Chapter 12
TWELVE
THEA
I’m not stupid or silly enough to think that I have the upper hand with this man. I’m just knocking him off-kilter a little.
The women are grinning at me when I finish a simplified version of my meeting Sniper a decade ago. I leave out the part where he insulted me and was a complete asshole, but they got the gist. However, I don’t hold back when I tell them about our first encounter in front of the security building.
“Oh, I wish I was there to see the look on his face,” Rose roars with laughter. “Holy shit, I bet he was shocked. No one talks to him like that. Ever.”
“Something tells me he needs it.” Sage snickers.
“Girl, you’re my hero,” Sadie exclaims, holding up her hand for a high-five. “We need to keep these assholes in their place.”
“And he’s the one who forced you to work with Viper and them, right?” Eden asks curiously.
I nod. “Well, not really,” I correct after a small twinge. “He did order me to show up, but I don’t answer to him. I showed up because I was bored, and this is a new challenge for me, and I wanted to try it.”
“Honestly I don’t know why you didn’t just kick his ass out,” Sage says with a shake of her head. “If King tried that shit, I’d definitely break his dick.” The other women giggle, but my eyes just widen. “Oh, right! You don’t know that story,” Sage cries. “Get ready because this one is going to be a bit wild.”
“Yeah, I got that.” Okay, the men being scared of them is starting to become a little clearer. We have the one who put a high heel up someone’s asshole, and now one that apparently may have broken a man’s dick. I don’t know whether to be impressed, amused, or worried. Then again, another part of me is screaming inside with utter delight and wanting to beg them to let me join their group.
I listen, shocked, and then a little horrified as Sage recounts her walking in on her ex cheating on her and his dick getting broken in the process. I might not be a man, but I still wince, appreciating that the very thought of the pain that goes with that would be debilitating. I glance over at Viper, and he’s wincing at the recounting but also grinning, clearly enjoying it all the same. When Sage finishes, I reply slowly, “I don’t know whether to high-five you or run the other way.”
“Well, the guys are scared of Izzy because we were target practicing and Sage’s best friend, and Stone’s Old Lady, Syn, set up a target with the tiniest dildo I’ve ever seen.” Rose laughs. “And she was the only one of us who was able to hit it and blew it up just as the men came out.”
“Is Syn the one with the K9s?” I ask, thinking back to a conversation I overheard Shadow and Viper having the other day.
“That’s her,” Sage says proudly. “We’ve been best friends for years, and she’s got the two of them. And she put Stone in a bite suit and had them attack him, so now the guys are worried that she’s going to launch them at their balls too one day if they piss her off.”
“I’m starting to see why the men are afraid of you.”
“But you want to join, don’t you?” Sadie grins.
“I actually kind of do.” I laugh. “But at the same time, I’m not sure what I can bring that would have the men scared of me coming near their dicks.”
“That smart mouth would be a start,” a deep voice behind me says, making me stiffen. “Knowing you, you’d probably bite it off.”
I turn my head to look at Sniper and say with a toothy smile, “If it was yours, definitely.”
His dark eyes flash at that, and the tension between us thickens. His gaze moves down to my mouth, and I fight the urge to lick my lips. Damn it, I really need to get a grip around him. He both pisses me off and makes me want him the same way I did when I was a stupid kid who didn’t know any better.
“I wouldn’t take a chance, brother,” Viper admonishes with a grin. “Something tells me that where you’re concerned, she’d enjoy it far too much.”
Sniper doesn’t reply to that. Instead, he says, “You and I need to have a chat.”
My mood sours. “No, we don’t. I’m here to have a drink and relax and spend some time with my new friends here. And talking to you is right up there with taking a bath in salt water covered in paper cuts.”
“Ouch,” Izzy hisses.
Sniper’s gaze turns hard and angry as he glares at me. “You’re not going to avoid me forever, Sutton.”
“I can do my very best, Hudson,” I toss back. “Now, how about you go and do whatever you were doing before you decided to come over here and bother me? Then, you can forget all about my existence, and we’ll be set. Or are you trolling for some unsuspecting senior citizen in here?” I make a production of looking around. “Yeah, most of the women here are too young for you. But I’ll let you know if I see anyone more age-appropriate for you. You know, if your hips can make it that long. Wouldn’t want you to strain anything.”
The other women are roaring with laughter now, and Sniper’s jaw clenches, a tick showing just enough to let me know that my digs are getting to him. Good. Someone needs to take this asshole down a peg. Instead of answering, he turns on his heel and stomps away.
“I don’t know if you’re crazy for poking at him or not,” Viper remarks thoughtfully. He glances at me. “Sniper is our VP for a reason, and no one says that kind of shit to him.”
“The trick is to remember that he’s just a man and not God,” I tell him drily. “Even when he clearly believes his own hype.”
There’s a wordless exchange by everyone in the group, but they finally let the subject drop. Instead, Rose asks, “So tell us about Theo. We haven’t gotten to talk to him much since he started and he’s always out on the gate or at the bar.”
“Yeah, and is he single?” Sadie asks, interest clear on her face.
“Don’t you have a boyfriend?” Eden asks her friend drily.
“He’s not a boyfriend.” Sadie scoffs. “I’m his handler at the sex club, that’s it. And the entire time we’re there, I end up loaning him to other people he shows interest in. I’m in the market for something else.”
I blink at that admission. What the hell?
I’m saved from having to say much about Theo, because that launches a bunch of questions from the other women, and Viper decides it’s time for him to leave. He just shakes his head, kisses Eden, and walks away and back over to some other club members who give him sympathetic looks.
If I wasn’t so fascinated by what I’m hearing, I’d probably be the same. But damn, Sadie is a wild one. I’m almost about to warn Theo away, but I also never involve myself in my brother’s love life. If he’s into this kind of thing, all the power to him. As long as I don’t have to see it, then we’ll be fine. There are some things sisters don’t need to know.
Eventually, the women turn to different topics of conversation and I use that time to finish my beer and then run to the bathroom. When I emerge, I see a couple making out hot and heavy in the hallway and just walk on by. I don’t know which of the Devil’s Soldiers it is, but I don’t recognize the woman, so I’d have to say it’s one of the single women. The woman is moaning loudly, so I think she’s definitely enjoying it.
I make my way down the short hall, but have to stop when I realize that three people are blocking the end. At first I’m instantly on alert, but then I relax when I realize none of them are paying attention to me. They’re shadowed from the dim light of the hall and the lowlights of the bar, so I can’t quite make out who it is, but I do recognize the two servers that have been running around most of the night. Curious, I slow my steps to make sure they’re alright, even though the man’s body language isn’t aggressive.
“Are you sure you don’t need any help, Sniper?” one of the women asks seductively, and I instantly tense, realizing that the man they’re talking to is the bane of my existence.
“Yeah, you seem really tense,” the other one remarks, running her hand over his arm. “The place is quieting down now and we can help you out with that. I bet you haven’t been with two women at the same time, have you?”
“Amanda can suck your cock and I’ll nurse your balls while I wait for my turn,” the first one offers, her hand resting on his gut. “We’ll make you feel so good.”
I don’t like the image in my head, and I also don’t like the fact that I want to reach out and grip them both by the hair and drag them away from him. I can’t make out his expression so I have no idea if he’s actually considering this.
Before I can stop the words, I scoff, making all three of them look over at me, but the two women jump in surprise. “Ladies, I hope you have your defibrillators ready because I don’t think his old, crusty heart can take what you’re offering. Not to mention, I doubt he can keep it up that long and wouldn’t want one of you to leave disappointed. I mean, sure, the rumors that circled around about him when he was younger were impressive, but now, well, it’s been found out that he’s just not in the shape he used to be. Of course, that happens when you’re heading for geriatric.”
The waves of anger coming off Sniper are intense, but I ignore them. Instead, I just focus on the women. The one who offered to suck his balls stares at me for a moment. “What?” she asks, confused.
“You know Sniper?” the other woman, Amanda, asks.
“We served together in the Army,” I reply gravely. “Trust me, he’s not all that impressive. One of the guys on my team told me all about how he likes to compensate because, well...” I give them a sad look and hold up my pinky finger.
Their eyes widen before they both look at the fuming Sniper. They both glance below the belt and I just smirk. “Well,” Amanda finally says. “That’s nothing to be ashamed of,” she offers to Sniper with a weak pat on his arm. “Not all can be well endowed. And the big ones really hurt anyway. We can make something work, we just have to work on things a little.”
Oh, this is too perfect. I barely manage to keep my face straight and my laughter contained.
The other one looks undecided. “If you have a heart condition though, we don’t want to give you, like, a heart attack or anything. Amanda, maybe we should just do one at a time. You can have him first, and if he doesn’t die, then I’ll have my turn. And I could probably get some pills from my brother if I need to, you know, speed things up.”
Amanda nods and looks back at Sniper and gives him a smile that isn’t as bright as before, but definitely is giving it the old college try. “So how about it, Sniper? Just promise not to die on us, huh? Kind of ruins the mood.”
If this was any other moment, I would swear she was trying to joke or be lighthearted, but she is one hundred percent serious. I barely manage to swallow down my laugh.
“Both of you, get back to fucking work,” he tells them with such contained fury that I’m surprised he can manage to speak. “I was never going to take you up on your offer, since I don’t sleep with my employees. Now get the fuck out of my sight before I do something I regret and fire your asses.”
Both of them look at him wide-eyed, but they must realize the danger of the moment because they turn and hurry away. Oh, now, that was stupid, because I have a feeling those two are going to declare far and wide that Sniper has a small dick, a heart condition, and that they were trying to help him out by giving him a little fun before he kicks the bucket.
I wonder what the other women will do with that information…
Sniper doesn’t move, doesn’t speak, as he stares at me, and I just hold his stare, arching a brow. “You,” he starts between clenched teeth.
“Me,” I interrupt. “That age getting to you already? Can only speak in short sentences? Do you have a club doctor? Want me to get him for you? Oh, wait, what are the signs of a stroke? Maybe I should tell him that you clearly might be having one because?—”
He moves before I can finish that sentence; next thing I know, his hand wraps around my wrist like a vise and he’s dragging me into a room. The door slams shut loud enough I’m sure the entire bar heard it, and I’m pressed back up against the door by a very angry man who looks like he’s about to strangle me.
Can’t have that now, can we?
My training kicks in, and I’m nailing him in the throat with my hand, making him choke and back up. I bring my foot up and kick him in the thigh, which also has him groaning, but before I can get away, he lets out a low, almost feral-sounding growl and launches himself at me. I blame the beer for making my reactions slower, but he manages to dodge my attempts to block him, and next thing I know, we’re crashing to the floor.
I groan as the wind gets knocked out of me, but I manage to keep from hitting my head. But that also means he’s able to take advantage and I feel his hand wrap around my throat while his body pins me to the floor. I struggle, but then he snarls, “Quit it!”
Like I’m going to listen to him. “Fuck you, Sniper,” I gasp out, using all my strength to buck my body, trying to dislodge him. I partially succeed, but then his grip on my throat tightens and he puts all of his body weight on me, stealing my breath.
The moment I gasp for breath, he loosens his grip on my throat to let me breathe, and I use it to my advantage. I bring my knee up hard and fast enough to catch him in the rib, making him grunt and curse, and I buck again, throwing him off me. I follow it up with a foot to his chest, pushing him farther away from me. He hits into a chair, sending it crashing to the floor. I get to my feet and move around to the other side of his desk, breathing hard, as he gets to his feet. I won’t make it to the door, so I need to bide my time.
I see now why the men in his club are nervous of him. He looks murderous as he stares at me. Unlucky for him, I’m not scared of him, and I know nothing he’s doing is meant to hurt me. No, he’s trying to subdue me, to prove that he’s the big strong man that can handle the small woman. Unfortunately for him, I’m going to have to prove him wrong. Again.
“You are the biggest pain in the ass I have ever met.” He seethes as he braces his fists on the top of the desk, leaning forward. “I should tell Shadow and Viper to fire you and save us all the trouble.”
“And that would just show everyone how big of a coward you are.” I sneer. “Can’t handle one woman? You know, everyone keeps telling me to watch out for you, not to piss you off. Because you’re some scary man. What a load of bullshit. Do they know you’re scared of me?”
“You think I’m scared of you? Not a fucking chance, little girl. What I am is tired of you running that smart mouth and acting like an idiot. You think I don’t know what you’re doing? Poking at me? Pricking my temper? Trying to see how far you can push me? You’re playing with the big dogs now, baby girl, and you’re going to get yourself bitten if you don’t watch yourself. My brothers have nothing to fear from me as long as they don’t fuck over the club, one of the women, or me. But the moment they do any of those three, then I have no problem showing them, or you, just what about me they should be wary of. You should remember that.”
“The big bad assassin,” I mock. “You think I didn’t hear about you? Hear about the shit you used to do? They have no clue about any of that, and they have no idea the kind of man you really are. But I do, and that’s why I’m not scared of you. Why I don’t give a flying fuck what you say to me, what you threaten me with. And I don’t answer to you. So even if you try and get me fired, Shadow and Viper aren’t going to allow that. They need me.”
“They can hire someone else.”
My own temper burns hotter at his words. How fucking dare he. “And yet you were the one who ordered me to work for them,” I hiss, leaning forward, and bracing myself on the top of the desk. “So you have only yourself to blame. You don’t fucking like it, then you can stay the fuck away from me. Just like we did for the past week. Because I’m not going anywhere, Sergeant Major Dickhead , whether you like it or not.”
Then, I take advantage of his position and grip him by the hair and pull him forward, giving me just enough time and momentum to have him falling onto the top of the desk with a curse, and me the ability to get around him and to the door without him grabbing me. But you know how they say don’t turn your back on a dangerous animal? Yeah, apparently I forgot about that little rule, because just as I open the door, his hand slams down on the wood, forcing it shut again, and he’s pressing me tight to the door, gripping my wrists and pinning them between us. It’s the exact kind of position that I don’t want to be in. I was never good at getting out of these.
I still, though, when he settles himself against me, and I feel the hardness of his body, and something else hard poking against the top of my ass and lower back. Desire, thick and unwanted, hits me, and I struggle to breathe through it.
“I’m pretty sure you tried to pull the hair out of my head, Sutton,” he gasps in my ear. “What am I going to do with you now that I have you where I want you?”
“Been dreaming about pinning me to a door, have you, Grayson?” I toss back tightly. “You’re not helping yourself dissuade those dirty old man jokes, you know that?”
I expect him to let me go at that, but he doesn’t. Instead, he presses himself tighter against me and replies, “You have no idea the things I dream about where you’re concerned, Athena. The things I finally get to do to you in those dreams, like I used to wish for from the first time I laid eyes on you. But then you open that smart-ass mouth and those dreams turn dark. Those desires to shut you the hell up, to show you how wrong you are every time you try to insinuate I’m too old, they grow and grow until all I can think about is proving you wrong. Of showing you exactly why you shouldn’t bait me. Because you, little girl, are not ready for a man like me. Not even close.”
“And what makes you think that?” I force out. “I think you’re running scared and butt hurt because you don’t like to face the truth. And I think you talk a big game, but we both know you can’t live up to it.”
“Is that because I apparently have a heart condition or because I have such a small dick?” he asks silkily. “Is that the game you’re talking about, baby girl?”
“Can’t forget that hip replacement,” I gasp out. “That’s an important one. One wrong thrust and you’ll be down for the count.” He lets out a low growl and I don’t stop the smile that overtakes my face. “Besides, we both know you’re all talk. You won’t do anything to or with me because I’m too young for you, remember? That ten-year gap is apparently too much for you to handle. Just like it was back then, wasn’t it? Or did you think I didn’t notice you constantly watching me? Constantly picking on me because it was the only way you could get close to me?”
He stiffens at that, and I know I’ve struck a little too close to home. “I was your superior officer,” he says tightly. “There was nothing romantic or longing about the way I dealt with you.”
“Liar,” I taunt, turning my head to look at him. He’s staring at me with a mixture of anger, resentment, and lust. It’s an intoxicating, and empowering feeling realizing I’ve caused that. But I’m not stupid, or silly enough, to think I have the upper hand with this man. I’m just knocking him off-kilter a little. It’s going to take more than this to push him completely off balance. “Then what are you doing now?”
“I’m dealing with a brat that doesn’t know how to keep her mouth shut,” he responds instantly. Then he releases me, steps back and turns away from me. I turn around quickly and see him running a frustrated hand through his hair as he walks back over to his desk. I don’t move, just continue to watch him, even though I should be hightailing it the hell out of here. Being around Sniper is a recipe for disaster.
“I’ve never kept my mouth shut, so I would think you would be used to it,” I tell him when he finally turns back to look at me when he’s beside his desk.
“And it’s going to get your ass in trouble,” he snaps. “Just like it did when you were an idiot officer mouthing off.”
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not a young officer but one that made a name for herself in one of the top Forces teams at the time,” I snap back. “You need to stop seeing me as a young woman that doesn’t know her shit. I’m not that girl anymore. I’ve grown up, I’ve seen and done things that even you can’t imagine, and I’ve put up with men far worse than you.”
“Just like you did today?” he demands. “The fucker who thought he could try to hurt you and pin you to a door?”
“Yes, exactly like that. Do you really think I can’t handle an idiot like that? I didn’t even hurt myself it was so fucking easy. He’s nothing. I’ve gone against men bigger and smarter than him. So I handled it, made sure I didn’t kill him while I bruised his ego, then left. None of that shit requires you or the MC to get involved.”
“It does when one of our employees is put in that situation,” he yells, clearly exasperated.
“So you’d do the same with Shadow or Viper if they had been in that position? Or Hulk? Bowie? Frost?”
“You’re a fucking civilian and it’s not the same and you know it! They are our brothers, and we have different rules. You are not a part of the MC.”
“So, if Eric was out there, you’d have gone and made such a huge stink about it? Or would you have patted him on the back and told him the fucker deserved it and good for him?” The answer is on his face before he can hide it. “Yeah, I didn’t think so. No, because I’m a woman, that immediately means I’m not capable, or I’m going to cry and whine about it instead of just handling it and going on with my day, which is exactly what I did. And what I’m going to do the next time it happens. Because it will. Men that need the kind of services the company provides, they’re always going to be the ones who only see women as a couple of different things, and they’re going to push and push to see how much I can take.”
“You—”
“Nothing,” I interrupt sharply. “There is nothing else you can say, Sniper. The faster you accept it, the sooner you and I can co-exist somewhat peacefully.” I step forward and give him a hard look, the one that my team knew meant they should back the hell off or they would face the consequences. “I’m going to say this one last time. You are not my superior officer, so you have no say in how I handle anything in my work life or my personal life. Whatever issues you have with me or my position here, you need to get the hell over or stay the hell away from me. I’m not going to do this little song and dance time and again. I have far more interesting things to do with my time. And dealing with whatever midlife crisis you have going on in that head of yours is not something I want to deal with.” Then I turn on my heel and stalk to the door.
“Thea,” Sniper says sharply, making me pause when I reach it and glance over my shoulder at him. He looks tortured, almost unsure, until finally, he tells me tightly, “You might be able to handle yourself, but that doesn’t mean you have to. Whether you like it or not, the MC is part of the team, and that includes me. You had your team to help you when you were in the Forces, and we’re just a new version of them. Next time, call one of us in.”
I let out a humorless laugh. “No thanks. My team was a bunch of sexually assaulting, chauvinistic assholes. I’ll take my chances with the dicks I know won’t hurt me just for fun.” Then I wrench open the door and walk out.
“Wait, Thea!” Sniper yells and I hear him coming after me. But I’m done. I’m going home and forgetting all about tonight.
I reach the end of the hall, hearing the music beating and the laughter as people are still going strong despite it closing in on two in the morning. I feel Sniper gaining on me, but I don’t even look back as I quickly step out of the hall and toward the front door. I see Theo look over at me in concern, and then his eyes widen when he looks over my shoulder. Yeah, I can imagine that Sniper doesn’t look all that friendly now with that bomb dropped.
Sniper’s hand wraps around my wrist, spinning me, but before I can show him the error of that decision, an explosion rocks the air, and we’re thrown to the floor.