No. She wasn’t going to allow that man to ruin this for her. If this job was a good fit, then she had solved her problem within one day.
****
Bull arrived at Chaos and Carnage Mechanics and was surprised to see Maddie already there. She looked like a school teacher looking all prim and proper. She stood outside the main reception, and Pat stood near one of the cars.
“There a reason she turned up without a car?” Pat asked.
“Yep, there is. I think I solved our reception problem. You might not have to answer phones anymore.”
“Fuck me, are we hiring her?” Pat looked way too happy about that.
“You want to hire her?”
“Hell yeah. I’m guessing with her already here, it’s a done deal.”
“We’ll see.”
The job was Maddie’s if she took it, and not because she featured in all his wet dreams of a late, but because he wanted to give her the job. She’d looked so fucking sad when he walked into the diner. He’d been able to take a seat because she’d been so distracted.
“You made it,” he told her.
“Yes, I wanted to get here as soon as I could to let you know that I will work hard.”
He raised a brow.
She tilted her head to the side. “I kind of need this job. I don’t like not working, you know.” She winced. “Not that I’m trying to sound desperate.”
“You sound like a woman who needs a job. Don’t stress about it.”
He pulled out his key and unlocked the main reception door. The place stank, and he heard the sound of the sticky floor as his feet stuck to it with each step he took. Grant refused to clean. If he wasn’t such a good mechanic, he would’ve fired him years ago. The little bastard was good with his fingers and seemed to sweet talk the women like there was no tomorrow.
Dust covered every surface, and cobwebs ran from one side of the room to another. It was rare for anyone to be willing to take a seat to wait.
“The place will need cleaning up.” He pushed up the counter and waited for her to enter. Paperwork covered the desk, and a thick layer of dust covered the computer.
Grant didn’t like to use computers. He felt the world was going downhill to nerds. Bull would never understand his brother, but that was one of the many reasons they were so different.
For the next hour, he helped Maddie get settled. He pointed out the invoices, the cars, the keys, the telephone, and he also showed her to the cleaning closet, which to his surprise was immaculate.
“Do you think you can handle this?” he asked. “I’ve got to get working on the cars.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I can handle this. I think. No, I know I can handle this. You can trust me.”
He already did, which was a big fucking surprise to him.
“If you need me, come into the shop, got it.”
“Yes.” She offered him a smile and he nearly fucking melted on the spot. He had never seen Maddie smile for real, and it was so fucking precious. It seemed to light up her whole face.
He wanted to see her smile more often. Her brown eyes seemed to have a twinkle to them.
“Is everything okay?”
“Perfect. I’ll be busy, so yeah, if you need me, don’t hesitate.”
“Already there.”
She moved toward the back and he showed her where they stored their bags and jackets. She looked way too comfortable, and her ass was even more perfect in the skirt, which hugged every single curve.
“With her here, are you going to be able to focus?” Pat asked as he entered the main shop.
“Shut the fuck up,” Bull said.
“Never seen you like this, Prez. Got to wonder.”
“I’m always focused. It’s the job that comes first. You know this.”
Pat sighed.
“What?”
“You ever thought about fucking her and then moving on?” Pat asked.
“Not up for discussion. Not with you or with anyone else.”
Pat shrugged. “You know the guys will test her, right? They’ll want to know if she is even worthy of being with you.”
“They can steer clear.”
“They’ve got your back, Prez.”
“Get to work, Pat. I don’t have time for chitchat.” Bull was very much aware of what the boys were capable of doing, but he wasn’t going to allow them to come to the shop to scare her off.
He hadn’t made any declaration when it came to Maddie French. She was a woman he found attractive. He liked looking at her, and now he’d given her a job. There was nothing more to it.
Glancing back toward the shop, he caught sight of her swatting at something. She flung her arm back and forth, and then stood ramrod straight, closed her eyes, and whispered something.
He smiled.
She opened her eyes, looking right at him.
“Spider,” she said.
“A big one?”
“A massive one.”
“You got it though.”