CHAPTER 14
1122 Words
MABEL’S POV
I took a deep breath before walking toward the clubhouse. The moment I reached the entrance, two bouncers stepped in front of me.
“I’m here to see Zach,”
They didn’t budge.
“Strictly by invitation,” one of them grunted, already looking like he was ready to toss me out.
I was starting to regret every impulsive decision that had led me here when I spotted Emma. She was slipping into a sexy cowboy outfit that hugged every curve.
“Emma!” I called, waving to catch her attention. Heads turned. People nearby shot me disgusted looks for making a scene while I wrestled with the bouncer’s grip. “Emma. It’s me!”
Emma turned, her brow furrowing for a second. The bouncer was already lifting me off my feet when she finally stepped in.
“Jack, that’s no way to treat a lady,” she said smoothly, laying a hand on his arm. “Especially not a friend of your boss.”
The bouncer loosened his hold. I straightened my clothes and walked over to her, cheeks burning.
“Thank you,” I murmured, taking in her outfit. She looked incredible—confident, seductive, the kind of woman who made men lose their minds. Next to her, I felt painfully plain. Zach was used to women like this. I definitely wasn’t his type.
“What are you doing here?” Emma asked.
I swallowed hard. “I… I wanted to see Zach.”
“You can’t just show up without an invitation, especially if he didn’t send for you.”
“Surely he can make an exception for me?”
Emma studied me for a long moment, then nodded. “Follow me.”
The club was bigger than I remembered. Even in the daytime it pulsed with energy—pretty, half-naked women moving with effortless confidence, completely unbothered by the stares of the customers. Emma led me away from the neon lights and thumping bass, down a narrow corridor and through a door that opened into a large garage. The music faded behind us.
“Alpha,” Emma called out, “your little princess is here to see you.”
Zach lifted his head from the motorcycle he was working on. He wore grease-stained overalls and a white tank top that somehow still looked clean despite the work. His tattooed arms flexed as he set down a wrench. I swallowed as those sinful thoughts I’d been trying to bury rushed back to the surface.
He wiped his hands on a towel and walked toward me, expression blank.
“Come to beg for another pretend game, baby girl?” His voice was edged with irritation. He stopped right in front of me, towering over me in that way that made my stomach flip. I had to tilt my head just to met his eyes.
“I thought I made it clear it was game over,” he said. Those piercing grey eyes pinned me in place.
I fidgeted with my fingers, suddenly questioning every choice that had brought me here. I didn’t fully know why I had come—only that something about him pulled me in like gravity.
“I want you,” I blurted.
A low chuckle came from the side of the garage. Only then did I notice the other man. He was nearly as tall as Zach, tanned, and ridiculously handsome, but he didn’t have that dark, magnetic pull Zach carried so naturally.
“You didn’t tell me she was this bold,” the man said, amused.
Zach shot him a warning look, but the stranger ignored it and stepped forward, offering his hand. “I’m Victor. You must be Mabel.”
Before I could shake it, Zach smacked Victor’s hand away.
Victor just smiled. “No need to get possessive. I was only being polite.”
“Mind your own business,” Zach growled, then turned back to me. His gaze burned into mine. “So… you want me.”
My face heated. “No—I mean, yes. I… I want you to show me how to be different.”
He stared at me in silence. I forced myself to meet his eyes even though I wanted the floor to swallow me whole.
“I’m tired of being treated like I’m invisible,” I said, my voice shaking a little. “I know I’m average. I know I don’t look like them.” I gestured vaguely toward the club. “But I want to feel… pretty. I want men to look at me the way they look at Emma. The way they look at your girls. I want to feel desirable.”
Zach frowned. “Who the hell said you weren’t desirable?”
My eyes snapped up to his, in shock. “You think I am?”
He ran a hand through his hair and let out a rough scoff. “Lose the baggy, mismatched clothes and yeah… you’d manage just fine. You’ve got good features. They work together.” He cleared his throat, looking almost uncomfortable. “You’re attractive. To the right guy, anyway.”
I felt my cheeks burn hotter. “So…?”
“So what?”
“Would you let me be one of your girls?”
“No.”
“Why not?” I pressed.
“You’re too delicate for this world.”
“I’m not,” I insisted. “If Emma can handle it, I can too. With enough confidence, I can prove to myself that I’m desirable.”
Zach’s frown deepened. “Emma chose this life. She can take care of herself. You… you scream innocent. Any halfway decent man can smell it on you from a mile away. That’s going to cause problems.”
I crossed my arms. “You seemed to forget all that the last time you threw me into a den of rogues.”
“Exactly why you need to stay away,” he shot back. “You almost passed out. And you are not the type of girl I use.”
“Fine,” I said, lifting my chin. “If you won’t teach me, I’ll find someone else who will.”
Zach’s eyes flashed dangerously. He stepped closer and traced a finger slowly under my chin, then down my neck to my collarbone. The light touch sent heat racing through me.
“You really like playing games with the devil, don’t you?” he murmured, voice low and rough.
I swallowed, trying to steady my breathing. “Once you make a deal with the devil… it’s hard to walk away.”
Zach leaned in until his breath brushed my ear. “Careful, baby girl. You might burn in hell.”
- Writer
