Bastard Boss

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Bella

Thanks to Malcolm and Tyler, all Dash and Allie want to talk about is Josh and my honor. I swear Dash is so pleased with Tyler, I can't help but wonder what he'd think if he knew Tyler had been between my legs, but I don't go there. I won't go there. Ever. Again.

I think.

With the promise of pizza in their near future and an invite for me to join them, I send them on their way home. I swing by my office, grab my things, and meet Kelly, one of my fellow staffers, an attorney in the rights department, at the elevator. I'm thrilled to have the reinforcements in case Tyler shows up, and willingly hitch a ride downstairs with her. Kelly is new to her job and the firm, but a total sweetie with curly, red Nicole Kidman-esque locks. We chat about the party on the ride down.

Once we're in the garage, I hit the clicker on my shiny new blue Mercedes, bought compliments of my own hard work, not my father's bank account, or my inheritance, thank you very much. I'm proud of my father, but both he and my mother came from nothing. I wanted to prove I could do the same. I lived poor and fought hard to get to the secure place I am today, at only twenty-seven, three years before my goal of thirty.

Kelly groans as she approaches her car. "Nooooo! This cannot be happening."

I step left to see what is wrong and spy her flat tire. "If it's a run-flat tire you're all good, at least for the night."

"It's not. While those are ideal, no changing of the tire, it just becomes its own spare, my car is older and used. The tire is the old fashion in-the-trunk spare. I swear I bought a luxury model to impress, not be practical, which has proven to be a mistake that keeps on giving. It has one issue after another." She glanced at her watch. "It's late. Everyone will leave the party soon. Do you know how embarrassing it will be to change my tire, and have someone like Tyler Hawk show up and see me sprawled out on the ground?"

The elevator dings and I swear Kelly rotates, a mask of dread on her face as she waits on whoever is going to exit, the dread morphing to horror as Tyler appears. He spots us instantly and does that long-legged, arrogant, way-too-sexy walk that he walks.

He glances at me, a hint of something I can't read in his eyes before he surveys the tire. "You have a spare?" he asks her.

"Yes," she says. "I was about to put it on." She sets her things on the hood. "Just about to get to work."

"I'll change it," he says, indicating his briefcase. "Let me put this up." He extracts his keys from his pocket and clicks the locks on his silver Porsche, which is one of the expensive, elite ones, and my father would approve. He does approve. I'd snuck a picture and sent it to him once. Okay, more than one.

"I can do it," she says. "Thank you, though." She holds up her arms. "Girl power and all that stuff."

"My mother would disown me if I let you change your own tire," he assures her and he strides toward his car, leaving me a bit stunned by the comment about his mother. It hits me then, what has changed about Tyler, and my reaction to Tyler.

Since Dash crashed and burned not so long ago, Tyler has been around here or there, and I've seen a side to him that I didn't know existed. One that is human. One that wouldn't have done to me what he did tonight, and that little soft spot in my heart for him goes hard again.

Kelly turns to me. "I can't let him do this."

"You don't tell Tyler what to do or not do, believe me, I've tried. Take the help, but I should go so it won't seem like I'm watching him work."

Tyler is already headed this way, his jacket gone, his shirt stretched over a well-defined body, and approaching from behind Kelly. She is completely unaware of him as she grabs my arm and says, "Please don't leave me alone with him."

Tyler steps to our side and says, "Where are your keys?"

She looks like she might fight him but seems to think better. "I'll get them." She moves toward the car. Tyler steps closer to me. "Aside from keeping her from having a meltdown, it would be more appropriate if you stayed."

A million rebuttals rest on my tongue "It's too late for that" among others, but Kelly is back, holding up her keys. "Thank you so much for this."

Tyler eyes me, a question in his eyes that borders on a demand. "I'll be right here, making sure you do it right. You know my father taught me to change a tire when I was five."

Tyler's eyes light with amusement. "Feel free to backseat drive," he replies. "Just shout out what you want. I'll be down on my knees, doing the heavy lifting."

My cheeks heat and it's all I can do not to call him a bastard again, in front of Kelly. But I bite my tongue almost as hard as he did my lip earlier. I also decide that if he sticks his tongue in my mouth again, I'll bite his too. The problem is this man might just like it.

I fold my arms in front of me, and I eye Kelly. "Let's get us and him some coffee, shall we?"

"That's a great idea," she approves, clearly happy to place distance between us and him.

I walk closer to Tyler, who is indeed on his knees. "Bastard."

"I love it when you talk so dirty to me."

"We're going to get you and us coffee, mostly so I won't kill you and she won't melt down as you suggested."

"Good idea. It saves me your backseat driving too."

My hand balls in between us and he eyes it and me. "I can think of better ways to take your anger out on me than hitting me."

I ignore him and stand up, motioning to Kelly for us to head to the elevator. We take our time, chatting about Tyler, of course. "How do you get away with having such a debate with him?"

Debate?

I chuckle. "I make him money. Lots of it."

"Oh. Yes. That is a good plan. I clearly need to make him and me money."

After that she lets that topic sleep a good slumber. It's an explanation she can accept.

It's a half hour later when Tyler is still struggling with the tire. I kneel next to him and whisper a little trick my father taught me. He tries it and it works. "Good work, Ms. Bailey," he says softly, and I have no idea how my last name and the tire tip turned the air all crackling and heat filled, but I'm suffocating in this man.

I pop to my feet, and a few minutes later, Kelly is pulling away and I'm left standing there with Tyler. He turns to face me. "Malcolm and I talked for two hours, and I lined him up to be in the studio with Jesse Bates Saturday."

"What about golfing?"

"I managed to dodge that bullet. How did you know my whiskey collection would open him up and calm him down?"

"I never thought the whiskey would do the job. I thought you would. The way you did Dash."

"I pissed Dash off."

"When necessary. Not all the time."

He studies me for several beats, his eyes dark and unreadable. "Go home, Bella."

It rings like a warning, and I have a flash of that moment in his office when he dragged my skirt down and treated me like shit. That's all it takes. I rotate on my heels, and I don't stop until I'm inside my car and the engine is cranked.

I drive away and I know without looking he's standing there, watching me leave.