.”
“Seriously? That’s it? You’re just gonna run again?” I leaned back in my chair and tried to say whatever I could to keep her from walking out. “You said yourself that things were going good here.”
She turned around to face me. “They are, but...”
“Then, why are you giving up so fast? No one asked you to go.”
“You don’t understand. I don’t have a choice. If you’ve looked into me or if you’re going to, it’s only a matter of time before they find me and I can’t let that happen.”
“You can’t let who find you?”
She looked over to me, and seeing the worry and pain in her eyes got me right in the gut. I wanted to stand up and go to her, wrap my arms around her, and assure her that everything would be okay, but I resisted and remained planted in my chair as I listened to her say, “I wish I could tell you. I really do, but I can’t. It’s just too dangerous.”
“So, you’re in danger.”
“You have to stop, Menace. Please.”
“That’s not gonna happen.” I couldn’t stand it a moment longer. I stood up, walked over to her, and brought my hand up to her face, softly brushing my knuckles across her cheek. “You don’t have to keep dealing with this all on your own. I can help you if you let me.”
“And what happens when you get hurt, ’cause the last time someone tried to help me, they ended up dead.” She took a step back and shook her head. “I can’t take the chance on that happening again. I just can’t. Not with you.”
Before I could respond, she turned and bolted out of my office. I was just about to go after her when I spotted Viper and Axel walking down the hall. As soon as Viper saw me in the doorway, he shouted, “You coming or what? Locke will be back any minute.”
“Yeah, sure.”
I followed them back out to the main bar, and the whole place was completely decked out with decorations and enough food for a fucking army. Normally, we’d have our prospects complete a final run or a trivial-but-difficult task before patching them in, but we’d all agreed that Danny had gone above and beyond during his year of prospecting.
When Hawk gave the signal, all the brothers gathered by the door and waited as Locke got out of Delilah’s car and started over to the door. As soon as he entered the bar, the girls started cheering, and Locke just stood there staring at us with a look of utter disbelief. Viper took a step forward and held up Locke’s new Ruthless Sinners’ cut and said, “Welcome to the brotherhood.”
“Are you fucking serious?” Locke gasped. “I’m in?”
“Yeah, brother. You’re in.” Viper leaned forward and grabbed Locke, giving him a huge bro-hug and slapping him on his back as he said, “You did good.”
Viper helped him slip on his new cut, and then the rest of us stepped up and congratulated him. Once we were done, we all headed over to the bar and did a round of shots. One round led to the next, and it wasn’t long before Locke was feeling pretty fucking good. He was staring out at all the decorations when he asked, “Is this why Delilah had me at the fucking mall for hours on end?”
“Yeah.” Hawk chuckled. “We had to find a way to get you out of here for a while.”
“I still can’t believe it. I’m actually a Sinner now.”
“That you are.” I gave him a pat on the shoulder and teased him. “Now, don’t fuck it up.”
“Not a chance.”
I was just about to do another shot when it hit me that I hadn’t seen Aubrey since she left my office. I took a quick look around, and when I didn’t see any sign of her, I turned to Lisa, our main bartender, and asked, “Have you seen Aubrey?”
“I saw her earlier, but now that you mention it, I haven’t since Locke got here.”
“Goddamn it.”
When I stood, she asked, “Why? Is everything okay?”
“No. No, it’s not.” I scanned the area one last time, but Aubrey was nowhere to be found. “I’ve gotta go. You mind closing tonight?”
“Sure thing.”
“Thanks, Lisa.”
I headed straight over to Viper to let him know I was leaving. He was talking to Axel, and I could tell by his expression something was troubling him. As soon as I approached, he looked over to me and said, “Just the man I was looking for.”
“Something going on?”
“I jus
t got a call, and apparently, some rumbling is going around about the manager over at the Pink Pony. He’s pissed that we stole some of his best girls.”
"I’m sure good ol’ Gary is pissed, but he brought that shit on himself by demanding sexual favors for a decent fucking schedule. Besides, we couldn’t steal what came to us freely.”
“Sounds like Gary got what Gary deserved.”
“That he did.” I didn’t have time to get into a long discussion about Gary and his bullshit, so I told Viper, “I’ve gotta get out of here for a bit, but I’ll be back when I can.”
“Everything okay?”
“Not sure, but I intend to find out.”
“Let me know if you need anything.”
“You know I will.”
I gave him a quick nod, then headed out to the parking lot. I hopped on my bike and headed over to Marlowe’s old apartment, the whole time cursing myself for letting her walk out of my office. I should’ve stopped her and forced her to talk to me, but she bolted before I got the chance. I would’ve gone after her then, but there was no way I could miss Locke’s induction into the club. It was a rite of passage for him—one that he’d spent a year of his life earning, and I owed it to him to be there. Besides, no matter what was going on, the club always came first. I’d done what I needed for my brothers, and now it was time to find out what the hell was going on with Aubrey.
When I pulled into the apartment complex, I was relieved to see Aubrey’s car still in the parking lot. I whipped into a spot and parked, then rushed up to her door. I knocked and tried my best to collect myself as I waited for her to answer. After several long, agonizing minutes, the door opened, and a surprised Aubrey gasped. “Menace! What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.”
“No, we don’t,” she argued. “I’ve already said too much.”
