“Yo, Dean!” A knock accompanies Axel’s shout. “Pres wants a meet…tonight.”
I sigh as I close my laptop and walk to the door. If the president of the MC wants a meeting, it means I’m going to have to do something I detest. It’s not the gun running or even the drugs I hate. It’s knowing that there will be women available, and as a ‘single’ guy, there’s no reason for me not to take one. I’m going to have to cheat on the woman who doesn’t even know she’s mine.
Despite how much I hate what I’m walking into, I open the door with a devious grin.
“I hope he’s got some better club bitches by now,” I say to Axel. “My dick nearly shriveled up and ran from the last one he offered me.”
Not realizing how honest my statement is, Axel guffaws as he turns and walks toward his bike.
I throw my leg over my Chopper and start the engine before following him to the Hell Hounds’ clubhouse.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Sloan
I’m just about to step out of the bathroom when the hushed yet intense voices coming from Dean’s office stop me. I put my ear to the door and listen to their conversation in hopes that it will give me something. Whether I’m looking for a reason to stay or an excuse to run away again, I’m not sure.
“You know I’ve got your back, Lancaster,” Riley says. “But this is playing with fire. She could ruin you.”
“She won’t.” Dean’s voice is firm. “Besides, after being this close to her again…” His voice trails off, and I can picture him running a hand through his hair. “Fuck, man. I can’t lose her again.Thatwould ruin me.”
If I were looking for a reason to stay, I just got it. Hearing Dean say that he doesn’t want to lose meagainlets me knowthat my feelings were never one-sided. I just wish he’d let me know this years ago.
“Alright,” Riley replies with resignation in his voice. “I’ll set the profile up for full access. I just need her prints and a username to get started.”
Knowing that my eavesdropping ways are about to be busted, I paste a bright smile on my face before opening the door and stepping into the room.
“Hi, Riley. It’s been a long time,” I say as I walk toward where they’re sitting at the round table in the corner of the room.
“Not as long as you think,” he mumbles before pinching his mouth closed when Dean glares at him. “I mean…it’s good to see you, too.”
Riley stands and takes a couple of steps toward me as he opens his monstrous arms like he’s waiting for a hug. He winks at me when Dean lets out a growl as he stands from the other side of the table.
Not one to pass up a chance to push Dean’s buttons, I step into Riley’s arms and hug him like I’ve done it a thousand times. Even though this is a first.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Dean says as he pulls me from Riley’s embrace, making us both laugh.
“If you can’t toleratemegiving her a friendly hug…” Riley taps himself on the chest. “How are you going to watch her give a customer a lap dance?”
“I…” Dean slumps behind me as his hands tighten on my waist. “Fuck, this is gonna suck.”
“It’s not like it’s the first time…” Riley’s words trail off when he looks at Dean’s face before his eyes drop back to mine with a sigh. “I’ve got everything ready to get you logged into Dean’s security system.”
When he waves toward the table they were sitting at earlier, I notice a laptop with some kind of device connected to it.He explains the fingerprint pad and walks me through placing my hands and fingers on the pad to capture my prints. Then, he switches to another device to capture my face and scan my retinas. His hands fly across the keys of the laptop as Dean pulls me across the room to the couch.
“You’ll have access to everything,” Dean tells me as we sit with him turned to face me. “You’re theonlyone who has full access besides Mac and me. This office doubles as a panic room. We’ll show you how everything works to lock it down if you ever need to.”
I nod, not trusting that my voice won’t shake if I speak. This is all becoming real, and—while I’m here for it—it’s taking me a minute to process what this means. Dean is trusting me in ways that I never expected, and I’m beginning to fear letting him down. Before I’m forced to speak, the tapping on the keys across the room stops.
“Okay,” Riley says. “It’s ready to go. I just need her username.”
“Dahlia,” Dean says without taking his eyes off of me. As the typing resumes, he tells me, “You are the queen of this club. I want you to act as if you own it. Everyone who matters will know that you’re mine. We’re partners in this. Do you understand?”
I shake my head, confused until he pulls a folded paper from his pocket and hands it to me. It’s a flyer for tomorrow’s grand opening, listing ‘Dancing Dahlia’ as the main entertainer, and the name of the club listed at the top of the flyer is…Dahlia’s Deception.
“I have a lot to tell you,” Dean says. “But the most important thing is that youownme, Sloan.”
“All done,” Riley says, pulling our attention to him. “You ready for the rundown, Dahlia?”
