“Wow! These MC guys are clueless about women sometimes. No, you’re not unreasonable. I traveled practically twenty-four-seven for my old accounting job, and I had way more quality time with my asshat-ex than what you should have with your husband. Have you reached out to themoronto find out what’s going on?”
Punk is Maceo’s fourth-in-command and the little brother I never had. We’re thick as thieves, and I don’t like the ongoing feud between him and my sister. “Don’t call Punk a moron. He’s a great guy when you give him a chance.”
Simone snorts. “I’ll stop calling him a moron when he stops calling me a priss.”
I shake my head. We’re getting off track. “I will not put Punk in a compromising position with his boss. He wouldn’t tell me anything, anyway. Have you heard or seen anything happening around headquarters?”
It’s not unusual if she had. She’s the accountant for Maceo’s security company and moved into headquarters after she caught her ex cheating on her with her boss. If the team is in the middle of an assignment, she would see the expenses reflected in the books. If Maceo’s calls are about a mercenary assignment, it solves the mystery, and I can relax. I’ll still be pissed it’s cutting into our time, but I won’t worry that we’re in danger.
“No. There isn’t a mercenary case being conducted at the moment; just normal recon and security jobs.”
My stomach drops. “Have you heard anything at all?”
Simone pauses. “Honestly, no, I haven’t. But I haven’t been hanging around the offices lately. I’ve been working in my suite.”
“What? Why?”
Another pause, followed by a long sigh. “I’ve been avoiding Chase.”
“Oh, what did he do? Was he coming on too hard again?” The guy is gaga over Simone and has been gunning for her since she moved to Colorado. The MC guys tend to be too assertive once they fall for a woman. All that alpha testosterone can be hot, but too much can be a turnoff.
“He did nothing more than normal. I’m the one who screwed up.”
Pardon?My sister admitting to wrongdoing is unheard of. She’s the golden child, Miss Perfect. She can do no wrong.
“I slept with him the night of your wedding,” she confesses.
“No!” I gasp.
“I did. He was speaking all the right words, held me the right way when we danced. I was lonely, and I just wanted to forget about my heartache for the night. I’m half surprised Atlas didn’t tell you. He caught me sneaking out of his room the next morning.”
“Ah!” My husband’s bewildered look when he returned to the vehicle with my purse before leaving to catch our flight makes total sense now. “He was probably respecting your privacy and figured you’d tell me when you were ready. Oh, my God! Simone, this is huge.”
She sniggers. “He was.”
I throw my head back, cackling. “Sounds like it was good.”
“Understatement. It was the best sex of my life. The things he did to me and made me feel… It was painful having to tear myself away from him in the morning.”
“But why did you? Chase is over the moon for you.”
“I panicked,” she admits. “I felt I was feeling too much and moving too quickly after Trent. As much as that asshole hurt me, jumping in bed with Chase would only downplay the relationship I had with Trent, as if saying Trent cheating wasn’t as horrible as I made it out to be if I could move on so quickly.”
“Simone, you know that’s not true. What Trent did is disgusting and being hurt is justifiable. Your feelings are your feelings, and there’s no set grace period to grieve before moving on to be happy. It’s okay if you want to start fresh with Chase.”
She sniffles. “It was wrong of me to sleep with Chase before I’m over my ex. I don’t give a shit about Trent, but I do care if Chase feels like he’s a rebound. I’m afraid I may have screwed up something fantastic. But then I think I’m crazy for even considering a relationship with him at all. He’s not my type. He’s rough, crass, pushy, extremely experienced—”
“Ruggedly good-looking muscle-man who isn’t afraid to pursue what he wants and knows how to fuck isn’t your type? Got it. I forget you prefer weasels in suits who can’t make up their minds and suck in the sack.”
“You don’t need to be crude,” she chides.
“Sorry if my honesty offends you, but I’ll always give it to you straight,” I say unabashedly. “I call bull on Chase not being your type. It’s an excuse to talk yourself out of possibly considering Chase as an option. Is he different from your past partners? Absolutely, but your past partners all sucked ass. Maybe a different type of man will bring different results. Your choice, of course. If you’re not over Trent, then I agree, don’t pursue Chase. But if this is not about Trent, take the plunge. You deserve to be happy, and I have a feeling that man will live to make you happy.”
We’re both silent for a moment ‘till Simone breaks the ice. “You may be right, but I think I need to think on this some more.”
“Will you at least talk to Chase and explain where your head is at? The guy deserves an answer as to why you’re avoiding him. Communication is key in a relationship.”
“Right back at you, squirt. Don’t you think a serious conversation with your husband is in order?”