Billionaire Beast(18)

The very thought of a nice beach, the ocean, privacy with Temperance and Jay, was exactly what he needed.

“How’s Mandy?” he asked.

“She’s fine. She’s going to more therapy, and trying to access her memories. I’ve stopped trying to pressure her.”

“None of us want to pressure her. She’s been through so much already. I bet none of us can really imagine what she’s gone through,” Russ said.

“Let her have this time when she doesn’t need to remember, and give her the peace she actually needs.”

“That’s what I’m doing,” Lewis said. “I hope I can find out who these monsters are before another girl goes missing.”

This time, the missing girls were on their hands as they were people that were close to them. Whoever the bastards were, they had made it personal.

****

“It’s more of a gentlemen’s club, don’t you think?”

Temperance kicked off her shoes, laughing at Jay’s assessment of Richard’s clubhouse. It had been a long day. The O’Brian deal was already underway, and to start on marketing they were looking for the right face to go with the product. She was tired of looking at women’s bodies and faces. O’Brian was determined to have it all about sex.

What was sexy about makeup?

If you even thought of kissing, it all got mussed up.

It was gross if your eyeliner ran.

“Has it been a long day for you?” Jay asked.

“Yes, my feet hurt. I spent the whole day getting coffee and doughnuts. I’m so damn tired. This account is going to kill me.”

“The O’Brian account.”

Richard had been talking with Jay about everything.

“Yes. He’s such an asshole. He judges everything on beauty, and those that don’t match up, it’s bad news. They just get completely cut from the whole thing. It’s sad, and horrible.”

Jay moved in beside her, lifting her feet up, and placing them in his lap. He started to massage her feet, and each touch made her moan even louder.

“That feels so good.”

“I’ll take care of you. O’Brian is an asshole. Richard doesn’t like him either.”

“There’s nothing to like. He’s a total asshole. One girl got cut from the callbacks because she had freckles. She was a hot woman, and he wanted us to go through slides of women in the adult business as well.” Temperance cringed. She really did hate some men.

There was nothing to it. O’Brian wasn’t the first man she hated just because he was a sexist pig. There had been a lot during her time in the corporate world. This was just another element.

“How was work for you today?” she asked, trying to change the subject.

“You do not want to know about my shit. It’s all numbers, and shit. Very boring, you know that.”

“You’ve always been good with numbers. You’re so clever.”

“Two plus two equals … four. Did I make you hot?”

“Totally.” She laughed, then jumped as someone placed down a large glass on the counter.

“Wow, I’m going to need some points from you,” the woman said.

Temperance recognized her from the visits she used to go to Richard. Ever since he’d started seeing her, this woman hadn’t made an appearance not once. From the looks of fire coming her way, Temperance knew that the other woman was totally pissed.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“Yeah, do you have a pussy of gold? Is that what keeps them coming back to you?”

“Tina, don’t cause trouble,” another woman said, approaching the table.

“Back off, Luna. You may get off fucking these men and being nothing but a whore, but I don’t.”

“I’m not a damn whore,” Luna said. “These men, they’re my family, and you’re the one making more of it. This is what we agreed to. This is all I want.”

“Is it being fat? Is that it?”

“Hey,” Jay said. “You better back off.”

“Oh, so now you have two men. Well, he’s not a club brother, but he’s someone that is way above your league. On the scale of one to ten, you’re like a four, if that.”

Temperance sighed. “What makes you think you’re a ten?”

“I’m really sorry,” Luna said.

She liked Luna. Temperance had learned that Luna had a young girl of five who suffered with asthma. She wasn’t looking for love, and the club gave her enough money to live a lifestyle that was more than comfortable, but also meant she could afford the necessary medical care for her baby girl.

“You better leave.”

“I’m a ten because I’m beautiful, hot, and I know how to suck cock.”

Temperance chuckled. “Is that it? Is that all you think guys want?”

“That’s all they need.”

Jay smirked. “Wow, you’ve totally got it wrong. We need a hell of a lot more than a good little cock sucker.”

“You’re fat, and Richard should walk away.”

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Richard asked, storming out.

Temperance cringed. Richard had a temper, and especially when people were not treating her right.

Tina went from super bitch to syrup within a second. It even made Temperance want to gag. She had never seen a woman change so fast. She was like one of those creatures in the desert that changed its color when a predator was about.

“I did try to warn her,” Luna said, stepping away. Her hands were up in the air in surrender. “I don’t want any trouble. I love the club.”

Temperance had no doubt, but Tina, she had crossed a line. Still, she wasn’t going to force a woman out of the club just because she didn’t like her.

Getting to her feet, she climbed out of the booth, having to straddle Jay as she did. Her breasts ended up thrust in his face, and she stumbled on the hard floor. She wore a pair of tights, and her shoes were on the floor. “Are you done for the night?”

“No, I’m not done.” Richard looked past her shoulder. “Do you think you can get away with calling my woman names?”

“She was all up in his space. They were pretty much fucking.”

Temperance turned around to look at the other woman. “You’re kidding right? You’re going to tell a bunch of lies to get what you want.”

“Who are you going to believe?” Tina asked.

“First, I wouldn’t believe you even if I had seen it with my own two eyes. Second, Temperance belongs to me and Jay. If she wants to fuck him in front of the club, then she can. She’s ours. Third, that was your final strike for me. I want you out of the club for good.”

Richard looked pissed, and when she caught sight of the other club members, she knew that Tina had pissed them all off one too many times.

“I suggest you leave the club until we come to a decision,” Russ said.

“But—”

“No buts. Get the fuck out,” Jackson said.

Temperance watched as Tina glared at all of them. That woman was not going to back down without a fight.

****

Later that night, Jay sat back, stroking Temperance’s hair. Her feet were in Richard’s lap. It was that time of the months so fun and games were out of the question. They were snuggled on a large sofa. They were in their pajamas, and Temperance wore a large nightshirt with a kitten on it. The pajama pants had cows.

She cuddled a hot water bottle against her stomach, and had fallen asleep.

“What will happen to that woman at the club?” Jay asked.

Once they had sent Tina off, they had left the club.

“We’re going to get our club lawyer to handle it. We’ll pay her off, but she’ll be bound by an agreement that states she is to keep the running of the club a secret. If anything gets leaked, we have the means of making sure her life is ruined.”

“Wow, don’t you think that is a bit harsh?”

“Besides the fact she called Tempe fat, there is more at stake than just some rumors. Look what is happening to innocent women. I will not allow a spiteful woman to risk others. I don’t care about myself. She can talk about the club all day long to everyone, but we’re not just any club. We’ve made ourselves targets, and that is on us. I regret it, but there’s nothing we can do.”

“More women have been taken?”

Richard sighed. “Sadly, yes. More have been taken, and we can’t know for certain who it is.”

“No one can do a good deed anymore without it becoming an issue.”

“You’ve got that right.” Richard rubbed at his temples.

“Did you always want to be a biker?”

“No. The only thing I ever wanted was to help people. That’s it. I wanted to help people.”

“You are helping people,” Jay said.

“Am I? Right now it seems I’m killing more than I’m helping.”

“You can’t blame yourself for what is going on. You’re doing a good thing, and I bet you’ve saved hundreds of women.”

“Now women are being killed, and I can’t help but fear what will come next.”

Jay looked over at his friend. He never for a second thought he would be loving Temperance with another man. Richard was a good man.

“We’ll handle it together. We’re a team, right? We’ve got each other, which at times is more than others have.”