by Claire Adams
“Daniella saw it coming, I should have jumped on it then,” he groaned. “We built the bike on specs for certain types of stunts, but they’ve changed a lot of things, and now there have been some problems. I’m going to need to head to the film site. One of my guys is already on the way. I’m hoping this is an easy fix, or it could turn into a major clusterfuck.”
“You supplied them bikes based on what they asked for, though. It’s not your fault.”
Drew let out a bitter laugh. “So you’ve never had a client criticize pictures you’ve done, even if they were exactly what they asked for?”
I sighed, “I see your point.”
Drew rose, “It’ll be okay. This isn’t the first time we’ve ever hit a road bump. I’ve got to go.”
He walked over to me and pulled me into his arms. My brain shut down for a second, confused. The next thing I knew, he was kissing me.
The kiss wasn’t a probing invasion like before we’d had sex, but it wasn’t sweet either. I relaxed into it, loving the feel of his mouth on mine. Several seconds passed, and he stepped toward the door.
“I’ll be back soon.”
With that, Drew left me alone in his office. My brain finally caught up, and I realized something important—the door was wide open. He’d kissed me full on the mouth, and anyone could have seen.
My heart kicked up, and I looked around. No one seemed to be looking this way, so maybe we hadn’t been seen.
Still, something even stranger worried me. The kiss felt so natural, so normal.
Now I was more confused than ever. What did we even have together? I’d let my body push me into something stupid. It was nothing more than a stupid fling, some quickies in the office with the boss, but I could have easily ended up in the middle of some big stink.
I’d taken this job for stability and insurance—and had immediately been an idiot. I could have easily messed up this job. Worst of all, I was the one who’d pushed for something after I’d called it off and he’d agreed. What an idiot.
I scrubbed my face with my hand and sighed. My stomach fluttered. I couldn’t let my body call the shots anymore. I needed to remember why I was at Stroker Motorcycles, and it wasn’t to have steamy sex with Drew Stroker.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Drew
My bike roared as I hit the highway. I weaved in and out of traffic as worry and anger battled within me.
This movie deal had to work out. We had a lot of other plans already riding on it, but they required a success to able to reach out to other production companies.
Screw the movies. I was interested in a TV series. I could imagine all the exposure and money we could make on something that lasted for years. Hell, I’d pay money to get my bikes into a TV series. That exposure would be ridiculous and could send the company into the fucking sky.
I’d need to have the PR people poke around and see if they could find some sort of new show about bikers coming up where we could get in on the ground floor.
Everything circled back to making sure that everything went okay with these stunt bikes on Thunderstruck V. It didn’t help that at least some of the problem was the production company screwing us over by not being clear about what they needed.
I was proud of my bikes, but excuses for them not giving us all the information we needed would ring hollow, and it’s not like they would sit there and take the blame. So I had to thread this needle carefully, making sure we didn’t take too much blame, but also making sure that they got what they needed.
No matter what, we needed to get things working, or otherwise come to some sort of understanding. The reputation of my company was on the line.
I chuckled. When I got there, I’d be an odd sight, with my leather jacket over my button-up and slacks. I wasn’t exactly in the best gear for riding, but I didn’t feel like borrowing Daniella’s car.
Besides, the company owner showing up on his own bike would send a powerful signal. They needed to see how much I loved my own products, and that would give them more confidence in the bikes we had supplied them with.
One thing I’d learned about business only a few weeks into taking over the company was that you could control a lot of problems by controlling expectations. The trick was learning how you could control the expectations of different people and companies. Dad had been a master of that sort of thing, but I was still learning.
I was halfway across the city when a totally different thought struck me like a bolt of lightning nearly causing me to lose control of my bike and wipe out. I stopped at a red light and waited, hoping I’d have time for my head to clear.
Jesus, I’d kissed Cat with my door wide open, as if we were a couple. Sure, we’d fucked twice already, but the kiss felt less about lust and more about a true connection. That kiss might have changed everything.
What were we exactly? Cat had said she didn’t want anything, but she was the one who came on to me. It was hard to understand what was going on in her head, and I still wasn’t sure about it. Hell, I wasn’t even sure what I wanted either, so maybe I wasn’t one to talk.
Maybe, in the end, Cat wanted nothing more than exciting sex at work, and that’s why she’d flipped so quickly on what she said. I wouldn’t be upset if that’s what it was, but I also knew I wanted more—a lot more.
I had already half-convinced myself that we had some sort of dating future together, but there wasn’t much proof of that other than some sex and a few sweet times together hanging out. Just because her kid liked me didn’t mean we were anything more than fuckbuddies.
A car honked behind me, and I shook my head, accelerating. I hadn’t even noticed the light had turned green.
Damn it. I couldn’t push the truth away. I wanted to be together with Cat as a couple, not just as fuckbuddies or friends with benefits. I wanted a real relationship with her, not just quick fucks and blowjobs.
I groaned into my helmet. Damn it. If I’d been thinking about this whole thing clearly from the start, I could have handled it better in any number of ways. Instead, I’d let my cock lead the way and made a mess of everything.
Even if we had agreed before that we could try, her hatred of bikes still stood out. Plus, she had a five-year-old son. If I wanted something real, it wasn’t just her I was committing to, it was also to her son. I needed to make damn sure I was serious about this before I screwed with their hearts. That was the only thing that was fair.
Clearly, I needed to think this through a lot more, but first, I had to do my job and make sure I handled this bike situation.
* * *
A couple hours later, John stood up, wiping his oil-soaked hands off with a rag. “Everything should be finished. The leak has been handled, and it should be ready for at least another day of shooting.”
The producer, a tall guy, glanced my way. “So, it’s nothing serious then?”
I stared at him for a moment trying to decide exactly what I wanted to say. This is where I had to be damn careful and not piss off a very important customer.
“They’ll need more shock absorption if you’re going to keep doing those kinds of stunts,” I explained. “This will hold for now, and I’ll have guys come over to tweak a few things.” I stared at him for a second before saying, “You really should have told us about these stunts when you commissioned the bikes.”
The producer shrugged. “Scripts change and scenes change. That’s the nature of the movie business.” He smiled. “But I really appreciate your prompt attention. We won’t even need the bikes again until the day after tomorrow, so as long as you get your men over here tomorrow, we’ll not have to worry about any production delays.”
I nodded slowly. Good. Everyone was being reasonable. “Glad we could be of assistance.”
“Whoa. It’s him,” John said, his eyes wide.
“Huh? Who?”
“Agent 72.”
I snickered and looked that way. A familiar square-jawed actor was chatting with a cameraman in the distance. The man had
played Agent 72 in every Thunderstruck, even though they’d talked about recasting him James Bond-style for Thunderstruck IV.
Honestly, I would have been pretty damn irate if they’d replaced him. If they wanted to reboot the whole thing in ten years, then whatever, but for now there was only one Agent 72 in my mind.
I didn’t exactly have the hero worship now evident in the eyes of John, but it was cool to see a genuine Hollywood actor. Denver wasn’t exactly a huge place for movies, so it wasn’t all that often we got this kind of chance.
The producer looked between the both of us. “You want to meet him? He’s not an ass, which is kinda rare for these big stars, ya know.” He shook his head, “Oh, the stories I could tell about some of these people.” He clucked his tongue. “At least they make me money.”
John nodded eagerly and then looked my way.
“Okay, let’s go meet the man.”
* * *
John and I spent most of the day on the set, chatting with the actors and the stunt coordinators. I felt better about the whole thing. We now had a much better handle on what was needed. It wouldn’t require us to put together new bikes or anything, just a few tweaks here and there, and I was more than confident that my guys could handle that the next day without any trouble.
We asked the stunt guys to test the repaired bikes in order to make sure they were working in case of potential reshoots. It was like the producer said. Things changed on a movie set, and just because at this moment they didn’t need the bikes for a couple of days, that didn’t mean they wouldn’t end up changing their mind.
John and I could have definitely left a lot sooner, but even as the owner of a big company, it was pretty rare that I got to do something cool like pal around with action stars on the set of a movie. Especially a movie from the Thunderstruck series, one of my all-time favorites. Sometimes it was great to be in the motorcycle business.
By the time I pulled back into the Stroker Motorcycle parking lot, the sun was setting, and the parking lot was all but empty.
Empty enough that it was clear Cat’s car was already gone. A little wave of disappointment spread through me, but after a few seconds, I decided it was probably a good thing. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to face her again so soon.
I needed to get my head sorted out before I dealt with Cat again. I had to figure out exactly what I wanted from her—just sex or an actual relationship.
By the time I got to the office area, doubt had gripped me. I glanced over at her cubicle. She was gone, so I headed into my office. Cat would have to wait until tomorrow. For now, I had work to catch up on.
Chapter Thirty
Catherine
My eyes snapped open, and my heart raced. It took me a few seconds to understand that I was awake because of a loud knocking at my front door. Had I overslept? Was there something wrong?
No smoke reached my nose. No fire alarm beeped.
I glanced over at my clock. Six o’clock? What the heck? Who would be knocking on my door this early? Sure, I got up in half an hour anyway, but nobody came around then. Even Mom knew to never show up at my house earlier than seven. You don’t wake a sleeping dragon. Especially one with a little boy trying to sleep too.
I rolled out of bed and grabbed a robe. Ignoring the asshole would have been preferable, but if they kept knocking, they were going to wake up Jack, and the little guy needed his sleep.
Suddenly, my stomach knotted, and I froze. I lived in a nice enough neighborhood, but maybe some dirtbag knew that I lived alone with a kid and was planning on a little home invasion. My heart sped up, and I bit my lip.
The knocking continued. Whoever it was, they weren’t going away, so a little protection wouldn’t hurt, just in case.
A trip into my closet netted me a baseball bat. I didn’t care how big the guy was, a nice smack to the head with an aluminum bat would put him down. There was nothing I wouldn’t do to protect my son.
I tied off my robe and made my way to the front door, my pulse pounding in my ears. At this point, both rage and fear fed my racing heart. I was sure I could lift a car with the adrenaline flowing through me. It’d make the bat hurt at least.
I held the bat with my right hand and threw open the door with my left.
“Listen, asshole,” I said, brandishing the bat and ready to swing.
A large, dark-haired muscular man in a leather jacket stood on the other side of the door. Drew. Jesus! If I hadn’t known him, I could have mistaken him for a criminal ready to kick in a woman’s door at six in the morning.
The fear vanished, but the anger remained. I’m sure anyone would have been pissed if their boss woke them up at the crack of dawn. We weren’t at the office, so I didn’t see any reason why I had to fake being polite. He was the rude one.
“What the hell are you doing here, Drew?” I asked. “It’s six in the damn morning.”
A sheepish look spread across his face, and he held up a cardboard tray holding two Styrofoam cups. “I just figured I’d stop off and give you a coffee.”
Realizing I still had my bat pointed at him, I winced and tossed it to the side then crossed my arms. Just because I was mad didn’t mean I needed to threaten him.
“Do you bring every Stroker employee coffee at six in the morning?” I said, still confused as to why he’d show up so early.
“No, normally I don’t,” he shrugged. “Guess it’s your lucky day.”
“Lucky? You woke me up out of a dead sleep.”
“Really? Sorry about that.”
I stared him down, waiting for him to explain. You didn’t show up at a woman’s house this time of day without an explanation. He had a reason, and I damn well wanted to hear it before I let him take a step inside. I was tired of not knowing what was going through that mind of his.
“Please tell me why you are here,” I demanded, still staring. “Or do I need the bat after all?”
“No need for the bat,” Drew chuckled. “The truth is I couldn’t sleep. I’ve been up all night riding, and I ended up near here, so I figured I’d grab some coffee and stop by.”
My anger started ebbing away. He didn’t look drunk, so him staying up all night was probably from something beyond his control. Given all the stress I’d been under in the last month, I could sympathize.
I sighed, “You couldn’t sleep? At all?”
Drew nodded, “Yeah, couldn’t sleep. Rough night.”
“Why?”
“You,” he said, his dark eyes burning into me.
I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing came out. I almost lost myself in those eyes.
Every time I’d convinced myself we couldn’t have something together, he managed to do something that pulled me to him like a moth to a flame. Only I wasn’t sure if I minded getting burned.
There was no way I could turn him away now.
Finally, I let out another long sigh and gestured inside. “Let’s go talk in my bedroom. If we’re talking out here, we might wake Jack up, and it’ll be hard to have a grown-up conversation with him around.”
“Okay. Fair enough.”
Drew stepped inside, and I closed the door behind him. He’d been here the other day, but he’d not seen much other than the bathroom, dining room, living room, and kitchen. He set the coffee on the dining room table.
I led him in silence to my bedroom, staying by the door while he walked in. If Jack did wake up, I didn’t want to have to answer too many awkward questions right away, so I locked the door.
My heart kicked up again as I realized how all of that must look to Drew. I’d just led him to my bedroom and locked the door.
“Okay, so talk,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm, even though my heart was racing. “Why am I keeping you up all night?” I sat on the edge of the bed.
Drew locked eyes with me. “I can’t get what we did in my office out of my mind,” he sighed.
My insides fluttered, and my face heated. “You can’t?”
He shook his head. “Ev
ery time I close my eyes, I see you. I hear you. I feel you.” He sucked in a deep breath. “It’s like you’re a drug and I’m addicted—I can’t get enough. The table sex was great, and the office sex was even better. But I’m not sure what you want. You keep telling me one thing, then changing your mind.”
My nipples tightened at his words. I crossed my legs, hoping it would help relieve the pressure building in my aching center. I wanted him inside. Oh, how I wanted him.
What I wanted and what was best weren’t the same things.
I knew what I should tell him. To take his damn coffee and get the hell out. That I couldn’t risk my job just because my boss was horny, or I was.
Running my hands through my hair, I tried to slow my breathing. I knew everything I should say, but the words just wouldn’t come out. Instead, I kept thinking about how good it felt to have his cock inside me and how I wanted it again.
My gaze drifted to the bed. Sex on an actual bed. How quaint.
“What about you?” Drew said, his dark eyes burning with obvious lust.
“What about me?”
“Tell me you don’t feel the fire, and I’ll walk away right now and never bother you again.”
I averted my gaze. “You know I feel it. I can’t help it. When I saw you without your shirt the other day, muscles all glistening like that, it was like my body moved on its own.”
Drew slipped his leather jacket off and tossed it on the floor. “And what about now?”
I nibbled on my lip. “What are you saying?”
“Tell me that you want me to fuck you, and we can do it right here, right now.”
“I—you know what I want.”
Drew shook his head, “No, I don’t, and I’m tired of trying to figure it out. Like I said, you change your mind a lot. So if you want something from me, you need to be crystal clear. Do you want to have sex with me, right here, right now?”
I nodded quickly. “Yes. We have to hurry, though. Probably only twenty minutes until Jack wakes up.”