Page 12 of It's Going to Be a Chrome Christmas
“You have to earn my trust.” Good. That hadn’t come out cracked or as a whine. In fact, she was rather proud of how forceful it sounded.
At least to her. She both felt and heard his chuckle. “Every second of every day, that will be my goal.”
Fuck, why did that have to sound so appealing? Her fucking internal cheerleaders were doing flips and high kicks at his promise. “You’re a biker, an outlaw. Ishouldn’ttrust you.”
“Iwasa biker and an outlaw. I’m not claiming to be a saint, Trixie, and I’ll own what I am.”
His gaze was so intense that she had to clear her throat to find her voice. “You’re my employee now, Mr. Russo. We can’t be doing this.”
“Cayden.” Goddamn fucking knees, there they went again. She had to fist his shirt to keep herself upright. What was with his obsession with her ear? Why couldn’t he just talk to her like a normal person, face to face? “When we’re alone, my name is Cayden. Say it.”
Fuck. She had to keep some control. She had to at leastactlike he hadn’t woven a lust spell around her. “Mr. Russo?—”
“Say it!” Though whispered, it was no less a demand.
Her grip on his shirt lessened. She locked her knees and stood up to her full height. With herculean effort, Trixie squared her shoulders and took a step back. She thanked all the gods in the universe she hadn’t stepped back off the edge. How embarrassing would that have been, to fall down the stairs?
Thankfully, he remained where he was, allowing the distance between them.
Her hands fisted at her sides, Trixie said with determination, “Mr. Russo, as I am sure legitimate employment is new to you, let me explain how sexual harassment in the workplace works. There is no fraternization between employees, nor is any disrespect for age, gender, sex, or ethnicity allowed. You willrespect me as your boss and employer, and you willneverput your hands on me again without explicit permission.”
She expected him to be angry, but he was amused. Was she wearing a frickin’ clown nose tonight?
He leaned in, but thankfully, kept his hands to himself. “How about we make a deal?”
“A deal?” What the hell did that mean?
He nodded once. “We can both agree that I’ve only been to Romero’s once, and I was in your showroom for maybe thirty minutes. Mind you, about fifteen of those were distracted by your sexy, motor oil aroma, so let’s call it fifteen minutes to case the place.” Trixie stiffened.Case? What the hell was he talking about? “I’ll even refrain from asking Mr. Wynn to let me tag along tomorrow when he brings Geordi to see you.”
Cayden reached up behind her head, removing the claw clip she’d been using to try to tame her hair for the evening.
“Here’s the deal: put my employment paperwork through and don’t sabotage your shop from passing the work program inspection. At some point during the week, say by closing time Friday afternoon, I will get past your security, break into one of your cars, and place this clip on the dashboard facing a security camera. If I can accomplish that, I get to kiss youwith your explicit permission.”
Her hair now loose in the summer breeze, she gulped. “Won’t that violate your probation?”
“I’ll make sure Mr. Jones and Mr. Wynn are aware of my plans, and I’d appreciate a letter from my employer stating that this is a security test. Now, you can do whatever it is your little heart desires to bump up security, but do not informanyof your staff what I am going to do or that you’ve hired me.”
Curiosity got the better of her. Trixie took security of her babies very seriously. She’d even had a security consultant come in after she’d inherited the shop to make sure everything wassecure. Did he truly believe that he could just walk into her showroom and break into one of the cars to place her claw clip inside?
“Why?” she couldn’t help but ask.
His shrug seemed too blasé for their topic of conversation. “To prove I can and that you need me. I don’t want your pity or your mistrust. I was hired to do a job, and this is how I do it. This is how I earn my way in the world.”
Was it odd that she respected that? She hadn’t hired him out of pity but out of guilt, courtesy of Peggy. He didn’t know that, thank God.
“You really think you can do it? Get past my security and break into one of my cars in broad daylight?”
“IknowI can.” There was Mr. Cocky Biker. She’d been starting to miss him.
Her eyes narrowed. “And what do I get if you can’t?”
His confidence faltered. Just slightly, but she caught it. Was he doubting his abilities orher? “If I lose the bet, I’ll quit.”
“But you need this job?”
He nodded, “I do, and I appreciate it. But if I fail, then your security is good enough that you don’t need me.” He shrugged, drawing her eyes to those broad shoulders caked with muscle. Muscle she’dfelt. “If I fail, it means you don’t need to waste your time hiring me.”
A kiss or his job? Was he serious?
