“That girl who said I did shit to her? She admitted that she was confused.”
“You mean she was lying.”
“Well, she said confused. Anyway, Cara said the DA is dismissing the case.” He laughed. Can you believe it?”
“Dismissing all the charges, or just the ones the bitch lied about?”
“All of them.”
“Sweet. But our deal still stands.”
“Deal?”
“Going to rehab.”
“I don’t need to go. I haven’t had a drink since Cara told me not to for the case.”
“You’ve done that before, and you always go back to the bottle. I’m not just trying to save your ass from problems with the fuckin’ badges, but I’m trying to save your damn life. Don’t you give a shit?”
“Should I?”
“Fuck yeah. You’re a decent-looking guy when you clean up, and I know you can get a good job. Hell, Willy will put you to work on his farm. It’d do you good. And when you’ve stopped the booze, you’ll have money to get your own place. Living with Mom could lead anyone to the bottle, or worse.”
Ryan chuckled. “Maybe I could meet a nice girl.”
“You could. But you gotta work on you first before you bring a chick into your life. We made a deal that I’d help you out with this case, and you’d go into rehab. Don’t be a pussy.”
“I’m not a pussy,” he huffed indignantly.
“You are if you go back on your word. A man doesn’t do that shit, only pussies.” Looking out the window, Smokey spotted Ashley getting out of her car.
“I’ll go.”
“I’ll talk to Cara about the different rehab centers, and you and I will check them out. You got this, dude.”
“I hope so,” he muttered quietly.
“Stop with that ‘hope’ shit. You gotta believe in yourself.”
“I’m not confident like you.”
“That’s what they work on in rehab.” Smokey watched Ashley cross the parking lot, admiring the way her pencil skirt and short jacked accentuated her curves, yet looked sophisticated and professional. His gaze took in her stilettos, and the way they made her legs look even longer. She’s so damn sexy. I’m gonna have to fuck her with those heels on.
“Do you want to? Smokey?”
“Sorry, dude. I zoned out for a sec. What’s going on?”
“I just asked if you wanted to go to dinner tonight.”
He craned his neck, watching her before she disappeared from sight. “Tonight? I don’t know.”
“It’d just be for an hour or two.”
“You good for Mexican?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay. I got someone I want you to meet.”
“Another club member?”
“No, a woman I’m seeing.”
“I can’t believe you’re letting me meet one of the club women face-to-face.”
A frown deepened the fine lines across his forehead. “She’s not a club woman. She’s heading up the company’s marketing campaign.”
“She must be smart.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“Then why is she with you?” Loud guffaws sounded over the phone. “You walked right into that one.”
A grin spread across his face. “I did. We’ll meet you there at seven.”
“Okay. I’ll call Cara right now and get the names of the rehab places.”
“Good deal. See you later.”
Leaning back in his chair, he sighed. There was no doubt he had a soft spot for Ryan, and he wanted to do everything he could to make sure his brother didn’t turn out to be a drunk like their old man.
There was a knock on his door, and he yelled out, “Come in.” The knob turned, and Ashley strode in. A warm feeling ran through his body. This woman’s turning me into a damn pansy.
“Hi,” she said, her blue eyes sparkling. “The marketing campaign is going great.” A wide smile lit up her face.
“I knew you could do it.”
“It’s still soon, but the numbers so far have been much better than I expected. If it keeps up this way, the end of the week will be phenomenal.”
“Good job. Now, come over here.”
She folded her arms over her chest.
“Don’t act shy now, darlin’.” He smiled, beckoning her with a curled index finger.
“We’re at the office,” she whispered, looking at the door.
“Is that what’s bothering you?” He crossed the room and turned the lock. “That problem’s solved. Now get your sweet ass over here.”
A pretty pink flush of arousal spread across her cheeks. “So damn bossy.”
Laughing, he watched as she approached him, her hips swaying with each
step in a mesmerizing and enchanting way. Impatient, he pulled her toward him, kissing her hard.
“You’re irresistible,” he rasped. Parting her lips, their tongues intertwined as he moved his hands down her legs, cupping her ass. “I love your sexy skirt.” One of his hands gripped the fabric, pulled it