Torch (Great Wolves MC) - Jayne Blue Page 0,3

But his regular secretary, Mona, had just left for maternity leave. I looked around. The office was small but clean. It was an old farmhouse that had been converted. My uncle took the upstairs and the big conference room. There was a smaller office down here, then a giant reception area where he’d let me camp out.

“You talked to your father lately?” he asked. I swallowed past a lump in my throat.

“He knows I’m here,” I said.

“That’s not an answer,” George said. “Look, I made you a promise when you came out here that I wouldn't ask too many questions. But I didn’t promise that I’d lie for you or for him.”

I bit my lip. “He called you?” I asked.

My uncle’s face softened. “It was a brief conversation. Just touching base, making sure his only daughter wasn’t out on the street. He’s pretty angry, though. Quoting bible verses and everything. I’m bad for your soul, apparently. And the whole time, I could hear your mother screaming in the background. Did you really tell him he could ... what was it ... keep all his damn money?”

There was a twinkle in my uncle’s eye, so I knew he was teasing. It put me at ease a little. But not enough to go very deep into the weeds of this topic. What happened between my parents and me wasn’t something I was ready to talk about yet.

George sensed my mood. He put his hands up in surrender. “Well, as long as you work your butt off for me, I’ll stay out of your way with it. I just thought you’d like to know that your old man, for all his faults, cared enough to make sure I was looking out for you.”

I nodded. “Thanks. I really do appreciate it. And all this. I mean, you’re giving me a job.”

He raised a finger. “I’m giving you a tryout for a job. I had a stack of applications, you know. If you look, you’ll find them in that mess you just piled in the corner.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling my cheeks flame red. “I didn’t ... I’m sorry …”

His smile widened. “Don’t be, honey. You’re family. That trumps everything. At first, anyway. If you can’t pull your weight around here, I’ll be making my way through those resumes. Believe me.”

He was teasing, but I still felt about two inches tall. The reality was, I was qualified for nothing. Had trained in nothing. The only thing my parents had been interested in preparing me for was marriage to an up-and-coming congressman with the right family values and backing. Well, I’d prove them all wrong, no matter what it took.

“What do you need me to do today?” I said. “I mean, other than stacking the resumes of people more deserving than me.”

I was teasing too, but it worked to make my uncle look chagrined.

He had a large leather pouch in his hands. “You can take this to the bank. They are the receipts from last night. The deposit slips are already filled out.”

“Oh,” I said. It was an awfully thick pouch. “They pay you in cash? Isn’t that ... I mean.”

“Sometimes,” he said.

“I mean, are they ... is everything …”

“Relax,” Uncle George said. “It’s been a long time since that club was involved in anything illegal. We have Colt Reddick, the current president, to thank for that. Of course, that doesn’t mean those boys don’t know how to play rough.”

The phrase stuck in my head. Rough. Oh yes, that’s exactly what that guy Torch was. Covered in tats and muscle, he was nothing like any of the guys I usually went for. Or that ... my parents picked out for me. I couldn’t help it. I spent more time than I wanted to admit thinking about him last night. What would it feel like if he pressed his lips to mine? That rough stubble against my flesh. Long fingers. Strong hands. And I fantasized about tracing the lines of every tattoo on him.

“Sydney?”

My uncle’s voice snapped me out of my head. I forced a smile and rose from my seat. “The bank,” I said. “Got it. What about after that?”

He handed me a flash drive. “After that, I want you to start getting up to speed on these distribution contracts. With the new craft beer gig, I need someone who’s got a good eye for detail.”

“Oh,” I said, taking the drive from him. “But, I mean. I’m not a lawyer. I don’t …”

“I don’t want a legal