STICK: MC ROMANCE NOVELLA (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 8) (64 page)

Chapter 3

Dirk stripped off his tie and dress shirt, revealing the tight tank top barely concealing his broad, muscular chest. Whether he was a billionaire or not, he didn't need to dress like one. It wasn't his style. Why would he want to look like a goody-two-shoes little prick like his father? Dirk was a self-made man. That was something his father would never be able to say about himself. Dirk's billions had come from years of hard work. His dad was just an inheritance kid who got handed a few million dollars and had no desire to work for more. He was used to all the work being done for him.

In Dirk's opinion, that wasn't honest. He would rather get his hands dirty like anybody else. And he wasn't afraid of being disinherited like the other idiots he had grown up with. Why would he, when he seemed to have a natural gift for making money? He had all the freedom he could ever want, and nobody, especially not his weaselly little father, could tell Dirk how to dress or behave. He had always been a willful and spunky child, and he had grown into a willful and stubborn man. The difference between him and his dad was that Dirk's attitude was the result of knowing who he was and exactly what he wanted. When it came right down to it, though, his own father was just spoiled.

The estate was set up like a country club. There was an open bar where some of the wedding guests were mingling, and he decided to head that way. As he emerged from the woods, he nearly collided with a woman whose eyes were downcast. When she saw him, she looked up and brightened.

“You look like you might know where I can get a drink,” she said, examining him up and down.

He laughed despite himself. He nodded, taking the stunning blonde woman by the arm. “Right this way.”

***

Katherine had been pleasantly surprised by the wall of raw masculinity that she had nearly collided with. He was the last kind of person she had expected to see somewhere like this. He had given her a cocky grin before taking her arm in his, nearly pinching it when his muscles flexed against her. Feeling the warmth of his strong arm against hers had sent a small thrill through her body, and he seemed neither surprised nor bothered when her gaze lingered on his chiseled face a little longer than it should have.

He led her to the huge mansion. They walked through a glass door and into a room that had the classiest bar she had ever seen. There were some fancy tables with a few people scattered at them, drinking and speaking softly to one another. He led her to a table in the corner, the farthest away from everybody else. She sat down, and he strutted to the bar. He was just as muscular from behind as he was from the front. She was embarrassed to discover that she couldn't take her eyes off him. As he passed each table, people nodded their respects to him. He strode by quickly, ignoring all of them, and grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the bar. Nobody said anything about it, and he returned to their table.

“You do straight whiskey?” he asked her, setting a heavy glass down in front of her.

“Is there any other way to do whiskey?” she asked, rubbing her temples. “That might not even be strong enough.”

“I know what you mean,” he said with a grin, pouring her a shot. He took a deep gulp from the bottle and sank into the seat across from her. “So what's your name?”

“Katherine,” she said, downing the shot. She squinted at its strength, and he laughed heartily, pouring her another.

“Nice to meet you, Kate,” he said pleasantly. “Where are you from? A small tribe of assholes lives on this island, and I don't think you fit in.”

“Good call,” she laughed, sliding the glass back in front of her and studying the caramel color of the whiskey. “I live in New York.”

“Ah, so you hail from a place with several tribes of assholes.”

“Pretty much,” she said, fighting the urge to defend her city.

“That's all right. Artists live there. You're an artist, aren't you?” he asked, his silver eyes twinkling.

“Artists can be assholes, too,” she countered, avoiding his question. She actually was an artist, but something about him made her think that he would use any bit of personal information she gave him against her. Whether to tease her or to exploit her, she wasn't sure. Either way, he seemed ruthless.

He flashed her a dazzling grin, revealing a perfect set of white teeth. She was briefly mesmerized, and took a moment to study him. His light brown hair fell past his shoulders, grazing against his biceps. The gentleness of the strands seemed a stark contrast to the intimidating tattoos they rested against, and she quickly took her eyes away and looked back up at his face. He was smiling at her like he could tell exactly what she was thinking.

He peered into her eyes as if to confirm her suspicions, and her cheeks reddened under his gaze. He laughed heartily, and she shrank back against her chair in embarrassment. His laughter subsided until all that was left was a smirk etched deeply into his face. He was ridiculously attractive, even with the sprinkle of stubble lining his strong jaw. If anything, it magnified his appeal. He was about as rugged as they came.

He opened his mouth to say something, his silver eyes twinkling, but suddenly his phone rang loudly. He looked alarmed and stood, fumbling to pull the phone out of his pocket. Suddenly, Katherine didn't exist anymore, and he was carried away in an urgent conversation. He turned his back on her and rushed out the door, leaving her at the table alone, with nothing but the bottle of whiskey to show he had ever been there at all.

Chapter 4

Dirk regretted leaving the company of the gorgeous woman at the table, but as soon as he heard Tanner's voice, he knew something was wrong. Tanner, his business partner and ex-stepbrother, was in a panic.

“What's wrong?” Dirk asked, rushing toward his office.

“We've been hacked!” Tanner exclaimed. “Remember that deal that didn't go through with the Russian group a few months back? They wanted more money, more this, more that. They were terrible to work with. Shady, too.”

“Yes, I remember. They hacked us?”

“All they wanted then was to get closer to your business model. Inside intelligence for their own company. They wanted to pull Russia ahead of the rest of the world and knew your ideas were brilliant enough to steal from. Well, they just breached our security!”

“Did they take anything?”

“We don't know how much information they've gotten.”

“Fuck! How could you let this happen?” Dirk growled into the phone.

“You know it's not my fault, Dirk. As soon as I know more I'll let you know. For now, all we can do is take it a step at a time. We need to update the security and move all our accounts as quickly as possible. Are you ready for a long night?”

“Yeah, let's do it. Fuck.”

Dirk kicked the office door shut behind him and turned his computer on, bouncing his foot impatiently as the system booted up. Finally, he was able to access his network and worked at superhuman speeds to move all of his accounts before the Russian scumbags could take anything else.

***

Katherine's mother found her at the bar eventually. She had completely forgotten their conversation by the fountain and was drunker than ever. She loudly demanded someone show Katherine to her room before disappearing off into the manor. Katherine sighed, partly glad her mother didn't remember what had happened, and partly agitated at how drunk she was.

She happily allowed the maroon-suited staff members to lead her to the extravagant bedroom that had been set up for her. Her bags were near the doorway, and she closed and locked the door behind her, taking a look around the room. It was posh, with thick pink carpet and intricate wallpaper. She walked around the room slowly, peeking into doorways and drawers. She found a closet the size of her bedroom back home, and a bathroom with a Jacuzzi tub. It was nicer than the most luxurious hotel she had ever stayed in, and she shook her head in disbelief. Her mother really had moved up in the world.

The wedding would take place bright and early the next day, and so she dug through her luggage for a pair of comfortable silk pajamas and locked herself in the elegant bathroom. She noticed with pleasure that candles were dispersed throughout the room, and she lit them happily, deeply inhaling their calming lavender scent. Even if everything else went wrong during her stay, at least she would be able to fully enjoy the luxury of this bathroom. It looked as if it had never been used, and she ran the bath, stripping slowly before she dipped her toes in the warm water. Finally, she found herself fully able to relax for the first time in days.

Her mind wandered back to the man at the bar. She had never responded so physically to somebody she had only just met. It may have just been his magnetism, but maybe it had been something else. Either way, his masculine face and piercing silver eyes had left a huge impression on her. She sighed and leaned back in the tub, imagining secretly what it might be like if his strong arms were wrapped around her. She closed her eyes to relish in the thought before shoving it out of her mind.

Although the fantasy was a guilty pleasure, she had to shake it off. The man seemed a little too self-absorbed to fantasize about. He didn't even say hello to the people at the bar, and he had just left her at the table as if he had forgotten she was there at all. And what was with the way he called her “Kate?” She hated it when people called her that. He wasn't the kind of man who was worth a second thought. Attractive or not, she had her standards. And her standards did not include being called Kate.

Katherine finished her bath and headed to bed, totally exhausted from her trip and emotionally drained from her confrontation with her mother. It would all be over soon, and she would never have to think about this island again. She thought once more about the handsome stranger before she let herself drift into a sound sleep.

Chapter 5

Dirk groaned as the alarm clock buzzed loudly in his ear. He had only been sleeping for an hour and awoke feeling surly and agitated. Tanner had helped him secure the rest of their accounts and move all sensitive information to a new network with tighter security, so at least that wasn't a concern anymore. Now all he had to worry about was making it through his father's wedding without nodding off into his cake.

As much as he abhorred tradition and ceremony, he felt obligated to put his best face forward. Despite his sleep deprivation, Dirk rolled out of bed and heading to the shower. He made it nice and cool to help him wake himself up, and tried to recall his dream from the night before. For some reason, it had involved the blonde woman he had taken to the bar. Her round, supple lips had been on his skin, tugging and pulling, sending tendrils of pleasure throughout his body.

There was something about her, something completely unlike any of the other women he had seen coming and going in the manor as he grew up. The women he was used to were cool and calculating, well accustomed to using their bodies to get what they wanted and instigating drama to seek entertainment in their sad, empty lives. There was something very much alive in Katherine, though. Something undeniably attractive.

If he got the chance to see her again, he would love to figure out what made her tick. She was mysterious and beautiful. Funny, too. Her company had been like salve to his wounds after the restless evening he’d been spending by himself. Yes, if she was within arm's reach anywhere on this island, maybe he would get a second chance to find out more about her.

What a hell of a night it had been. He stripped and stepped inside the shower, noticing his erection with amusement. He'd better take care of that before the ceremony. It was supposed to be his father's day, after all, and who could concentrate on him with Dirk's massive hard-on hogging the show?

***

Katherine was ushered into the room with her mother, where several women Katherine had never met were fawning over her and her wedding dress. Katherine begrudgingly admitted to herself that her mom did, indeed, look very beautiful, but who wouldn't in a million-dollar dress? Still, it was a happy occasion and she was determined to be as supportive as she possibly could. Maybe she was wrong and their marriage would last. She'd feel terrible for ruining her mother's happiness.

When her mother saw her, she beamed, and they chatted happily together as Katherine pulled her bridesmaid's dress on (shockingly, the least ugly bridesmaid dress she had ever seen). Eventually, the wedding was scheduled to begin, and her mother squeezed her hand excitedly before the bridesmaids lined up to lock arms with the groomsmen. Since she was the daughter of the bride, she went first, and caught the glimmering silver eyes of the man from the bar.

He looked astonishingly handsome, with his hair pulled into a neat ponytail. His five o'clock shadow was more pronounced, and the suit flattered his body in every way. He linked her arm, pulling her tightly to his side, and her heart skipped a beat. She was hit by a gentle fragrance of spicy cologne, and she snuck a glance at him. He was gazing down at her with a grin, and she felt again as if he could read her every personal thought.

Her face grew red, and his smile deepened. It was obvious that he knew she was attracted to him, and he seemed to be loving it. Katherine suddenly remembered the way he had left her sitting in the bar and recoiled. He was such a creep. And the way he seemed to relish in the attention she gave him – it nearly made her sick. The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't wait to get to the end of the aisle.

When they did part, though, the casual drop of his strong arm left her feeling lonely and vulnerable. She was suddenly aware of her solitary state as she made her way to her side of the stage. As the other bridesmaids filed in and lined up behind her, she tried to avoid the gaze of the man across from her. His eyes bore through her, though, and she felt almost naked in front of him. It was a terrible time to feel self-conscious. Still, her heart thudded in her ears, and a deep thrill secretly bubbled in her chest.

It wasn't until her mother and stepfather had said their vows that her mind began making the connection. She watched her stepfather as he embraced the cocky, muscular man behind him, and her heart dropped in horror. The silver-eyed man was now, officially, her stepbrother.