Dirty Money

by Michelle Love

  His hand is resting on the bill and I need it to write the code down on it. But I wait for him to move his hand. Which he doesn’t do.

  “Can I have that, please?” I ask very politely.

  “Come and take it,” he says.

  I look at him to find him smiling with a shit eating grin. So I move my hand slow and deliberate over his and slide the piece of paper out from under his hand.

  Electricity flares through me, but I try desperately to ignore it and keep my eyes steady. His blue eyes flash and his grin disappears.

  He feels this too!

  I watch as his lips tremble a little. “Come on, Angel. Let me take you to dinner. Just dinner. Anywhere you want. Please.”

  With a shake of my head, I say the words again, “No, thank you.”

  I can’t let him take me to dinner because it will be me who makes the next move and takes him to bed. I can feel it inside me.

  I want him like I’ve never wanted a man in my life. He’s everything I want all wrapped up in a very nice package.

  Gorgeous with a dangerous edge. Muscles, tats, great personality. The ability to make me feel as if I’m coming unglued right in front of him.

  How he could make me scream and beg is obvious. And I can’t do that.

  So I just give the top of his hand a quick pat. “There are plenty of females waiting for you out there, Benny. Go pick one out and she’ll give you what you’re looking for.”

  In a quick movement, he has my hand in his as he looks at me with an unwavering stare. “Angel, I did come here with the main plan to bed as many women as humanly possible. That is a fact. But now that I’ve met you, I want only you. I can’t explain why, but I do. I want to spend every minute I can with you. I’m not feeding you a line. It’s completely true. I don’t do this. I don’t ask women out. I usually don’t even hold any kind of real conversation with one unless I’m drinking. You do something to me. I want to spend some real time with you and see what this is all about.”

  He seems so genuine. And it’s hard not to give in to him. But he’s a walking heartbreak for me.

  “You seem like a good guy, you do. Benny, I am broken. A piece of china held together by only a bit of Elmer’s glue. I have to guard myself. I know you don’t understand and I don’t expect you to. Please understand this is not personal. If I was a different person, I’d accept your offer in a heartbeat. But I am who I am. A product of what my past has made me.” I pull my hand from his and look away.

  “Don’t think of yourself like that, Angel. No one is completely broken. You aren’t as fragile as you think you are. Maybe we’re supposed to help one another. I don’t know. I just know I have a strong pull toward you. Stronger than anything I’ve ever felt. Now, if you can look me in the eye and tell me you don’t feel a damn thing, then I’ll leave you alone.”

  I look anywhere but at him as I don’t know if I can look at him and lie. I do feel a strong pull to him. It’s more than a mere attraction. He’s hot and all but it’s deeper than that.

  Dangerously deep.

  My body freezes as he takes me by the chin and makes me look at him. His eyes search mine. Then the alarm goes off on my phone and we both look at it as it vibrates along with the sound and moves over the counter top.

  “That’s my alarm. Time to go.” I pick up my phone and take a step back, breaking away from his hold on me.

  I grab my keys and helmet from under the counter and spin around on my heel and take off. Without saying a word, I walk out of the shop and quickly get onto my bike.

  With one quick kick, I start it and take off. I can feel his eyes burning a hole into my back.

  This feels all wrong, but I’m doing it, anyway. Riding away from the man who could be the one for me…

  BLAZE

  I watch her ride away as I stand at the glass door of her uncle’s shop. She leans over a bit as she leaves the parking lot and takes a right. The sound as someone clears their throat has me turning back around and finding her Uncle Phil standing there, looking at me.

  “Is she still saying, no?” he asks me as he rummages around behind the counter.

  “Yep.” I turn back to watch her until she completely disappears. “Do I have a chance in hell?” I turn back to him.

  He shrugs his shoulders. “The girl isn’t into bikers. Now if you were a doctor or a lawyer, you might stand a chance.”

  His words perk me up. “I am a lawyer. She knows that.”

  “And still no, huh?” he asks with a little shake of his head. “Maybe it’s the clothes you’re wearing. You may be reminding her of the guy who broke her heart a couple of years ago when he up and left her to travel the world or some shit.”

  “Do I look like him?” I ask as I’m wondering if that’s why she’s so dead set against getting to know me.

  “No. He had dark hair and was shorter than you. Just the biker thing. Gage, really did a number on her. The two were inseparable for a few years. I know at least I thought they would get married one day. So when he made this odd move to leave and leave her behind it threw her for a loop.” He looks up at me and smiles. “But you never heard that from me. Got me?”

  I nod. “Is she coming back today?”

  “Yeah, it’s just her lunch break. She’ll be back in an hour. Why? You planning on giving it another shot?” he asks as he picks up the empty coffee cup she left on the counter and tosses it in the trash.

  “I’m certainly thinking about it.” I step away from the counter and go to the door. “See you in a little while, Uncle Phil.”

  “Bye, kid. Good luck,” he says as I leave.

  Getting on my bike, I start it up and find it feels normal again and head over to the motel to change clothes.

  If she wants a lawyer, I can give her that.

  The small not so fancy motel is just up the street a bit and I find Rod and Ashley pulling in at the same time I am. We get off our bikes and all go inside the main lobby to get the keys to our rooms.

  “You booked a room here too, I see,” I say as I hold the door open for them to go inside first.

  Rod’s hand on Ashely’s ass has me wondering how they’ve managed to keep a spark going between them for as long as they have. After we all check in, the desk clerk tells us that there are free cocktails in the little lounge next to the office.

  Never ones to not partake of free anything, we three head that way and find some beers on ice in a large silver bucket. I grab three, handing them each one.

  “I’ve been needing a beer since before I got into town,” I say and pour the golden miracle down my parched throat.

  We all take seats, them on the love seat and me in the chair near them. Rod takes a drink then says, “So what was wrong with your ride?”

  “Air suspension leak. The girl who works at the garage diagnosed it very quickly with no help from me at all. I actually forget what the hell was wrong with it when I laid my eyes on her.” I take another long drink, draining the can and get up and grab another.

  “She rattled you, huh?” Rod asks and looks at his wife. “I know that feeling.”

  She gives him a dark look and then smiles. “Me too.”

  Taking a seat again, I open the cold beer and ask, “So how did you know you were meant to be together? Was it love at first sight, or did you grow on each other?”

  Rod’s smile moves over his entire face as he looks at his wife. “I went looking on the internet for a woman who was into the same things I was. It was a thing the girl I was hung up on told me I should do. She was right, and I found this one after only minutes of looking over the various profiles. I knew she was it the second I saw her picture.”

  Ashley takes up the story as she runs her hand over his thigh and looks into his eyes, “He sent me a message and when I saw his picture I knew I was very interested. When I read his likes and dislikes, I knew we’d get along.”

  “And man did we get along!” he says as he squeezes her thigh.

  Ashley looks at me with a gr
in and says, “From the moment this man touched me, I knew he was the one.”

  I take a drink and look at Rod. “Was that the same for you?”

  He nods. “And every day has been the best of my life.”

  “So you two believe in love at first sight then?” I ask as I find this very interesting.

  They both nod and then they kiss for only a moment. Rod looks back at me. “Why so interested, Blaze?”

  “The chick at the shop got my plans for this trip all going out the window. There’s something about her that has me feeling all crazy. When our hands met, it was like electricity shot through me. When she laughed I found my heart beating harder. The thought ran through my head that I couldn’t live a day without hearing that sound. That wonderful sound.” I pull the can up to my mouth again then set it back down without taking another drink.

  Ashley watches me and asks, “So when are we going to meet her?”

  With a sigh, I answer, “Not sure you will. She told me, no, when I asked her out to dinner.”

  “Damn!” Rod says then laughs. “You sure she’s on the same page you are?”

  I nod. “She is. I could see it in her frightened eyes. She was hurt by a biker a couple of years ago. Thought it was the real thing but one day he told her he was out of there and never came back. He left her behind and I think she thinks all men are like that.”

  Ashley nods, knowingly. “And you’re only in town for the rally then you’re gone too. I see her point.”

  “Me too. But I also think if she’d allow us to spend some time together that things could be worked out if we are the ones for each other. But she isn’t about to even see what happens between us.” I pick up the beer and take the drink I put off a second ago.

  This all seems so hopeless to me. I should forget about her and go to the bar and pick up some loose chick and forget about her. Forget about Angel. Forget about what might be.

  Rod stands up and pulls Ashley with him. “We’re off to get cleaned up and rest a bit before tonight’s crazy activities. If you want my advice, I’d say to turn up your inner alpha and don’t give her a choice.”

  I nod as they walk past me then look at Ashley as she runs her hand along my shoulder. “Blaze, you can get through to her. If it’s real, you can break that barrier she’s set up to protect herself. I know you can. See you later, Brother.”

  “Later,” I say and finish the beer, then make my way to my room.

  As I walk inside, I see the box that was delivered. I open it and take the clothes out and hang them all up. Then, in the bottom, I see the shit load of rubbers and the padded cuffs.

  I take them out and put them in one of the drawers then I take the small whip out and the edible strawberry panties and add them to the drawer. The tube of antibiotic ointment with painkiller I put in the bathroom, and then look at myself in the mirror.

  “Who are you, Benjamin Franklin Worthington of the Manhattan Worthington’s?”

  The tattoos on both arms have remained hidden from my family for the last three years since I started getting them. Suits successfully keep them hidden from judgmental view.

  And for a moment, I think about not giving this chick what I think she wants. A successful man who she can have faith in. Build trust in. Fall in love with.

  That man is me but not exactly the real me. But neither is Blaze.

  I’m this man who seems to be searching for a middle ground. Somewhere between rogue gang biker and billionaire lawyer.

  The way she calls me Benny has me thinking that she just might be the one to help me pull my two worlds together in some way.

  Angel is this smart woman who’s about to hold a Master’s Degree in Engineering. Something that my family would respect.

  But she also is this motorcycle-riding woman with no financial stability. Something my family would hate.

  She’d definitely be a woman in the middle of the two worlds that I’m a part of. Smart, spunky, but also fragile and afraid.

  Maybe I could help her close the gap between her two worlds. Show her that there’s no reason to think of herself as broken just because some numb-nuts, who was not meant for her anyway, left her to roam the world on his own.

  She was meant for someone else. She was meant for me.

  After a nice hot shower to remove the grime of the road, I put on a nice pair of black Armani slacks and a light blue button-down shirt that I think accents my eyes and I hope Angel notices that.

  Back into the shop, I go in with a bouquet of flowers I stopped and bought for her. The bell dings as I enter the waiting room and find no one around.

  Before I can call out, she comes up the stairs out of the bay and stops when she sees me. The way her mouth hangs open has me bubbling on the inside as I know that my new appearance is affecting her in all the right ways.

  “Hey, Angel.” I walk toward her, holding out the flowers. “I brought you a little something for your desk, or counter or whatever you call this place you work at.”

  She takes them from me and walks behind the counter, placing them on it and leaning in to smell them. “These are nice. Thank you.”

  Not really knowing what else to do, I stuff my hands in my pockets. I thought she might get all gushy and realize she should let me take her to dinner. But she’s just being really quiet.

  “You’re welcome. I felt like you helped me out earlier with my bike and helped me not get screwed over on the price. I owed you something nice for the nice thing you did for me.”

  She smiles but doesn’t look at me. “It’s my job, Benny.”

  “Not entirely, it’s not. So how was lunch?” I ask, as I’m going nowhere with this woman.

  “Fine. I had a turkey on wheat at home.” She starts tapping at the computer keyboard in an effort to act busy I bet.

  “I thought I’d try my hand at dinner again. I thought I’d show you what I’d look like when you and I go somewhere nice. Not the old biker guy. The lawyer part of me. You know that’s me too, Angel.” I find myself rocking back and forth a bit and stop as it might make me look a little nervous. That has to stop.

  I am nervous but I don’t want her to see that.

  Finally, she looks me over and says, “You do clean up well, Benny.”

  “And I bet you do too, Angel. So what do you say to a nice evening out together where we can get to know one another better?” I ask as I take a step back so she can really take me all in.

  When she looks at me I nearly want to jump over the counter and pull her into my arms because I see the fear there and I want to hug it out of her.

  “I really do love the flowers. You keep taking this personally even though I’ve told you countless times not to. I don’t date. End of story. You look great, both ways. Hot biker guy and hot billionaire. You’re sure to find a woman, Blaze, or Benjamin, or whoever you are right now.” She stifles a laugh and I find myself pissed off.

  “I’m both,” I say with a snippy tone to my voice. “I’m sure you aren’t always Miss Motorcycle Mechanic Chick. There has to be a frilly little female inside of you that you let come out on occasion.”

  Those pretty eyes get hard in an instant and now I’m sorry I copped that attitude with her. One long finger points at me as her plum colored lips open and say, “Look here, dude, I don’t need to explain myself to you or anyone. Be both guys. Be who the fuck ever you want to be. I’m me. Warts and all, I am just me.”

  “Angel, I didn’t mean to make you…”

  “Well, you did make me mad! You’ve pissed me off. Thanks for the flowers. And have a nice life. I’ve had enough fun for one fucking day.” She walks over to the door that leads down the stairs to the bay and shouts, “I’m out of here for the day, Uncle Phil. See you tomorrow.”

  I hear him shout out a goodbye then she’s back grabbing her helmet and keys and hauling ass past me. Taking my hands out of my pockets, I grab her arm as she comes by me.

  Her eyes are so full of anger it really makes no sense. “Hey, I’m just asking
you out on a fucking dinner date. Shit, Angel! The theatrics are over the top.”

  “And I’m just politely refusing. Why can’t you take no for an answer?” Her foot taps on the linoleum floor with a loud sound.

  It’s like counting off the seconds until she erupts again.

  This woman needs to get laid so bad it’s not even funny!

  “One kiss, Angel. If you feel nothing, I’ll leave you alone,” I find myself saying and have no idea where that came from.

  “Ha!” She jerks her arm out of my grip. “Ha!” She walks out of the door, leaving me standing there like an idiot.

  I push open the door as she climbs onto her bike. “Angel, just one.”

  She looks at me with a smile and makes the damn one-syllable laugh again then starts the engine and peels off.

  I guess I’m about to turn into a fucking stalker over this trick!

  ANGEL

  Why does this town have to be so damn busy and full of cruising bikers?

  I’m mad and just want to get home and get away from all men.

  Why did he have to show up there looking like a million bucks? Why did he have to show me the other part of him that I’ll be missing since I can’t have him in my life forever?

  That man is fucking hot as shit in his tight black leather and dressed up too. It’s not fair, really. Successful businessman one minute, dangerous biker the next.

  It’s just not fair!

  And the other thing that isn’t fair is how he wants to show me these two fantastic sides of him. Him! A man who will only be around a short time then poof, he’ll be gone. Back to New York to hobnob with the upper class.

  What a jackass!

  Who does that to someone? Who shows a girl what all she can’t have?

  Sure, I could have him for a night. I might even have been able to hang onto him for his whole visit here. But then he has to go back and here is where I’ll stay.

  I’m nowhere near the class I’m sure he’s expected to marry into. Not born wealthy. Not schooled in aristocratic snobbery. Not perfect by any means.

  There will never be a wedding announcement in the New York Times where it reads; Billionaire, Benjamin Franklin Worthington of the Manhattan Worthington’s and Angel, no middle name, Jennings of the middle of nowhere, Jennings’ are happy to announce their impending nuptials.