Tempting Country: Ruthless Sinners MC

by Wilder, L.

  “Okay.” I gave Rafe a quick wave and said, “Hope to see ya later.”

  “I’m sure you will.”

  Grayson led me out of the bar and down a long, dark hallway lined with various doors. I was so busy taking in my surroundings that I’d almost forgotten I was about to meet with Viper, but the realization hit me the second Grayson stopped at the end of the hall. I was expecting my heart to start racing again or my throat to close up, but neither happened. Instead, I remained perfectly calm as Grayson tapped on the door and stuck his head inside. After a few brief words, he motioned me inside. “Good luck.”

  “Wait... You aren’t coming with me?”

  “No, babe. This is all you.”

  “Seriously?” I inhaled a deep breath, then let it out slowly. “Okay, I’ve got this.”

  “I know you do.” He leaned down and kissed me on the forehead. “I’ll be waiting in the bar when you’re done.”

  I nodded, then stepped into the office. Viper was sitting behind a large desk, and there was a man sitting in front of him. The man stood and extended his hand as he said, “You must be Kiersten.”

  “Yes, sir. I am.”

  “Good to meet ya. I’m Axel. The club’s VP.” He was older, maybe in his late forties, but like Viper, he was tall, muscular, and clearly able to handle himself. He pulled out the chair next to him and said, “Make yourself comfortable.”

  “Thank you.”

  Once I was seated, Viper looked over to me. “I appreciate you coming down to meet with us. I know you’re busy, but I didn’t want any distractions while we discussed the final details of our agreement.”

  “I understand, and I was more than happy to come.” I shifted in my seat, trying to make myself a little more comfortable. “I’m eager to hear your thoughts on how this should play out.”

  “Hawk has already discussed some of the ground rules. Before we continue, I want to be sure that you understand our expectations.” He leaned forward and clasped his hands on his desk. “Your safety is a priority to us. We don’t want to put you or our partnership in danger. In order to do that, we must limit your exposure. Your sales to the college have to stop, and we will become your primary source of distribution.”

  “I understand.” While I wasn’t exactly thrilled about losing the college sales, I knew Viper was right. I was putting my entire operation in danger every time I sold on that campus, and I was more than happy to take that risk out of the equation. Besides, with them taking over distribution, I could put all my focus into my production—where I’d always wanted it to be. Maybe then, I could do more to help those in need. “I just have one request... actually two requests.”

  “Okay, let’s hear them.”

  “I don’t want my father involved in any of this. I want to keep it between us—at least for now.”

  “I respect Billy and appreciate what he’s done for our club. I don’t want any grievances to arise because you’ve chosen not to discuss your work with him. You should consider talking to him.”

  “He never talked to me about the work he was doing with you, and I’m fairly certain you wouldn’t want him to either.”

  Axel raised his eyebrow as he looked over to Viper and said, “She’s got a point there, Prez.”

  “That she does.” Viper’s brows furrowed as he asked, “So, what’s your other request?”

  “I had my reasons for going into this line of business, and it wasn’t just to make money. While that’s been great, and I hope it continues, I started this whole process in hopes of helping people. That’s very important to me.” I swallowed hard, praying that Viper wouldn’t shoot me down. “I have a few people I donate my product to. Most are suffering from cancer, while others have issues with chronic pain from injuries or crippling migraines like my mother had.”

  “And you want to continue supplying to these people?”

  “Yes, it’s extremely important to me and to them.” He didn’t immediately respond, so I added, “You can look into each and every one of them. You will see that they genuinely need the help and—”

  “I don’t see any problem with you continuing to supply these folks. In fact, I might have a few more to add to that list.”

  “That would be great.” Feeling an overwhelming sense of relief, I rested back in my chair and asked, “Okay, so I guess it’s time for us to discuss numbers.”

  “Yes, it is.” Viper eased back and crossed his arms, taking on a look of authority. “We’ve examined the expense reports you sent us and understand there’s a great deal of cost that goes into your production. With that in mind, we will strictly focus on the profits. We’re willing to go sixty-forty after all expenses have been paid.”

  “Sixty-forty?” I sat up straight and gasped. “You’ve got to be kidding me? I’m the one supplying the goods.”

  “And we’re the ones who are taking all the risks in moving the product.” His tone remained firm as he continued, “We’re not trying to take advantage here, Kiersten. You’ll still bring home a great deal of money, and with us running the distribution, you can put your focus into your work.”

  “And all expenses will be handled first, including what I pay my people?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Okay, I can agree on that.”

  “Good. I plan on coming out to your place this week to take a look at your operation for myself. And when I do, I’ll be bringing two of the brothers along with me, who’ll be staying there to help out with security. They’ll rotate out each week and—”

  “Wait! That’s not necessary. I have Braylon, and Riggs has—”

  “I know all about the security system Riggs set up for you, and while it’s impressive, he and I both agree that you need more than three men to watch over everything.”

  “You spoke to Riggs?”

  “Of course, I did. I owe it to you and to Fury to be fully informed about Langford Manor, including what kind of security you have and who’s in charge of it. And frankly, Braylon and the other two just aren’t enough.”

  “Okay, if you think they need to be there, then that’s what we’ll do.”

  “I’m glad you agree.”

  “So, that covers everything, right?”

  “I believe it does.” Viper stood and extended his hand. “We look forward to doing business with you.”

  I shook his hand and then Axel’s as I replied, “And I look forward to working with you as well.”

  “I hope you’ll hang around for a while.” Axel smiled as he said, “The boys have a little celebration planned for later tonight.”

  Grayson and I were planning on heading back tonight, but after that night by the fire, I was intrigued by the idea of a party with him and his brothers. “Sure, I’d love to.”

  “I’ll let them know that you’ll be there.”

  I nodded, then headed out of the office and started back down the hall. I was tempted to open one of the many doors, just to see what was inside the different rooms, but decided against it when I noticed one of the brothers walking in my direction. He was around my age, extremely handsome with dirty blond hair, and a friendly smile. When he approached, he gave me a quick once over and said, “You must be Kiersten.”

  “I am.” I was feeling pretty good after my meeting with Viper, so I smiled and asked, “And you are?”

  “The guys call me Locke.”

  “It’s nice to meet ya, Locke.”

  “You coming to the party tonight?”

  Before I could answer, Grayson stepped into the hallway and growled, “Time to move on, Locke.”

  “What?” He turned and gave Country an innocent smile. “I was just asking the pretty lady if she’d be at the party tonight.”

  “I know exactly what you were doing, and I’m telling ya it’s time to move on,” Grayson barked.

  Locke threw his hands up in surrender as he stepped back and said, “Okay, brother. Point taken.”

  Without another word, Locke turned and disappeared down the hall.
Once he was gone, I stepped over to Grayson and asked, “What was that all about?”

  “You know exactly what it was about.”

  “He was just being nice.”

  “He was trying to get in your fucking pants.”

  “I doubt that, but even if he was, there’s only one Sinner that’s gettin’ in these pants.”

  Grayson cocked his eyebrow. “Is that an invitation?”

  “Absolutely.” I smiled as I slipped my arms around his waist. “But it’ll have to wait until later ’cause we’ve got some celebrating to do.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Mm-hmm. My meeting with Viper went even better than I expected.”

  “That’s what I’m talking about.” He leaned down and gave me a kiss. “I knew you had nothing to worry about.”

  “Well, I wasn’t so sure, but I really think this could be a great deal for all of us.”

  “I’m sure it will be.” He slipped his arm around my back, inching me closer as he teased. “Now, what about that invitation?”

  “I’m ready when you are.” The words had barely left my mouth when I was lifted into the air and tossed over Grayson’s shoulder. “Grayson! I thought we were going to wait until later!”

  Ignoring me, he continued down the hall, then suddenly stopped and opened a door, revealing a small bedroom that reminded me of a hotel room. I didn’t have time to notice much more before Grayson lowered me to my feet and pinned me against the wall. He didn’t speak but simply planted his lips on mine and began devouring my mouth with a kiss that made my knees tremble. He dropped his hands to the button of my jeans and quickly lowered the zipper. Seconds later, his hand was between my legs, and he was raking his fingers across my center. “I’m glad you’re ready for me, baby, because we don’t have time for all the bells and whistles. We gotta be quick. The guys will be waiting for us.”

  “I’m good with quick.”

  I kicked off my boots and made fast work of my jeans and panties. When I turned back to Grayson, he was standing in front of me with his jeans lowered to his hips and rolling on a condom. I barely had time to blink before he picked me up and again had my back pinned against the wall as I wrapped my legs around him. He slammed into me with one hard thrust, filling me entirely. I clung to him as he continued in an urgent pace. It wasn’t long before I felt that familiar churn in my abdomen. My orgasm was coming hard and fast just like Grayson’s rhythm. I cried out as my release crashed over me, and Grayson soon followed as we continued to cling to one another.

  After a minute or so, I looked up at him and smiled. “That might’ve been quick, but I’m pretty sure I heard some bells and a whistle.”

  “Well, if you thought you heard them now, just wait until later tonight.”

  Nine

  Country

  I never thought a woman would be able to wrap me around her finger, but Kiersten had done it. And she’d done it without even trying. Hell, I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she sat at one of the back tables talking with Parker and the other ol’ ladies. They were all laughing and carrying on as they tossed back a few beers, and I was pleased to see that she fit right in. I knew she would. Kiersten had this undeniable charm that drew everyone in and had them coming back for more. I watched as she glanced over her shoulder, searching for me in the crowd. As soon as our eyes met, a warm smile crossed her face, and it got me right in the gut.

  “Damn, boy. You got it bad.”

  “What are you talking about?

  “You know damn well what I’m talking about.” Rafe motioned his head towards Kiersten as he said, “I’ve known you a long damn time, and never once have I seen you look at a chick the way you were looking at her.”

  “I was just making sure she was all right. You know how vicious the ol’ ladies can be.”

  “Yeah, they’re a regular pack of wolves.” Rafe took a pull from his beer. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. She seems to be holding her own.”

  I glanced back over at Kiersten, and I couldn’t help but smile when I caught her laughing at something one of the girls had said. “Yeah, she does.”

  “You planning on heading back with her tomorrow?”

  “Yeah, Viper and Lynch are coming, too. After he gives everything a good once over, Viper will head back, and Lynch and I will stay for the remainder of the week.”

  “You thought about how this thing is gonna work with you two?”

  “Well, Lynch isn’t exactly my type, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”

  Rafe’s tone turned serious. “I’m not fucking around, Country.”

  “I don’t know what to tell ya. I guess we’ll just take things day by day and see how it plays out.”

  “That’s fine, but don’t fuck it up.” Rafe motioned his head at the back table. “Or that pack of wolves over there will have your ass.”

  Rafe gave me one of his looks, then turned and headed over to the back table to check on Marlowe. I finished off my beer, then turned and motioned to Caitlyn, one of the club’s hang-arounds, signaling I needed another. She nodded, then reached into the cooler to grab me a cold one. Caitlyn was a cute blonde with a killer figure, and she always made a point to show it off by wearing low-cut tops and skin-tight miniskirts. Everyone knew she had a bit of a thing for me, so I wasn’t surprised when she sauntered over with a seductive smile. She placed my beer down on the counter, then leaned forward, making sure I saw every inch of her cleavage as she purred. “Here ya go, handsome.”

  “Thanks, Caitlyn.”

  “You having a good night?”

  “Yeah, I can’t complain.”

  “Well, if you’re looking to make it better, I’m free later tonight.” She inched a little closer. “I’ll show ya a real good time.”

  “I’m sure you would, but—”

  “He’s got other plans,” Kiersten interrupted. “He’s got some bells and whistles to tend to.”

  “Excuse me?” Caitlyn glanced back over to me with confusion. “Bells and whistles? What the hell is she talking about?”

  I didn’t answer. Instead, I slipped my arm around Kiersten’s waist and pulled her closer. “I thought you were still with the girls.”

  “I was.” Her eyes skirted over to Caitlyn as she said, “I just came over to get another beer.”

  “Mm-hmm. Okay.” I looked over to Caitlyn. “You heard the woman. She needs a beer.”

  Caitlyn rolled her eyes and huffed as she whipped around and headed over to the cooler. Kiersten was glaring at her as she asked me, “Who is that anyway?”

  “That would be Caitlyn. She’s one of the club’s hang-arounds who helps out at the bar from time to time.” Remembering our earlier conversation about Locke, I decided to use her words against her and said, “You’ve got nothing to worry about, babe. She was just being nice.”

  Realizing what I was doing, she cocked her eyebrow and sassed, “Really? That’s how you’re gonna play this?”

  “You know,” I lowered my mouth to her ear and whispered, “You’re beautiful when you’re jealous.”

  “I’m not jealous, Grayson. I was just asking who she was.”

  “Whatever you say, boss.” I grabbed the beer Caitlyn had left for her on the counter and handed it to her. “You having fun with the girls?”

  “I’m having a great time with them.” She glanced over her shoulder, making sure no one could hear then lowered her voice and said, “They’re nothing like I expected. I mean, I met Parker when she and Menace were at Dad’s, and she seemed super nice, but even she’s different than I thought she’d be.”

  “Not sure what you mean.”

  “It’s hard to explain. I spent weeks watching them on your security feed.” My back immediately stiffened, causing her to wince. “I know that’s a touchy subject, and I’m sorry about that, but it’s not something I can take back.”

  “Just finish what you were saying.”

  “Okay, well, I saw them on the surveillance footage. They were all so beau
tiful and seemed so self-assured. When they got together, they looked like they’d been best friends forever. I guess I just thought they wouldn’t be quite as welcoming as they’ve been.”

  “They’re cool girls. You’ve got nothing to worry about there.” Hearing how she’d watched our security feed spurred a thought—one I’d failed to consider until that very moment. “So, did you see me on that security footage?”

  “Well, yeah... Many times.”

  Kiersten answered like it was no big deal, but to me, it was huge. The deal of all deals. I immediately became enraged—not just at her but at myself. I couldn’t believe I’d been so fucking stupid. I’d known all along that she’d hacked into Menace’s computer and had gained access to our security footage. I should’ve put two and two together and realized that she’d seen me on it, but for whatever reason, it just hadn’t sunk in—more than likely because I didn’t want it to. I wanted to believe Kiersten was telling the truth when she said she didn’t know who I was the night we met at that bar, and it hit hard to discover that she hadn’t been honest with me.

  A million thoughts raced through my head, but I was too angry to speak. I needed a minute to collect my thoughts and get the hell out of there before something came out of my mouth that I would regret. So, I removed my hand from her waist and stormed out the back exit of the bar. The door slammed behind me but not before I heard Kiersten call out my name. I paced back and forth, grumbling curses as I chastised myself for being such a fucking idiot. I didn’t know how long I’d been out there when I heard Shotgun. “Something wrong, brother?”

  “You could say that.”

  I turned and found him leaning against the exterior wall smoking a cigarette, so I walked over and joined him. He pulled out his pack of smokes from the inside of his cut and offered me one. “What seems to be the trouble?”

  “You know how Kiersten got access to our surveillance footage?”

  “Oh, yeah. I know all about it.” The end of Shotgun’s cigarette glowed when he took another drag. “I still can’t believe she managed to pull that shit off.”