Jesus fucking Christ! I’m not even going to get into how she knows this right now, that will have to come later. For now, I have to try and explain it to her. Why I do it? How it started? Everything. I have to tell her everything.
Scrambling to get off my lap, I grab Zara’s hips to hold her in place. There’s no way in fuck she’s getting away from me before she hears me out.
“Stop. Just stop for a second and let me explain,” I demand.
“Fuck no,” she snarls, trying to wriggle out of my grasp.
But I’m not having it. Digging my fingers into Zara’s tender flesh hard enough that I know she’ll be wearing my marks for a few days, I lean in and bite the skin of her shoulder.
“Listen. To. Me.”
Eyes filled with fire and hatred, Zara hisses,
“No.”
I don’t miss the broken tone of her voice, and knowing I’m the one to have put it there fucking stings. So I do the only thing I think might have a hope in hell of working, I beg.
“Please. Please, Zara, just listen. If after I explain you want me to let you go, I will. But please just give me five minutes to try before you take off and start ignoring my calls.”
Because I know that’s exactly what she’ll do. Zara is predictable like that. When she’s hurt or pissed, she turns off her phone and hides. She might think the place she goes to be alone is a secret, but it isn’t. I followed her there one day after we’d had a particularly bad fight, and watched her cry for over an hour before turning away and going home. I hated to leave her like that, but I knew she wouldn’t appreciate me being there.
“Okay,” she eventually sighs dejectedly.
“Okay, baby,” I repeat, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead. “First let me say, it’s not what you think.”
“How do you figure that?” She returns quickly. “I know what you do; I saw it all in black and white. The bank transfers, the statements, all of it.”
“Let me finish,” I plead, knowing that if she keeps interrupting, I’ll never be able to get it all out.
See, none of this is that simple. I don’t just get paid to fuck women for money. In fact, I didn’t even start doing that until Lena served me with divorce papers. Before then, it wasn’t me who was servicing clients and making their fantasies come true.
It was her brothers. All of them, except for Paxton.
CHAPTER SIX
~ Knight ~
“I would consider having a girlfriend, but I’m already in a serious relationship with alcohol and bad decisions.”
– Knight’s thoughts on dating
There are a couple of things you and Zara need to know. Important things. Things that might make a difference to how you and she look at me after I’m done.
First of all, I have never cheated on my wife. Not once. Not fucking ever. I don’t condone cheating, regardless of the circumstances. If a man tells you that he’s separated, that his divorce is pending, don’t believe the motherfucker. If you see a tan line where his wedding ring should be, that’s probably because the prick took it off just before you slipped out of your panties. But the biggest clue the man you’re fucking is a lying, cheating asshole is when he takes phone calls while his dick is still inside you.
Yeah, you heard me, and I’ve heard it all. There are actually men out there who answer calls from their wives when they’re balls deep inside their mistresses. Fucked up, right? Well, it happens more often than you think.
Secondly, starting Dark Knights wasn’t simply a means to an end or a way to get my dick wet. I did it because I needed something to fall back on, and so did my brother and my best friend.
Nate was acutely aware that he had an expiry date where extreme sports were concerned, and Locke’s skills as a carpenter weren’t exactly in high demand with the economy the way it was back then. And me…I’m ex-Army, an ex-boxing champ, and current owner of a gym that was close to declaring bankruptcy. I had no other skills and neither did they.
Dark Knights was supposed to be our Plan B. A way to make and save cash to secure our futures. What I didn’t know was that it was going to take off the way it did.
Within six months, we had more clients than Nate and Locke could handle alone. It’s one thing to fuck for money, but it’s an entirely different thing to be fucking back-to-back women – sometimes three or four a night – seven days a week. There was no choice but to find more men interested in our line of work. That’s where Rhodes and Slade come in.
The twins had just turned twenty when they came on board, and in less than a month they’d created a certain reputation for themselves. Women booked months in advance for the pleasure of their company. More often than not, both at the same time. After all, that is how they like it.
One woman, one pussy, one pair of tits, taking both their cocks at the same time. Rhodes and Slade aren’t picky; pussy, ass, mouth, they don’t give a damn as long as the woman they’re with gets off on it, and they get to come. And believe me, the women always get off on it.
“I’m still waiting,” Zara prompts, drawing my attention back to her beautiful yet sad face.
I wish there were an easy way to break this to her – to make her understand that I’m not the pig I’m sure she thinks I am. But I’m a realist. There’s every reason for me to believe Zara will hate me after she hears me out. At the very least, she’ll probably never talk to me again. Then not only will I be losing the best damn manager I’ve ever had, but my friend and the woman I want more than anything else, too.
Brushing my thumbs across the soft skin of her lower stomach while keeping my hands firmly on her hips, I suck in a deep breath and begin.
“A while back my dad got into some trouble. After mom had died, he started gambling.”
“Stop,” Zara silences me, shaking her head. “I know how it started. I know why. You don’t have to go over that, Knight.”
“How do you know?” I ask, needing to be sure she has all the facts first.
“What I didn’t learn from the papers Nan left for me, Pop told me when I asked,” she replies, refusing to look at me.
“When?” It’s a simple question with what I know won’t be a simple answer.
“Last night,” her voice comes out in a whisper.
“And you sat on this all night? Why didn’t you just come to me so that we could talk about it? It would have been better than you sitting at home worrying about it.”
“I’m not worried; I’m pissed. Those are two completely different emotions, Knight,” she sniffs.
Not able to help myself, I ignore her dig and ask,
“What happened to, big guy, or boss? Why is it Knight all of a sudden?”
“Because, the first two are terms of endearment, neither of which you deserve anymore.” Ouch, that hurts. Especially the way Zara says it with venom lacing her tone.
“If you’d talked to me, I could have fixed that.”
“Yeah, I don’t think so. Now let me go. I’ve got shit to do and so do you. I’ll talk to you when I’m good and ready, and not before,” Zara demands, shifting her ass over my uncomfortably hard cock.
“No,” I rumble, tightening my grip on her. “You said you’d give me five minutes, and that time starts now.”
The fight leaves her almost instantly, and her shoulders slump in defeat. It’s nice to know she’s going to listen for once, but I hate seeing her like this. The Zara I know is full of piss and vinegar, feisty, with a mouth that gets her into trouble more often than not.
“So you know why I needed the money. And I take it from what you read, you found out when I needed it.” At her nod, I go on. “We were going to lose the gym. Dad was on his last legs, Lena had stopped working to look after him, and you know Nate. His income isn’t reliable so he couldn’t help out. Dad’s house and Knights were mortgaged to the hilt, and I’d only just bought my place so I couldn’t refinance it.”
“What about Lena’s parents? I thought Locke said they are loaded,” Zara questions.
> Chuckling darkly, I shake my head.
“Lena’s mom and dad fucking hate me, sweetheart. They didn’t want her to marry me in the first place, so there was not a chance in hell they’d help bail dad and me out. Who do you think paid for the divorce and pushed it through so quickly? Her dad’s got connections, so as soon as Lena told him she wanted to be rid of me, he set everything in motion.”
Thinking back to the day I was served with those papers six months ago still fucking hurts. I hadn’t seen it coming, not that soon anyway. I knew shit wasn’t right between us, but I thought that my wife would, at least, talk to me before going ahead and making our split permanent.
We may have been living together when I brought her home from the Vengeance MC clubhouse after she was kidnapped and attacked, but that’s all it was. Sharing space, existing within the same four walls. Lena didn’t touch me, she didn’t let me hold her, and we didn’t share a bed. In part, we’d become strangers because I sure as shit didn’t know the woman I had once called my wife anymore.
“I’m sorry,” Zara whispers, pulling me from my thoughts. “Everyone knows how much you love her. Have you thought about marriage counseling? Maybe trying to talk out your problems?”
“I offered, she turned me down. Lena doesn’t want to fix us, sweetheart. She intends to move on, and I have to let her,” my voice cracks at the end.
“I really am sorry, Knight. I wish things were different for both of you,” she replies softly.
With Zara in my arms, I can’t lie to myself and say I wish things had turned out differently because I don’t. If Lena hadn’t petitioned for a divorce and my shit hadn’t fallen apart afterward, I wouldn’t have Zara right where I’ve wanted her for longer than I care to admit.
Tugging her closer, I nuzzle my face into the crook of her neck where it meets her shoulder and revel in the pebbling of her skin. Continuing my story, my lips skimming the tender flesh of her throat, I tell her,
“When I sat down and thought about how I was going to come up with the kind of cash I needed to save the gym, an escort service wasn’t the first thing that came to mind. The idea didn’t hit me until after a bottle of bourbon or three and two nights with no sleep. To be honest, it was actually your brother’s idea.”
Zara doesn’t look surprised by that, so I figure she already knows about Locke’s involvement.
“Yeah, your big brother is full of good ideas when he’s three sheets to the wind, sweetheart,” I confirm sarcastically. “Neither of us had skills outside what we were already utilizing to earn an income, which as you’re aware, was barely paying the bills. Unless I wanted to go back to boxing that is. And I didn’t, I still don’t. It probably sounds fucking ridiculous, but Locke’s plan made sense. I’d handle the money, schedules, and bookings, and he and Nate would take care of the rest. They aren’t married, don’t have steady girlfriends, and they like to fuck, so why not get paid for it?”
At her shudder, I grin.
“Yeah, sweetheart, your brother and mine know women. They’re good at what they do and the women they see come to them, not the other way around. There’s no trolling bars for hookups, no random fucking in the back of their trucks, and no strings. It’s a business, Zara; they do their job and move onto the next. No one gets hurt, and the women are always satisfied. So much so, we’ve got regulars with standing appointments.”
“Rationally, I get that. I do,” she protests. “But I can’t help it if the thought of my brother, Nate, or you sleeping with women for money grosses me out a bit.” At my grimace, Zara throws her hand up waving off my next comment. “I’m not saying it’s wrong, all three of you are grown men entitled to make your own choices, but it’s going to take some time for me to come to terms with. Right now, I don’t know what to think or how to feel about it. I’ve had less than twenty-four hours to process it, Knight.”
“I’ll give you all the time you need as long as you promise not to shut down on me,” I concede. “Talk to me if you have questions, ask me whatever you want, just don’t switch your phone off or not come into work. I need to know you’re okay with this, Zara. It won’t be forever, but I can’t close the doors on Dark Knights yet. Locke and Nate depend on that money, and so do the other six guys I’ve got working for me.”
Raising an eyebrow at me, Zara purses her lips.
“Let me guess, the idiot twins are two of those six, right?”
Give the woman a gold star.
“Yeah, they are,” I nod. “I didn’t approach them, sweetheart; they came to me.”
“I just bet they did,” she mutters. “What better career path for the two self-proclaimed manwhores than relationship free fucking for cash? I assume they come as a pair, too.”
Jesus, just how well does she know her brothers? At my wry look, Zara laughs. It’s forced, but at least it’s better than her frowning at me.
“Oh, come on now. It’s common knowledge in any bar or club south of Utah that those two tag team women. Not to mention, walking in on them mid-DP kinda cleared up any questions I had on whether the rumors were true or not.” Ruefully shaking her head, Zara groans, “They really should learn to lock their doors, or at the very least hang a tie on the door handle or something.”
A chuckle builds in my chest until I can’t hold it back anymore and burst out laughing. That sounds about right. Rhodes and Slade are exhibitionists. Neither of them gives the first fuck whether they get caught with their pants down or by whom.
Getting myself under control, I push,
“So, do you think you’ll be okay with it? I know it’s a lot to ask, but I really do need to know you’ll be able to accept it.”
Zara smirks at me, but her expression doesn’t give anything away aside from vague amusement.
“It would be kind of hypocritical of me to judge you for owning an escort service, Knight. Especially since apparently, I own the other forty-nine percent you don’t.”
And just like that, my life gets a whole lot more fucking complicated.
CHAPTER SEVEN
~ Zara ~
“Benefits of dating me: She would be dating me. I could go on, but I think I’ve made my point.”
– Paxton to Zara
The look on his face is priceless. I’ve never seen Knight speechless before, and for posterity, I wish I had a camera to record it. But sensing this might be my only chance to escape, my feet find the floor so that I can put some distance between us while he decides how he’s going to outwardly react to what he’s just learned.
See, Knight’s good at hiding his feelings. On the surface, he can appear calm, contemplative, relaxed even, but underneath the façade, he’s furious and ready to kill the first person that looks at him the wrong way. Sadly for me, I’m the only one in the room so that would be me. Not that I’m genuinely concerned, though. Knight would never hurt me, at least, not physically.
Emotionally, is a whole other story. Knight bypassed hurting me and went directly to breaking my heart. I haven’t told him as much, and to my knowledge, he doesn’t have the faintest clue how deep my feelings for him run, which means I can’t hold him accountable for his actions and how they made me feel.
With time, I came to accept that Knight would never see me as anything other than Locke’s little sister, and occasionally, when I’m not pissing him off on purpose, a friend. However, acceptance doesn’t mean I’ve all of a sudden gone blind, so I’m still able to appreciate the bounty that is his body when he works out shirtless or the seriously drool worthy picture he creates in his trademark ripped jeans and tight Henleys thankfully.
Movement to my left makes my heart start racing as Knight prowls toward me. Most women would be frightened by a man as intimidating as Knight – all six-foot-three, two hundred and seventy pounds – but I’m far from scared. I’m turned on and dripping wet. Yeah, don’t judge me, it’s been a while since I’ve gotten laid. Women have needs too, you know.
“Tell me you’re joking,” he growls, getting closer while I
edge my way toward the exit. “Tell me you do not own almost half my business.” Um, sorry buddy, but you’re shit out of luck there, I think to myself. Instead, I bite my lip and nod, waiting to see what he’ll do next.
“Zara,” Knight barks when my hand goes to reach for the door handle. “Get your ass over here. Now!”
“Uh-uh. No way. No how,” I mutter, shaking my head. I’m not stupid after all. I have no intention of being locked in a room with a furious Knight. It’s bad enough when he’s his usual pissed at me, but this kind of angry is on a whole new level that I don’t think I want to be a party to.
“Now!” He bellows, making the windows vibrate.
Choosing defiance over weakness, I cross my arms over my chest and straighten my spine.
Vengeance MC Box Set - Volume 2: Gage ~ Cash ~ Knight (Vengeance MC series Book 8) Page 59