“I’ll talk to them,” Reason quickly assured him. Recently promoted to assistant manager, Reason wasn’t about to get reamed because he couldn’t keep his staff under control.
“Busy on Sunday?” Sterling asked.
Nory thinned her lips and quickly shook her head. She thumbed the bar, obviously in an attempt to warn the Taylor brothers.
“Something going on I should know about?” Reason asked, his gaze jumping between the brothers.
“Nope,” Stellan replied. “How about you, Reason? Anything new to share?”
“Can’t think of anything,” he said tightly, wondering who was spreading the truth around. Ignoring the Taylor brothers as they headed to the kitchen, he made a note to deal with them later. Once they were out of earshot, he said, “Nory, listen, about Katherine—”
“Save it, Reason. I don’t care. It’s not my business, but like I said, Katherine used you. Her little boy has a broken heart. Jade is the one who crushed it because she’s only interested in earning a fair shot at you.”
Reason grinned. “Is that a fact?”
“You lucky son-of-a-gun.” Kellan pushed away from the counter. “Nory, tell Jade if she wants to celebrate her birthday here, we’ll run a special in her honor—two shots for the price of one. Tell her to see me or Reason for all the details and we’ll make sure it’s worth her while.”
Chapter Two
“Want to tell me what’s going on between you and Norina?”
Reason hadn’t wasted one minute. As soon as Nory left with her friends, he hit the Taylor brothers with full-throttled directness. Kellan couldn’t wait to see how Sterling and Stellan squirmed out of this one.
“You sound like Cartwell, man.” Sterling grabbed a beer out of the employee refrigerator. He popped the top and grinned. “Trying to keep her for yourself, are you?”
“It ends now.” Kellan had saved Nory’s life once. He hadn’t saved it so these two could grab hold of her while she was young. They’d have their way with her and inevitably break her heart.
“See you brought your back up,” Stellan said, nodding at Kellan.
“What’s the deal, guys?” Reason asked.
“Tell me something, Reason. Do you have an eye for all the pretty young things in Fletcher or just those who need saving?”
Reason looked mad enough to strike back so Kellan stepped in and said, “Nory is a sweet girl, but she’s a girl. She’s barely eighteen. Cartwell will have a fit if he finds out the two of you are sniffing around his place when he’s not home.”
The brothers looked at one another suspiciously, never realizing Kellan had set up the accusation on purpose. Reason didn’t breathe a word. He knew how Kellan worked and always had his six.
“Who told you? Nory?” Stellan asked, looking guilt ridden.
“Son-of-a-sorry-fucking-bitch!” Reason went for Sterling first and might have latched onto his throat if Kellan hadn’t stopped him.
“Hang on there a minute!” Kellan mashed his arm against Reason’s chest before he threw the first punch.
“Yeah, man. Pull it together.” Sterling shook off Reason’s grip. “Madden was there. Nothing happened.”
“Madden?”
“You know the one. He was her bodyguard for a minute?” Sterling looked disgusted. “Give me some credit.”
“I’ve given you too much if you ask me,” Reason said. “I saw the way you were looking at her while she was prepping food.”
“Looking never hurt anyone,” Stellan said, taking up for his brother.
“Guess it depends on who’s doin’ the lookin’,” Reason said.
Kellan pulled out his phone and popped off a text to Madden. He wanted to know exactly what had happened before Reason fired these guys. He had a sneaking suspicion one if not both were employed by his true employer, too. They couldn’t lose another inside man at Clink with Nory’s life in danger and the mob circling.
“You’re hardly in the position to judge,” Stellan said calmly.
“He’s right.” Sterling laughed. “You couldn’t keep your eyes off Nory’s blonde friend. What’s her name? Jade?”
“Jade turns twenty-one next week,” Kellan said, firing off a return text as soon as Madden confirmed nothing had happened between the Taylor brothers and Nory. He glanced up. “And you’re in luck. Madden claimed you guys were respectable gentlemen.”
“Just a couple of young guns with enough sense to keep their loaded pistols tucked out of sight.” Sterling’s cocky attitude might earn him that left hook yet.
“That’s an image I could’ve lived without.” Reason stormed into the office and slammed the door.
Kellan said, “Take it from someone who knows. Nory is off limits and that goes for anyone who works here or plays here.”
“Guess you’re saying you have a thing for her, too?” Sterling asked, smirking.
Kellan stopped in the middle of a stride. Pivoting to his left, he gave Sterling a hard glare before he said, “I’m going to forget I heard ‘too’ right then. And no, I don’t have a thing for her. If I were you, I’d get over whatever it is you think you feel for her. She’s young and I know for a fact she’s innocent.”
Stellan frowned. “How would you know that if you haven’t already tried yourself?”
Kellan stalked forward. “I’m Nory’s friend. I’m here to protect her from her father, his enemies, and guys like you who can’t wait to take advantage of her.” He turned to go.
“We know about Hank Sarsarone,” Stellan said.
“Shit, man,” Sterling grumbled.
Kellan came to an abrupt halt. “How would you know about Hank? Did Nory tell you?”
“No.” Sterling stood taller then. His eyes flashed that cool agent glare, the one which Kellan had recognized in his own eyes whenever he looked in the mirror.
Rather than ask questions and do the dance, Kellan said, “All right, then. We know where everyone is standing.”
“I don’t think so,” Sterling said, closing the distance between them. “We need to get one thing straight with you and Reason.”
“Reason isn’t a player, guys. What you see is what you get. He’s the recently promoted manager. That’s it.”
“Whether he is or isn’t, he listens to you.” Sterling’s voice was harder, colder. “And Kellan? If I decide I want Nory in my bed? That’s where she’ll be and that’s where she’ll stay. I won’t make a move unless it’s the only way to keep her safe, but understand one thing: She’s legal and while I wouldn’t sport her around clubs like these, I’d do whatever it takes to make sure no one comes near her. You should know that.”
“So you’re saying you care about her?” Kellan needed to talk to Madden. He’d find out exactly what was going on with the Taylor brothers. “Somebody’s too close to the job.” And that fucked things up for everyone.
“I’m a professional,” Sterling assured him. “But I’m also a stubborn man. No one will tell me who I can and cannot love. If Nory’s a good fit, I won’t wait to make my claims. In the meantime, Hank Sarsarone isn’t coming near her.”
“And how do you think you’ll stop him?” Kellan couldn’t wait to hear this.
Sterling nodded once at his brother and Stellan said, “We’ll fuck her to save her. Rumor has it Sarsarone will only take an innocent young woman. By the time we’re through with her, she’ll be anything but.”
“And then she’ll be marked for dead. Hank will order the hit and his guys will kill her.” Kellan narrowed his eyes on the twins. “You do something stupid like that and he will put her in the grave. Then you won’t just have Sarsarone and his men on you. You’ll have me, Reason, all the Cartwells and company, and Madden coming for you, too.”
Chapter Three
Friday and Saturday came and went without any monumental happenings. Clink reopened as if it had never closed. The kink shows were sexy. The women were sexier. A few extra phone numbers had been shoved in his shirt pocket, but Kellan couldn’t think of anyon
e specific who had stood out.
Club women were all the same, at least those who frequented Clink. Every now and then, a new gal would wander inside the club but the older Doms knew how to sweep them off their feet. Since Kellan had several positions rolled into one, he really didn’t pay too much attention to the club patrons.
Kellan had always placed the customers in three groups anyway: Those who were attached and happy, those who were attached and looking, and those who were single. Since reopening its doors, the club had started issuing these silly little bracelets for identifying patrons looking for play partners. They color-coded the difference in singles—those looking for partners for the night and those interested in a partner for life. In Kellan’s mind, single was single.
In today’s world, regardless of what someone said, everyone seemed to poke around the clubs looking for that life partner. On the heels of a few popular BDSM movies, it was much worse than before. Clink’s submissive customers often went there to hook up but seemingly returned shortly thereafter sporting a training collar.
Resting his wrist on the steering wheel, Kellan searched the parking lot, only vaguely aware of the afterschool bell ringing. Ever since one of Patience McKay’s boyfriends had worked out a deal with the mob, there had been a temporary freeze on retaliating against the Cartwells and McKays—which was comical now that Kellan stopped to think about it. Anyway, things had been pretty quiet and he wouldn’t complain about that.
“Yeah, buddy,” Kellan muttered. “It’s the damn calm before the tsunami.”
On that note, he scanned the surrounding area once more. Hank Sarsarone wasn’t about to call a real truce and from what the feds had discovered, Sarsarone wanted to bury anyone and everyone with the last name Cartwell, McKay, or Baldini. The only exception was Nory. He didn’t want to kill her. He wanted to ruin every hour of her life by forcing her into marriage.
About that time, Kellan’s phone rang. Glancing at the caller ID, he answered, “What’s going on, Madden?”
“You tell me, man. Did you threaten the Taylor brothers?”
“Hell, no.” He gritted his teeth and recalled a recent conversation. “Take that back. Yep. I sure did.”
“Thanks for telling me about it.”
“They seem to think they can fuck Nory and keep her out of harm’s way.”
“Yeah, I heard. Like you, I set them straight.” Madden was a good guy. Kellan liked him all the more now that he’d sided with him.
“I would’ve loved to have heard that conversation.”
“It’s handled.” Madden probably believed he was speaking the truth there.
“Why do I have a feeling no one sets the Taylor brothers straight?” Kellan had seen two very different sides to the Taylor twins.
“All right, here’s the thing. Stellan and Sterling have been on Norina for a while now.”
“What?”
“Not ‘on her’ in that way, man.” Madden laughed. “You’ve been working the club too long.”
“I know what you mean. What I don’t understand is why I’m just hearing about this.”
“It wasn’t necessary to tell you everything right away. Besides, we’ve had too many guys in and out of there. We didn’t want to put the twins in unless we were sure they planned to stay for the long haul.”
Kellan understood exactly what Madden meant and he didn’t like it a bit. Wincing at the thought of the Taylor brothers seducing Nory, he said, “Regardless of their jobs or positions, I know these guys. I definitely know Sterling and his type.”
“Regardless of how you stereotype him, man, here’s the thing—he cares about her. He’s too damned stubborn to admit it but everyone on the case knows it.”
“Knows what, exactly?”
“He’s way in over his head.”
“Tell me you don’t believe that nonsense.”
“The agent in you would see that ‘nonsense’ is real but the big-brother role you’ve assumed prevents you from detecting what’s under your nose. He’s in love, man. At first I had a problem keeping him on this operation. Now? I can’t think of anyone who would do a better job. He’ll protect Nory. He’ll fight for her. He’ll kill for her.”
“Yeah, but will he die for her?”
“Without blinking an eye.”
Satisfied with Madden’s answer, Kellan said, “Then that makes several of us.”
“Yep.”
“All right, then. Thanks for the call.”
“I haven’t seen you in a while.” Madden had been on a short hiking trip. “How ya been?”
“Working my ass off,” he said. “Any news from the boss?”
“I’m about to swing by his office.”
“Huh. I thought he’d given up his professional front.” Dr. Patrick McKay was a weird individual. According to those who knew him, he rarely agreed with his brothers about anything, yet he shared his wife with them.
“He’s taking appointments again. His submissive wife is even working there now.”
“Probably why he went back to work. He found a way to lure Vicky away from the others.” Kellan laughed. “She’s a looker.”
“She’s a doll baby,” Madden said.
“And she’s also taken,” Kellan reminded him.
“Too old for my blood anyway.”
“You must have your eye on someone new. Katherine Andes was on her knees for Reason recently, which means she must’ve rolled out of your bed.”
“He can have her.”
“Thing is, he doesn’t want her.”
About that time, a light peck landed on his window.
“And why’s that?”
Yanked away from the conversation, Kellan admired the sexy kitten on the other side of the glass. “Probably for the same reason I’d turn her down now.”
“Yeah, I can see that,” Madden said, apparently somewhere in the parking lot. “Just checking to be sure Nory had a tail to follow her home. I’m outta here. Take care of Miss Summers.”
“You know it.” Kellan disconnected the call and rolled down his window, too aware of his rigid body as he studied the lovely lady staring back at him. Dressed in a classy business suit, her tailored pants and jacket clung to her form. Unfortunately, the white shirt underneath wasn’t exactly see through. Damn it.
She was either an angel or a vixen but he hadn’t decided which reference better suited Miss Jade Summers. Given the sweet smile on her face, he was leaning toward the former. “Well, I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“I substitute on occasion.”
He recalled Madden mentioning the same. Madden and Jade were actually friends, a fact which irked the hell out of Kellan now that he had time to think about it.
“Never can tell who you’ll see where,” Kellan said, still thinking about Madden’s and Jade’s friendship. As her lilac and vanilla perfume filled his senses and the mere sight of her made him feel more like a man, he couldn’t help but wonder. How far had Madden taken things with Jade? Had they been more than friends?
“Where would you expect to see me exactly, Mr. Andrews?”
“Ah, but Miss Summers, there are dozens of responses I could give you, but I’m not sure you could handle any of them.” He winked, satisfied with his reply. Besides, Nory would’ve told this hottie exactly what he’d said the week before. Jade knew darn well where he’d like to find her. He didn’t have to use cheap come-on lines with this one. “Where’s Nory?”
Jade looked somewhat disappointed when he muted the flirting. He wished then he’d cranked out a few of his best come-hither-kitten pitches. “Nory asked me to find you. She’s staying after to order her graduation supplies. She shouldn’t be more than ten minutes.”
“No problem.” For a second, Kellan started to invite Jade to keep him company. While it wouldn’t take much for the young woman to jump start a bartender-slash-operative, he wasn’t interested in taking advantage of an innocent young lady. She was young and green.
Wishing he possessed an oun
ce of control and could stop staring at her like he wanted to fuck her—even though it was a thought worth considering—he looked away and fiddled with the stereo. “Can’t seem to find anything worth listening to these days.”
“Most people opt for satellite radio.”
“Do they now?” Fuck his control. It was shot anyway. He took a moment to enjoy the hell-hot young woman standing there. With Jade’s slender frame, those perky tits were practically begging for attention. What he’d give to honor them appropriately.
Damn it. He hadn’t meant to stare.
“I like it because you have a lot of variety.” She flashed an easy smile.
Was she still talking about the dang radio? He found a station playing eighties rock but kept the volume low.
Jade dug in her purse and retrieved her keys. “Isn’t that what everyone wants out of life? An interesting variety?”
She was getting fresh and he liked it.
“You tell me.” God, he could eat her right up.
“I think you’re flirting with me.” She leaned down long enough to shoot him a wider grin and again, his gaze remained at the spot that mattered—those high tits.
“Ah, young Miss Summers, what I’d give to do just that but like I said a bit ago. You couldn’t handle it.”
She thinned her lips. Her upper cheeks twitched.
Oh yeah. She was thinking about a saucy comeback. He should’ve told her to hit him with her best shot.
Backing away from the car, she apparently conceded. “Anyway, Nory will be along shortly.”
“Thanks,” he grumbled, a little disappointed he hadn’t made a move. Then again, what kind of move could he make?
He watched her in his rearview mirror until she disappeared between two vehicles. Seconds later, she screamed, “What are you doing? Wait! No! Please don’t do this!”
Students scrambled. A few people yelled. Cursing filled the air.
Without a moment spared, Kellan leapt from his car, dodged a few kids, and sprinted toward the confrontation. As soon as he rounded a parked utility van, he was in agent mode, ready to fight for his cause and kill whoever stood in the way of that.
Screw Me Sideways [Clink 1: A Cowboy Sex Story] (Siren Publishing LoveEdge) Page 2