“A poker run.”
I looked at Sean to see if he had any idea what that was, but he looked just as clueless as I felt.
“What is that?” I asked.
“Basically, it’s a motorcycle ride. There are five stops where the riders get a playing card. At the end of the run, the players with the winning hand from each deck are the winners.”
“And what do they win?”
Butch shrugged. “Prizes will be provided by Black Satin and Outlaw Souls, so we’ll figure that out.”
“And all the money goes to the soup kitchen?” I didn’t understand why the motorcycle club wouldn’t want to keep any money raised for themselves. How did this benefit them?
Butch folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the counter behind him. “Yes.”
“But why are you guys doing this?” I asked.
“Sabrina,” Sean tensed and said my name with a warning in his voice, but Butch didn’t look offended.
“Honestly? Because a charitable cause looks good and both Black Satin and Outlaw Souls could use some help with their image.”
I could understand that. It was the same thing that my family did with our photo opportunity here around Christmas time, using the image of working with a charity for the benefit of my father’s career. It might not be the most ideal way for the soup kitchen to receive help, but in the end, we’d have the money to feed more people, and that was all that mattered.
“Butch is going to need to work with someone here to plan the event, and I’d like you to do it,” Sean said.
“Me? Are you sure?”
“Of course. You’re one of the most organized people I know.”
I bit my lip as I looked Butch up and down with a quick flicker of my eyes. Could I work with him on a project and not give in to the temptation ignited by his mere presence? I doubted it.
But this could be a great way to earn some money for the soup kitchen and it meant a lot to me that Sean had chosen me to do this.
“Count me in,” I said with more confidence than I felt.
“Great. Why don’t you two take my office to hash things out while I get started on dinner?”
“But shouldn’t you be there, too?” I wasn’t so sure about being alone with Butch in a confined space.
“Don’t worry,” Sean said, placing a hand on my shoulder as he smiled at me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Butch’s eyes narrow as he glared at the point of contact. “I trust you to take care of this.”
With that vote of confidence, he led us to his office, opening the door and gesturing for us to enter. We’d barely stepped inside when he closed the door. Butterflies danced in my belly as the air seemed to thicken with tension. I walked around behind Sean’s small desk, trying to put some distance between us for my own sanity. When I turned to face him, his eyes were already on me, but not in a heated stare. This time there was a slight frown on his face.
“So...this is weird,” I said, deciding that it would be best to just address the issue.
“Only because you snuck out of the apartment. Seeing me again wouldn’t be uncomfortable if you’d stuck around to say goodbye.”
“Okay, that’s fair.” I bit my lip as I took a seat in Sean’s office chair. “I’m sorry about that.”
He sat too, taking one of the two chairs across from me and relaxing.
“You know, you left something behind,” he smirked.
Oh, God. My panties.
I’d forgotten all about that.
“I, uh...I couldn’t find them…”
