Boss (A Steele Riders MC Book 9) Read online

  Boss

  Steele Riders MC Novel

  C.M. Steele

  Copyrighted © 2021

  All Rights Reserved

  No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written expressed permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

  Cover design: Sarah Kil Creative Studio

  The use of actors, artists, movies, TV shows, and song titles/lyrics throughout this book are done so for storytelling purposes and should in no way be seen as advertisement. Trademark names are used in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.

  This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and please purchase your own copy.

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Epilogue

  My future wife walked into my bar on the arm of another man. A man I trusted, loved, and respected, but if he didn’t let her go, he’d lose it. I never expected to fall on my rear like a fool in love at my age, but here I am. Now all I need to do is convince her that she belongs with me and that there’s no going back until the end of our days.

  Esperanza doesn’t see what I see or what every other man with a pulse does. Yes, she’s older, we won’t be having any unexpected kids at our age, but I’ve never seen anyone more beautiful than her. She’s got a past that has made her unsure of herself regarding men, but I’m not like her son’s father. She’s the only one for me, and I’ll do anything to prove it to her.

  Chapter One

  Boss

  Speeding along the road back into Steeleville, I drive up behind my bar and park in my spot. I had to get out and clear my head. A nervous energy has been running through me like something’s brewing today and I don’t know what the hell it is.

  Using my code, I whip the steel back door open, step inside, and head into my office to slip off my leather jacket. It’s still the thick of winter, but the weather is mild and the roads weren’t slick so I rode my newest Harley, testing it out. Wrench’s craftsmanship is a thing of true beauty.

  Hans is stocking the coolers while Sam is serving the few early customers we have in. I’ll be working in my office for an hour to handle payroll, and then I’ll go out and lend the guys a hand for the evening until it’s time to close.

  After an hour on the dot, I’m powering down the computer. Checks have been submitted online so they’ll be ready for payday on Tuesday. It’s odd to pay people on a Tuesday, but for many of the people here, weekends are workdays.

  We’re open every day from eleven in the morning until two in the morning from Monday through Saturday and closed on major holidays. Even with a small town, we’re always busy because other than the clubhouse, which is exclusively for the Steele Riders, there is no other bar in town.

  I roll my head, cracking my neck. It’s been one hell of a busy holiday week. Valentine’s Day came and went. With so many of the guys falling on their asses in love, married with babies on the way, it was a big deal, and then yesterday Roxie’s man had just returned from Las Vegas making her world right again, but it opened another can of worms.

  Trouble is always brewing for us Steele Riders, and I feel it in my bones. As the commander of these men when we served in the special forces, I did my part in raising them like my own, but we’ve all hung up our war boots and are trying to live peacefully. I’m getting up in years, and I’m not anxious to get into shit anymore.

  I’d like some calm days full of just growing old and watching my boys have some kids. I don’t have kids of my own, but I’ve always considered the men that I commanded, taught, and protected as my own children, and they feel the same way about me.

  It’s six in the evening when a small crowd begins to fill the bar. Roxie’s not here tonight because she’s busy tending to her fiancé, so Sam is working with me. A group of women gather around me, giggling, with a pink bride-to-be sash on one of them. They’re not from town or I would recognize them, but they could be from the next town over. Either way, they must be having a bachelorette party.

  “Hello, ladies. What can I get you?” I ask, smiling at the women and doing my best to welcome them. It’s clear that they’ve already started partying before they got here.

  “Do you, like, have some cosmos?” the bride-to-be asks.

  “Come on, Lily. This is a small town. They’re not going to have that stuff here.”

  I give the snooty woman in a tight, shiny black dress a passing glance and then wink at the bride-to be. “Sugar, we have it all.” I’m guessing they had no intention of showing up to a small-town biker bar in the middle of Texas when there are tons of clubs up in Dallas.

  “Now, how many cosmos am I mixing up?” I ask them.

  “We all want one,” the snooty one answers.

  A hand comes up and a soft voice says, “I can’t have any. I’m the designated driver.” A meek woman waves from the side in a black dress, but it isn’t as revealing. She’s naturally beautiful, but it’s clear she’s not trying to be the life of the party.

  “Would you like a Coke?” I offer.

  “That sounds good to me.” Her smile is genuine, and I like her. I wonder if she’s single because there are lots of young men here in town who could use a good woman. Something about her screams sweet and innocent.

  “Goodness, look at those muscles and tats. Seriously, Daddy.” I turn my attention to the woman who let that slip past her lips. I’m not interested in her at all, but it definitely boosts my ego. I’ve just turned forty-seven, and I’m proud that I still have it—although she might be a bit on the tipsy side.

  “Thanks,” I answer, giving a charming smile as always and pulling out the ingredients with a little flair. Getting older isn’t easy on most people, especially when you’ve got no one to grow old with. I’d be dead before these babies grew old.

  It’s my job to please my customers, to an extent. I don’t fuck around with the women that come here. In fact, it’s been a long time since I’ve had a woman in my arms. Too damn long, but none of these young ladies inspire the man in me. That’s the problem.

  When you get to a certain age, everything starts to tail off, and I think that’s been the case for me for the past six years. When Boomer had offered this opportunity, I jumped, hoping it would change the downward trajectory my life had taken, and for the most part it has.

  War, government, and death leave a stain on you that you can’t wash off, and sometimes it gets the better of you. Now, I wasn’t suicidal—thank fuck for that—but I had no direction until Boomer offered this town. I’d grown tired of leading men into battle and covert operations, hoping I didn’t send one of them to their death.

  “Boss,” I hear Blade call from the other end of the bar, but I’m busy at the moment, so his ass can wait. br />
  “Give me a minute,” I tell him without taking my eyes off my task. I’ve got six damn drinks to make and as soon as I get these women served, I’ll deal with his request. Blade is one of the Steele Riders like myself—one of my boys, and Roxie’s big brother.

  “Ooh, he’s hot too. Damn. I’ve got a hot daddy and a sexy biker. Talk about a Sandra sandwich. Are you boys up for it?” She leans over to Blade, who has moved closer.

  The young woman gives me an uncomfortable feeling; that doesn’t happen often and rarely ever from a female unless she’s an assassin, which she’s most definitely not.

  “Sorry, not interested,” we both say at the same time. I look up, and that’s the first time that I see Blade’s not alone. Standing next to him is a rare fucking beauty. Shit.

  I set the shakers down because my hands are no longer steady and neither is my heart. The old ticker is beating hard against my ribcage. I haven’t felt this intense of a rush since the middle of a firefight, but that was fear. This is completely different.

  “Sam, can you handle these ladies when you’re done? Blade and I have some things to discuss.” Like how Blade needs to leave, and I need to be carrying this woman back to my home where I plan to worship her until the end of our days. It’s like I’ve somehow dreamed of her, and she’s come to life before my very eyes.

  “Boss, I don’t need anything, but I wanted to show my pretty girl, here, around.” I snarl at him, ready to jump over the bar and pound his face in as Sam moves toward us but is stopped by a spill.

  “Hello, I’m Emiliano’s mother.” I take her hand and bring it to my lips. Electricity shoots through me from every part of me that touches her skin, from the soft feel of my lips on the back of her hand to the tingling of her fingers wrapped up in mine.

  “No, you can’t be his mother. You’re too fucking young.” I met the guy, and he’s too old to be her son. He’s got to be close to thirty, and there’s no way she’s my age or older.

  I bite back the sting of jealousy that plagues me, knowing that she’d been in love with another man and had given him a child, but from the lack of a ring on her finger and with Blade escorting her around, I’m sure there’s no Mr. Martin in the picture anymore.

  “Thank you. It’s the lighting here. It’s lying to you, because I’m an old lady,” she says with a self-deprecating smile, and from the way she reacts, her words are legitimately how she feels. She believes it, and it breaks my heart instantly because she’s stunning. Her thick, dark hair sits in waves over one shoulder, and I ache to run my hands through its silky texture.

  This woman’s gold with a couple of spots that need to be buffed out from years of self-doubt that has worn her down. I’ll fix that for sure because I know we’re going to have the rest of our lives together.

  “Seriously. Our drinks. We need to go to another town. I heard there were hot biker guys here, but damn, they are into old hags.” My head whips to the woman who was just hitting on me, and I hit her with the dirtiest scowl that would send my men back on their heels. She flinches and stumbles backward off the stool, nearly hitting her ass on the floor. I don’t give a fuck if she busts her fucking head.

  “Get out—now,” I bark out. No one speaks about my woman like that—ever.

  “Shit. Sandy,” the bride-to-be hisses, helping the bitch straighten up.

  “Now,” I bark. I tilt my head toward Nickel, one of the prospects at the door, who nods and makes his way toward us, knowing that my voice doesn’t raise without a purpose. Once he reaches us, I state clearly, “Make sure they are safely escorted out.”

  Most of them are standing and gathering their things off their seats. I turn to the one nice young lady and apologize. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, don’t be sorry. She can be a real piece of work when she’s drunk,” the designated driver says.

  “Please be careful.” She’s the only one I address because she’s the only one I have a level of respect for.

  Sandy, the bitchy tart, gives me and then my woman a glare before she moves toward the door with Nickel and her friends all around her, who are all making sure she doesn’t act up some more.

  “We will, as soon as we get her back to Dallas.”

  “Good.” They are escorted out, and I turn my attention back to the beauty in front of me. “Forgive me. I’m Liam Rhoades, but they all call me Boss. You can call me yours,” I inform her because that’s what it is.

  “Hey, she’s mine,” Blade chimes in with a smirk on his stupid face that’s going to get him choked to death.

  “Don’t get beat,” I warn him, while my eyes remain full of smiles for the woman in my presence.

  “I’m supposed to be looking out for her,” Blade continues, edging closer so he gets in my line of sight in a piss-poor attempt to divert my attention to him. He’s lucky I love the boy like a son because anyone else would be on the floor right now.

  “She’s safe with me.” There’s no doubt that she would be completely protected with me, and he should know that.

  “Yeah, I doubt Emiliano would agree with it.” It’s insane that she has a son who’s an adult because she doesn’t look a day over forty.

  “Still, would you do me the honor of introducing me to this beautiful creature?”

  “I think you’ve lost it. I’m Esperanza Martin.” I take her hand and bring it to my lips again, kissing the back of it because I’m a greedy bastard and attempting to be a gentleman at the same time. It’s not working out so well because I’m lingering, holding it longer than necessary. Fuck, it’s so soft and I don’t want to release it, but she takes that option away from me, pulling her hand back.

  “Hello, Esperanza.” I don’t say her last name because it will be mine one day, so no need to waste it on her by calling her anything else. “Would you like something to drink, my beauty?”

  “Yes, please. I’ve had a lot to deal with in the past few days and I’m just ready to forget the world.” She sighs. Knowing what happened to her son and why he’s here, I understand her fear and pain.

  As their leader, I’ve watched these men get injured right before my eyes and it breaks me seeing them rise up from near death at times. I swear it only strengthens our bond, but some days I wake up and worry as if something will still happen to one of the guys.

  “I’m assuming you’re good, Boss?” Sam asks, tossing a bar towel over his shoulder.

  “Yep,” I tell Sam without taking my eyes off my future. It’s hard to look away from her because I’m afraid she’ll disappear.

  “What would you like?”

  She twists her lips up as she thinks about it. “What do you have there?” She points to the shakers I’ve started that should have been poured since the ice is already diluting the drink.

  “Nothing that you’ll want. Just a bunch of watered-down cosmos.”

  “I’ll take one for sure. Maybe even two if they’re good.”

  Although she deserves the best and not someone’s leftovers, I pour her one of them because I want her as levelheaded as possible when I tell her that she’s mine. Fuck, I’m sweating bullets. I slide over a glass after garnishing it with pink crystal sugar for a little added extra.

  Still, I keep my cool and lean my elbows on the bar and wink at my woman as she takes her first sip of the pink drink. “How is it?”

  “Not bad. In fact, I might like it watered down. Despite living in Vegas, I don’t drink often and usually it’s at my home when we have a nice family dinner or something of the sort.”

  The light from behind the bar shines lightly on her face when she tilts her head slightly, and I’m mad at myself for not having this place lit up like it’s the fucking sun because I can’t see as much of her as I want. Then again, that means other assholes can’t steal looks at her as well.

  “Speaking of family, I’m guessing you chased your hardheaded boy over here because he doesn’t have a lick of common sense,” I ask. Actually, I understand the reason he came for Roxie now more than ever b
efore in my life. Never have I felt the urge to chase a woman, let alone love one.

  “Well, yes and no. He’s hardheaded all right, but he loves Roxie, and the right love is worth moving mountains for or even making extremely long, painful journeys for.” She grabs her glass and drops her head back, drinking the rest in one long gulp as if to swallow up her words with the liquid.

  “Do you have someone like that? Someone you’d travel for?” I need to know more about her without flat out demanding that she tell me everything because she’ll be running a million miles a minute to get away from me, and I just can’t let that happen.

  “Only my boy.” That’s good to know that she doesn’t have a fucker I’d have to kill and bury while attempting to make her forget he’d ever existed. Mental images of destroying this imaginary man flood my brain, which is sick and insane since we just met.

  Straightening up my long frame, I press my hand to the bar top and stare into her light amber-colored eyes.

  “We’re going to have to change that,” I reply, leaning in a little bit closer, itching to step around to the other side of the bar and forget all about work, manners, civility, and decency. All I want is to feel and taste her until we’re both sated and unable to move and then do it all over again.

  “Are you flirting with me?” If she wants to take it that way, it’s fine, but I’m stating facts. There’s no doubt I’m coming on strong, and even I know it. Still, she has no idea that inside my head, I’m well past flirting and we’re onto the “she’s mine forever.”

  “I thought that was obvious. I must be getting rusty in my old age.” I don’t know when the last time I intentionally flirted with a woman was, and I don’t care to remember. All I can think about is getting to know my woman here and making sure she knows I want only her.

  “Old? You’re probably younger than me,” she exclaims, which is total bullshit.

  “Nah. Can’t be, beautiful.”

  “Again with the flirting, Liam,” she says. My name comes off her lips like a purr, and I want to lean in and taste those soft pillows, biting down and marking them as mine and then kissing them gently to make up for being so rough.