Total pages in book: 120
Estimated words: 111610 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 558(@200wpm)___ 446(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 111610 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 558(@200wpm)___ 446(@250wpm)___ 372(@300wpm)
I don’t have to say Samantha’s name. We both know exactly who I’m talking about.
“Honestly?” Evan asks, and I nod even though his jaw’s gone stone tight and I know what he’s thinking. “It’s a bad idea. Chance, the reason they open up with us is because the club is a safe space. You bring a female in here? They’ll shut right the fuck up, and it’ll turn into a dick-measuring competition instead of brothers having each other’s backs.”
“But some aren’t listening now as is, and if she’s not interested, they’ll have to learn to behave. That’s like Basics 101 on how to be a good guy. Hell, a good human who respects others.”
"The guys who don’t listen to us aren’t gonna listen to a woman. That’s their issue. They’re their own worst enemy, but we’ve always pulled them out of the shithole of their own making and taught them ways to do better,” Evan argues. But seeing my face, he sighs. “It’s not hypothetical, is it?”
“Look, she can appeal to them in a way we can’t,” I offer.
“I see where you’re going, and you’re not wrong, but they could also spend the whole time posturing and acting like they don’t need help,” Evan points out. “I don’t like it.”
“She can handle them, and I’ll be here if she needs backup for anyone.” We both know I’m talking about Anthony, but there are other guys who could really use an opportunity to see a woman who’s bright, well-spoken, and strong.
Especially one who takes an interest in helping them learn.
“You already did the deal, didn’t you?” Evan asks, genuinely hurt. When I dip my chin affirmatively, he adds, “This is our thing. We run this ship together, and you should’ve come to me first.”
He’s right. I’d be pissed as hell if he did something like this, and he’s never let Reagan affect the plans we have for the club. But I also really think I’m making the best choice here. For the club, the guys, and even for Evan and me. “I’m sorry. I should’ve discussed it with you first.”
No frivolities or justifications, just the truth. That’s the way it should be done. But I’m also not stepping the decision back, so I don’t offer any leeway.
He pushes his chair back and stands up, sighing. “You made this deal without me, so if this blows up, it’s on you. But given that you already slept with her, there’s a complicating factor here. That’s got to stop if she’s an employee, or even a contractor, and you need to keep that history under wraps. Any hint of nepotism will be damning to both of us. And your sleeping with an employee would look even worse. The last thing we need is to hand ammunition to the trolls on a silver platter. You’d be Jake McGibbons 2.0 overnight.”
I nod. “Understood.”
CHAPTER 14
SAMANTHA
The knock on my door is loud and demanding. “Come in!” I shout from the kitchen, already guessing who it is. “It’s open!”
“That’s it? That’s all you’ve got for your best friend in the world? The one who is so concerned about you that she’s literally early to our work sesh?” Luna asks, barging in.
She’s schlepping an oversized bag that’s covered with pins from anime conventions, wearing a tank top and sweats that’ve been chopped off at the knees, her blonde hair is hair piled up in a messy bun, and her black framed glasses are halfway down her nose. She honestly looks like a bit of a dumpster fire, but that’s pretty much her MO on a work day. You’d never guess that she’s large, in charge, and wildly successful in her own right, nor that she’s married to a man who basically shits dollar signs.
Luna drops her bag on my couch and then sits down on the floor with her legs crisscrossed, making herself at home.
I can’t fight the laughter her entrance triggers. If there’s one thing Luna never is, it’s on time. Ever. She’ll start her day with the best of intentions and then get lost in a world of her own making somewhere along the way and stop to scribble out plot notes or draw a scene for her graphic novel, Alphena. At that point, schedules become suggestions, and ‘seven o’clock’ becomes ‘sometime around sunset’.
“Concerned? That’s what you’re rolling with?” I echo. “And you’re not early, but you are only fifteen minutes late, so that probably qualifies for you.”
“Whatever,” she quips dismissively. “Spill the good stuff. Catch me up on the ‘Chance is a sex god’ storyline.” She throws her hands high in the air and sing-songs the teasing reminder of the description I gave of Chance before pushing her glasses up her nose so she can hear better.
Yeah, that makes sense when it comes to Luna.
I set a bowl of popcorn and my huge, insulated tumbler on the coffee table, then curl up in my favorite chair. “Shouldn’t we work first? Our forty-five/fifteen deal only works when we do the work part first.”