Page 11
Chapter
Ten
Smoke
A lesser woman would have broken by now. Tears, red eyes, sniveling and begging to leave, but not her. Now, back in my office, she sits opposite me with an air of strength, defiance and determination. As sexy as she fucking is, she also annoys the shit out of me for that reason.
I was rough on her, I know that. Grabbing her, talking to her like she’s nothing but a piece of crap was way out of order. In my defense, it was fucking hard because she has awakened something in me that I thought couldn’t be possible.
My bad behavior was partly because I couldn’t let her or my brothers see what effect she has on me. I don’t want to admit it to myself, never mind anyone else. So, my defenses came up, rendering me a cruel asshole.
I already felt that I’d tainted the inner sanctum of where only club members are sanctioned to go, so once the voting was done and the gavel was down, I had moved back to my office before calling Tenley back to find out her fate.
“What’s the verdict?” She gives me a smug glare but however much she tries to hide her fear, I see it. I can smell it.
“That’s entirely up to you.”
“So, I can leave?” her eyes widen, surprised that I’m even giving her an option.
“If you wish,” I reply cocking my head to one side. She gets to her feet and starts toward the door. “But you won’t, not if you want that interview you’ve been working so hard to get.” The hand she has on the door handle stops before it works the catch. “The question is, just how much further are you willing to go to get your headline?”
Slowly, she turns to face me, her back falling against the closed door.
“What exactly is it that I need to do to get that?”
“You get cozy with Paddy Dunne, like I said,” I lean back into my chair, the backrest tilting so I can make eye contact with her without stretching my neck. “You’ll work for us, the Young Outlaws, and only us. You get us the information we need; in return you get your exclusive.”
Her lips start to move as she mumbles to herself, “What the fuck will I need to do to get him to trust me?” I don’t think she realizes she’s saying it loud enough for me to hear. Her brows knit together in thought. It takes her a few seconds before she speaks directly to me. “And what happens if I say no? Would you still let me leave? ”
“Sure.” I tell her. Yet there’s no visible sign of her relaxing as I get out of my seat and walk towards her. I stand close, so close that she has to tip her head back to look me in the eye. I inhale her scent of fresh-cut flowers, mint and the ocean. A bloom of pink flashes across her cheeks. Her plump lips part as a nervous sigh escapes them. It’s when I’m up close like this that I can see the faint splatter of freckles across her nose that’s been muted with a thin layer of makeup. I’d bet anyone a hundred dollars that underneath the paint and powder, her look is more girl next door than sexy temptress. I’m not sure which of the two I find more appealing.
I could continue to let her think that she has a get out option, instead I put her out of her misery rather than let her fall further into a false sense of security.
“But if you do leave, we will make your life a living hell.” Another step forward is all it takes to lose the small amount of space still between us. I lean in until my mouth brushes the shell of her ear. “We will watch your every move; sabotage any chance you get of progressing in your field of work and have you turfed out of your home quicker than you could possibly imagine. If you utter one negative or damming word to anyone about my club, I will personally end you.”
“Yay to the enticing options,” she snickers nervously, a waver in her voice telling me that my intimidation is working. “I don’t think I have much of an option then, do I?”
“Not unless you’re a masochist.”
I should really step away from her, except that red painted pouty mouth of hers has me mesmerized. Violet’s lips were always painted red and her kiss was as sweet as cherries. If I kissed Tenley with my eyes closed, would it spark a memory? If it did, would it be a passionate, hot fire that would run through my veins, and a vision of my love, or will it sear my heart with the vicious pain of loss and guilt.
I’ve not been tempted by any woman since Violet, and I’m stunned that I’ve even let myself be enticed by this woman.
Suddenly, my head becomes clear, and I jump back like I’ve been burned with a naked flame putting distance between us before temptation becomes too intense to ignore.
The tension in the room is palpable as we stand staring at each other, neither of us uttering a word. I get the impression that she’s waiting for me to speak up first, but I hold my tongue. Tenley eventually breaks the silence.
“You’re deluded if you think I have the knowhow or the ability to fool a man like Paddy Dunne. From what I do know about him, he’s not easily deceived.” She stands with a fisted hand resting on her hip, her confident, cock expression painted back on her face.
“I’m sure a pretty woman like you will know exactly what is needed to get him under your spell.”
“Just what are you insinuating?” She scowls at me, not that it flaws her perfect face much, merely a subtle line or two between her eyes.
“I’m not insinuating anything, but look at you,” I let my eyes roam from her blonde hair that’s looking a little less in order, to the tip of her heeled shoes, taking in every curve on the way down. “You’re pretty easy on the eye and you’re no shrinking violet.” I stumble over my words, realizing what I’d just said. Violet. I push the painful thought down and get back to what I was saying. “I’m sure you know exactly what is needed for you to get Paddy Dunne to talk.”
“I’m not going to whore myself out for you, your club or anyone for that matter.” Her eyes flare with disgust.
“Honey,” I point at her with my index finger “What you do and how far you take it to get the job done is entirely up to you. If you want to jump in bed with the guy, then go for it, but don’t use me as an excuse to fuck him.”
“Did anyone ever tell you what a fucking douche bag you are, Smoke?”
“Many times, darling,” I snort and light up another tab. “But you know what, sticks and stones baby, sticks and stones. Now what’s it going to be?”
“You’ve not given me much option, have you?” Tenley rubs the palms of her hands down the front of her dress. A clear giveaway that she’s more on edge than she’d like to portray.
“Think of it this way,” I let out a ring of white smoke from between my lips and let my eyes follow it upwards until it breaks down into nothingness. “This could work out well not just for both of us, but the state of Nevada too. You’ll get the story that you need to elevate you in your career. I get the information that I need to remove a gang of scumbags from our city. We all come out winning.”
“But we could also come out dead. ”
“Where’s Tenley?” Stone asks after checking the office and seeing that I’m the only one in here.
“She left about a half hour ago.” I shuffle the handful of papers sat on the desk in front of me that I need to read through and sign. They’re all legal shit that relates to Velvet Reds and the other ranch we have, Honey Birds. The licenses are up for renewal, and as they’re a good source of steady income for both us and the Florida chapter, we need to make sure that we give them no reason not to grant us the right to continue trading.
“So, if she walked out of here, I’m guessing that she’s agreed to the deal.” Stone drops into the seat facing me. “I have to give credit to you, I never thought that the brothers would go for it, but you managed to convince them.”
“What can I say, it’s a skill I have.” I chuckle. “They trust their president. That’s the bottom line of it.”
“But can we trust her?” Stone rubs his hand over the top of his head. “She could easily double cross us and it could all blow up in our faces.”
“No, she won’t.” I get to my feet and place my hand on his shoulder, giving it a reassuring pat. “Not when it could affect her sister.”
“Stepsister,” Stone corrects me.
“Potato. Patata.” I respond. Never did understand this stepsister/half-sister malarkey. “You’re either related or not. Half-blood, full blood, don’t give a shit. Oriana and Tenley are sisters. Period.”
“I take your point, but you’re forgetting one thing.” Stone’s brows raise as he adds. “They fucking hate each other. You saw how Oriana went for her. If I hadn’t held her back, she’d have clawed her pretty blue eyes out of her head and made them into earrings.”
“Don’t be dumb, Stone. Sure, they have issues that they need to iron out, but you’d be a blind man not to notice the flicker of joy in both of their faces when they caught sight of each other. Tenley more so. When I was talking to her earlier, every time I mentioned her sister, you could see guilt, regret and love in her eyes. She’s not going to do anything that could endanger Oriana in any way.”
“Even if she did, Oriana is mine, and nothing will stop me from protecting her. Not even the club.”
“Calm down, tiger. You know I would never condone that. Hurting her would be hurting you and that, my brother, is never going to happen.”