Chapter Eleven
“Is everyone talking about the new girl?” she asked him, her cheeks burning brighter as he watched.
Vinyl grinned.
Of course, everyone was talking about the new girl. Elena was a walking fucking temptation surrounded by red-blooded men. Who wouldn’t be talking about her?
“It’s been a while since we’ve had anyone new in the shop,” he answered, leaving the rest out. She was already skittish enough. “Everyone is curious.”
“Is that what this is about?” She waved the cupcake between them with a frown. “You find out the details and then report back to the rest of them.”
He shook his head. “Not necessarily.”
Elena nibbled at the frosting, eying him suspiciously.
“What?”
“Then what’s this all about?” Her brow wrinkled as she studied him like a bug under a microscope. “I don’t want to sound rude, but guys like you don’t talk to girls like me.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked with a frown.
Even if Tanner and Pax hadn’t asked him to smooth shit over with her, he’d still be here. The second he’d seen her; he’d been more than intrigued. She was fucking perfect. Not only was she gorgeous, but she also had the voice of an angel. Vinyl had been reeled in the moment he’d caught the sound of it on the wind earlier. It had called to him like a siren song, pulling him straight to the bench where she sat. Listening to her conversation was rude but he’d done it anyways. He hadn’t been able to walk away from that voice.
“Nevermind.” She pushed herself to her feet with a sigh. “Listen, thanks for the cupcake but I really do need to get back inside.”
“Wait,” he said, catching her elbow with a gentle hand. Vinyl wasn’t sure what he’d planned to say after that, but it didn’t matter.
Elena was staring at his arm, all color gone from her face.
“Whoa,” he said, reaching up to steady her where she swayed. “Are you okay?”
She blinked a few times before giving him a nod.
“Are you sure?” He stood up beside her just in case. “You looked ready to pass out there for a second.”
“Sorry about that.” She shrugged off his hand and put a little distance between them. “It’s been a long day. See ya around.”
“Wait.” Vinyl could almost see her walls come up as she started backing away. “Are you sure that you’re okay?”
“I’m fine.” Her eyes looked everywhere but at him. She swung her sack lunch towards the Iron Seeds Garage behind them. “I really need to get back in before I’m late.”
“But—”
“See ya!”
Vinyl watched her flee as if the hounds of hell were nipping at her heels.
“Well, fuck.”
He had no idea what scared her off, but he planned on figuring it out. Tanner and Pax were right, there was something about Elena that was special. It sounded crazy but it was true.
He tossed his uneaten lunch back into his cooler and went to find his friends. They needed to figure out how to handle things with Elena before she put any more space between them…the sooner the better.
“Vinyl,” Taffy called out as he walked through the garage. “Have you seen that son of mine?”
“I was looking for him myself,” he answered with a shake of his head. The last time he’d seen Pax, his friend was arguing with one of their suppliers about a shipment of dented parts. “I figured he was still in the back.”
Taffy sighed, her hands on her hips. “If you see him, will you tell him to answer his goddamn phone before I strangle him? He hasn’t signed those insurance forms yet and they need to be postmarked by today.”
“Will do, Mrs. T,” he promised, already on the move.
“Actually,” she called out, stopping him in his tracks. “Tell him to get with Elena about the forms. I need to run by the salon for payroll, but she’ll be in the office until five. I’ll text and give her a heads up.”
“Got it.” Vinyl grinned, the afternoon already looking up. Not only was Taffy going to be absent from the office, but she was also giving them the perfect excuse to seek out their dream girl.
After a quick wave goodbye, it only took him a few minutes to track down his friend.
“Your mom’s going to kick your ass if you don’t answer your phone the next time she calls,” he began, swiping a few cheese curls from his buddy’s lunchbox.
“Eat your own damn lunch,” Pax grumbled, shielding his food.
“Wait,” Tanner’s head popped up from where it had been resting on the table. “Did you manage to talk to Elena?”
“A little.” He sat down, opposite his friends. “She was eating lunch out under the oak.”
“And?” Pax prodded, his expression expectant.
“She was on the phone when I first walked up.” Vinyl nabbed another cheese puff and pointed it at both of his friends in turn. “Talking shit about the two of you, if I heard her correctly.”
“What?” Tanner squawked.
“What’d she say?” Pax asked with a groan.
“That she planned on avoiding you two like the plague.” Vinyl didn’t sugarcoat it; his two friends needed to know what they were up against. They had their work cut out for them.
“That’s fucking perfect,” Tanner muttered, lowering his head back to the table. “What’re we going to do?”
That was the million-dollar question.
“Well,” he said with a heavy sigh. “I don’t know. From what I could pick up from the half of the conversation I heard, she’s not only embarrassed by what happened. She was hurt.”
“Trisha happened before we ever met her,” Pax defended with a frown.
Vinyl held up his hand. He knew what Pax was saying but it didn’t necessarily matter. If the shoe was on the other foot, they’d be just as upset.
“What if we saw a pic of her with another guy? Would it matter that it had been taken in the past?”
“No.” His friend ran a hand through his hair, obviously just as frustrated as Vinyl was. “I’d want to rip the fucker’s head off.”
“Exactly.” Vinyl looked at Tanner. “What about you?”
“Same,” the man answered. “I’d lose my shit if I saw something like that.”
Vinyl nodded. They’d told him something he already knew. All of them would be murderous if they were put in a similar situation. It’d drive them nuts. He wasn’t saying they expected her to be a virgin or anything; they also would never slut shame a woman for the opposite either. They all had a past; he would simply prefer not to see the photographic proof of hers.
“What are we going to do about it?” Pax looked at Tanner.
“What can we do about it?” Tanner sighed; his tone defeated. “She thinks we fuck around.”
“We do fuck around,” Pax reminded them with a wry smile. “Trisha’s got the pics to prove it.”
“Speaking of pics…” Vinyl nudged Tanner where he was slumped against the table. He’d passed on looking at them this morning but now he needed to see what they were up against. “Lemme see the ones Trisha sent you.”
Tanner slid his cell across the table with a grimace.
“I already moved ‘em to the trash folder.”
Vinyl nodded and clicked on the trashcan icon. He’d figured that’s where they’d be before his friend said anything. The trio was on the same page regarding the woman they’d made the mistake of fucking a few months ago. The images weren’t ones he’d wanted to necessarily look at. He already felt gross enough without seeing visual proof of his idiocy.
The moment they loaded; Vinyl felt sick to his stomach. He’d known she’d sent an X-rated pic but seeing it with his own eyes was another thing.
It was worse than he’d expected.
The tit pic was nothing compared to the second pic she’d sent. The three of them were in position around Trisha, sweaty and obviously lost in the moment. He had no idea where she’d hidden the camera, but the angle managed to capture everything in vivid detail. The four of them had been in one of the clubhouse’s back rooms. Pax and Tanner had Trisha sandwiched between them while Vinyl had been fisting her ponytail and fucking her face—the tattoos on his arm incredibly clear considering how much was going on in the snapshot.
“Fuck.”
They really needed to talk to Elena…if she’d let them.