Page 9 of Vex

I don’t hesitate to grab a Coke and follow Vex down the hall to the office in the back. He unlocks the door, flips on the light and drops down on the couch that sits against one wall. I shut the door behind me and take a seat on the other end of the couch. I drop my head against the back of it and sigh. It feels great to be off my feet and to have the thumping music considerably quieted by the closed door.

“Last night for you, Taja. Any thought on taking Freddy up on his offer?” Vex asks while twisting the cap off his beer bottle.

He tips his head back and takes a long draw off the bottle. My eyes immediately take in the view of his throat and even that’s attractive on this man. Gah!

“Yeah, I’ve been thinking about it. I spoke with Tessie too. We both want to speak with Suki first, though.”

“Why’s it such a hard decision? Your tips have been off the charts. Suki wouldn’t have recommended you if she didn’t think you’d like it here. What’s holding you back?”

“Honestly? Dreams is owned by an MC. That makes me a little nervous about a full-time job here. I refuse to become any club’s property or anything outside of being an employee, period. Suki has said nothing but great things about working here. We’re close, we’re best friends, but we’ve had different experiences in life,” I answer.

I watch Vex’s eyebrows rise as I’m speaking, and I worry for a second that I may have been too honest. But that’s who I am, and I’m not going to mince words now. I hate liars, and I’ve never been good at being deceptive. I say what I think, and I stand behind my words. I wait patiently for his response to all I just laid out for him.

Vex sits up and drops his forearms onto his knees all while looking me in the eyes. I can tell he’s carefully thinking about what I said and forming a response. I don’t have to wait long for it.

“The Devil’s Angels MC owns numerous businesses. We have a lot of employees that aren’t members of the club. We don’t consider any of those employees as club property. Nobody’s asked to do anything but their job. Being an employee, you’d be invited to some club functions, like cookouts or parties, but you’d never be ordered to come. Being an employee of the Devil’s doesn’t mean you’d be taken advantage of or mistreated in any way. Quite the opposite. You’d have someone to call if your car broke down. Or you wanted to take a self-defense class. You’d get a huge discount at any of our businesses. We offer benefits, like insurance, and our accountant is always willing to help set up retirement plans or college funds,” he explains.

I listen closely, and I have to admit, it all sounds good. Much better than where I’m working at now. I need to give this some serious thought.

“Thanks for explaining that Vex. Tessie always says that I worry about the little details too much, and maybe she’s right. It’d be awesome to have insurance again. And my car breaks down regularly, so it’d be great to get a discount when it does,” I say with a small smile. “Though Tessie loves tinkering on it.” Not having to worry about just a few of those things would ease my burdens quite a bit.

“Bottom line, we treat our employees great, and we keep them safe while working here. If someone makes you feel uncomfortable, you let one of us know, and they’re gone. No questions asked. That’s usually my favorite part of the job,” he replies with a grin.

“I’ll talk with Tessie tonight and let Freddy know if I’m going to take the job,” I assure him.

Vex’s grin goes into a full-blown smile and it’s amazing to see. I feel a thump in my chest region and realize the man is deadly when smiling. Hell, he’d be deadly sound asleep.

“Let’s drink to the possibility of a new job for you,” Vex states while holding his bottle toward me.

I clink my Coke can against it and take a sip while watching him do the same.

Vex walks me to my car at the end of my shift. Being a smidge over 5’9”, I don’t usually feel tiny when standing next to anyone, so it’s a nice change to have to look up to see his face. I find that I feel safe when he’s near, and I like it. I unlock my car door when we get to it, then turn to thank him, but he speaks before I can.

“Give me your phone number and I’ll call it so you have mine. When you make a decision, let me know. Sounds like you could use this job. Freddy and I’ll get you set up and started as soon as you’re ready, if you want. If not, it was great meeting you. And you can still use my number if you want to hang out sometime. No pressure, yeah?”

I rattle off my phone number while staring stupidly at him. I’m so engrossed in the strong lines of his face that I’m startled when my phone rings in my hand. God, I’m such an idiot. Vex flashes his blinding smile at me, runs the back of his hand along my jawbone and saunters back to the club entrance. He waits at the door until I’m in my car, engine started and am pulling out of the parking lot.

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I’m pulling myself out of bed the next morning when I hear Tessie scream from downstairs. I run out the bedroom door and take the stairs two and three at a time. I come sliding to a stop when I hit the living room and see Tessie standing and alive. Her back is facing me and she’s staring into the kitchen.

Assuming she saw a spider, it still takes a moment for my heart to leave my throat. She whirls her head my direction and the expression on her face tells me it’s worse than a spider. Approaching her, I look over her shoulder to see four men seated around our table, drinking coffee.

“Grab a cup and take a seat, girls. We’ve things to discuss,” drawls Rooster, President of the Spirit Skulls MC. Our sperm donor.

“What the fuck are you doing in our house?” I bark as I step in front of Tessie.

“Told you. Here to discuss business. Now sit as you’ve been told, Taja, and keep your mouth contained. Not happy I had to come here when you were told to call me,” Rooster orders.

“You’ve no right to break into our home and order us to do anything. You gave up that right many, many years ago, Rooster,” I reply.

“You need to leave or I’m calling 911,” adds Tessie.

Tats and Bear both stand and look pointedly at their chairs. I ignore the hint and turn to Tessie.

“Get dressed and get out of here, honey,” I tell her quietly.

The blow to my cheekbone sends me reeling into Tessie, but she keeps me on my feet. I feel the pain explode across my face, but it does little to change my mind about needing Tessie out of here and now.

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