I slam my palm on the table so hard it’ll sting for days, making her jump. “Now, Charlotte!”
At least that reaction she respects. In fact, she reaches for the door handle and pulls it closed silently.
“You’re gonna pay for that later,” Winston mutters.
“No, she is gonna pay for that later,” I grit out. “Now, where were we?”
“Um, I was saying that…” Leo mumbles something I can’t hear at the head of the table.
Knowing that if I yell at him, he will wilt, I take a deep breath to calm myself. Leo is a good guy, and he maintains the clubhouse spotlessly. He can be as fierce as his namesake in a fight; but for some reason, speaking in front of the group gives him so much anxiety he squeaks like a mouse. “Say again a little louder, Leo. I’m afraid I got my blood up and it’s pounding in my ears!”
“Sorry, prez,” Leo says a bit louder. “I was just letting you know that I was able to work with our distributor and negotiate a deal on a bulk purchase of some top shelf liquor. We’re going to come in under budget for the next few months on alcohol. I wanted to ask the table if you want to keep prices steady to make more profit, or if you wanted to start the busy season off with a bang by hosting some big shindigs and pouring out some cheap drinks.”
“Damn, Leo,” Cannon snorts. “That might be the best fucking question you ever asked at this table. I second the shindigs. Let’s pass some savings on to our tourist friends and lure them into the club. We’ll make up for cutting prices just in the amount we’ll sell and turn a profit either way; right, Verek?”
“Sure,” Verek says absently, still despondent after our meeting with the sketch artist and the women this morning.
“What do you think, gentlemen?” I ask the table. “I love a party as much as the next man, and I love the busy season more than most. I trust Leo and Verek’s business sense too. If they say party, I’m all in. Let me hear the yeas.”
The rest of the table slaps their palms down and roar “Yay!”
“Any nays?” I ask, receiving only silence in return.
“All right, Verek, work with Leo on the specifics, and then you have authority to grab anyone you need to make this the best season opening rager we’ve ever thrown. Well, amend that, anyone but me,” I add. “Just make damned sure you go heavy on security. Call in nearby Kings’ chapters if you need to; but if there is another goddamned kidnapping, I’ll shut this town down until we burn those fucking bastards out. Now, if no one has any updates on that front….” I pause and wait to see if anyone chimes in with any new information. When my men are silent, I continue. “Any other business?” I ask the guys, whose only response is to cast a few nervous glances over at the door. We all know Charlotte is waiting just outside. “Come on, she’s already angry. May as well make her wait a little longer.”
There are a few chuckles around the room, but still no one speaks.
“Fine.” Picking up the gavel, I lightly tap it on the table. “Meeting adjourned.”
“Want me to send her in?” Nolan asks when he gets to his feet and I lean back in my chair.
“Like she’s gonna wait for an invitation?” I reply with a grin.
Sure enough, when I glance over at the open doorway as the men file out, I can see the top of her blonde head waiting just on the other side.
“Good luck, prez,” Winston replies before he leaves. As the last one out, Winston waits for Charlotte to slip inside before shutting the door behind her. I don’t even think she noticed.
“How dare you,” she seethes, arms crossed over her chest. She doesn’t yell, which I take as a good sign. “I told you she couldn’t handle being asked questions about those men and neither could the other women!”
“Tessa and the girls all did great. We’ve posted the photos on social media and even shared them with the police.”
“She was a mess when I went to see her,” Charlotte says. That makes my spine cringe, because I didn’t do it to hurt her.
“Do you want me to find these men or not?” I ask her when I get to my feet.
“There are other ways…”
“Do you want me to find them or not?” I repeat.
“Yes,” she answers softly.
“Then stop second-guessing me! And don’t you dare raise your voice at me again in my clubhouse, in my chapel, in front of my men! Do you understand me, Charlotte?”
“But…” she starts, and I grab her jaw to stop her. As soon as my flesh touches hers, she surrenders, her shoulders drop and her body sags. “I was out of line...”
“Yeah, you were,” I tell her as I brush my lips over hers, causing hers to part and her tongue to lick them when I don’t make contact. “And I’m sorry if my decision was hard on Tessa. But you and I both know that without descriptions, we don’t have shit, right?”
“Yes,” she whispers.
“Yes, what?” I ask.
“Yes…sir?” she offers quietly.
“Now,” I tell her as I slide my fingers from her jaw down to her throat and walk her backwards until her shoulder blades hit the wall. “I want to hear your verbal apology over and over again until I know you mean it.”
My fingers trail over her breasts, cupping one before going lower, under her dress where I tease a finger along the front waistband of her panties before dragging them down her legs. As they go, so do I until I’m kneeling in front of her. I fist the fabric of her dress to lift it out of the way and look up at her.
“Well?” I ask.
Charlotte not so
