by Nicole James
“So why’d you agree to it?”
“She has to fulfill her end of the bargain first. That’s not going to happen.”
Max’s chin came up. He hadn’t expected his brother to go into this bet dishonestly. “You’re going to make sure she doesn’t.”
“Exactly.”
“So, what? You’re trying to run her ass off?”
“Yup.”
“Jameson, that’s playin’ fucking dirty.”
“Maybe.”
“Ain’t no maybe about it.”
“What do you care?”
“I like her.”
“No, you just want to see me up on that fucking stage.”
Max grinned. “That, too.”
“Well, it’s not happening. So don’t hold your breath. Last thing I’m gonna do is lose this game.” With that he stalked out, slamming into Liam’s shoulder as he walked in.
Liam turned his head, his eyes following Jameson, and then he looked at Max. “What the fuck is his problem?”
“Ava.”
“Ava? What’s not to like about Ava?”
“Exactly.” Max grinned. “He is so fucking screwed.”
Chapter Six
That evening, Ava was busy reorganizing the photo files, her eyes intent on her computer screen when the front door opened and a man strode in. He didn’t stop at the reception counter, but walked past her toward the tattoo stations.
She twisted in her chair, her eyes following him. He paused next to Liam’s station. Straightening from his customer, Liam glanced up at the man, and then grinned. “How’d it go?”
The man slid his hands in the hip pockets of his low hanging jeans, and Ava’s eyes moved up over the tattoos that ran up both of his arms.
“Fantastic. Filled every show.” He turned his head, his eyes connecting with hers as he asked Liam, “Who’s the new chick?”
Ava watched Liam’s eyes drop to her, and he grinned. He wiped a cloth over the ink he was laying and bent back over his customer’s bicep, applying the needle to skin. The buzzing filled the space again, but she could still hear his reply. “That’s Ava, our new receptionist. She’s a sweetheart, so don’t be an ass.”
The man grinned, his brow pulling up as he put a palm to his chest. “Me, an ass? I’m wounded, Brother.”
Liam’s eyes flicked over to her, and he shouted, “Hey, Ava. Come meet my little brother.”
At that, she had no choice but to get up from her chair and walk over. As she approached, the man turned toward her. Her eyes fell to his extended hand. Silver bracelets encircled his wrist, rings on his fingers. Her gaze skated up over him until they connected with his eyes, dark piercing eyes with slashing brows. He had long dark hair that hung past his shoulders and a beard that ran along his jawbone and framed his mouth. The whole look reminded Ava of a rock star. Or perhaps a pirate, she mused. She extended her hand, and he took it in his, but instead of shaking it, he brought it to his lips.
“Ava, pretty name for a pretty lady. I’m Rory.”
“Don’t you have enough women falling at your feet, Bro? Don’t hit on our receptionist. She’s actually managed to last the week without Jameson running her off.”
Rory’s eyes moved to Liam and then back to her, and his brows rose. “Really? My pain-in-the-ass older brother hasn’t had you running for the hills, yet? Amazing. Although, I can’t imagine why he’d give such a lovely lady a hard time.”
“Rory, what’d I just say?” Liam reminded him.
Rory looked at her, his white teeth flashing into a gorgeous smile. “My brother likes to suck all the fun out of life.”
She smiled back at him as he finally released her hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Rory. Have you been on vacation?”
“I was out of town, but I wouldn’t call it a vacation. Had a week-long gig in Salt Lake.”
“Gig?”
“Rory plays in a band,” Liam filled in for her. “And I would call that a vacation.”
“Ah.” She nodded, her eyes sweeping over him. “The rock star look makes sense, then.”
Rory grinned. “A rock star, huh? You hear that, Bro?”
Liam cut in. “Don’t tell him that, Ava. His head’s too big already.”
She chuckled. “Oh, is it?”
“Yep. He’s got groupies and everything. Now if only he could actually make a living at it,” Liam finished in a teasing voice.
“I do okay.”
“Right. You’re lucky if your cut covers your bar tab.”
“Well, one day, sooner than you think, it’s gonna set us all up.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not holding my breath on that.”
“See the love and support I get, Ava?”
She giggled at his teasing. “And what instrument do you play?”
“Guitar.”
“Do you sing as well?”
“We all sing. But I’m not usually the lead.” He stepped closer. “We’ve got a local show coming up soon. You’ll have to come see us.”
“I’d like that.”
Liam looked up from his customer again, his eyes meeting Rory’s. “Don’t you have an 8:00 you need to be getting set up for?”
Rory grinned and turned, heading back to the supply room.
Liam glanced up at Ava. “Be warned. Rory’s a bit of a flirt, sweetheart.”
She grinned down at him. “Oh, and you’re not?”
“See, I knew you had beauty and brains.” He winked, and she shook her head, laughing. The bell over the door tinkled, and she turned to look as three leather-clad men entered. Ava recognized them right away as bikers, and she straightened, stiffening as her eyes swept over them. They were big and bearded and scary as crap.
Liam must have sensed her immediate unease, for she heard him murmur something to his customer about giving him a minute, and then he was clicking off his machine and rising from his stool. He brushed up against her back, dipping his head close to whisper, “I got this, sweetness. Relax.”
He moved past her to greet the men.
She quickly moved behind the high reception counter and sat at her computer, giving it her full attention and trying to ignore the way they checked her out. But she kept them in the corner of her eye, watching as Liam stood talking with them.
“Ryder.”
“Liam.”
“Rory finishing your sleeve tonight?”
“That’s the plan.” The man’s eyes flicked over Liam’s shoulder, searching. “He here?”
Liam nodded, twisting to look behind him. “He’s in the back getting some needle cartridges and inks. How are things going with you?”
“Same old, same old.” The man’s eyes skated to Ava, and she couldn’t help but glance over. “New girl?”
“New receptionist.”
The man lifted his chin. “You boys sure go through ‘em around here. What happened to the last one? The dark haired one we all liked.”
“Crystal? Dude, she was about ten receptionists ago.”
“Huh.” The man studied Ava.
“She went back to Cali,” Liam continued explaining, drawing his attention back off her. “Why don’t you go ahead and get in the chair?”
Rory ambled out of the supply room. “Hey, man. Come on back.”
Ava watched as the biker walked off, then her gaze flicked over to see the two men he’d come in with still standing there. One took a seat. The other moved to lean on the counter, grinning down at her.
“Hey, girlie.”
Her eyes darted from him to Liam.
Liam’s gaze moved between them. “You okay, Ava?”
“I’m fine.”
“You need me, call.”
She nodded.
The man’s eyes flicked up to Liam. “She ain’t gonna need you.”
“I’m fine, Liam,” Ava insisted.
Liam returned to his customer.
The biker stared down at her again. “So, you’re new, huh?”
“I’ve been here a while.
”
“I ain’t seen you before.”
“No, I’m sure I’d remember you as well.”
He grinned. “Would you, now?”
She gave him a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Yes, you smell like motor oil.”
His grin faded. “You’re a sassy little thing, aren’t you?”
She shrugged.
“That’s okay. I like a woman with sass.”
“Were you getting tattooed as well?”
“Not tonight. But seein’ you here makes me think I might be back real soon.”
Oh joy. She could hardly wait. Ava stared up at him, giving him a look that left no mistake she wished he’d move away from her counter and go sit down. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to be taking the hint. As they studied each other, she took in every detail.
He was bald, with a goatee and a scar along his mouth. There was a tiny teardrop tattoo next to his eye. Her gaze moved down to notice the ink that covered his neck. It looked like some type of dagger with the word luck across it and what looked like blood dripping down onto a big tarantula. The whole thing scared the hell out of her.
Her eyes flicked back up to his. They were empty, soulless eyes. She swallowed and searched her brain for some remark that would get him to lose interest and go away, but just then Max walked up to stand behind her. She tilted her head back to meet his eyes, and she knew he could see the uneasiness and—yes, she’d admit it— fear in hers, and she wondered if the biker had seen it, too.
Max put his hand on her shoulder and squeezed. “Let’s go over those photo files again.”
She knew he didn’t need to go over anything with her. He was just doing this to have a reason to be standing up here with her. She nodded mutely and turned toward her computer screen. With shaking hands, she pulled up a file folder and clicked it open, bringing up a screen full of photo files. She felt Max lean over her, one hand on the counter, the other on the back of her chair. His big presence had never felt more comforting.
“I-I wasn’t sure how you wanted to organize this group,” she whispered up at him and saw him twist his head to speak to the biker.
“You might as well take a seat. Your friend’s gonna be a while.”
The biker stared at him a moment, then pushed off the counter in frustration and moved away. But he didn’t sit down; instead he walked over to Rory’s station to watch his MC brother get his ink.
Ava glanced up, her eyes meeting Max’s, and she mouthed the words, “Thank you.”
He winked at her, and then nodded at her computer monitor.
***
As closing time drew near and the bikers seemed to be leaving Ava alone, Max squeezed her shoulder. “You gonna be okay? I need to go clean up my station and restock.”
She stared up at him and smiled, grateful to him for looking out for her the way he had. “I’ll be fine. Thank you.”
He patted her shoulder and walked away.
Ava began straightening her work area. A few minutes later, Rory walked the biker he’d been working on up to the front counter to pay. He glanced over at Ava. “He’s $250, sweetheart.”
She nodded and began printing out a bill.
“I don’t need a receipt,” the man informed her, slapping the bills down on the counter.
“All right.” She gathered up the money, noticing the other scary biker was now standing next to Rory’s customer, staring intently at her. It made her hands shake as she quickly counted up the bills. It didn’t help that Jameson walked up as she was doing it. Five sets of eyes watched her shaking hands.
Leaning on the end of the counter, Rory exchanged a few words with his customer, breaking the tension. “You decide on the design for your shoulder, give me a call, man.”
“Will do.” The customer’s eyes moved to Jameson. “Got something I want to add to that back design you did for me.”
Jameson nodded. “I’m booked up the next few weeks. Were you in a hurry to get it done?”
“Nah. I’ve got to go out of town for a while. I’ll call and set something up when I get back.”
“Sounds good.”
The biker’s eyes skated to Ava. “We square?”
“Yes, sir. Thank you,” she murmured quickly as she put the money away in the cash drawer.
Rory extended his hand to the man, and they shook. The bikers ambled out the front door. When they were gone, he walked over and locked the door, flipping the OPEN sign to CLOSED.
Jameson moved to stand in front of the counter, his palms flat on the Formica, his arms splayed. Ava felt uncomfortable as he studied her closely.
“You got a problem with our clientele, Princess?”
She knew he had noticed her shaking hands. She also knew he was just trying to get to her, and her chin came up. “Not at all. And don’t call me that.”
Jameson stared her down. “You want to quit, you want out of this deal, say the word.”
“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
“You bet I would.”
“It’s not happening.”
“We’ll see about that, sweetheart.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means six weeks is a long time, babe.”
She turned away and noticed Rory’s eyes dart between her and Jameson, but he thankfully didn’t say anything. The last thing she wanted was to give Jameson something else to ride her about. If he thought his brothers were catering to her in any way, he’d throw that in her face, too. She already felt like he watched her like a hawk, waiting for any excuse to pounce with another reason why she wasn’t up to snuff.
Finally, Jameson turned to Rory. “Get your station cleaned up, I want to get out of here.”
Rory nodded as Jameson shoved from the counter and strode to the back of the shop, taking the stairs to his office. Ava’s eyes followed him.
“Hey.”
Her eyes swung back to Rory.
“Don’t let him get to you. He’s just trying to push your buttons.”
She nodded and felt a sting to her eyes. Blinking, she turned back to straighten her work area, but Rory must have noticed the sheen of tears she fought, because a moment later she felt his palm settle over her shoulder giving it a squeeze before he too, moved off.
When he was gone, she tapped the bottom edge of a stack of supplier invoices on the counter, straightening them, and then set them in a file folder. Her hands moved busily around her area as she silently fumed. She realized she was overreacting and the truth of it was, Jameson had hit a little too close with his question. She was uncomfortable with some of their clientele. That man earlier had scared her, more than she wanted to let on. But she’d be damned if she’d give Jameson the satisfaction of knowing it.
Shoving her chair in, she walked to the break room to empty out her coffee mug. When she’d washed it out, she wiped down the counter.
Max poked his head in. “Ava, you parked in back? I’m headed out. I’ll walk you to your car.”
She twisted, glancing over her shoulder and giving him a smile. “I’m out on the street. But thanks and have a good night.”
“Okay, doll. Liam’s up talking with Jamie, but make sure Rory walks you out.”
“I’m sure I’ll be fine.”
“Company policy. Someone walks you out. Got it?”
“Got it.”
“See you tomorrow then.”
“Bye, Max.”
He slapped the wall and walked out.
She finished up and walked back up front. Rory was just finishing straightening his station. “You ready to go, doll?”
“Yes, just let me grab my purse.”
He walked her out the front, pausing to lock the door. Then he turned to her. “Where are you parked?”
She pointed down the block and they started walking.
“So what’s the deal with you and my brother?” Rory asked.
She turned to look at him. “Which brother?”
He chuckled. “You know which
brother. Jamie.”
She blew out a breath. “He doesn’t much care for me, does he?”
“I wouldn’t say that.” He grinned.
It was her turn to laugh. “Right.”
“Let’s just say there’s some strong emotions flying around the shop. What I want to know is why.”
She shrugged. “I’m on the city council. I voted against him getting those parking spots. Well, more than voted. I sort of rallied the council to shoot it down.”
Rory let out a huff of laughter.
Ava looked at him curiously. “That’s funny?”
“My brother getting shot down by a woman? Yeah, it’s a riot. Damn, I wished I’d have been there to see that.”
“I take it that doesn’t happen very often.”
“No, ma’am. You may be a first.”
“Lucky me.”
At that he burst out laughing again.
She stopped in front of her car, sliding the key in the lock. “This is me.”
He waited while she opened the door and climbed in. With his hand on the frame, he leaned in. “Don’t let him get you down, Ava. His bark is worse than his bite.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Drive safe.”
“I will. Thanks.”
He stepped back, shutting her door, and she fired up the engine. She watched him turn and head back toward the shop as she pulled out onto the street, rolling down to the light at the corner. She stopped, waiting for the light to change when something in her peripheral vision caught her attention. Turning, she saw the flare of a cigarette as someone who stood in the shadows, leaning against the building on the corner, took a draw off it. The glow illuminated the man’s face for a brief second. But that was all it took for recognition to hit her.
It was the scary biker from earlier. His eyes stared right at her. She quickly turned away, praying the light would change. A second later, she glanced back and he was gone. That had her head turning to the right, her eyes darting all around the street, trying to find him. A sudden knock on her driver’s window scared the crap out of her and had her jerking her head back to the left. She looked up and he was standing right there. She felt her stomach drop as he motioned for her to roll the window down. Not on your life, buddy.