6. Corbin
CORBIN
T he drive to Beau’s garage seemed to take forever and not just because of Mardi Gras traffic.
My nerves increased with every mile I drove as I made my way back into town from the airport.
I couldn’t stop thinking about the price Beau would demand I pay.
I was confident he didn’t only want money.
He’d want to make this difficult for me, and he knew money wasn’t an issue. I could pay whatever price he named.
Maybe he’d demand a favor from my family, one I would of course have to negotiate with Remy. What kind of excuse would I give him? How could I have gotten in debt to Beau? My father would know my car was fine.
What else would Beau ask for? No… surely not. He couldn’t stand me. He thought I was a kid. So why would he want to… do exactly what I’d fantasized about him doing?
The last time I’d been at his shop I was sure he was giving me a hungry look, that he wanted me as much as he wanted to humiliate me, but I didn’t even know if he was gay.
For all I knew, part of the reason he disliked me was that I couldn’t pass for straight like my brothers, and I’d given up on trying.
What else did I have to offer besides my money, my body, and my family’s power? Was that all there was to me? Maybe Remington was right. Maybe I needed to grow up and figure out who I was.
Shit. This was no time to be getting philosophical. That wasn’t like me anyway. I needed to be focused on facing the enemy in his own home. I had to be prepared to negotiate and win.
When I finally reached Beau’s shop, the gate was closed.
No way in hell was I leaving Remy’s car on the street.
I was about to call Beau to ask him for the gate code, when the gate slid open, and I saw Beau standing in the front window of his shop, looking as hot as he ever had.
I took a deep breath before parking the car right in front of the door.
There was no reason for me to be afraid.
Beau might like to pretend he wasn’t afraid of anything, but he knew what would happen to him if he actually hurt me.
Remington might be amused by Beau teasing me or refusing to show me the same respect he would Remy, but my brother wouldn’t hesitate to put a bullet through the man if he dared to harm me.
Worst case, I would refuse to bargain with him and have to get the car fixed elsewhere or admit to Remington what had happened.
I’d get shit for it, but it wasn’t like the world would end.
Remington didn’t expect anything more of me.
He thought I would screw up everything he asked me to do, so what difference would it make if I actually had?
No. I couldn’t think like that. I wanted Remy to believe I could do things right, that I could stay focused, that I could even follow fucking orders because if I showed him I could, maybe he’d let me be the one to give the orders for a change.
I stepped out of the car, wishing I’d given myself time to change when I got to Remington’s to switch cars.
I was wearing my favorite distressed jeans and a t-shirt with a cartoon rainbow on it.
I was sure Beau would think I looked like a kid, and if he wasn’t gay…
It wasn’t like he’d say anything rude. He knew what my family would do to him, and he wasn’t stupid. I was absolutely sure of that.
When I walked around the car and headed toward the door of the shop, I no longer regretted my outfit because no matter what Beau thought it said about me, I could tell he appreciated me in it. His gaze moved up and down my body, and he looked… hungry.
He didn’t even glance at the car once despite my certainty he wanted to get his hands on it.
Now, I knew he also wanted to get his hands on me.
That was a terrible idea, and yet… As I watched him watching me, it was exactly what I wanted to offer.
At least I had my answer. There was no way he didn’t like men.
No straight man would look at me like that.
“Let’s make a few things clear from the start,” Beau said as he held the door open for me.
He didn’t shift out of the way for me to move past him, so my body brushed against his, and a shiver ran through me.
I couldn’t stop thinking of all the times I’d fantasized about him.
I kept telling myself I was going to stop, but I couldn’t.
I hadn’t thought of anyone but him in weeks.
I hadn’t been with anyone because no one appealed to me like he did.
He was an arrogant asshole who hadn’t shown me any respect.
I couldn’t stand him, and yet somehow he’d ruined me for other men.
How was that even fair? I shouldn’t be here asking him for a favor.
I should be figuring out a way to punish him for what he’d done. “I didn’t come here to be lectured.”
“If you want me to work on your brother’s car and be discreet about it, you will follow whatever rules I set.”
I pressed my lips together to keep myself from responding.
Remington said Beau was the best. I needed this job done by someone who would leave no evidence of what happened.
I could tell myself it didn’t matter if Remy found out, but I’d worked too hard to get him to give me more responsibility, and the car was his baby, or it had been before he’d fallen in love with Henri.
“You need to understand that I’m giving the orders here, not you. You need this work done, and I have the skills to do it.”
“You haven’t seen the damage yet.”
He rolled his eyes. “You want me to take out some scratches. I assure you I can get that job done.”
“I want it done tomorrow,” I said.
“Did you listen to the first rule?”
Could he be any more insufferable? “I’m not going to make any deals with you unless I know you can get the work done on time.”
“Are you asking me for a favor, then threatening me?” Beau moved closer to me until there were mere inches between us. I looked up at him, knowing I needed to be willing to meet his gaze. My heart hammered against my chest and, God help me, my cock was growing harder by the second.
Beau looked down at me. He was angry, but there was more than that in his eyes. I was absolutely sure part of him was enjoying this.
“I’m here to negotiate a price for the work. I’m not here to follow your orders.”
“But, you see, that’s part of the price.
You have to treat me like I’m someone you need, not someone you can dismiss.
I refuse to be treated as less than you because I work with my hands, get dirty, and actually do the day-to-day crime that makes it possible for your family to live the way they do. ”
That hit me like cold water in the face. I couldn’t stop myself from taking a step back, then another until I was pressed against the door.
Beau was too close. He was in my space, taking up all the air around me. I couldn’t breathe. I raised my hands from where they were pressed against the cool glass door and pushed at his chest. He didn’t move, not even an inch. He was like a solid brick wall.
“That will absolutely not win me over.” His voice was too calm, and that just made me angrier.
“Back off.”
“Can you ask nicely?”
“I’m not a fucking child.”
“Oh, I’m well aware of that.” He looked me up and down again, stopping to linger on my crotch. These damned jeans were too tight to conceal anything. He had to know how turned on I was. and that made me scared and angry and a whole swirl of emotions I couldn’t even identify. “You don’t own me.”
“No, but I’d like to.” His eyes widened, and he did take a step back, then another. Had he not meant to say those words? Had he not wanted to give that away?
“What do you think Remington would have to say if I let him know that?”
“You want me to believe you’re not a child, yet you need to hide behind your big brother?”
Shit. I’d said the wrong thing. I was too used to depending on my family. I needed to stand up for myself, but it wasn’t like I could fight Beau.
I reached for the gun I’d tucked into my waistband and hidden under my jacket. Before I could chicken out, I pointed it at him. “I said to back off.”
Before I even knew what had happened, Beau grabbed my gun arm and squeezed my wrist until I dropped the weapon. He pinned my arms behind me with one hand and wrapped his other arm around my throat.
“I don’t care who you are. I don’t care who your family is. If you ever pull a weapon on me again, you will suffer for it.” He was holding me just tight enough to keep me restrained, but he wasn’t actually hurting me, though it was obvious he could if he wanted to.
Neither of us said anything for several moments, but I realized he was as hard as I was. His cock pressed against my back, and I fought the urge to rub myself against him. He pressed his lips to my ear, then ran his tongue along the edge. I shivered.
“Stop fighting me. Are you serious about getting this work done?”
“Yes.”
He arched a single brow. “Yes, what?”
“No, I’m not?—”
His arm tightened against my throat.
“You won’t hurt me.”
“Are you sure about that? I’ve already told you I’m not scared of anyone.”
That couldn’t be true, not really. If he had stronger allies than my family, I would know about it. He cut off my air completely for a few seconds. When he eased up the pressure, I gasped. “Yes, sir.”
He let me go then, and I sucked in air as I rubbed my throat. Would I have bruises there? How the fuck would I explain that?
“Are you ready to listen to the rules?”
“I’m ready to negotiate the rules.”
The bastard just chuckled. “I think I just proved that’s not really an option for you.”
“Fine. What do you want?” I sounded like the spoiled child everyone accused me of being.
Beau gave me a wicked smile, and I braced myself for his answer. “I want you to work here every day for a week.”
That was not the response I was expecting. “I don’t know anything about being a mechanic.”
“I’ll teach you what you need to know, and I don’t plan to let you tinker around with cars like your brother’s or anything. There’s plenty of paperwork for you to do, or you could always make coffee for me.”
“Fuck you.”
“If you really want to add that to the price, we can talk about it, but first, I want to know you’re actually willing to work for something.”
How dare he… Was he insinuating… “That’s absurd. Just tell me how much you charge for a rush body job, and?—”
“Are you scared someone will find out? I chose a week because Remington’s out of town. He never needs to know.”
I glared at him. “How do you know when he’ll be back?”
“I keep up with handy information. Do we have a deal?”
The room swam around me. This was insane.
He couldn’t really expect me to work for him.
I’d never worked for anyone but my father and my brother, and they didn’t…
believe I could do a damn thing or act responsibly.
If I did this, maybe they would… No, I wouldn’t be able to tell them unless I could find some excuse like needing work done on my motorcycle and not wanting to ask for money.
It would prove I could get something done on my own.
As to the rest of it, I wanted Beau like I’d never wanted anyone else, but I also knew that, while we’d be explosive together, we would also be as destructive as a volcanic eruption.