“It’s something you do when you wanna crawl up their asses and make them like you. And it’s not something you are gonna do again, got me?”
Jeez. What was with this guy?
“I was just doing something nice,” I stated the obvious and kind of repeated myself.
“So you did it. Don’t do it again,” he returned.
“It’s donuts, Tack.”
“Don’t do it again, Red.”
I glared at him. Then I asked, “Are you this big of a jerk to just me or are you this big of a jerk to everybody?”
He shoved the rag in his back pocket and crossed his arms on his chest as he said, “Listen, darlin’, I told you I didn’t want you workin’ here. You cannot be surprised I’m gonna be an ass**le to you because I haven’t changed my mind. I don’t want you workin’ here.”
I stared up at him. Then I thought of the order for car and bike stuff I had no idea how to make. I knew my attempt would probably piss him off and maybe give him reason to fire me. Then I thought of the fact that I’d slept with him, I thought it was something special, something beautiful and it was most definitely not. Then I thought of the fact that he didn’t want me there so why was I so fired up to be there? I didn’t like him, not at all. He was a jerk. The fact that I slept with him mortified me. The idea of dealing with him day in and day out wasn’t something that filled me with delight. Sure, I liked some of the guys in the garage and when they came in, they gabbed like women, but I hadn’t bonded with any of them.
So what on earth was I doing?
“Fine,” I stated and looked back at the computer screen.
“What?” Tack asked.
“Fine,” I repeated to the computer screen then went on to explain to the monitor, “Eloise didn’t have enough time to teach me the ropes. I don’t know what I’m doing. You’re going to figure that out in thirty minutes. You don’t like me. I really don’t like you,” just my eyes slid to him, “so, fine. I’ll finish out the day and then you won’t see me again.”
Tack’s brows went up. “You slap me with attitude twice for this job and then you give in, easy as that?”
“I’m not going to work in a place where I can’t eat donuts,” I informed him, looked back at the computer screen and started tapping away. “You crossed the line with that one. So, yeah, easy as that.”
Then I took another sip of coffee.
“I thought you needed this job,” Tack said.
“I’ll find another job where I can wear my fabulous pink slingbacks without putting up with annoying, unnecessary, scary biker dude hassle.”
“So, you’re sayin’, you get in my face about keeping this job and then you give in ‘cause you can’t wear sex kitten shoes and eat donuts?”
My eyes moved back to him. “Yeah, handsome, that’s what I’m saying.”
He stared at me. I stared back at him. Then his face relaxed and his lips, surrounded by that kickass goatee, curled up into a sexy as all hell grin.
“Jesus, Red, tell me, when you’re such a pain in the ass, why do I seriously wanna f**k you right now?”
It felt like a strong, heavy hand pressed hard on my chest, pushing all the air out of my lungs.
“Don’t be coarse,” I snapped.
His eyebrows went up again. “Coarse?”
“Coarse, vulgar, uncouth… rude,” I explained.
His sexy grin turned into an even sexier smile. “Only way I can be, darlin’, ‘cause all that’s me.”
“Well, good. Another reason for me to quit.”
“You’re not quittin’,” he declared and it was my turn for my eyebrows to go up.
“Pardon?”
“You’re not quittin’,” he repeated.
That hand at my chest pressed deeper.
“I thought you didn’t want me working here.”
He jerked his chin up. “Changed my mind, babe.”
“You changed your mind?” I asked.
“Yeah, and I changed my mind about your clothes and the donuts too. Bring whatever you want for the boys. Wear whatever you want. Especially those tight skirts that remind me how great your ass feels and those sex kitten shoes that make me want to feel their heels digging in my back.”
Ohmigod! Could he be more of a jerk?
“You can’t talk to me like that,” I informed him bitingly.
“I can’t?” he asked.
“No. It’s sexual harassment.”
He smiled again. “Darlin’, don’t think I have to remind you that you took a job, you knew I was your boss, you came to what amounts to a company party and then you f**ked my brains out. I didn’t harass you. You walked with me straight to my bed and you participated fully in everything we did in that bed. You could try but you’d have a hard f**kin’ time convincin’ anyone I’m harassin’ you.”
This was, unfortunately, true.
“I’m quitting,” I announced firmly.
“So quit,” he returned. “I can’t chain you to that chair. It isn’t me who’s gotta look in the mirror in the mornin’ and know I’m a coward.”
My body jolted straight in my chair.
“What?” I snapped.
“Babe, you took this job knowin’ it’d be a challenge and you fought for it knowin’ how that challenge changed. Now, two days in, your first head-to-head with me, you’re givin’ up. That’s bullshit and it’s weak. That’s the way a coward would act. You give in, you gotta look in the mirror and know that shit. I don’t. So you wanna quit, quit. That shit ain’t on me, it’s on you. You can live with that…” he trailed off and shrugged.
“So you wanted me to go, and I’m going, now you’re trying to goad me into staying?” I asked with easy to read disbelief.
“I’m tellin’ you the way it is. You’re sittin’ on your sweet ass in that sweet skirt knowin’ you’re gonna give in eventually and warm my bed. This isn’t about donuts, Red, it’s about you bein’ weak. So don’t try to bullshit me because I know your play and I’m callin’ you on it.”
“I am not going to warm your bed!” I fired back.
“Oh yeah you are,” Tack returned.