Jackson (A Steele Riders MC Novel Book 3) Page 2

  “Ms. Banks, I’m doing my best to be pleasant. I didn’t create your situation. My brother asked me for a favor. Do you want my assistance, or did you want to look elsewhere? There’s plenty of open storefronts to purchase.” I’m being a dick, but she’s giving me a look of pure disgust that I can’t handle. I want to take her over my knee and spank her ass.

  “No, we want your services, Mr. Steele,” her father interjects.

  “Very well. Let me get the dimensions of the property, and I’ll be right back.” Having all the information about the town’s buildings on my laptop, so I can look up the bakery building number and jot down the measurements.

  “Oh, I have it right here,” she says, pulling a pink folder out of her pink leather messenger bag. From her pink tight Capri pantsuit, I can tell that she really likes pink. Well, that saves me five minutes. I reach out and take it from her. Our fingers touch, and immediately our eyes connect. She darts hers away first, so then I jump out of my chair, grateful my slacks are hiding my cock down my leg, then grab some tracing paper.

  Chapter 2

  Penny

  He pops out of his chair to grab some of his tools, and I take him in from head to toe. From his light brown eyes, that have a slight hint of green around the edges of the iris, to the way his sleeves are rolled up to the middle of his forearm has my mind running on nothing but adrenaline and panty-melting desire. His strong jaw is covered in dark scruff that’s shaved perfectly neat, and my fingers tingle with the need to run them over his face. I don’t even understand what’s happening to me. It’s as if I’m sexually alive for the first time and it’s all Jackson Steele’s fault. I clutch the fabric of my capri pants, restraining the need to do something about this insane attraction. I turn to my father to try to avoid the unique growing need for this almost complete stranger.

  “Daddy, I think I’m going to need a place in Steeleville to live. I can’t see me commuting every day at four in the morning.” I catch his shoulders tighten as if he doesn’t like the sound of my voice or the direction of the conversation.

  “That’s a great idea,” my father says with that subtle smirk on his face that I know means he’s got something on his mind and is thinking about how to get what he wants.

  “I’m surprised you agreed so readily,” I interject, wondering what he’s up to. He looks like a tough guy when he’s not in his suit, but he has been an investment banker for three decades and a real softie at heart. He can be rough when needed, but never with us. He married my mom shortly after she came to him with her first paycheck looking to invest it. He’s been hopeless for her ever since. My two older brothers are just as crazy as he is about their women and me. If only the man I fall in love with would worship me like they do, I would be forever a happy woman.

  “That’s because I know it’s not safe to be constantly traveling when you’re tired,” he reminds me. I’ve been in a couple of accidents over the years. All of them being minor, but it still freaks him out. But that means he’s not bothered by me living further away. I don’t know whether or not to be upset about it, but I let it go because I feel Jackson’s eyes looking at me as if he’s wondering what my dad is insinuating.

  “That’s true,” Jackson adds with a mutter before coming back to sit down next to us. “My company is here, so I live here too.” He starts working, but seeing his hands move quickly and accurately over the paper is having the most fucked up effect on me. I want to reach across the table and brush my hand along his forearm.

  “Excuse me, but where’s the bathroom?” I need a moment away from him.

  “Just down past the reception area,” he adds, standing back up and holding the door for me. I rush past him with a stone-cold expression. His assistant isn’t at the desk which is good because I don’t know if I can handle running into another human at the moment. As I head into the ladies’ room, I let the cold exterior fall away. I walk over to the sink, placing my hands on the edge, breathing deeply until I could get myself under control. “Why? Just why?” I ask myself, hoping that I can act normal around Jackson. I look up into the mirror and freak out to see his assistant walk from the stalls.

  “Are you alright, Ms. Banks?”

  “Yes, sorry. Feeling a little under the weather,” I mutter, turning on the sink while she does the same to the one next to me. I can feel her eyes on me, but I ignore it. I can’t handle the judgment I’m sure she’ll have written on her face. I shake off my hands and grab a paper towel and dry off without more than a brief smile and walk back to the room with the sensuous devil.

  Chapter 3

  Jackson

  She walks back into the room, and I watch a scowl come over her face. What the fuck did I do to her? I do my best to ignore her and go back to work. After sketching the overall measurements of the inner walls, I ask, “What do you need for your bakery?”

  “Well, of course, I’m going to need several ovens in the back as well as several prep stations,” she tells me, looking at my sketch so far.

  “And the front. A large counter? How long do you want that counter? Do you want it to wrap around with tons of display cases?” I question, staring up into her eyes.

  “Oh sure. That’s where a big problem lies. This is the plan that they were working on,” she remarks while digging in her bag. She hands over a shitty copy of the blueprints. They are not very good, to begin with, but they’ve also been written on and rewritten on.

  “This is a jumbled mess.” Damn, they should have redone these. They’re barely distinguishable.

  “Well, it’s like he wasn’t listening to me.” I wonder if it’s because she’s got an attitude problem, or he had his attention elsewhere. She isn’t dressed provocatively and very unfriendly it seems, but she’s movie star beautiful. It’s hard to deny her natural attraction. Either way, this guy sucked at his job.

  A low rumbling growl radiates from Mr. Banks. “Yes, he had an attraction to my daughter.” Bingo. “And staring at her ass was my last straw.” I bit back the irrational urge to find this fucking architect and pound his head in. I don’t know her, and she’s a pain in the ass, and I’ve only spent a handful of minutes in her presence, but I can’t stand the thought of someone looking at her in that way.

  “Well, don’t worry. I’m a professional,” I remind him. I’ve dealt with good-looking clients before. It’s not a big deal for me. Or at least that is what I’m telling myself. I’ve never seen anyone as beautiful as her. My heart is racing just thinking about running my hand along her cheek.

  “Good. Because I don’t want you to flirt with me,” she blurts out with a little more attitude than necessary. I roll my eyes at her, avoiding a verbal response. Someone had her panties twisted up her ass. She should have pulled them out when she was in the bathroom.

  We spend another twenty minutes going over the ideas she has. I’ll have to get back to her with some samples before we go any further. I don’t want a redo because the client is indecisive.

  “Okay, this is all I need right now. I’ll call you if I have any questions. If not, I’ll see you Friday at the storefront. I want to get a better feel, and we’ll go over the final design options.”

  “That doesn’t work for my schedule,” Mr. Banks says, looking into his phone at his calendar.

  “It’s okay, Daddy. I can handle this on my own.” Good, then maybe she won’t be so damn fiery.

  “Are you sure?” he asks gently. The seriousness in his face is scary. He doesn’t let her function on her own, it seems. Damn, he hasn’t learned to cut the cord.

  “Yes, I’m sure,” she reiterates, staring at him until he relents.

  “Okay, well, thank you for your time, Mr. Steele,” he says. I reach out and shake his hand as I would any client. Then I stick out my hand for hers. The second our hands connect, I know I fucked up. Our eyes meet, and a gasp leaves her pouty, spoiled-brat lips. She feels the tension, too. Immediately, she thrusts her hand out of mine with a scoffing level of disgust on her face before tossin
g her head to the side with an aristocratic raise of her chin.

  As soon as they’re down the elevator, I close up shop in the office, swing my suit jacket over my shoulder and head out to my work truck. I need a ride after all the shit I’ve suddenly got playing in my damn head. When I get to my condo, I change my clothes, then get my Harley revved up and pull out onto the road. I feel the purr of the twin cam motor and ride faster out of the city.

  Chapter 4

  Penny

  I’m a hot mess as we walk to the car, shaking and lost in thought. As soon as we reach his car, I grab for the door handle, but my father stops me from getting in, then he asks, “Sweetheart, do you mind telling me what that was about?”

  “What was what about?” I ask, faking my obliviousness. I hoped he wouldn’t notice my insane bad behavior inside there.

  He gives that look only reserved for when we’re lying. “Penelope Banks, are you going to lie to me? Are you interested in Jackson Steele?”

  “No,” I screech out vehemently, a little too vehemently. Dang it, I need to keep my cool.

  My dad raises his brow, then he gives me a stern warning, “Please, don’t let him hurt you. I will kill him. And it would be a pity since he seems like a good man.”

  I gasp and crossing my arms in denial. “I don’t want anything to do with him. He was rude to me.” Goodness, that sounds whiny and petulant even in my own head. What is wrong with me? I’m losing it. In a matter of seconds today, I became the girl everyone claimed I was a …a spoiled snooty bitch.

  He looks down at me, staring at me with incredulity. “Honey, if I was him, I would have kicked both of us out. He put up with more than he should have for a man who didn’t need our business.”

  “Well, I’ll do my best to be civil to him.” He gives me a strange look then backs away, holding the door open. “I’m not going to let him seduce me. That’s not going to happen.” I hear him scoff.

  As we drive off, I change the conversation before he continues with Jackson. “So what are you getting mom for your anniversary?” It’s around the corner, and I know it’s on his mind.

  “I haven’t decided. The woman has everything and wants nothing,” he complains. It’s true, though. My mother has everything she’s ever wanted.

  “Have you thought about taking her on another trip?” I offer. They love getting away just the two of them.

  “We could. I’ll have to find a place she wants to go that we haven’t been on. When you’re married for as long as we have, you run out of things to do that are new.”

  “So don’t go new. Just do something special—something that means a lot to both of you.”

  “I’ll definitely give it some thought. Maybe you should ask your mother. She’s full of good ideas,” he remarks, nudging me with his elbow while still focusing on the road.

  “Why don’t you ask her?” I tease, knowing he wants the inside goods. He glares at me, making me laugh even harder. “Fine, I’ll ask her sometime tonight.”

  “You’re a good daughter.”

  I laugh a little, shaking my head. “Thanks. You’re a pretty awesome dad.”

  “I need to go talk to your mother.” Yeah, “Talk,” is what he calls it, but there’s very little talking involved.

  “Okay, I need to change into something comfortable.” I want to get out of this suit and put on a pair of yoga pants and a tee shirt.

  I run upstairs to my room and close my bedroom door, leaning back onto the wooden surface and blowing out a hard breath. I’m grateful my dad didn’t question me any more than he did. I couldn’t get out of that meeting fast enough only to be challenged by him. This bakery is looking like a bad idea. I should get out of it, but my father already makes me feel as if I can’t be an adult on my own. It’s not his fault that he feels the need to protect me. He doesn’t mean to do it, but I don’t believe he can help it.

  I know I have problems. A temper is one of them, but my dyslexia has been the other. To me, it’s the giant elephant in the room. If baking didn’t come naturally, I’m not sure what I would do. At this point, I have nothing to fall back on. I didn’t go to college, and I have no discernable skills.

  My grades in school were average or worse because I had learning issues that went unnoticed for a long time. The doctor blamed my parents’ busy lives for the lack of awareness. Really, I think I just hid it from them. I would lie and act like it was because I didn’t want to learn that I was screwing up, but since the diagnosis, my dad’s been trying to make it up to me. I know he loves me; that’s without question, but he feels that I need all the help in the world. Maybe I do, but I can’t and won’t admit defeat. I just won’t. I need to focus on my goals to get the bakery opened and make it a huge success.

  What I need to do for sure is avoid, Jackson Steele. The second I stepped into his office, I knew I was done. The color of his eyes hit me right away. They were a light honey color and intense. It’s just one small feature of a stellar looking man, but I was so attracted to them that I forced myself to look away. The tension rolled off me throughout the entire meeting, and I projected it badly. I didn’t mean to be a bitch to him. It’s my defense mechanism when it comes to someone I know may hurt me. Normally, it’s why I don’t have friends. One bad set of friends ruined it all for me. But I’m not interested in a friendship with Jackson Steele; that emotion he evoked was so much more than can be described. Every fiber of my being lit up with excitement and electricity. I could have lit a city block with all the energy I was giving off.

  I’m afraid our next encounter is going to be explosive.

  ****

  “Ms. Banks, this is Jackson Steele, I have a question about the height of the display coolers. Do you want them to be at five feet or will you be having shorter employees and want them at four-point-five feet?”

  “How the hell would I know if I’m going to hire someone short?” I lash out.

  “Um, it’s just a damn question, Ms. Banks.”

  Since we met, I can’t keep my dyslexia under control. The concentration has suddenly disappeared and made me irritable. “You know, your brother wasn’t this hard to work with,” I complain and accuse.

  “I’ll be there Friday with the samples,” he said, hanging up on me.

  Damn. I want to cancel the meeting, but then I’m afraid that Jackson will tell me to shove it. The man really doesn’t like me. I can’t say I delight in his disdain for me. I caused it, but it’s still a hard pill to swallow.

  Chapter 5

  Jackson

  And so it begins…

  My chest burns as I stand outside her shop. A building rage and lust force my fists to clench. I see her again for the second time in five days. Then again, it was my foolish choice to schedule the meeting. I should have done everything via email, but she’s a stubborn woman and probably won’t like something. The longer this goes on, the harder it’ll be for me to manage my other projects.

  The shop’s door is unlocked as if she’s open for business, but she’s months away from that. She doesn’t even look up as if she doesn’t hear the damn door. Her long blonde curls dangle down as she reads a book absentmindedly. The notion that anyone could walk in here and harm her pisses off even more than it should. The woman is a pain in my ass so big, that I can’t sit for hours. I pace around like a lion on the attack. I can’t tell if it’s because I want to fuck her or choke her ass. At least that’s what I tell myself why I need to see her again.

  How can someone make you want them and the next second run as fast as you can the other way? She tests my temper. I didn’t serve like my brothers and many in the Steele Riders, but I’m a tough bastard. And Miss Penny Banks takes away my balls. She’s got a sharp tongue that I want to be wrapped around my cock. I’m so hard up that I’m ready to do battle with anyone that comes between us.

  “Good morning, Miss Piggy,” I say, entering the future bakery. I brought a special tip jar for the bakery just for her. It’s a pink piggy bank. She narrows her crystall
ine blues at it, then at me, finally shrugging it off.

  “I’m sorry, you are again?” she snidely remarks with a sharp tone, crossing her arms.

  I place the ceramic bank on the counter. “The one who is supposed to help you design this place, but you’re being difficult.”

  “Oh, I remember, the other brother.” She rolls her eyes as if I’m the problem. She’s had a bad attitude since we met, and I want to take her over my knee, spank her ass to a pretty pink shade and then dip my fingers inside to test how slick her pussy is.

  “I’m the one and only, Jackson Steele, Penelope.”

  “I think I prefer Miss Piggy.” She tosses her blonde hair off her shoulder, and spins on her heels, strutting into the backroom. She’s far from looking like a pig, but she pushes my buttons, and I knew it would piss her off. In fact, she’s fucking gorgeous, sexy beyond belief, and keeps me hard. Despite her beauty, she needs a makeover with that rich-bitch princess attitude she’s been giving me.

  “Whatever. I have the layout for you.” She looked at the property with Boomer, my brother. The one she apparently likes. Fuck does that burn more than I wanted to admit. I’m his second in everything in life and not once has it bothered me until her. She met him first, and she likes him. I wonder how much she likes him. Well, I hate to break it to her, but he has a wife.

  “Good, you can drop it off and go. I’ll contact you if I have any questions or changes.”

  I take a deep breath, then press my hands to the edge of the door. “Listen, I’m going to look over this with you right now or not at all. I’m not in the business of dealing with rich little daddy’s girls with bad attitudes,” I inform her. I could have sent the shit by email instead of driving an hour out of my way. I can’t believe she's so damn obstinate.

  “Then go. I’ll find another architect.” It’s a long way off from being built. Initially, they were going to use the framing that was already there, but a bad case of termites wrecked a large chunk. The framing was redone, now she has to decide the way she needs it laid out. And that’s why I’m here.