My heart. My soul. The words popped into her mind. She ignored them. She was fairly certain both had been lost a long time ago. One had been frozen out of necessity; the other, well, she wasn’t sure she ever had the other in the first place.
Despite leading Nick to think otherwise, Nicki had been giving Sean’s offer a lot of thought. So far, Angels hadn’t provided the leads she’d been hoping for; Jason Michaels ran a pretty clean place. And, as far as the private BSDM club he ran there, he had very specific rules. Everyone involved was over twenty-one, underwent frequent health screenings, and was there purely by choice.
No drugs and consensual adult playtime was definitely not Benny’s style.
She wasn’t completely ready to give up on Angels, though. Someone might know someone. There was no reason why she couldn’t do both as long as she was careful. And, she reasoned, just as much information was probably exchanged in a garage as in a bar. It might actually get her closer to her goal. Yes, it was risky, but she’d never expected it to be easy. And unless Charlene regained consciousness, it was her best option.
“Okay,” she breathed, still not entirely convinced she was making the right decision. “I’ll talk to him, see what he’s offering.”
Nick embraced her so hard it almost made it worth it. “You won’t be sorry, Nicki, I swear it.” He grinned. “We are going to show this town just what a couple of bastards are capable of.”
*
“Here’s the deal,” Sean said, seated in his office. He didn’t normally open the place up on Sundays, but he’d made an exception when he received Nick’s call. “I’ll give you a week. You do well, and the position’s yours.”
She turned those pale, silvery eyes on him. He felt the force of it right down into his chest. Liquid diamonds, that’s what they looked like, moving and swirling with currents of energy all their own.
“Part-time days,” she said, blinking once.
“It’s a full time position.”
“I can do more in four hours than most men can in eight.” There was no arrogance in her voice; she simply spoke the truth.
If her skill was anything like her attitude, he didn’t doubt it. He also knew that she had accepted Jason’s offer to tend at Angels at night, so he understood at least one of the reasons behind her request. It wasn’t ideal, but he could work with it.
He appeared to consider her offer, studying her intently. He gave her credit. She never once broke eye contact, meeting him head on. No one had ever done that before besides his brothers, and certainly never a female. It made him harder than hell. Christ, he wanted to pound his chest and mount her like a fucking animal.
Finally he nodded, compartmentalizing those thoughts for the time being. “Alright. One week, four hours a day, Monday through Saturday. You start tomorrow.”
Nicki blinked. Clearly she hadn’t really expected him to go for it. “You’re serious?”
Sean nodded. “Don’t expect any special treatment, though. You pull your own weight.”
She smiled. The effect was startling. “Fair enough.”
––––––––
Over the next week, Nicki took more than her fair share of abuse from the guys. Sean was tempted to intervene several times, but he forced himself to simply observe. He had to know she could handle herself.
And handle herself she did. She ignored most of their taunts and comments, but was just as prone to give as good as she got. It became clear right off the bat that she didn’t take shit from anyone. And not once, Sean was pleased to see, did she appeal to her brother or to him for help. Several times, in fact, he had seen her planting a well-placed index finger in her brother’s chest, telling him to back off and let her handle things on her own. That didn’t sit well with Nick, but surprisingly, he listened.
As a mechanic she was invaluable. Often she had only to listen to a vehicle for few minutes to zero in on a problem, and had an impressive knowledge base when it came to some of the higher-performing models. Over the course of the week, she had grudgingly earned at least some respect from the others, even if they weren’t keen on admitting it.
It was nearly the end of the first week when it happened. Sean had asked the guys to come in a little early to get their thoughts on her. When Nicki pulled in a good half hour before her shift was supposed to start, she plowed right into the back of Sean’s Shelby.
*