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He sat on his ass, staring at me.

  Done. I was so done with him, his gifts, his guilt, that stupid little crease in his chin that I used to find sexy. Everything about him repulsed me. “Get. The. Fuck. Out. Now.”

  He blinked at me.

  “Don’t make me file a restraining order, Lance. I’m done. Now leave before I grab my taser and light you up like a Christmas tree.”

  He started to say something, and I went for my purse, ready to make good on the threat.

  “Fifty-thousand volts right to that little penis of yours. Don’t think I won’t do it.”

  Paling, he stood and hurried out.

  Relieved, I slammed the door behind him.

  Link

  EMILY THREW A mean elbow. Certain my chest was going to be bruised for days, I couldn’t help but be impressed by her. She hadn’t hesitated to put me in check the minute I’d stepped over the line. I had to respect that.

  Just like I had to respect the way she made me want to see how far I could push her. Where I could put my hands. How many times I could kiss her. It was clear to see that she was used to being in control, and I wanted nothing more than to wrestle that tightly-held control from her and see how she reacted.

  I wanted to fuck her.

  Right there, in her office, I wanted to see how far she’d let me go before she threw that elbow again. But the anger in her eyes promised I wouldn’t get far. Not this time. Conceding, I bowed and opened the door. Emily had won this round, but there’d be a rematch. I would guarantee it.

  And if I played my cards right, next time she’d want me to win.

  The one thing about Emily I couldn’t respect, was the way she’d let that asshole follow her into her office like a goddamn whipped puppy dog. She obviously didn’t want him here, and I’d be more than happy to eject him for her. Wondering what they were talking about, I lingered at Jayson’s desk and tried to listen in.

  “He the ex?” I asked.

  Jayson glanced at Emily’s door, his expression tight with concern. “Ms. Stafford wouldn’t appreciate us discussing her personal life.”

  Her assistant was loyal to her. Good. That told me a lot about both of them. No matter, I had excellent hearing, and it sounded like Emily was standing right against the door. I didn’t have to strain my ears too hard to overhear that the ex had cheated on her. Talk about a dumbass. I’d give my left nut to snag a woman like Emily and this idiot had slept around? At least she was making clear that she wouldn’t take him back.

  “Surprisingly enough, Ms. Stafford has a free afternoon Friday,” Jayson said, drawing my attention back to him.

  I pulled out my phone and checked my calendar. I had some business at the bar to attend to at two, but figured I could sneak out and handle it while she interviewed my brothers.

  “Works for me.” I added the information to my calendar and pocketed my phone, reluctant to leave while Emily was in there with the prick.

  Thankfully, I didn’t have to linger in the lobby for long. Emily’s door cracked open as the words “Get out” floated to my ears.

  “It hasn’t been five minutes,” the dumbass objected.

  “I don’t care. Get out.”

  Nothing happened. I was about to go in and haul his ass out for her by the time she spoke again.

  “Get. The. Fuck. Out. Now. Don’t make me file a restraining order, Lance. I’m done. Now leave before I grab my taser and light you up like a Christmas tree. Fifty-thousand volts to that little penis of yours. Don’t think I won’t do it.”

  Damn. And the sincerity in her voice said she would do it, too. Her threat must have put the fear of God in Lance, because that little chicken shit came scurrying out of her office so fast you would have thought his ass was on fire. She slammed the door behind him, and he paused at Jayson’s desk, looking us both over.

  “She needs a little time to cool off,” he explained to Jayson. “I’ll send more flowers later and maybe bring her by lunch Friday. What’s her schedule look like?”

  The shithead was oblivious. More than willing to help him wise up, I leaned in, getting right in his face. “She’ll be with me. And I think she’s made it clear that she’s had enough of your gifts and your presence. In fact, I think you should get the fuck out of here and not come back unless she calls you.”

  His jaw dropped, and he looked to Jayson for help.

  “Don’t look at me,” Jayson said, throwing his hands in the air. “I’ve been telling you you’re not welcome here for weeks. You’re nasty, Lance, and you done screwed up. She’s not some thirsty tramp who’ll take back your cheating ass.”

  Lance wasn’t a big man, but he had both weight and height on Jayson. He held his ground, flexing on the assistant like some kind of high school bully. I’d never had much use for bullies.

  “Maybe I’m not making myself clear,” I said, putting myself between them. “Stay the fuck away from her. You come near her again, without her invitation, and you and I are gonna have a problem. The kind of problem that makes fifty thousand volts of electricity to your johnson feel like a tickle. Now get out of here.”

  Lance’s eyes bugged out, but he took one last look at me and remembered he was too much of a pussy to start anything with me.

  Jayson had circled his desk to stand at my side, smiling like a goddamn canary-eating cat. He made scooting gestures with his hands and said, “Bye Felicia.”

  With one last glare at us, Lance stormed out. Unfortunate, since I’d like nothing more than to physically enforce the restraining order that I’d just put on him.

  “Damn that felt good,” Jayson said, still grinning. “Can’t tell you how long I’ve wanted to evict that cuntwaffle from her life.” Then he smacked a hand over his mouth. “Sorry. Completely unprofessional. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “You’re all right, Jayson. And you never have to sensor yourself for my benefit. The guy is a cuntwaffle.” I chuckled at the very fitting term. “If he shows his face around her again, I want you to call me. I’ll have your back. Even though you’re the piss-ant who’s been screenin’ my calls.”

  His grin faded, and he managed to look a little ashamed as he scooted back around to take his seat. “Sorry about that. We hear a lot of crazy conspiracy theories, and you have to admit, Mayor Kinlan’s son raping a girl who seems to have disappeared into thin air sounds pretty sketchy.”

  “Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction.”

  “Don’t I know it.” He glanced at his computer screen. “And Emily believes you, or she wouldn’t have taken the case. She’s even hired a private investigator to find the girl.”

  Emily was already poking around, which was what I wanted, but it instantly made me fear for her safety. Mayor Kinlan had gone to a lot of trouble to cover his son’s ass. He wouldn’t appreciate anyone who bared it again.

  “But after what you just did for Emily, I promise I’ll put you through anytime you call,” Jayson said.

  “’Preciate it,” I replied. “Oh, and be sure to let her know she’s eating lunch with me Friday. Can’t let Lance think I’m a liar.”

  “We sure can’t,” he said with a laugh as I left.

  *

  Deryk was waiting outside Emily’s office. He peeled himself off the wall and joined me as I headed out of the building.

  “You see that dickhead who just came out?” I asked.

  “Yessir.”

  “Good. Remember his face.”

  I needed to put a man on Emily. Deryk was a recruit, but he was green. Really green. Normally we kept the new guys—especially those freshly out of a bad situation—close to their sponsor for the first month or two, to make sure they didn’t snap. But Deryk had served two and a half years in the Navy, and his situation made him the perfect candidate for watching Emily. I didn’t believe in coincidences. Maybe this was exactly what the kid needed so he could forgive himself and get on with his life. It was a gamble, but it felt right in my gut.

  “You think you’re ready for a job?” I
asked.

  He eyed me, his expression both curious and guarded. “What kind of job?”

  He probably expected me to give him some sort of nefarious, illegal task, but my club wasn’t about that shit. “Don’t look at me like that, kid. We’re the Dead Presidents because we gave everything for our country, and the powers that be seem to have forgotten we even exist. I know you haven’t met him yet, but my dad doesn’t mince words. If we were one-percenters, acting outside of the law, he would have named us the Impeached Presidents or Dirty Senators. Some shit like that.”

  “Sorry.” He ducked. “I just… I don’t know anything about you, really. There was a motorcycle club where I grew up. They were always in the news for shit, but none of it was good.”

  “Yeah, well we aren’t them, so I need you to get that out of your mind right now. One of our brothers is currently incarcerated, but we all stand behind the reason. And I’m betting you will, too.”

  With that, I explained Havoc’s situation and Emily’s role in getting him out of the slammer and acquitted of charges.

  After a few questions about Havoc and the missing girl, Deryk eyed me. “You’re afraid the mayor will sic someone on Ms. Stafford to scare her off the case.”

  I nodded, even though it wasn’t a question. I had to hand it to the kid, he was both smart and observant. “This Kinlan joker is bad news. I need someone I can trust to keep an eye on her and make sure she’s safe from the Mayor’s thugs as well as that persistent ex of hers.”

  “The dickhead you told me to remember? That’s the ex?”

  “Sure is.”

  “You got a picture of Ms. Stafford so I can see who I’m guarding?”

  His lack of hesitancy reassured me that he was, in fact, ready for the job, and the determination in his eyes said he wouldn’t let me down. I whipped out my phone and pulled up Emily’s picture from her firm’s website.

  His eyes widened. “She’s pretty.”

  “I’m aware,” I growled. “Don’t be gettin’ any ideas.”

  He chuckled. “She’s a little too old for me, Prez.”

  It was the first time he’d acknowledged my position. The kid was coming along just fine. Better than most. I boxed him on the shoulder.

  “Remember that and keep your paws off her and on your phone. I need you in constant communication with me. When she leaves work, text me and let me know. When you get to her new destination, text me again to update your location. Even if it’s as mundane as the grocery store, I want to know. If anything seems off, you get a bad feeling, or you come across the barest hint of trouble, contact me immediately, I don’t care what time it is. I can’t help you if I don’t know what the fuck’s going on and where you are, so I need you to keep me filled in. I’ll have replacements bring you food and relieve you when you need to sleep or take a break, but I need all that communicated. You hear me?”

  “Yessir.”

  “Your job is to watch and relay information. Don’t go rushing into a bad situation, don’t try to be a hero, and don’t do shit on your own without clearing it with me. You have real brothers at your back now, not like that asshole who got you locked up. We protect our own. You need us, make the call and we’ll be here.”

  “Yessir. I appreciate that.”

  Deryk was riding a blue 2001 V-Rod that Wasp had picked up at an auction. It still needed some work, but Wasp had put enough time and parts into it to get the sled into riding condition.

  “Take care of Ol’ Blue here,” I said, patting the handlebars on my way to my 2016 matte black Street Bob Dyna. “Watch the right turns, the exhaust decks out. And you should probably move it to somewhere a little less conspicuous since Emily wasn’t exactly receptive to the idea of having a body guard. That black Jag right there is hers.”

  He followed my nod. “An XE? Damn. Nice ride. She’s got good taste.”

  A slick cage for sure. “Just make sure you don’t lose sight of it.”

  “Yessir.”

  Hoping I was doing the right thing by putting the kid to work so soon, I climbed onto my sled and put on my helmet.

  “Thank you,” Deryk said, slinging his leg over the V-Rod. “I won’t let you down, Prez.”

  I was counting on it.

  Emily

  “LUNCH WITH A client is no big deal,” I said, sliding my laptop into my bag. “I do these all the time, Jay.”

  He laughed. No, more like cackled. “Oh, honey, with that man, it’s a very big deal.”

  “Why?”

  “After watching big, strong, and sexy intimidate the sparkles out of skinny, wimpy, and sleazy, I went home and read a couple of motorcycle club romance novels to uh… get the lay of the land, if you will.”

  I had no idea where he was going with this, but I was already terrified.

  “What Link’s doing now, that’s called inviting you on to his turf. He’ll probably introduce you to all his “brothers” and you’ll drink and talk while club whores do the nasty with bikers around you.”

  “Wait, what?” I froze.

  “Apparently these clubhouses are like big orgy centers. We’re talking sex everywhere. For everyone. You should probably take me with you. For… you know, protection. And maybe research.”

  “It’s called fiction for a reason.” And although sticking Jayson in a room full of bikers would be entertaining, I did fear for his safety. “You don’t worry about the bikers being homophobes?” I asked.

  “Nah. Link would have my back. I told you, we’ve come to an understanding. Which is why I know this lunch is a big deal.”

  “He told you that?”

  Jayson rolled his eyes dramatically. “He didn’t have to tell me. Em, the man is sprung on you. How can you not tell? You’re usually a lot more observant than this.”

  “He oozes sexual energy. I bet he’s like that with all women.”

  “He looks at you like you’re a T-bone steak and he’s a desperately anemic carnivore who’s been forced to live as a vegan.”

  “Dramatic much?” I asked.

  “Just calling it as I see it.”

  “So, he wants to have sex with me. Not interested.”

  Jayson laughed. “If it was just sex, I don’t think he’d have bothered threatening Lance.”

  I shrugged, still uneasy about that. Yes, Lance had it coming, but it wasn’t Link’s place to threaten my ex. Although, I hadn’t heard from the asshole since, and his absence from my life was nice.

  “Do you know why you dated Lance?” Jayson asked, his tone suddenly somber.

  Another shrug. “Temporary insanity?”

  “Be serious.”

  I thought back to four months ago when Lance had asked me out. Why had I said yes? I had plenty of excuses—I was lonely; I’m in my early thirties and can feel my biological clock ticking away; he was attractive—but none of them sounded compelling even in my own mind.

  “You dated Lance because he’s safe,” Jayson finally provided.

  I turned on him, throwing my hands in the air. “The asshole broke my heart. How is that safe?”

  Jayson snorted. “Right. You were such a sniveling mess over him. Thought you’d never stop crying.”

  We both knew the truth. Sure, I’d shed a few tears over the douchebag, but they had far more to do with anger and betrayal, than some broken organ.

  “Lance didn’t break your heart, because you never even gave it to him. That’s why he was safe. You could date him, keep him at an arm’s length, use him to occasionally dust the cobwebs off that cucumber canal of yours, but you never had to worry about catching a feeling.”

  “Cucumber canal?” I asked.

  He put a hand on his hip. “One-eyed worm hole, cock sock, love canal, you know what I mean.”

  I gaped at him, unsure of what to say, and, if I’m honest, a bit jealous of his creative vocabulary for the female sex.

  “You didn’t love Lance,” Jayson continued. “You didn’t even respect him. You allowed the relationship because it was conveni
ent and easy, but you kept it on your terms. You set the pace and defined and enforced the boundaries, just like you do with everything else.”

  Okay, so I was a control freak. He wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. “I assume you have a point?”

  “You won’t be able to do that with Link. Honey, you can’t keep that man at an arm’s length. He is intense, the type of man who gets what he wants. Hell, if I wasn’t already gay, I’m tellin’ you, he could turn me.” He picked up a sheet of paper and fanned himself. “I mean it. It’s that not-putting-up-with-any-shit attitude, it’s the tattoos and the muscles, and the… Ohmigod, did you see what he’s packing? That’s not just some average garden snake he’s wielding. He’s gotta be smuggling a python in those jeans.”

  Yes, I had definitely noticed Link’s bulge. I mean, how could I not? “None of this matters, Jay, because Link is just a client. It’s a business lunch. Nothing’s going to happen between us.”

  Laptop bag slung over my shoulder, I scooted out of my office and headed for the door.

  “Right.” Jayson laughed. “Because I’m just a sweet little virgin boy who knows nothing about men.”

  Shaking off his crazy, I hurried out of the office.

  *

  I don’t know what I expected the Dead President’s clubhouse to be like—maybe some sort of filthy bachelor pad with a giant orgy in process, stinking up the place (thanks to Jayson’s late-night reading), but the station was a pleasant surprise. Housed in an actual restored old fire station, the floors were clean, there were no funky scents, and the few couples I could see from the entrance had at least most of their clothes on.

  Beards, tattoos, and leather cuts, however, did abound.

  Link and an adorable shepherd mix greeted me at the front door. I’d always been a sucker for fur babies, and would have rescued my own long ago if not for my busy work schedule. Keeping a dog kenneled for twelve plus hours a day seemed like cruel and unusual punishment to me, so I’d abstained. Since I couldn’t have my own, I always made sure to snuggle everyone else’s.

  Careful not to show my business, I smoothed my skirt down as I kneeled to pet him.

  “What’s his name?” I asked.