Bounty (61 page)

“
W
hat the fuck
are you doing here?”

“Evelyn, dear, how much time have you been spending in this… place?” Edward wrinkles his nose, his gaze drifting to the pool table where he likely watched those two assholes beating each other moments ago. His lip curls. “It seems to already be affecting your choice of language.”

Seeing Edward again, even after two weeks of avoiding his calls, still makes my hands and teeth clench. I feel like punching his lights out, but maybe he’s right. Maybe that’s just the atmosphere around here getting to me. Especially after talking to that brute in leather a minute ago.
Who the hell does that guy think he is? And what kind of a name is “Bash,” anyway?

“How did you find me?” I demand, wrenching my thoughts away from that arrogant meathead and back to my present problem. Besides, he’d just love to know I was thinking about him. Which I’m totally not.

I glare at Edward as he looks around, as if confirming to himself that this place is as bad as it seems. Which it is. I don’t know how I let Jackie talk me into coming here. This is totally her scene, not mine. She initially said that we’d celebrate the first job interview I’ve landed since leaving VI, but that didn’t convince me. It just sounded lame. Besides, I’d rather save my celebrations until
after
Monday’s interview,
if
it goes well.

So then she argued that a change of pace would do me good, and that argument rang true. I’d spent most of the last couple of weeks cooped up in my apartment, desperately sending out résumés and waiting by the phone. So I let myself be swayed, and yet here I am, staring back at the same problem I’m here to forget.

“You have to admire modern technology,” Edward says, his eyes still roving through the crowd of people with obvious distaste. “Everyone with a phone can be tracked, these days. The wonders of GPS.” Finally his eyes slide back to me. He has a self-satisfied smirk on his face that I just want to slap off.

Edward is a man of resources, but he always took delight in staying just on the edge of doing anything illegal. It surprises me that he’s admitting to this.

“You hacked my phone? I should call the police.” Well, not him, of course. But someone he paid. Still, that might still lead back to him.

“No hacking required, my dear. Don’t forget where you got that phone. You’re lucky I don’t charge you with theft after you failed to return VI property. I’m well within my rights to have my IT department track down our stolen handsets. Lucky for us you never changed any of the default settings.”

Shit.

“Fine, take your stupid phone and get out of here.” I reach into my purse and pull it out. It was stupid of me not to remember that this was a work phone. I’ve been using it for both personal and work calls since I got to Chicago, but getting a new one will be a small price to pay for getting Edward out of my life.

“Meh, you can keep it,” he says dismissively. “You’ll need it when you come back to work, anyway.”

“Are you joking?” I turn to look at Jackie. I’d forgotten she was sitting beside me. She’s never met Edward, but I don’t suppose she needs a private eye license to figure out who he is from our conversation. “She’s not coming back to work for you, you cheating sack of shit!”

Since meeting Jackie shortly after moving to Chicago, she’s become one of my closest friends, although that isn’t saying much since I rarely get any time to socialize. Still, her brash attitude and willingness to speak her mind has often been welcome, since the Canadian in me always has the urge to apologize and let myself get stepped on. I’ve been trying to learn to be more assertive by taking notes from her. Right now, I’m very happy she’s next to me.

Edward’s eyes shift over to my friend as if noticing her for the first time. They flit up and down, taking her in and then dismissing her all within a second as he returns his gaze to me. Edward has a way of sizing people up in an instant and then determining whether they’re worth his valuable time. Apparently, he’s decided that Jackie isn’t. Instead, he answers me as if I had been the one that spoke.

“The thing with Lindsey is over. It was a momentary lapse of judgment and it won’t happen again. It’s time we moved on and you come back to work. I think two weeks has been more than enough time to punish me. Matters of importance have been falling through the cracks without you around to hold things together. Let’s move past this and get back to the way things were.”

I stare at Edward, conscious of the fact that my mouth is hanging open, but unable to think clearly enough to remember how to close it. He’s just smiling at me, as if he just explaining away everything and he’s simply waiting for me to admit that I had been the fool to take things so seriously and leave like I did.

He brushes some imagined piece of fluff from the cuff of his five thousand dollar suit, clearly uncomfortable at waiting for me to respond. I see Jackie open her mouth again from the corner of my eye, so I finally turn to her and give my head a little shake. She backs down, but is clearly bristling with the desire to swear at Edward some more.

“I’m not coming back, Edward. Take your phone and leave.” There are a lot of other things I want to say to him, but people are starting to stare at us and I don’t want to make a scene. I’m embarrassed enough at the whole situation and how he treated me. I don’t need a bar full of strangers to know my business.

For some reason, I have an overwhelming urge to look over and see if Bash is watching us. I ignore it, but I bet he’s over there, laughing. Coming here was a mistake.

“It’s not just at work that I’ve missed you. You know I hate waking up alone.” Edward doesn’t care what people think of him and never has, so to him, it’s irrelevant that Jackie, the bartender, and everyone else in the immediate vicinity is listening to him. Of course, to them, that statement probably sounds sweet, but it’s not. It’s pathetic. Edward hates being alone. He always has. He’s looking for more of a surrogate mother than a girlfriend. Despite his brilliant and ruthless head for business, Edward is completely disorganized. He doesn’t miss me—he misses what I did for him. He misses that I organized his home life as much as his work life. The one smart move I made when I moved in with him was not getting rid of my old apartment right away.

“Give up, asshole. It’s not happening.” Jackie can’t hold her tongue anymore, but Edward doesn’t even look at her this time. He’s already dismissed her. She might as well not even be there.

“This is silly,” Edward says. He reaches out and grips my wrist, giving it a little tug. “You’re being unreasonable. Let’s get out of here and discuss this somewhere else. My car is waiting outside.”

No is not a word that Edward acknowledges. Unless he’s the one saying it.

“I’m not coming back, Edward,” I repeat a bit louder now. I can hear the rest of the bar starting to quiet down and I don’t dare look around. I have no desire to see all of the eyes that are staring at us. I have no desire to see
his
eyes, in particular. Bash.

“You’re making a fool of yourself,” Edward hisses, his grip tightening even further. “You’ve had enough time to pout. I’ve apologized. Let’s move past this and get back to business. I have a few very important meetings coming up and I need your help.”

“Let her go,” Jackie says, launching up from her stool. As she does, two suited men step forward from the background. At first I think they’re about to help me, but then I recognize them from VI. Of course. Edward would never set foot in a place like this without bring his own security. Their eyes are on Jackie, ready to stop her in case she tries to help me. Edward might have dismissed her, but that’s easier to do when you’re paying someone else to watch your back.

“I said no.” This time I nearly yell the words, and Edward’s eyes widen in surprise; he’s unfamiliar with the assertive streak I’ve picked up from Jackie over the last few weeks. I use his surprise to yank my arm and pull free from his grasp.

“I think it’s time you leave.”

The voice is gruff, hard, and so full of authority that I’m sure everyone in the immediate vicinity has the same urge I do: to stand up and head for the door. Instead, everyone’s eyes shift to take in the new player in our ever-growing spectacle.

Shit, not him again.

Bash is standing next to Edward, and the differences between the two men couldn’t be more obvious. Of course, there would be no contest if it came down to anything physical. Edward is tall, but he’s thin and exercises more for health and a desire for immortality than to get strong. His suit is probably worth more than this entire bar takes in on a good night, his nails and hair are always perfectly manicured, and his face is always shaved close.

Bash, on the other hand, has dark hair that looks as though he’s slept in his helmet, his face looks like it hasn’t seen a razor in at least a couple of days, and the muscles of his arms that are uncovered by his leather vest are heavily tattooed. I think if I’m ever asked to define the word “manly,” I should just show a picture of this guy and I wouldn’t have to say another word.

As soon as Edward takes a look at Bash he takes a step back, whether voluntarily or because Bash is practically on top of him. As he does, both of his bodyguards step forward and flank him. Bash doesn’t even look at them. His cold, dark eyes are fixated on Edward. I don’t even think he’s blinked since he spoke.

Now the men on either side of Edward step back, even though Bash hasn’t made a move. It isn’t until I follow their gaze past Bash that I see about six other men wearing leather vests break through the crowd to stand behind their friend.

I’m pretty sure no one has said anything yet, but I can’t be sure I’d have heard them over the sound of my own heartbeat thumping in my ears.
What the hell is going on?

I look over at Jackie to see what she thinks, but she’s just got a stupid grin on her face as she stares at Bash. She was the one that pointed him out to me in the first place, before things at the pool table got physical. She always notices guys like him, although I think he might even be more than she can handle, which is why she started flirting with the bartender instead. Still, she isn’t too shy to look, and as much of an ass as he is, I can’t blame her. He’s the hottest thing around by a long shot. And so completely not my type.

“I think you should mind your own business,
sir
,” Edward finally manages to say. I’m impressed that his voice doesn’t crack. I can see a bead of sweat on his brow. That’s about as rattled as I’ve ever seen him.

“Anything that happens in this bar is my business. I heard the lady tell you no. Don’t make me say it as well. When I say no, things tend to break. Sometimes bottles. Sometimes chairs or tables. Often bones.”

Edward’s thin tongue slips out and wets his lips. He turns to me, as if we are the only two in the room. “You think you’ve been having trouble finding a new job so far? I was going easy on you, dear. You think you can do better than me? When I’m done, you won’t even be able to do worse.”

As if to convince the bar of his bravado, Edward doesn’t even glance back at the big man still staring him down. He simply turns on his heel and leaves, flanked by the two men he arrived with. There’s a moment where the silence enveloping the bar hangs like a thick cloud, but then it bursts and the conversations begin again almost at once. The show is over, and aside from the group of leather-clad bikers still standing around, there’s nothing to see anymore.

“Wow, that was intense,” Jackie whispers as she sinks back down onto her stool. “I need another drink.”

Bash finally relaxes, turning to nod at this friends, who immediately return to what they had been doing before. As they turn, I can finally see the details on their jackets. There’s a design that looks like a heavily armored skeleton, grinning at me with the words “Chrome Soldiers” in an arc above and “MC” written below. If these guys are soldiers, then that makes Bash their leader.

Still, whatever their relationship, it must be nice to know that you have a group of friends ready to have your back like that. I suddenly miss my friends back home. Jackie is great, but I haven’t known her that long, and a quick glance confirms that she’s already back talking excitedly to the bartender as he mixes her another Manhattan.

I’m surrounded by people, but I’m hundreds of miles from anything I’d really call home. I have a billionaire looking to ruin my life, and the only people around to stand up for me are Jackie and a smoking hot biker dude who I just met a few minutes ago and also happens to be a complete prick.

“Let me guess, ex-boyfriend?” Bash’s lip is curled up into a smirk, as if he had me pegged all along. As if he knows everything about me from that brief glimpse at one of my biggest mistakes. Just like Edward thought he could waltz back in here and snap his fingers and I’d go running back to him. What the hell is it about me that makes everyone think I’m so predictable? Just because I’m nice doesn’t mean I’m weak. Just because I’ve dated men like Edward doesn’t mean I’m a total bore.

Despite the fact that everyone in the bar has gone back to their conversations, I can see some of them looking over at me out of the corner of their eye. I’m the new spectacle now, and I just want to get away, but Jackie is making moon eyes at the bartender and will probably make me feel like a killjoy if I tell her I want to go home.

But what am I going to do there, anyway? It’s not even midnight on a Saturday night. My professional life is most likely in the toilet now, and I haven’t had sex in weeks. Something about the old Evelyn just isn’t working. It’s time for a new Evelyn. An Evelyn that is willing to take chances and do crazy shit that she would never have done before.

Before I think it through, I take my phone and drop it into an abandoned glass of beer on the bar before I turn to reply, completely ignoring his little quip.

“So, do you want to show me that back room, or what?”

A
ll
I really expected was a “thank you,” and I didn’t even give a shit if she gave me that, to be honest. That’s not why I stepped in to get rid of that douchebag. The MC spends a lot of time in this bar. The bar up front is really just a cover, with our main clubhouse in the back. Which means that Axle’s is my second home, and no one comes into my home and disrespects someone. Even if the person they’re disrespecting thinks I’m a piece of shit, which I’m pretty sure this girl does. Which makes it even more surprising that she wants to go into the back room with me.

“I don’t even know your name, Blondie,” I say as I escort her through the small kitchen and into the hallway that leads to my office.

“I know,” she replies. Obviously she wants to keep it that way, but I can’t help but seize the opening.

“Then how will I know what to call you when you’re sucking my cock?”

I’m leading the way, so it’s disappointing that I can’t see the look on her face, but I’m pretty sure I hear a stifled gasp that is almost as satisfying. I’m fairly sure this girl is going to turn tail and run as fast as she can once I make a move on her, so I might as well at least get some enjoyment out of continuing to tease her. A girl like this doesn’t ask to go to the back room of a bar with a stranger that looks like me unless she’s trying to make a point or prove something to herself. And in my experience, there’s only so far most people will go to prove something, even to themselves.

Especially something that isn’t true.

It isn’t hard to figure out what she’s trying to prove, either, now that I’ve had a minute to think about it. Mr. Suit out there was her boyfriend, and he’s the complete opposite of me. But he’s a boring dick, and probably the kind of guy she’s always been with. And I bet my teasing her about him touched a nerve that’s extra sensitive because she’s heard it all before. Following me back here is her way of proving that she’s got an edge. That she’s into excitement and danger and fun.

She has no idea what she’s in for, picking me to make her point. Won’t matter anyway, though. I can’t see her bluff lasting longer than it takes for me to unzip my fly. If it even lasts that long.

“You can call me Bash,” I say as I unlock the door to my office and push it open. “I know you didn’t ask, but I figure you’ll need to know in a few minutes, too.”

She doesn’t even look at me as she walks into my office, pausing only long enough to flick the lights on. I guess the only thing worse than being alone with a strange biker is doing so in the dark. Fine by me, though. If this thing goes far enough, I’m happy to see some skin.

“I know,” she says. “I heard the bartender call you that. What kind of a name is Bash, anyway? Is that your stage name or something?”

“Stage name? We’re not actors here, Blondie.” I grab hold of the edge of my vest and shake it. “This here is the real thing.”

She gives a little shrug. “You know what I mean. Bash isn’t your real name. Who names their kid Bash?”

She’s looking around at the sparse furnishings of my office, obviously stalling. Now that we’re here, she’s finally realizing what she’s gotten herself into and is having second thoughts. It won’t be long before she heads for the door and back to her safe life. At least she tried, she’ll tell herself. She’ll have a story to tell. Maybe it’ll get bigger each time, like an unsuccessful fisherman talking about his one brush with Moby fucking Dick.

“Parents who never stuck around long enough to give a fuck.” There’s more harshness to my voice than I meant, but who the fuck cares? She’s on her way out, anyway.

“Sorry,” she says immediately, “I didn’t mean to—”

“What are you doing here, Blondie?” I cut her off. I don’t need apologies. I should be here with Jez right now, anyway. At least then I’d be getting my cock sucked.

“I… uh…” She doesn’t know what to say at this point, and she can’t even look me in the eyes. She wants to bail, and is too ashamed to admit it. It was fun to tease her, but this is getting boring. Girls like this are all the same. They love the idea of a guy like me taking them hard in the back room, of forgetting about their boring boyfriends or husbands or life. But it’s just a fantasy for them. Reality is too frightening. As much as I’d love to fuck this girl into next week, I’m just wasting my time here. I can take her back out, return with Jez, and be balls deep in minutes. I don’t need this shit.

“Let me save us both some time. Your skinny, suited asshole out there pissed you off, and being in a place like this reminded you of how boring your life is. You saw me and wet yourself, wondering what it’s like to ride with the real men, but now that we’re back here, you’re having second thoughts. You’d rather stick with the safe and unsatisfying cocks than take a chance on one that was built to make you scream.”

“Why is it that you’re such an ass?” Her eyes finally lift off the floor and meet mine, and there’s a fire in them that I find surprising. Just means I hit another nerve. “Maybe I was just thinking we could talk first? Maybe I was coming back here to fuck you, and maybe you were the one in for the fuck of your life, but you just blew it by running your stupid mouth again?”

I bark out a laugh and move a bit closer. “Honey, if you’re coming back here with a guy like me, then you should know that
talking first
isn’t part of the program.” She’s breathing heavily now, whether from fear or excitement, I don’t actually know. Still, she’s lasted longer than I thought she would, and that fire I saw in her eyes actually turned me on a bit. My cock is suddenly a lot more crowded in my jeans than it was a minute ago. I need to get Jez in here quick.

I jerk my head toward the door. “Come on, let’s go back to the bar where you can drink a few more fruity cocktails and tell your friend all about how brave you were coming back here and—”

“Oh, shut up already,” she says as she steps forward. My eyes widen in shock as she presses her mouth against mine.

I’m surprised, but I kiss her back. She pauses as my tongue invades her mouth, and then I feel her almost start to pull away as I touch her silk-covered ribcage. For a moment, I’m torn. On the one hand, I’d feel vindicated if she pulled away and ran out of here like I’ve expected her to do since we walked through the door. On the other hand, I’d hate for her to leave now that we’re just getting started. My cock is ready to tear a hole through my jeans, and after kissing
this
girl, it isn’t going to be satisfied with going back to Jez.

But then, as if finally coming to a decision, she melts into me. Her mouth and tongue push back against mine and she slides her own hand down my pants until her fingertips graze the edge of my dick.

One more brief pause and then that’s it; she presses her palm against me hard before she reaches up and begins to unzip my fly.