Biker's Virgin

by Claire Adams

  When my phone rang, I answered without checking who it was. “Gregory?” I said aggressively.

  “Um no,” Ben’s voice was slightly curious. “It’s Ben.”

  “Oh,” I said. “What do you want?”

  “What happened?” he asked. “Woke up on the wrong side of the bed today?”

  “You could say that,” I muttered darkly.

  “Does this have anything to do with what happened last night?”

  I stopped short. Was it possible that the staff had been paying attention to the little drama I had enacted last night? I knew it was a stupid question—of course the whole restaurant would have been watching the whole thing unfold.

  “Who told you?”

  “Does it matter?” Ben asked wryly. “The point is the whole hotel is buzzing… Apparently, they’ve never seen the boss so angry before.”

  “I was not angry,” I lied. “I was…annoyed.”

  “Okay,” he replied with obvious disdain.

  “Why are you calling?” I asked again, without much effort to be polite.

  “I’m calling to ask if you plan to make it to your seven o’clock meeting or not?”

  I glanced at the clock and cursed furiously. “Fuck, it’s seven-ten.”

  “I’m aware.”

  “Fuck,” I said again. “Can you push the appointment to eight?”

  “I’ll see what I can do,” he replied.

  “Oh, and one more thing before you leave…”

  “Yes?”

  “What room is Gregory staying in?”

  “He has a superior suite,” Ben replied after a short, meaningful pause. “The number is one thousand.”

  I knew I shouldn’t be doing this; there was more at stake than a simple friendship. Gregory was an investor—a significant investor at that—and I couldn’t afford to alienate him. And yet, despite the unending refrain in my head, I couldn’t seem to slow my pace or turn back.

  It took me seven minutes to get to Gregory’s suite. I noticed that all my employees seemed to turn the other way when they saw me approach. Most averted their gaze or looked down at their shoes. Apparently, I had left quite the impression.

  I didn’t allow myself to think about it. I just kept walking until I got to the suite. It was situated in an alcove meant to offer added privacy. I paced for a minute, before finally knocking on the door.

  I stood there for exactly five seconds before another horrifying realization dawned on me. What if Gregory wasn’t in his suite tonight? What if he was with Molly in her suite? Or what if the door opened and it was Molly staring me in the face? What if she had spent the night with Gregory? I was contemplating breaking down the door and seeing what the situation was when the door swung open.

  Gregory was standing there in one of the fluffy white robes that the resort provided for guests. He had obviously been sleeping. I felt a twinge of sadistic pleasure at having woken him up. It was childish and completely unreasonable, but I was powerless to stop myself. I walked into the suite without an invitation, and Gregory was forced to close the door and follow me into his room.

  “Uh… Tristan,” he said, and even his voice was groggy with sleep. “I can’t say that I’m very happy with this wake-up call.”

  “We need to talk,” I said, rounding on him fiercely.

  He yawned and looked towards the tiny private bar that each suite was equipped with. “Will I need a drink for this?”

  “That depends.”

  “Oh boy,” he sighed. “Let me go splash some cold water on my face then.”

  Unable to stop him, I watched him disappear into the alcove where his room and bathroom were situated. Unable to stand still, I started to pace around the living room, wondering if he was hiding Molly in his bedroom. I noticed he had made a point of closing the door behind him. What if she was in there trying to avoid being seen?

  I thought back to the previous night and the heated words we had exchanged in the corridor. Molly had turned on me with blazing blue eyes and a confidence that had me weak in the knees. I had never been more turned on, and at the same time, I had never been more aware of the pointlessness of all that lust and passion.

  When Gregory came back into the living room, he was fully dressed and looked much more alert and extremely amused. That observation only served to make my mood darker.

  “Why are you here, Tristan?” Gregory asked calmly as he sat down on the couch.

  “Molly,” I said.

  He sighed. “Would you like to sit down?”

  “No.”

  “Suit yourself,” he shrugged. I hated how calm he was being. It made me look like some raving lunatic who had just barged into his room early morning. “There really is no need for all of this, you know.”

  “All of what?” I demanded.

  “The hostility,” Gregory said. “You kept insisting that Molly was nothing more to you than your friend’s sister. So naturally, I assumed you would have no problem with me dating her. Now that it’s obvious you’re in love with—”

  “What are you talking about?” I demanded, cutting him off. “I’m not in love with Molly.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “You’re not?”

  “I’m not.”

  His face cracked into a wide grin. “I see. And do you always get this worked up about women you have absolutely no romantic interest in?”

  “She’s Jason’s sister, and I’m just looking out for her.”

  “Why?” Gregory asked. “Because I’m not good enough for her?”

  “I wanted to avoid saying that to your face, but yes,” I said. “She is too good for you.”

  Rather than appear offended, his grin grew wider. “You know what,” he said. “I actually happen to agree with you. Molly’s a fantastic woman. Not only is she brilliant and beautiful, but she also happens to be a truly kind and thoughtful person. Did you know she knows all the waiters by name?”

  “I…uh…no,” I said, stumbling over my words and more than a little surprised by Gregory’s strange reaction to my presence in his suite. “I didn’t know that.”

  “She’s had several part-time jobs, too,” Gregory continued. “All of which she crammed into a period of five years before she started college.”

  “She worked a lot,” I nodded impatiently. “I knew that.”

  “Do you know why?”

  I paused for a second. “I… What is the point of this?” I demanded. “What are we even talking about?”

  “We’re talking about the fact that you are clearly in love with Molly,” Gregory said. “Even though you refuse to admit it. And yet, you have neglected to get to know her. She’s a stunning, fascinating woman, Tristan, and she might actually make a difference in your life. Have you ever considered that perhaps she just might be your perfect match?”

  “I… She…” I stopped for a moment, annoyed with how flustered I was getting. “You’re being ridiculous.”

  “Perhaps I am,” Gregory nodded. “But you’re being foolish. In any case, if I am to believe your version of the story, which is that you’re only trying to protect Molly—”

  “I am,” I insisted.

  “Then you leave me no choice but to point out that Molly is her own person,” Gregory said. “She’s not a child; she’s a twenty-four-year-old woman, and you do her a disservice by treating her like an infant.”

  “I’m—”

  “Maybe you should let her make her own decisions?”

  I stared at him for a moment. “I know you, Gregory,” I said, with narrowed eyes. “You can be a real charmer, especially when it comes to women. Molly might think she can handle it, but what happens when you cast her aside for some other girl?”

  “You think so little of me?”

  “I’ve seen it happen.”

  “And, you’ve never done the same thing before?” he asked pointedly.

  “I… That’s different,” I said weakly.

  “Why?” he demanded.

  I shook my head and turne
d my back on Gregory in favor of the view. But what I was really seeing was Molly’s face. “I don’t want you hurting her.”

  “What makes you think I’m going to?”

  “Men don’t change.”

  “Is that your observation?” he asked. “Or is that your fear?”

  “I’m not in love with Molly,” I said, more emphatically than was probably necessary. “But I do care about her. It’s the whole reason I wanted her to come down here and relax. She’s going through a rough time, and she doesn’t need anything or anyone clouding her head further.”

  Gregory stared at me carefully for a long moment. “Okay,” he said.

  “Okay?”

  “I’ll back off,” he said.

  “Just like that?” I asked in disbelief.

  “Just like that,” he nodded. “Based on your reaction, this means a lot to you. I don’t want to lose a friend and a business partner over a woman, even a woman as wonderful as Molly.”

  “Oh… Well… Thanks, Gregory,” I said uncertainly.

  “Can I ask you a question, though?”

  I pursed my lips and nodded.

  “Molly is going to meet someone one day,” he pointed out. “She’s not the kind of woman who’s likely to stay single long. So what’s your game plan? Follow Molly around her entire life and chase off every man who shows any interest in her?”

  I bit my lip, but I couldn’t find the right words to answer him. Gregory seemed to sense that he wasn’t going to get anything more out of me. He stood up, and his expression was knowing, but unsympathetic.

  “If you do have any interest in Molly, act fast, Tristan. She’s not going to be around forever, and once you’ve lost her… You’re going to regret it for the rest of your life.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Molly

  I was scrolling through my Instagram feed when I stopped on a recent post of Jason’s. He was standing in a small group, between two women. Both women were attractive, but it was the redhead on his left that I zeroed in on.

  She was tall and willowy, and she was wearing a short dress that displayed her long shapely legs. Her red hair had been blow-dried to a glossy sheen, and her smile seemed to light up her face. I felt my heart beat a little unevenly as I stared at her near perfect face.

  I remembered the first time I had ever met Lizzie Strauss. She had accompanied Jason and Tristan home one holiday while school was out.

  I had been fifteen at the time and had been looking forward to their visit for months. I had stood by my window for two hours before Jason’s familiar car pulled up in the drive. I had watched expectantly, desperate for a glimpse of Tristan. When he stepped out of the vehicle, my heart had skipped a beat, but the joy I felt had been short lived.

  A few seconds later, the back door of the car opened and Lizzie got down. Even back then, she was all leg. She had been wearing denim shorts with a tie-dyed crop top that showed off her flat stomach, her belly button piercing, and the tattoo on her left hip. She looked like something out of a movie, an Amazonian beauty that reminded me of everything I was not.

  I had watched with a sinking feeling in my gut as Tristan had placed his arm around her and they moved into the house. I had suffered through the whole weekend, watching from afar as Tristan and Lizzie exchanged little gestures of intimacy that seemed to cement their bond. I hated when she laughed at his jokes, put her hand on his leg, or leaned into his body as though she had a right to be there. I had felt physically sick the whole weekend. And at night, I would cry myself to sleep, wondering how I was going to survive knowing that Tristan loved someone else.

  The morning that Tristan, Jason, and Lizzie were set to depart back to college, I had found Lizzie in the backyard overlooking the cornfield. I had watched her silently and enviously for a long while until she had turned around and spotted me watching her.

  Her smile was sad, and perhaps that was what made me approach her. “Hello,” she said, as though we had just met.

  “Hello,” I had replied.

  “We haven’t spoken much this whole weekend,” she had said.

  When I didn’t say anything, Lizzie turned her gaze back to the cornfield. “Don’t waste your time mooning after him, Molly,” she had said unexpectedly. “You’ll only wind up getting hurt.”

  When I had looked at her quizzically, Lizzie had smiled knowingly. “You have feelings for Tristan, don’t you?”

  “I don’t,” I’d said defensively.

  Her smile seemed to get wider and sadder all at the same time. “He’s charming and handsome and witty and smart,” she continued, ignoring my denial. “It’s easy to love Tristan. But the only thing he really loves is his dreams. And unfortunately, his dreams are so big, they crowd you out.”

  When I said nothing, Lizzie had given a huge, tired sigh and walked back into the house. I didn’t go out to say goodbye to them, and after that day I had never seen her again.

  Until, of course, I had come across her picture on Jason’s feed. I was staring at her face, recalling that conversation with fresh perspective when I heard Gregory’s voice across the pool, calling my name.

  I set my phone down and looked up. Gregory was walking towards me with a towel thrown across his shoulder. “Hi,” I said. “Are you here for a swim?”

  “I certainly am,” he nodded. “But I also wanted to see how you were doing after last night.” He sat down on the lounge chair next to mine and stretched his feet out. I sat up and swung my legs down to face him.

  “I’m sorry I cut out early, Gregory,” I told him. “I just didn’t think I could continue with dinner after that.”

  “That’s quite alright,” he said, waving away my apology. “I had fun last night.”

  “Did you?” I asked, incredulously.

  “Of course,” he nodded. “It was actually quite an enjoyable first date…even if it was interrupted. And, even if it was completely fake.”

  I felt a little spasm of guilt. “I shouldn’t have included you in this,” I said. “It was unfair.”

  “I offered to be a part of it,” he reminded me.

  “But still…you’re Tristan’s business partner, not to mention his friend,” I pointed out. “It was wrong of me to put you in the middle.”

  “You might not have discovered how he really felt if I hadn’t have gotten involved.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “Um…did I discover how he really felt?”

  “Of course,” Gregory nodded. “Tristan definitely has feelings for you.”

  “He denies it.”

  “Of course, he denies it,” Gregory nodded. “Because he’s very clearly in denial. The man’s a fool. He insists that he has no feelings for you, he insisted as much this morning, too, and yet he can’t contain his rage when he sees you with another man.”

  “What happened this morning?” I asked, jumping on that.

  “Tristan visited me in my suite,” Gregory said, flashing me a smile. “Basically he wanted me to stay away from you.”

  “Did he give you a reason as to why?”

  “He said it was because he felt a brotherly obligation to protect you from the likes of me,” he said. “He feels that I’m not good enough for you.”

  “He said that?” I asked, horrified.

  “He most definitely did,” Gregory nodded. He seemed amused rather than offended. “He was in quite the mood, too.”

  I shook my head. “I don’t get him.”

  “He’s a complicated man,” Gregory agreed. “But he’s also a man who’s never committed to a woman his entire life. I think the thought terrifies him. I think that deep down he knows that he can’t just get away with a fling if he gets involved with you. He knows it will lead to something—and he’s terrified.”

  “That can’t be the reason.”

  “I think it absolutely is,” Gregory nodded. “But one thing is certain, and that is that he has feelings for you. He probably has for some time, based on his reaction.”

  “Could it possibly
be that he says what he means?” I suggested. “Maybe this really is just brotherly concern. I mean, it’s not like he reacted like that to any of the other men I dated.”

  “That was different.”

  “How?”

  “He didn’t know any of those men,” Gregory explained. “He couldn’t vouch for them one way or the other. And the fact that you never dated the same man twice might have made him complacent. It shows that you were never serious about anyone. But I think he sees you differently now.”

  I frowned. “I don’t know about that.”

  “Trust me,” Gregory assured me. “He realizes… He’s just stubborn. He doesn’t want to give in to his feelings for you because he’s convinced himself that it would only lead to disaster.”

  I sighed. “I don’t know why I’m continuing with this plan of Alani’s,” I said. “What does it serve? I’ve been thinking about the possibility of Tristan and me for a while now and…”

  “And?”

  “It’s very possible that it would end badly,” I admitted. “We’re so different.”

  “Maybe that’s why it’ll work out between you,” he said. “My wife and I were polar opposites, too.”

  I looked at him in surprise. “You’re married?”

  “Was,” he corrected quickly. “I was married. We’re divorced now.”

  “Oh.”

  “We got married really young,” he explained. “We were both still in college, and we eloped in Vegas one day on a whim. It was the most spontaneous thing I’ve ever done in my entire life. We were as different as night and day, but that was made the relationship interesting. All the differences between us is what created the passion and the fire that made our lives fun.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “But you got divorced,” I pointed out gently.

  He smiled. “Because we let the little things get to us,” he said. “Because we were too young. And too immature to realize what it took to make a marriage work. We started to get on each other’s nerves. We decided to quit instead of fight, and in the end… We ended things prematurely. I was only twenty-two when the divorce was finalized.”

  “It sounds like you regret the decision,” I pointed out.