Page 66 of Sangre
“Nonsense. Rachel saw her at the bakery yesterday, and she didn’t say she wasn’t coming. She just said she hadn’t heard from you. Why haven’t you called her?”
“I’ve been busy. I don’t think she wants—”
“Of course, she does. Tell her to be at the house between four and four thirty. Nicole and Stephanie are bringing appetizers. It was Stephanie’s idea. I think those things ruin people’s appetites, but she said she found some recipes in one of her numerous cooking magazine subscriptions. Jim must be spending a fortune on all those magazines. They’re expensive. I see them when I’m standing in line at the grocery store, and I’m appalled at how much they cost. When your father and I were first married…”
Tuning her out, he turned to the computer and opened one of the company’s newest contracts. He chuckled under his breath: In his mother’s eyes, his brother Jim was perfect, and his wife, Stephanie, was flawed. A couple of minutes later, he heard a loud, frantic voice, “Steve? Are you there?”
“Sorry, Mom. The phone dropped. I’m at work so I gotta go.”
“I do too. I just know Riley’s into something. He’s being too quiet. Make sure you tell Jor—I mean Isla to be at the house. Why don’t you pick her up? That would be so nice and polite if you did. You two used to be tight when you were kids.” A large gasp came over the phone. “I have to go. Riley’s covered in glitter and paint. He must’ve gotten into my craft supplies. See you on Sunday.”
Sangre put down the phone and scrubbed his face with his hand.Isla said she’s coming to Mom’s?He thought for sure she’d be pissed at him for dissing her, and a part of him wanted her to never want to see him. Something was going on inside of him that he didn’t want to acknowledge. He kept telling the brothers and himself that they were only friends, but he didn’t feel like a friend. When it came to Isla, he was one hundred percent male, wanting to touch her, taste her, and fuck her. All he could think about was how good it’d feel to be inside her as she screamed out his name until her throat was raw.
Those stirrings Sangre held inside were different than he’d had for any of the women with whom he’d been involved. There’d been lust with all of them, but nothing more than that. The lasting connection, the ease in conversation, the humor, and the need to be together were absent in all of his past relationships. His body, especially his damn dick, was in overdrive whenever he was with Isla or thought about her, which was all the time. She was turning his world upside down, and he didn’t think he liked that one bit.
And now, Isla would be at Sunday dinner with his family, and he couldn’t deny the rush of excitement at the idea of seeing her. Sangre pounded his fist on the desk, pissed at the way he was acting.It’s like I’m back in high school. Fuckin’ shameful, man!
The door opened and Eagle popped his head in. “Did you have a chance to go over the expenses for the new contract? I was thinking that we may want to put our new hires on it.”
Sangre swiveled around to the computer. “I was just getting ready to review it. I got distracted. I’d like Ron to work on the gigs that require a lot more than sitting on your ass at a post. He’s got the experience, and he’d be a good fit at the trucking company. The other two will probably work out okay at the new place.”
“Sounds good. Cue Ball just came in. He’s manning the phones tonight and making sure everyone is where they’re supposed to be.”
“Who’s on for Isla today and tonight?” Sangre kept his gaze on the computer screen.
“Keith’s on now, and Jeff is gonna relieve him for the graveyard shift. Mark has the day off. You good with that?”
He shrugged. “Sure. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I know you feel real protective with her since you guys go way back.” Eagle walked over to the mini-fridge and took out a can of root beer. “Cueball said you’re headed to Lust later on.”
“I have to go over the books. It looks like we have a slight discrepancy, and I wanna make sure it’s just an error and not intentional.” His face grew tight. Anyone who tried to game the Night Rebels was playing with fire. A clerical error was understandable, but if he found out someone was cheating the club, there’d be hell to pay.
“When’re you going? I may join you. I haven’t been there in a few months.”
“I’m leaving in a couple of hours.”
“Count me in. Come get me when you’re heading out.” Eagle gulped down the drink, crushed the can, threw it in the waste paper basket, and walked out.
Pushing all thoughts of Isla from his mind, he squinted as he read the small numbers on the screen, hell bent on getting some work done before he headed over to the strip club.
When he and Eagle entered Lust, it took a few seconds to adjust to the dim lighting. Two women on stage wiggled and twirled on the poles while men sat transfixed by their movements. Army came over, smiling broadly.
“I didn’t think you were gonna show,” he said to Sangre.
“I had to finish up some things at the office. How’s business?”
“Real good. Between four and six o’clock we’re jammed during the week. It’s the time when the husbands can slip in, watch a few hot dances, and be back home with the wife and kiddies before their dinner is on the table. Works out well for us.”
The men laughed then Sangre headed to the office behind the stage. When he slipped behind the dark blue curtains, a few women milled around. A brunette wearing a tight-fitting short dress smiled at him.
“Where have you been hiding? It’s been too long.” She came over and gave him a hug. Her strong floral perfume made his nose stuff up.
“How’ve you been?” he asked, stepping back from her.
“Okay. Nothing too exciting going on with me. What about you?” She ran her eyes over his body, her gaze lingering on his crotch.
“I can’t complain. I came here to get some work done, babe. I’ll catch up with you later.” He closed the office door behind him. Sangre hadn’t seen Elise since he broke up with her the previous year. When she’d first taken the job at Lust, he’d been surprised that it hadn’t bothered him when the guys leered at her. She’d blamed their break up on the fact that he was jealous and couldn’t handle her taking her clothes off in front of a bunch of men, but that had nothing to do with it. The usual policy for club members was that they couldn’t date or screw around with any of the employees at their businesses, so when Elise had been hired, Steel came to him and told him the policy didn’t apply. The way the club had seen it, Sangre was already dating the dancer before she was hired. What the Night Rebels hadn’t known was that he’d been on the verge of breaking up with her when she started working at Lust.
