by Blair Grey
His words came out calm, “You done?”
My entire body shook, I was so angry. “I don’t know. There’s a shit load of things running through my mind to tell you.”
“I’m not sorry about what we shared. I’m sorry for doing it behind my president’s back. And if I thought I could earn his approval to actually date you, then I’d make that a goal. But I don’t think he’s ever going to change his mind about that. Not since your mother was murdered. He knows a rival did that, Sarah. I agree with him too. Being in a committed relationship with any of us is dangerous. And I care too much about you to put you in danger. You should be proud of that, Sarah. I care more about you than I’ve ever cared about any woman before.”
“But you won’t act on that anymore, will you?” I felt myself deflating. He doesn’t want me anymore.
“I won’t disrespect you or your father anymore, Sarah. We’re partners, you and I. And I care more about you than I guess you can comprehend.” Getting up, he walked around the desk, taking my hands in his. “Hey, look at me.”
Tears stung the backs of my eyes and I didn’t want to look into his gorgeous green eyes at all. But they moved to find his anyway. “Why?”
“Because I don’t want you to think that I don’t want you. I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone in my life. But I also know what’s best for you. And baby, that ain’t me. I’m a walking nightmare. You deserve better.”
I didn’t want better. I wanted him. “I don’t want to be with anyone else.”
“Neither do I. But we can’t go on pretending that what we have can ever be out in the open. That’s not fair to either of us.” The alarm on his phone went off and he sighed, knowing it was time for us to go downstairs. “Put on a happy face and let’s go have a great opening night. I didn’t want to get into this with you yet. It’s not the best time to have talked about this. But it’s done – it’s out there.”
He was right and I knew that. But my heart felt as if it had shattered into a million pieces. “Fine.” I pulled my hands out of his, then walked away from him. “Let’s go.”
His hand on my shoulder stopped me. “Sarah, we’re going down there together. We’re a team and we’re going to present ourselves as such.”
Taking my hand, he led the way. And I tried my best to reign in the tears and tried to forget what he’d just said to me.
What a fucking night this will be.
After standing at Axel’s side for the first part of the night, accepting congratulations from everyone, I retreated to the bar in the back where it was quieter. I needed more to drink to rid my mind of the depressing thoughts that plagued it. “How about a Sidecar, Cory?”
“Sure thing, boss-lady.” He got to work on the drink as I took a seat on the comfy barstool. The lights were softer back here, the atmosphere not as electric, and I felt like I could finally relax for a while.
“So, you’re the boss around here then?” a man asked me.
I had no idea anyone had come up behind me and turned to find a tall man, wearing a leather jacket. “I’m one of them, yes. Can I help you with something?”
He turned to one side, letting me see the back of his jacket. The patch of the Irish Reapers caught my eye as he’d meant it to. “You haven’t seen me, but I’ve seen you. You and that blonde came sneaking around the back of my club a few weeks ago. You’ve taken a good chunk of my girls too.”
“No.” I wasn’t about to admit I’d done that. “I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else.” I had worn a baseball cap and so had Candy. We hadn’t even worn any makeup to be sure no one would recognize us.
“I’m not.” He took a seat. “But I’m not here to hurt you. I want to purchase you. We can make an even trade for what you’ve taken from me. I get you whenever I want, and you get to keep the sluts you stole.”
“I didn’t steal anyone and I’m not for sale or trade.” I took the drink the bartender put on the bar. “And unless you want to wear this drink, you should leave me the fuck alone - now.”
“I made you a fair offer.” Stepping back, he grinned at me like he had some kind of a secret. “I’ll give you a moment to think about it. You either give me back my girls or you pay for them the way I want to be paid. And I want you. You aren’t with anyone. You seem to be free of male company. Why not give me what I want? I ain’t exactly hard on the eyes, baby. But if you don’t want to accept my very generous offer, you can simply fire the girls you stole from me.”
I supposed the man might’ve been thought of by some as good-looking. He was the typical bad boy biker after all. But he was insane if he thought I would trade my body for anything. And I wasn’t about to admit what I’d done either. “Sir, and I use that term loosely, anyone who works here is free to leave if they want to. I haven’t stolen anyone from anywhere. But the truth is that all of our dancers have come to us from other gentlemen’s clubs in the Baltimore and surrounding areas. If some of the girls who worked for you have left and came here, then that’s their doing – not mine. And I am not one of the entertainers, I’m in management. So, please, leave me alone.”
With a loud laugh that sounded evil as hell, he looked me in the eyes. “And if I don’t?”
Axel walked up behind the man, his lips formed one thin line and I had never seen him so mad before. Grabbing the guy by his shoulder, he spun him around, slamming his fist into the man’s face. “Then you’re gonna get your ass handed to you.”
I never left my seat as a couple of bouncers took the now limp asshole out. “Glad you showed up.” I took a sip of my drink. “I was just about to douse the man with my drink. It would’ve been a real waste too.”
Nodding at the bartender, Axel thanked him, “Thanks for the text, Cory.” Axel took my hand, pulling me off the barstool. “You stay with me. We’ve got some things to discuss later.”
My father came around the corner, looking a little worried. “Cory texted me. What the fuck happened?”
“Some guy hit on me.” I didn’t want to make either of them think anything more than that. I still had to hide the fact that I’d gone behind their backs to talk to the girls at Horney’s.
Axel gripped my hand harder. “I took care of him. And I’m keeping her at my side at all times now. It won’t happen again, boss.”
Dad looked at Axel with a great amount of pride in his ice-blue eyes. “I appreciate that, Axel.” He patted him on the back. “You’re a good man.” Then my father turned his eyes on me, and I didn’t receive that proud expression. I saw disappointment in his eyes. “Sarah, try to remember that places like this aren’t for young ladies like you. Stay with Axel or stay in the office, sweetie. It’s not safe for you to be hanging out alone here.”
“I’ll make sure she understands.” Axel tugged me along with him, then leaned in close to whisper, “You knew better than to do that, Sarah. What’s gotten into you?”
Well, not you, that’s for sure.
Chapter Eleven
Axel
The treasurer, Steve, Ralph, and Carl came into our office as we were closing up after our grand opening. Steve couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. “By the crowd you had and all the drinks I saw flowing and the food served, I know we made some money tonight.”
Sarah and I were wiped out, and both of us needed to go home to get some much-needed rest after all we’d gone through to get the club open so quickly. “We’ll come in bright and early tomorrow morning to do the financial reports for you, Steve. I’ll drop them off once we’re done.”
“You do that.” He patted me on the back. “Great job, Axel.” Nodding at Sarah, he smiled at her. “You too, Sarah. You guys make a great team.”
“Thanks.” Sarah wasn’t doing much talking. She hadn’t said more than a few words since the incident with the jackass.
Ralph bumped his shoulder against mine. “This place is the bomb. Your dream seems to be coming true. Congrats, man.” He smiled at Sarah. “You’re a good influence on my buddy. I’ve never seen him w
ork so hard.”
She nodded. “He has worked hard.”
Carl looked at his daughter with compassion in his eyes. “You’re tired, sweetie. You should get going.”
She looked at him with dropping eyes. “It shows that much?”
“Yeah, it does.” I took her by the hand. “Come on, the limo is taking us home. You’re getting dropped off first.”
Locking the office up after we’d all walked out, I overheard Carl talking to Sarah, “I want you to be sure to lock your doors tonight. What happened with that guy tonight has me on edge. Maybe you should just come stay at my place.”
“I’ve got locks on the doors, Dad. I’ll be fine.” Walking down the stairs, I’d never seen her shoulders slump before, but they were def slumping.
“What happened?” Ralph asked me as he watched Sarah and her father talking.
“One of the Irish Reapers hit on Sarah. I had him tossed out. No big deal – I took care of it. She shouldn’t have been sitting alone anyway.” I didn’t like to think of Sarah losing her independence just because her dad was worried about her. “I’ll see you around, Ralph. I’ve gotta help her out. Her father is a little overprotective.”
“Yeah. Carl does like to maintain control of people. I checked out the kitchen he took charge of. Pretty fancy. He’s got his hands in this pie, doesn’t he?” He walked away from me, nodding as he went. “See ya, Axel. Good luck, man. You’re gonna need it dealing with them two.” He glanced at Sarah and her dad again as he left.
Coming up behind her father, I thought I could give him some peace of mind. “I’ll have one of the club’s prospects keep an eye on her place tonight. She’ll never know he’s there.”
“Good idea.” Carl smiled as he nodded. “You do take great care of her, Axel.”
He was right, I did take great care of his daughter. Not that it would change his opinion about her not dating MC members. “Don’t worry about a thing, boss.”
Sarah and I made one more round to make sure no one was left in the club before we headed out to the waiting limo. The driver waited by the back, passenger door for us. “What a night, huh?”
“Yeah, it was something alright.” I let Sarah slide in first. “And we’ve got another big night tomorrow. This is harder than I thought it would be. I had this crazy idea it would be like a nonstop party. But it was more like nonstop work. I loved it though.”
“I bet you did.” Rocky closed the door behind me, leaving Sarah and me in the back of the limo, alone.
Sarah had slid all the way over. All I wanted to do was pull her to me and kiss her hard. This should’ve been a night of celebration for us. We’d both worked so damn hard. Instead, it felt like we were over. “Hey, you okay over there?”
She shook her head. “Not really. I’d envisioned this night going very differently. Not that I didn’t want to see the club packed and everyone having the times of their lives. That part went according to plan. But this part is what I’m talking about.”
“Yeah, I know.” At least we shared the disappointment. “It’s what’s best for you though.” I believed that too. A biker’s lady was the best weapon a rival could use against a man.
She didn’t say a thing, just sighed. Her chest rose and fell then she looked out the window as we pulled away. I couldn’t help but feel terrible for us both. Is her father’s respect really worth all this?
But there was the other part too, the dangerous part of being my girl. That’s not the only reason I’d never settled down with one girl, but it was a great excuse to use not to. And maybe that was what I was doing with Sarah too. “Do you think I’m afraid of commitment?”
She nodded. “I know you are.”
I didn’t like to think I was afraid of anything. “Do you think I’m afraid of your father?”
She nodded again. “Why wouldn’t you be. He could have you killed if he wanted to.”
She wasn’t wrong about that either. “Do you think I’m afraid of death?”
“Who isn’t?” Finally, her pretty blue eyes come to rest on mine. “I know it’s not right to lie to my father. But I also know that it’s not right of him to think he can tell me who I can and can’t see now that I’m an adult. And I’m not afraid of what comes along with being your girl, Axel. I was raised in a home with a man who lives a dangerous life. I’m kind of use to it.”
“But, what about what happened to your mother?” She couldn’t discount that fact. “The danger was real, Sarah.”
“Do you think it’s not real now?” She shook her head, making dark curls move around her shoulders.
I hadn’t told her how gorgeous she looked in the strapless gown. “I think you’re out of danger, yeah. And I should’ve told you this before because you look too good not to hear that you look amazing in that dress and the way your hair is curled makes your face even more beautiful as it falls around it.”
“Thanks.” She ran her eyes over me. “You look great too. And I’m not out of danger. Just being back in Baltimore puts me in danger. If you think being the old lady to a biker is dangerous, think about how bad a man would be hurt if he lost his child. I’m still in danger, Axel. Dad can’t ever stop that. He’s the one who put me in this predicament in the first place.”
“I didn’t know you felt that way.” She’d never spoken like this.
“Well, sitting quietly as I watched everyone around me having a great time tonight, I had time to think. And what I came up with was the fact that my father put my mother and me in this situation. Not that I’m angry with him about it. But I am not happy that he thinks being with a man in an MC is any more dangerous than being the daughter of one.” Leaning her head against the window, she closed her eyes. “I just want this night to be over. I just want to climb into my bed and go to sleep. I’ve never been so tired in my entire life.”
And all I wanted was to hold her while she slept. “Maybe I should do some thinking too.” There were a few facts that I seemed to have brushed under the rug. I had feelings for Sarah that I’d never had for anyone. I liked her company. I liked the way she laughed. And I loved how secure she was with herself. “Maybe I am making excuses.”
“Maybe we’ve both been making excuses.” Opening her eyes, she looked at me. “Axel, do you honestly think I want to fall for a man with the kind of rep that you have?”
“That’s pretty harsh.” I didn’t think I was unlovable. “A man can change, Sarah. When he finds the right woman, he can become something different. There’s just never been a reason for me to change is all.”
“I heard this song once. The lyrics went something like – a shoe won’t stretch, and a man won’t change.” Shrugging, she seemed like she’d made up her mind. “So, while you think you could change, I don’t know if I think the same thing.”
I wasn’t going to sit there and take all the blame for us not working out. “And what about you doing some changing too, Sarah. You act like a little girl when you’re around your father. Maybe if you acted like a grown-ass woman, then he’d treat you like one and not think he could tell you who you can and can’t date.”
With a huff, she narrowed her eyes at me. “You act like he doesn’t tell you what to do, Axel. Like you have ever stood up to him. Don’t ask me to be something you can’t be. He’s my father and your president and MC brother. Do you honestly think I don’t know all the rules about your relationship? I grew up with this shit. I know it all.”
“Then you know that I can’t go against his will and yet you still want me to.” She needed to be reminded of who made the first move. “I didn’t ask you to go to that private room. You asked me. Do you recall that, Sarah?”
Rolling her eyes, she crossed her arms over her chest. “Really, Axel? Like you weren’t baiting me along the entire night?”
“I was making it look like we were together to keep other guys from hitting on you. What did you think I was doing?” I wasn’t going to admit that I liked making it look like we were together.
“If
that’s the case, then why didn’t you turn me down when I asked you about going to a private room?” She looked so smug it made me want to kiss that smirk right off her plump red lips.
“I’m not that kind of guy, is why.”
“So if any girl had asked you for what I had, you would’ve been happy to go along with her? I could’ve been anybody, is what you’re saying to me? I wasn’t anything special at all? Just another piece of ass you could add to your collection?”
My jaw clenched as I’d never been so angry with a woman before. “What you think of me is repulsive.”
We came to a stop in front of her place, so I got out of the car, then went around to find she’d already gotten out the other side. Making long strides to catch up with her, I grabbed her by the arm. It worked, she stopped. Her eyes went to my hand then they moved up to glare into my eyes. “You should remove your hand, Axel. We wouldn’t want to driver to get any ideas about us, now would we?”
“Am I really that disgusting to you that you don’t want my hands on you at all anymore?” I let her go. “I’m walking you into your house. I’m going to make sure no one is inside and that you’ll be safe. After what that jackass pulled tonight, I’m not taking any chances.” Ushering her to the door, I took the key from her, unlocking the door. “Tomorrow you’re getting a security system.”
“Good, then I won’t need you.” She came in behind me, slamming the door behind us.
Hearing her say that made something inside me break. “You won’t need me?” Moving fast, I pulled her into my arms, then pinned her between my body and the door. “You will always need me, baby.” My mouth crashed down on hers.
She put her hands against my chest, pushing me, but I didn’t move. Kissing her even harder, I felt her mouth yield, her tongue entwined with mine. Her body sagged as soft arms ran around my neck.