Chapter 10
Mia
I beeline for the closest bathroom I can find, huffing as I go and cursing him.
Every red flag he puts out tells me I’m on the right path to finding the answers I need.
I wish I’d actually broken his finger, or at the very least, kneed him in the balls.
Anything other than looking up at him in some sort of desperate trance, secretly wishing for his lips to come down on mine.
The whiplash I feel when I’m near him is something I need to get under control.
I swing the door to the bathroom open, then sharply push it shut and lean back against it.
I will my erratic heart rate to calm down, taking a few deep breaths.
I’m alone in here, and when I open my eyes, I’m surprised.
It’s clean, the lighting is soft, and dark-gray ceramic tile makes the space feel much nicer than a warehouse bathroom at a motorcycle clubhouse.
Aiden’s face flashes through my mind, and goddamn if the threat of him didn’t make me feel alive.
Afraid, but alive. The way his deep, steel eyes homed in on my lips as I spoke, or how they turned almost hungry when I gripped his finger tight, ready to break it…
and I should have. Instead, I wanted him to pull my hair harder.
And because he did just that, my damp panties prove that I might have to fight a little harder to handle this little charade, or work faster.
Making my way to the sink, I run my hands under the cool water. My braid is half loose now after being wrapped up in his fingers. The faint scent of him lingers in the strands as I fix it and try to compose myself, patting cool water on the back of my neck.
Straightening my dress, I focus on the woman I see in the mirror, tired yet determined. I see the eyes of my sister staring back at me, and I smile. This is for you, Nic.
Tomorrow, I’ll do whatever I need to do to get closer to Aiden Foxx, and I just so happen to have the perfect dress for it. If a submissive little server is what he wants, that’s exactly what he’ll get.
* * *
I don’t see Aiden again after I make my way back to the crowd, and I try to say good night, but the girls beg me to stay.
They entice me to dance and drink a little more, and I decide it might be in my best interest, because when they’re tipsy, it’s easier to get on their good side.
I ask them things casually, like how long they’ve worked at Lavish, and what was it like before Aiden was president.
I find out that Aiden was overseas on his last tour when his father died, that he’s thirty-five, and that when Marco took over, Aiden came back and agreed to be the VP.
“Hey, you’re not a narc, are you?” Libby asks a couple hours later, her words slurring together.
I scoff and try to act cool. But then again, I have been asking a lot of questions.
She starts to laugh and leans into me. “I’m just fucking with you.
” I nervously laugh with her, relief flooding my chest.
“Listen… I like you, Mia, you’re sweet and super pretty.
So pretty,” she slurs, trailing her fingers down my arm, almost like she’s flirting with me.
“I don’t care what you ask—it’s good to know who you work for—but you don’t want to give the wrong impression. Maybe space these questions out a bit.”
I nod and act as nonchalant as I can. “I just want to make sure I’m working at a solid place.”
“Trust me, boss is strict, no one will mistreat you.”
Unless they want to tie me up and film themselves fucking me?
“What?” Libby says, holding her head closer. Fuck. Did I say that out loud?
“Nothing!” I call over the music as we dance to “Heavy Soul” by The Black Keys.
I can’t help but feel sad as I dance and think about my sister.
Grief hits me hard sometimes, and often when I least expect it.
I’ll never have a night like this with her.
Dancing, laughing, free from her demons.
The thought hasn’t even fully left my head before two hands slide over my hips and around to my stomach.
My eyes fly open, and I glance over my shoulder to see a brawny, dark-haired man with a thick beard.
He’s young, maybe twenty-five or twenty-six, but he looks wired, like he’s on something more than just booze.
I try discreetly to free myself, but he’s strong.
He holds tight, and I can’t exactly risk beating the shit out of him or I’m gonna get side-eyed.
I try to get Libby’s attention, but she drifted off into the crowd when I wasn’t looking.
“Let go of me right now, or I’ll break your fucking nose,” I grit out as I tug on the man’s hands. He leans into my ear.
“The sweet little new girl has some bite, does she?” He sneers. “One of the many reasons my boss wants to meet you.”
My eyes track his gaze through the crowd to a table of men, and that’s when I see him. One of the other men who were with Aiden the first time I saw him. He’s a lot older than he appeared that day at the Yard, at least in his mid-fifties. He’s sneering and his eyes are hollow, eerie.
“Yep, that’s my boss,” he snarls, and the moment I feel his hot, beer-soaked breath against my skin, I snap.
I’m just about to stomp hard on his foot and nail him straight in the groin when he abruptly lets go of me.
I spin around and find myself face-to-face with Aiden, who is holding the man by the back of the neck.
I can see now that the man who was touching me wears a Wretched Souls cut, and he’s wincing.
Aiden is holding him so tight his knuckles are white.
“Get. The. Fuck out of my club,” Aiden growls at him, like he’s straining to keep his tone controlled.
He tosses him aside before turning back to me.
I’m covered in a thin veil of sweat from dancing, and I’m slightly out of breath.
I think I’ve had too much vodka and cranberry, because I can’t understand why a man who just told me to get the fuck out of his office is saving me from some handsy prick.
“I was just about to handle him!” I yell at Aiden over the music.
“You’re not handling anything in this condition. You’re done for tonight.”
I recoil.
“Wait, what?” I ask him, just as someone shoves against me on the crowded dance floor, and in my drunken state, I fall right into Aiden’s chest. My palms splay out flat against his cut, and I can feel how hard and built he is under it.
Danger flashes through my tipsy head as I look up into his annoyingly gorgeous face.
“You heard me.” It’s loud as hell in here, but his voice is clear and low.
“You’re done. Now.” He leans in even closer, his lips just under my ear.
His hair brushes my cheek and his breath ghosts against my skin, sending goose bumps down the back of my neck.
Leather, mint, and that hint of smoke taunt me.
“And what if I say no, almighty king?” I mock him before I can stop myself.
Then, I do something that’s probably really fucking stupid under normal circumstances: I push him. Hard.
He barely even moves, but I don’t stop. I try to gain the upper hand on him, the way I would with Briggs in training, but Aiden moves closer again and slides his hands around my waist, pulling me close.
“You aren’t going to fucking fight me,” Aiden scoffs. “Christ, woman.”
I suck in a breath and try to break his hold with the outside of my forearm, but alcohol is making me slow, and his heavy grasp stops me immediately. His eyes meet mine, and for a moment, I see something there that spurs me on.
Amusement? Want? It’s not clear, but I don’t think, I just try again.
This time, I do break his hold, but he catches my arm before my palm can connect with his face, and a low growl rips from his chest as he tugs me roughly toward him and I slam into his hard chest.
“The little girl wants to fight?” He’s breathing deeper now, showing his surprise, and there’s definitely amusement in his eyes. “Or are you just trying to make my dick hard?”
I instantly hate myself for attempting to challenge him, because he’s too big and this fight is futile.
But I couldn’t help myself—the way he orders me around gets under my skin.
I double down, trying to knee him, but again he gets the fucking better of me and brings his heavy hand down to stop my leg.
“Now. Don’t make me tell you again,” he grits out, nodding toward the door, “or I’ll fucking throw you over my shoulder like the petulant child you are!”
“Why the fuck do I have to leave just because some asshole tried to grope me?”
He holds me so tight I can’t possibly move.
“Because I’ve had a long fucking day, little goddess, and I don’t want to have to bury a body tonight.”