Men in Charge: A Contemporary Romance Box Set

by Natasha L. Black

  I laughed. “Because they’re not being drowned out by all the neon lights.”

  “We should come here more often,” she said, wistfulness in her voice.

  “Anytime you want.”

  She leaned into me, her pert little ass pressing against my thighs, making me think thoughts I had no business thinking.

  “Where do you think all those people are going?” she asked.

  I smiled in the darkness. “I have no idea. I don’t care. I’m just happy to be here with you and not down there with them.”

  My gaze fell to the busy freeway. Watching the red of the taillights was mesmerizing, like watching flames dance in a fire. I loved it up there. It was crazy how peaceful it could be when just ten miles away it was loud and chaotic, humming with activity. I stood behind her, my arms wrapped around her waist, my head resting on hers as we stared out at the horizon, each lost in our own thoughts.

  “One day I want to have a house up here, or maybe farther north. I want the mountains and the ocean,” I said, not feeling the least bit embarrassed about telling her my dreams.

  The guys I hung out with would have laughed at me for being sappy. It was hard to be a tough guy all the time, a guy who hated everything and everyone and was always looking for trouble. It was an image that had been easy to cultivate and cemented further by the company I chose to keep.

  She sighed. “That would be amazing. I’m going to go to school to become a teacher. I think I want to teach kindergarten. Then I’ll buy my own house and have my mom move in with me. It’ll be in a nice neighborhood. She’ll be able to plant all the flowers she wants, and we’ll have lots of backyard barbecues.”

  “Can I come? Your mom is the best cook on the planet.”

  She laughed. “Of course. You better be there. Maybe we’ll live together.”

  I let myself fall into her fantasy. “Then the house is going to be way up high and private, lots of trees and no loud neighbors.”

  “Deal.”

  She turned to face me. Looking into my eyes, she said the words that would change my life forever.

  “I want it to be you,” she whispered.

  I shook my head. “Michelle—”

  She stopped me, leaning up on her toes and pressing her lips to mine, her tongue darting out and licking my bottom lip before gently sucking on it.

  “I can’t,” I moaned against her mouth, feeling my blood racing south and knowing I was going to give in to my desires if she didn’t stop.

  “I want to,” she begged. “I’m eighteen. I can make my own decisions. I know you want me Elijah.”

  I groaned, feeling the erection pressing against my pants. “Damn straight I want you. But I can’t. Your brother would kill me.”

  “I don’t care what he thinks. He doesn’t have to know. He doesn’t control me. Elijah, I’ve loved you since I was thirteen. I’m an adult. I want you to be my first. My mom always told me to wait for someone special. You’re special.”

  I knew I shouldn’t, but I couldn’t resist her soft, warm body pressed against mine.

  “Baby girl, you’re killing me.”

  “Good. Let me kiss you and make it all better,” she purred.

  I groaned, knowing I was lost. I didn’t have the kind of willpower it would take to deny her. I carefully undid her borrowed dress, draping it over my bike to keep it from getting ruined before stripping out of my rented tux and doing the same. I laid down my white T-shirt and slowly lowered her to the ground.

  “We don’t have to do this,” I whispered against her mouth. “We can wait, take our time.”

  Her answer was to arch her back, pressing herself against me. I wasn’t a saint. I couldn’t deny her. I did my best to be gentle, not wanting to hurt her. Her first time would be one she remembered for the rest of her life. I was honored she’d chosen me and wanted to give her a night she would think back on and smile about ten years down the road.

  “Tell me to stop if you want me to,” I said, my voice harsh as I worked to fight back my passion, barely keeping it reined in.

  “Don’t stop!” she rasped, squirming below me.

  I pushed inside her tight little body and waited before slowly moving into her, kissing her mouth and neck as I moved. When it was over, I helped her dress before pulling on my own clothes. I had barely pulled my T-shirt on when I heard a loud truck coming up the road.

  “Shit,” I muttered, pulling on my shoes.

  “Who is it?”

  “It can only be one person,” I said, dread washing over me.

  Headlights came over the hill before shining directly at the two of us, blinding me in the process.

  “What the fuck, Elijah!” I heard Liam shout about three seconds before his fist connected with my jaw.

  I staggered back from the blow, putting up my hands. “Settle down, Liam. Your sister isn’t a little kid.”

  “Bullshit! I’m going to fucking kill you!” he roared. My eyes adjusted in time to see his fist coming at my face again. I dodged to the left, but there was no point. Two of his friends, guys I didn’t care for, were there to hold me, each grabbing an arm.

  “Stop! Liam, stop!” Michelle screamed as the next blow hit me in the nose, followed by another jab to my left eye, causing my vision to blur. A second later, I took a blow to my ribcage from one of the guys holding me back, causing me to hunch forward in pain.

  I heard Michelle scream again and looked up to tell her it would be okay. I saw her try to pull her brother away, pissing him off even more. He threw his arm up, pushing her away and knocking her to the ground.

  “Stop!” I yelled. “Leave her alone!”

  Liam glared at me. “You should have left her alone.”

  “No!” Michelle screamed. “Liam, it was my fault! Don’t do this!”

  I heard what sounded like a thud, looked up, and saw Michelle hit the ground once again. I was convinced Liam and his biker brethren, the Kings of Chaos, were going to kill us for loving one another.

  That was the last real thing I remembered. For what felt like hours, the three men beat me to a bloody pulp. The agonizing, relentless assault was filled with painful blows to my stomach, ribs, and face. When I crumbled to the ground, all three of the guys kicked the shit out of me. I heard Michelle screaming and thought I felt her touch me at one point, but I had no way of knowing for sure.

  I paid dearly for taking the virginity of my best friend’s little sister.

  1

  Michelle - Eight Years Later

  It was a warm September day, making me wish like hell I had air conditioning in my tiny old car. It was too early in the morning to be that damn hot.

  “Are you excited for your first day as a second grader?” I asked my son, looking through the rearview mirror to watch his expression.

  He shrugged. “What if I don’t have any friends?”

  “You will. The kids you went to first grade with will be there. I’m sure some of you will have the same teacher.”

  He didn’t look convinced.

  “I know you’re going to have a good day. Second grade is a blast!” I said, trying to infuse enthusiasm into my voice.

  I parked in the designated area that gave me ten whole minutes to see him off to school before my car would be towed away. I thought it would be funny if they towed the car and slapped me with a big fee. The car wasn’t worth the fee.

  “Mom!” Joey yelled, yanking his hand out of mine. “Look! It’s Larson!”

  I looked to where he was pointing and saw his buddy from the first grade standing with a group of kids. Larson heard Joey and raced toward him. They were talking so fast I could barely understand what they were saying. It was quickly established that Larson would be in the same class and I was probably more excited about it than Joey. I had hated sending him off to school when he was scared and nervous.

  Now that I knew he had a buddy, I could leave him and feel relatively comfortable he would enjoy his day.

  “I’ll pick you up after sc
hool,” I said, smoothing his black hair down.

  He turned to look up at me with those bright blue eyes that reminded me so much of his daddy that it hurt sometimes.

  “You can hug me—this time,” he said, holding up his finger to make sure I understood one time was it.

  I grinned and gave him a bear hug before kissing him on the cheek, earning a grimace and a drawn-out groan.

  “Bye, kid,” I said and turned back toward my car.

  I had the day to myself and wasn’t sure what I was going to do with it. Now that Joey was back in school, I wanted to talk to Nick about letting me work at the diner with Rayne, at least part-time. Rayne had been my best friend for as long as I could remember. She knew all about my dysfunctional family and didn’t hold it against me. She had offered to talk with her boss to get me a job. They were always in need of waitresses.

  Yes, I was twenty-six, jobless, and sharing a house with my brother, who controlled my every move. Things with Liam had gotten progressively worse over the years. He was now the president of what he called his motorcycle club, but in reality it was a gang. My mom always told him you could put lipstick on a pig and it would still be a pig. Calling the Kings of Chaos a club didn’t change who they were or what they did. They were violent thugs who left a path of destruction in their wake.

  I wanted to do something—anything. I hated being stuck at home. I hadn’t minded it when Joey was little. I’d gotten to stay home with him and take care of him and not worry about daycare. Now, though, I wanted to go to school. I couldn’t let Joey get caught up in Liam’s world. He would end up in prison just like my dad, and I knew Liam was headed in that direction.

  “Do something, Michelle,” I said, looking into the rearview mirror.

  I had been paralyzed by fear for too long. After witnessing what Liam had done to Elijah, I had been terrified to leave. Liam had made it very clear what would happen to me and Joey if I tried. I would have nothing, and he wouldn’t help me, not even with his nephew.

  I parked my car in the driveway littered with weed-filled cracks. We lived in a rough part of the city in an older three-bedroom home. It wasn’t pretty, but I tried my best to add little touches here and there to make it nice. I hated that my son was growing up in a home he would one day be ashamed of. The yard was non-existent. Liam’s friends felt the front yard was where their bikes should be parked. It was ugly, covered in weeds, and had constant tire tracks. There was no place for Joey to be able to play.

  I walked in the unlocked front door. No one was stupid enough to try to rob us. Liam would have killed anyone who dared. The house was a mess as it usually was. Liam had guys crashing at the place left and right. They left beer bottles lying around, knowing I would clean up. Usually, I picked up before Joey woke up, but this morning had been a little hectic with the first day of school.

  It was nearly noon before I got the house clean and the laundry folded. I heard the sound of loud pipes and knew Liam was back with at least two other guys.

  “Chelle!” Liam hollered, calling me by the nickname I hated.

  I walked out of the laundry room to find Liam standing there with three of his buddies, including Nick Foster.

  “What?” I snapped, irritated to be interrupted. He was convinced I was at his beck and call since I lived in his house.

  “We’re hungry.”

  “So eat.”

  “Make us some sandwiches,” he snapped, throwing a plastic bag on the beat-up wooden kitchen table that had seen better days.

  I rolled my eyes, put down the basket of laundry, and snatched the grocery bag, carrying it into the ugly galley kitchen with one tiny window. One day I was going to have a big open kitchen with lots of light. For now, I was stuck with the faded blue walls and white laminate countertops that were chipped and peeling.

  “Hi,” Nick said, coming to stand beside me. “I’ll help.”

  I looked up and smiled. “Thank you.”

  Together we made eight sandwiches for the guys, loaded with the meat and cheese Liam had delivered in the bag. They were talking in loud voices in the living room and I could hear every word.

  Nick took the plate of sandwiches in to his rowdy friends while I grabbed beers from the fridge, knowing they would be demanded. I sat down on the hearth of the fireplace that hadn’t been functional for at least ten years and took a bite of my sandwich.

  The men were eating like they hadn’t had food in a week, shoving the meaty sandwiches into their mouths, swigging beer, and trying to talk.

  “Chelle, Nick is taking you out on Friday,” Liam announced.

  I nearly choked on the dainty bite I had taken. “Excuse me?”

  Liam grinned like an idiot. “Come on, don’t be like that. Nick is a good-looking dude, right?”

  I looked over at Nick, who winked and smiled at me. He was attractive. He had that rough edge to him I was drawn to. He had a nice muscled body, and his tousled light brown hair and constant five o’clock shadow were sexy, but his piercing green eyes were his best feature. But he was Nick. I knew exactly what Nick was, and I didn’t want to be tied to him.

  “I don’t know about that,” I said, trying to play it off.

  Liam gave me the look that said he wasn’t asking; he was telling.

  “I promise to be the perfect gentleman,” Nick said. “I’m going to be so good to you, you’ll wonder why you didn’t hook up with me sooner.”

  I did my best to smile at him. “I guess one night out wouldn’t hurt.”

  Liam nodded his head like a king whose subjects obeyed his ruling.

  “One night is all you’ll need, baby.” Nick was still grinning. “One taste and you’ll be addicted.”

  The guys burst into shouts and high fives, including Liam, who looked like a proud pimp. That was exactly what he was. He was a disgusting pimp. I should have been grateful he hadn’t auctioned me off yet. I hadn’t had a boyfriend or been able to date in the past eight years. My one time with Elijah up on that beautiful hillside had been my only time. Liam had made sure of it.

  “Touch her before I say you can and I’ll kill you,” Liam said in a low voice.

  The raucous laughter came to a halt. All the guys knew I was off-limits. I should have been happy Liam wielded so much power and managed to keep me from being assaulted by one of his drunken friends. I wasn’t. I hated him as much as I hated his gang.

  “Liam, you know I would never disrespect you like that. She will be treated like the queen she is,” Nick said, not wanting to upset his leader.

  Liam nodded. “I know you won’t, which is why you’re the one I chose for her.”

  It made me a little sick to my stomach to be talked about like a piece of cattle. I knew what Liam was doing. He was setting me up with his right-hand man for his benefit. It had nothing to do with what was right for me or my son. It was a way to ensure Nick’s loyalty. Nick was not a guy to be messed with. With Nick guarding Liam’s back, he couldn’t fall or be taken down by a rival gang. I felt like we were in medieval days when men of power sold their daughters and sisters to the highest bidder or whoever could offer the best alliance.

  “I’ll treat her right. She will be a satisfied woman,” Nick said, his eyes on me, roving over my body, making me want to cover myself as he undressed me with his gaze.

  Liam was watching me, daring me to defy him. I wouldn’t. I couldn’t. My brother was a dangerous man. All he had to do was give the word and my life would get ugly in a hurry. I had to obey him to protect my child. I couldn’t leave him alone in this world with the pack of wolves sitting in front of me. They would destroy any chance at a good future for him.

  “What about me, Liam?” one burly old guy commented. “Got any more sisters stashed around here?”

  “Harlen, you are too old and too ugly for anyone,” Liam teased.

  The other guys burst into laughter, teasing the older man. Thirty minutes later, the men were piling out of the house to go cause more mayhem in the city, leaving me with t
he cleanup once again.

  Nick stayed back while the rest of the guys went out to their bikes. “Wear something hot on Friday and don’t bother wearing panties.”

  My mouth dropped open, but he didn’t see it. His back was to me as he walked out the door, laughing. I wanted to burst into tears and run as far away from my life as possible. I couldn’t keep living that way, and I definitely couldn’t let myself be used by a man like Nick Foster, no matter how attractive he was. Even agreeing to go out with him had left me feeling like I had lost a little piece of my soul.

  I felt moisture on my cheeks and realized tears were running down my face. I wished I could talk to my mom about my situation but I couldn’t. She was sick and dealing with her own issues. She knew Liam was bad and had chosen to stay in a care facility rather than live under what he declared his roof. She begged me to get away, but I didn’t know how. I didn’t know where to go. I was trapped.

  2

  Elijah

  Leaning against the cement wall, my arms folded over my bare, tattooed chest, I watched as the two men in the makeshift ring fought each other. I studied their moves, knowing I would be fighting one of them. Trevor, my best friend and trainer, was beside me, intently watching the kickboxing match as well.

  It was plain to see who the tougher opponent was. He outweighed me by at least thirty pounds. In our private little world, weight wasn’t always a factor. We made our own rules. I could beat him; I had to. Winning the match would not only give me a nice chunk of change, but it would give me the confidence I needed to know I could fight for Michelle.

  Not a day went by that I didn’t think about her. For eight long years, the memory of her had fueled the fire in me to keep pushing myself harder. I had lost a lot of matches in those early years, but not anymore. Now I was the guy to beat. I was the guy the contenders in our underground kickboxing organization dreaded going up against.

  I was no longer the little bitch who had gotten his ass kicked by three thugs eight years ago. That Elijah had died that night on the hill. I had come to hours after the brutal attack, cold and shivering and in so much pain that I had wished for death.