Sexy Bastards Anthology: Bad Boy, Biker, Alpha, Motorcycle Club, Contemporary Romance Collection (32 page)

“Edge?” Chuckling, I shook my head. “You just don’t give up, do you?”

“To be honest, I’ve never had to work this hard before,” he admitted.

“Huh. That’s surprising.”

Actually, it wasn’t. Taylor was gorgeous. He knew it. I knew it.

“You can let yourself out. And, if you could keep this between us?”

“Discreet is my middle name,” he answered, grabbing his tuxedo jacket. “In fact, call me the next time you’re in town. We’ll create some more secrets.”

Like I really needed to get involved with any guy in Jensen, especially one in a biker club.

He may have been extremely nice to me back when we were teenagers, and hotter than any man had a right to be, but, I had enough problems going on in my life as it was. “I doubt I’ll be traveling back to Jensen for quite a while.”

“That’s a pity.” He grabbed his keys from the dresser and then turned back toward me. “For what it’s worth – it was nice seeing you again.”

“You too.”

When he left, I felt a stab of regret but then reminded myself that Taylor was a womanizer who probably screwed a new gal every night. Besides, I was already in a messy relationship. One with a control-freak named Mark. I hated everything about the man, but was indebted to him. Over a year ago, I’d gotten a D.U.I. after coming home from a Christmas party. The roads had been icy and I’d lost control, hitting a tree in the process. Not only did I get arrested for drinking and driving, but I also injured my back, which caused me to be out of work for several weeks. The bills started piling up. My insurance wouldn’t pay for my car, and I also almost lost my house in the process. Mark, my boss, offered to help me out. He loaned me the money on the condition that I paid him back in monthly installments and met him for dinner while doing it. I was so grateful, and thought him to be such a kind man, that I stupidly agreed. Then, there was a month when I was strapped for cash
again.
Somehow, he coerced me into bed. That was when I found out what he really was – a rich, jealous, and self-deserving prick who enjoyed having me under his thumb. Eventually, sex became part of the payment process, and when I’d refused to spread my legs, he threatened to sue me for breach of contract.

“You can’t sue me for not having sex with you,” I’d said.

“But I can sue you for missing some of your monthly payments.”

I didn’t know anything about the law, so I just caved in. Needless to say, I hated the man with all my heart.

I picked up my cell phone and checked my messages. Mark had tried calling me several times and there were over a dozen texts. I didn’t even stop to read them. I knew he’d be pissed that I hadn’t called him back.

“Where have you been?” he asked icily.

“In my room. Sleeping.”

“And you didn’t hear the phone?”

“It died. I didn’t notice your messages until I started charging it,” I lied.

“I was concerned about you,” he said. I could tell by the tone of his voice that he wasn’t worried. He was pissed.

“I’m sorry,” I said softly. “It won’t happen again.”

“I hope not. How was the wedding?”

“It was good,” I replied, surprised that he even bothered to ask.

“Did you bring anyone back to your room?”

There it was.

His real concern.

“No,” I replied.

He was silent for a few seconds, mulling over my answer. Mark had no say in who I slept with, but I knew he’d be pissed if I so much as kissed another man. “When does your plane leave?”

“Soon. Actually, I need to get to the airport.”

“When is it landing in Minneapolis?”

“I’m not exactly sure,” I replied. “If you really want to know, I’ll grab my ticket and read it to you,” I said curtly.

“No worries. I’ll find out and send my driver to pick you up,” he said, ignoring my tone.

Crap.

“Okay.”

“You’ll be dropped off at my penthouse. I should be there around six.”

“What about your wife?” I asked.

“What about her?” he asked stiffly.

“It’s Sunday. Don’t you have some kind of family thing going on?”

“Not this evening. I told her that I needed to take care of some things at the office.”

“Oh,” I said, disappointed. The thought of Mark touching me made my skin crawl. “Are you sure you don’t want to get together tomorrow night? I’m really exhausted.”

“That’s not my problem. Anyway, I gave you an extra week off of work for this wedding,” he reminded me. “So, you owe me.”

I rolled my eyes.

He went on. “Make sure you shower as soon as you arrive and give your dirty clothes to Doris so that she can wash them. There’s no telling what kind of bugs you could be bringing back with you. I don’t need my home infected.”

Mark had a germ and bed-bug phobia. I could have been staying at a five-star hotel anywhere in the world, and he’d still be paranoid about the hotel being ‘dirty’. 

“Alright,” I replied. “I’ll see you later.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” he said and hung up.

Sighing, I set the phone down. There was no gentleness or warmth when it came to having sex with him. Mark was cold, greedy, and enjoyed the perverse domination he had over me. If that wasn’t bad enough, he’d started talking about leaving his wife and marrying me. There was no way I’d ever marry that asshole. As soon as I paid him the rest of the ten grand that I owed, I was going to look for a new job. 

My mind returned to Taylor. I almost wished that I could have remembered what it was like having sex with a sexy guy like him. Knowing what was in store for me later, I could have used the memory to block out the horrorfest waiting for me in Minneapolis.

Chapter 6

Taylor

Stepping out of Lauren’s hotel room, I headed down the hallway toward the elevator, passing by a well-dressed man who looked lost.

“Excuse me,” he said, trying to get my attention. “I’m looking for Barbara Macey? Was that her room you just stepped out of?”

I turned back to answer him. He was an older gentleman in his fifties. Nobody I recognized.  “Afraid not.”

His shoulders slumped as he looked back at the room. “Are you sure? I could have sworn they gave me that room number down at the front desk.”

“No. It’s her sister’s. Who are you?”

He looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I’m a friend of the family’s. I didn’t make the wedding yesterday, and wanted to deliver this card,” he said, holding up an envelope. “I have a gift inside that might be useful for their honeymoon.”

Assuming that he meant money, I told him that I wasn’t sure which room she or Carter were in, and to check with the front desk again.

“I guess I’d better,” he said and then followed me into the elevator.

I pushed the button for the main floor and we both stood in silence as the elevator began to move.

“So, you’re a friend of Lauren’s?” 

I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“I see. Are you dating?”

“No,” I replied. 

“She’s a lovely girl.”

“Very,” I replied, staring at him. I didn’t recognize the guy, and I knew a lot of people in Jensen. “So, you’re a friend of the family?”

“Yes.”

“You live in town, here?”

“No. I live in the next state over.”

I chuckled. “Which part?”

Before he could answer, the elevator door opened and a couple walked inside. I recognized them from the reception.

“Taylor! What’s up?” asked Jim, a guy Carter had introduced me to.

We shook hands. “Not much. Just heading out. You, too?”

“We’re going downstairs and having breakfast. So, did you get any sleep?” he asked with a knowing grin.

He must have seen me with Lauren.

“Enough. What about you?”

He put his arm around the girl he was with. From the looks of her hair and makeup, she looked like she’d just gotten her brains fucked out. “She wouldn’t let me.”

Turning red, the girl elbowed him in the ribcage.

“Who needs sleep anyway? It’s overrated,” I replied as we reached the main floor.

“I’m not complaining,” said Jim.

The elevator doors opened up and we all got off. The older man left without another word and I followed the younger couple into the lobby. We chatted for a while longer and then parted ways.

***

It was warm and sunny when I sped away from the hotel. I couldn’t stop thinking about Lauren, even after I made it back home and showered. I had to admit, she wasn’t like most of the women I ended up in bed with. All alcohol aside, she seemed classy, intelligent, and much more challenging than the chicks I was used to. I believed her when she claimed that one-night stands weren’t her thing and her reaction to waking up next to me had been almost been comical. The only thing that was concerning was the fact that she’d gotten so drunk that she couldn’t remember how we’d gotten there in the first place. That kind of thing was dangerous, especially for a beautiful woman.

My phone buzzed. It was Carter.

“Hey, what’s up? Aren’t you supposed to be heading out on your honeymoon right now?” I asked, surprised. I knew he and Barbara were supposed to be going to Hawaii.

“Our flight doesn’t leave until this afternoon. I just wanted to call you quickly and find out what happened last night, between you and Lauren.”

The wedding reception had been held in the banquet room of the hotel. The last time I’d seen Carter, he’d been doing the Macarena dance, which was right before Lauren and I had made our escape.

“What do you mean?” 

“I want details,” he said in a low, amused voice.

“Why?” I asked, although I already knew the answer. He was jealous that I’d slept with her and he hadn’t.

“Just curious.”

“You’re not upset that I went back to her room, are you?”

“Fuck no,” he replied. “I just never got a chance with her and was wondering what it was like, you know?”

“Good, I guess. To be honest, I was trashed. I don’t remember much,” I said, trying to play it down. The truth was that I remembered everything. I also remembered not lasting very long because she’d gotten me so fucking excited. I wasn’t going to relay that to Carter.

“Really?” he said, sounding disappointed.

“We were both pretty drunk.”

“You sure it even happened?”

Hot, sexy images from last night flashed through my head. Once we’d gotten to her room, Lauren had pushed me down on the bed, practically tearing my clothes off. She’d been like a starving animal, treating me like I was her first meal in months. “Yeah,” I replied, not giving him anymore.

“Huh.”

“You sure you’re okay with it?”

“Yeah. Of course. I’m married now and… happily. You know that. It’s just that I’m–”

“You’re curious,” I said, thinking back to Lauren’s naked body. Long, tanned legs, firm breasts, and a heart-shaped ass that made me hard just thinking about.

“Wouldn’t you be? I tried getting down her pants so many times back in high school, and she blew me off.”

I thought back to his eighteenth birthday party. “Maybe if you wouldn’t have cheated on her, you’d have gotten that chance.”

“Listen to you, pot” he laughed. “Calling the kettle
black
.”

“I’m not trying to lay any guilt on you, brother. I’m just saying that you missed your chance and it was probably nobody’s fault but your own. You don’t invite your girlfriend to a party and then fuck someone else when she’s in the next room.”

“I know. I fucked up. I was horny and drunk. Anyway, she wouldn’t have put out. Barbara said that Lauren had always planned on waiting until she got married. At least back then. Obviously, she’s changed her mind.”

Lucky for me,
I thought.

“I don’t think she’s having much sex,” I admitted.

“Why? Is she that bad?”

“How the fuck can a woman be good or bad?” I asked him, getting tired of the conversation.

“Sometimes they just lay there.”

“That sounds like your problem,” I said, digging into him. “You have heard of foreplay, right?”

“Fuck you. I make Barbara cum all the time.”

“Don’t get defensive,” I said, laughing. “Anyway, you’re married now. Enjoy the sex while you still can.”

“No shit. Barbara is talking about having cock-blockers right away.”

“Kids?”

“Yep. She’s hoping that once she squeezed out the first one, Lauren will move back to Jensen and help her with the café.”

Barbara had opened up a trendy coffee shop last summer. From what Carter said, it was crazy-busy from open until close.

“Really?” I said, perking up. “You think she will?”

“I don’t know. Barbara thinks she’s seeing someone and then there’s her job at that advertising company. I doubt she’d pick up and leave anytime soon.”

All I heard was the first sentence. “She’s seeing someone?”

“Barbara thinks she is. I have no idea. Obviously it isn’t serious, if that’s the case. She wouldn’t have ended up in bed with you.”

“Maybe.”

She hadn’t mentioned anything to me, although, we didn’t really talk about her personal life. It didn’t really matter now anyway. Lauren was on her way back to Minneapolis and chances were that we’d probably never see each other again.

“Shit. I gotta go. Barbara’s yelling for me.”

I cleared my throat. “Okay. Well, have a great trip.”

“Thanks. I’ll give you a call when we get back. We’ll grab a couple of beers.”

“Sounds good. Take care, brother.”

“You, too.”

After hanging up, I made myself a frozen pizza and wolfed most of it down. Afterward, I took a ride down to the clubhouse, where I found Raptor and Chopper standing next to the bar, in deep conversation.

“Hey, Tail, how was the wedding?” asked Raptor.

“It was okay,” I replied, opening up a bottle of water.

Hoss grinned. “You get lucky?” 

“Of course,” I said, smiling cockily. “I had to reward myself somehow for attending.”

“Fuck, I haven’t been laid since you guys threw me that birthday party last February. I’m pretty sure that was also a mercy-fuck,” said Hoss. “Or Cheeks was confused and thought I was Tail.”

Raptor, who’d just taken a drink of coffee, choked on it. “Yeah,” he said hoarsely, setting the cup down, “you two look so much alike, I’m sure it was an honest mistake.”

Hoss, who had long, silver hair that usually looked greasy, and a beer-belly that he sometimes used to set his ashtray on, smiled widely. “Once I pulled out my ten-incher, she didn’t care who I was.” He took a drag of his cigarette. “She has a mouth like a vacuum, that woman.”

“You offered her a cigar?” I asked, making Raptor laugh again. “Don’t tell me it was that Cohiba? The one Horse gave you for your birthday?”

“No, I’m talking about my dick, Romeo. You’re just lucky you’ve got that pretty face. Both of you,” said Hoss, nodding toward Raptor. “Hell, if it wasn’t for my bike or this patch, I’d never get any pussy.”

“Why don’t you quit smoking and start working out a little?” I said to him. “You’re killing yourself with those things.”

“Yeah, Hoss. The more butts you smoke, the less you’re going to poke,” said Tank, suddenly appearing behind me.

I laughed and held out my knuckles. “Hey brother, I didn’t know you were here. What’s up?”

“Not much,” said Tank, fist-bumping me. “How was the wedding?”

“He got laid so it couldn’t have been that bad,” said Hoss before I could reply.

Tank patted me on the back. “And you didn’t want to go.”

“Yeah. It definitely went better than I’d planned. Anyway, why are you here? I thought you were busy this weekend?” I asked Tank.

“Someone broke in last night,” he said. “I just wanted to make sure nothing was stolen.”

I stared at him in surprise. “Someone broke in
here
?”

“Yeah, we thought it might have been some punk kids, but strangely enough, nothing seems to be missing,” said Raptor. “Not even Tank’s laptop, which was sitting out.”

“My new one, too.” Tank ran a hand over his face. “If they were looking for anything on us, they’d have been disappointed.”

That surprised me. “Really? They didn’t take
anything
? What about booze or firearms?” I knew that the club kept most of the artillery locked away in a giant safe down in the basement. “They get to them?”

“Hell, no,” said Tank. “They’d need a lot of explosives to break into that fucker and it doesn’t look like any booze was taken.”

“So, whoever it was, broke in, and then just…
left
?” I asked.

“That’s what it’s looking like right now,” said Raptor.

Hoss stubbed out his smoke. “I still think it might have been teenagers just fucking around.”

That was possible. The neighborhood was crawling with punk kids.

“How did they get in here?” I asked.

Tank motioned toward the back of the clubhouse. “Through the back door. We think the intruder must have scaled the fence and then jimmied the lock on the door.”

“Didn’t the alarm go off?” I asked.

“It wasn’t set,” said Tank. “Which is my fault. There’s something wrong with the security system and I’ve been meaning to have it looked at. There’s been so much going on, that I haven’t had time. I guess it’s now a priority.”

“Well, at least nothing is missing or damaged,” I said.

“Not that we’ve noticed. The camera in the parking lot is still working, though. Hoss, did you find anything else on the surveillance video from earlier?” asked Tank. 

“Just the old coot I was telling you about. He was sneaking around the parking lot just before eleven,” said Hoss.

“You didn’t see anything?” I asked Hoss.

He shook his head. “No. J.T. and I were playing pool and everyone else was gone. On the video, it looks like the guy slipped under the gate and walked around for a bit. He did go out of range for a little while, so I guess he could have checked behind the building. He doesn’t look very threatening.”

“I think we all know by now that looks means squat. When did you end up leaving last night?” asked Tank.

“Around one, so it had to have happened early this morning,” Hoss said.

“Did you get a good look at the old man’s face?” I asked.

“Yeah, but the fuck if any of us could identify him,” said Hoss, opening up his laptop. He logged in and then clicked on an image. “There’s the old geezer. Does he look familiar to anyone?”