Crossing Lines (Roughshod Rollers MC 1)

“My name is Paige Lopez… You left a message for me?”

“I did,” I say, my mouth dry. “Are you willing to speak with me?”

The woman goes quiet. She is silent for so long that I feel my hopes beginning to slip away. I sit slowly in my desk chair and put down the pen that I had gripped in a white-knuckled hold as soon as I reached the desk, ready to note down anything this woman could tell me.

Then…

“Yes.” Paige takes a deep breath and then laughs quietly. “Yes, I am.”

A triumphant smile slowly blooms onto my face.

I have him.

Tom

A low wave of sound greets me as I kick the door to the Anchor Bar open, and I sneer at it. On my left side, the black-haired girl presses her huge breasts against my side and giggles at the expression on my face. The brunette on my other side makes a face and grabs my arm with her long, painted nails.

“Didn’t you say it would be quiet?” she pouts.

“It is,” I say shortly, and step forward, dragging the two girls after me.

They step willingly at my side. They know what I want and what I’m after, and they’re happy to play that game with me. Regardless of what others might say of me, I’m not about to go after the unwilling. It is, after all, so much more interesting and satisfying when others are playing the same game.

I see Grant and Ethan at the bar; their heads bent together. Ethan is the only one in his jacket since Grant is behind the bar, serving drinks. They look up at my approach and I scoff at them both before passing them by, the ladies displayed prominently on my arms.

We reach a table not too far from the bar and I drop my arms so that I can fall into a chair, kicking back in it so I can put both feet on the table.

“Get some drinks, will you?” I say to the girls.

They giggle and rush off. I see Grant reluctantly pull himself away from his conversation with Ethan and I wonder, for a moment, what they are talking about.

Then I decide that I don’t care. Fucking assholes don’t want to involve me, then I don’t have to think about them, either.

Brunette returns first, a beer in her hands. As she sets it down, however, some of it sloshes over the edge and drips on my jeans. It isn’t much, but I roar my displeasure anyway.

“Fucking bitch!” I snarl. “See how you like it!”

I splash the entire mug at her. Several of the other customers in the bar are looking at me in shock, and a pair of college students freeze as they play around the pool table, where they are consistently missing the balls they are trying to hit. But many others simply roll their eyes and look away.

Brunette sputters and wipes beer off her face. Her makeup is running, leaving her looking deliciously wrecked, and she looks like she’s about to cry. I reach out to grip her hips and tug her toward me and, despite her tearful expression, she comes willingly, wriggling against me. I lean up until my lips brush her ear.

“Get me another one,” I growl quietly.

I let her go and she rushes away. The black-haired girl returns then, carrying two red drinks that are obviously for the girls. I grab one of them, deciding that since the brunette cost me my drink, I’ll take hers. I down it in one go, grimacing at the fruity taste of it.

Brunette returns quickly, and she has two drinks, a beer and another red concoction. I sneer over at Grant, who frowns back at me; he obviously saw me snag the drink that wasn’t mine and decided to replace it.

“Yo, Tom, any news?” Ethan asks casually from the bar.

I scowl at him.

“No,” I say shortly, hoping he’ll shut up and leave me alone.

“But you said last week that…” Ethan persists.

“I fucking said no, dickhead,” I snarl, glaring at him. “So, piss off.”

Ethan rears back, smile finally falling from his stupid face. I know I’ve hurt his feelings, and I feel a moment of regret; I’ll never admit it to anyone, but I have a minor soft spot for his daughter, and I?