Page 4 of The MC’s Surprise (Bikers and Babies #4)

Vegas

I heard her coming long before she knocked on my door.

A smile pulled at my lips even before she popped her head in.

While everyone else wore comfortable shoes to prepare for long hours on their feet, Charlotte always wore these high heels that would bring any man to their knees whenever she walked by.

She said it was important for a manager to project power and class so that the guests knew who was in charge.

I wasn’t about to argue with her, especially because usually she was right.

Like it did every time she came into the room, my heart stuttered and my chest tightened.

Charlotte was the perfect combination of beautiful and smart.

It made my head spin when she showed up in my office looking to work for me.

I fell hard and fast for her the first time I saw her.

She was fierce and determined, and yet when she was here in the office, she was all sweet smiles and soft touches on my arms that made me want to melt into the ground.

After two years of working together, I learned to school my reactions when she walked into the room.

The crush I harbored for her wasn’t appropriate and she’d never shown any interest back, so I gave her professional courtesy and pined for her from afar.

It was pathetic, I knew that, but any attempts I made to move on from her fell flat.

The one time I thought I was moving on was when she took a month long vacation and I didn’t see her every day.

The minute she came back, I fell back into old habits.

Her normal smile was missing when she stepped in and my brows snapped together as I straightened in my chair. “What’s wrong?”

“There’s someone here to see you. Says they’re an old friend. She looks shady to me. Like she’s hiding something.”

My frown deepened and I spun in my chair, pulling up the security feed. “Where?”

“Camera 7. She was going to waltz into the employee hallway without even checking with anyone. Who does that?” she demanded as she perched herself on my desk right by my elbow.

It took work not to think about how close she was, or how her long legs were on display today with that skirt that bordered on unprofessional. Was I drooling? I might be drooling.

Forcing myself to focus, I pulled up the camera she mentioned. It pointed directly at the employee door. There wasn’t anyone there, but a quick switch to the next closest camera showed a face I never thought I’d see again.

Her reddish brown hair was pulled into a high ponytail and wispy bangs almost long enough to get into her eyes.

Her sweet heart-shaped face made her eyes look huge, drawing attention to the hazel color that seemed to pop when she was all fired up.

Small nose, plush lips, and barely there freckles across her cheeks.

She was a beauty, no doubt, but she screamed trouble just by looking at her.

The last time I spoke to her, she was all sass in a tiny package and was bound to get herself into a couple of messes and draw the wrong attention.

I found myself hovering to keep the more unruly guests away from her, and one thing led to another.

She was the only person who ever succeeded in pulling my gaze away from Charlotte.

I never thought I’d see her again. She said she’d been in town taking care of her sick aunt and only needed to work for a little while so she wouldn’t have to dip into her savings.

She left right after the annual Fourth of July party at the casino.

I could admit to myself that I was disappointed she left without a word, but Charlotte came back a few days later and I forgot all about it.

It wasn’t anything serious. So why was she here now? Maybe she needed another job.

That’d be… interesting. With Charlotte around, I doubted we’d pick up where we left off, but I liked hanging out with her. She was fun.

“Do you even know her? Or should I have security throw her out?”

I huffed a laugh, shaking my head. “Not necessary. She’s not lying. She worked here for a little while last summer. Just a part time thing. That’s probably why she felt comfortable coming back here alone. I’ll go talk with her.”

“No, no. You stay here. I’ll bring her back. You look busy.” She patted my arm, that sweet smile back in place as she pushed to her feet. The spot where she touched me felt warm. I tracked her as she left, my hands clenching into fists to stop the urge from reaching out for her. Damn, I had it bad.

I flicked my gaze to the monitor, watching as Charlotte approached my summer fling.

There wasn’t audio on the cameras, too much noise from the machines, but something about the woman’s posture was off.

Too tense. It made me sit up a little straighter.

Maybe she was visiting for another reason entirely.

Did something happen to her sick aunt and she needed a friend?

Worry ate at me, and I ended up meeting both women at the door so I could see her sooner. This close, I could see the strain on her face, the smudges under her eyes like she was exhausted with life in general.

“Hey, Sierra.”

Surprise lit up her features for a moment before her once familiar smile appeared on her face. She looked relieved, I had no idea why, but I pushed past that, opening my arms for a hug.

She hesitated, surprising me all over again. She’d been affectionate when she was last here. If she was friends with you, you were guaranteed hugs and high fives on the regular. Then again, that was a long time ago. Still, it felt weird that she rebuffed me.

“I, uh… I’m not feeling that great. I don’t want to get you sick,” she rushed out.

Charlotte took a step back automatically, giving Sierra a once over. “If you’re sick, why are you here? You’ll infect other people.”

Something sharp flashed through Sierra’s eyes and she seemed to push past the exhaustion, her spine straightening. “I’m not going to infect anyone. I need to speak with Vegas. Alone, please.”

“I’m the casino manager,” Charlotte argued. “If this is about a job, I should–”

“Char,” I interrupted, trying to soothe her ruffled feathers. “I’ve got this. Do me a favor and check in with the front desk. I want to make sure they’re getting their breaks like they should. Teresa looked tired when I arrived this morning.”

Charlotte wasn’t happy about my request, and I’d be groveling later to make it up to her, but something about the way Sierra was looking at me told me whatever she had to say was important. Charlotte could be appeased later. I wasn’t sure how long Sierra was in town this time.

Seeing that I wasn’t backing down, Charlotte sniffed petulantly. “Fine. But you’re buying me lunch later. And nothing from the casino. I want to go someplace nice.”

“The casino food is nice,” I pointed out with a half smirk. She knew I was teasing. We did serve good food, but if she wanted something nicer, I wasn’t going to tell her no.

With a flick of her long blonde hair and a huff, she stormed out, leaving Sierra standing in the doorway, an uncertain look on her face.

I gestured her inside and shut the door behind her.

It felt wrong to sit behind my desk while talking to an old friend, so I ushered her to the leather couch that sat against one wall, taking the seat beside her.

“So, what’s up? I thought you were going back to California. Is your aunt okay?”

Her brows furrowed for a moment before she shook her head. “I, uh– I went back to California. Things went kind of sideways on that front.”

“Oh. Did you need help or–?” She’d told me a little bit about her business, but not a ton. Something about event planning, I think. I mostly left the event planning to Charlotte, but if she needed advice or something, I could–

“I’m not here because of that. I, uh… I have something to tell you.”

I frowned, studying the way she sat. She looked different from the last time I saw her.

Tired, sure, and her clothes were weirdly frumpy, which wasn’t really her style whenever I saw her out of uniform.

But there was defeat in her posture too.

Like something had gone horribly wrong. I reached for her automatically, putting my hand on top of hers.

“Hey, whatever it is, you can talk to me. We’re friends. I’ve got your back.”

She chewed on her bottom lip to the point it was looking kind of ragged, and when she looked up at me, she had tears in her eyes.

It stunned me, I’d never seen her cry before, but I wasn’t really sure what to do about it.

Dealing with crying women wasn’t really in my wheelhouse.

I’d picked up on a few things watching the guys and their old ladies, though, so I put my arm around her shoulder, pulling her into my side in a hug.

It seemed to help because she leaned into me, letting out a shuddering sigh.

I encouraged her head onto my shoulder, resting my cheek on top of it. “Whatever is going on, it’ll be alright. I’ve got you.”

She sank in on herself a little more and an ache grew in my chest. I hated how broken she seemed.

This wasn’t the woman I knew. When she last worked here, Sierra was all sunshine and rainbows.

Even when I was having a rough day, she somehow managed to make me smile.

I thought it was impossible for anything to get to her.

What could’ve happened to break such a bright person?

“I… I’m pregnant. It’s yours.”