As they pulled up to The Blue Pig, he couldn’t help but feel a little nervous. It was time to start rebuilding the club, and he wasn’t sure how it would work out after everything that happened. He could have earned himself a hell of a lot of respect, or he could have simply gained more enemies. They were about to find out, and it was going to determine his future.
They walked in hand-in-hand to a roar of whoops and cheers, even a few claps. It reminded him of the first time he’d brought her in there, and it made him smile.
Everyone held up a drink as Bryant stood up at the front, towering over everyone with his awkward height. “To Diesel and Sin!” he called, prompting everyone to copy him and raise their glasses to each other’s before chugging them down. It felt like home to him again, and it was an indescribable feeling to get that back.
Billy and Barbie approached, also holding hands. They had turned out to be quite the power couple as well, and it amazed Dante how smitten Barbie was with Billy. But Billy certainly deserved the adoration, plus he was head over heels for her too.
They both instantly pulled Sin into an embrace, and Barbie even squealed like they were best friends. And maybe they were. Who knew his actual stepsister would fit in so well with his adopted club family so well, and still be extremely classy and smart. Someone was sending luck his way that he didn’t deserve. “It’s nice to see that you two worked things out. You had us worried there for a while,” Billy said, keeping his arm over Sin’s shoulder. “We missed you, Sin.”
“I’ll be right back,” Diesel whispered in her ear, leaving her there with those two. He knew they’d keep her safe and occupied. He had someone else he needed to talk to first.
“Hey Diesel, how goes it?” Bryant asked, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other and scratching his head. It made Diesel regret the way he had jumped down Bryant’s throat before. Something in his gut was telling him that Bryant wasn’t as guilty as he once thought. “So, did that Vosh character let you keep your company?”
“Ironically, yeah, it looks like it. But I’m wondering how you might have guessed that. I think an apology might be in order.” Dante felt really bad and grit his teeth. He’d jumped on Bryant way too soon.
“Nah, man, don’t worry about it. You did what you had to do as president to maintain your authority. I kind of saw it coming anyway. I haven’t exactly been supportive of what you’ve been trying to do with the club. But I want you to know, as your VP, I’m totally loyal. It’s your decision, not mine. I wouldn’t betray you over a disagreement.” He held his hands up in the air as if in surrender, and Diesel patted him on the back.
“So, would you like to tell me why Winslow was so keen on letting Sin go without taking over my company? I’d hate to think you had anything to do with it.”
“I don’t kiss and tell buddy,” Bryant joked with a sly smile. “But let’s just say some of us guys scared the shit out of him, beat him at his own game, shook him up a bit. I don’t think he’ll be bothering you again.”
Diesel narrowed his eyes, a little concerned about what they had done to the man because it could have brought more negative attention on him inadvertently.
“Don’t worry Diesel. Nothing we did was technically illegal or anything, and it can’t really be traced back to you. We just made sure that you, Sin, and your dreams were safe. And I’m sorry for letting a few people in on your secret. It was necessary. The good news, though, is that I shut down the faction against you in the process. Once Liz left it finally became clear what was going on. We lost four more members, but it looks like you’ve got a loyal group here now.”
Diesel stared at him, impressed. Bryant really did have his back. “Maybe you can take over for me when I retire from this shit, buddy. I think you’ll make a great leader. But, I have to ask, who was the guy Liz was doing all this with? I was almost sure it was you, no offense, but it obviously wasn’t. Just rip it off like a Band-Aid, I have to know.”
Bryant had an apology written all over his face which told Diesel that it wasn’t going to be and answer he liked very much. “Well, I started with talking to Ax because they were inseparable for so long, and he admitted to being dragged into some of that stuff with her, but he was never really loyal to it. It was partially why they broke up. But apparently, one of the guys she was cheating with was Jaz. I asked around and found out he was the original one with the idea. He was so good at hiding it. Anyway, by the time I got to him, he had skipped town. He’s gone, Diesel.”
Diesel stood there, stunned. He never would have pegged Jaz as the type to betray anyone and had always seen him as a friend. “I guess you never truly know someone do you?” Diesel asked, mostly to himself. “I guess it’s time to start recruiting some new members. Thanks for sticking up for me even when you don’t agree.”
“No problem, Diesel.” It felt good to start repairing that friendship, even if he had lost another in the process. Everything seemed to be falling back into place.
Chapter 35
“So, what’s on the agenda for today, Mr. Cross?” Dante looked up to see Cynthia standing over his desk with a smile on her face. It was her first day back at Essential Steel after giving her two weeks’ notice at Vosh. She had insisted in quitting the right way, and having learned his lesson, he let her go ahead with it no matter how torturous waiting was.
“Well, Ms. Millard, it seems that the clients have really missed you and are all dying to talk to you, so I’m afraid you’ll be scheduling appointments all day over there at that desk. Also, on the down side, I have meetings all day today.” He cracked a smile at her as she slinked her way over to her old desk to set up her laptop.
“It sounds like a busy day for both of us.” The way she said it almost sounded sensual. Of course, he was looking her up and down and liked what he saw. She was wearing a blue mini-skirt with fishnets and matching heels. On top she wore a lacy tank underneath a black blazer.
“Well, I see you’re dressed to impress today.” He winked at her and watched her blush a little and try to ignore him. He had a feeling they were going to end up in a supply closet somewhere by the end of the day, though.
“So, what are these meetings about?” she asked, obviously trying to change the subject. He could see the way she was biting her lip and holding back her lust for him. He’d worn a white button down so that his tattoos were visible through the fabric unless he put on a jacket. He did it specifically to seduce her.
“Actually, I am revealing myself to the company and trying to turn things around here and then I’m pretty much doing the same with the MC on my lunch. In fact, my first meeting is in about ten minutes. Sorry, I couldn’t be here to entertain you on your first day back.” He said it in the huskiest voice he could muster, and he heard a giggle escape her throat.
“You are something else, Mr. Cross, did you know that?” They locked eyes, and he felt like he was on some kind of high.
“Please, feel free to call me Dante or even Diesel for all I care, but I don’t like you referring to me as Mr. It sounds like we’re in a low budget porno.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” she joked with a wink of her own which made the bulge in his pants grow exponentially. Any film starring a scantily clad Cynthia was sure to sell, but he wasn’t up for sharing that with anyone. Her body was just his to enjoy.
“Oh, it very much is. You see, I’m an extremely jealous man.” He stood up and walked over to her, giving her a peck on the temple. “Okay, well, I’ve really gotta get to this meeting. Wish me luck.”
“Break a leg!” she called, digging into her own work as he made his way to the conference room taking a deep breath. It was time to face the music and accept responsibility in his own company. He could never trust a figurehead CEO again, that was for sure.
As he walked in, he saw many of his top associates getting settled into their seats, and he dared to take the seat at the head of the table. It caused a few of them to stare at him or look confused, but it was about time he took full
control. He was the true owner, and no matter how shy he was, the way to run a company was from the driver’s seat, not the trunk.
Once the seats were filled, he decided to get started. There was no sense in waiting and letting his nerves build. He needed to just jump right into it head first.
“I noticed that some of you looked surprised or confused when I sat down in this chair. I’m sure many of you know that John has left us for personal reasons, and I will respect his privacy by not elaborating. That means we are without a CEO, or at least, that’s what you thought. My name is Dante Cross, and I have met most of you at one time or the other. Some of you may know me as the executive that comes and goes while others have been privy to what my true job is for a little while now. I am the founder and owner of Essential Steel.”
He let his eyes wander, meeting with every other pair of eyes in the room to see the looks on their faces. The obvious ones weren’t surprised at all, but he saw some mouths hanging open and heard a few confused whispers going around the room.
“If you would please bear with me, I will be happy to answer any questions once I’m finished.” The room quieted down again with all eyes trained on him. “For various reasons, I never wanted my face known, so once my company became successful, I hired John to play the part of CEO. The true voting rights and decisions were always mine to make, and John was the face of the company and my voice for near a decade. While he did a pretty good job, I have recently learned what a mistake it was letting someone else run my company. In the future, I assure you that I will be more involved in everything. I will be at every meeting to hear suggestions and complaints, and I will be much more involved. There will be no hiding any more. A memo will go out to every employee later this afternoon to make this same announcement to them. It is important to me that going forward I build a relationship with each and every one of you to better this company. Also, my personal assistant is around when I am not and can easily stand in for me. She will know my moves, my decisions, and everything about the company and clientele. Use her sparingly as a resource, and please respect her. She is a crucial part of this company and the reason for our recent success.”
Dante could feel himself getting clammy and sweaty from the scalp down as he talked with those people looking at him. There were many different reactions going around the room, and he could tell for some he would be a tough sell. He was really going to have to lean on Cynthia for support. He was not used to building personal or business relationships.
“Now, if there are any questions, you may ask them now.” It seemed like a million hands flew in the air at that statement. He was going to be there a while.
* * *
Dante had somehow made it through the meeting alive after some pretty tough questions, and it was almost lunch time already. He stopped back in his office for a moment to find Cynthia just getting off the phone. “You weren’t kidding about the customers, Dante. Four of them have already called me to see if I was available for appointments today. I set up two for this afternoon, but I told the rest they had to wait for tomorrow or Wednesday. I figured you’d want me available for other things too.”
She smiled up at him, and he felt much more relaxed looking at her. It was nice to know that when things got tough he always had her to run to now. “So, how did that meeting go?” she inquired.
“It was definitely a tough sell to some, and there were a lot of questions. Oh, that reminds me, I need you to send a memo out announcing who I am and that I plan to run the company in person from now on. But please ask them to give me my privacy and don’t put a picture on it.”
She looked up at him, concerned. “Are you sure you don’t want to write that memo yourself?”
“I trust you completely, Cynthia. I think you know what I’d want to say, probably even better than I do,” he chuckled. “But hey, I hate to touch and go like this, but my lunch meeting is coming up quick and I want to stop and get a sandwich on the way to the bar. Can you hold down the fort for me until I get back?”
“No problem, you go take care of business. I don’t have any appointments until 1:30 just in case. If you’re not back by then, I’ll figure something out, maybe grab one of the receptionist from downstairs.”
“Thanks, I don’t know what I’d do without you.” And he really meant it.
Chapter 36
Cynthia put her book down next to her on Dante’s bed and began to flip through channels before finally landing on the news. Sometimes she felt guilty for not being in the know. Then Dante came out of the shower in nothing but a towel, begging her to tear her eyes off the television again. “Wow, I’m still getting used to having a hot woman in my bed at all hours of the day,” he said, coming around to kiss her with a still dripping wet face. She squealed and playfully batted him away.
“Well, if you want me to go back home, I can,” she teased. She had been practically living there for a week, only leaving to switch out clothes or grab other items she might want. She was pretty sure she was just going to move in with him officially at the end of her lease.
“Hell no. I like being able to reach over and grab you whenever I want.” He gave a predatory look, hopping over her in the bed and landing on the other side with his hand on her bare leg. She had been lounging around in his tee shirts and shorts whenever she got the chance too. It was somehow more comfortable than her own clothes and made her feel like she belonged somewhere.
He dived down and began kissing at her neck, trying to get her going, but they both froze as a news story came on the television mentioning Essential Steel. Cynthia plucked up the remote and turned the volume up, her eyes growing as big as saucers. He had finally come out to the company as the true owner, and everything seemed to be quiet with Winslow and the MC. What could possibly be going on?
She listened closely as the news reporter spoke. “Essential Steel is a successful company about eleven years old. It has reached over a billion dollar valuation by expanding to offer services to clients overseas, but along with its success has come some great controversy. Citing personal reasons, the CEO has resigned amidst rumors that he was actually fired for misconduct. A few weeks after that, it came out that he was only a figurehead to begin with. The true owner and president is a man named Dante Cross. Previously, he was just thought to be another employee. An anonymous source has provided us with a little information on this man, but we cannot confirm nor deny it.”
“Well fuck,” Dante said under his breath as the new reporter went on. Cynthia felt a sudden chill in the room. Just when they thought their enemies were silenced, a new one was coming out with info on Dante.
“The source says that Mr. Cross has a pretty sketchy background. After leaving home at a young age, he got involved in a notorious motorcycle gang known as the Devil’s Pirates. For a while, they terrorized Detroit with their illegal activity. Not too long after Essential Steel started becoming a success, he was promoted within that organization, becoming the president of the gang.” Cynthia scrambled for the remote and shut the television off, as if doing so could shut the whole thing out of their mind. But as the phone began ringing, she knew there was no escaping it this time.
“Who do you think did this, Dante? What are we going to do?” She looked to him to see that he was awfully calm as the phone kept ringing off the hook. It was probably reporters calling for a statement. For all she knew there would be camera crews waiting for them to leave in the morning as well.
“Honestly, Cynthia, I think we need to remain calm about this, and I couldn’t care less about who did this. It could be anyone. It could be the damn janitor for all we know. There’s nothing we can do about it now. We’ll do damage control tomorrow, but right now, I just want to be with you. I am sure I can get through this as long as I have you by my side.”
Cynthia felt a calm come over her too, and she looked down at his fingers playing with the white gold pearl ring that was sitting on her left hand with an absent look on his face. She had a feeling she knew what
he was thinking about. She smiled up at him and gave him a loving kiss on the lips. “You’re right. We should be fine as long as we have each other. We’ll weather this storm together, whatever it brings. Who knows, you could set the standard for biker bad asses everywhere.” They laughed, and he wrapped his fingers between hers causing the ring to press an indention into her skin; it was a feeling she still wasn’t quite used to. But she figured she’d have quite a few years to acclimate to the feeling.
She let herself go limp as he pulled her up on top of him, sinking down into the bed. She grinded up against him, feeling him grow underneath the damp towel he had wrapped around his middle. There was nothing but that and the shorts in between them. He took her finger into his mouth and began to suck on it, causing her to bite her lip.
“You know, I think I’m going to like getting to do stuff like this with you every night,” she confessed with a grin as she tried to ignore the pleasure his mouth was bringing to her skin.
Billionaire Stepbrother - Secret Lives Page 18