Chapter 10

Ellie

Axel’s car was parked outside the shop when I arrived. I got out of my car and stood in front of it, soaking in the sight of our new workplace.

It was big. Much bigger than our original shop. The roof was new, and I assumed it had been replaced within the last year or two. It was aluminum, so low maintenance and clean. The grounds were also relatively tidy with a gravel lot hosting ten parking spaces marked with yellow concrete barriers. It had an industrial look, which would be new for us.

The bay doors suddenly began opening. As they crawled upward, a pair of boots were revealed and then jeans. As the door crept steadily upward, more of the man inside was revealed, and I savored the opportunity to be able to check Axel out without him seeing me.

I was shameless about it.

I even let my mouth hang open a little bit.

But as soon as the door passed his collarbone, I collected myself and began marching forward. He said our “encounter” wouldn’t change anything in regards to us working together. I intended to see his words come to fruition. Axel seeing me checking him out after the first time seeing him since he had his cock buried inside me wouldn’t help things.

“Hey,” I said as I stepped into the shop. I looked around. “This place is great. I can’t believe how quickly you were able to find something so perfect for what we need.”

“It’s not bad. Still some work to do to get it in working shape, but that’s why you’re here. You know how I like it.”

He didn’t wink. There was no sexual innuendo in his words. So I let it be and smiled at him.

I was about to ask him where we should start when a quiet female voice spoke from behind me. “Hello? Are you Axel?”

I turned around to find myself staring at a petite young woman with platinum blond hair and bright blue eyes. She was wearing a pair of aviators on her head that pulled her lightly curled hair back from her face. She was quite pretty with unblemished skin and full pink lips. Her attention was on Axel.

“Yes, that’s me.” He stepped forward and shook her hand. Then he stepped aside and motioned at me. “And this is Ellie. She’s one of the mechanics, but she spent a lot of time behind the desk when she first started. She’ll be able to help you as you go.”

“Hi,” the young woman chimed. Her voice reminded me of a Disney character.

“Hi,” I said.

“I’m Jamie,” she said, stepping forward to shake my hand.

“Nice to meet you,” I lied. It wasn’t nice to meet her. In fact, it was pretty damn unnerving. Why was there a hot blond bombshell in the shop all of a sudden? Panicky thoughts raced through my mind. I realized how insane I was being when my brain concocted the idea that Axel had hired her to replace me.

Now that he had gotten in my pants, maybe he was over me. Maybe he wanted someone newer, fresher. Someone who he hadn’t screwed.

“Jax is my cousin,” Jamie said. “I hope he didn’t have to pull too many strings to get me a job here.”

“No, none at all,” Axel said. “He’ll just owe me some favors down the road if you end up sucking at your job.”

Jamie’s eyes widened. Axel didn’t seem to notice the pressure he had just put on her with his innocent joke.

Taking pity on her, I stepped in. “He’s kidding,” I said, wondering why I was bothering to make things easier for her. “The job is fun, and once you get the hang of it, everything will feel like second nature. Okay?”

Jamie nodded. “Okay. Thanks. Do I need to wear a uniform?”

Axel and I both laughed. It felt good to laugh around him. Some of the tension in my muscles evaporated.

“No,” Axel shook his head. “We aren’t that kind of business. Just wear something you can work in. What you have on now is fine.”

She was wearing tight dark jeans that hugged her legs from hip to ankle. On her feet were black flats with gold studs along the toe. She had on a hot pink blouse which was tucked into the jeans, and a long necklace grazed the middle button of the blouse. She looked like a paralegal.

“Well,” I said. “In my experience, wearing dangly jewelry can get you into trouble. If you’re behind the desk, it’s fine, but if you ever have to come out into the shop, I’d remove it. And, for future shifts, wear better shoes. Something closed-toed with a bit of ankle support and good soles. Sometimes, there are spills and stuff in here. Wouldn’t want you ruining an expensive pair of shoes.”

I hoped she ruined her shoes.

I smiled sweetly at her.

“Ellie knows more about this kind of shit than I do,” Axel said. “She can be your mentor. If you need anything, go to her.”

I wanted to punch him in the throat.

But I reeled in the surge of anger and kept my smile plastered on my face. “Yes. Don’t hesitate to ask questions. They’re better than avoidable mistakes.”

“Thanks,” Jamie said with a movement that I could only explain as a half-curtsy. “I’m really grateful to have this opportunity. My bills are tight, and employment is hard to come by these days. Especially when you’re like me and don’t have any skills. I can write a good essay, but that doesn’t pay you the big bucks, you know?”

Axel had run out of things to say, and I knew he wasn’t the sort of man to stand around engaging in small talk. So I took the reins. “Axel and I are going to start tidying this place up. If you want to help out where you can, that would be great. But feel free to check out the computer systems. We have to install our operations software on them still, and once we do that and I have a spare moment, I’ll run you through everything. It’s pretty straightforward.”

“Thank you,” Jamie said, giving me another feminine bow.

Axel clapped his hands together, and Jamie let out a little surprised squeak. “All right. Time to get this shit done. Enough standing around.”

So we got to work. Axel and I started with the tools. We went through everything in the shop, and I started an inventory list. Then, from there, I was able to pin down what items were missing. I transferred my list to another sheet of paper where I only wrote down the things we needed to acquire before we started accepting work. Then, I handed it to Axel and told him not to lose it.

“I won’t lose it,” he said defensively.

“You said the same thing when I gave you our old customer records. Good thing I kept a spare copy.”

“You’re a lifesaver. I know. Stop reminding me.”

I wanted to laugh, but I couldn’t manage it. My thoughts were still wrapped up in Jamie and wondering why a girl like her suddenly had a job at a place like this.

As soon as I thought it, Axel wiped his hands on his jeans. “I’m going to go check on the new girl and make sure she hasn’t blown up any of the computers. Keep at it, will you? We’re making good progress.”

I let him leave without saying anything. The door to the office closed, and I wished it had a glass window on it like our old shop did. Then, I could see what they were doing inside there.

I was losing my mind. How had one frisky afternoon in his shop led me to this? I wasn’t the kind of girl who got jealous. I was secure in my own skin. I knew what I had to offer.

But maybe Axel wasn’t interested in what I had to offer. Maybe he was tired of me. I’d been around for a long time, after all, and I knew the men of the MC liked to keep things fresh and interesting. I’d been privy to the endless rotation of women coming through the shop doors with no intention of having any work done on their vehicles. They were there for one of the men.

I couldn’t blame them. There was something exciting about being around men like the MC men. They were tough. They were the kind of guys you didn’t fuck around with. When you were with them, you felt confident and sexy and wanted. You felt safe despite the knowledge that they were walking a very fine line with the law.

And by very fine line, I meant they operated outside of the law with no apparent repercussion. Johnny was dating a cop now, for fuck’s sake.

Rules didn’t apply here.

Just because Axel and I had finally given into the sexual tension between us didn’t mean he owed me anything. He was free to do what or whoever he wanted. If that was Jamie, there wasn’t anything I could do to stop him.

He could fuck the receptionist who looked like she belonged on the set of a low-budget crime film if he really wanted to.

Just then, he returned from the office. The door closed behind him, and he nodded at me. I looked away and back down at my inventory list.

“She catches on quick. Good thing, too. Neither of us is going to have much time to show her the ropes.”

I didn’t answer him.

He stood still for a moment, watching me until he concluded I clearly wasn’t in the mood to chat. He opened his mouth, and I felt the tension in the air. Was he going to put me in my place? Part of me wanted him to. I wanted him to remind me where I stood with him.

I needed to know.

But he closed his mouth again and walked off, his boots echoing on the smooth pavement of our new shop floor.

At least he didn’t go back into the office to talk to Jamie.