That was the old Samantha, the classic good girl who always worried about disappointing her mother and father. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth when she thought about all the rules she’d already broken in less than a day, and just how good it felt to be bad for a change. Especially when it came to Clay.
Once they were both settled into the small and surprisingly comfy car, Katrina glanced at Samantha as she turned the key in the ignition. “Clay said you’ll be working as a bar waitress at Kincaid’s, so you’ll need some jeans and comfortable shoes, right?”
Samantha nodded, trying to read Katrina’s tone, but the woman was really good at keeping her true thoughts concealed. So, she tried to explain. “I know this whole situation, with me staying with Clay and working at the bar, must look odd to you—”
“Oh, it’s not odd at all,” Katrina interrupted before she could finish, a small smile on her lips as she shrugged. “It’s what Saint Clay does. He takes care of people.”
Samantha frowned. Saint Clay? She tried to make sense of the nickname and wondered how it related to the gruff man she’d met, but before she could question Katrina, the other woman spoke.
“We’d better get moving.” She put the car in reverse to back it out of the parking spot. “I have two hours before Mason expects me back at the shop, though honestly, he can kiss my ass for making that demand, considering I am the manager of the place and not his personal slave.”
Samantha couldn’t stop the grin that appeared as the other woman pulled into traffic. Oh, yeah, she liked Katrina. A lot. The girl obviously had no qualms about saying it like it was or refusing to take crap from anyone.
“Mason is Clay’s brother, right?” Samantha asked.
“He’s one of Clay’s brothers, yes,” Katrina said as she slipped a pair of sunglasses on her face. “There’s also Levi, who’s the youngest of the three.”
Being an only child, Samantha had always wanted a sibling, but right after she’d been born, there had been complications that had forced her mother to have an emergency hysterectomy—which was something Samantha’s father hadn’t been happy about, since he’d gotten a daughter instead of the son he wanted.
“I take it they’re all close?”
“You wouldn’t think so when you see them interact, but to be fair, Mason can be an asshole, and he likes to push both of his brothers’ buttons.” Humor infused Katrina’s voice before her expression turned more serious. “But yeah, they’re close. The three of them have been through a lot of shit together, and there’s nothing they wouldn’t do for each other. That said, they couldn’t be more different in looks or personality.”
Samantha was intrigued. “In what way?”
“Well, they might not look like brothers, but they are all fine, hot-looking, gorgeous pieces of man candy.” Katrina grinned, clearly appreciating that particular quality about the Kincaid brothers. “Personality-wise, Clay is the responsible, uptight one. Mason is and always has been the cocky hell-raiser, and Levi is the good, respectable cop who wouldn’t dare color outside the lines, if you know what I mean. He’s so straight-laced he squeaks.”
Samantha laughed, though she had a feeling that she’d relate well to Levi considering his character, even if she was highly attracted to Clay. Mason, she wasn’t so sure about. He sounded like a bad boy who enjoyed corrupting good girls, like the kind of guy her mother had warned her to stay away from as a teenager. And she’d dutifully kept her distance from those kinds of boys, even if they had fascinated her from afar.
After this morning with Clay, Samantha understood the appeal of being corrupted by a man who was bad and tough and pure alpha male. Clay’s more dominant tendencies had excited her in ways she’d never known were possible, probably because the men she’d dated up to this point had been too polite, proper, and uninspiring in the bedroom.
And in Harrison’s case, he liked everything clean and orderly, including any physical contact—whether that was shaking someone’s hand or what the two of them did in the bedroom. His OCD affliction, combined with being a severe germaphobe, had made sex a quick and to-the-point process. There hadn’t been any leisurely foreplay with mouths and fingers sliding in hot, wet places. No deep, steamy, tongue-tangling kisses that made her melt. And as soon as it was over, he’d moved off the bed to take a shower. Without her.
She’d already had plenty of gentlemen, along with soft and gentle and sweet, and that was the last thing she desired from an assertive man like Clay. She wanted to be claimed and possessed in the exact way he’d described this morning. She wanted to experience what it was like to be at the sensual mercy of Clay’s hands and mouth. She wanted to feel what it was like to be pinned beneath his strong, hard body as he fucked her, giving her no choice but to accept whatever pleasure he gave her.
Samantha swallowed back a soft moan at the fantasy playing in her mind. With extreme effort, she forced herself to focus on what Katrina was saying as she continued to talk about the Kincaid brothers in an animated voice that indicated she knew all of them pretty well and was fond of each one.
“I take it you’ve known them a long time?” Samantha asked when Katrina stopped talking.
“I met Mason when I was fourteen and we…” She paused for a moment, as if catching herself before she said something she hadn’t meant to share before continuing more tentatively. “We went to the same high school. We bonded over something we had in common, and we’ve been best friends since.”
Samantha instinctively knew there was more to that story, but didn’t want to pry. “And now you work with him?”
“Actually, I work for Mason,” Katrina clarified as she turned the car into a large shopping center with an array of stores, with Target as the anchor. “He owns a tattoo shop a few streets over from Clay’s bar that’s called Inked. Mostly I manage the place and
do his accounting and keep his shit together, but I also occasionally draw art for clients, though I don’t do the actual tattooing.”
Samantha’s gaze once again took in the stunning images displayed on her skin that looked so lifelike. “Did Mason do all those butterflies on your arm and neck?”
“No. Someone else did,” Katrina replied as she turned the Beetle into a parking spot.
Considering Katrina had just said that Mason was her best friend, along with the fact that she worked in his shop, Samantha was surprised another artist had tattooed her instead. “Well, they’re beautiful.”
“Thank you.” The other woman took off her sunglasses, giving Samantha a brief glimpse of something more emotional in regard to those butterflies, before it was chased away by a light and fun smile. “Come on. Let’s go get the things you need and spend some of Clay’s money.”
Katrina made it sound as though he had a ton of cash to burn, which couldn’t be the case considering where his bar was located and the tiny apartment he lived in. Regardless, Samantha hated the thought of having to spend any of Clay’s money. “I just need the basics to get me through to my first paycheck.” And then she’d be reimbursing him for everything she bought today.
As she got out of the car and followed Katrina toward the huge retail store, the other woman glanced her way with a devious grin. “Trust me, you’ll have money before your first paycheck. We’ll get you a pair of tight-fitting jeans to wear while you’re working, along with a snug Kincaid’s T-shirt, and I can guarantee that the men who come into the bar will be throwing tips your way.”