Betraying the Biker

2-2

THIRTY MINUTES LATER, I sat in my living room with a glass of wine, staring into the fireplace. I couldn’t stop thinking about the meeting with Caden and the mixture of emotions still rushing through me. On one hand, I was irritated for the way he’d jumped on me and concerned that he hadn’t even bothered to consider that Phalen shouldn’t be threatening other students. And hell, maybe I was wrong in all of this. Maybe the boys had initially picked on her and she’d retaliated. But, Caden wasn’t acting like a responsible guardian.

And why was he Phalen’s caregiver?

Where were her parents?

All I knew was that her father and mother were ‘away’. I wasn’t allowed to pry and Phalen didn’t seem out-of-sorts or depressed about her current situation. It looked like she had Caden wrapped around her little finger and he obviously loved the girl. Of course, she really was a sweet little thing. She’d never acted up in class, besides the bullying, and was an eager learner. In fact, she seemed much more advanced than many of the other kids in the classroom.

Maybe she wasn’t being challenged enough?

I knew it sometimes caused children to act out. I decided that in the morning I would talk to Mrs. O’Brien, who specialized in working with the more “gifted” students. It was quite possible Phalen needed to be in an advanced curriculum.

My cell phone rang, startling me. I picked it up and noticed it was my mother calling. Sighing, I knew exactly what it was about.

“Hi, Mom. What’s up?”

“I just wanted to make sure that you were coming over for dinner a week from Sunday. Harrison will be here and is dying to meet you.”

“I don’t know...”

“He’s a nice guy, Sage. Successful and good-looking. You’re going to love him.”

I closed my eyes. “Then set him up with someone else. You know I hate blind dates.”

“This is different, though. You know what he looks like and he’s seen a picture of you. He thinks you’re gorgeous.”

Yes, I’d seen Harrison Vanderson on television. He was a reporter for a local station and knew my stepfather, Paul. Admittedly, he was good-looking, but not my type. Oddly enough, he actually reminded me of a cartoon character. Freddie, from Scooby Doo. Tall, blond, muscular. Kind of a dope, to be honest. I just couldn’t see myself with someone like him.

Then there was Caden Wolf, with his tousled, windswept hair and panty-dropping smile. He definitely still had me all hot-and-bothered. Even when he was pissed. I imagined what it would be like having angry s*x with him and it started my juices flowing.

“Mom, I just can’t. I’m sorry.”

“I already invited him. You agreed to it last week. You can’t back out now. Did you know he turned down a wedding invitation so that he could meet you?”

It was always the same thing. If I didn’t do what either of my parents wanted, they always found a way to make me feel guilty. Well, not this time.

“That’s not my problem.”

“Actually, it is. You agreed to have dinner with him. With us. Look, we’re not asking you to go out on a date. This is just a nice dinner that all of us have been looking forward to. You can’t back out now. It would be very selfish.”

I let out an irritated sigh.

“Frankly, I didn’t expect you to act so childish about this.”

Trying to remain calm, I counted backward silently before answering. The woman knew how to press my buttons. “Fine. But, I’m not going to pretend that it’s anything more than just a family meal with a guest of Paul’s joining us.”

“That’s perfectly fine,” she replied, a smile in her voice.

“I mean it, Mom. Don’t you dare start telling him about my ‘accomplishments’ in Girl Scouts or how I just had my braces removed last year.”

Mom laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll try not to brag about either of those.”

We spoke for a few more minutes and then hung up. I finished what was left in my wine glass and then headed upstairs to take a shower. Before I slipped inside, my thoughts turned to Caden again and I put new batteries my vibrator.