Falling Under

by Lauren Dane

  Mick had a large whiteboard calendar he rolled over, along with the laptop and the ever-present notepad he kept in his back pocket, and they had some breakfast and coffee while going over the schedule for the next week.

  “We probably should have included Carmella in this meeting,” Mick said. “I’ll get with her soon to see what her preference is. I think it’s good for her to sit in a few times at least to get a feel for how we work.”

  All the guys had been thrilled that Carmella accepted the job, especially knowing she did the books and managed the office for her uncle’s business for years.

  Kismet, Duke thought.

  “Makes sense. Did you crash here in your office or did you manage to make it home?” Duke asked Asa, who’d still been there when he’d finally left.

  Asa rolled his head on his shoulders, a few cracks in his spine as he did. “I slept next to my woman. I’m getting too old for sleeping on couches. And I’m really too old to pretend I’m not way more comfortable at home with PJ.”

  Eight months after Duke’s closest friend had moved in with his girlfriend PJ, there were still brawls and races, and plenty of working until all hours, but the heart of Asa’s life had settled and it looked damned good on him.

  Duke was happy with his own life, but he had to admit sometimes he felt a twinge of yearning when he saw Asa and PJ together. Their connection was so clear, that sense of partnership so tangible it made Duke begin to think being with someone for the long haul was not only possible, but something he might want too.

  “I’m going to get to it,” Duke said, standing and gathering his stuff, his head already in the hybrid 1934 Ford at his workstation.

  Duke and machines had a thing. A hot, steamy affair. He touched them and they obeyed. As it should be. He couldn’t remember a time when he didn’t fix things, but he did recall the moment he understood it was more than a thing he did out of necessity but something he did because he loved it.

  Which was a good thing because the Ford was pretty much a rebuild. The parts had taken forever to drum up and even then they had to machine a lot of their own stuff and repurpose a different Ford engine when the one it came with nearly blew up.

  That’s when Duke had taken over the project. The guys they employed at Twisted Steel were all great. Skilled in their trades and consistently turned out fantastic work.

  But this persnickety ’34 wasn’t going to submit to anyone but Duke. So, Mick kept people away from Duke, enabling a mind-set Asa referred to as “the machine whisperer.”

  There was no need to hammer home who was boss. No, Duke was a chill dude for a reason. Machines didn’t give a damn how much you needed them to work. They didn’t worry about breaking down. Moods were irrelevant to whatever Duke wanted to fix so he always figured he might as well keep his act together instead of losing his shit.

  Instead, they responded to patience and determination.

  A little bit of magic, some luck, lots of skill, and endless patience and the ’34’s engine had a rumbling growl. And when they finished up, the car would be one of their best builds yet, bringing them enough cash—and attention as the customer was a car enthusiast with connections at several magazines—to continue to make their mark as masters of their craft.

  Asa stopped by, interrupting Duke what turned out to be two hours later. “Carmella just arrived. Let’s not scare her away with our bad manners the first day.”

  “Especially as I pretty much ambushed her when I made the job offer.”

  Twisted Steel had been in a bind and Duke was not even the tiniest bit embarrassed at how fast he took it up as a chance to be around her more.

  She walked in, impressed by the place immediately. Sure it was a shop; she’d been in them on a regular basis pretty much her entire life so there was always a sense of homecoming. But some shops were shitholes. Most were in the middle somewhere.

  Twisted Steel, though, was special.

  It was clear they took pride in what they did and the product they created.

  “Morning, Carmella.”

  Hello, tall, dark, and handsome. Hazel eyes took her in. Long, dark hair was tied back to expose one hell of a face. Tawny skin with ink peeking out here and there. He wiped his hands on a cleanup rag.

  Asa Barrons. The other owner of Twisted Steel. He held out a hand and drew it back. “Sorry, I was just dealing with a funky carb. Let’s just pretend I shook your hand and then I won’t get you dirty.”

  Too bad. She bet he could get a girl really, really dirty. Carmella knew PJ Colman, Asa’s girlfriend. PJ looked really happy every time Carmella saw her since getting together with Asa.

  Instead of saying it and getting fired her first five minutes on the job, she smiled. “Hi there, Asa.”

  “We’re glad to have you here. Let me take you to the office so you can meet Lottie.”

  She followed him back to the administrative area that overlooked the work floor via a wall of glass. A petite woman with thick-rimmed glasses looked up.

  “Lottie, this is Carmella, she’ll be taking over for you.”

  Lottie waved as she came over and pulled Carmella into an unexpected hug. “Hi! Come on over and put your bag away. Asa, get back to work. I’ll get Carmella started after some coffee and a tour. Don’t worry, I won’t scare her off.”

  “Okay then. Again, welcome to Twisted Steel, Carmella.”

  Asa left and Lottie snorted. “They’re nice guys to work for. I’m bummed to be leaving.” And then she pretty much told Carmella her entire life story as she showed her where to stow her coat and other stuff.

  “This’ll be your desk unless you want the other one. They, the guys I mean, use whichever desk you won’t be using a few times a day. I like this one because that one is right under the vent so it’s freezing in the summer and hot in the winter. Plus from here you can keep an eye on the floor where everyone works and the front door too. We don’t get much street traffic. They do have open hours for the showroom but there’s a receptionist over there so you don’t have to deal with any of that stuff. They only see clients by appointment. Asa and Duke have offices just through here.” Lottie indicated two side-by-side offices. “They see clients for consults usually over in the showroom, though.”

  Sweet baby Jesus, how did this girl even breathe around all those words? Lottie was like a hummingbird, flitting all around, talking at hyper speed.

  “Let’s go out and meet everyone. They’re finishing a job right now so I’ll warn you they might be short and a little punchy. They’ll deliver tomorrow and then there’ll be a huge feast here.” Lottie paused and looked Carmella over. “Good, you’re not wearing heels. I tried that when I first started. You’ll find yourself running around too much for heels.”

  Ha. Heels in a shop? Not likely. She liked not breaking her bones too much for that.

  She followed Lottie out but Duke was already approaching, smiling. “You’re here. Good. Come on so I can introduce you around.” He put his hand at her elbow and drew her away from Lottie, who didn’t even stop chattering for half a beat.

  Despite Lottie’s warning, no one was anything less than friendly and welcoming to her.

  Twisted Steel had a great crew. The Ford they were finishing up was stunning work. She walked around it, pausing here and there to appreciate the craftsmanship on every level.

  “This is sweet,” Carmella said, meaning it.

  Duke grinned. “I can’t lie, it’s fucking gorgeous. I’m glad it turned out so well, but damn, I’ll be sorry I can’t keep her.” He polished up the chrome of a side mirror.

  He charmed her, this man who looked at his work through the eyes of a little boy.

  He straightened, looking all around her at floor level. “Hey, where’s Ginger?”

  “She’s at home. First day at a new job so I figured I’d bring her in next week. Just the mornings probably. She’s too social and would be in everything if I had her here all the time.”

  “Well, it’s up to you, but she’s wel
come.”

  Carmella thanked him again and got back to work.

  She spent the afternoon getting a quick and dirty education on how Twisted Steel liked its books handled. Carmella figured once Lottie was gone, she could apply some discipline and things would be a lot smoother. The other woman was sweet and friendly, but it appeared there was a lot of pestering of the crew over things like time sheets and invoicing.

  Carmella liked to run a very tight front office so she’d have to see just how much change the folks at Twisted Steel would tolerate.

  At quitting time, Lottie patted Carmella’s hand. “It’s time to clock out. You can work pretty much your own hours. I do eight to five but you can do nine to six or whatever. They’re here late all the time but there’s stuff you need to do during regular business hours. I’m sure you’ll get it all. It’s not like you’re new to this or anything. I’ll see you in the morning. I need to go home and help pack. John, that’s my husband, he says to thank you for jumping in so fast to help.” She smiled brightly up at Carmella. “We’ll go through payroll together first thing. Friday is doughnuts and bagels in the morning and they’re delivering that ’thirty-four so there’ll be more food after that too.”

  Carmella asked her question quickly while Lottie appeared to be breathing instead of speaking. “Do I need to pick them up?”

  “Nope. They’ll be delivered here first thing. Duke takes care of all that. Just come hungry.”

  As Lottie and Carmella started to leave, Duke looked up from his work and jogged over to the doors. “Hey, how was your first day?”

  Lottie answered, “She’s a natural. She’s gonna be great though I do hope you guys miss me at least a little.”

  Duke put his arm around Lottie’s shoulder. “Of course we’ll miss you. It’ll probably be way quieter around here, that’s for sure.” He winked and Lottie laughed.

  “See you in the morning.” Lottie scampered out and Carmella let out a long breath.

  Duke laughed. “Yeah, she’s got a lot of energy. Sort of a tiny female Tigger sometimes.”

  “I hope you guys don’t get disappointed. I don’t think I have the stamina to talk that much. Plus I like breathing now and then.”

  He laughed. “You’ll do fine. I have no doubts. Thanks again for pitching in. We’re a family here as you’ll come to find out. Lottie needs this move, but she’s leaving the place in good hands.”

  “I’ll do my best not to let you down,” Carmella said with a smirk. “I’m excited to see the finished project and the customer’s face when he sees it for the first time.”

  “Best part of the deal other than the check.” Duke stepped back. “I’ll see you in the morning. Drive safe.”

  It was good to have a job again. Being worried about money sent her back to a place she hated to go. A place where her helplessness wasn’t something she could get around.

  A good-paying job gave her independence. It gave her the ability to make her own choices. And that meant she’d always be in charge of her destiny. She’d do whatever it took to keep from depending on anyone else to survive.

  While dinner cooked, she played ball with Ginger for a few minutes and tossed some clothes in the washer. She’d sort of been on summer vacation schedule, though having to deal with her mother’s appointments got Carmella out on a regular basis.

  The stability of gainful employment and a real schedule would benefit mother and daughter both, Carmella hoped. As she settled at the dinner table, Ginger joined her, lying over Carmella’s feet.

  “I think this is going to work out, Ginger. If I can keep from thinking with my pink parts, that is. Something about Duke Bradshaw makes me want to fall on my back and open my thighs wide. He’s a menace.”

  Ginger gave Carmella a growl-bark that Carmella figured was a canine version of girl, me too.

  The paperwork she’d filled out had included a retirement plan. A retirement plan! They matched a percentage of the total she put into it monthly. It wasn’t that she’d never thought of such a thing but it had always seemed like something other people had and she never would.

  And they liked dogs. Really, she wondered when she’d find out they were all in league with Satan or something. The place seemed so awesome she was sure there’d be another shoe dropping at some point.

  Unless she found out something horrifying, she’d take this news as wonderful and let herself be hopeful instead of hopeless.

  CHAPTER

  Three

  Duke made himself promise not to watch Carmella all morning long. A difficult promise that only worked out partway because there was no denying he liked to look at her.

  It was impossible not to. She was everything he loved about redheads. To say she was curvy wouldn’t have done justice to just how juicy those curves were. It wasn’t just the banging tits and that sweet ass, but the way she dressed. Confidently, sexily, mindful of what she looked good in, and she worked it.

  Damn did she ever. Not blatant. She wasn’t a sex bomb that way. But the heat was there, just beneath the surface. Hints of it had driven him nuts over the last few years of living next door.

  But when the morning break came and she’d come out of the office and had hustled into the break room, he’d managed to sidle up next to her.

  She smelled really good. Flowers and spice. Not overpowering at all. In fact, he only smelled it when he was right next to her. Just a bit of it here and there. He wanted to tell her that, but he was her boss and so he didn’t.

  Carmella had her hair held back from her face with a navy blue band. She wore a blue and white polka dot blouse that dipped in the front but didn’t even approach inappropriate and navy blue pants with flats. Even so she came off as tall. Statuesque. Like one of those Italian actresses his old man used to love back in the day.

  But she wasn’t. Standing next to her, he realized just how petite she was. All that tall stuff was the way she made him feel. Damn.

  Her makeup was pure forties with dark-lined eyes that brought out just how blue they were. Freckles danced over her nose and cheeks and her lips were shiny.

  “Redheads should wear red lipstick more often.”

  It was out before he could stop himself. Another thing a boss probably shouldn’t say.

  Her mouth was so lush he wanted to lean in and bite her bottom lip. Currently it curved up at one edge as she smiled. “My grandmother taught me that red lipstick is revolution in a tube. Nothing else so cheap and small can make you feel so much better after you use it.”

  He laughed. “Your grandmother sounds wise in the way of things.”

  “She was pretty fantastic in her day. She passed a few years ago, but her best lessons have stayed with me. So, how goes the Ford?”

  “Want to see the final product?” He wanted to show off. Wanted her to see what he did and find it impressive.

  Her eyes lit up. “Yes. I’d love to. I figured because you had the tarp over it, you wanted to do a reveal all official like.”

  “Mainly to keep the dust off as we cleaned stuff up. Asa is going to move it to the showroom in a few minutes. Come on down.”

  She followed him, and when he drew the tarp off, she gasped, clasping her hands in front of her body. “Wow.” She circled the car slowly, taking in all the details.

  He swung the driver’s side door open and she hummed. A sound so carnal and greedy it shot straight to his cock. He licked his lips and swallowed hard. A woman who’d make a sound like that over a car was the ultimate aphrodisiac.

  “Tell me what you’ve done,” she murmured as she continued to take in all the details.

  “The car had been sitting under sheets in a barn for at least forty years. The undercarriage was a ruin. There was a family of mice living in the seats. The frame was about sixty percent salvageable. I rebuilt the rest. The client wasn’t that big a stickler on it being stock. Which was good since it would have been next to impossible. We updated the engine. Asa designed the rims. Client wanted suicide doors so we built them f
rom the original.”

  She pointed to the custom work they’d done on the inside of the doors to echo the seats. “This is beautiful. You guys have made a piece of art.”

  Duke grinned and Asa strolled up, pleased by the compliment as well. “Wait until you hear the engine.”

  Her eyes were bright, her smile big as she stepped back. “I can’t wait. The paint? Obviously not stock, but wow the deep wine color, so sexy.”

  “That’s all Penelope Jean.” Asa’s expression softened at the mention of his incredibly talented girlfriend. “Client saw this color on a pillow. Brought it in for us to see. PJ created a custom color from that.”

  “It’s fantastic.” She moved out of the way as they pushed open the bay doors, prepping to move the car next door to the showroom. When a client picked their car or bike up, it was a big deal and Twisted Steel made it that way.

  The lights would be on it just right, highlighting it for delivery. They’d had this moment many times but every single time was special. Every single customer reacted differently.

  “So what’s next for you guys?”

  “Two projects. A ’forty-seven Chevy two-door coupe. They want a custom rebuild so this will be crazy fantastic. The other is a trike. One of our signature builds.”

  “Can’t wait to see—”

  Asa started the Ford and the air was filled with muscle. All the normal talking silenced and then applause and whistles broke out.

  Twisted Steel was about to deliver another winner.

  When Lottie had told Carmella they brought in a feast when a project was delivered, she hadn’t been kidding. The post-delivery celebration had also turned into a good-bye party for Lottie.

  They’d closed the shop and headed into the back, where pizzas, salads, sodas, beers, sweets, and hoagies waited.

  PJ showed up, coming straight over to give Carmella a hug. “Asa told me they’d hired you. How are you? You look like you’re ready to bolt. I promise they only look like bad boys.”

  Carmella snickered, patting PJ’s arm. “Believe me, I know the difference. It’s just … well I’m new and this is a good-bye party. I don’t want to intrude.”