Chapter Nine
COLE
What the fuck is happening to me?
This is not part of the plan.
I came to this club to get intel and try to get the club to trust me, but I had to have this instant attraction to the daughter of the fuckin’ president.
She’s beautiful, with gorgeous, long, dark, wavy hair, the greenest eyes I’ve ever seen, and full, luscious lips and skin that looks so smooth that I could run my fingers over it day and night. She’s slim but not too skinny, has curves in all the right places, and I just can’t take my eyes off her.
Fuck! What the hell am I doing? I need to get my head out of my ass!
Sitting on her father’s lap and the way he looks at her lovingly is not the president I’ve heard about for years. Not the crazy president who goes around killing people and getting himself on the news and in jail. This man here is showing love and adoration to his daughter. Could this be all for show? I have no idea, but I tend to find out.
Gazing into her beautiful green eyes, I say, “Nice to meet you, Belle.”
She smiles, and I feel her smile all the way to my toes.
“Nice to meet you, too, Seth. What brings you to the Royal Bastards?”
Shifting my eyes from Belle to Vinney, I reply, “Your old man invited me.”
“Seth is the new owner of the motorcycle garage down the road. He’s been working on Shooter’s bike and did some great work. We met him today. Seemed like a good man, so I invited him here.”
“Whoa, Dad, one meeting, and you’ve already let him into your club? That’s new. Maybe you’re getting old,” she teases, patting his head.
“Ha! I don’t think so. We’re just having a drink, that’s all.”
She looks up at me while replying to her father and says, “Is that so?”
“And I accepted his hospitality.”
“Right,” she says, looking down at Vinney and giving him a wink. “I’m off. I’m beat.”
She gets up off his lap, and he asks, “Bed then?”
She looks at me. “Not exactly…” Swallowing hard, I can’t help but feel she’s trying to hint at something. But then she stares down at her dad again and says, “I’m off to Pete’s.”
Who is this Pete? Is it her boyfriend? Is that what she meant when she said not exactly? Cole, this is no business of yours. Focus.
“Look, I don’t mind you hangin’ around with that…”
“Dad, don’t,” she growls. “We’ve talked about using that word.”
“Okay, okay,” he says, palms up at her. “I’ll stop.”
“Good, now goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She turns to me. “I’ll see you next time, Seth…. hopefully,” she adds. Vinney’s eyebrows raise, and he glares at me.
“She’s off-limits, you got me?”
I nod once, then look up at Belle. She’s wearing tight black jeans that show off her curves and a ripped T-shirt that hangs over her silky shoulder, revealing a black lace bra. Just looking at her, I feel myself getting hard.
Fuck.
“I’ve got you.”
She turns around and heads out of the room, shutting the door behind her. Her sweet perfume lingers around me, and for a minute, I catch myself daydreaming about her.
“Hey, Seth, I’m serious. You even think about touching her, and you’re a fuckin’ dead man.”
Palms up, I say, “I get it, it’s all good. I’m not looking for anything and wouldn’t think about going after your daughter.”
“That’s fuckin’ right,” another voice says further down the table, who I think Vinney introduced as Blake.
My eyes focus on a man who’s standing in the corner, Mikki, the asshole who I had to save Belle from. Does Vinney know that his VP is trying to hook into his daughter?
There’s something about him that rubs me the wrong way. I thought Vinney would be the one I’d be uncomfortable with, but it seems like the VP is the one I need to watch out for. And the way he’s glaring back at me, it seems like he doesn’t like me one bit.
“Listen, Seth. How long have you been here in Toronto?”
“I was born and raised here.”
“Any family?” he asks, and I have to be careful how I answer this.
“No, my parents are dead and no siblings.”
He cocks an eyebrow. “And you mentioned earlier today you have no woman?”
Leaning back in my chair, I shake my head. “That’s right, not at present.”
“That’s the way. Women are good for one thing, and one thing only, and that is fucking.”
Members in the room all laugh in unison, agreeing with their president. I know all about his past from what I read in the folder Theresa gave me. I know he lost his wife when Belle was young and hasn’t remarried.
“Yeah, well, I have a woman. Peggy. She keeps my bed warm, but she doesn’t own me. I’m free to fuck whoever I want. Isn’t that right, boys?”
They agree by tapping their fists on the table and shouting their answer.
“I’m happy to share our women with you tonight if you want to wet your cock, but be careful which one you choose. Some of them might have crabs, and you don’t want that shit on your cock.” He laughs, and I join him, hoping like hell they don’t actually force me to sleep with any of the women out there.
Sure, I might have my pick. I saw the way the women were looking at me out there and trying to grab my attention, but I ignored their advances and pushed through them. They stunk of sweat and cheap perfume—not my kind of woman at all.
We continue talking for a little while longer, and I ask questions, but nothing too personal as I don’t want them to be suspicious of me. I find out that the club has been going for generations, and he’s the fifth president of the RBMC. But I learned nothing I could take back to the RCMP. He’s clever, he’s watching what he says, even though he’s had a few beers.
We head back out to the main room, and a woman who I can only describe as half of Vinney’s age slides up against him seductively.
“Hey, baby, you’ve been ignoring me all night. When are you going to dance with me?”
She kisses him deeply, and I look away, unable to keep my eyes on the couple. I saw her earlier behind the bar with Belle.
She has long, bleached-blonde hair with green eyes, and she’s wearing way too much makeup.
Her skirt is so short that you can see the bottom of her ass cheeks, and when she comes up for air, she looks over at me, smiling.
“And who do we have here?” Her eyes travel the length of me before falling back on mine.
“Don’t you worry, darlin’, he’s not yours to play with.” He slaps her ass, and she cries out.
He kisses her again deeply, and his hands play with her under her skirt, not caring that he’s in a room full of people.
“Hey, brother, let’s go get another drink,” Shooter asks, and I’m happy for the interruption. Standing here while they’re practically dry-humping makes things awkward.
We head to the bar, finding no one there to serve, so Shooter walks around it and grabs two beers, then yells above the music, “Let’s head outside.”
Following Shooter outside the clubhouse, I notice there are a few people outside smoking, drinking, or playing cards. There’s laughter, and I notice two men fighting each other while a woman holds one of the men back.
“Um, should we do something about those two?” I ask, tipping my head to the two men fighting.
“Nah, they’re good.” Shooter lifts his beer to his lips and takes a swig. “Let me show you our garage, where we do some work.”
“Cool, lead the way.”
Following Shooter, I make sure I take in everything around me to ensure I don’t miss a thing. We pass a gate that has a large aluminum shed, and I stop in front of it. Pointing, I ask, “What’s in here?”
Shooter stops, turns, and looks at where I’m pointing.
“Oh, there’s nothing in there.” Then he turns and continues to walk to the garage. Before I follow him, I run my eyes over the place one last time and notice cameras positioned all around it. If it is nothing, why have they got it so heavily protected?
Whatever is in there must be important to have that much security around it. I need to somehow get in there.
We enter the garage, and Shooter steps to the front of a covered car. He pulls it off and gathers the material in his hand, revealing a black Mustang that looks like it’s undergoing some work. Letting out a whistle to show my appreciation for this beast, I make my way around it and get a closer look.
“Do you like her?”
“Are you kidding?” This is the 1964 Shelby Mustang… what’s not to like?” I ask, looking over at Shooter.
He smirks and throws the cover on the floor. “I knew you would appreciate it. My brothers seem to think that if you have a Harley, then there’s no use for a car, but they don’t understand what a beauty she is.”
“You got that right. What did you get done?”
He answers by showing me each and every part that he’s worked on and telling me the dollar value of each.
“You know,” I say, taking a swig of my beer.
“I’m happy to help you work on it if you like.”
“Yeah? That would be fuckin’ great, Seth. Maybe you can help get the parts I’m struggling to find.”
“Sure thing, brother.”
He reaches into his pocket and grabs a smoke. “Want one?”
“Sure,” I say, walking toward him and grabbing a smoke from his hand. He searches his jeans and taps around his shirt.
“Where the fuck is my lighter?” He continues searching his pockets.
“You got a lighter on you?” He places his hand out to me, and remembering exactly what lighter I have, I tuck my hand in my jeans pocket and reach for it.
My sweaty hand palms it, and I rotate it in my fingers before I pull it out.
“Here you go.”
He takes it off me while I place my cigarette at the edge of my lips, waiting for him to use my lighter. He flips it open and attempts to light it, but the flame won’t ignite.
After a couple of tries of it not lighting, he taps it on his knee, saying, “You must be out of gas.”
Sweat prickles at the back of my neck as I continue to watch him attempt to light it up. Panicking, I say, “Hand it over here.”
He drops it in my hand, and I flip it open and light it. To my relief, it lights up, and I almost drop the smoke from my lips with my nerves.
Lighting up the smoke, I inhale it, and then, with the cigarette still between my lips, I take a couple of steps to Shooter and bring the light to his. He inhales and blows out smoke.
Finally, with both cigarettes lit, I flip the cover shut and place it back in my pocket. It takes everything in me to stop myself from falling to the floor with relief.
“So, how long have you been in the club?”
He inhales his smoke, then grabs his beer from the bench and has a drink. “Four years.”
I do the same, replying, “Four years? What made you join?”
He shrugs, placing his beer back on the bench before flicking his ashes on the floor and taking another drag. He’s tall with black hair that sweeps across his forehead. He also has a beard and is probably one of the only members who takes a little pride in himself.
“My cousin, Luke, was part of the RBMC, and all he did was talk about how cool it was and how people respected you with this patch,” he explains, pointing to the patch on his vest.
“He made it sound like heaven. They give you a place to stay, and you don’t have to worry about money anymore because they look after you. I couldn’t wait to join, so one day, I asked Luke how I could become a member, and he said he’d speak to the president for me. He did just that.” He smiles at the memory. “Luke approached Vinney and asked him if I could join. The next day, I became a prospect and never looked back.”
“Wow, is that how easy it is?”
He eyes me with curiosity in his stare.
“Why you asking? You interested? You want to join this club?” He laughs. “Not sure this lifestyle is what you’re after.”
He takes his beer to his lips and has another swig. I follow and do the same.
Shrugging, I reply, “I’m not so sure about that. I think I could handle the lifestyle.”
“You think? Are you saying you want in?”
Shrugging, I inhale my smoke with my other hand. “Not sure, but so far, I like what I see.”
He smiles and continues to smoke. I wait for him to say something, but he doesn’t. Have I gone too fast? Is he going to be suspicious? He takes another drag of his smoke and steps closer to me. His face is clear of any expression.
Then he smirks and taps his hand on my back. “The club would be lucky to have you, Seth. Could use your talent here.”
Fuck!
Glancing around the garage, I see stripped bikes with parts on the floor.
“Should I be worried?” I ask, waving at the bikes. “You boys running a service business here?”
Finishing with the smoke, I throw the butt to the ground and step on it, then walk around the garage looking at the work that they’re doing. It doesn’t make sense to me. It seems like they’re putting on the same parts that they’ve taken off.
“Listen, I think it’s time we get out of here. My woman will be looking for me.”
I can’t help but feel he’s trying to hide something, but I don’t push. It is my first time here, and I don’t want him to think I’m pressing for information. Well, I am, but I don’t need him to know that.
“No worries, brother. I should go anyway. I’m beat.”
Helping him cover his car again, he asks, “I know you said in there that you don’t have a woman, but is that true?”
Shaking my head, I say, “Nah, not me.”
“Don’t tell me you like men?”
Laughing, I reply, “No, brother. I like women, but I’m just not with anyone right now.”
“Well, like Prez said, there’s plenty in there, if you want?” He points his thumb to the clubhouse.
“I’ll pass tonight. I’ve got an early one tomorrow.”
This time, when we step out of the garage, he pulls the roller door down, and bends to lock it.
Standing back, I watch as he clips the keys to his jeans hook and covers them with his cut.
“Listen,” Shooter says, his face now serious. “If you’re serious about joining the club and want to be part of our brotherhood, I’d be happy to have a word with Vinney.”
“I appreciate that, Shooter. Means a lot.”
“Let me think on it. I have my garage and life.”
“What life you talkin’ about? Garage, I understand, but it doesn’t sound like you have much of a life going on,” he teases. “Plus, this will be your new family. We take care of our own.”
“Shooter, when are you coming back in?” a whiny voice calls from the clubhouse door.
He turns to look at her, then turns to me with a smirk. “Sorry, man, looks like I’m needed, if you know what I mean?”
“Yeah, I know what you mean. I’ll catch you later.”
He reaches out his hand, and I accept it. “I’ll come by the garage next week, and we can talk more about joining this club.”
“Sure, I’m up for that.”
“Okay, brother.” He turns and strides to his girlfriend, who looks impatient. She has a smoke in her mouth, and long, black hair. All these women look the same to me. Except for Belle, who is naturally beautiful. Aside from a little lip gloss and black makeup around her eyes, she hardly wore any makeup. Who would have thought that the president would have a daughter who looks that beautiful?
There’s just something about her that has me wanting things I can’t and shouldn’t have.
Deciding I’m done for the night, I head to my vehicle. Just before I open it, the sound of a woman swearing has me looking over. All I can make out is a pair of legs under the hood of her car.
Deciding to help, I walk over to find out exactly what is wrong with her car. It’s dark aside from the light in their car.
“Hey, can I help y…”
I stop just as the female turns and looks at me. Familiar green eyes stare back at me, and I shake my head, thinking I’m dreaming.” Belle has grease smudged down her cheek, and her hair is in a high ponytail.
I can’t remember the last time I was as turned on as I am at this moment. My cock is so hard I can feel it grazing against my zipper. Fuck
“What are you still doing here? Didn’t my father scare you off?” she says, irritation in her voice. She turns back to her car, tapping her engine with something.
“Your old man doesn’t scare me,” I reply, and I hear a laugh come out of her mouth.
“Yeah, well, that will change.”
She bends over, trying to look deeper into her engine.
My eyes travel down her back to her ass that looks so good in her tight jeans. It’s round and full, and I picture myself running my hands down and over her naked butt cheeks.
Shit, I gotta stop these thoughts, or without thinking, I might have to make them a reality.
“Are you checking me out?”
Returning to the present, I find her looking over her shoulder at me, and I can’t lie because she caught me doing exactly that.
“What if I was?” I ask, my voice coming out husky and deep, a voice I don’t recognize.
She smirks and turns her body to face me, leaning against her engine.
“I’d say you have some kind of death wish. If my father…”
I take the step that’s between us until our noses are practically touching. “Your father what?”
Our lips are so close I can practically taste the minty gum she’s chewing on.
Her eyes move from mine to my lips, and she bites down on her bottom lip. That’s it. My cock has a mind of its own, and I feel it harden even more.
She tilts her head. “You do have a death wish, don’t you? If my dad saw us…”
I stop her words as I smash my lips against hers, unable to control myself any longer. She’s so gorgeous and sassy, and I need to shut her up with my lips.
I’ve never felt like this about any woman before. Not even with my ex did I feel this attracted to her.
She was beautiful in the girl-next-door-kind of way with blonde hair and blue eyes, but not as beautiful as the woman standing before me.
Cynthia was the kind of girl you would bring home to meet your mom, and I did. She was always supportive of my life in the military. She knew what she wanted in life and had a plan, which I liked. The fact that she didn’t need to depend on me showed me how independent she was.
When I went for my second mission, her letters to me slowed down, and I just put it down to the fact that she was busy. But when I returned home, I found she wasn’t living there anymore, and instead, she was playing house with Gary, the real estate agent from whom I bought my apartment. They were living together and creating a life for themselves. They had even gotten engaged, and I was only gone for six months.
But what could I do? I was mad, got upset, and wanted to hit Gary for taking away the life Cynthia had promised me. But then I decided that if she could just forget me and move on that quickly, then she wasn’t someone I wanted a future with. So, I left that day thinking it was her loss and not mine.
I am a good man, saved money, and owned my apartment. If she wanted to marry Gary, then that was her choice. I wasn’t going to let it stop me from my dreams of wanting a family of my own someday. I haven’t seen Cynthia since then.
But this girl right here, the girl who has me doing things and making me forget why I’m here in the first place, is driving me fucking crazy. She had me from the moment I saw her, and I couldn’t leave tonight without knowing what she tastes like. And she sure as hell tastes good.
My hands cup her face, and I feel her tongue touch mine, causing an ache deep within. Her scent of berries and vanilla reaches my senses, and I just want to lay her down right here on the concrete ground and fuck her until she’s screaming out my name.
Her moans vibrate through me, and we can’t control ourselves. Her hands are around my neck, running through my hair to my chest, where she fists my shirt.
Fuck, I must stop this before someone sees us. Then, not only am I a dead man, but I will have stuffed this whole operation.
Can Theresa and Ben hear me kissing Belle?
With all the will I don’t have, I pull back and hold her wrists in my hands, keeping her at arm’s length where she can’t touch me. Because she’s driving me fucking crazy. And I won’t be able to hold back if she’s touching me like she is.
Belle tilts her head back to look at me. “What was that?” she asks, dazed, and I notice that she’s just as shocked as I am by what just happened. I let her wrists fall from my hold and apologize.
“I’m sorry, Belle, I shouldn’t have done that. That wasn’t fair on you,” I explain, touching my thumb to my lip, still feeling hers on mine.
Fuck, I’m never going to be able to get her taste out of my mouth.
Her eyes bore into mine, and she appears offended. “Excuse me? That wasn’t fair on me?” She takes another step toward me, and I step back, too scared of her touch. I’m worried that if she does put her hands on me, I will lose all self-control.
A bitter laugh escapes her lips.
“You’re just the same as the others… shit scared of my old man and don’t have the balls to see this through,” she claims. Waving her finger between us, she slides her tongue along her lower lip. “It’s okay, Seth. We both know why you stopped, and you don’t have to worry, I won’t tell my daddy.”
She turns and bends over the engine again. Grabbing her arm, I swing her around and pull her up against my torso.
“Listen, Belle. Don’t think I don’t want you because I do.” Our lips are touching now. “I want you so much that I’m willing to be killed just so I can have you. I’m not scared of your father or this club. I can handle myself, but I don’t want anything to happen to you for getting with a man like me. Now, let me fuckin’ fix this for you because you’re driving me fuckin’ crazy watching you under that hood.”
Her eyes widen, and she stutters, “I’m driving you what?”
Pulling her aside, I step closer to the engine and look at it. I can’t see much, so I take my phone out of my pocket and press the torch on it, looking deeper in there.
“What exactly is the problem,” I ask her, still looking at the engine.
“It’s not starting.”
“Switch the engine for me. Let me listen.”
She does as I say and sits in the driver’s seat. Our eyes connect again through the windshield, and for a minute, I feel everything stand still.
She turns the key, and no sound comes from the engine.
“Looks like your starter motor has had it.”
Shutting the hood, Belle gets out of the car and slams the door.
“That’s just great.” She grabs her phone from her back pocket.
“Who are you calling?” Stepping around the car, I meet her just as she’s making a call.
Placing her phone against her ear, she answers, “I’m calling Pete to pick me up.”
Snatching the phone out of her hand, I end the call.
“Hey. What do you think you’re doing?” she asks, pissed. Her hand reaches out to mine to give her the phone back.
“I’ll give it back to you on one condition.”
She huffs out a breath.
“And what’s that?”
“Let me take you wherever you need to go.”
She folds her arms, contemplating.
“I’m a big girl. Pete is good to pick me up. Now give me back my phone.”
Shaking my head, I say, “No.” I place her phone in my jeans pocket, saying, “I’ll get Tyler to pick up your car and take it back to my shop where I can get a better look at it.”
Walking toward my car, I yell over my shoulder, “Lock up, and I’ll meet you at my car.”
I can hear her cursing to herself, but she does what I say, locks her car, and follows me to my car. I can’t help the smile that’s on my face.
Unlocking the passenger side first, I hold the door open for her.
“Wow, we have a real gentleman,” she teases but gets up in my truck and puts on her seat belt. I shut the door and practically sprint to my side of the car, opening the door and jumping in behind the steering wheel.
Starting the engine, I look over at her, smile, and then take off out of the driveway, stopping at the metal gate where two club members are securing it. One of them steps toward my truck and taps on my window. He’s short but big in build. He has a black and white bandana covering his shaved head and face piercings around his mouth, nose, and ears.
“Where do you think you’re going with the prez’s daughter?” He has a shotgun in his hand, and I swallow hard. These men mean business.
He bends and looks over at Belle.
I go to reply, but Belle beats me to it.
“Shut it, Viper. My car broke down, so he’s giving me a ride.”
He smiles at Belle, and his eyes move from hers to mine.
“You better take care of her because not only would you need to answer to Prez, but you’ll have me to deal with.” He moves his gun in his hand, telling me exactly what will happen if I don’t look after her.
“Got it, brother.”
He looks over at Belle one last time, then nods. He looks up at the other member standing on top of the metal fence with a shotgun, saying, “Open up.” The gate creaks open, and I slide my window back up and leave the driveway, hearing the gate shut behind us.
As we leave, I notice a black van parked down the road and know exactly who is in it.
“So where to?”
She leans over and types an address in my truck’s navigation.
“Here.”
I see the address is only fifteen minutes down the road, and I’m dreading the time I have to say goodnight to her, wishing that I had more time to spend with her.
“So, who exactly is this Pete?”
“Like I said, none of your business.”
Turning to look at her, I notice her smiling. She pulls her hair out of her ponytail and runs her fingers through it. She pulls the sun visor down, looking at herself in the mirror and wiping around her lips.
Is she trying to look good for this Pete guy?
“Come on. You need to tell me something about him. I have a responsibility to make sure that when I drop you off somewhere, you’re being looked after.”
“My dad knows, Pete. I’ve known him for years. There’s no need for me to explain who he is to you.”
“So, is he your boyfriend?”
She laughs. “Again, none of your business.”
“Fine, fine. If you won’t tell me about him, then I’m going to have to meet him.”
She slams the sun visor back up and glares at me.
“You wouldn’t dare?”
Shrugging, I say, “Wouldn’t I?”
“Well, I’m not sure. I don’t exactly know you. I just met you tonight.”
“Come on, you must have learned something about me?”
“Mmm, let me think,” she teases her finger to her chin.
“Other than you’re a good kisser, maybe a bit of an alpha.”
That has me smiling.
“Good kisser, hey?”
“Don’t get a big head, but yeah, you’re a good kisser.”
I turn to her. “Sounds like you may want to be kissed again. Am I right?”
“Mmm, maybe…” she teases, and I come to a stop at a red light.
We both turn to face one another. Leaning in, I cup her cheek and bring her lips to mine. Warmth fills me as her silky lips touch mine, and this time, I don’t wait. I delve my tongue into her warmth, searching for hers.
She sucks on it, and I cup her other cheek, keeping her hostage to my mouth. I can’t get enough of her. She’s like an aphrodisiac.
My left hand leaves her cheek, and I run my fingers down her neck and play with the smooth skin above her neckline. I feel her intake of breath and know that she is affected by me just as much as I am affected by her.
Suddenly, the sound of a horn blares, and we break apart. Looking out the rearview window, I can’t see anything with the bright headlights shining through, blinding me.
Turning to face the front, I see the light is still red, so not sure why this person behind is honking his horn at me.
“What the fuck is his problem?” Belle complains from beside me, also looking out the back window.
“I have no idea, but let’s not find out.”
The light finally turns green, and I put my foot down on the accelerator and speed off ahead of him, my eyes focusing on the rearview mirror.
The car finally turns off the main street, and I look at Belle. “He’s gone.”
“Good, I have no idea what his problem is.”
“Who knows what anyone’s problem is these days,” I reply.
We talk for a little longer, and I’m shocked to hear that she lives at the clubhouse. I want to ask her more questions, but my navigation announces that we’ve arrived at our destination.
I pull over to the curb and switch off my engine.
“Why did you switch it off? There’s no need. I’m leaving.”
“I’m walking you up, that’s why.”
Shaking her head, she says, “No, you’re n….” She doesn’t end the sentence because suddenly, her eyes widen as she looks behind me, and a loud scream sounds. Instantly, everything turns quiet.