Page 35 of Full Throttle

“You’re a little too serious this morning, old man.”

This old man will whoop your ass and stomp you to hell.Cyrus needed to keep his cool. The team was watching, but if Asher stepped out of line and disrespected Colby one more time, he wouldn’t be responsible for his actions. Cyrus put his hands in the pockets of his coveralls to make sure he didn’t reflexively choke the shit out of Asher. “You fellas were supposed to be here a few hours ago.”

“Is that right?” Asher asked with a cocky grin.

“Yeah. That’s right!” Cyrus yelled.

The garage suddenly quieted down.

“I was busy.” Ever so nonchalant, Asher shrugged. “But the way I figure it, you are lucky I’m here at all.”

Colby squeezed the wrench she held in her hands and shook her head in disgust.He was such a little dick.

Liam had stepped out of the office to take a private call and saw the entire exchange unfold. Before he knew it, he’d walked down the stairs and toward the group. “Is there a problem here?”

Liam towered over Asher. Colby didn’t realize he was so tall.

It was the first time she’d seen him in a pair of jeans anddamn. They fit just right. The contrast between Asher and Liam was stark. Liam stood a good three to four inches over him. She thought Asher had a nice frame, but Liam was lean and muscular, not overly so, as she studied his arms. His white button-up was rolled just underneath his elbows.

Wow.Her mouth went dry. Colby immediately closed it and glanced around to see if anyone had seen it drop.

Everyone in the garage turned at the sound of his voice. It was cool, calm, and river deep. “We’ve never met. I’m Liam Lockwood.” Liam looked past Asher over toward Colby. She felt his pointed gaze all the way down to the bottom of her feet.

Asher stood to his full height. “You’re right. We haven’t met. I’m Asher McKay.” He said it as if just the sound of his name meant something.

“Ahh.TheAsher McKay?” Liam asked.

Asher’s smile widened as if his point was made. Then he extended his hand.

“Right. Brian’s been waiting for you.” Liam gripped his hand hard to the point that Asher winced. Liam pulled him close. He leaned in so that only Asher could hear his words. “Let me be perfectly clear. I don’t care who you are.” He smiled as if saying something wonderful. “We won’t tolerate your bullshit.”

Pissed, Asher stepped back, but he knew better than to say a word.

Liam released his hand. Again, his smile didn’t give anything away. “Let’s head up to Brian’s office. I know he really wants an opportunity to speak with you.”

Brian had been wondering what was taking Liam so long when he came out of his office. As he stood on the top of the landing, Brian had a bird’s eye view and could see everyone standing around. He could tell by his brother’s stance, and the look on his face, a look most people mistook for nonchalance, that there was a problem.

Something was up. Brian jogged down the stairs and walked over toward the small group. “Is there a problem?”

“Nah. No problem. We were just about to head up to your office,” Liam answered.

“We?” Brian asked.

Liam played it cool. “Have you met your star driver? Asher McKay, this is your new boss, Brian Lockwood.”

Brian took his cues from Liam and went with it. “Ah! Asher.” He extended his hand. “We missed you at the party last night. I hope your emergency was nothing too serious,” Brian said it as if he didn’t believe for one second that there was an actual emergency.

Colby stood back and watched all the man bonding. It made her sick. She rolled her eyes. What could she have possibly been thinking? The good old boys’ club was alive and in full effect. It was embedded in the DNA of white privilege. They couldn’t seem to help themselves.

Asher shook Brian’s hand. “Uh. Yeah. Everything is cool.” Asher didn’t quite know what to make of Brian or Liam.

“Glad to hear it. I had hoped to talk with you before my purchase but happy to still have the opportunity.” Brian then addressed everyone in the room. “We’re going to let you all get back to work.”

The show was officially over. Liam, Brian, and Asher started walking upstairs toward the meeting room. As they walked inside, they passed Markos. “Hey, can you ask the other drivers to come up in about twenty minutes?” Brian asked.

Markos nodded. “Will do.”

Brian kept up the act as he continued to address Asher with a wide-tooth, sugary grin. “Please. Have a seat. I know things are kind of a mess, but I hope to have the new furniture delivered by the end of the week.”

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