Page 13 of Primal Urges (Bikers of Mayhem #1)

LUCAS

T aking a deep breath, Lucas knocked on the office door before he lost his courage or talked himself out of it for the thousandth time that day.

You can do this. He’s a reasonable boss. Plus, it’s a win-win for both of them.

Still, Marcus had been so nice to him these past few weeks that he felt guilty asking him for another favor.

What if he says no?

Then he does, and you find something else to make up the difference.

“Come in,” Marcus growled from the other side of the door.

Perhaps this wasn’t a good time after all.

Still holding his breath, he turned the knob and stepped into the tiny office.

“Luc. Everything okay? What can I do for you?” Marcus asked, looking up from the file folder he had opened on his desk.

Lucas closed the door behind him, then stood awkwardly in front of his boss’s desk.

He could feel his knees begin to shake.

Fuck, why was he such a chicken in front of these big, strong men?

“Umm, well. I’ve noticed that the bar could use a bit of cleaning.”

Marcus raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair like he didn’t like what he was hearing.

Lucas felt his palms begin to sweat, and his heart was racing a mile a minute.

Shit, this wasn’t going well. Marcus looked pissed.

“The bar’s not up to your standards?” Marcus asked, crossing his arms over his chest as he glared.

“No. No. That’s not what I meant.” Lucas suddenly felt flustered. Perhaps he should just apologize and leave the office immediately.

No. He needed to do this. He couldn’t spend his whole life running.

“What I meant to say is that perhaps I could work an extra shift or two overnight to give the place a deep clean. This way, it wouldn’t impact your customers, and it could help spruce up the place a little bit.”

Marcus’s glare softened. He didn’t look like he was ready to rip off his head anymore or make kindling out of his arms and legs.

“And you’re suggesting this because you think my bar is dirty?”

Lucas blushed. “Well… nooo.” He paused for a moment as he tried to collect his thoughts.

“To be honest, I kind of need to make a bit of extra money, so I thought this might be a good way to help us both out. But if you don’t like the idea, I totally understand, and I’m sorry that I said anything. Please don’t fire me.”

All traces of annoyance had disappeared from his boss’s face. He stood and walked around his desk, resting his butt on the corner. Marcus reached out and placed his hand on Lucas’s shoulder.

“Your job is never in jeopardy here. Unless you steal or hurt someone, I won’t ever fire you from this job. You’re family now, and family takes care of one another.”

It was nice knowing that Marcus saw him as more than just an employee.

Most companies say you’re family but dump you when the bottom line is threatened.

Working at Ride ’em Hard and being part of Marcus’s new family somehow felt right.

He wasn’t quite sure why, but he thought it had something to do with the closeness of its members.

Who knew that a biker gang could be so sweet?

“And as for your proposal, that sounds like a great idea,” Marcus said, giving Lucas a firm squeeze on his shoulder. He stood and began walking back around his desk.

“Oh! Thank you, boss! You won’t regret it!” Lucas cheered, suddenly feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off his chest. If he could make just a few extra dollars a week, that would help him save and get out of that shithole barn ASAP.

Feeling excited and hopeful, he jumped to his feet and rushed to the door before his boss had a chance to change his mind.

“Oh, since you’ll be working overnight, I’ll double your pay rate since we need to include ‘danger pay.’”

“Danger pay?” Lucas asked, looking over his shoulder. Suddenly, he wasn’t so sure that working alone overnight was such a good idea.

Marcus chuckled. “Relax, it’s just what they call it.

Basically, you get extra money because you’re working alone and everything is closed.

Oh, that reminds me. Since everything will be closed while you work, you’ll need to bring your own food for your break.

I’ll give you an extra fifty dollars per night on top of your regular pay to cover the added food costs. ”

So, double his usual pay, plus an extra fifty dollars a night? Holy shit! That was definitely going to help him with expenses and perhaps even help him begin saving up some money.

With excitement coursing through his veins, he turned and ran back to his boss’s desk.

“Thank you, thank you! You’re going to be so impressed with my cleaning skills! I won’t let you down, boss!” Lucas threw out his hand and waited for his boss to shake it.

The man chuckled. “I’m sure you won’t. You’re doing a great job here, Luc. Always know that.”

Feeling like he had just won the lottery, Lucas turned and darted from his boss’s office.

Holy. Shit! He couldn’t believe that that had just happened.

See what happens when you take a chance? that voice inside his head said.

Lucas couldn’t stop smiling. He picked up a case of beer and carried it out to the front of the bar. Caden was busy unloading the bar’s weekly beer delivery, so Lucas figured he would help the guy out by bringing a case or two out to the front bar.

He was in a fantastic mood, after all.

The front of the bar was empty. Alexis was probably off helping the guys with the delivery or something.

Smiling to himself, Lucas placed the case of beer on the bar, then spun around, doing a single ballerina pirouette turn.

A tiny voice giggled.

Eyes shooting open, Lucas stared down at a little girl with golden hair and two matching pigtails.

“Oh! Where did you come from?” Lucas asked, striking a pose against the bar and totally pretending that he wasn’t just twirling around and shaking his ass like a professional dancer.

The little girl giggled again.

“You’re funny!”

Lucas stared at the strange little person sitting alone in a booth… in a bar… playing with some little plastic toys on the table.

Cautiously, he approached her, taking extra care in case the little one was a physical manifestation of some ghost child sent to haunt the bar and all those who worked in it.

Oh, great. He had just agreed to work overnight, alone, in a spooky, haunted bar.

Yup, his life sucked.

“Tell me, child, what is your favorite television show?” For some reason, he felt the need to speak to the potential demon child in an old-time British accent. He watched her suspiciously, which only made her laugh even more.

This was the most peculiar spawn of Satan he had ever encountered. Not that he had ever encountered ghost children before, but he assumed that television provided an accurate representation of how one would look and act if ever encountered.

“ Bluey , of course,” the little girl finally answered. She held up a tiny plastic figurine that kind of resembled an annoying blue dog.

“Hmm,” Lucas said, rubbing his chin with his fingers as he pretended to analyze his mysterious visitor. “And what about Paw Patrol ? Is that still a thing?”

“I’m too old for Paw Patrol , silly,” the little girl answered, proving once again that Lucas knew nothing.

“Nonsense, you’re never too old for laughter!” Lucas pretended to slip and fall to the ground, landing in the splits.

The child erupted into laughter. She stood up on the seat and began jumping up and down.

Probably not the safest thing for a child to be doing.

Neither was sitting alone… in a bar.

Climbing to his feet, Lucas pretended to rub his sore back. “Wow, how clumsy of me. Someone must have spilled some water!”

The girl continued to giggle, clapping her hands and still jumping up and down.

Lucas reached out and took the young girl’s little hand. “Tell me, sweet child, what is your name?” Still using a British accent.

He gently pulled the girl back down until her butt was once again safely planted in the comfy seat.

A seat, now covered in footprints.

It’s good that the bar had just hired a specialized cleaner who could easily take care of cleaning up such messes.

“Elizabeth. But everyone calls me Lizzy.”

“Well, sweet Lizzy. My name is Lucas, but everyone calls me Luc for short.” He was back to his original voice as he slid onto the bench across from her. “So, tell me, Lizzy, does your mom or dad work here in the bar?”

The little girl nodded, her pigtails flopping around like they were doing an interpretive dance or something.

“Does your mom or dad have a name?”

“Yes. Dad.”

Only a child could say that without a laugh. In all honesty, it wasn’t until Luc was ten that he learned his parents were not named “Mom” and “Dad.” Talk about earth-shattering news. He felt like his whole life had been a lie up until that point.

Sorry, little girl. You have a lifetime of disappointments and heartaches ahead of you.

“Is your daddy Nikolai?” He seemed like the type who would have a child in every state.

Although there was also Jake. No doubt there was probably a child or two floating around somewhere on the West Coast. No, wait. Jake liked to finish on a girl’s tits. Ask him how he knew that one.

Lucas suddenly felt dirty. How long would it be before he could go home and wash the disgusting thoughts out of his brain?

The girl giggled.

Perhaps the little thing really was a demon. So far, he felt scared and a little grossed out.

“No. My daddy is Cade.”

Lucas’s breath caught in his chest as he stared across at eyes that matched the same shade of blue as his hero.

Caden has a daughter? He didn’t realize that Cade was seeing anyone.

“Are you behaving, Lizzy?” Caden asked, carrying in two cases of beer at a time—like any self-respecting muscleman would.

“Of course I am, Daddy! I’m just talking to my new friend, Luc!”

Caden placed the cases down on the bar next to Lucas’s measly one. “Are you now, pumpkin?” Caden gave Lucas a mischievous little smirk.

Yup! Definitely the daughter of a demon.

“Did you know that he can do the splits?” Lizzy cried out. “He can even do a funny dance.”

This seemed to amuse Caden to no end.

“Oh really? And why have I never been subjected to your hilarious dancing?”

Lucas blushed.

“I only share those dances with my closest friends.” Lucas gave a wink to Lizzy.

“Okay, now I feel jealous.” He slid in next to his daughter and began tickling the side of her ribs.

The shriek that followed could raise the dead.

Lucas flinched, then started laughing at the pure joy and excitement emanating from Caden’s daughter.

There was pure love there between father and daughter.

Seeing their connection made Lucas miss his own mom and dad, who were living and working down in Peru.

He hadn’t talked to them in ages and wondered how they were doing.

He might even miss his sister—just a bit.

She lived in the US, but they weren’t very close either.

Perhaps if he had been closer to his family, he wouldn’t be in the predicament he currently found himself in.

Turning his gorgeous face toward Lucas, Caden gave him a heartfelt smile. “Luc, this here is the greatest love of my life: my daughter, Lizzy.”

Lucas couldn’t help but smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lizzy. And thank you for keeping me company while your father was in the back!”

Elizabeth’s smile nearly swallowed her face. “It was my pleasure, funny dancing man !”

Luc had a feeling that the name was going to stick. Damn it.

With that horrifying thought in mind, he got up from the table, walked around to the other side of the bar, and began placing the beers into the fridge.