Page 26 of Entertaining Distraction
Tiny unceremoniously rolled Roy onto his back and fished into his pocket. Pulling out the keys, he hit the button to unlock the doors of the nearby vehicle. Susan quickly retrieved her purse, then slammed the passenger door shut again with a little more force than necessary, causing Charlotte to grin. As the sub passed by Mike, she put her hand on his arm. “Thank you, again.” Going up on her tiptoes, she gave him a peck on the cheek.
A blush bloomed across his face. “You’re welcome. Stay safe.”
“I will.” After one last look of disgust in Roy’s direction, she left with Wayne and Nancy.
Tiny looked at Mitch. “What do want me to do with him?”
Glancing at the injured man, who was slowly coming around, the club owner seemed to think it over for a moment before answering. “Unfortunately, what Iwantto do with him differs from what weshoulddo with him—let’s get his ass up and have a little chat.”
Striding over to his own vehicle, Mitch unlocked the trunk, and retrieved several sixteen-ounce bottles of water. He tossed one to Tiny, and the two of them opened the bottles and poured them onto Roy’s face. The man sat up, groaning and sputtering. “What? What the fuck! Knock it off!”
Reaching down, Tiny grabbed him by the front of his wet shirt and hauled his ass up—an easy feat for the six-foot-eight, former professional football player. When Roy tried to free himself, Tiny growled, which caused the shorter man’s eyes to go wide, and the rest of his body to freeze as if he suddenly realized he was in deep shit. Tiny got right in Roy’s face and laid out the facts. “You’re not going anywhere until we have a little chat. Your only other option is I tie you to a cross and let Mistress China whip your ass—I’m sure she’ll take that offer in a heartbeat. Now, unless you want to lose a few layers of skin, I suggest you and I take a little walk. I think someone needs to educate you about how to treat a lady, and I’m volunteering to be your teacher.”
Charlotte did her best to keep a glare in place—instead of laughing out loud—when a panicked expression spread across Roy’s face and the color drained from his cheeks at Tiny’s not-so-subtle threat. After a moment, he nodded, and Tiny led him away from the remaining group, his big paw of a hand tightly gripping the other man’s shoulder. Mitch called out after them, “Just don’t feed him to B.D.S.M., big guy! You know Kat has them on a strict diet!”
The protection dogs Boomer’s wife, Kat, was training for the compound had been dubbed B.D.S.M. by Ian—Bravo, Delta, Sierra, and Mike, using the military radio alphabet. Charlotte knewherMike had gotten a chuckle out of hearing there was a kick-ass German Shepard with his name.
With his unoccupied hand, Tiny waved over his shoulder as he began to explain the rules of good etiquette, and the result of breaking those rules, to Roy.
Confident everything would be taken care of, Charlotte and Mike said goodbye to Mitch before walking over to Mike’s vehicle. He opened the passenger door for her and, after she climbed in, shut it and strode around to the driver’s side. After he settled into his seat, he started the engine and turned on the AC to cool off the interior. But then his hand froze on the gear shift as he stared out the windshield. “Are you mad at me?”
Startled by his question and the nervous way it was spoken, Charlotte shifted in her seat to face him and studied the hard set of his jaw. She wasn’t sure where he’d gotten the idea she was mad at him, and needed to set things straight immediately. “Michael, look at me, please.” Swallowing hard, he turned his head. Charlotte reached up and cupped his cheek. “Mad is the last thing I feel right now. I’m proud of you for rescuing Susan, and I know punching Roy was necessary after he swung at you. I didn’t expect anything less from you. Yes, I’m not a fan of violence but I’m also aware that sometimes it’s unavoidable.” The tension left his jaw and shoulders. Grinning, she trailed her hand down his face, neck, chest, and lower, her gaze never leaving his eyes. The uncertainty she saw there was replaced with lust as her hand drifted over his groin. “If anything, seeing you going all Rocky Balboa on him kinda makes me want to jump your bones. Are you okay with ordering takeout?”
Throwing the shifter in gear, he winked at her. “Takeout? To hell with that. Delivery’s better. Your place or mine, Mistress?”
