Corrupting Cinderella

Rock cocks an eyebrow at Z. “Seriously?”

  While I don’t feel bad about the guys messing with each other—honestly Wrath has it coming in spades—I can’t get Trinity’s mortified expression out of my head.

  “Z threatened to spank my ass before too,” I blurt out.

  Rock growls. Z’s eyes widen and jumps up off the couch. “That was dirty, Hope,” he says with a grin and takes off.

  I can’t help giggling. Rock gives me a squeeze. “Sorry I chased you away before.”

  A sigh escapes me before I answer. “I understand.”

  “Have a good talk with Trinity?”

  “Sort of. She always seems so afraid she’s going to offend me.”

  He nods and holds me a little tighter. “You’re the president’s ol’ lady,” he says if that explains anything. “I’m glad you two get along,” he continues. “She could use a good girl friend.”

  I glance at the bar, where she’s surrounded by guys and working fast to hand out drinks. A glowering Wrath standing next to the bar, seems to be waiting for her to finish.

  “Yeah, I guess so,” I answer dryly.

  Rock plants a soft kiss on my cheek. “I’m about done here, baby doll.”

  Shivering from his touch, I turn and give him a longer kiss.

  “Me too,” I utter breathlessly when we part.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  Breakfast the next morning is a little weird. Too many questions I’m too chicken to ask float through my head. Z and Wrath sort of glare at each other, but overall they seem to have calmed down.

  Trinity walks out of the kitchen, coffee pot in hand, and thinking over Rock’s words from last night, I work out a plan in my head. She fills everyone’s mug, then turns to head back.

  “Trinity?”

  She stops, glances back. “You need something, Hope?”

  Next to me, Rock is still, but I feel his eyes on me. Across the table, Wrath is also oddly quiet. Only Z, Murphy, and Teller go on talking, taking no notice.

  Shit, I shouldn’t do this in front of everyone. Throwing on a casual smile, I ask, “Don’t you ever eat breakfast?”

  She stiffens, but pastes on a smile as she takes a few steps closer to the table. “Sure, in the kitchen while I’m getting everyone else’s stuff together.”

  “Oh, no wonder you stay so skinny,” I tease.

  “Look who’s talking,” she jokes back.

  Actually, with my grief diet behind me, I’ve been packing weight back on with frightening speed. Every time I complain about it, Rock either says he doesn’t know what I’m talking about or he’s glad because he needs more to hold onto. Neither answer comforts me, and I make a mental note to start using the gym here soon.

  Shaking that off, I continue with my mission. “Well, I’m kind of on testosterone overload. Would you mind eating breakfast out here today?” I ask shyly.

  A nervous smile flitters over her lips, and her gaze jumps to Rock. Under the table, I dig my fingers into his leg. If he chases her away, I’m going to be super pissed.

  With my head turned, I can’t see his face, but whatever unspoken permission he must have given makes her relax.

  “Sure, I’ll be right back.”

  Worried it’s going to take her forever, I jump up before Rock can stop me and follow her into the kitchen.

  “Hope, what are you doing?” she asks when I follow behind her. Birch is by the stove, getting plates ready. Well, at least someone helps her out around here.

  “The sooner you get your butt out there, the sooner you can rescue me from all the bro talk,” I joke.

  “Oh, okay.” I can tell I’ve made her nervous and feel bad about it, so I try to act casual while I dig around in the kitchen for my breakfast. Then I realize I have no idea where everything is kept. Figuring now is as good a time as any to start learning, I wander around the kitchen until I locate the pantry. Sticking my head inside, I find boxes of cereal and pull out two of those tiny single-serve boxes of trusty cornflakes. In the fridge I find a small container of skim milk, so I grab that too.

  Birch keeps watching me with interest.

  “Bowls?”

  He reaches into one of the cabinets and hands me down a bowl, then pulls out the drawer in front of him and gives me a spoon. “Thanks.”

  My gaze flicks to Trinity. “What are you having, Trin?”

  “Probably cereal too,” she answers without looking over.

  “Cornflakes?”

  “Sure.”

  Grabbing two more little boxes from the pantry, I return and add another bowl and spoon to my armful. Birch helpfully hands me a tray. It occurs to me that while Trinity probably can’t boss Birch around, based on what Rock says about me being his ol’ lady, I can. I don’t mean it in a power trip, bossy-pants sort of way, but a help us out sorta way.

  Trin has three trays set up. It’s ridiculous for her to make three trips back and forth before she can even sit down.

  “Hey, Birch, help us carry these out, okay?” I ask.

  “Yeah, of course.” I think it’s the first time I’ve ever heard him speak. Trinity glances at me with worried eyes, which I ignore. Jerking my chin to the trays, I ask, “which one is Rock’s?”

  She points it out, and I transfer my stuff to that tray and pick it up. Ignoring her bugged-out eyes, I bump my hip against the kitchen door. “Hurry up, Trinity. Food is getting cold,” I call over my shoulder.

  Rock watches me with interest as I set the tray down and hand him his plate. I place everything else on the table as well and set up a spot for Trinity next to me. Wrath’s keen gaze is also fixed on me, but I ignore him. When Trinity is done setting plates in front of Wrath and Z, I pat the chair next to me.

  “Hey,” Murphy grouches, then smiles to cover it up.

  “Birch is coming,” I explain.

  There’s tension at the table, but I don’t really care. Maybe I’ve overstepped, and if that’s the case, Rock can tell me later. I wasn’t kidding about needing female companionship. I can only listen to cryptic club business conversation and gear head talk for so long before I lose my mind.

  Under the table, Rock’s hand gives my thigh a gentle squeeze. I’m not sure how to interpret it, but I don’t think he’s mad.

  Except for Wrath, everyone else has gone back to their conversations. Dumping both boxes of cereal into my bowl, I glance up. “How do you feel today?”

  He continues staring at me for a few moments before answering. “Hung over. Sore. But happy to be home.”

  A smile tugs at the corners of my mouth. “I think everyone is relieved you’re home.”

  Next to me, Trinity is silent. She hasn’t moved a muscle. It dawns on me—perhaps a little too late—that it might be awkward for her to eat breakfast at the same table as Wrath and Z, after last night. Oops. Too late now.

  Using it as an excuse, I pick up the milk and push it into her hands. “Sorry, didn’t mean to hog up the milk, Trin.”

  She shakes out of her trance. “Thanks, Hope.”

  The tension seems to melt. The guys go back to talking. Z is lamenting the “last run of the season” they’re all going to miss.

  “Fucking go,” Wrath growls.

  “No fucking way. We all go, or no one goes,” Murphy shoots back.

  “We’ll do up a big one at the start of the next season for you,” Teller adds.

  The guys all grumble about being stuck in their “cages” through the winter. Their grumbling turns to excitement as they discuss the plans they have to tear down and upgrade their motorcycles in the next few months. I anticipate that means they will be spending a lot of time out in that giant garage, and now I understand why it’s heated.

  Conversation shifts to a club business run, which I gather is a totally different thing than the other type of run they’d been discussing.

  Rock cuts them off. “We’ll figure it out later.”

  They go back to debating bike modifications, and my mind zones out.

  After a bit, I
nudge Trinity with my elbow. “Don’t you ever get tired of all the boy talk?” I mock whisper.

  She huffs out a soft laugh. “Not really.”

  “What do you like to do, Trin?”

  She shrugs. “This place keeps me busy. I can’t wait for next spring. The guys are going to put in a garden so I can grow some veggies and stuff here.”

  Wrath glances at us and flashes a smile. “We’ll get the prospects started on that early, so it’s ready for you.”

  Inside I’m laughing. Guess the prospects don’t get to fix their bikes up over the winter.

  Z punches Teller in the arm. “You should let me get one of those compact tractors. I could do all sorts of shit around here with one.”

  “So, stop whining about it and bring it up at church,” Teller answers back.

  Z flips him off, and they go back to their guy talk.

  “So gardening? Are you the one who keeps the big Buddha guy looking spiffy?” I tease.

  I finally get a genuine smile out of Trinity. “Yeah, that’s me,” she says with a sparkle in her tawny eyes.

  “Neat. I’ve never been able to keep any plants alive for more than a week.”

  “Sparky helps,” Trinity explains.

  That confuses me. “Which one is he?”

  Rock interrupts by wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Babe, is that all you’re gonna eat?”

  “Yes, I’m getting fat enough, thanks to you.”

  “Oh, geez. You two can go sit over there if you’re gonna start talking diets and stuff,” Z says, motioning over to the table by the window.

  “You need more protein,” Wrath interjects, pointing at my now-empty bowl.

  “Fuck, here we go. Mr. Clean Eating Fighter,” Teller jokes.

  Wrath shrugs. “Whatever, welterweight.”

  The guys start trading insults, and I poke Trinity again. “What else do you do for fun around here?”

  She arches a brow at me, and too late I realize she might have interpreted my question as “besides fuck the guys,” which was so not what I meant.

  “I read a lot,” she finally answers.

  We discuss some of our favorite books, and I promise to stop by her room later so I can borrow a few from her.

  “Hey, I don’t know what kind of music you like, but my friend, Sophie, has an extra ticket to see Afterlife on Friday. You think you’d like to go?”

  Rock nudges me. “Hey,” he huffs in an offended tone.

  “Girls’ night,” I answer without turning my head.

  Trinity hesitates.

  “Come on. You’ll probably need a night off from playing nurse to Wrath, right?” I say, jerking my chin in his direction. A brief smile twists his lips before his gaze slips to Rock.

  She flicks a glance at Wrath who gives her an almost imperceptible nod of his head.

  “Yeah, I like them a lot. Sounds like fun.”

  Ignoring their exchange, I clap my hands together. “Cool. You’ll like Sophie and Lilly. Hell, they’ll probably like you more than me.”

  Z’s watching us now. “Where is the show, Hope? Not the dive we went to last time?”

  “No. Downtown at the arena.”

  He nods, and I get the feeling girls’ night is going to include an escort whether we want it or not.

  Seeing my girl working hard to befriend Trinity is a gut punch that emphasizes how perfect Hope is for me. Trinity has had a difficult life, and she’s important to me. There’s never been anything sexual about our relationship, but every woman I’ve been with over the years has seen Trinity as a threat and treated her accordingly. Club girls, jealous of her position in the house, usually treat her as competition they can defeat. Trinity has always handled the turmoil well. With the life she’s lived, she expects it, I guess.

  It’s obvious she’s not sure what to make of Hope’s eagerness to be friends. I figure they’ll work it out over time. Hope can be persistent that way.

  Even though I’m happy about their budding friendship, it doesn’t mean I’m thrilled about them running around downtown Empire together for their girls’ night out. Adding Lilly and Sophie to the mix doesn’t make me any more confident.

  But I didn’t run a strip club in Empire for years without making a few friends. One of those friends now manages the company that provides security for the arena the girls are going to for their show. After I make that phone call, it’s a lot easier to pretend to be the laid-back boyfriend eager to send his girl off for a night of rowdiness with her friends.

  The girls have been back and forth all afternoon getting ready for their evening out. Fed up and chased from Trinity’s room, Wrath throws himself onto the couch. “I can’t believe you’re letting them do this.”

  Adam’s words drift into my head, and I chuckle. “One doesn’t let Hope do anything, brother. And I don’t think you have much say over Trinny, either,” I remind him with a pointed look.

  “Fuck off,” he growls. Pointing to his cast, he grinds out another concern. “It’s kinda soon after this bullshit to be letting them run around unprotected.”

  Okay, he’s got a point there.

  “Z and I took care of those fucks.”

  Wrath’s jaw ticks, but he nods.

  Music drifts out from the back of the house. Wrath rolls his eyes at me. “It’s like backstage at a fashion show down there. Why couldn’t they do that shit in your room?”

  I shrug. “Who’s coming up tonight?” I ask to change the subject.

  “Fuck if I know,” Wrath grumbles, surprising me, since he’s usually on top of every person who comes through our gate.

  “You worried about something else?”

  He glances at me with a pained expression, and understanding dawns on me. Brother’s hating this so much, I almost manage not to laugh. “They’re not going out to pick up guys.”

  “I know Hope isn’t. But those other two you told me about…” he trails off.

  I elbow him in the ribs. “I called Blue. He’ll make sure they’re protected at the show, and Birch will be on their tail. They’ll be fine.”

  That didn’t exactly address his concerns, but he relaxes a little. “Whatever,” he mumbles as he swipes up the remote and flicks the television on.

  Sparky wanders up long enough to grab something from the kitchen and head back downstairs to his plants. Shaking my head, I go into the war room to work on some stuff that came up during the week.

  Loud giggles pull me back into the main room. “We’re almost ready to go,” Hope shouts.

  “Oh, hey,” she says, hurrying over when I come out of the war room.

  Fuck me. Nope. Not okay letting her go out at all now.

  Wrath gives me a smug look that I interpret as “still cool with this, bro?”

  As far as dresses go, I’m sure it’s tame compared to what her friends will be wearing. It’s black and has a tight top held together with laces all the way up. The swinging skirt stops way too far above her knees for my taste. Her legs are covered in black stockings with some sort of lacy, flowery pattern. I swear my girl has given me some sort of fucking pantyhose fetish, because all I can think about is ripping right through them and fucking her hard. My filthy thoughts must be plastered all over my face because suddenly her cheeks are bright pink.

  Clearing my throat, I ask, “Aren’t you going to be cold?”

  She holds up a bright blue leather jacket that I recognize as Trinity’s. My eyes skip down to the black, knee-high boots her legs are encased in, and I stifle a groan.

  Soft clicking announces Trinity’s arrival. Wrath’s smug face turns downright deadly when he gets a look at her. Royal blue, equally tight and short, Trinity’s dress makes her blonde hair seem even brighter. She’s also wearing black tights and boots. The two of them make quite a pair. Wrath pushes himself off the couch and hobbles over.

  “Jacket?” I cough out.

  She holds up a black leather jacket that I’m pretty sure is actually Hope’s. “Yes, Dad.”

&
nbsp; “Very funny.” Pulling out my phone, I snap a picture. “Just in case you go missing, so I have something to give the police.” I meant it as a joke, but it came out kind of strained.

  “Very funny,” Hope teases me with my own words. Grabbing hold of Trinity’s hand, she drags her to the door. “Let’s go. I don’t like the bossy caveman faces I’m seeing.”

  Trinity chuckles nervously.

  “Hey, wait a sec,” I call. Hope turns, and I crook my finger at her. Smiling, she saunters over.

  “Have fun, but be careful?”

  “Of course.”

  “Where you going first?”

  “We’re meeting up at the Red Room for drinks, then walking to the arena. Sophie has parking passes for her firm’s garage we can use.”

  “Okay. Just be careful walking around down there.”

  She smiles, but I can tell she’s fighting the urge to tell me to fuck off. “I will.” She tilts her head in Trinity’s direction. “I’ve got the little blonde badass with me. We’ll be fine.”

  I snort at that. My eyes skip to Trinity and Wrath. He’s bent over whispering something in her ear. She’s blushing and smiling, so at least he’s not giving her a hard time. Laughing, she pushes him away and grabs Hope’s hand.

  “Let’s run before they change their minds.” Trinity giggles, hauling Hope out the door.

  I paste on a smile as I walk the girls out. My gimpy brother doesn’t share my lazy grin as we send the girls off in Trinity’s jeep.

  As soon as they’re out of sight, he storms back in the house. “When did we turn into such whipped pussies?” he snaps. “No way should we be letting our women out dressed like that.”

  Oh boy. I’m laughing so hard, I can’t even respond. “Something you want to share?”

  Realizing what he’s said, he clams up and grabs a bottle of Jack from behind the bar. He points at the couch. “I’ll be over there until they get back. You better stay sober in case they need anything. Not like I can drive anywhere.”

  Christ, this is good. I smile at the distraction, then head back into the war room to finish up what I was working on before the clubhouse gets too noisy.

  I’m not good at being a girly-girl. Never have been. Neither is Trinity, but I think that’s why we’re having so much fun together. After chasing Wrath out of her room, we rifled through her closet until we found a royal blue dress she had hanging in the back.