by Ali Parker
“No.”
Jax pointed a crooked finger at me. Like most of the members in the MC, we had all broken several fingers several times. Jax’s index finger on his right hand wasn’t in the best shape. “You do have a girlfriend. No need to keep it a secret. Unless, of course, you don’t want to bring her around us. Is she a good girl, Axel?” He winked. “Does she ask you to wash your hands first?”
“Leave it alone.”
Jax laughed and rubbed his hands together. “I like this. I like this a lot. Been a long time since you were—”
“I said leave it alone.” My voice dropped a couple decibels, and I fixed Jax with a stare that took the smile from his lips.
He slumped back in his chair, put off by my unwillingness to engage in his games, and sighed. “Fine. You’re no fucking fun, you know that?”
I drank my beer. “I’ve been told.”
We sat for a while, and I sensed Jax was trying to think of something else to say to change the subject. Finally, he piped up again, and this time, he had my full attention.
“So, word on the street is the Black Hearts have a new leader.”
“Oh?”
Jax nodded. “Don’t know how he came to take the seat, but the guy’s name is new to me. They call him Watson. Supposed to be a big dude with a mean attitude. I was thinking I might try to get close to him. Get a look at what all the gossip is about, you know?”
“Johnny told everyone to lay low.”
“What Johnny doesn’t know won’t kill him. I know you’re his best buddy and all, Axel, but you’re kind of his bitch, you know? Sometimes you have to break the rules a little bit.”
“I hear you,” I said, “but Watson is not the guy to go breaking rules with. He’s bad news, Jax. I’m asking you to stay away from him. Me. Not Johnny.”
“You know the guy?”
“Yeah. Sort of.” I drank the rest of my beer. Then, I topped up the glass. Jax waived down a waitress to fill up the pitcher.
“How?”
I shook my head. Now was not the time for such stories. “We ran in the same circles a long time ago. It was bad for everyone. Just stay away from him, all right? And if you hear anything else, let me know.”
“All right,” Jax obliged, clasping his hands in his lap. “Could we be in serious shit here, Axel?”
Yes.
“Not if we do as Johnny says. He’ll play this smart. He has the well-being of the MC in mind.”
“But we haven’t been doing what Johnny asked.” Jax looked around like he was worried about a spy being present. I suppose his paranoia wasn’t a bad thing, not with a name like Watson returning to everyone’s tongues. “Two of us went out and beat up some of those Black Hearts fuckers. It happened right under Johnny’s nose.”
“Don’t worry about them,” I said. “The Black Hearts have more enemies than just us, Jax. Just do as I say. Keep an eye on yourself and your people, and everything will be fine.” I didn’t really believe the words even as they left my mouth.
Nothing was ever fine when Watson got involved.
Jax sighed and ate a cold french fry. Then he grimaced and pushed the basket away from himself. “So. This new shop. Got any space for a new hire?”
“Who you thinking about?”
“My niece,” Jax said. “She needs a job. She’s a quick learner. Likes cars and shit well enough. She won’t just be a paperweight is what I’m saying, I guess.”
“Tell her to be at the shop at nine o’clock on Monday morning. I need someone at the front desk. I’m pulling Ellie off and putting her on the floor full-time. She’s too good to keep her behind the desk all day. She’ll increase our productivity tenfold.”
“She’s always been a grease monkey, that girl,” Jax nodded. “Has a bit of a thing for you, too, I think.” The way he looked at me told me he was sizing me up. Calculating my reaction.
“Johnny says so too.”
This took the wind out of his sails. Jax’s suspicious look melted away, and he settled back into the chair. “She’s a tough chick, our Ellie, but I’d hate to see her caught up in our shit, you know?”
I looked at my hands. “Yeah. I know. I’ve thought the same thing for a long time.”
“You pulling her in to work full-time on the floor won’t jeopardize her, will it? She won’t be a member?”
“No. Only Johnny can make that call. And I don’t think it’s one he’d ever make. Ellie is like a sister to him. She’s safe where she is. Close but not close enough. I’ll watch out for her, Jax.”
“Good. If she got hurt …” Jax trailed off.
I knew how good of friends Ellie and Jax had become over the years. He had been the first one Ellie opened up to after Johnny and me. She didn’t have to work to make anyone like her. She was already a joy to be around, but something between her and Jax just clicked. It was like they had known each other for ages. I trusted him and always had. I was glad he was in Ellie’s corner.
Although, now that I had fucked her, a little tickle of jealousy rose up in me. I shook it off as soon as I sensed it.
Jax clasped his hands behind his head and leaned back. The chair beneath him creaked as the brunette waitress went by. She stopped beside Jax, and he looked up at her. He flashed her his most charming white smile, and I saw her become lost in his light green eyes.
The man was kryptonite to women. I had seen him in action many times before.
“What time are you off, sweet cheeks?” Jax asked the waitress.
“An hour.” She shot a look up at the clock on the wall. “Maybe forty-five minutes. You’ll wait for me, won’t you?”
“‘Course I will. I’m not going to leave you hanging, darling. I’m going to give you a taste of all this.” He gestured at himself, and she giggled. Then he took her wrist and pulled her gently toward him, forcing her to bend over. He pressed his lips to her ear and whispered something I assumed was naughty.
She blushed a deep shade of red, but when he let her wrist go, she stayed where she was, slightly leaning over his lap.
He grabbed her ass and squeezed.
She let out a surprised but delighted yelp before hurrying off to attend to the other tables.
Jax raised his beer glass. “Cheers to that.”
Chapter 10
Ellie
Axel’s car was parked outside the shop when I arrived. I got out of my car and stood in front of it, soaking in the sight of our new workplace.
It was big. Much bigger than our original shop. The roof was new, and I assumed it had been replaced within the last year or two. It was aluminum, so low maintenance and clean. The grounds were also relatively tidy with a gravel lot hosting ten parking spaces marked with yellow concrete barriers. It had an industrial look, which would be new for us.
The bay doors suddenly began opening. As they crawled upward, a pair of boots were revealed and then jeans. As the door crept steadily upward, more of the man inside was revealed, and I savored the opportunity to be able to check Axel out without him seeing me.
I was shameless about it.
I even let my mouth hang open a little bit.
But as soon as the door passed his collarbone, I collected myself and began marching forward. He said our “encounter” wouldn’t change anything in regards to us working together. I intended to see his words come to fruition. Axel seeing me checking him out after the first time seeing him since he had his cock buried inside me wouldn’t help things.
“Hey,” I said as I stepped into the shop. I looked around. “This place is great. I can’t believe how quickly you were able to find something so perfect for what we need.”
“It’s not bad. Still some work to do to get it in working shape, but that’s why you’re here. You know how I like it.”
He didn’t wink. There was no sexual innuendo in his words. So I let it be and smiled at him.
I was about to ask him where we should start when a quiet female voice spoke from behind me. “Hello? Are you Axel?”
I turned around to find myself staring at a petite young woman with platinum blond hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a pair of aviators on her head that pulled her lightly curled hair back from her face. She was quite pretty with unblemished skin and full pink lips. Her attention was on Axel.
“Yes, that’s me.” He stepped forward and shook her hand. Then he stepped aside and motioned at me. “And this is Ellie. She’s one of the mechanics, but she spent a lot of time behind the desk when she first started. She’ll be able to help you as you go.”
“Hi,” the young woman chimed. Her voice reminded me of a Disney character.
“Hi,” I said.
“I’m Jamie,” she said, stepping forward to shake my hand.
“Nice to meet you,” I lied. It wasn’t nice to meet her. In fact, it was pretty damn unnerving. Why was there a hot blond bombshell in the shop all of a sudden? Panicky thoughts raced through my mind. I realized how insane I was being when my brain concocted the idea that Axel had hired her to replace me.
Now that he had gotten in my pants, maybe he was over me. Maybe he wanted someone newer, fresher. Someone who he hadn’t screwed.
“Jax is my cousin,” Jamie said. “I hope he didn’t have to pull too many strings to get me a job here.”
“No, none at all,” Axel said. “He’ll just owe me some favors down the road if you end up sucking at your job.”
Jamie’s eyes widened. Axel didn’t seem to notice the pressure he had just put on her with his innocent joke.
Taking pity on her, I stepped in. “He’s kidding,” I said, wondering why I was bothering to make things easier for her. “The job is fun, and once you get the hang of it, everything will feel like second nature. Okay?”
Jamie nodded. “Okay. Thanks. Do I need to wear a uniform?”
Axel and I both laughed. It felt good to laugh around him. Some of the tension in my muscles evaporated.
“No,” Axel shook his head. “We aren’t that kind of business. Just wear something you can work in. What you have on now is fine.”
She was wearing tight dark jeans that hugged her legs from hip to ankle. On her feet were black flats with gold studs along the toe. She had on a hot pink blouse which was tucked into the jeans, and a long necklace grazed the middle button of the blouse. She looked like a paralegal.
“Well,” I said. “In my experience, wearing dangly jewelry can get you into trouble. If you’re behind the desk, it’s fine, but if you ever have to come out into the shop, I’d remove it. And, for future shifts, wear better shoes. Something closed-toed with a bit of ankle support and good soles. Sometimes, there are spills and stuff in here. Wouldn’t want you ruining an expensive pair of shoes.”
I hoped she ruined her shoes.
I smiled sweetly at her.
“Ellie knows more about this kind of shit than I do,” Axel said. “She can be your mentor. If you need anything, go to her.”
I wanted to punch him in the throat.
But I reeled in the surge of anger and kept my smile plastered on my face. “Yes. Don’t hesitate to ask questions. They’re better than avoidable mistakes.”
“Thanks,” Jamie said with a movement that I could only explain as a half-curtsy. “I’m really grateful to have this opportunity. My bills are tight, and employment is hard to come by these days. Especially when you’re like me and don’t have any skills. I can write a good essay, but that doesn’t pay you the big bucks, you know?”
Axel had run out of things to say, and I knew he wasn’t the sort of man to stand around engaging in small talk. So I took the reins. “Axel and I are going to start tidying this place up. If you want to help out where you can, that would be great. But feel free to check out the computer systems. We have to install our operations software on them still, and once we do that and I have a spare moment, I’ll run you through everything. It’s pretty straightforward.”
“Thank you,” Jamie said, giving me another feminine bow.
Axel clapped his hands together, and Jamie let out a little surprised squeak. “All right. Time to get this shit done. Enough standing around.”
So we got to work. Axel and I started with the tools. We went through everything in the shop, and I started an inventory list. Then, from there, I was able to pin down what items were missing. I transferred my list to another sheet of paper where I only wrote down the things we needed to acquire before we started accepting work. Then, I handed it to Axel and told him not to lose it.
“I won’t lose it,” he said defensively.
“You said the same thing when I gave you our old customer records. Good thing I kept a spare copy.”
“You’re a lifesaver. I know. Stop reminding me.”
I wanted to laugh, but I couldn’t manage it. My thoughts were still wrapped up in Jamie and wondering why a girl like her suddenly had a job at a place like this.
As soon as I thought it, Axel wiped his hands on his jeans. “I’m going to go check on the new girl and make sure she hasn’t blown up any of the computers. Keep at it, will you? We’re making good progress.”
I let him leave without saying anything. The door to the office closed, and I wished it had a glass window on it like our old shop did. Then, I could see what they were doing inside there.
I was losing my mind. How had one frisky afternoon in his shop led me to this? I wasn’t the kind of girl who got jealous. I was secure in my own skin. I knew what I had to offer.
But maybe Axel wasn’t interested in what I had to offer. Maybe he was tired of me. I’d been around for a long time, after all, and I knew the men of the MC liked to keep things fresh and interesting. I’d been privy to the endless rotation of women coming through the shop doors with no intention of having any work done on their vehicles. They were there for one of the men.
I couldn’t blame them. There was something exciting about being around men like the MC men. They were tough. They were the kind of guys you didn’t fuck around with. When you were with them, you felt confident and sexy and wanted. You felt safe despite the knowledge that they were walking a very fine line with the law.
And by very fine line, I meant they operated outside of the law with no apparent repercussion. Johnny was dating a cop now, for fuck’s sake.
Rules didn’t apply here.
Just because Axel and I had finally given into the sexual tension between us didn’t mean he owed me anything. He was free to do what or whoever he wanted. If that was Jamie, there wasn’t anything I could do to stop him.
He could fuck the receptionist who looked like she belonged on the set of a low-budget crime film if he really wanted to.
Just then, he returned from the office. The door closed behind him, and he nodded at me. I looked away and back down at my inventory list.
“She catches on quick. Good thing, too. Neither of us is going to have much time to show her the ropes.”
I didn’t answer him.
He stood still for a moment, watching me until he concluded I clearly wasn’t in the mood to chat. He opened his mouth, and I felt the tension in the air. Was he going to put me in my place? Part of me wanted him to. I wanted him to remind me where I stood with him.
I needed to know.
But he closed his mouth again and walked off, his boots echoing on the smooth pavement of our new shop floor.
At least he didn’t go back into the office to talk to Jamie.
Chapter 11
Axel
Ellie was pissed about something. I had no fucking clue what it could be, and I wasn’t going to waste too much time wracking my brain to try to figure it out. Women were complicated creatures, after all, and I had never been able to make sense of them.
I pulled the list out of my pocket that Ellie had given me. It was a rundown of all the tools and equipment we would need before we took on any customer jobs. Her writing was neat and slightly slanted.
I folded the paper up and crammed it back in my pocket. Why the fuck was she suddenly giving me the sile
nt treatment? And why was it setting my teeth on edge? This wasn’t how Ellie typically behaved.
I turned back around and headed back into the shop. Ellie was pulling old calendars of half-naked women off the walls and dropping them into a garbage bag. She looked up when she heard me coming and then went back to pulling tacks out of the wall. The calendars, I noticed, were from four years ago. Clearly, the old employees had left them up on the pictures they liked the most.
I crossed my arms and cleared my throat. She didn’t so much as look at me.
Now, I was mad.
“What’s the matter with you?” I asked. My tone demanded an answer.
She looked over at me, finally, and I saw anger in her eyes for the first time in years. Maybe my approach had been a bit too forceful. I should have gone about it with a bit more … sensitivity. Even if I had tried, I probably wouldn’t have pulled it off. I always came out of the gate strong.
Luckily, Ellie knew that about me.
“Nothing. Sorry. I’ve been in a bad mood all morning.”
That was more unusual than seeing the anger in her eyes. “Come clean,” I said. “If I did something, you’d best tell me. I won’t ask twice.”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
I rubbed the stubble on my chin with my thumb and forefinger. Suddenly, a thought clicked into place. Was she bothered about Jamie being around?
“Jax asked me to hire his cousin, Ellie. For the record. I’d never met her before today. Do you think she’ll fit in?” The question I posed was an attempt to get her approval. If she really didn’t want Jamie around, I would consider hiring someone else for the front desk.
The tension in Ellie’s shoulders evaporated. “No. It’s nice that you were able to help her out so quickly. I’m sure Jax appreciates it too.”
“Yeah.” My tongue felt thick in my mouth. “Listen, Ellie. You should come over tonight. I’ll make you dinner.”
At first, I was certain she was going to say no. Her eyes flicked back and forth between mine as she chewed the inside of her lip. “What time?”