Slowly, she pushed herself to her feet, realizing that her muscles were sore and her body ached from the uncomfortable way she had slept. Still, despite the discomfort, she could feel the pit of satisfaction that rested within her. She did not care that Keith had left her alone in the dusty backrooms of Lee and Seton after he had finished fucking her. She had never expected anything more than sex from him. It was the unspoken deal they had struck.
Kristina peered around for the dress she had been wearing last night. It was a simple black mini that she had thrown on at the last minute when she had decided to accept the invitation to the party the previous day. She found the dress discarded by the door of the room, and she remembered how she had stepped out of it meekly the night before.
Kristina picked it up and put it back on before she peered through the blinds of the room. It was early, and she wondered if she could get back home without anyone noticing she was still there, and in the same clothes she had been seen in last night. Gingerly, she pushed open the door and tiptoed out without putting her shoes back on. She slipped into the bathroom a few doors down and locked the door behind her.
The mirror was a little cloudy, but the reflection looking back at her was clear enough. Kristina had expected bags under her eyes and creases on her face, but she actually looked pretty decent. Her dark blue eyes were wide, without any trace of weariness, and her cheeks looked flushed and pink. Her dark brown hair lay in tangles around her face and shoulders, but she was able to smooth out the knots with her fingers. Quickly, she splashed water on her face and brushed her teeth with a finger before she put her shoes on and slipped back out of the bathroom.
The long garage of Lee and Seton Motors was as quiet as she had ever heard it. Kristina moved into her cubical and sat at her tiny desk for a moment while she stretched out her muscles. She knew she couldn’t walk home in her heels, so she picked up the phone and dialed Marie’s number. As she got connected, she waited for five rings before she gave up and put the phone back down. She knew that Marie had been at a party of her own and she had probably come in late last night.
Kristina sighed and leaned back in her seat. She closed her eyes and took a moment to appreciate the silence, and almost immediately, images of the night before starting popping into her head. It was the kind of night that demanded a playback, the kind of thing that required long hours of replay. Kristina was thankful for her vivid memory. She was able to picture exactly what Keith Lee had looked like when he had first seen her from across the room of Lee and Seton.
The party had been held in the largest room adjacent to the garage and the atmosphere had completely transformed. The lights had been turned down low and pulsing music swamped the whole building. There were tables for booze set up in the corners of the room and not much else. As the night wore on, the party had spilled into the smaller rooms of the building, and as the crowd thinned she had caught sight of Keith.
She wasn’t sure what had initially made her accept the party invitation she had received. She had been working at Lee and Seton Motors for all of two days as a receptionist and she barely knew anyone there, but her upcoming graduation had spurred a sudden thirst that Kristina herself could barely understand. It was as though she realized she had come to the end of a huge milestone in life and she had only a handful of experiences to boast of.
This realization had filled her with panic, and she had sat on her bed in her empty dorm room and reflected on her college experience and all the years that had passed her by. Her childhood had been uneventful, and her teenage years had been spent being a model student, striving to get into a good college. Now with graduation looming, an inexplicable fire had been lit in the pit of Kristina’s stomach. She had no specific experience in mind; it was simply the need to feel something. It was the need to feel some sense of freedom, elation, wild abandon that she knew for certain had evaded her.
It was practicality that had led her to the interview at Seton and Lee Motors, but it was her new mindset that had led her to accept the job—even after she had heard about the rumors that the auto repair shop was actually a front for shadier dealings. She had passed the shop a few times while walking to campus, and she had seen the intimidating, large motorcycles parked outside. She had always been curious, but this was the first time she had ever had the inclination or the opportunity to pursue that curiosity.
The first time she had seen Keith, he had been standing in the middle of the body shop and she had been sitting behind her desk, hidden from view. The sight of him had sent a jolt through her body; the attraction was instant and unfamiliar. She had found other men attractive before, she had had crushes before, but this was different. The attraction was so pronounced, so filled with lust that it was almost a living thing inside her. It coursed through her with powerful wanting, and Kristina had felt herself moisten.
Within minutes of seeing him, Kristina found out that the auto shop doubled as meeting grounds for a motorcycle club called the Iron Dragons, and Keith was their vice president and road captain. The name of the gang was not unfamiliar to her; she had come across the name occasionally on the local news, but it was always sporadic and it had never managed to hold her attention. Faced with Keith’s rugged good looks and careless nonchalance, Kristina had cursed herself for not paying closer attention.
Seeing him again was another great motivation for accepting the party invitation, and the moment Kristina had watched Keith notice her at the party, she knew that something was about to happen. He had stared her down for what seemed like an eternity, and then finally he had approached her. There was no subtly to the way he moved or the way he spoke to her. It was direct and completely transparent.
“Come with me,” he had said.
Then, without even waiting for her reply, he had reached out and taken her hand by the wrist. He walked her straight into the back rooms of Lee and Seton, and the moment the door closed behind them, he had pushed her up against the wall and pulled up her dress. Kristina had let him take control, something she wasn’t altogether used to, and she had found that the experience was unlike any she had had before. Usually, she was not as docile with her sexual partners, but instinct told her that she had reason to be where Keith was concerned. It was obvious he was well practiced. He knew what he was doing, and obeying him would only serve to heighten her pleasure.
Kristina opened her eyes at the sound of a door swinging back on its hinges. She sat up in her seat and leaned around to see who had just entered the garage. She could make out Miles’s lanky body and slightly hunched posture. He was the garage owner, but Kristina knew that he was also the leader and president of the Iron Dragons. He had been the one who had hired her, and Kristina had been somewhat taken back by his demeanor. He was soft-spoken, polite, and extremely quiet, not at all what you would expect from the leader of a motorcycle gang. Kristina watched as Miles walked into the heart of the garage, followed by Keith.
Kristina felt herself shrink back into her seat so that she wouldn’t be seen. She allowed herself a moment to appreciate the rippling muscles of Keith’s arms and the way his hair held changing flecks of brown hidden amongst the gold. They were deep in conversation, and neither one noticed her. She was just about to rise when the sound of her phone made her jump. From the corner of her eye, she noticed both Miles and Keith’s head turn in her direction. Without making eye contact, she reached for the phone.
“Lee and Seton Motors,” Kristina said, making her voice bright but neutral. “How can I help you?”
“This Becca?” a raspy voice on the other end asked impertinently.
Kristina hesitated for a moment. “No, it’s not.”
“Seton hired a new one then?”
“Is there a reason you called?” Kristina asked, starting to get impatient with his tone.
She heard him chuckle on the other end. “Yeah, there was a reason I called… I want you to relay a message to your bosses.”
“I’m listening,” Kristina said pointedly.
“I would like them to know that I plan on liquidating assets for the Dragons, something I am sure they will appreciate.”
Kristina wasn’t sure what exactly that message meant, but she didn’t feel good about it. “And your name?” was all she asked in response.
“Kovic,” he replied with a smile in his tone. “Anton Kovic. I would get used to that name if I were you, little darling… you’re going to be hearing a lot more of it.”
“Is that all?” Kristina asked bluntly.
“I like the sound of your voice,” Anton said smoothly. “Do me a favor and describe what you look like?”
Kristina’s response was to hang up. She sensed that her reaction would only amuse him and that annoyed her further. She glanced up and noticed that Keith was still in the garage, but Miles had disappeared. She got up and walked around her desk towards the garage.
“Hi,” Kristina said, trying to hide the slight awkwardness she felt in her own voice.
Keith looked up and nodded at her.
“I just got a call,” Kristina relayed.
“I heard.”
“It was from someone named Anton Kovic,” Kristina told him.
Keith’s head snapped up towards her, and Kristina knew instantly that this guy was just as much of an asshole as he sounded, at least according to the expression on Keith’s face.
“What did he say?” Keith asked in a hard voice.
“He wanted me to tell you and Miles that he planned on… liquidating assets for the Dragons…”
Keith held her gaze for a moment and nodded. “Thanks for letting me know.”
Kristina nodded.
“Are you supposed to be working today?” Keith asked abruptly.
“No, it’s my day off,” Kristina replied. “I just… never got home after last night.”
His expression didn’t change; he just nodded before focusing his attention back on the bike he had been examining before Kristina had walked in. She was about to turn away when she remembered that Keith could probably give her a ride home. She debated for a few seconds, but in the end she decided she simply did not want to walk home.
“Umm…. Sorry, I don’t mean to bug you… but is it possible to get a lift home?” Kristina asked tentatively.
His expression remained impassive, and it almost looked as though he were deliberating something. Kristina was starting to believe that he was actually going to turn her down when he finally nodded.
“You live on campus?” he asked gruffly.
“It’s probably a fifteen minute ride from here,” Kristina told him.
“With me, it’ll be five,” Keith said confidently as he breezed past her. “Come on.”
Kristina followed him outside to where his motorcycle was parked. She had never been on one and the idea of riding one now was exhilarating.
“She’s a beauty,” Kristina commented sincerely.
“She is,” Keith said and nodded as he swung one leg over the bike and gestured for her to do the same.
Kristina settled herself behind him, and she felt another pang of longing overtake her, as she wrapped her arms around Keith’s waist. He was all muscle; she could tell despite the fabric that separated them. He revved the engine, and Kristina felt her pulse race up in synchronization. She wondered if their night together weighed on his mind as heavily as it weighed on hers. Somehow she didn’t think so.
Chapter Two
Keith
Keith had lost the ability to sleep a long time ago. Now days, even if he tried, even if he was truly exhausted, he was always up before the sun, his mind whirling open even before his eyes could. He hated those illusive moments between sleeping and awakening. It was always in those moments when he was most likely to forget the loss in his past, and realization was always a knife in his chest.
Last night had been just the distraction Keith had needed. He had come to tolerate the club parties that the boys liked to host…mainly because it provided him with a new array of women to lose himself in. There was nothing as therapeutic as the wet pleasures of a willing woman. Keith shifted in his bed and stared up at the ceiling. His room was tiny, but he only ever needed it for sleep—and to that end it served its purpose perfectly. His thoughts drifted to the woman he had fucked the night before.
He had seen her once before the party, sitting at the reception desk that Becca had once occupied. He had noticed her only because she fit the exact profile of what Keith found attractive. She was short and petite, but she had the kind of soft curves that he had always appreciated in a woman. She had dark eyes that he realized later were a deep blue and dark brown hair that leaned more towards curly than wavy. She had dimples in her cheeks and the kind of smile that came slowly but brightened up her entire face when it did.
Given that she was the new receptionist for the auto shop, Keith had planned on staying away from her. His intent had been sincere, right up until the moment he had spied her from across the room under the dim lights of the party. She had been wearing a short black dress that hugged her body in all the right places and heels that looked uncomfortably high. He had watched her walk through the party without really engaging, and before he had made a conscious decision, he found himself walking towards her.
Keith had always been confident, but it seemed somehow that his confidence reached a peak whenever he was around a woman he desired. Tucker called it his superpower…and Keith was inclined to agree. He had approached her in his usual dominant manner, taken her hand, and led her into one of the old storage rooms in the back. By the time the door closed behind them, Keith was already hard and ready and prepared for the same experience he had had a hundred times before. So it shocked him more than he cared to admit that this time was somehow different.
Most women batted their eyes at him or tried to make conversation while he pulled their panties down or unhooked their bras. Most women held him too tight and breathed too loud, but this woman… Kristina was different. There was an abandon about her that Keith couldn’t quite put his finger on. It was almost as though she were the one who had approached him. She didn’t try to talk to him; it didn’t even seem like she wanted to talk to him, and the moment he pushed himself inside her and her eyes closed in response, Keith sensed that she was completely and utterly in the moment. She was not concerned with what he thought of her or anything else. She simply wanted to be there and experience the wild chaos of their bodies colliding. It was as though Keith knew instinctively that she didn’t expect a conversation afterwards. She had an ulterior motive here, same as he did, and they were happy to use one another to achieve it.
Making her climax had left a burgeoning feeling of satisfaction in Keith, so much so that it had spurred him on until she came again. Right after, he slipped out of the cool dustiness of the back room, but she didn’t even raise her head to watch him go. She simply laid there, the ghost of a smile playing on her full lips. She hadn’t tried to kiss him the whole time they had fucked, and Keith wondered later why he had even noticed.
Slipping out of bed, Keith showered quickly and threw on some clothes before making his way down to Lee and Seton. Miles was already there when he arrived at the door. Silent as ever, Miles nodded by way of greeting when he saw Keith approach.
“I didn’t see you at the party,” Keith said.
“I didn’t stay for it,” Miles replied shortly.
“Who locked up?” Keith asked.
“Tucker.”
“You let cum-bucket close up?” Keith asked with a snort.
“You weren’t around,” Miles pointed out.
“I left halfway through,” Keith replied.
Miles shot him a pointed look. “Early conquest?” he asked as they made their way into the garage.
Keith suppressed a smile. “Yeah,” he nodded. “What did you do last night?”
Miles’s expression turned sour. “I had to… organize a few things.”
Keith knew instantly what that meant. “Are you having any issues with the borde
r cartels? Is it Mickey’s group or Alfonso’s?”
“Neither, they’re behaving themselves since the Montgomery fiasco,” Miles said darkly. “This time it’s the Chains…”
Keith gritted his teeth together immediately. “The Rusted fucking Chains again?”
Miles nodded. “They want in.”
“In?” Keith asked incredulously.
“In on the trade…”
“They’re already handling escorts and drugs… what do they want with illegal weapon trading? That’s our turf.”
“They want to expand,” Miles continued. “Apparently whores and heroin aren’t enough for them.”
“So they want in?” Keith said with suppressed rage. “Was it Kovic who contacted you?”
“No,” Miles said without expression. “It was his lap dog.”
Tempted: The Numb MC Page 26