Silver and Chrome: A Bad Boy MC Romance by Aubrey St. Clair Page A

Axle’s to the door.
Seems he’s an early riser, and in more ways than one.”
     
    I
roll my eyes. I was hoping to get my mind out of the gutter, and yet here I am,
listening to my best friend’s sexcapades and feeling jealous. I could have done
with a morning lay, myself. There’s no better way to relieve this kind of
tension, other than forgetting about it completely. I’m hoping spilling the
beans will help.
     
    “I
was in a similar situation Saturday night,” I confess, padding out to my living
room. “With Bash. You remember—the guy who chased off Edward.”
     
    “Oh,
my God,” she whispers. “I wondered where you disappeared to, but when you came
back out you didn’t say anything! You skank! ”
     
    I
laugh. “You were rather preoccupied with Andy that night.  If I recall, you
sent me home on my own so you could wait around for him to get off work, remember? 
And Bash wore me out enough I just wanted to go home to bed instead of waiting
around.”
     
    “You’re
right. Damn.” I can almost hear her shaking her head at me. “So, how was it? Do
those muscles hold up when it counts?”
     
    “Definitely,”
I say, starting up my own Keurig coffee pod. “Kinda wish he’d kept his mouth
shut, though. Guys like that are meant to be seen and not heard, I think. It’s
better that way.”
     
    Jackie
cackles. “Listen to you, Evelyn! I think I’m rubbing off on you, finally. Did
it help? You know, your mood.”
     
    “Mostly.”
I drum my fingers on the counter, waiting for my coffee to percolate. “But now…
I can’t stop thinking about it. I know, it’s silly. It was just a one-night
stand. And I don’t really want a guy like that…”
     
    “Damn
right, you don’t,” Jackie says, cutting me off. “Not for a relationship,
anyway. But a little casual sex won’t kill you. But you’re right, you just got
out of a relationship. You don’t need to be jumping into another one just yet, especially not with a guy named Bash. When the time comes, you want someone stable.
Someone who can take care of you, when the chips are down. Someone who doesn’t
make a living breaking pool cues over people’s heads, you know? Besides, that’s
more my type…”
     
    I
sigh. She’s right. And this is exactly what I need to hear, what I need to get
Bash out of my head. He’s no good for me long-term, and the kind of girl I am
at heart, I couldn’t make it a casual thing without wanting to get more deeply
involved. I’d basically be trading one awful relationship for another. Edward
was a controlling bastard, sure, but his weakness was a wall of muscle like
Bash. If Bash turned out to be a problem, who could stand up against him? What
was his weakness?
     
    No.
He’s dangerous. Jackie’s right. Even if that’s the very thing that turns me on
about him…
     
    “That
helps,” I say. “Keep it coming.”
     
    “You
don’t need a man muddling things up right now for more reasons than that,” she
continues. “Sure, I worry about your heart, but I also worry about your career.
And I know you do, too. That’s what you ought to be focused on right now,
Evelyn—getting a new job, getting your foot in the door, climbing that
corporate ladder. You’re so much better than what they give you credit for,
hun. You weren’t meant to be an executive assistant forever.”
     
    I’ve
talked with Jackie about this very thing plenty of times. She knows my
aspirations. She knows what I went through with VI, and how
underappreciated—and overutilized—I was there. Sometimes, it didn’t pay to show
aptitude at projects outside your job description. Too many people were willing
to take advantage of that, especially billionaire CEOs always looking to cut
costs somewhere.
     
    At
my next job, I’m going to have to show them that I’m capable, but aware of my
value. I won’t let myself be bullied into performing multiple jobs while only
being paid for one. Not ever again. I deserve the pay and the