Turning my head, I look over to my cousin. She’s got her eyes narrowed on Trina’s back and her arms crossed over her chest.
“The fuck are you doing here? Christ, Stella why aren’t you at home with your man and your kids?” I demand.
Stella’s brow lifts. “Did you really think Dad was just going to let you have free rein of this place? He knows without a doubt that you’re easily swayed by whore pussy.”
“You kiss my aunt with that mouth?” I ask, smirking up at her.
She rolls her eyes, sinking down in the chair next to me. Stella is my cousin by blood, but she’s also my best friend. We’re only two years apart in age and we’ve been inseparable since I was eight and she was six.
“No, but I suck a mean cock.” She laughs.
I gag, trying to erase the image of her sucking her husband’s dick from my mind. “Fuckin’ shit, Stell. Knock that off,” I growl.
“I’m in charge of the books and in on auditions. We’re going to run this place together. It’s the only way I can make sure all of my father’s hard work isn’t for nothing,” she explains.
“That’s why my dad was watching me. I shouldn’t allow this, not at all.”
“You aren’t allowing shit. I’m doing it. I need something to do and since I have a degree in accounting, it’s a win-win.”
“You planned this shit with our dads, didn’t you?” I ask.
She shrugs one of her shoulders, then leans against my arm, her eyes focused on the stage as she speaks. “I wanted to do the books for the whole club, but I’m not a patched member or a man. So, this was as close as I could get. Plus, this is going to be a lot more fun anyway.”
“Why can’t you work for H&R Block or some shit? Why do you have to be here, cock blocking me every chance you can get?”
“Because it’s so much more fun with you, Bear.”
“Fuck me,” I mumble, scrubbing my palm down my face.
“Thanks, but never,” she deadpans as she stands to her feet. “I’m going to my new office,” she sings as she walks away from me.
I shake my head with a chuckle just as my phone alerts me to an incoming text.
SNIPER: SHOULD HAVE WARNED YOU. NOT AS MUCH FUN THOUGH. HAVE FUN.
FUCK YOU.
SNIPER: THANKS, BUT NO.
I roll my eyes. Like father, like fucking daughter.
Shifting my gaze back to the stage, I’m disappointed to see that Trina’s set is over. Scanning the audience, I see her grinding on some guy’s lap and I let out a sigh as I rise to my feet and make my way over to the bar. Slipping behind, I grab myself a beer, pop the top and take a healthy pull.
Fuck.
My goddamn family thinks they’re a bunch of fucking comedians. I chuckle, not irritated in the least. Stella is right, it’s going to be fun working with her. And she’s also right, I’m definitely swayed easily by pussy.
THEA
I bite the corner of my lip as I look up at the flashing neon sign that’s aptly flashing Devils ahead of me. Stripper. The word should sound dirty and maybe to normal people it would. I’m not normal people. Not in the slightest.
Hitching my small backpack over my shoulder, its contents being everything that I currently own, I reach for the handle of the club’s door. I wrinkle my nose as soon as the scent of the bar reaches me.
Stepping inside, I glance around, surprised that there’s not a bouncer at the entrance, a big badass burly biker. I take another hesitant step inside and that’s when he appears. The man is about two heads taller than me and at least a hundred and fifty pounds heavier.
Tipping my head back, I look into his dark eyes. He’s trying to look mean and angry, but it doesn’t work on me. His cut clearly identifies him as a member of the Notorious Devils and that right there tells me that he’s harmless, at least to me.
“I’d like to see if there are any openings,” I say.
He sucks his bottom lip into his mouth, his teeth sinking down as his gaze slowly travels up, then down, the entire length of my body. I know that he isn’t going to be the one who hires me, but I’ll play his little game, for now.
“You’re a little too big to be on that stage,” he mutters.
My spine straightens, my eyes narrow, and my hackles rise. How. Dare. He. I can feel my nostrils flare from his words, but I tamp down my immediate anger. It would do me zero good to tell this motherfucker to go to hell, I need him to get me in the building, in front of Sniper.
I continue to stare at him, waiting to see if he’ll turn me away or not. Just when I think he’s going to tell me to get lost, he lifts his chin toward the room, then turns around. My feet move quickly as I follow behind him, careful not to get lost in the crowd.
I’m surprised to see so many people here for a Wednesday evening. Don’t people work?
We walk up a staircase that’s right at the mouth of a dark hallway and then the big guy stops in front of a door.
He pounds on the wood. Pinching my eyes closed, I wait, impatiently. A man’s voice rumbles to come inside. The burly guy wraps his hand around the knob, twists and opens the door, stepping to the side.
Hurrying into the room, I wait for him to follow me, but he doesn’t. Instead, he closes the door and that’s when I turn toward the desk and slowly lift my eyes to the man who will decide my fate, my future, and my life.
I expect to see a man who is around my father’s age sitting behind the big scarred wooden desk. My eyes widen when I realize that he’s more my own age than my father’s.
He has long blond hair that he has pulled into a knot at the back of his head, a full blond beard, and eyes so gray that they look like a stormy sky.
Shifting my gaze down his thick neck, I almost whimper when I see his strong forearms and large hands resting against the desktop.
Fuck.
Fucking shit.
Clenching my thighs together, I slowly bring my gaze back up to his when he clears his throat. I can see his lips turned up into a shit-eating grin, catching me in my ogling of his fantastic features.
“Can I help you?” he asks, leaning back slightly in his chair.
I watch in awe as he lifts his arms, lacing his fingers behind his head, the move causing his shirt to lift slightly and show off a thick band of his stomach, muscular and tan.
Fucking fuck.
“I, um, I would like to know if you have any positions available?” I fumble and mumble like a damn idiot.
His eyes slowly scan my body, as if looking at me for the first time. “You. Want to dance?” he asks as if it’s the most ridiculous thing he’s ever heard of in his entire life.
I have to admit, it’s kind of ridiculous. I never saw myself as a stripper, but desperate times call for desperate measures and this is a place where I know without a doubt that I’ll be safe.
“Your bouncer already told me I was too fat to dance. I guess I’ll just go,” I say, turning my back to him.
“Stay where you are,” he growls.
I freeze, my entire body going stiff, but I don’t turn around. Closing my eyes, I listen to his movements behind me, then I feel the heat from his body. He’s so close to me, so damn close. My breath hitches and I close my eyes as I wait for him to say, or do, something.
“You are not too fat for anything. You’re stacked like a goddamn wet dream. Rooster has this thing where he talks down to bitches so that he can lower their self-esteem and they’ll spread for him. It’s a sick fucking game he plays.”
Turning around slowly, I tilt my head back to look into his light gray eyes. He’s so close, it wouldn’t take much maneuvering to rise to my toes, lean forward and press my mouth against his own.
Licking my lips, I decide against it. His eyes flick down to my mouth, then lift to focus on mine again.
“But you wouldn’t do that, play games?” I ask.
His lips turn up into a smirk. “Oh, Red, I play games, just not ones that tear down a woman’s self-esteem. I don’t need to do that shit.”
/>
Inhaling a breath, I let it out in a soft exhale. “You don’t?”
He dips his chin slightly, his lips even closer to mine. “No, I don’t need to,” he breathes.
The door flies open and I jump back, turning around to see a stunning woman standing across from me. Her hair is jet black, she’s tall and thin with large breasts and lean legs. Her eyes narrow, bright blue eyes.
“I knew you’d try to fuck any girl that came in here looking for work,” she sneers.
Chapter Two
BEAR
“Goddammit, Stella,” I roar, ignoring the sweet curvy redhead standing in front of me.
I was so goddamn close to having her over my desk it wasn’t even funny. My cock strains against the zipper of my jeans, begging for relief and only this little redhead can give it, I’m certain.
“I went outside to call Grinder and check on the kids and here you are, already flirting with someone who wants a job. I fucking knew it,” she grinds out.
“Umm,” the redhead says, taking a step to the side.
Without a thought, I reach out, wrapping my fingers around her bicep to keep her from running.
“Don’t scare her, Stella. Play nice now, I don’t even know her name yet,” I state.
Stella’s eyes lose a bit of their hatred and shift over to the girl. “Bear is a dick and fucks everything with a vagina,” she announces, her gaze flicking back to me and her lips curling in an evil fucking smile.
The bitch.
“Oh my,” the sweet redhead breathes.
“I’m Stella and I’m in charge of hiring and firing, also I’m in charge of accounting which means your paychecks. Sucking his dick won’t get you any more money, just a possible cold sore.”
“Oh, fuck you,” I growl, squeezing the woman’s arm a little too tightly.
She flinches, so I loosen my hold but don’t release her. For whatever fucking strange reason, I like her just where she is, next to me.
“I’m Thea,” she murmurs.
She sounds downright terrified and if I were her, I probably would be too, considering my bitch of a cousin just told her I had goddamn herpes. Narrowing my gaze on Stella, I watch as her eyes flick over to me and she turns her red painted lips up into a smirk.
“Well, can you dance, Thea?” Stella asks.
Thea looks back at me, then back to Stella. “I’ve never…”
“So, you thought because this is a small town in Idaho that you’d just walk on that stage because you have tits and an ass?” Stella asks, crossing her arms under her tits and lifting a brow.
Thea doesn’t say anything. I watch as her lips press together and her nostrils flare. I bite the inside of my cheek hoping that she’s ballsy enough to spar with Stella, because if she isn’t, she won’t last a minute here.
“Pretty sure it doesn’t take much more than tits and ass to take off my clothes for men to gawk at me,” Thea states.
Stella snorts. “If you’re serious about dancing, come back at noon tomorrow. That’s when the girls will be practicing, we’ll see if you’re cut out for the stage. If you aren’t…” She lets her words trail off for a moment, her eyes flicking to me, then back to Thea. “Then you can serve drinks. We’ll find you something if you’re so determined to work here.”
Thea nods but doesn’t thank her, which is a smart fucking move. Stella’s eyes find mine again and she shakes her head once.
“Stop fucking the employees, Bear. Fucking shit, don’t you have enough tail to chase at the clubhouse?”
“Fuck off, Stella,” I grunt.
Stella rolls her eyes then thankfully, fucking goddamn thankfully, she leaves my office. Tilting my head down to Thea, I smirk as my eyes scan her body again. Fucking hell, tits and ass were right. Christ, this woman is a goddamn knockout.
“I’ll just get going…” she breathes, taking a step back from me.
My fingers grip her bicep a bit firmer, careful not to inflict any bruises or marks. “You do know Stella is full of shit, right? My dicks so clean you could eat off of it,” I wink.
Her eyes widen and she shakes her arm from my grip. I allow it, only because I know she’ll be back tomorrow.
“I, uh…” she mutters, shaking her head.
“Okay, Red. See you tomorrow,” I call out.
She turns and practically sprints out of my office. I watch the open door that she fled out of for far longer than I should. I’m going to have that woman and not just for a quick fuck in my office. I’m going to take her nice and fucking slow, enjoy every sweet curve of her body.
I will have her, in my bed and at my mercy.
THEA
Shifting my car into park, I quickly slip into the hotel room that I paid for with cash and lock the door behind me. Pressing my back against the door, I slowly sink down to my ass and finally, finally, I allow myself to freak the fuck out.
Bear Duhart.
Holy fucking shit.
He was absolutely gorgeous. Just as beautiful as I imagine his father and grandfather were at that age. He’s only a few years older than me, but holy shit, he’s stunning. And trouble. He’s trouble. At least for me, he is.
My phone rings and I glare at it sitting on the nightstand right where I left it. I should have tossed it into a trash can between San Fran and here. Though, I doubt that Spider can trace me. I mean his club is nowhere near as big or sophisticated as the Notorious Devils, or as powerful.
A shiver runs through my body at the thought of just how far the Notorious Devils’ reach truly is. Biting the corner of my lip, I wonder if I should tell him the truth, or at the very least, Stella. Shaking my head once, I decide not to. Not yet at least.
Spider isn’t going to dare even step foot into this territory. My family is safe where they are and I’m safe here where I am.
I just have to stay here long enough to make some money. Once I have enough cash to move, I’ll be gone. Stripping my way across the United States is definitely not how I saw my life going.
Just a few weeks ago, I was footloose and fancy-free. Okay, maybe not footloose or fancy-free. But I was working a nice, safe, boring job creating and selling jewelry, an industry that my mom has been in since before I was born.
I have a Master’s in Jewelry Arts for fuck’s sake.
But then I had to go and be so stupid. Bad boys. They’re my downfall, they always have been. When I moved from Los Angeles back to Northern California, I decided I needed some distance from my overbearing family and settled a few hours south of my hometown. When your dad’s the president of an MC, everything seems suffocating.
San Francisco seemed to offer everything that I needed, including the independence that I had come to crave from living away from home in LA.
That’s where I met Spider.
He looked like all of the men I grew up with, clothed in denim and leather. He was comfortable. Except, he is nothing like the men I know. He is cold, ruthless, cruel.
When those evil traits turned to me, when he kept me chained to his bed because I talked back to him, or at least he perceived that I did. When he backhanded me. I knew that he was nothing like the men in my life. Nothing like my daddy, like my uncles.
I knew that I had to run.
In hindsight, I should have just gone to my daddy, to any of the men that I trusted, but I knew that they would kill him. I can’t let any of them get into trouble, not over me, not over my stupid decisions.
For whatever reason, running seemed like a better alternative. Now, I’m starting to see the error in my ways, but I can’t turn to my family, not yet at least. Biting the inside of my cheek, I close my eyes and inhale deeply.
Bear will protect me. I know that he will. I’m safe here in Bonners Ferry, Idaho. Spider won’t even attempt to cross into Idaho let alone here. I just have to keep my parents off of my back, keep them in the dark, at least for now.
Deciding sitting on the floor is probably the grossest thing that I can do in this old motel room, I stand and make
my way to the bathroom.
I shower, change into a tank top and panties, then double-check my motel room door and windows ensuring that they are indeed, locked tightly, before I allow myself to slip beneath the hopefully clean-ish sheets.
Reaching for my phone, I turn it off and toss it in the small trash can next to me. That part of my life has to be over with. I’ll get a new phone, a burner or something and get the information to my family, when it’s time, when I’m safe.
Closing my eyes, I try not to think about everything that my life has become. Every sad, depressing thing that is now my life.
Fuck.
The motel alarm clock rings what feels like seconds later. Slamming my hand down on the small black clock I open up one eye to attempt to focus on the time. Shit. It’s already ten-thirty. I had hoped to wake up before then and try to exercise, since apparently, I’m fat.
Well damn, that Rooster guy totally got into my head, just like Bear said he would. I feel grotesque now, even though nothing about my body has changed since yesterday. Just his words, the way he looked at me, everything made me feel, disgusting.
Shaking my head, I try to get the thoughts out of my brain when there’s a loud knock on my door. I yelp and glance at the closed, locked, door waiting for it to blow apart in tiny shards, but it doesn’t.
There’s another knock, and only then do I slowly slide off of the edge of the bed and tiptoe over to the peephole.
I gasp at the sight in front of me. Bear is there. The sun shining down on his glorious long blond hair, which is now free from its manbun and hanging past his shoulders.
“Oh, fuck,” I breathe.
“I can hear you, Thea, the insulation in this place is shit,” he announces. Then I watch as he lifts his hand and waves a small white bag in front of the peephole.
Slowly, I unlock, then open the door. “What are you doing here?” I ask, peering my head around the door, careful not to step outside.
Notorious Devils MC Complete Collection: BoxSet Page 206
