I was in a tough place right now. I hadn't wanted to transport the coke back from Jersey, but I'd been able to justify that. This was a whole other level of crazy. Suppliers who had that much shit laying around weren't easy-going people. They were ruthless. Booker might've been a scary bastard, but my gut told me that whoever he wanted us to rip off was ten times worse.
On top of all of that, though, was what had happened yesterday with Bryne. What we'd done in the car had been hot – hell, just thinking about it made me hard – but the sex part of it wasn't what I kept thinking about. Not only the sex anyway. It was the thing I'd realized as I came inside her. That she was mine.
That scared me more than Booker or anything he wanted me to do. My mom was my family. She was the only person I cared about. I liked Carrie and Gavin good enough, but that was as far as it went. I didn't get attached to anyone. And I sure as hell didn't claim some nineteen-year-old I hadn't even known a month.
Except I had.
She might not have known it, but I did. No one got to put their hands on her for any reason unless I was okay with it, and I was damn sure there weren't many men I’d be okay with.
I sent her a text when I stopped for lunch and then wondered if I should work on being less crude, more romantic. Girls were supposed to like that shit. Well, not the kind I'd fucked before. They wanted a heavy hand and a dirty mouth. Or at least they pretended to because they thought that was what guys like me wanted. I'd always thought that was what I wanted too, but Bryne changed things.
Sort of.
I wanted to fuck her hard, tie her up, make her suck my cock...but more than any of that, I wanted her to like it. While I'd never forced anyone, I didn't really give a second thought when they agreed to any of the shit I wanted. A girl said she wanted me to fuck her in the ass, I did it, and never thought twice about whether it was something she really wanted or if she just wanted me enough to put up with it. I didn't care why she did it. That was her business. I had no problem getting a girl off, but I also didn't care if she was faking it.
But I wanted Bryne to like what I did to her, even if she was doing it to please me. In fact, the thought of her trusting me enough to do something she might not think she'd like, then making it so good for her that she begged for it...
I closed my eyes and mentally took apart a carburetor and put it back together a couple of times, anything to keep myself from going back to work with a hard-on. I kept busy after lunch, but as soon as I hit the end of my shift, I punched out and left, Bryne the only thing on my mind.
The moment she stepped outside of the theater, I felt like I was suffocating and hadn't even realized it until I could breathe again. I might've been a fucking pussy for thinking like that, but it was true, and I wasn't sure I could lie to myself about her anymore.
I was already taking a step toward her, ready to kiss her until she couldn't remember her name...and then it all went to hell because her mother showed up. A flare of panic went through me. I'd admitted to myself that she was mine, but meeting her mom, that was a whole other level, and I hadn't even gotten used to this level. I'd never met anyone's mom before. I had no clue how to behave around a mom that wasn't mine. Bryne and I hadn't talked about what we were to each other. I didn't even know how to introduce myself.
It hadn't taken long for me to see that I didn't have to worry about that. Bryne wasn't going to introduce me at all. Well, not as anything more than the guy who worked on her car. And then when I told her I was leaving, I thought she'd at least acknowledge it. Instead, I barely got a wave.
As I walked away, I told myself that it didn't matter. That just because she'd met my mom, I shouldn't expect her to introduce me to hers. Besides, it wasn't like I'd actually meant for them to meet. It was as much of an accident as this was. I couldn't say I wouldn't have reacted the same way if my mom had shown up suddenly.
Except while I probably wouldn't have had a clue what to call Bryne, I wouldn't have wanted her to leave. I would've wanted my mom to get to know her, to see what an awesome person she was. If she'd tried to leave, I would've asked her to stay, wanted her to be there with me.
I wouldn't have just been okay with her walking off.
It took me until I was halfway to the subway to realize that I wasn't just annoyed. I was hurt.
I'd never been hurt by a woman before. Never cared enough to.
And I fucking hated it.
I practically stomped onto the subway car, ignoring the people scrambling to get out of my way. They should move. Should be scared of me. I wasn't a good guy and deep down, I knew that was why Bryne didn't want to introduce me to her mom. Carrie and Gavin had given me the benefit of the doubt because of my mom, and I'd blown it because I wasn't the kind of person who deserved to be trusted.
Twenty minutes later, the shop door rebounded with a loud bang when I slammed in, and I glowered at the new guy when he jumped. Little Eddie looked surprised, but the biggest reaction came from the person who was sitting on Force's lap.
Cleo nearly fell on the floor trying to get off Force, yanking her skirt down as far as it was possible to get that skimpy thing. Which pretty much just meant that it covered up the neon pink thong she was wearing underneath. And that hadn't covered much. Even if I hadn't been caught up with Bryne, seeing Cleo flash her pussy wouldn't have done much for me. I'd never be desperate enough to get back into that. My hand was safer.
“Dax, babe, didn't think you were comin' tonight.” She batted her fake eyelashes at me.
“I was supposed to be,” Force griped good-naturedly.
I jerked my chin at him but spoke to Cleo. “Don't be such a cock tease.”
She kept her eyes on me as she reached down and grabbed Force's cock through his jeans. “If you wanted to watch, all you had to do was ask.”
“I wanna watch.” The new guy leered at her.
She completely ignored him. If she hadn't been jerking Force off through his pants, I would've said she was ignoring everyone but me. Since even that was about me, it was still true.
“How about it, Dax? You want to watch me suck him off? Or do you finally have the balls to share me? You can fuck me while he's in my mouth.”
I didn't know if it was because of Bryne, or just because Cleo was the one making the offer, but it didn't appeal to me at all.
“Do what you want, Cleo.” I looked over at Little Eddie who was the only one not getting into the show. “Georgie in the office?”
“Booker too.” He kept tinkering with the engine in front of him.
As I walked toward the back, I realized that I'd never seen Little Eddie with a woman. Not a hooker, not a groupie. He was quiet, so maybe it wasn't his style to be like the rest of us, but now I was starting to wonder if maybe the reason he kept his mouth shut was because he was into guys. I didn't care, but Georgie would. I didn't know about Force or Booker. Better that Little Eddie kept it to himself.
I didn't want to talk to Booker or Georgie, but I went in and talked to them both. I tried telling them that this was a bad idea, but I didn't push it. I was smart enough to know if I'd flat-out said we shouldn't do it, there was a good chance one of them would simply shoot me and make my body disappear. Blunt force wouldn't work to get myself out of it. I had to be smart.
A bitter voice in the back of my head said that I should just go along with it. I'd already lost my job at Club Privé, and Bryne had made it clear that I wasn't good enough to meet her mother. What did I have to lose? It was only the thought of my mom that made me not want to give in. That, and the shred of hope I held on to that maybe Bryne hadn't been blowing me off.
I paid attention as we set everything up, made a few suggestions, but didn't try to show up Georgie. The last thing I wanted was Booker to try to put me in charge, and then Georgie take things into his own hands because he'd finally had enough.
After we finally had everything set for next week, I went back out into the shop, intending to work on a bike I'd been restoring.
I
heard them before I came out of the little hallway, but it was still hard to keep my face completely blank when I saw them. I knew a reaction was what Cleo was looking for, so I didn't give her one. I didn't even look away. I just looked bored.
Force had her bent over the chair he'd been sitting on, her skirt around her waist, his hands under her shirt, grabbing her tits. The new guy was gawking, his cock hanging out of his pants as he jerked on it.
She smiled at me and let out a loud moan that I was pretty sure was fake.
“You want next?” Force asked.
“Naw. Already had her,” I said, watching her face darken. “Have fun.”
Force yanked out of her, stripped off the condom, and finished himself off all over her back. He looked over at Little Eddie who wasn't paying any more attention now than he had been before, then turned to the new guy.
“Wrap it up.” He tossed a condom over. “And if she says no, you stop.”
The new guy looked surprised but didn't argue. That was good. I knew most of the guys in the gang didn't always care about consent, especially when things got going, but Force was one of the decent ones. He might've been involved in some illegal shit, and I wasn't sure respectful was the right word for him, but he didn't stand for rape.
“Not that she ever says no.” Georgie's voice came from behind me. “Right, Dax?”
I shrugged as the new guy started slamming into Cleo. I tried not to snicker. He looked like he was trying out for some shitty porno or something. Cleo looked annoyed, but she didn't tell him to stop. Georgie wasn't wrong about that. I'd never heard her say no. To anything.
I went over to where I'd left the bike I was working on, still half-watching as Georgie walked over, unzipping his pants. He shoved his cock into Cleo's mouth, and I wondered if she thought she was making me jealous. I didn't know what to think about what'd happened earlier with Bryne, and I was still pissed about it, but I still didn't feel anything about the fact that Cleo was getting fucked only a few feet away. Definitely not even close to the way I felt when I'd seen August touching Bryne.
Then again, Cleo wasn't mine. Bryne was.
Chapter Seven
Bryne
Even after spending all of yesterday evening with my mom before taking her to a hotel, I still hadn't wrapped my head around it all by the time I got home. I'd considered staying with Mom, but in the end, I needed the distance to think. She said that she'd come to make things right between us, but we hadn't gotten very far last night. Things between us had been tense, to say the least. We'd stuck to small talk, and I'd shared every single detail I could think of about my weeks here in New York.
Well, everything except Dax. He was one detail I intended to keep to myself, at least for the time being. I was pretty sure he was upset with how I'd handled things when Mom surprised me, and I knew I’d have to deal with it, but after a fairly restless night, I knew that my mom had to come first.
And the main reason for that was leaning against the counter when I came into the kitchen. Gavin gave me his usual morning smile which, pre-coffee, looked more like a scowl.
The one thing Mom said she needed to do to make things right was meet Gavin. Now I just had to sell that to my uncle.
“Hey, Bryne,” Carrie said as she poured herself a cup of decaf coffee. She took a sip and sighed. “I miss caffeine.” She ran her hand over her rounded stomach. “And alcohol.”
Gavin leaned over and murmured something in Carrie's ear that made her turn pink and nearly choke on her coffee. It was then that I knew what I had to do to get Gavin and Mom to meet.
I needed Carrie on my side.
After a light lunch that was definitely less tense than our dinner the night before, Mom and I headed over to meet Gavin and Carrie. At least I didn't have to worry about Mom either being intimidated by or looking down on them financially. Money was one less thing they had to feel weird about, and considering the history they had to get past, they could use all the help they could get.
I hadn't talked to Gavin directly about any of this, leaving it all to Carrie, and she hadn't let me down. After breakfast, I'd done some shopping and then headed over to the hotel to pick up my mother. She'd visited New York before, but it'd always been on business. Political parties with Nana and Papa. Fundraisers. That sort of thing.
So before lunch, we did the tourist thing. Sort of. Mom loved art, so we went to the Met. While I wasn't as much of an art person as my mother, I could definitely appreciate it. Once we'd eased the tension between us by bonding over art, we headed to lunch.
I felt much better about Mom being here by the time Carrie texted me to say we should come by, but I still wasn't entirely at ease with what was coming. I liked Gavin, but he was an intense guy. And Mom wasn't exactly the calmest person in the world. She was furious when she learned she had a half-brother, especially once she'd realized that their father had ignored her for him.
I knew she didn't really think that it was his fault, but that didn't mean she wouldn't be...well, impolite seemed like the nicest way to say it.
I gave her a smile as I let us into the loft. Carrie and Gavin were waiting inside, the expression on Gavin's face said that he wasn't entirely sure he wanted to be doing this. Carrie, however, was all smiles.
“Hi, welcome.” She held out her hand as she came over. “I'm Carrie, Gavin's wife.”
“Allison Dawkins.” Mom shook Carrie's hand and then turned to Gavin. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
An uncomfortable silence followed for several seconds.
“Who wants something to drink?” Carrie suggested brightly.
“Yes, please,” Mom said.
“I'll get it,” Gavin offered. He took two steps, then stopped when Carrie gave him a hard look. “On second thought, I'll stay here.”
“I'll help her,” I said. I had one more favor to ask Carrie, and this was as good a time as any.
As I followed my aunt, I heard my mom thank Gavin for letting me stay here.
“We're glad to do it,” he said. “She's a great kid.”
“She is,” Mom agreed. “Stubborn as hell. Just like her father.”
I frowned but didn't stop to argue that she had her own stubborn streak. If talking about me broke the ice, I'd let it go.
“They'll be fine,” Carrie said as she went over to the wine rack. “Your mom and Gavin. They'll put the blame on Chauncey where it belongs, and we'll all be one big, happy family.”
“You sound pretty sure of that.”
I pulled out four wine glasses, then turned to the fridge. Carrie, obviously, wouldn't be drinking, and while I was pretty sure she'd give me a glass if I asked, I didn't want one, so I got out a bottle of sparkling water for the two of us.
“Because I am,” she said. “They're both intelligent people, and they'll respect that about each other. Once your mom sees that Gavin didn't have an idyllic childhood, and he sees that she's not going to blame him for what his dad did, it'll all be good.”
The corner of my mouth twitched up. “Has anyone ever told you that you're overly optimistic?”
She laughed. “No, but if you'd gone through all of the shit Gavin and I have in the time we've known each other, you'd see that anything is possible.”
I thought about what I knew had happened to them over the last couple years, and I supposed looking at it that way, I could see how this didn't seem like a big deal.
“I really want them to get along,” I admitted. “I hadn't realized how much until now. You and Gavin have done so much for me, and I don't really have any other family.”
“You have us.” She reached out and squeezed my hand. “No matter what.”
It was now or never. “Can I ask you a favor?”
“Sure.” Carrie put the wine away.
“Would you be willing to hire Dax back at the club?”
She raised an eyebrow. “I'm guessing that means you forgave him for taking off and not telling you what he was doing?”
“I did,” I said
. “But I'm worried. He wouldn't tell me much about where he was, and I got the impression that what he did tell me wasn't exactly the truth.”
“So he lied to you, and you want me to give him his job back?”
“I think whatever he's involved in has to do with his mom,” I said, feeling my face grow warm. “And I think it's about money, so if he has another job, he won't do anything stupid.”
It wasn't the most put-together argument, and I didn't have any proof beyond my gut, but I hoped it'd be enough to get Dax his job back. After all, even though I hadn't asked Carrie to fire him, she'd done so because of how things had gone between the two of us.
Carrie sighed. “That's what Annabeth's worried about too. That he's getting into something dangerous rather than asking for help.” She picked up two glasses and jerked her chin toward the other two. “Do you really think that if he comes back to the club, it'll make a difference?”
“I hope so,” I answered honestly as I picked up the other two glasses.
She paused and gave me a searching look. “You really like him, don't you?”
“I do.”
“All right then.”
Without any further clarification, she walked back out into the living room, and I followed.
“All right what?” I kept my voice low. The last thing I needed was Mom hearing that I'd been seeing Dax and hadn't told her. And Gavin finding out that I was still sleeping with Dax would be almost as bad. I had visions of the two of them ganging up on me.
“I'll hire him back on a probationary basis,” she explained, keeping her voice quiet. “I won't consider it official until I know I can trust him.”
“And Gavin will be okay with that?”
She gave me a mischievous grin, dark eyes sparkling. “You leave Gavin to me.”
I was pretty sure I knew how she planned on convincing him.
“You want me to let Dax know?” she asked.
I shook my head. “I'll take care of it.”