Billionaire Stepbrother - Secret Lives (10 page)

Diesel watched Barbie pull out a cigarette and begin to smoke. It was one of those peach flavored ones, and it tickled his nose. “So tell me, what’s going on with you and Bryant?” Although he was asking Barbie, he looked right at Billy who was sitting next to him on the curb to gauge his reaction.  Billy’s face turned beet red with the silent suggestion that he was involved.

“That man is so fucking annoying. All he does is drink and get high and talk about women other than me. He thinks cuz he has a thick dick he’s worth a million bucks, but especially now that he sat there and let that happen when he’s your VP, I don’t want anything to do with him.” Dante leaned back on the concrete and scoffed. He just couldn’t wrap his head around Barbie talking so viciously. Her voice sounded like Tinkerbell.

“So, you’re sure it has nothing to do with Billy boy over here?” Dante was enjoying putting the attention on someone else. He didn’t want to think about what had just happened inside that building or what it meant for him. He just wanted to screw around with his family, the piece he had left anyway.

Billy looked like he was going to have a stroke as Barbie smashed her burnt out cigarette to the ground. Her face looked a little red, too. A nervous giggle escaped Barbie’s lips, confirming that something was amiss. “Well, maybe Billy came to my rescue last night after the lamest date ever with Bryant. I ended up stranded at a strip club of all places.” She stomped her heel on the ground like a two year old having a tantrum. “But Billy was so sweet to come and pick me up.” She smiled sweetly at him, and he smiled back. Dante could tell that the young club member was tipsy.

Even if nothing specific had gone on with them yet, Dante could smell it coming a mile away. It was really too bad considering how long his shithead of a VP had pined for that woman and how short of a time it had taken for him to fuck it up. “Anyway, I’ll leave you two boys to talk. I’ll be inside if either of you need me.” She winked at Billy and practically skipped back into the bar. Dante was always shocked to think of her as 27. She didn’t act like she was a day over 17.

Dante sat up, feeling the silence and the pain as he realized exactly how turned around he was at the moment. “So, you wanna talk about what’s going on?” Billy asked, always sounding wiser than his age suggested. “I swear I voted no on that stupid thing. It was ridiculous, and none of us even knew what was going on. I don’t think it’ll hold because the whole asinine thing was so secretive.”

Dante looked over his shoulder to be sure no one else was listening. Billy had quickly become a good friend, and if his enemies knew his secret, his friend might as well know too. “I’m the owner, the president, of a business. That’s where I am during the day. I use my influence a lot of the time to help us make money and good investments. I know it’s wrong, but it’s better than transporting drugs or selling illegal guns to crazy fucks who use them to shoot up malls and shit. I love my company; it’s everything to me. I built it from the ground up, but now I might lose it because my secret is out. And I lost Sin cuz I accused her of being the one to leak the information.”

“You think Sin caused all this?” Billy sounded shocked. “I wouldn’t bet anything on that, Diesel. The way she looked at you… it’s the way I’ve always wanted someone to look at me. Besides, aside from coming in with you, she has no involvement with the MC. I don’t see how she’d be involved in staging some kind of coup like this, especially since she isn’t even here.” Dante hung his head, knowing that what Billy said made sense. He should have trusted her, and now he was pretty sure he’d lost her for good.

“Yeah, I know. Now, I’m losing the MC, my company, and my girlfriend. What a great day this is turning out to be.” Dante let out a wry laugh as he took another puff on his cigar.

“Nah, I think a lot of this will blow over, and as far as Sin goes, apologize. You can’t just let a great woman slip through your fingers like that. You have to fight for her.” Billy formed his hand into a fist as he spoke passionately. Dante slapped his friend on the back.

“You speak as if from experience, Billy, but I think you need to take your own advice. There’s a beautiful woman who I believe is waiting inside that building for you with a bunch of drooling bikers. How long do you think it will take for her to find someone else to latch onto?” Dante had to admit he was trying to get Billy to go so he could be alone, but he would also love to see Billy finally have an old lady of his own. And Barbie was as nice and sexy as it got in their world.

Billy glanced back at the bar and then to Diesel, looking as if he were contemplating something. Then he took off like a bat out of hell towards the door. He probably just realized how easily she moved on from Bryant. Dante smiled slightly before standing up and stretching out. He had a girl of his own to win over, and he also knew how quickly she might be able to find someone else. He wasn’t about to let that happen. The smile quickly faded from his lips as he walked to his bike.

* * *

Dante ran up the stairs to Cynthia’s apartment, hoping he would find her at home. There was an odd chill in the air, so he’d put on a long sleeve black shirt with a skeleton on it and some jeans that had some chains hanging off of them. He thought he looked pretty good and normal, which was what he was going for. He didn’t want to be Dante the company owner or Diesel the president of a motorcycle gang. He just wanted to be the man who made a mistake, asking for forgiveness from his beautiful girlfriend.

He cleared his throat and knocked on the door, trying to control his breathing as to not panic. He held a bouquet of yellow roses in his hand; the only thing acceptable the store had immediately available.

He heard the click of the lock unlocking and saw the door knob twisting as his heart raced nervously. He had been so busy thinking about whether or not she’d answer the door that he hadn’t thought about exactly what to do if she did.

When it opened he saw that she was in a white robe that went down to her knees, a long cotton shirt peeking out from underneath. Her hair was in a twisted pile on the top of her head, and he knew that she would probably be embarrassed that he was seeing her that way, but he was ready to reassure her how amazing she looked even like that. It made him think about having her in his bed at night and waking up to her in the morning. There was so much they had yet to experience in their relationship, and he hoped that they would get a second chance.

She sighed and motioned for him to come inside. He set the flowers down on the kitchen counter so that she could find a place to put them later. By the time they sat down, staring at anything but each other awkwardly, no one had said a word. “So, what brings you here, Dante?” The way she asked the question sounded annoyed, like he was interrupting something. But it was clear all he had interrupted was her binge-watching Netflix.

“I brought you roses,” he answered dumbly, ready to kick his own shin. He shook his head, trying to physically clear it of any more idiocy that might be floating around inside. “I actually came to apologize. I’m sorry for accusing you of leaking my secret or having anything to do with the threat against me and my company. It is clearly much bigger than that.” He bowed his head down in humility, hoping she’d see how sincere he was.

“So it took proof to trust me?” her question came out harsh, cutting at his insides, but he couldn’t deny she had a point.

“I come from a world where everything requires proof. It’s something I need to work on for you, for us.” He looked her right in the eyes when he said it so that she would know exactly what he meant. He wanted them to be back together. He watched her face carefully for a reaction and did not see what he expected to see at all. She was fuming.

Cynthia stood up and started shaking her finger at him like a mother giving a lecture, and something told Dante it was no laughing matter. “I can’t believe you think you can waltz back in here with some friggin' roses and just claim that we’re back together. I may like that you’re this hot bad boy leader of the pack type of guy, but that doesn’t mean you can treat me like shit. You really hurt my feelings, Dante. I thought we were building something good together, and the first time things get tough I get a boot in my face. It’s not okay, and I am not going to let you sit here and act like an admission to being human and some roses are going to change how I feel. It’s barely been 24 hours.”

Dante cringed at her words. She was angry and sounded like she had no intention of getting back together. What could he say to convince her to come back to him, that he was truly sorry? “I’ve put more trust in you than anyone else I’ve ever met. This is the closest I’ve ever gotten to a healthy relationship with a great woman, and I realize I am not doing a great job. But I am doing my best. Look, I need you. I don’t know how long I have left at the company. The MC wants me to step down or my secret will be leaked. I’m not sure what to do right now, but if I can’t figure out who is behind this then I’m screwed. I was sitting there through all this thinking how dumb I was for letting you go and how much I needed you now that everything was worse than ever. I really am sorry, and I don’t know how else I can say it.”

He put his head in his hands, trying to breathe through the pain and anger he was feeling with a million negative thoughts swirling in his mind. Cynthia sat back down and looked at him. “I’m sorry that this is happening," she said, her voice softening slightly.

She sighed heavily before continuing. "I do really care about you and keeping your secret. If it helps, I'll come back to work on Monday, and even continue to try and be a part of the club. But as far as anything else right now, between us, I'm not sure. I really want to be with someone who can put their trust in me, who isn’t going to doubt me at every turn when something goes wrong.”

Dante saw the sad look on her face and could tell she was hurting as much as he was, so he couldn’t push her into something she wasn't ready for.  He knew he had screwed up. It was up to him, now, to make it up to her and prove his trust for her whenever he had the chance to win her back. Whatever happened, he wasn't going to sit back and just let shit happen. He knew what he wanted, and he was prepared to fight for it.

Dante scratched out Billy’s name on a piece of paper in front of him. He had been trying to figure out who could be in the faction growing against him in the club. He had laid low for a week, waiting for something to come out, but it never did. He was ready to deal a blow, to come out swinging and regain his throne as pirate king among this group of twisted devils. But he had thrown himself into the task of solving the mystery the entire time he had been in hiding, and he still hadn’t gotten any more out of it other than his usual suspicions about Bryant.

He looked around at his living room and grimaced. He hated working at home, especially while Cynthia was spending half the day at the office to meet with clients while he sat there alone on his laptop. He looked to the clock on the wall and was glad to see it was almost time for her to show up to help him out, but unfortunately it had nothing to do with his MC. Although he would have loved her opinion on the matter, she had stayed pretty distant from him whenever possible.

He knew for a fact she had been hanging out with Barbie and some of the rest of the MC in his absence, bonding with the people he once called family. But he knew she was mostly keeping a promise to him and trying not to raise any more suspicions about his double life.

At work she had been a machine, even bringing in new clients from overseas. Their profit had grown since hiring her, but she was being sure to keep all personal matters out of the conversation. He kept buying her flowers, sending her apology notes and poems, and even talking to her about the club, trusting her to tell him everything she knew. What else did a guy have to do to be forgiven?

A knock came at the door and he went to answer, not even caring that he was still in his pajamas. He had to get some pleasure out of working at home. Cynthia came strutting in, looking all work and no play with her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail like she had her first day working for him, and a loose fitting pant suit. He greatly missed her tight clothes and wavy hair down her back that teased him in the best way possible. His body yearned for those naughty encounters they had in the office.

He watched her eyes survey him up and down as she pursed her lips. He couldn’t tell if she was trying to avoid jumping his bones or if she was disapproving of his lack of suit and tie. Either way she resembled a sexy teacher or librarian; making his head automatically jump to where his fantasies were hidden away. He wiped the sly smile off his face as they sat down at his coffee table to discuss what was on the agenda for the day.

“So, how is the business? I’m sure with you at the helm it’s running like a young race horse or a finely tuned motorcycle.” He couldn’t help but flirt for a second, trying to catch her attention. He was so desperate for it.

She tapped her fingers impatiently before responding. “Mr. Kutatchi, the one with the shop in Japan, would like a full contract with us now that the 90 days are up. I told him I’d have a contract drafted for him by tomorrow afternoon. Mr. Buzby came in with another complaint about supply as well as the product itself. I assured him that there was nothing wrong with the product and had a mechanic demonstrate it to him this morning. We actually drove out to his plant. He fired his mechanics and asked if he could take one of ours.” A small smile was creeping up on her face. She looked happy to be victorious with the clients.

“Well, it sounds like a fulfilling day. Are you sure you don’t want to just go home and take the rest of the day off?” He was sincere when he asked it, though he secretly hoped she’d stay. He had a plan to cook her dinner to try and wear her down a bit more.

“I’m pretty sure you need me to run reports and make up contracts and answer your emails. Though I don’t necessarily need to be in your home to do that, I am YOUR personal assistant. So I think I’ll take my chances with the levels of stress sitting in a luxury apartment at a designer dining table filling out paperwork for you.” She nodded matter-of-factly, not giving away anything about whether there might be any other reason than duty to stay there.

She went about setting up her laptop when another knock came at the door, one he wasn’t expecting. He saw the fear in Cynthia’s eyes at the sound, and felt a twinge of hope as well as guilt. She must have thought she was about to witness a rendezvous with another woman or something, little did she know that he had no intention of being with anyone but her. The thought actually made him sick to his stomach.

It turned out to be Billy who came in and immediately made himself at home. Then he remembered that he’d asked Billy to come over and help him figure out what he could about this faction against him. “Oh, hey Sin!” he said enthusiastically, which made Dante glare at him. He was weary of the contact between the two of them now that he had swept Barbie off her feet and away from a stud like Bryant. He wasn’t about to let Cynthia cream her panties over him too.

“Oh, hi Billy. Does he have you working for him now, too?” Her lips looked serious, but Dante could see the playfulness in her eyes.

“Sort of. It’s MC business, not business-business.” They were talking as if they were good friends. She really had made some big progress with the club while he was holed up in his apartment avoiding everyone. It was impressive even though he couldn’t help but feel a hint of jealousy.

Cynthia went back to work as he sat down on the couch with Billy and showed him the piece of paper he had been trying to work out the whole thing on all day to no avail. Billy looked at it while rubbing his scruffy chin. “Well, I think you’re on the right track with Bryant, but I can’t say for sure. It just seemed that day that he would have done more if he was truly on your side. If nothing else, he seems to be on his own side more than anything.” Dante grunted in agreement, hoping that his absence had revealed more members who were against him.

“Of course Barbie and I, as well as Ax, are all on your side. There’s no way any of them could be in this stupid faction shit. But I get this creepy feeling that Liz and that new boy toy of hers are involved. I mean, her and Ax were connected at the genitals until recently.” Dante nodded, accepting the fact that a woman that had always seemed his friend was really against him. He knew she did a lot of illegal things and did not at all like going legit with the club. It was a sad realization.

Pete, Jaz, and Milo have pretty much stayed neutral, so I don’t feel they’re in this faction against you, but they aren’t here to help, either. Nato, though, man, he’s talked about you from the beginning. He hates your fucking guts, and he loved the drug business. You know that.”

“Yeah, but do you really think he could lead this whole group and figure out my secret. He’s not exactly the brightest asshole?” Dante asked, trying to keep quiet as not to disturb Cynthia. He looked over his shoulder at her and caught her listening in. “Do you have any input, Sin?” He pleaded with his eyes, trying to get any sort of genuine communication out of her. She placed her finger in the air to tell him she had to finish up something first. Her fingers flew over the keys at 90 miles an hour before she closed her laptop and walked over to them.

Cynthia leaned over the back of the couch, popping her head in between Billy and Dante. For a moment her and Dante locked eyes, and he could feel her breath on his face. It took everything in him not to close the gap between their lips. It was so hard being near her and not being allowed to touch her gorgeous body or kiss her luscious lips.

She pointed her finger to a name on the page, and Dante’s eyes followed to see she was pointing at a girl named Phoebe; well an older woman actually. She had come in as someone’s old lady, but he hadn’t made it through initiation. She dumped him and stayed to become the old lady of the last president before him. The last president hadn’t been that much of a hard ass, but he didn't turn his back on the illegal shit. Phoebe seemed to enjoy the easy dough and the bling. It was a good place to start.

“That’s brilliant, Sin!” Billy called out, patting her arm. Dante shot daggers at him again and caught a glimpse of Cynthia’s face turning red and her eyes getting wide. It was a tense moment to say the least.

“No problem,” she whispered before heading back to her laptop in silence. She merged herself right back into her work and stayed that way until Billy took off and Dante headed to the kitchen to cook up some enchiladas. He was going to win his girlfriend back with food, and then he was going to haul it over to The Blue Pig and wring Bryant’s neck.