Billionaire Biker (Billionaires - #23)

by Claire Adams

  Daniella waved furiously from the door, a bright smile on her face. “Seriously, think about the job, Cat. We’d be working together.” She held up her hand and put her thumb over her palm. “I swear to you I won’t be an awful boss.”

  Cat gave her a hug, and then my sister was out the door.

  Jack gave me a hug, and I squeezed him back. I was really starting to care about the little guy.

  Helen surprised me by giving me a hug. I wasn’t sure how she would react to the job offer. I worried she’d be pissed and think I was upstaging her, but instead she seemed genuinely impressed.

  It only made sense. A mother should want the best for her daughter, after all.

  After Helen hugged me, Cat pulled me into a tight embrace. My cock betrayed me again, hardening as her soft breasts pressed against my chest. Her breath caught, and I knew she could feel it as well.

  “I’ll think about it,” she whispered. “I really will.”

  She released me, and I stepped outside with a wave.

  Trudging out toward my bike, a sudden darkness settled over me. I didn’t want to leave Jack, and I sure as hell didn’t want to leave Cat.

  I wanted her, and not just her body. I gritted my teeth and had to accept that we were spiraling toward something serious, and I was starting to feel things I’d never felt before.

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Catherine

  I stared into a mirror and stifled a big yawn, bags under my eyes. Too much thinking had made it hard to sleep the last couple of days. Strength of will might get you through the day, but your body still won’t like it and will let you know.

  The weekend ended being up far less relaxing than I would have hoped, despite having Jack out of the hospital. I’d never expected a welcome home party, let alone the job offer. I’d spent all weekend talking it over with Mom, weighing the pros and cons, at least from the money and benefits standpoint.

  I’d been going over it again and again in my mind, trying to figure out the best thing to do, not just for me but also for my son.

  The only thing I knew for certain was that I needed to stop modeling sooner than later.

  I’d called my agent to let him know I didn’t want any modeling jobs for a while, maybe never. He took it rather well, but I think that was mostly because he thought I’d come crawling back to him in no time. The truth was, I’d made good money the last few years modeling, and he’d gotten a cut of all that. It was a mutually beneficial relationship.

  But it just wasn’t one I could keep up anymore. Jack ending up in the hospital had been a major wake-up call. If I were going to break into the big leagues of modeling, it would have already happened. It was time to be realistic and pick a job not dependent on freelance gigs.

  The only reason we were okay was because of my husband’s insurance money, and the way I had used that to pay for the house. Without it, I probably wouldn’t have been able to pay the mortgage on the house, and we would have ended up in some ratty apartment or living with my mom.

  So now I had to think about the three options sitting in front of me at that moment—the hospital, Stroker Motorcycles, or looking for another job entirely.

  The truth was that Drew’s offer was way better than anything else I was going to land, considering my experience, hospital job included. Yes, I had a degree, but I didn’t have much experience in my actual field, and experience was what I would need to command a higher salary.

  Drew’s offer might be legitimate, but I had no trouble understanding that my relationships with both the brother and sister had led to it and the generous salary. I wouldn’t be able to convince another company to do that. Even the fact I was dealing directly with Drew and Daniella directly, instead of HR, showed how personal the whole thing was.

  There were also other things to consider. I’d talked a lot to Mom about the kind of work I’d have to do at the hospital, and though I hadn’t wanted to say it, the truth was that it sounded boring and regimented.

  I got why. It was a hospital, and they had all sorts of regulations and laws they had to worry about it, but after working the way I had so far, I didn’t think I would enjoy that kind of work at all.

  Modeling could be boring in its own way, but every new gig meant something different—styles, photographers, clothes, clients. It always felt fresh, even when things stressed me out. Going from that to something so much more structured didn’t exactly sound appealing.

  I let out a long sigh, realizing that stable pay might mean a boring job. I tried to convince myself of that, but it was still hard to accept.

  Then again, I didn’t really know what my job at Stroker Motorcycles would even involve. Daniella was fun, but that didn’t mean I’d have a fun job, and then there was the fact I’d be working around motorcycles.

  For years, I’d hated the damn things. It’d be hard to be around them every day and not say something, but that would only lead to me getting in trouble.

  Could I really keep my mouth shut? Could I really work around the machines that had killed my husband? It hadn’t been all that long ago that I’d been pulling Jack away from them, and now I was seriously thinking about working in the industry, in a place that actually made them, and not just for a few weeks, but five days a week, fifty weeks a year.

  My thoughts kept returning to the money. With the pay Drew was offering, combined with my savings, I’d be able to send Jack to private school. Everything I’d worked for was in my reach, and on top of it, I’d have benefits.

  I started applying makeup to cover up the bags under my eyes. I’d decided to put my discomfort aside, and at least go talk to Drew and Daniella about what the job might involve, hence the makeup. I needed to look professional for an interview or a discussion, or whatever the talk might end up being.

  Mom had stopped by early to take Jack to daycare for me, so at least that was handled.

  I snickered. Of course, Drew had seen me in a very unprofessional state of dress, but he still didn’t strike me as the kind of guy who’d tolerate it if I walked into Stroker looking like I’d just rolled out of bed. He was a biker himself, yet he still wore professional business attire at work.

  After finishing up my makeup, I decided to put my skirt and blouse on, and then my earrings.

  The good thing about being a model was that I knew exactly how to make myself look good, whether it was professional or sexy. I was comfortable in my skin, and that led to a lot of confidence I figured would help me in a more stable job.

  I inhaled deeply. Over the next few hours, I might well be deciding my future and that of my son.

  * * *

  An odd sensation passed through me as I entered the lobby of Stroker Motorcycles. The whole thing was surreal. I’d left this building in a hurry a few weeks ago, to go to my son, after over a week of posing half-naked on motorcycles for most of that time.

  Now I was back, and I might be getting a full-time job doing something—well, something that involved far fewer bikinis and working closely with some of the top executives in the company, including the Stroker siblings themselves.

  I shook my head. I’d almost asked my agent to find another modeling job for me when the whole thing had come up, but if I had, who knows what would have happened? I’d probably be paying off Jack’s medical bills until I died, that was for certain, and I would never have had a chance at such a well-paying job for my experience level.

  Maybe I was getting ahead of myself. I didn’t have the job yet. I just had an offer to come in and talk about one.

  Heading toward the receptionist, I offered her a big smile. “Hello. My name is Catherine Villiane. I have a meeting with Mr. Stroker.”

  The woman arched an eyebrow like she didn’t believe me. She obviously remembered me from the shoot. “One moment, please.” She picked her phone and dialed upstairs.

  “Hello, this is Alice in reception. There’s a Catherine Villiane here for Mr. Stroker. Uh-huh. Uh-huh. Okay.” She hung up the phone, a warm smile spreading acr
oss her face. “Just head to the elevator, go to the second floor, and it’s the first room on the left. Once you’re there, Miss Stroker will help you.”

  “Thank you very much.” I resisted the urge to be snotty about her sudden change in attitude. The last thing I wanted to do was start out at the company full-time on the wrong foot. Besides, I’d dealt with enough bitchy models and photographers in my modeling career that a little snobbishness from a receptionist didn’t seem much in comparison.

  A quick trip up the elevator and down a hallway brought me to a room filled with people in cubicles. No one so much as spared a glance my way. I liked that. It made me less nervous.

  Daniella stood near the door, a smile on her face.

  I flexed my fingers. My heart was thundering, and my muscles tensed. I was suddenly stricken with panic at the idea of talking to Drew. Okay, not so calm after all.

  “Hey, Cat. Drew’s expecting you,” Daniella said.

  “Now that I think of it, shouldn’t I just be talking to you? After all, I’m going to be working for you.”

  She shook her head. “In this case, I think it’s best you deal directly with Drew. I know it’s a bit unusual, but the whole situation is unusual,” she shrugged. Her face turned serious. “Plus, I’ll be honest, Cat. I need to know that you can handle being around him if this is going to work out. I know that some things have happened between you, and it pains me to say this, but it might just be best if you put that aside and concentrated on the job instead.” She sighed, “And trust me, I wanted you two to be a thing, but I’ve thought about it, and we all have to make sacrifices, right?”

  My stomach tensed, and I nodded. “Fair enough.”

  Daniella led me to Drew’s office and knocked.

  “Come in,” Drew called from inside.

  My stomach did another flip. Daniella gave me a thumb’s up.

  “Good luck,” she turned and headed off.

  I took a deep breath and opened the door, stepping inside. Drew sat behind his massive desk, his hands folded in front of him.

  He motioned to a leather chair in front of his desk. “Please take a seat.”

  I headed over and sat down. He rose and headed to the door and locked it of all things. Then he closed his blinds before returning to sit at his desk. I swallowed, wondering if he wanted to have a little fun.

  “I take it that since you’re here and—not dressed casually, that you’ve considered the offer?” Drew asked.

  “Yes. I needed to hear about some details, though. After all, I don’t even know what you want me to do.”

  “Before we go into that, I want to explain a little about how we’re organized.”

  I shrugged, “You already explained what the company did and how before the shoot.”

  Drew shook his head. “Yeah, that was about how things worked on the assembly side; I’m talking more about organizational structure. I get it. It’s boring stuff, but it’s important that you know how everything’s set up before I go into what I want you to do.”

  “Okay, I said.”

  “So, I’m the CEO and owner, and we have multiple departments. It is Daniella that actually runs the operations department.”

  My mind drifted as he spoke. His desk was large, huge even. I could easily lie down on it.

  That thought led to another. What would it be like if he pushed me down on his desk, hiked up my skirt, moved my panties aside and ate me out? I’d had sex on a table. He could get me ready and then screw me right there. It wouldn’t be any worse than having sex on my dining room table.

  “So, operations is heavily involved with a lot of other departments, including PR,” Drew continued.

  I’d barely heard what he’d said before that. I couldn’t help it now. I was wet thinking about all the things he could do for me.

  Daniella was right. I needed this job, but we couldn’t be together, not really. It wouldn’t work out. The only way I could work at the company is if I just came to terms with the fact that we wouldn’t be a thing. We were both adults. That should work.

  Still, that didn’t stop the depraved thoughts flowing through my head.

  Chapter Twenty-five

  Drew

  I finished explaining the general organizational structure of the company, even though it was hard to concentrate with such a beautiful woman sitting in front of me, those gray eyes watching and those beautiful lips parting ever so slightly.

  There were a lot of things she could do with those lips. My cock stirred, wanting her to wrap her lips around it.

  I couldn’t help but wonder what Cat would do if I asked to have sex with her right there. Maybe that’s why I’d locked the door and closed the blinds. On some level, I wanted the option to be there. Definitely not professional, but my body didn’t understand what my mind did. I wasn’t even sure that I cared all that much.

  The dark skirt Cat wore was professional but still hugged her legs and ass enough to leave me hard, even when I was thinking about her going down on me. The thought of peeling that jacket and blouse off her sent another bolt to my cock. The bikini look was nice, but professional Cat was like a present waiting to be unwrapped, and I wanted it to be Christmas.

  “Any questions?” I managed to get out. I barely remembered what I’d even just been saying. Something about 401k’s maybe?

  “Before we talk about more about the job, I do have a somewhat personal question,” Cat said quietly. “If that’s okay.”

  My cock twitched. I half-expected her to ask for sex. I was more than prepared to say yes.

  I took a deep breath and slowly let it out. “Sure, go ahead. Ask whatever you need to.”

  “Why?” she said.

  “Huh?” That’s not what I expected at all. “Why?” I echoed. “Why what?”

  “You were nice to me, even before we, uh, had any fun together, and your sister’s been nice to me from the beginning. She’s the first real new friend I’ve made in a while, even though I might be hanging out with Jessica and Briana in the future. I guess I don’t understand why you and your sister have been so friendly to me.” She sighed, “It’s not like you’ve not dealt with models before. I’m nothing special.”

  I wanted to tell her that wasn’t true. Yes, I had dealt with models before, but none of them had ever made me feel like she did. That meant she was special, and whatever else I might say about my sister, she was a great judge of character.

  Nodding, I thought over a more neutral response, though one that was still true. “I can see why you might find that weird, but well, to be honest, it’s because I think we have a kind of connection. I think that’s what has been pushing us to do what we’ve been doing.”

  That was true. Sure, my body ached for Cat, but everything went deeper than that. Much deeper.

  She furrowed her brow. “Connection? What you do you mean?”

  “Daniella and I both know what it’s like to lose a loved one. We both know how much that can hurt. Both of our parents died way too young. We get how it leaves a hole in you.” I shrugged. “I’m not going to lie and say we understand your financial worries, as we didn’t have to deal with that, but we can at least sympathize.”

  Cat nodded slowly. “Okay, that makes sense, I guess.”

  “Plus, we both like you and Jack,” I shrugged. “And, well, I’ve made it clear how attracted I am to you. Again, not going to lie, it’s played into things. Sure, I would have helped you out with your medical bills anyway, and Daniella’s the one who pushed for you to get this job, but I can’t say it doesn’t mean anything.”

  Cat’s face tightened. Damn. Had I said the wrong thing? I figured honesty was the best policy in this situation. Maybe I’d been wrong.

  She took a deep breath. “About that—”

  “What about it?”

  Maybe Cat had regretted what we’d done after all.

  “I’m not going to deny that we have some great chemistry together,” Cat said, “and I’m not going to pretend like I regret at all w
hat we did in my house, but I don’t think it’s a good idea for me to work here if I’m trying to pursue a relationship with you.”

  I kept my face calm, even though her words were like a knife to my stomach. “Oh?”

  “I mean, think about it. I’m going to be trying to do work, and people might complain that I’m sleeping my way to the top or something.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I need the job. I really do. For Jack’s sake. To be honest, I think I need this job more than I need a new boyfriend, and so I think I need to make some sacrifices, and one of those is the idea of us being together.”

  Cat’s cheeks colored, and she lowered her eyes.

  I couldn’t help but let a grunt escape. Well, at least my cock had stopped straining against my pants. So much for my idea of an office quickie. I had to remember she wasn’t here on a date. She was here to talk about a job.

  “I can understand that,” I said. “You’re right. It probably is for the best.”

  Cat looked up at me. “And you’re okay with that? I don’t want things to be weird.”

  I nodded. “The point of offering you a job was to help you and your son out. If this were just about us having a relationship, I wouldn’t go through all this trouble. It’s not like I’ve ever offered a job to a woman I slept with before.” I chuckled. She didn’t, I noticed. “Anyway, I can respect what you’re saying, and I guess I have no choice but to agree.” I held up a hand. “And I also want to make it one-hundred percent clear that I helped you out because you needed it, not because it was about getting in your pants.”

  “Thank you, and I believe you.” Cat let out a long breath. “Thank you for not making this too weird. I didn’t know if you’d understand my position. To be honest, I didn’t know how I’d feel about all this until I walked in. I wasn’t even sure I’d be interested in working here.”

  I shrugged and forced a grin. “You’re hot and nice, but the truth is women come and go. No use in brooding over them.”