Naughty Ride (The Forbidden Reverse Harem Collection)

Chapter 1

NOELLE

“Hey, Detective, your tits are showing.” Detective Marks pointed toward my chest and guffawed. “Keep those things in line before someone gets hurt.”

I glanced down at my black police-issued uniform and realized I’d missed a button this morning in my haste to arrive on time for my debriefing with Captain Delaney.

The result was a large gap in the middle of my breasts that showed a flash of my black bra.

Thank God I’d chosen the thick minimizer bra that helped keep my girls from bouncing every time I took a step.

A lurid gaze from another of my fellow detectives caused my skin to itch.

I jerked my chin up and slid the button into place without looking at it or the men heckling me from all corners of the bullpen.

The captain’s door stood open, and I barged into the room with my hands fisted at my sides.

Heat filled my cheeks, but I’d taken the time for a touch of makeup to help hide the bruised shadows under my eyes after a sleepless night of wondering why Captain Delaney had singled me out for this morning’s meeting.

“Detective.” Captain Delaney rocked his chair back and flicked his fingers toward an uncomfortable plastic chair across from him.

He’d always reminded me of a vacuum salesman, the kind of guy who showed up at your doorstep unannounced and fully expected you to listen to every word he said without interruption, then buy whatever bullshit he was selling.

I dropped into the seat, crossed my ankles, and tucked my feet beneath the chair with my hands folded in my lap.

He didn’t expect me to speak, and I had no intention of showing any of my inner turmoil.

He might be on the verge of firing me, for all I knew.

He leaned forward and the muted fluorescent light shone on his bald head, creating a halo that almost made me snort.

Nothing like an impromptu Christmas angel two weeks before Christmas to spice things up at the precinct.

“Good news, Detective.”

I straightened at the captain’s use of my title, especially because he said it with a hint of respect instead of the usual snark and misogyny I endured from my fellow detectives.

Being a woman in a larger body not only put me at the bottom of the totem pole in their man hierarchy, but it made me a daily laughingstock.

“Sir?” I kept my hands in my lap, squeezing my fingers so I didn’t leap to my feet.

A thin smile stretched his nonexistent lips. “I have a job for you.” He pushed a folder across the desk with one finger. “You’re going undercover.”

I snatched up the folder with a little too much enthusiasm and flipped it open.

Pictures filled both sides. “I don’t understand. The Steel Vipers?”

Flipping through the pages, I read the bios on each of the men.

Rafe Maddox, enforcer and leader of the Steel Vipers.

Ash DeLuca, mechanic.

Bishop Crane, former army and sergeant-at-arms.

The pictures attached to the bios held my attention.

All three men were gorgeous in a way that made my skin threaten to burst into flames.

Thick muscles covered Bishop’s chest and torso.

Ash wore a flirty smile, and Rafe… well, Rafe looked like the kind of man no one would ever want to meet in a dark alley.

“They’re a local motorcycle gang based near Grand Rapids. I want you to infiltrate the gang, find information to take them down. They’re hosting a Christmas party at their club tonight. I want you there.” Captain Delaney leaned forward.

Any hint of softness he might have shown his other detectives turned into hard lines and cold glares as he swept a glance down my body.

“I’ve sent in several others before you. All men. No one has made it longer than an hour. Consider this your trial by fire. Get what I need and you’ll be considered part of the team.”

Like all my years of work meant nothing.

I wanted to be grateful for the opportunity, and I was, but knowing he’d sent so many ahead of me meant my chances were next to zilch.

Except I was a woman.

“What exactly are the parameters of my mission?” My mouth went dry as my gaze fell once more to the folder in my lap.

“Information on smuggling and any nefarious and illegal actions taken by the Steel Vipers.” His eyes hardened to dark chips of unforgiving ice. “By any means necessary.”

Holy shit.

My breath shuddered when I tried to inhale. “Yes, sir.”

“You’ll be wearing a wire at all times. Tonight is your one chance to find an in with the gang. Snoop around while you’re in the clubhouse. It’s unlikely you’ll get any further than that, but your femininity might finally work in your favor.”

Heat gathered in my cheeks in a furious flush.

“Yes, sir.” I stood and held out my hand. “Thank you for the opportunity.”

His firm handshake should have been encouraging, but it only drove the wedge of doubt deeper.

No one here believed in me.

I finished out my workday the same as I would any other day, spending the entire day at my desk enduring the chattering laughter of grown men making asinine remarks about me like we were in junior high.

I hated that it bothered me.

Hated them for making my weight and femininity an issue.

I could outshoot half of them at the firing range and out-fight the other half in self-defense.

Did any of that matter?

Not a bit.

Did any of them care that I’d wanted to be a detective since I was old enough to say the word?

Of course not.

By the time I left the station and changed into a red dress and heels to complement my red curls and the Christmas vibe I loved so much, I’d almost talked myself into believing I had a chance at pulling this off.

I pulled into the gravel parking lot in front of the Steel Vipers’ bar and club and took several deep breaths that did nothing to ease the savage pulse pounding through my ribs.

My entire body vibrated, and not from the blaring music.

The bar looked like any other from the outside.

Even the line of motorcycles parked out front made it look normal.

But there was something in the air, some unknown danger that strummed my nerves.

My phone pinged, and I snatched it up with a shaking hand.

A text message in all caps appeared when I swiped.

MOVE THE MICROPHONE OUT FROM YOUR TITS. I’M TIRED OF HEARING THEM RUB TOGETHER. WE WON’T BE ABLE TO HEAR A DAMNED THING ANYONE SAYS.

Bastard.

I reached into the top of my dress and adjusted the wire so it was attached to the edge of my bra instead of between my breasts.

I grabbed my red purse with the Santa face on the front and slung the gold strap over my shoulder before checking my reflection in the mirror and adding a bit more lipstick.

My heels bit into the gravel when I made my way across the parking lot, but I’d spent enough time in them to know how to balance in shit situations.

I grinned at the tall man guarding the door.

He looked me over, a smirk lifting one side of his mouth.

“You look good enough to eat, sweetheart.” He swept the door open. “Come see me if you get bored.”

Damn.

Too bad he wasn’t one of the three men on the dossier.

If they were even half as polite as the bouncer, this would be a piece of cake.

My smile turned from forced to genuine.

I patted his chest as I passed, fully committing to the bar vibe.

“Tell you what, handsome, come look me up when you finish your shift.”

The sights and sounds of the club hammered me from every side when the door closed behind me.

Outside, it had been cold enough to see my breath.

Inside, I was grateful I’d chosen a sleeveless red dress that ended at my knees and had forgone a coat of any sort.

Men and women filled the cavernous space.

Metal rock music pumped out from speakers that bookended the dancefloor where a dozen or more couples gyrated in a mimicry of sex more than they danced.

I swept the place with a critical detective’s eye.

The men I needed to find were nowhere in sight.

Frustration tightened my hand around my purse strap, and the gold chain bit into my palm.

I took a steadying breath and wove my way around the tables until I reached the bar.

More than one male gaze ran the length of my body.

One guy stood and followed me to the bar, leaning his elbow on the gleaming wood surface when I slid onto the stool and crossed my legs.

The move hiked my dress to mid-thigh. I considered pulling it down, but why bother?

I wasn’t Detective Noelle Hart tonight.

Tonight, I was just Noelle.

Undercover Noelle.

Noelle on a mission.

And part of that mission meant getting close to the men in charge.

“I must have been good this year, because you are one damn fine present.” Piercing blue eyes met mine, and the light smile that played at the man’s lips brought out a matching one.

“Santa dropped me off a few days ago.” I stuck out my hand. “I’m Noelle. New in town and looking for a fun place to hang out.”

“Bryce.” He shook my hand. “Your name really Noelle?”

“Guess you’ll have to find out.”

He barked out a laugh that put a twinkle in his eyes. “Looking forward to it.”

I propped my elbow on the bar and cupped my chin in my hand. “You really think you’re a good boy?”

“I know one way to find out.” He leaned in close and whispered into my ear. “There are rooms upstairs. I could show you how good I am.”

Any means necessary.

Captain Delaney’s words rattled in my head. Did he mean…

A nauseating whoosh of breath emptied my lungs and left me lightheaded.

My smile faltered, and I gave a tiny head shake to clear my vision.

When I refocused, another man had joined the blue-eyed one. “What’s up, man? You hogging all the good ones again?”

I stood and pushed both men with a firm hand on each of their chests.

“Excuse me, I need a minute.”

Surprisingly, they let me go.

I almost missed a step on my way toward the neon sign pointing out the bathrooms.

The disparity between these men and my coworkers clanged loudly in my ears.

How were biker men more polite than the detectives?

Talk about a world gone to shit.

I paused at the door and glanced over my shoulder.

Both men stood at the bar, talking to each other, laughing and slapping each other on the back in that curious way of men.

I ducked past the bathroom door and headed up the stairs tucked into the back corner.

No lights shone in the depths, which meant I wasn’t supposed to be here.

Good.

If they truly hadn’t wanted anyone coming this way, they should have posted a guard.

Maybe it was one of those unspoken rules of the club, one I could ignore and claim as ignorance if pressed.

I’d already set the stage with my performance with Bryce.

I rehearsed my cover story on my way down the hallway.

Thick carpeting muffled my steps.

I stopped and put my ear to one of the closed doors.

Soft moans and whispered grunts caused my cheeks to burn.

Were the Steel Vipers running a sex club up here?

I almost reached for the doorknob but hesitated.

I needed concrete evidence.

Pushing deeper into the upper floor, I spotted a door at the end that looked promising.

Unlike all the others that bore discreet numbers etched into the dark wood, this one had an ornately Gothic design carved in thick black lines.

I twisted the knob, fully prepared for it to be locked.

The door swung open silently, and I stepped inside.

A shadow separated from the rest of the room and morphed into a tall man wearing black jeans, biker boots, and a black, long-sleeved Henley pulled tight over muscular arms.

Cold black eyes stood out from the depths of thick brows. “This room is off limits.”

Rafe.

I recognized him at once from the photos, and a chill swept down my spine.