Chapter 10
Fiona
Bash drove me home after my first trip to the club.
On the car ride back, he held my hand pressed against his thigh, but didn’t say much.
It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. There was an echo of a smile on his face, and I was distracted, processing the events of the day.
He walked me up to my apartment and had his arms around me before the door closed behind us.
Somehow, he maneuvered us to the couch until he was seated, pulling me down on top of him.
I straddled his big thighs, my legs on either side of him as he clutched me to him.
Ripping his mouth off mine, he gave me a huge grin and used his big hands to gently push my hair back from my face, his eyes roaming over every inch of me.
“What?” I asked, confused by his expression and unnerved by the silence.
“Nothing. Just thinking about earlier. You schooled anyone who tried to come at you. It was sexy as fuck.”
“I don’t think they were coming at me, but I’ve had my fair share of run-ins with assholes and bitches.
They might look and talk differently, but they’re all the same at their core.
It’s pretty sad, really. Their only personality trait is being a dick for no reason.
Anyway, I liked Bull and Scythe. Cara was sweet too. ”
“Cara? I didn’t think she had two cells to bang together in that head of hers.”
I frowned down at him.
“I think she’s playing dumb around the Brothers because she thinks you guys find it more attractive. When she was giving me the tour, I was impressed with just how much she knew about everyone who comes in and out of the clubhouse.
“All I’m saying is, I think she’s smarter than you give her credit for. Same with Charlie, actually. With my attack, I totally dropped the ball on law school. Shit.” I frowned, a ball of guilt forming in my stomach at how much time had passed since that conversation.
“What about Charlie?” Bash asked, and I closed my eyes, frustrated that I had once again let an inside thought out into the real world. Bash chuckled and pulled me down, shoving his face in my hair.
“You don’t have to tell me. Just make sure Charlie knows I support whatever she wants to do.”
“If she doesn’t already know that, it sounds like something you might need to address personally,” I muttered, unable to hold back the sass in my tone.
“Yes, ma’am. You are correct and right about all things,” he said, holding back a laugh.
“Now, come back and kiss me some more before I have to go. Want to make sure you’re thinking about me when you go to bed tonight,” he said, his eyes getting dark and his voice lower.
The kiss was slower and somehow more intense.
His grip in my hair was solid, and my hips rolled against his without my control.
Moving one of his hands to my ass to pull me closer, it felt like all the oxygen had left the room.
With our foreheads pressed together, I was happy to notice he was as out of breath as I was.
With a final kiss to my lips, he tapped my thigh gently.
“Alright, up you go before I lose all control,” he muttered as we untangled our bodies and rose from the couch. I walked him to the door, my hands trembling slightly as I unlocked it to let him out. Just as I got the door open, Bash put his hand on my chin to pull my attention back to him.
“About that date?” he asked, and I smiled.
“What about it?” I replied.
“Can I take you out after work tomorrow? Things are a bit crazy this week, preparing for everyone coming through. Want to make sure I get to see you.”
“Dinner tomorrow night works for me,” I answered easily. I wanted to see him, too, and I didn’t want to have to pretend or play it cool.
“Great. I’ll send Match with a car so I can pick you up at the office.” I nodded, and he gave me a quick kiss before stepping into the hallway, giving me the look that meant he wasn’t going to move until he heard all the locks.
The next morning, as I was getting ready for work, I remembered that Bash was taking me out afterward. I panicked for a moment, unsure what to wear. Wanting to put in a bit more effort, but also not wanting to stand out at work, resulted in me spending far too much time on my hair and makeup.
I chose a pair of dark slacks that were high-waisted and tailored for my height, pairing them with a cream-colored silk shell top that Charlie forced me to buy and gold-heeled sandals.
I grabbed a lightweight blazer to wear inside the office when the air conditioning kicked up.
Summers at the office were always a pain to dress for.
I left my hair down, but picked one of my favorite patterned scarves and used it as a headband, holding the bulk of my hair off my neck, but some curls in the front remained down.
I felt very exposed, typically keeping my arms and chest covered and my hair pulled away from my face.
The more time I spent around Bash, the more I wanted to be seen.
I wanted him to see me. I didn’t feel the need to hide or blend into the shadows.
Match picked me up for work at the regular time, and as soon as I got into the car, I turned to find him staring at me, his face already turning red as he tried to hold back a laugh.
“What? Do I have something on my face? What’s wrong?” I asked, pulling at the passenger mirror to check my lip gloss.
“Bukkake? Really, Fee? I just about dropped dead when you said that. Funniest fuckin’ shit I’ve ever heard.” He laughed and hit the steering wheel before finally composing himself enough to drive.
“I still have a lot more questions…” I muttered, which had a new round of laughter ringing out of him.
“Man, you shoulda heard everyone after you left. Bull and Scythe practically worship you now, and damn, was Crow pissed after that shit he was trying to pull backfired.” I frowned, not loving the idea of causing trouble.
“I didn’t mean to start anything. It just felt like he was trying to set Bash up, and that wasn’t cool,” I said, trying to explain where the cattiness had come from.
“So you were protecting Bash?” Match said, giving me a penetrating look.
“Bash doesn’t need me to protect him, but I’m also not going to stand by and watch someone try to fuck with him, especially if they’re using me to do it. That sets a precedent that I’m a weakness for Bash, and that doesn’t benefit either of us.”
Match was looking at me with a mix of surprise and approval.
“Whatever you say, killer,” Match eventually replied, moving the conversation to the mural he was working on at my apartment.
He had already sketched everything out, and we had picked out the paint the week before.
I gave him my key before heading into work so he could spend the day working on it.
I couldn’t wait to see it, and was almost as excited for that as I was for my date with Bash later.
Focusing at work was proving more difficult than normal.
I felt off-kilter, anxious about, well, about everything at that point.
It felt like my life had been changing. The past six months, it had morphed.
Charlie had wormed her way in and slowly started pulling me out of my shell and into her loud and colorful world.
The little bubble I kept myself in had doubled in size rapidly, and it was both exciting and terrifying.
I could admit now, looking back at how I spent my time before I met Charlie, that I was doing the bare minimum.
I never really put myself out there. I didn’t take any risks.
Control was always my primary focus, so I kept myself insular.
There was nothing wrong with that, and there was still a huge part of me that craved alone time, but that didn’t mean I had to actually keep myself isolated.
Shitty people were always going to exist, find a way to fuck up someone’s day, but I hadn’t given anyone the opportunity to prove me wrong.
Pushing those nagging thoughts aside, my stomach growled, and I checked the clock.
Seeing it was already after one in the afternoon, I made my way into the break room.
Tyler was in there, finishing up a giant sub as I grabbed my lunch from the fridge.
“You look different, Fiona. Did you change your hair or something?” Tyler asked as I got myself set up at an empty table.
“Not really. Just wearing it down today.” I shrugged before focusing on the sandwich in my hand.
“Well, it looks good. You look pretty. Like, really pretty,” he said, grinning at me in a way that had me thinking of an old-school carnival barker.
A shudder ran through me as I focused on a piece of lettuce stuck in his teeth. Deliberately taking a bite out of my sandwich to avoid having to verbally respond, I gave him what I hoped was somewhat of a smile as I awkwardly waved my sandwich at him in some sort of acknowledgment.
He stayed quiet after that as I pretended to read on my phone, but I could feel him staring.
Second thoughts regarding my outfit and leaving my jacket in my cubicle ran through my head.
Instantly hating that thought, I became angry that Tyler was somehow making me feel responsible for him making me feel uncomfortable. What a mindfuck.
After lunch, I kept my head down and worked quietly until it was nearing the end of the day.
Finishing up the last file I was working on, I went into the bathroom to freshen up.
I was grateful to see my outfit was still in good condition—no stains or wrinkles—and my hair wasn’t too frizzy.
Pulling out the small makeup bag I had added to my purse that morning, I quickly swiped on some mascara and eyeliner.
I didn’t wear makeup often, but I had spent more time than I wanted to admit watching videos on how to perfect liquid eyeliner. It was my only move when I wanted to dress up a bit. Making sure they were even, I rubbed some perfume on my wrists, then took a breath.