Page 19 of Rebel

“What the hell is that supposed to mean, Zoe?” I asked, wondering if she was hinting that he’d be vindictive. I’d had enough of that with Mark, and I really didn’t need another disgruntled employee.

Zoe frowned at me. “It means that he might get fed up with being treated like he’s just a cog in the machine and quit. He’s not obligated to keep working with you, right?”

“Well no, but I’d sure like it if he did. He’s a good electrician and master electricians are hard to find.”

Alison look a drink of her margarita and lowered her voice. “I’m not saying you have to date him or be besties with him but maybe it would be better if you could treat him like a person rather than a valuable commodity for your business. Surely it wouldn’t kill you have an occasional drink or conversation with him in passing when you’re both in the clubhouse.”

My mouth fell open, because when she put it that way, I could see where I went wrong. We didn’t work for a big corporation. My family business was a small, casual mom and pop operation where we treated our employees like family. So, why was I trying to keep Benny at arm’s length?

Just then there was a big commotion near the back of the room and a bunch of brothers came flooding out. Benny was among them. He had his shirt off and my mouth went dry at the sight of his ripped body. His shoulder-length hair was no longer tied back at the nape of his neck in a ponytail. Instead, it was messy, like he’d just roughhoused with one of the brothers. He was carrying a leather vest in one hand. He stopped to put it on, and I swear my heart skipped a beat.

It hit me hard and fast that this was indeed why I’d been trying to keep him at arm’s length. It wasn’t because he was a rough and ready biker, a master electrician, or because he was my business partner. It was because he was smoking hot, and I didn’t know what to do with my attraction. I turned my back to him and began gulping my margarita. Shit. Shit. Shit. How could I have been so stupid?

Chapter 8

Rebel

Iknew Lacey was coming tonight but seeing her across the bar pissed me off. Tonight was supposed to be all about me getting patched into the club at long last. I wanted to relax and enjoy the nice party the old ladies planned for me, not have my business partner looking down her nose at me on what was supposed to be one of the most important nights of my life.

When it came to women, I’d never once been able to catch a break. That’s why when the newest club girl, Tonya, came sniffing around, I took her to my side and kept her there. So what if Lacey didn’t think I was good enough to socialize with? There were other women in the world. I didn’t know why I was so hung up on this one anyway. It didn’t make sense.

We went to shoot some pool while the food was being cooked. Getting off that grill was one of the best parts of being patched into the club. My club brother Forge started a grilling tradition when he was a prospect, but I didn’t quite have his talent for cooking meat. Thank goodness, I wouldn’t have to worry about being an utter disappointment on the grill moving forward.

Tonya hung all over me, wearing booty shorts and a tube top. Maybe it wasn’t classy, like I preferred, but she was bright, bubbly, and eager for my touch. It soothed my ego a bit at not being able to get close to the woman who caught my eye the first time she walked into the clubhouse. Part of me realized I was tryin’ to make Lacey jealous, but that was crazy thinking.

Being patched in got me Tonya’s attention, but of course Lacey wouldn’t care about things like that. I shook Tonya off my arm long enough to play a game of pool with Forge. I wasn’t going to let Lacey spoil my evening, so I just kept smiling, slamming shots back, and trying not to brood about it.

Something like excitement, possessiveness, and annoyance twisted together in my gut when I noticed her eyes following me as I moved around the clubhouse. There was something in her expression, an emotion that I couldn’t quite identify. Shit, at one point I decided it looked like longing, but that was probably just my imagination. As the night wore on and Tonya continued to orbit around me, staking her claim for the night, I grew less and less interested in her. Maybe that was a shitty attitude to have but I couldn’t help it. I used to love the fun-loving club girls, but the thought of another one-night stand just wasn’t appealing.

By then the party in the bar had wound down and my club brothers were disappearing, some went outside, others to their rooms, and still more wandered off to touch grass. I’d dialed back on the shots when the food came out, but I was nowhere near sober enough to think clearly. We ended up going downstairs around midnight, when Tonya pulled me towards the steps leading to the basement bar and I let her.

Going down those steps I decided that I wasn’t going to have sex with her. She was young, cute, and clearly motivated to get into my pants, but I wasn’t feeling it with her. In fact I hadn’t been feeling it with any women for the last couple of months.

My alcohol-addled brain couldn’t seem to work out exactly why that was. I was just on autopilot, drifting along enjoying the night. I glanced over my shoulder as we walked down the stairs and I saw Lacey following us, almost like a shadow. Somethingabout her keeping track of me was thrilling and made me want to shove Tonya away in favor of having Lacey at my side. I didn’t though, because I remembered she didn’t want me. She wanted to keep things professional, and I didn’t understand what was so great about that.

The next twenty minutes were a blur, with Tonya pushing me down into a chair and doing some kind of sexy little lap dance for me. I glanced around the room, trying to figure out where Lacey was and if she was with anyone, but I couldn’t see her. I was trying to figure out how to get rid of Tonya in a nice way. I was a full-fledged brother now and with that status came the privilege of doing what I liked—as long as it didn’t break any club rules. Telling a club girl I didn’t want to fuck, certainly didn’t fall into the category of rule-breaking, though I knew I’d be getting ribbed by my club brothers for turning her away.

When Tonya brought me a beer from the bar then sat provocatively on the table in front of me with her legs spread wide, I didn’t know exactly why but it was a big turn-off for me. She kept trying to run her hands up my legs, but I just moved them away each time. When she made a disgruntled sound, I took a sip of the cold beer and shook my head.

“Maybe tonight’s just not your night, darlin’. How about I take a rain check, and you go find another brother to get frisky with?” I knew I sounded cold, but if I wasn’t feeling it, I wasn’t feeling it.

“You really don’t want me?” The incredulous tone of her voice was guilt-inducing for me, but not enough to do things I had no interest in doing with her. I wondered about the guilt for a brief second before determining that it came from feeling like I’d led her on. If I’d been more sober, I would have cut herloose earlier. “Sorry, maybe another time,” I told her with some empathy in my voice.

When she ran for the stairs, I wished that I’d gone on a bike ride like some of my club brothers instead. I always did better when it was just me, the open road, and no women to offend.

Suddenly, I caught sight of a dark shadow and looked up to find Lacey standing in front of me. In that moment I wanted to reach for her, draw her into my lap and taste her luscious lips more than I wanted air to breathe. I didn’t reach for her though, because a little voice in the back of my head whispered,she doesn’t want you.

When she took a step closer, everyone disappeared from my world except her. She was standing there, all hesitant and beautiful. She was wearing a short black skirt and a cute white button up vest. She looked sexy but classy and it pushed all my buttons.

I shoved the table aside, not wanting to be reminded of the woman who threw herself at me just now, sitting there with her legs spread wide. Beer from my glass sloshed all over the place but I couldn’t bring myself to take my eyes off Lacey.

When she began to move, my eyes followed her. For some reason she walked around me in a complete circle before stepping closer.

“Why are you here?” I asked.

“What does it matter?” she replied quietly. “The fact remains that you’re here, looking for some action. Maybe I want a sample of what every other woman in this place is getting.”

I snorted a laugh because my still-tipsy mind must have been playing tricks on me. It sounded like Little Miss Fancy Pants just propositioned me. That couldn’t be right. She didn’t socialize with co-workers, much less fuck them.

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