Capturing Cree (Kings Reapers MC Book 2) Page 2

  I smirk. “Can’t wait. I’ll dump my bag and get her coffee and a pastry to sweeten her up. Was she super mad about my short notice leave?” I ask.

  “She got over it pretty quickly. I offered to do the P.A. side of things. As long as the appointments are in check, she’s fine. It’s been crazy busy without you.”

  I smile. “I owe you.”

  “A coffee would be great to start with,” he shouts after me as I leave to get the drinks.

  I go across the street to the deli that the dragon boss likes, and I order her a coffee and croissant. She has the same thing every day yet remains the size of a stick insect. Lucky cow.

  I’m standing in line when someone taps me on the shoulder. It’s Chris. He’s an accountant who does the books for NewVision. We went on a double date when I tried to set Anna up with his friend a few months back. It didn’t end too well between those two and so things just died off between me and Chris.

  “Hey,” he says and smiles. “I thought it was you.”

  “How are you, Chris?” I ask.

  “I’m great, Eva. I was gonna call, but . . . ”

  “Oh god, don’t do that.” I wince. “It’ll just make things awkward.”

  He laughs. “Sorry, you’re right. Maybe we could catch a drink sometime? Just me and you?”

  I smile. “Maybe. I’ll call you.” The barista calls me, so I give Chris a parting wave and place my order. He’s nice. Not exactly hot by Kings Reapers standards, but he’s not bad. I guess I want that spark and I don’t have it with Chris. Anna is always taking the piss outta me. She calls me a hopeless romantic because I believe there’s someone out there for everyone. Chris just isn’t my one.

  When I return to the office, the dragon boss has already arrived. I smile brightly and place the items on her desk. “Good morning, Michelle. How have you been?” I ask.

  “Busy. Get up to date with Kyle and we’ll meet in an hour,” she says stiffly. I’m relieved—her attitude is usually so much worse.

  Kyle shows me some of the new accounts. He’s the photographer employed by NewVision, but he’s using the company as his steppingstone because he really wants to work for a celebrity magazine or similar. I’m at my happiest when I’m organising things, and I stumbled into this role as Michelle’s personal assistant six months ago when I spotted her looking harassed in a coffee shop. I got her a coffee as a goodwill gesture and told her to relax a little. From then, she offered me a role in her new firm. NewVision is only a year old. Her husband, Callum, invested in it to keep Michelle busy and now she’s determined to show him that she’s a great businesswoman.

  By lunchtime, I’m up to date and feel like I’ve never been away. I decided to work through my lunch because Michelle made a big deal in our meeting about my absence, telling me I need to prove to her how much I want to progress in her company. She really thinks she’s a corporate-size business, and I was left wondering where exactly she thinks I want to go in this company because there’s only three of us as it is.

  Michelle’s husband turns up to take her to lunch and his creepy eyes light up when he sees me. “You’re back?” he says happily.

  “Looks that way.” I smile. His eyes stare at my chest for way too long. He owns a huge banking firm, and Kyle tells me he’s a millionaire, but he comes across like a sleazeball.

  Kyle waits for her to go and then turns to me excitedly. “So, the dragon boss has a guy on the side.”

  “What?” I gasp. “Since when?”

  “. I took her for lunch to relax her after working on the Clemmie account and she got drunk.” The Clemmie family is one of our biggest clients with all of their family members on our books, and they’re highly sought after but very demanding. “She got so drunk, she spilled her guts about a piece of ass that she’s falling for.”

  “Wow. Just shows all that money can’t buy happiness,” I say. “Do we know him?”

  Kyle shakes his head. “She didn’t say his name, just that he’s a very private person, and to him, it’s a casual fling. It’s her kids I feel for. Miriam is only eight and Anthony is twelve.”

  “I’d like to know where she gets the time to fuck anything with two kids, a business, and a millionaire husband. I can’t even bag myself one guy let alone two.”

  “No luck finding him these last few weeks then?” I shake my head. It’s no secret that I’m looking for my Prince Charming. Everyone who knows me knows I believe in romance.

  When I get home from work, I’m shattered. I pop a meal for one into the oven and then go for a shower. It’s nice to be home and all, but I miss the noise and chaos of the club.

  I stare at the dried-up lasagne and sigh. I tip it into the bin and pick up my cell. I need to make changes in my life if I want to find my Prince Charming.

  Cree

  I pace the stuffy office. “You seem stressed,” says Doctor Chapman.

  “Cos, I don’t wanna be here,” I mutter.

  “That’s something to take up with your probation officer. Maybe if you take a seat and relax, you’ll find these sessions helpful.”

  I scoff. “I doubt that.”

  “You’ve had two sessions now and you spend the entire time pacing. You have to make progress, or I can’t write the report to release you from these sessions,” she says. I sigh and take a seat. “Good. Let’s start with your sleeping routine,” she says.

  “What the fuck’s that gotta do with shit?” I growl.

  “You’d be surprised. How many hours a night do you sleep?”

  I shrug and rub the three-day-old growth on my face. “Maybe an hour or two.”

  “Every night?” she asks, surprise showing on her face.

  “Every other night. Depends,” I mutter.

  “On?”

  “On whether I’ve fucked or not,” I snap. I’m tired of the questions. She writes on her notepad and that just pisses me off more.

  “So, you need to have sex in order to get an hour’s sleep?” I click my neck from side to side to try and relieve some of the tension there. “Do you have a partner? A wife?” she adds, and I laugh.

  “Do I look like the kinda guy who has a wife?”

  “What does a guy with a wife look like?” she asks thoughtfully. I run my fingers through my hair irritatedly, and she writes more notes in her little pad of witchery.

  “I fuck what I want. Sometimes I visit the same woman, but if she’s not around, then whoever.”

  “Okay,” she says slowly. “Let’s concentrate on the woman you see most of the time. When you see her, do you stay the night together?” I shake my head. “Why?” she asks.

  “Because her husband wouldn’t approve.” I sigh.

  “Married. Interesting.”

  “Is it?” I snap.

  “I’m wondering if you have sex with a lot of married women?”

  “I just told you, I fuck whoever I want.”

  “Have you had a long-term girlfriend before, Elijah?”

  “It’s Cree,” I growl. “Call me Cree. No, I haven’t.”

  “Do you think that you avoid relationships?” she asks.

  “I think I like the freedom to fuck around,” I snap. She isn’t deterred by my crude talk and writes more notes. “What’s this got to do with anything?”

  She looks up from her notepad. “Sorry?”

  “Sex. Sleep. I’m on probation because I caved some fucker’s head in. They said I had anger issues, but they forgot to mention he was a dirty fucker and he deserved it.” The paedophile I caught trying to drag some teenager down an alley and into his car was about to take her to a sale. She’d be across the other side of the world now if I hadn’t stopped him. Riggs pulled strings and I got probation with terms instead of jail time. I should be grateful but coming here is part of the terms and I hate fucking talking.

  “You don’t think you have an anger issue?” she asks, smirking.

  I glance at my watch. “I think my time is up.” I smile, taking great pleasure in walking out.


  I step out into the cool evening air. Winter’s coming and the dark nights are drawing in. The London streets are busy with people out for food and socialising. That shit doesn’t interest me. Seeing couples holding hands and chatting happily makes me shudder.

  I hear her before I see her. The sound of Eva’s laughter reaches my ears and then I spot her walking towards me arm-in-arm with another man. She looks like all these other loved-up fuckers, only she doesn’t have a boyfriend.

  I stop and people tut their annoyance at the interruption to the flow of walking traffic. Eva almost crashes into me before stopping and looking up. Her lips go into an O kind of shape and I resist the urge to press my thumb over them to feel their softness. “What are you doing here?” she breathes.

  “Business,” I reply. We stare at each other for a few seconds. The world moves around us, but I swear all I can see is her.

  She shakes her head and it breaks our spell. “Sorry, this is Chris. Chris, this is Cree. He’s a friend of Anna’s,” she explains. Chris holds out his hand, but I continue to stare at Eva, and when it’s clear I’m not gonna shake it, he stuffs it back in his pocket.

  “Where are you going?” I grit out.

  “To see a film and then to get some food,” she replies. I nod my head and then cast my eyes at her date. He’s tall and geeky-looking.

  “You like him?” I ask. “Really?”

  “Jesus, Cree,” she hisses. She takes my arm, and I glare down at her hand on me and raise an eyebrow. She releases me and I follow her to the side of the walkway, away from her date.

  “That’s so rude. I know you think I’m disgusting, but please don’t make every man run a mile.”

  “I don’t think that,” I say.

  She rolls her eyes. “Oh please. You made it very clear how you feel about me. Chris is a nice guy. He treats me well.”

  “You fucked him?” I ask.

  “What the hell, Cree?” she hisses. “Keep your voice down.” She takes a deep breath. “You’re so weird. I have to go.”

  I watch her walk away. This is what I wanted for her—a nice guy, a normal life. So why do I feel like my heart’s just been trampled on?

  I get a text early the next morning to meet the guys at the gym. I’ve been ducking out of our workout sessions with Riggs and Chains lately, choosing to stay up late watching Eva. I left her alone after seeing her last night, but not knowing whether she took that guy back to her place is killing me. A workout is exactly what I need to de-stress. Doctor Chapman is always saying so.

  We take turns spotting each other on the weights. “You still fucking that rich bitch?” asks Riggs. I lower the bar to my chest and growl as I push it back up to the bars.

  “Why?”

  “Her old man called. He needs security again for an event. He requested you, but if you’re still fucking his wife, I thought it’d be best to send Chains,” says Riggs.

  “No, I’m good to do it,” I say as I begin another set.

  “You sure?” asks Riggs. “I don’t want shit to go down. Pulling off this venture is important to the club.”

  “Pres, I’m good to do it,” I mutter, and he nods his head. Since Anna and Ziggy were taken, Riggs has been trying to turn the club around. The security side was Chains’ idea. People pay a fortune for ex-Forces security and we have a whole team of guys. It’s how I met Shelly in the first place. Callum Myles is a multi-millionaire. He owns a large banking firm in central London, and although he has his own security team, whenever he attends events, he bulks out his team. I’ve worked three of his events and he usually requests me whenever he calls Riggs.

  “Call him for the details. Maybe you should take Chains too. He can keep you in line,” suggests Riggs.

  “You can watch the husband while I fuck the wife.” I wink at Chains.

  Riggs glares at me. “Fuck’s sake, brother, why you gotta live on the edge all the time?”

  “She likes the same shit as me. It’s addictive.” Shelly likes dangerous sex—indoors, outdoors, any way I want it. “And she doesn’t want anything from me. It’s not complicated.”

  “Unlike me and Anna,” says Riggs, and we all stare at him. “You think it’s all good because we smile around each other. She wants a kid,” he blurts out.

  “You already have one each,” states Chains.

  “And now she wants one between us,” says Riggs.

  “It’s early days to be having a kid, don’t ya think?” I say and Riggs nods his head.

  “Exactly my point. She don’t see it like that. Her view is I claimed her, so it means we’re together forever anyway, so why wait. Then it got to a whole new argument cos she accused me of not really meaning the forever thing. I mean, fuck, how do women get things so twisted?”

  I exchange a smirk with Chains. “Just tell her no. Simple. Don’t get into words, they cause problems. A simple no is all you need,” I say.

  Riggs stares at me. “You really believe that shit, don’t ya? Have you ever told a woman no? It’s never that simple. She’ll accuse me of trying to take away her women’s rights by being bossy or some bullshit. I swear, she creates conversations in her damn head.”

  “You need to be the boss,” I say. “Take control.”

  “You try controlling Anna and then tell me that. She’ll whip away your balls in the night.”

  “It’s why I stay single,” says Chains. “Simple life.”

  “You just lust after my kid sister instead,” mutters Riggs, and I laugh.

  “I do not,” Chains argues. “She’s a good kid is all.”

  I stand and wipe my hands down my shorts. “I love this heart-warming chat, but I have a life. See you guys later. I’ll call Callum Myles and let you know if I need you, Chains.”

  Chapter Three

  Eva

  The week goes pretty quickly. Being back at the office makes things seem normal again and living at the club on lockdown is like a distant memory. I’ve not even had a chance to catch up with Anna. I can no longer pop in on my way home from work now that she doesn’t live just up the road.

  I check my hair one last time in the mirror. The curls I had put in at lunchtime today have loosened so that they hang nicely around my shoulders. My dress is tight and black with a split going up the length of my right leg. It goes perfectly with the black heels I borrowed from Riggs’ sister, Leia. My breasts look full and spill over the top of the dress. It’s a pity my date for the charity ball this evening is gay. As if my thoughts conjured him, the doorbell rings and Kyle stands there in his tux. “Wow, you look amazing, Eva,” he grins. “If I ever turn straight, I’d hit you up first.”

  “Thanks. I think.” I smirk. I follow him out to the cab. Tonight’s event is at an upmarket wine bar in central London. Everyone who’s anyone in the modelling world will be there, which is why Michelle insisted on us being there under strict instructions not to get drunk so we don’t bring shame to her company. I roll my eyes at the thought of her low opinion of us.

  We arrive and Michelle is already inside, on the arm of Callum, and schmoozing with the editor of Glossy Magazine. “Since you told me about her bit on the side,” I whisper to Kyle, “I can’t stop looking at everyone she speaks to and wondering if it’s him.”

  Kyle grins. “Me too.” He snags us each a glass of champagne from a passing waitress. “Drink it quick before the dragon boss catches us.”

  Michelle heads our way just as I manage to dump my empty glass on a nearby table. “Thank god you’re here, Eva. Can you pull up my appointments for next week and fit Mr. Calderson in? He’s the editor of Glossy Magazine,” she says briskly like I didn’t already know who the hell he was.

  “Of course.” I pull out my cell and open her calendar. “Friday at twelve okay? I can order lunch from the deli?”

  “Fabulous idea. I’ll go and tell him now.” She totters off and I smirk at Kyle again.

  “Is it him? He’s single.”

  “I’m pretty sure he goes for younger women.
Michelle must be in her late thirties.” We watch her as she laughs and touches Mr. Calderson’s shoulder. “She’s trying her best to flirt.” He shudders and I laugh. “Right, well, let me go and see who I can schmooze. I’ll never get my debut job if I stand and chat with you all evening.” He wanders off and I take another glass of champagne from a waitress. Callum spots me and saunters over with that predatory look in his eyes. He sports a fake tan, and possibly mascara because no man’s lashes are that prominent. He places a hand on the wall above my head. “Eva, you look stunning.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Can I get you a drink?” he asks. I shake my head and hold my full glass up as a way of explanation. “Michelle is so pleased you’re back. Between you and me . . . ” He leans in closer and I know he’s eyeing up my breasts. “She couldn’t run that place without you.”

  “I’m glad to be back. It’s nice to have some routine back in my life.”

  He bites his lower lip, still staring blatantly at my chest. “I thought when you asked for a few weeks off, you’d met someone rich enough to take you on a cruise.” I smile weakly. “Any boyfriends on the scene?” he adds. I shake my head and take a gulp of my drink. How rude is it to tell your boss’s husband to fuck off? He glances over his shoulder before turning back to me and gently running his finger over my exposed collar bone. “Because I could treat you so good, Eva.”

  I pretend to wave at someone and then smile awkwardly at Callum. “Sorry, I’ve been waiting to speak with . . . ” I let my voice trail off as I walk away, shuddering again at his obvious and disgusting offer.

  I chat with a few other personal assistants, making sure to avoid Callum every time I move around the room. It’s not the first time he’s made it clear he fancies me. I get the impression he’s like that with most women.