Chapter 3
"Oh no, uhmmmm, I wasn't looking at your...uhmmmm,my mind just wandered there for a minute."
Yep, right into the gutter.
He kept going and dropped it thank God.
I shrugged my shoulders trying to keep the too large suit jacket from falling off of me.
I'm sure I looked a sight, I hated it, but I needed it, baggy clothes and drudgery had become my crutch since the incident and it was hard to give them up.
The fact is I hadn't really felt alive in a long time, until yesterday when I first laid eyes on Colton Lyon.
A part of me that I had believed died at callous hands came back full force without warning.
Now all I had to do was keep my head on straight and stop obsessing over his f*ck hot body and those to die for tattoos.
"This will be your desk, mine's through that door, you'll have the place to yourself mostly since I'm usually in the shop working or on the showroom floor.
No one comes in here when I'm not around, my guys already know this.
I run a tight ship, no slacking off, you get an hour lunch, your hours are nine to five unless I need you to stay a little extra for some reason, that shouldn't happen too often but it could happen.
You know your way around a computer?"
"Yes sir...uh I mean Mr...Colton."
It's not my fault that I was a stuttering, blushing mess, for crying out loud you should see him, he's standing with his arms folded which only makes them seem more built, legs braced apart, biker boots, tight black tee stretched across his chest with a picture of a naked Betty Boop on the front.
His tatts are dark and sexy and cover one forearm and runs up to his neck and my panties are wet. So there!
Even my thoughts are exhausting.
He sighed as though I was a trial, whatever big boy, try being on my end of things.
He finished showing me around the office, doling out instructions, his highbrow accent and elocution in total contrast to his bad boy looks.
"You got all that?"
"Yes, I believe I do."
The first half of the day was a snap.
I uploaded the orders from the sheet he'd given me, placed calls to suppliers as he'd instructed and fielded calls for new orders.
Seems everyone wanted an Colton Lyon original.
True to his word he was only in and out sparingly but each time was worse than the last.
Like now, sweat made his T-shirt stick to his body, he looked a little flushed, I guess from the heat in the shop and the way he was drinking that bottle of water, eeeeeeek.
"What is it now?"
"Huh, what?" Oh merciful heavens please tell me he didn't just catch me ogling his junk, but what did he expect, walking around here in those tight jeans,... that hid nothing, didn't that hurt, to stuff all that in there?
"You've been staring at me with a blush on your face for the last five minutes Swan, you got a fever or something?"
"Yeah I've got a fever alright." Of course I mumbled that under my breath, the man was going to be the death of me, no wonder I kept spazzing out, and did he have to wear that cologne?
"What was that?"
"Nothing, nothing at all sir, just getting back to work here, lots to do."
Please take your package and exit far left, I need a damn cigarette and I don't even smoke.
I turned back to the computer screen before he opened his mouth and almost gave me heart failure.
"Am I f*cking you?"
Say what now?
"Uh...no?" Was my new boss hitting the pipe?
"What did I tell you about that sir shit?"
Gulp.
"Sorry, I'll try to remember."
"See that you do."
Would you get out of here already before I combust?
The big guy upstairs must've been listening because he made an exit not long after.
Jared brought me lunch which I ate at my desk because I found that the last person had made a mess of the files, not that anything was missing, it's just that there was no real order to anything.
Around two the phone rang, good, break up the monotony.
"Lyon's Place, how may I help you?"
"Where the f*ck is Lyon?"
"Excuse me?"
"Lyon, the quack that runs that outfit over there, where the hell is he?"
"Sir, how may I be of service, Mr. Lyon is rather busy at the moment..."
"Listen girly..."
"No you listen, I don't know who you are and quite frankly I don't care, but your telephone manner leaves much to be desired.
Now either you speak to me in a civil tone or I'll be hanging up on the count of five, one, two three, four..."
"I'm almost there little missy, we'll just see about this."
He hung up the phone.
Oh shit, my first day and I'm gonna get canned, who the hell was that?
Damn, when will I learn to keep my big mouth shut, Jared was going to be so pissed.
Not long after I heard the same gruff voice outside the door followed by a few others, namely Colton's.
My stomach was in knots and I had to throw up.
"Marcus what the hell?"
"Fight's not with you Lyon."
"You have a beef with anyone on my staff on my property, the fights with me Grimaldi."
"I want to talk to little missy with the big mouth."
"What's this about Grimaldi?"
"You learn how to build a decent bike yet?"
"Listen we've been going back and forth with this for the last year, if you don't like my work there's nothing I can do for you, but you're not going to come here and harass my people."
Maybe I should get out there before things get out of hand, Colton was beginning to sound frustrated.
I took a deep breath and walked to the door, I had to fortify myself before opening it.
I opened the door to Colton, Jared and a couple of the guys, Tommy and Pete among them.
"Hey, you the one I spoke to?"
Okay, he did not look anything like his voice sounded, he was dressed like a refined gentleman while he spoke like a ruffian.
What was it with the men in this town not being what they seem?
I wasn't quite sure what I'd done to set him off so I decided to play it safe.
"Yes sir I think I am."
He looked me up and down with a sneer.
"Well now, you're just a little itty-bitty thing, not much to you at all."
Watch it old man with the short jokes.
Instead of actually answering his obnoxious observation I just straightened my shoulders and stood a little taller.
"Was there something I could help you with?"
"There it is, that same snooty tone she used on the phone, that how you running your business these days Lyon?"
Colton started to answer him but for some strange reason I felt the need to defend myself, especially since the old reprobate was smirking at me like a three year old tattletale who'd gotten me in trouble.
Chances are I was going to be fired anyway so what the hell.
"Fact of the matter is you were obnoxiously rude Mr. Grumpy, if you want respect you first have to give it."
"Excuse me young lady, do you have any idea who I am?"
"Marc..."
Again Colton tried to intervene but I beat him to it, enough is enough.
For the past three months or so I've been playing the coward, just because life had thrown me a curveball didn't mean I had to roll over and play dead, and I'd be damned if I was going to play the coward here like I had in Arizona.
"Listen Dragon heart, I don't really much care who you are, from the looks of you you have money and maybe that's why you think you can get away with treating people just any old way, but your money doesn't mean squat to me, so why don't you take your money and your pompous attitude and go fu..."
"Kat..."
"Sloan..."
Jared and Colton cut into my resignation speech before I could get to the good part.
Suddenly there was a burst of raucous laughter as Mr. Grumpy bent double in laughter.
"You've got the contract Lyon." He held his hand out to Colton as he almost choked on his laughter.
Colton looked from him to me and back again before shaking his head and taking the hand.
I had no idea what the hell had just happened.
"Back to work, show's over, that means you too Sloan."
I turned and escaped back into the office.
I waited 'til only Jared and I were left in the hallway, and Marcus had gone off to the showroom with the guys.
"She's not at all what she seems is she?"
"Nope!"
"What the f*ck is going on Jared?"
"You'll just have to wait to find out."
Shit, she'd just landed me what could be my most lucrative deal, a contract I'd been after for a year now, a deal that will have my bikes all over the world.
* * *