Page 51 of Throttle

“Fuck. Why is she there?” With his massive arms crossed over his chest, he leans back in his chair.

“She is broke and unbelievably stubborn. She doesn't want her money to be spent on a more expensive place.”

“She should have come to me. I’ll give her a goddamn raise.”

I shake my head. “She won’t take it. You know that. It’ll be charity to her.”

He rubs his beard and sighs. “So, how long will my men be tailing her before you remove her?”

Ha. I smirk. He knows me inside and out. Despite my promise to Tequila, she's in for a surprise if she thinks I'll let her stay there after what happened.

“All right. I’ll send Brass. Is that going to be an issue?”

Even if I don't fully understand our prospect or have complete faith in him, I am confident he can protect her. He and I came to a civil understanding the night I faced death from my motorcycle crash. Given his background, he is a wise choice. Did that imply I was fine with him being in the presence of Tequila? Not in the slightest. Yeah, she may not be mine from a relationship standpoint, but she’ll always be my girl.

“No, it won’t be an issue.”

"Good," Chains says, his voice low and firm. “We got her back. Despite not being your ol' lady yet she is one of us. Taking care of our women is top priority,” he says proudly.

I give a nod of agreement and leave. I don’t discuss the yet part because in a fantasy land, Tequila would be mine.

All the bullshit is making me tense. I knead the muscles at the rear of my neck. I know what will improve my mood—I'll check in on the other woman in my life.

My Harley.

The shop is quiet today, with only Hush working. He’s in full concentration mode, focused as he admires his paint job.

I'm glad to witness her resembling her old self once more.

The black matte is what I had in mind. It's perfect. The gloss counters it and I couldn’t be more fucking excited.

As I admire Hush's artwork, he lifts his mask.

“This looks amazing, brother.” I circle the piece of metal with a wide grin. “Better than before.”

He nods in appreciation.

“Thanks again, man.” I clap his shoulder. “Can’t wait to see her finished, but I’ll let you get back to it.” I snap my fingers. “One more thing, though. There’s something I need to do tomorrow night, and I want you with me.”

Among my brothers, Hush is the most suitable for this. Crazy mother fucker doesn’t even ask what the assignment is.

“I’ll be there,” he says.

After I text him the details, he flicks his mask back down and continues with the intricate fine points of my rose.

Having my ride is vital to completing me. Every man should have two essential things they can't go without for too long. One is his Harley and two is pussy. But lately, the only thing I’ve been craving is a brown-haired, green-eyed feisty bartender.

I need to fuck her out of me, but since I want to avoid that scenario, I'll have to find a different solution, such as my hand and images of Tequila.

Tequila

I was going over my notes to prepare for my exam tomorrow when my cell vibrates.

“Hi, Mom.” I juggle the phone between my ear and shoulder.

“Guess what we’re doing?”

“Um, I give up.” Hopefully, whatever it is, it’s more exciting than studying. I just have to remember that it will be worth it.

---