So Hot MC Boxset

by Blair Grey

  Looking a little sad, he shook his head. “Those fuckers from the Irish Reapers own that dump. I’m sure Axel told you that already. All I can say is that if you do want to try to let those girls know they have somewhere else to come to, you have to keep it hush-hush. We’ve already got one hell of a rivalry with them. We don’t need to provoke them. They’re cut-throat and can’t be reasoned with at all. Trust me on that, sweetie.”

  Looking over Dad’s shoulder, I saw Axel coming into the office. “Trust what?”

  Dad turned to look at him. “She’s asking about getting some of the girls from Horney’s to work for us. I think it’ll be okay, as long as the MC can’t trace it back to any of us for enticing their girls in any way to leave them to come work for us.”

  “It won’t be traced to us at all. I’ll make sure of that.” Axel’s eyes came to mine. “You promise me that you’ll stay away from that place. We’ll figure out another way to talk to those girls. I gave that one chick our card and that can’t be traced back to our MC. Maybe she’ll share the info with the others. Whatever we do, I want you to stay out of it. Got me?”

  I nodded and felt a little sick to my stomach that I wasn’t going to abide by either of their wishes. I knew I couldn’t wait to see if that one girl would share the phone number. Those women needed help and I seemed to be the only one willing to stick their neck out for them. “I got you.”

  Now, how to do what I need to without getting my father’s MC into a war with the Irish Reapers.

  Chapter Nine

  Axel

  A week later, we gathered at the Iron Cobra’s bar for a club run. I had the financial reports Sarah had shown me how to print out, for the MC’s treasurer, Steve McDonald. He needed to be sure the club was on budget and on track to open the next week. Putting the sealed envelope on the table in front of him, I clapped the man on the back. “These are for you.”

  “Did you guys stay on budget?” He picked up a bottle of beer, taking a drink as he eyed me.

  “We did.” I felt a lot of pride in the fact that Sarah had kept us on budget. “I do believe you’re going to be happy with what our business brings in for this club.”

  “I better be happy, or you won’t be in business.” Not even a hint of a smile on his face - he meant what he’d said.

  “I know, Steve.” I caught Danny coming into the bar. As the road captain, he’d set up the ride we’d be taking in a little while. I strode over to him to find out what he’d planned. “Hey, Danny, how’s it going?”

  He tapped the bar and Mable, the old bartender, pulled out a couple of beers, sliding one to him and one to me. “Here ya go, gentlemen.”

  “Thanks, Mable.” Danny raised a brow as he looked at me. “It’s going good, Axel. I’m excited to get to see the club you’re working on.”

  “Then make plans to come to visit next Friday. That’s our opening day. We’ve got lots of talent already and more are coming in each day to interview.” Sarah and I had formed a panel of ourselves and two other people to pick out the girls we’d already put on the schedule. Three of them had come from Horney’s Babes, and Sarah went to bat for each of them, virtually making us hire them.

  “I will be there.” He picked up the beer bottle, taking a long drink.

  “So, where are we heading on this run?” I took my bottle, taking a drink too. Sarah had asked Carl if she could join us, but he’d flatly refused. She’d tried her best not to seem disappointed, but I knew she was. I was too.

  Nothing would’ve made me happier than to have her riding behind me. But her father seemed to still be leery of me where his daughter was concerned. And he had every right to feel that way too. I couldn’t blame him for having great fatherly instincts.

  “We’re gonna head out west on 70 to hit the Rolling Hills loop near Liberty Reservoir. It’s a hundred and twenty-five miles around.” He looked over his shoulder as more of the members came inside. The cool morning air flowed in with their entrance. “Being late September, the weather is on the cool side. I thought it would make for a good day to take a ride.”

  I agreed and thought how nice it would be if I had someone cuddled up behind me to keep warm. Sarah, being the main person on my mind, it left me feeling a bit on the cold side as I knew I couldn’t take her along.

  Or can I?

  Taking my cell out, I texted her. –We’re going on the Rolling Hills loop. Maybe you could accidentally run into us along the way. What do you think?

  I overheard Danny telling the vice-president, Leo Clapton, about the ride he’d planned, “Our first stop will be in Finksburg. There’s a new little bar there that I think you guys will get a kick out of.”

  My cell lit up as Sarah texted back. I think I like that idea. Unless you’re going to have some girl on the back of your bike. Then I think it’s a terrible idea.

  The door opened again and in came the chicks that hung around our MC. Lola’s green eyes scanned the room until she found me. Pointing one finger at me, she nodded.

  I shook my head. “Nope.” If there was a chance in hell that Sarah would be joining me, I wasn’t about to let some Iron Cobras’ groupie fuck that up for me.

  Stopping, putting her hands on her hips, she looked confused. But her shoulders shrugged, and she moved on to her next target. All the women who followed out club around knew better than to try to press any issue with me. I was a lone wolf, and everyone knew I did the picking of my women, not the other way around.

  I’ll keep that seat open for you. But you’ve got to find a way to get your ass to Finksburg and get dropped off at the little bar we’re going to. It’s a new place, so your dad won’t think you went there on purpose to meet up with us. You’re going to have to come up with something so I can take you with me from there. I kind of hated how clever I could be, especially since I was going against the boss’ wishes. But desperate times called for desperate measures – and I was desperate to get another taste of the woman I had to work alongside of each day.

  Listening in to Leo and Danny, I got the info I was after when Leo asked, “And what’s the name of this place? I promised my daughter Tammy that I’d let her know where we’re stopping so she can stop by and bring my grandson to see me.”

  “Halsey’s,” came Danny’s reply that I quickly texted to Sarah before deleting all the texts between us, just in case something happened.

  I wasn’t stupid, I’d carefully covered all my bases. The last thing I wanted was Carl on my ass. But Sarah was just about all I could think about. We hadn’t had another night like the one we’d had. I needed another dose of the medicine only she could give me.

  An hour later, Carl showed up and we all got ready to take off. For a moment, I began to sweat as he had no one riding behind him and that meant if his daughter needed a ride, he’d give it to her. But then Sally came out of the bar and got onto the back of his bike, making me sigh with relief.

  A thing Clyde, the Sergeant at Arms, noticed. “You seem a little odd this morning, Axel.” He looked me over, then smiled. “I know what it is. You don’t have some sexy trick hugged up against your back.” He jerked his head toward the leggy redhead hugged up on him. “Where’s your girl of the day?”

  “I guess opening this club is taking a toll on me. I’m just too tired to fuck with some female today. I’m going to enjoy this ride all on my lonesome.” At least until we make our first stop, hopefully.

  Carl rode in front, the vice-president and the road captain flanked him. Other members of the council rode behind them, and the rest of us, the riders or club members, trailed behind them. I liked to fall behind the rest. The sight of all those Harleys riding together filled my heart in a way nothing else could.

  The morning went by fast, then we pulled into Finksburg and my heart began to race. I couldn’t recall being more excited to see if someone had shown up. It was like I was six again and had run into the living room to see if Santa had come on Christmas morning. Only I wasn’t looking for an old fat man with a white bea
rd when I entered the small bar.

  Coming in nearly last, the place was already packed with my fellow bikers. It made it hard to find the one person I wanted to see. But as I looked from one person to the next, I didn’t find the one face I’d imagined I would find there.

  I guess she couldn’t figure out how to make it here.

  Then a door in the back opened up, letting sunlight stream in. Long legs, dark hair hanging to a slender waist, and sparkling blue eyes walked in. She didn’t even look for me, just ran to her father. “Daddy! I’m so happy to see you! You won’t believe what happened to me.”

  Staying back, I didn’t want to act like I cared why Sarah had shown up. I took a seat at the bar, ordered a beer and a burger and waited to see what Carl would do. Only me, Johnny, and Crazy Bill had empty bitch-seats, he’d have to pick one of us to take her.

  Ralph came to sit next to me. “I’ll have what he’s having,” he told the bartender. “You’re making that burger look tasty.” He eyed me curiously. “So, no chick, huh? What’s the deal?”

  “I didn’t feel like messing with one today. I’ve never worked so hard in my life. This club is a lot harder to get going than I thought it would be.” I took a bite of the burger, trying not to watch Sarah talking to her father.

  Ralph and I had worked together as security for one of our MC brother’s bars in town. We used to hang out a lot before I got the okay to do the strip joint. Since then, I hadn’t seen hide nor hair of the man. “If you need me to work your place instead of Joe’s, I can make that happen.”

  Shaking my head, I didn’t want to piss Joe off by taking away his best man. “Nah. We’ve got it covered for now. Joe already lost me at his place. I don’t want him to lose you too. But thanks for the offer. I might take you up on it if things with our place start to get out of hand. You’re the man I trust most.”

  “Yeah, you too.” He looked at the burger the bartender placed in front of him with hungry eyes. “Thanks. I haven’t eaten a thing yet. I am starving.”

  A half-hour later, Carl came up behind me. “Axel, can you do me a favor?”

  Turning in my chair, I wiped my mouth with a paper napkin. “Sure thing, boss. Whatever you need, I’m your man.”

  “Cool. Sarah had a date she never told me about having. I guess she used my being out of town with this club run to go out with some guy she met. It pisses me off that she does shit like that. She knows my rules about who she dates. She swore he wasn’t in any MC. But he was a dick whose ass needs kicked. Only she won’t tell me his damn name. Anyway, he had the idea of taking her on a drive and they ended up here at this same bar. He got handsy with her and she slapped him and told him to leave her right here. She was sure she could get a ride from someone to take her back home. It was damn lucky for her that we stopped here. I’ve already given her the what-for about going out with someone I’ve never met before. I have no idea what the hell the girl was thinking, but I let her know that I didn’t approve at all.”

  Knowing how Sarah hated to see disappointment in her father’s eyes, I placed my bets on her not being overjoyed at the moment. I thought I’d throw Carl off a bit though, to keep up the ruse. “So, you need me to let Sally right with me?”

  “No.” He laughed then slapped me on the back. “She and I have plans for later. Can you let Sarah ride with you though? I don’t trust anyone else.”

  Chewing my lower lip, I acted as if I had to think about it. “Does that mean I’ve got to take her straight back to Baltimore?”

  “No, you can stay on the ride. No need to go back. I trust you’ll get her home once we get back though.” He smiled at me and it made me feel a little bad for what we’d pulled. “Like I said, I trust you, Axel. She’s been in good hands with you around. You’ve earned my respect. I honestly thought I would’ve had to shut you down already.”

  Well, shit.

  Having the man’s respect meant more to me than almost anything. “Yeah, boss. You can count on me. Tell her she’s got a ride.”

  Not the ride I’d like to give her, but a ride just the same.

  Chapter Ten

  Sarah

  The whole joining Axel on the club run had turned out to be a terrible idea. My father’s reaction to the lie I had told him about me having a date gone wrong, made me feel like dog crap. Even knowing that I hadn’t gone out with a random stranger who felt me up still didn’t stop me from feeling terrible for disappointing my dad.

  To top off my guilty feelings, Axel had gotten the guilt too. He told me how Dad said he respected him, and he didn’t feel right about doing anything more than giving me a ride on his Harley, then taking me straight home afterward. I didn’t even get a goodnight kiss from the man.

  I’d thought Axel to be a reckless man-whore with no moral compass. I’d been wrong. Apparently, being respected by a man like my father meant more to him than getting a piece of my action.

  It had only been a couple of weeks since we’d had that amazing night of sex. It felt more like an eternity though. But I couldn’t argue with Axel about how he felt. I felt that way too.

  Lying to my father wasn’t a thing I liked to do. Knowing the rules he had about not dating anyone in any MC, I’d really broken the rules by messing around with a man in his own club. Even with the insane attraction and chemistry Axel and I shared, we also shared the need for my father’s approval.

  With opening night about to begin, the staff and entertainers were excited and just about as nervous as Axel and I were. I stood at the window in our office, looking down at the parking lot as the sun went down. “Soon all the lights will be turned on and the doors will open, Axel.”

  He came up behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. I wanted more but knew he wasn’t wrong for not giving me what I wanted. “I want to say, thank you one more time, Sarah. Without you, I know I wouldn’t be ready to open yet.”

  Turning to face him, I hated the fact he took a step back to make room between us. “Thank you for recognizing that and thank you for being such a great person to mentor. You really try to learn, Axel. You made teaching easy.” We’d hired four more girls from Horney’s in the prior week. We now had seven of the dancers from that awful place and it made my heart sing to see those women all looking happy and excited about coming to work. “And we’ve got some great talent too. I’m especially glad we got some of those girls out of that rat-den.”

  “You just remember to keep that to yourself. No one should think those women were enticed to leave that place to come here.” He walked away from me, going to get his glass of Scotch off the desk.

  Candy and I hadn’t told a soul what we’d done. And the girls who came to us had been sworn to secrecy as well. Candy had been the one to give me the ride to meet up with the Iron Cobras in Finksburg. We’d given her a job at our club as well. She did deserve it and I knew she was a team player too.

  “I know, I will keep my mouth shut.” I smiled at him as he came back to me with a glass of the expensive liquor for me in his hand.

  “Here, have something to knock the edge off. I can see how nervous you are, even if you’re not admitting it.” He held out the glass with a twinkle in his green eyes.

  “Thank you.” Taking it from him, I purposely let my fingers graze his hand. I longed to feel his touch again. It made me kind of crazy that my father was so bullheaded about his stupid rule.

  The fact was that Axel hadn’t been with anyone else since being with me. My father didn’t know that, but I did. Or so I thought anyway. I hadn’t asked Axel a thing about other women. I just knew he’d spent most of his time with me at the club.

  His eyes went to where I’d touched him, then they met mine. “You should be careful what you do, Sarah. I am only human, you know.”

  “So am I.” I took a sip, the warm liquid went down my throat, into my stomach, creating warmth inside of me. “Axel, would you tell me the truth about something?”

  “Of course.” He turned away from me, walking back to the desk. “W
hat do you want to know?”

  I followed him, hating that he kept putting distance between us. “Since you and I were together, have you been with anyone else?”

  He took his seat on one side of the desk, placing the glass in front of him. “Sarah, we shouldn’t talk about that night. I’m not supposed to lie to anyone in my MC, especially not the president.”

  “You’re not lying. You’re just omitting certain facts. He hasn’t asked you anything for you to have to lie about, has he?” He hadn’t answered my question which worried me. “Axel, I asked if you’d been with anyone else since you and I were together.”

  “You know where I’ve been, Sarah. I don’t think you need to ask me that.” Stroking his beard, he looked up at the ceiling, instead of at me. “But the answer is, no. I haven’t been with anyone else since that night. But maybe we should change that. Maybe we should move on and stop pretending that this can happen. Your father will never allow it. And I won’t do anything else to disrespect the man. I’m sorry I ever did.”

  My heart stopped, eyes went wide, and my mouth dropped open. Are you fucking with me? “So, you’re sorry for what we did? You’re sorry for having that special time with me? You’re sorry for showing me how sex is supposed to feel? I’ve never come harder than I did with you. I’ve never felt more alive than when you had me in your grips. And I am not sorry.” The drink in my hand shook so much that I had to put it down on the desk before I dropped it. “I told you that night was special to me and I meant it. But you know what? You’re right. We should just fucking move on since Daddy won’t ever agree to us seeing each other. And you know what else? He’s right. You guys are more committed to that fucking MC than you are to any woman.”