Lucky Ride, page 1
Lucky Ride
Men of Valor MC
C.M. Steele
The Steele Press
Copyright © 2021 by C.M. Steele
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
Contents
Lucky Ride
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Epilogue
Ten Years Later
Where to find C.M. Steele
About the Author
Lucky Ride
My lucky Clover practically landed in my lap with her innocent heart and enticing figure. I would do anything to keep her right there for the rest of our lives, but our town is full of a dangerous element disguised as the good guys.
When one crosses the line, my sweet Clover becomes their target, bringing them into my crosshairs. I’ll never let them hurt this beautiful woman who, in a matter of days, has become my obsession, my soul, my reason for living. Wronging her has sealed their fate.
1
Logan
Rubbing my temples, I work on the books for my diner. I’m not a numbers guy so this is pure torture, but I don’t trust anyone else to handle my finances. Everything’s clean and clear, money’s flowing, and thankfully we’re turning a profit. Owning a diner isn’t a damn gold mine, but I’m happy with what it has become. It’s not like I have to worry about money, but it’s still good to have a business not in the red.
My life is calm and comfortable with a nice home on the edge of town, two dogs, and a seventy-inch TV for watching movies or sports with some of the guys from the MC. I love hanging out with my brothers, but it’s not everything for me.
The sun’s barely up, and the place is swamped. I need to hire another waitress, but the last two ended up splitting town when they didn’t get marriage proposals from the club guys or myself. I don’t deal with the sweet butts that run in and out of the Valor MC clubhouse looking for a good time or to become the next old lady to one of us. I don’t want that headache, but maybe that’s my problem. I haven’t learned to party. Let loose. They ride my ass for not giving these women some dick, and days like today make me want to change my ways.
“Nah.” I shake off that thought because that’s just not who I am. I twist my head until I hear that pop in my neck and then roll it to the other side. I lost my father at a young age in an accident, and my mother turned tricks to bring home food until DCFS showed up and took me away. It had taken almost six months for my grandparents to find me in the system and bring me to live with them. When I returned from active duty in the Middle East three years ago, I learned about the trust they had created for me. They had tried to help my mother kick the habit, but she’d been too damn stubborn and died a year after they took me away. My grandparents are still alive and begging me to have kids, but I don’t have the heart to tell them that it might never happen because I want more than an accidental pregnancy.
There’s a knock at my door, which means I’m needed out front. I drop the pen I’d been tapping on my desk and stand, walking with tension in my shoulders. I’m too damn wound up. I shrug them a couple times, but I can still feel the tightness.
“What’s going on?” I say, swinging my door open. Cara, a stripper down at the Pussy Parlor, strolls through the place like she owns it. She’s lost a lot of weight recently to the point that it’s concerning to the guys since we own the strip club. I’m about to toss her out when I see a petite girl just behind her.
Who the fuck is she?
Why is she here?
What is she doing with Cara?
I’m totally not paying attention to a word Cara has said until she snaps her fingers in my face. “So, you could totally use another waitress, and my cousin just came in from Illinois and could totally use a job. I’m not sure why she’d want to come to this town, but hey, we could all use a fresh start. I tried to get her a job with me.”
She barely finishes her sentence when I grab her by the arm. “She doesn’t work with you.”
She tugs her arm back and rolls her eyes. “Duh. I just said I tried. She’s stacked in all the right places, but she’d rather make pennies instead of dollars to strip. A fucking saint in a sinner’s world.” She tosses out an abrupt laugh. “She’s better off back where she came from, but as it is, that’s why I’m here. I can’t have her sleeping on my sofa, so I need you to give her a job. It’s apparently the only experience she has.” My dick jumps at the emphasis on only experience, but I do my best to ignore the sudden desire shooting to my balls. Still, I can’t take my eyes off the hottest woman I’ve ever seen. It’s not even about how pretty she is; there’s something in her eyes that pulls me in. Maybe it’s the exotic, bright blue shade or the way her nervousness spreads all the way up to them. She’s genuine, and it’s more than my jaded self can handle.
Cara sashays her way to the door and calls to the girl that barely looks legal. I know those curves should be illegal for sure, and I want them in my hands, my mouth, and with my cock buried between them. Just the thought causes the greedy fuck between my legs to jerk, so I go and take my seat. I should be a gentleman and greet her properly, but the only thing I want to do with her is properly fuck that pretty, nervous smile off her face. I’ve never been more annoyed and turned on at the same time.
“Say hello, Clover,” Cara prompts the girl but doesn’t take more than a breath to speak again, cutting off any reply from the attention-stealing woman. “Clover, this is your new boss, Rooster. I don’t have time to waste. I’ll see you later.” She slams the door shut, leaving me with the little wallflower who barely reaches my chest and refuses to look me in the eye. I stand, needing to be closer even though I had purposely moved away. Striding over to her, a surge of dominance runs through me and a smile spreads across my face, although she can’t see because she hasn’t taken her eyes off the wood floor at her feet. It’s sick how jealous I am at the stupid thing absorbing her gaze instead of me.
“Clover, is it?” I ask, gripping her chin and lifting it lightly to have her meet my eyes.
She blinks several times, biting on her lip before letting it go, and with a whisper, she responds, “Yes, sir.” I hold back the urge to pin her to the nearest surface.
My breathing ragged and body stiff, I restrain myself, remembering that I’m a soldier at heart. My years in the Army taught me some discipline that she seems to have robbed me of. “Baby, my name is Logan, not sir—unless it’s in the bedroom, but that’s not somewhere you’ll ever be. Now tell me—have you waitressed before?” I ask to swallow up that lie I just told. I know that my will won’t last long. She’s fucking hot and sweet. It’s more than tempting. I’m just a red-blooded man who has finally found someone I can’t and won’t resist.
“Yes, I have,” she manages to squeak out, hiding her eyes from me.
“First, Lucky, look at me when I’m talking to you. Understand?” She nods and raises her gorgeous, icy-blue eyes to mine. Visions of pretty little daughters with eyes like their mommy’s run through my head. Again, I’m forced to push those fucked-up thoughts to the side and test this little thing. “So if I sent your little ass out there, you’ll get the orders down and correct without a problem?”
“Hardly. It’s not like I know the specials or anything. I’ve no training, so I’d need assistance until I had everything under control, but that shouldn’t take more than a day’s worth, if that.”
“So you think I should waste my money letting you spend the day training, possibly fucking up orders.” She holds back the urge to say something smart. I can see a flash of anger in those magnificent orbs, but she shuts that shit down, which is good because I’d have to bend her over the desk and spank her ass for talking back. My lucky little Clover has a hidden grit. I like her even more than I did a minute ago, but it’s all the more reason I should stay away. She doesn’t need to be saddled up with a man who has no time for anything but work.
Still, I can’t send her away. A glutton for punishment, I cave. “Okay. Because I’m a nice guy, this is your lucky day, but this is no free ride. If I catch you with your phone out, you’ll be out on your ass. I don’t want to see you talking to or texting your boyfriends.” The thought of another man getting her attention riles me more than it should. I don’t know this chick, and she’s too innocent. Too good for a hardened man like me with no plans on forever with anyone or anything but the diner.
“Thank you, Logan. You won’t be sorry. I promise. Is there somewhere I can put my coat?” she asks. It takes me a minute to realize she’s still wearing it. Hell, I haven’t even seen what she really looks like under that material, and I’m panting like a fool.
“Sure. For now, you can leave it in here.” She unzips her coat, and I’m floored. She must have come from a warm climate, or she’s raided her cousin’s closet because the top she’s wearing damn near has her breasts spilling out. The coat had done a great job of hiding that her stomach is as flat as the wall, and her waist is tiny but flares out at her hips. Fuck me, she reminds me of a blonde version of Selma Hayek in Dusk Til Dawn: slim, with curves in all the right places. I’m getting horny and angry all at once.
r /> “You can’t wear that out there,” I growl. Fuck, I actually growled. What’s wrong with me?
“I didn’t bring anything else. I can walk back to Cara’s apartment, though. It’s going to take an hour, if that’s okay.”
“No. Wait right there.” I go into my cabinet and pull out one of my dress shirts and hand it to her. “Put this on.” She raises her brow. “Do you have a problem? I’m running a restaurant, not a strip club. That job is down the street.”
“No. I don’t have a problem. Where can I change?”
“There’s a bathroom right there.” I point to my private bathroom that no one else is allowed to use, but I can’t have her using the regular public one. I don’t want that fabulous rack on display for anyone else but me. Something selfish and territorial runs through my head, and I want to explore it but don’t. Instead, I start doing math in my head, trying to remember the quadratic formula or some shit.
She comes out of the bathroom a minute later with her other top in her hand and then shoves it in her coat sleeve. I look at her and nearly come. She’s tucked into her tight yoga pants, leaving the top two buttons open with the sleeves rolled up. Her tits are covered, but they’re still on display because her rack is hard to miss. My shirt fits her tighter than I expected in the chest area.
I swallow hard, and then I call out to Heather, my head waitress. “Heather, come into my office when you have a second.” She nods and walks with a tray to her booth. We get a lot of the people who spent the night partying and also the ones who are just getting their workday started. It’s a great mix of customers, and thankfully the fighting is kept to a minimum.
I turn to my little waitress, thinking about popping open those buttons and sucking on those tight, hard nipples before yanking down her bottoms and drilling her little pussy. I can’t shake the filthy thoughts, so I take a seat to hide my hard-on.
Heather comes to the door, pressing her hand to the frame and breathing heavily, clearly in a rush. “You needed something, boss?”
“Yes, I’m giving Clover, here, a chance as a waitress. I want her to follow you around and get a feel for it, and then I want your feedback when your shift’s over. She says she has some experience in the area, so good luck.”
“Hi, Clover. Come on. The morning rush is just getting started. Also, when you have a chance, boss, we could use some help at the register.”
“I’ll be there in a minute.” She nods and walks out. “Go on and follow her, Lucky.” I wave my hand, and my little Clover leaves. I watch her ass and bite my fist to hold back the growl. I’m going to have a problem with her working here. I know it.
After two minutes and a quick adjustment of my cock, I wash my hand and head out behind the counter. Clover stands off to the side while Heather works her magic on some of the early risers. Heather invites her to run the ticket to the back. I watch the entire scene while attempting to ring up a guest. The cook starts chatting with her, and then I let out a cough and glare at my cook.
“Sorry, just introducing myself.”
“That’s enough, Ernesto. Get to work. Lucky, get your ass back to work.” I get a strange look from him, but I don’t give a fuck. I already regret letting her step out of my damn office.
“Hey, Rooster, what’s up your ass? You’re never grumpy in the morning,” says Mr. Granger. He’s sixty-seven now and comes in every morning for coffee and a donut. He hands me his check, and then I ring him up.
“I’m not in a bad mood,” I lie, feeling like an asshole.
“Sure. I’ve seen it a dozen times before, and only once for me. She’s pretty. Lock it down before someone else does. It looks like it won’t take long.” He winks at me with a smirk on his face.
“I’m not interested,” I grunt out, handing him his change. He does what he always does and adds the money to the tip jar for the staff. He’s a great man, even if he’s already puzzled out my attraction to Clover.
“I hope you don’t lie to the cops like that.” He chuckles, shaking his head.
“I’m not lying, old man.” I barely get that out because I see her smiling at a customer, hating that fucker. It’s not the sexy, flirtatious smile. No, it’s pure, genuine, and sweet, making me feel like a wild caveman. Mr. Granger smirks, shaking his head as he leaves.
I want to check on her, but I’m forced to stick to the front. Many of the people have to get to work and don’t have time to wait around. We have a low-key family atmosphere so there’s no need for table checkout machines, but it would do me a lot of good at the moment. Actually, the counter’s doing me the best service, hiding my throbbing cock. I groan, catching sight of Clover bending over to pick up a dropped fork and setting it on the dirty dish on one of the tables. The image of her round, heart-shaped ass up like that creates the perfect angle for me. I just need to tear a hole in those pants and stuff my cock deep into her depths.
“Logan,” Roland Bennet says, snapping his fingers in my face to get my attention. “A lost cause, it seems. She looks innocent. Be careful; those are the marrying type.”
“I’m sorry.” I take his check and ring it up. These older gentlemen are on to me. He winks and then leaves.
My cell rings, and it’s a supplier calling to let me know they’re ten minutes out. “Heather,” I call out. She comes with my little thing in tow. When they reach the counter, I say, “The produce truck is a few minutes away. I’ve got to step back there. You got this?”
“Yes, Clover’s doing a good job. I’m going to give her one of my booths to see how she does on her own.”
“Good. Don’t let me down, Lucky.” She blushes at the nickname, fucking up my head. I nod and walk away before either can respond. My dick only just started to go down. Now the fucker’s at full staff merely because of a tint of pink on her cheeks.
2
Clover
I’m still trying to catch my breath when Heather’s name is called by our sexy boss. My panties are ruined. Can the customers smell my need for Logan? I keep my distance from the tables for the most part because I’m sure they can tell that I’m seconds from grinding on my boss like a dog in heat.
I sigh when she grabs my arm to follow. I don’t want to go to Logan because I’m afraid of my own reaction. A blush covers my face when he calls me Lucky. It’s nothing that I’m not used to; it’s been my nickname almost my entire life, but it sounds like a summons coming from him. And I’m most definitely ready to come. He scowls and then turns toward the back. I know I’m already pushing my luck with the man. Logan’s been insanely kind about giving me a shot when Cara essentially dumped me on his doorstep. I don’t take my eyes off him and his sexy ass in those tight jeans.
“Girl, I don’t know who has it worse—you, or Logan.”
“What? I don’t know what you mean,” I lie, blushing.
“Please. That man hasn’t given any woman more than a passing glance since he opened this place, and yet he’s panting like a beast, stalking you from behind the counter.”
“You’re crazy. He’s probably just judging me as a waitress before hiring me.”
“No. Logan’s hired people off the street after a short interview and filling out the necessary paperwork. You’re the first one he’s put out on the floor and monitored. I’m just saying if he wants you, I wouldn’t miss that opportunity. He’s not my type, but he’s still hot as hell.” She winks and then says, “You’re up,” pointing to the customers heading to the clean booth.
It’s a man and woman with a small child around six. “Hello, I’m Clover. How are you today?”
“Wonderful. You must be new,” the woman says.
“Yes, I’m doing my first day of training. Can I start you off with a drink?”
“We’ll take some coffee and a glass of orange juice for this little one.”
