Trashy (10 page)

Roxie

Two hours into my training and I had a whole new respect for Adam. He was good at what he did. Business was clearly something he excelled in. He was organized, thorough, and took a no-bullshit approach to everything concerning the club. It wasn’t surprising at all he was very successful and opening a second place.

I also learned something about myself. Business bored the crap out of me. I understood what he was telling me, I understood the things I needed to do and keep an eye on, but the endless paperwork made me want to pour bleach in my eyes. It made me question my decision to take this new position.

Sharp snapping had me coming out of my boredom-induced coma, and I blinked, focusing on Adam, who was the one making the sound.

“Roxie, are you even paying attention?” Adam said, snapping his fingers together in front of my face.

“Of course.” I lied.

“Yeah?” he said, amused, and set a stack of papers on his desk. “What did I just say?”

“Something about numbers,” I answered evasively.

He chuckled. “You’re bored out of your damn mind, aren’t you?”

I sighed and plopped into a nearby chair. “Maybe this wasn’t a good idea. Maybe I should go back to dancing.”

“No.” His response was swift and final.

“It’s so boring,” I whined. “How do you do this all day long?”

He grinned. “I like it.”

“I’m going to be a terrible manager.” I predicted.

“You couldn’t be terrible if you tried,” he rebutted. The affection in his rich tone made me smile a little. I loved the way he made me feel, as if I could sink right into him and curl up.

“I think that’s enough for today,” he said, walking over to where I was sitting.

“How much more is there to learn?” I groaned.

“Not too much.”

Not too much = it was going to take forever.

“We can just finish, then,” I said, wanting to get it over with.

“Or we could go grab something to eat.”

I glanced up. “Eat?”

He nodded. “You look worn out,
Rox. Have you eaten today?”

I planned on eating, until Craig decided to follow me around some more. “I had some coffee earlier.”

“Let’s go,” he said, tossing the pen in his grasp down on the desk.

I hesitated, wondering if Craig was still sitting outside across the street from the club. Here I had been relieved when he kept driving, but he must’ve turned around and come back. It seemed odd he didn’t sit in the parking lot instead of across the street.

“What’s the matter,” Adam said when I didn’t get up. “Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?” I knew he was joking. The ornery grin on his face proved it.

But it wasn’t funny.

His words struck a chord with me, reminding me of a time when someone (someone = Craig) was embarrassed to be seen with
me.

Okay, so maybe he wasn’t embarrassed so much as he didn’t want all his flings to know he was involved with someone else. It took me a long time to figure that out. I was humiliated when I finally did.

One night I wanted to go see a movie, and I finally talked him into it. When we walked outside to leave, he wanted to take separate cars. To go to the same place.

I stood there dumfounded, asking him why on Earth we couldn’t just drive together. He didn’t answer. But he didn’t have to.

The look on his face said it all.

It was the night I realized all the “rumors” about him cheating were true. Every whisper I heard when we went to the bar he liked or when his friends were over at our place was true. He’d always said people were just jealous, that his friends didn’t like he wasn’t always available to them because of me.

I should have known then it was a lie.

He was never available to me. Never.

Because he was out with other women. He had so many he didn’t want to be seen driving around town with me.

We never made it to the movies that night. We got in a huge fight instead, and he left. Alone.

I didn’t see him for two days.

“Roxie.” Adam’s soft voice broke me out of the memory, and I shook my head slightly to clear away the humiliation I still felt. Adam was kneeling right in front of my chair. His broad body filled the space in front of me and his thighs were spread so my knees were between them.

Because he was crouching low, he had to tilt up his head just slightly to meet my eyes. The deep-brown hue seemed to melt into me, the concern in his gaze flowing into me like hot lava, blanketing everything it touched.

“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” he asked, soft, reaching into my lap to entwine our fingers.

I glanced down at our joined hands, then back up at him.

“Kiss me.”

He didn’t need to be told twice. In seconds, he was standing to his full impressive height and towed me up along with him. Adam released my hand and cupped my face. His hands engulfed my jaw, but he was so gentle. His eyes swept over me like I was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and around us, sparks flew like snowflakes in a blizzard.

Instead of crushing his mouth to mine like I expected, like I wanted, he took his time. His heated gaze dropped to my lips, then back to my eyes. His fingers
spasmed against my head and tightened ever so slightly.

Slowly, slowly, he lowered his head, cupping my jaw so I could do nothing but hold still and wait for him to arrive.

The anticipation of his lips on mine was almost my undoing. Everything going on inside my head floated away. I became aware of the moment, of the quietness in the room, of the way my body swayed to get closer.

Adam’s lips brushed over mine, a gentle caress, once, twice, and then a third time. He lifted his head just slightly and stared down at me. His thumb climbed up and caressed my lower lip.

He smiled softly and then joined our lips once more. This time he didn’t lift his head. The kiss was soft and tender. It was a heavy kiss, the kind that settled within me like a weight, but it was the kind of weight that wasn’t a burden.

When his tongue licked over my lips, I gladly parted for him, letting him inside my body, welcoming him.

No other parts of our bodies touched but our lips and his hands on my face. But I felt him everywhere.

This wasn’t the kiss I had been expecting. I wanted hard and fast. Furious and passionate. I wanted something to chase away the terrible memories that crept up on me at unexpected moments and haunted me like unforgiving ghosts.

But Adam knew.

He knew exactly what it was I didn’t know I needed.

A fast and furious kiss might have pushed the memories back into the shadows of my body, where they would lie and wait for the next opportunity to strike.

But this soft, tender… almost loving meeting of flesh made me unafraid of the memories. It took away their power. Yes, they might always be inside me, but shadows weren’t so scary when one was filled with light.

“Adam,” I whispered when he leaned his forehead against mine.

“Anything,” was his whispered reply.

My stomach grumbled loudly, interrupting our perfect moment. His chest vibrated with laughter, and he stepped back. “C’mon.”

He took my hand and led me through the club and outside. My eyes swept the area across the street as he locked up the door. I didn’t see Craig, and the tension between my shoulder blades seemed to melt away.

“Wanna take the bike?” Adam asked, motioning toward his motorcycle.

“I’ve never been on a bike before,” I admitted.

“So I’m your first?” I swear his ego and his head inflated about three sizes.

I rolled my eyes. “Yes, you’re my first.”

He grabbed a black helmet off the back and slid it down over my head. I thought my ponytail might get in the way, but instead, it made the helmet fit snugger so it didn’t rattle around on my shoulders.

When it was buckled in place, Adam stood back to admire his handiwork. “You look like a bobble head.” He grinned.

I tried to kick him, but he dodged my foot with ease, and I tipped over to the side. He caught me, setting me straight. “Careful there, sweetheart. You’re top heavy now.”

“Ass,” I said, but my voice was completely muffled due to the massive protection around my skull.

He flashed his teeth, then straddled the bike. It was a Harley. Heat simmered in my core seeing him with all that metal and power between his legs.

Adam motioned for me, so I climbed on behind him. Reaching around, he looped my arms around his narrow waist and left his hand atop where my hands met. “Don’t let go,” he said.

I won’t.

The bike rumbled and vibrated beneath us when he started it up and put it in motion. It was like being part of the wind. The way we navigated through the street seemingly without cause. Things looked different from the back of this bike. I felt free.

I didn’t get to experience it very long, though, because he pulled into a Friday’s just a mile down the street from the club. The parking lot was fairly empty because we’d arrived at a time past lunch but before dinner.

Once he slid the bike into an empty parking spot and supported it with its kickstand, shut
t
ing off the engine, I started to climb off. Adam grabbed my legs and stilled me, silently telling me not to move. I obeyed, wondering what he was doing as he spun around so he was straddling the bike, facing me.

The space between us was wide because our knees were bumping together, but that didn’t last very long. Adam slid his palms in the hollow behind each knee and gave me a little tug. I slid forward, and he draped my legs over his thighs.

Our centers were intimately close. The only thing that kept me from rocking against him wantonly was the fact we were out in public.

Beneath my chin, Adam unbuckled the helmet and then tugged it off my head. I reached up to fix my undoubtedly helmet hair, but he caught my hand and pulled it against his lips. “Leave it,” he murmured. “It’s sexy.”

The entrance to the restaurant opened, and a couple young guys came out. They were laughing, but when they saw us, they stopped. I knew from the flare in their eyes they noted the provocative way Adam and I were sitting.

I tensed a little, waiting for Adam to push me away or put some space between us.

He didn’t.

The guys stepped off the curb, both of them openly looking at us, and walked to a nearby car. Adam glanced at them coolly, but they didn’t seem to notice.

The blond-haired “surfer” type climbed in the passenger side, closest to us. Even after he got in the car, he turned to stare out his window. He gave me a little smile and jerked his chin at me through the glass.

Adam grasped me by the jaw and gently turned my face. His lips claimed mine in a thorough kiss. I forgot we were out in the open. I forgot we were being watched. Kissing him like this, practically in his lap where everyone could see, was such a high.

When he lifted his head, I licked my lips, loving the way he tasted. He grunted, satisfied, then looked at the car, which was now pulling away.

“What was that for?” I asked.

“Just letting everyone know you’re already taken.”

Surprise rippled through me. Not only was he unapologetically blatant about being here with me, but he basically just staked his claim.

How very caveman-ish.

Who knew cavemen were so sexy?

“I’m taken?” I asked, lifting an eyebrow.

He gave me a heart-stopping lopsided smile. “I’m working on it.”

He was doing a damn good job.

Wait.
He was working on it?
Did that mean he wanted me?

Adam slid out from beneath me and tied the helmet to the back of the bike. When he was done, he pocketed the keys in his distressed jeans and allowed his eyes to roam over me for one lingering minute. When he was done, he made a half growl in the back of his throat and wrapped his hands around my waist.

“So tell me,” he rumbled as he lifted me effortlessly off the bike. “How was your first time?”

His voice was sinful. Like some aged, insanely expensive bourbon that only rich people could afford. There was this lush flavor to his tone, like his words didn’t come from his throat, but from the deepest parts of him. And when he lowered his usual tone, the effect was what I imagined finely aged bourbon would have. It was intoxicating.

“What?” I asked, breathless.

He laughed quietly as he slid my body down the front of his. It was a very effective way of showing me exactly how much he enjoyed our kiss.

“Your first time on a bike.” He clarified, and it reminded me we were having a conversation.

“It was the best first time any girl could ever have.”

“Words every guy wants to hear.” He grinned.

“I’ve only ever said them to you.”

I looked up at him from beneath my lashes, wondering if he understood that I was talking about more than just the bike ride. I knew he was only being playful and so was I, but I meant it. No one had ever given me a better first. It made me wish he’d been my first for more than a motorcycle ride.