RIDING DIRTY (Steel Titans MC Book 4) by Franca Storm (best books for students to read txt) 📗

got in my face, that sweet vanilla scent that I remembered all too well wafting from her and distracting me for a second.

She told me all calm and collected, “If you failed to carry out the precise instructions to reach me, there would be no hope of any business deal existing between us, Slade.”

More disrespect with that attitude. It was becoming real clear that she was doing it to try to get a rise out of me. She was still testing me.

“I’m the client here,” I growled down at her.

“And I’m the one who’ll be shouldering most of the risk.”

“You don’t even know why I’m here, darlin'.”

A know-it-all smile spread over her face.

“Let’s talk.” She headed back through the door and down the corridor there. Just before she disappeared through another open door, she called out, “You coming?”

She might as well have crooked her fucking finger at me.

Swallowing down my growing anger, I followed after her.

The business I’d come here to take care of was bigger and more important than my pride.

I strode down the corridor, then turned left through the door that she had, finding myself entering an office.

It was nothing to write home about, even smaller than my office back at the clubhouse. It didn’t fit with her high standard of living, all the luxuries she liked to surround herself with.

What the hell was going on? Shadow was a big gun. Operating in a rundown shithole like this didn’t fit in with none of that.

She’d already taken a seat behind the desk, so I took the one in front, staying on the edge, ready for anything, on high alert.

“You just moved in here? Bit of a dive compared to that penthouse we met at last time.”

She sank back in her chair and eyed me with amusement. “Same old Slade, asking way too many questions.”

“And you’re clearly the same old Willa Rose, with a hell of a mouth on you, asking for a shitload of trouble.”

“Actually, it keeps trouble away. I make it clear upfront that I’m not somebody to mess with.”

Scoffing, I shot to my feet.

I’d had enough.

The cryptic bull. Her major attitude. It was like trying to squeeze blood from a stone. I didn’t have the patience for it, or the time.

As I strode to the door, she called out, “I was mistaken.”

“What?” I grunted over my shoulder.

“I didn’t think the notorious Slade Mitchell ran from anyone.”

“Ain’t running. I’m cutting my losses, woman.”

“Due to a bit of adversity? That’s extremely disappointing.”

I stopped short and growled low in my throat. “You’ve been pushing my buttons on purpose,” I realized.

“Yes.”

I turned back around and stormed over to her desk.

She rounded it as I did and stood there, leaning against it, like there weren’t a pissed-off biker president coming her way.

Getting in her face, I slapped my hands down either side of her hips and seethed, “Fuck with me again and you’ll regret it.”

In a move so fast and unexpected, she grabbed hold of me, spun me around and slammed me down face-first on the desk. Her elbow dug into my back, her hand fisting tightly in my hair.

The woman had some major skill to be able to put me down, even for a moment.

It had my cock waking up and taking notice.

“Why aren’t you responding?” she asked.

“I don’t hurt women, darlin'.” I chuckled nastily. “Unless they beg me for it. You know, when I’m fucking the living shit out of them?”

Her grip loosened a bit, letting me know my words had gotten under her skin.

“No, I don’t know,” she snapped back. “You made sure of that.”

There it was.

“I did you a favor.”

She tugged at my hair, trying to hurt me physically for the emotional hurt I’d apparently inflicted upon her. Hell, she couldn’t have been more wrong about that. I’d honestly done her a favor. I weren’t gonna offer up an apology, no matter what she did. It was gonna take a lot more than just ripping some of my hair out.

Pain and me were real old friends. I didn’t let it get in the way. Actually, these days, I welcomed it. Sometimes it even got me off. I was a sick fucker, way beyond damaged.

When time ticked by and I didn’t offer up anything else, she got the message that it weren’t gonna happen and she released me roughly and stepped back.

As I got up and turned around to face her, I caught her eyes roaming over me. She bit her pouty bottom lip, then snapped out of whatever sexual fantasy had clearly been taking her over. Glaring hard at me, she said, “Don’t threaten me again.”

I tossed her a look. “Sure, let’s pretend it’s about that. Just like you making me jump through hoops for this meet.”

“I had no choice after the last time. I had to make sure you really wanted to go down this road this time.”

“Things changed with that last job. I improvised.”

“And cut me out without any warning.”

“I did what I had to do.”

“Spoken like a true wildcard. Your recklessness, your penchant for going off-book when the mood suits you, instability, resistance to following orders… that’s why I’m being extra cautious and intense this time around.”

“Don’t do me no favors, darlin’. You don’t want my business, just turn me away.”

Our gazes clashed, eyes locking.

Intensity flared between us.

Heat, too, as much as I didn’t want to admit it.

I pushed through that and focused on what else I was seeing from her, what I knew real well about her.

She couldn’t pass up a challenge. Ever.

Breaking eye contact, and slumping back in her chair, she told me, “I promised Ricky I’d hear you out.”

“Rick Vale? You two know each other?” That was something I wasn’t up on. Both of them had played that real close to the vest.

“We’ve worked together once or twice,” she answered evasively.

“Against Nik Stone?”

She nodded. “Rick needed assistance with reining him in more than once over the years. Ronny was our first official job together.”

“Their old VP. You must’ve got there late,