Surrender Read online

  Taking a deep breath, I looked at my reflection in the rearview mirror and gave myself a much needed pep talk. Don’t let him get to you, Shay. You need this job and the money it will bring. Billy will understand if you can’t work the whole two weeks. And as for Stefan March, when you play him, which sure as God made little green apples you will, you’ll get even for what he just did.

  * * *

  I WATCHED Shay leave after serving up my little spiel about not giving a fuck. When I finally got her under me, I’d enjoy the feeling of conquering such a woman. She had fire, no doubt. And now I knew what I’d suspected since seeing her storm out hours earlier—she could dish it out, but she couldn’t take it.

  Smiling to myself from this first victory, I heard footsteps behind me and turned to see Kane coming down the stairs with his same surly look from earlier. Whatever. At least one of us was having a great day.

  “Kane, big brother? How are you?”

  He stopped in front of me and folded his arms across his chest. Looking down at me, he frowned. “I have to say I’m intrigued by your seduction efforts, Stefan. Do most women you have like being treated like shit?”

  “All women like being treated like shit, Kane. If they didn’t, they wouldn’t want players and bad boys. Were you spying on me?”

  He chuckled and shook his head. “No. I just happened to hear your conversation with your new bartender. A dozen women? Where have you been hiding them? I’ve only seen her and Olivia here today.”

  “All part of the plan. You watch the master in action. She’ll be on her knees in no time.”

  “You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t cut off your dick while she’s down there. You’re playing this all wrong, Stefan. Trust me on this.”

  I threw my head back and let out a full laugh. “Trust you? When was the last time you even had a woman? Take notes, Kane. Maybe your sex life will improve. This one’s already on the hook. All I have to do is reel ‘er in.”

  “Whatever you say. I’m going to enjoy your place. It’ll be a nice change from my rooms here.”

  “Don’t start moving in quite yet, but make sure that car of yours is all ready to go. I don’t need it sputtering on me when I open that baby up. She’s going to feel so fucking good when she finally gets the right person driving her.”

  “You talking about my car or your new bartender?”

  Rolling my eyes, I turned back to my paperwork. “The car, of course. Shay doesn’t concern me at all. This is a game, Kane. Don’t go getting all emotional about it. After today, it’s going to feel so fucking good playing her.”

  “You sound pretty emotional about this, Stef. I think she got under your skin earlier. I stand by my prediction. That woman won’t touch you with a ten foot pole. She can get better, and she knows it, especially after what you just pulled.”

  “Yeah, yeah. You’ll see. She’s halfway there already. If you want to sweeten the pot on our deal, though…”

  I smiled as I waited to see if Kane took the bait. He wanted to see me get my ego handed to me with this girl so much, I was pretty sure he’d want to up the ante. From behind me, I heard him make a low groan.

  “I’ll take that. What do you want, and don’t say my car permanently because that’s not going to happen.”

  Turning around, I saw his expression telling me I couldn’t push the car thing more. No matter. I had bigger plans. “I want your area.”

  The look of shock that crossed his face made just saying those words worth it, but he took the bait, with reservations. “What about Cash? I don’t think he’s going to appreciate us using anything in the club as part of a bet.”

  “If you think I’m going to win our little wager, just admit I’m that good and we can drop it. Just say the words, Kane. You’re that good, Stefan. That’s all I need to hear.”

  “No fucking way, Stef. You’re not a good enough player to get that woman. No way. No how. I’ll bet my part of the club on it. But now I want something.”

  “What? You already get my condo for a year if you win, which you won’t. What do you want, two years?”

  “No. I’ll take the Ducati. Permanently.”

  Now Kane wasn’t fucking around anymore. Putting my bike on the line made me squeamish. I didn’t doubt my ability to get Shay, but if by some act of God or something I lost the bet, I’d lose my bike and not even have Kane’s car to ride around in. I’d have a lot riding on this woman.

  Putting on my best game face, I nodded my agreement to his newest terms. “Agreed. Do you know how great it’s going to be having your car, running the fantasies of this place, and getting that woman to bow down to me?”

  Kane stuck his hand out and grabbed mine to shake on our deal. “I’ve been thinking of buying a bike, but I like taking yours better. I might even sell it and buy another one since it likely won’t fit me. All that, your apartment, and seeing Shay rub your face in it when she turns you down flat. This day is getting better by the minute.”

  I yanked my hand back, already uneasy about what I’d have to give up for Shay Callahan if I lost. I couldn’t let my half-brother see I was worried, though. As far as he’d be concerned, I had it all under control.

  Now I just had to believe she’d react like I thought she would.

  I glanced at my watch and saw it was nearly seven. Looking around at the two dozen or so bartenders and servers I had for the night, I didn’t see Shay. Well, at least if she didn’t come back I wouldn’t have to give up my bike to Kane if I lost the bet. Too bad, though. It would have been fun breaking her.

  “Okay, everybody gather round!” I barked out to the group spread far and wide across the main floor of the club.

  Lola moved to stand next to me and flashed me a sexy smile. “Hi, baby. What’s new?” A gorgeous blond with big blue eyes and a rack to die for, she was one of the bartenders I routinely slept with who didn’t end up suing us when I blew her off for a few weeks or so. She could always be trusted to give me a good time, so I always gave her the best spot in the bar.

  “Not much, Lo. You’re going to be at the front bar near the door tonight, as usual.”

  Sliding her hand over my back, she squeezed my ass. “You’re the best boss, Stefan. How anyone can dislike you is beyond me.”

  I looked down at her and winked, our sign for meeting up later in my office. Smiling, she winked back and walked over to a small group of female bartenders, most of whom I hadn’t slept with yet. Quickly sizing them up, I filed their names and what I liked about them away in my mind and returned to the meeting at hand.

  “Okay, listen up. Lola is leading off tonight, so she’ll be in charge of the front. Tammy, you’ll be handling the back near the dance floor. Mika, you—”

  Before I could finish my sentence, Shay appeared at my side and interrupted me. “So sorry. I couldn’t find a place to park.”

  Glaring down at her, I continued with my assignments for the night. When I was done, I pulled her aside and tried to hide how much I liked seeing her in her tight black buttoned down shirt and very short black miniskirt. “Next time, get here on time or don’t come at all.”

  Looking up at me through her bangs, she smiled. “Sorry, bossman. I promise to be good from now on. Tell me what you want me to do and I’m on it.”

  Caught off guard by her almost syrupy sweetness, I nevertheless liked this Shay better than the snapping bitch I’d met the day before. I especially liked how her C-cup tits nearly spilled out of her shirt. Something told me she wouldn’t be able to keep up the cute act for long, though. Beneath this accommodating little thing she wanted to playact lay a much wilder creature I knew liked to scratch.

  “Go with Lola tonight. You can shadow her to get your bearings. She’s my best.”

  “For now,” Shay said with a sly smile.

  I knew when a woman wanted me, and all the signs were there with this one already. That weekend with Kane’s Mustang and my moving up to the top floors were just a few short days away.

  Shay handl
ed herself like an expert behind the bar. I watched her and Lola for about a half hour before I had to admit she knew how to do the job. By midnight, she could man the end of the bar by herself, so I motioned to Lola to follow me to my office.

  Closing the door behind her, Lola began to undress quickly, used to our time together being short. “It’s been a while, Stefan. I missed you.”

  I licked my lips at the sight of her incredible body buck naked and walking toward me where I sat behind my desk. Opening up my arms, I eased her onto my lap. “You know how it is, Lo.”

  Slowly grinding against me, she nodded as she watched her pussy rub her juices into the front of my pants. Her pretty lips pouted, and she said in a tiny whine, “I know. I just wish we did this more often.”

  “Well, we’re here now,” I groaned as I slid my hands around to grab her gorgeous ass. If I didn’t need to get back out on the floor, I’d have taken her over the desk. Since I was pressed for time, this would have to do. I’d get off either way, so it was all good.

  “I guess. I just miss how often we used to get together,” she said as she nuzzled my neck.

  I tugged her head back by the hair so she faced me. “Take my cock out and let’s get going, Lo. We don’t have a lot of time.”

  Lola was nothing if not obedient, and she immediately did as she was told. Already hard, I couldn’t wait to get inside her. Even after all these months of fucking one another, she still had some of what I liked in a woman. The rest I could ignore as long as I got off.

  Reaching into my desk drawer, I pulled out a condom package and tore it open with my teeth as Lola stroked up and down on my shaft. I pushed her hands out of the way and unrolled the condom over my skin, hating the feel of it but knowing it was just one of the necessities of life.

  “Go to town, baby.”

  Lola lowered herself onto my cock, moving far too slow for my taste. Grabbing her hips, I pushed her hard onto me and then back up a few times before she got the hint that she needed to ride me, not just play fucking games if I was ever going to get off. She bounced up and down on me like an excited girl on her first pony ride, and if I’d bothered to care, I might have said she looked cute.

  I didn’t care, though, if she was cute or not. All I needed her to be was enough for me to come.

  The sound of our fucking filled my ears, helping me move toward my release. I liked hearing her squeal when I rammed my cock into her or pulled on her hair hard to get her to move faster. Nuzzling my neck, she moaned as I slid my finger into her ass and wiggled it, knowing that drove her nuts. It also worked to make her cunt spasm around me, which made me happy.

  And women said I didn’t care about their pleasure. What bullshit!

  Fifteen minutes later, I had a smile on my face and Lola had even gotten off, a bonus because I knew how to take care of business. Bending down, she kissed me and whispered, “Thanks, Stefan. That was fun.”

  “It was. Now get back out there and show that new girl how to bartend at Club X while I get myself situated here.”

  I lifted her off me and watched as she put her tiny skirt and shirt back on. She certainly was cute. Turning to face me, she leaned down to kiss me again. “Until next time.”

  Smacking her on the ass, I winked. “Definitely. See you out there, Lo.”

  After she left, I had to admit Lola did know how to ring a lot of my bells. If I had any interest whatsoever in dating someone, she’d definitely be near the head of the line. Thank God I had no interest in that shit. All I had to do was look at my brothers to see how love ruined everything for a guy. Cash walked around like a sad puppy when Olivia wasn’t around. Not that my future sister-in-law wasn’t great, but the guy was a lost cause. And Kane? Whoever had fucked him up had done one hell of a number on him. The guy worked around gorgeous dancers day in and day out and never even thought of touching them. If that’s what caring for a woman did to you, I wanted no part of it.

  As I thought about the sad state of affairs both my brothers had ended up in because of love, my office door opened. Pulling up my pants, I zipped my fly just as Shay walked in and closed the door behind her.

  “Hey, I wanted to speak to you, Stefan. Do you have a minute?”

  Caught with my pants down, literally, I nodded without thinking and sat back down. “Yeah, sure. What do you need?”

  “I just wanted to apologize again for us getting off on the wrong foot. And thanks for putting me with Lola tonight. She’s been so great in helping me get my bearings.”

  As Shay spoke, I remembered who I was dealing with. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but something in the way she sounded put my suspicions on red alert. “That’s good, and don’t worry about how we started off. It looks like you’re getting settled in fine. Just stay close to Lola for a while.”

  “Sounds great. Is there anything else you’d like me to do?”

  There was no way to mistake the sexy tone in her voice. I’d had enough women hit on me to know Shay was offering more than just learning how to make a new drink. Standing from behind my desk, I walked toward her until we stood no more than a foot away from each other. Looking down, I saw a distinct sparkle in her green eyes.

  “Like what? Do you have something in mind?”

  Her tongue slid across the seam of her lips before she smiled, and her eyes met mine with a look I recognized from every woman I’d ever slept with. “Lola said you like it when your girls are go-getters. I just wanted to show you I was.”

  Leave it to Lola to break the new girl in just as I liked. This was why she was my best worker. My eyes scanned Shay’s incredibly hot body for a long moment before I returned my gaze to meet hers. “Well, Lola’s right. I do like go-getters. I think you’ll work out here, Shay. Just follow Lola’s example and we’ll get along just fine.”

  “That’s great. Thanks! And if you want me to do anything…” Her voice trailed off and she tilted her head to the side. “Just let me know. I’m a quick learner on top of being a go-getter, Stefan.”

  Her thinly veiled proposition threw me for a second, and by the time my brain reset with an answer, she’d turned on her heels and headed out the door back into the club. My bet with Kane was going to be over before he could warn, “Don’t touch any of the dancers,” which I had every intention of ignoring.

  This girl was all but mine. It was almost too easy.

  But I’d been a good boy for a few weeks, so I deserved easy.

  * * *

  CASH AND Kane sat in their usual spots on opposite sides of Cash’s desk as I strolled in to our one o’clock Monday afternoon meeting at twenty minutes before two. These weekly get-togethers did nothing to help me run the club, so as far as I was concerned, they were optional. That I showed up at all should have meant something.

  Unfortunately, neither of my brothers saw things that way. As I took my seat next to Kane, two pairs of blue eyes shot me death stares, intended to make me understand how fed up they were with me and my disrespect for the weekly meeting.

  One problem—I didn’t care.

  “Hey, guys! What’s up?”

  “Stefan, we have this meeting every Monday at one o’clock. You’re nearly an hour late,” Cash said through gritted teeth.

  “You know how I feel about this whole meeting thing, big brother. You could always just give me the notes and we’d all be happy.”

  I felt Kane lean closer to me and turned my head to see him glaring at me. “Stefan, we’re tired of carrying your immature ass around here. Cash may be willing to take your bullshit, but I’m not.”

  My half-brother’s tolerance for my carefree outlook on life had become extremely limited these days. He used to be more like me. There was a time when he and I would get piss drunk every night and even though he never hooked up with any of the girls we had working for us, he still knew how to have a good time. God, I missed those days.

  I looked across the desk at Cash and saw his patience had just about run out too. I needed to diffuse the situation or I risked K
ane beating the hell out of me, which he could in a heartbeat, unfortunately. While Cash and I might be an equal fight, a fight with Kane would likely be me getting my ass handed to me or at least knocked around a bit.

  Certainly not the way I wanted to begin my week.

  “I get it. I’m sorry. I promise to take these meetings more seriously.” Seeing the look of disbelief on their faces, I raised my right hand and added, “Scout’s honor.”

  Cash rolled his eyes. “Stefan, we’re done already. I have a meeting at three, so I don’t have the time to rehash everything Kane and I talked about. Maybe not knowing what the hell is scheduled for the next week will make you realize showing up at the owners’ meeting each week is important.”

  He stood from behind the desk and buttoned his black suit coat, a clear sign he was leaving. I wanted to ask what meeting he had since I imagined it had something to do with Olivia and their engagement. Just the mention of her could put a smile on his face. I didn’t like when Cash was pissed at me, even if I didn’t show how much it bothered me. Ever since he and Olivia got serious, he’d been in a pretty forgiving mood with me and to see him so angry now because of something I did made me feel like shit. It was stupid, but it did.

  Before I could even ask how she was, he marched past me and out into the club, leaving me with an angry Kane who now sat with his arms crossed and glaring at me. Well, if you couldn’t piss off both your brothers by midday on a Monday, you weren’t much of a younger sibling, right?

  I turned toward my half-brother and shook my head. “What? You going to lecture me now?”

  “On what? How immature you are? How there’s no way in fucking hell I’m ever going to let you take over the top floors, even if you do get in that girl’s pants?”

  “Speaking of that, you’re going to be running the bar soon, so get ready.”

  Now he rolled his eyes just like Cash had and stood to leave. “Whatever, Stef.”