Chapter One
Three weeks earlier…
Get your shit together, ‘Lena.
Elena blew out a calming breath and willed her legs still. So far, she’d been unable to control the incessant jiggling, which only drove her anxiety higher and higher with each bounce. She was nauseous. Between her morning at the taco shop and almost being late for this job interview, her nerves were fucking shot. With the added sound coming from her overactive legs rustling the paper bag on her lap, she was on the brink of losing her shit.
She felt very tempted to pop one of her discreet cannabis mints to take the edge off her anxiety but held back. While her interviewers were well known for being weed friendly, Elena wasn’t about to risk it. She wanted to be as clearheaded as possible and luckily the anxiety eating her up inside remained somewhat manageable. All she needed to do was keep up her internal pep until she’d finished the interview and she’d be golden. At least, that’s what she kept reminding herself. For too long, she’d been living where one wrong turn could find her living in a cardboard box. Being hired by the Iron Seeds Garage would add a much-needed buffer from homelessness. One emergency room visit a few months back had literally wiped out the nest egg she’d spent her years of scrimping and saving to build. Without insurance, the five grand she’d put aside vanished, which went beyond no bueno. It was panic inducing. She couldn’t afford to fuck this up.
“Elena Rojas?”
“That’s me,” she chirped, popping up from the chair she’d claimed in the tiny waiting area. She straightened her Medina’s shirt, hoping the sauce stain she’d picked up as she’d run out the door wasn’t too noticeable and plastered the best smile she could muster on her face. “It’s so nice to meet you, Ms. Iron. I didn’t have time to change before my interview, but I did grab some goodies from the shop to make up for the fact that I smell like a vat of salsa.”
She held out the two bags of tacos she’d had Ricky put together before running out the door. She had absolutely no idea if the bribe would work but she wasn’t above trying. She needed this job and wasn’t above using any and all tricks she had up her sleeve to get it.
“Well, aren’t you just the cutest thing,” Ms. Iron gushed with a huge smile of her own at Elena’s offering. She took the bag. “Thank you so much. My men haven’t eaten yet so they’re going to appreciate this more than you know. I’ll let you in on a little secret though...” She gestured for Elena to lean forward. “You didn’t need to bring vittles to make up for coming here from another job. In fact, I admire you more because you came over here right after working your tail off somewhere else.”
“Thanks, Ms. Iron. I appreciate that,” she breathed, her shoulders softening in relief. She hadn’t bombed the interview, yet. But she couldn’t help but feel a bit shabby standing next to Ms. Iron. The gorgeous woman was perfectly styled all the way down to the flowers painted on her long nails for Christ’s sake, but it did alleviate some of her worry.
“You’re welcome and please, call me Taffy. Ms. Iron makes me feel old,” she said with a wink before turning on bright red heels that matched her poppy covered summer dress. “Follow me. Like I said, my men haven’t had a lunch break yet so these tacos will disappear in no time. Medina’s is a favorite around here. They’ll appreciate the late lunch while we all talk about the position here in the garage. Sound good?”
“Sounds good,” she echoed, following behind the other woman before she was left behind. The other woman moved impressively quick in heels and led by more than a few feet away before she caught up. Once a step or two behind, Elena took the chance to look around a bit. She’d never been inside the Iron Seeds Garage and was surprised at the size. From the outside, it didn’t seem like much. “This place is bigger than I thought.”
“And it keeps growing.” Taffy pushed open a door that led to a back hallway. “We’ll be celebrating our thirtieth anniversary this year, for the garage and our marriage.”
“Wow. Congratulations.” Elena bit her tongue to keep from asking all the questions wanting to fly out. She was more than a little grateful that she hadn’t popped that mint after all. If she had, she’d never been able to control her lips. She was more than a bit nosey and had always been curious about Taffy’s marriage. If she were to gauge her curiosity on a scale of one to ten, Elena was a solid four thousand when it came to the well-reputed “Iron Trio” and the MC they ran. She was fascinated by their relationship and wanted to know everything. Unfortunately, folks around town were beyond stingy with the deets. For as much as they loved to gossip, they stayed away from spilling any tea about the MC or its garage. She knew that from personal experience. The minute she’d started asking around to prepare for this interview, lips were zipped. It wasn’t a secret that Taffy had more than one husband; the three big bikers following her around most of the time were hard to miss. People just didn’t want to talk about it much.
She’d managed to pick up a little bit of helpful intel on her quest but ruffled more than a few feathers along the way. The first thing she’d learned was that while Lawrence tolerated the Iron Seeds poly relationships, it wasn’t out of the kindness of their hearts. No, the town accepted them because the Irons, their garage, and their MC were too powerful for them to do otherwise. They’d been around this area for generations; initially farmers on the outskirts of their progressive little Kansas town before incorporating themselves into the middle of it. According to grapevine, they still owned huge parcels of land on the outskirts of town that spanned much of the distance to Kansas City including the large countryside compound their MC occupied. More than one person had pointed out with a raised eyebrow that the Irons and their MC had to be worth millions in property alone. Combine all of that with the garage, their custom cycle business plus the land they owned in town, and there was no question that the Iron Seeds were considered an institution.
The name of the MC and many members throughout its history were on more than half of the historic plaques across the town because they’d practically built the place. The money that they’d invested basically guaranteed every couple, or throuple, connected with Iron Seeds MC, received a warm welcome within the community.
Basically, everyone remained polite enough to save their sneers until they were behind closed doors.
They weren’t about to bite the hand that fed them.
“Thank you. It’s been a lot of work but we’re really proud of what we’ve accomplished.”
“Are you talking about the shop or the marriage?” Elena asked. The tension she’d carried earlier had faded away with every warm smile that Taffy tossed her way. The woman was like the anxiety whisperer or something.
“Both!” Taffy laughed. She came to a stop outside of an open office door. “Speak of my devils.”
On the other side, Elena saw two handsome men that needed absolutely zero introduction. Vincent and Archer Iron, two of Lawrence’s most powerful residents, shared a resemblance so close you’d think they were twins if you didn’t know any better. If she hadn’t seen them around town, Elena wouldn’t have known better herself. They’d never been introduced or anything but would have been blind not to notice the pair of silver foxes known as The Irons. If she guessed, she’d say they were likely in their fifties. She couldn’t be sure though. Normally, she could pinpoint someone’s age like a seasoned carnival worker but these two threw her for a loop with their combo of muscled physiques and silver hair.
“Hey, Sugar,” Vincent pulled Taffy into his arms. Taking the bags of food from her, he transferred them to the desk. “I missed you.”
“I saw you an hour ago,” his wife giggled, turning into his hug. Vincent Iron was so much larger than Taffy that she practically disappeared in his hold. “But I missed you too.”
Elena couldn’t help but smile big as a case of the warm fuzzies hit her hard at their adorableness. It was the cutest thing she’d seen in a while.
“Don’t steal all my sugar,” Archer interrupted, tapping his brother on the shoulder. The moment Vincent let their wife go, Archer was in his place.
By the time they’d wrapped up their enthusiastic greeting, Elena’s eyes must have looked wider than silver dollars as she fanned her suddenly hot cheeks. The Irons marriage may be far from traditional but there was no denying the hotness she’d just witnessed with her own two eyeballs. Taffy’s husbands obviously adored her and weren’t shy about showing it.
“Ya’ll making me forget myself when I have an interview to get done,” Taffy said blushing and shaking her head. She jumped when Vincent smacked her ass. “She’s gonna think we’re a bunch of heathens.”
“Lucky,” Elena breathed before realizing it’d escaped her mouth. Now, she blushed as the others chuckled.
“This is Elena Rojas—”
“And she brought tacos?” Vincent interrupted with a raised brow as he reached out to shake her hand.
“I figured it was only fair to bring you lunch to make up for the fact I showed up for my interview smelling like one of the Flying Tacos,” Elena said, referencing the taco trucks that Medina’s used. She nodded towards the bags that had been set down on the desk. “I grabbed a little bit of everything and the sauces to match.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” Archer said even as he began to dig into one of the bags. When he looked up, he winked at her. “But it’s cool you did.”
“Hire her,” Vincent whispered to his wife, shooting Elena a conspiratorial grin.
“We have to finish the interview first,” Taffy told him, gesturing for her to sit down in the chair across from the desk. “How about the two of you take those to the break room and see if anyone else needs a bit to eat?”
“Do we have to share?”
Elena couldn’t help but chuckle at the sad looks the Iron men turned on their wife. She had a feeling the two of them were pros at getting what they wanted if the smile Taffy gave them was anything to go by.
“Just get,” she said, shooing them away with a wave. It took a few more kisses and her assuring them they didn’t have to share, before they left. “Dear Lord, those men of mine could drive a saint to drink.”
“It looks like you enjoy every single second,” Elena said, more than a little jealous of Taffy’s fairytale life. She’d gone far too long without even one man sweet on her and even longer since she’d felt anything back. Every date she’d gone on turned into a dud so she was buying batteries in bulk nowadays. “I hope I get that someday.”
“I do too,” Taffy breathed, a sappy smile on her face. She twirled the large wedding set that sparkled on her ring finger as she sat down behind the large desk. “Everyone deserves the type of love I have with my men. Now…let’s get this interview over with so I can hire you already. Shall we?”