TRAILING TRISHA - A Black Hounds Motorcycle Club Romance (The Fox and the Hounds Book #2) (4 page)

He felt so alone.

His mother and father were dead. Lucia was busy actually running the company. He needed to keep his distance from Uncle Cass with the media treating the former convict like a leper. His old friends had moved on. His club members and employees looked at him as though he were a Greek demigod than a normal human being who could never comb his hair correctly. Now, he wasn’t sure if Trisha would even be civil with him.

And damn it, he missed her cooking.

She was the one good thing about being a CEO and he fucked it up. Dante wondered what type of man he was becoming. He had never been so cruel since attacking a man after his hearing of his mother’s impending death.

He had never shot or killed a man like the Black Hounds of yore. Nevertheless, it seemed like he was losing respect for human life. Back when he was young, the motorcycle club was family. He was on a first name basis with everyone. He’d have dinners with their families once a month.

When his company began to encompass thousands of employees, people became numbers on a spreadsheet. The aptly named Human Resources department handled them. They were just resources like money or office supplies. All of them were needed to build the company.

There was no more having dinner with employees when the company got big. There was just not enough time for him to be a CEO and a man of the people. He missed being with his workers and hearing them give feedback after loosening up over a few beers.

Dante feared that he had become cold and heartless. What price was he willing to pay in order to make his company into success? Was he willing to treat Trisha like a living stage prop? Was he willing to hurt or even kill people?

He needed to stop.

For the first time in many years, Dante veered into the side of the highway, made a full stop, and parked his motorcycle. He needed time to process everything or else he was a danger on the road. Besides, the safety record of their vehicles would come under scrutiny if he crashed. It was why Lucia had him cut down on taking any unnecessarily risks to his health.

The company had grown quickly under his sister’s eye. They were already looking for more office space while completing construction on a new company building. Lucia was typically cautious about over-expanding which meant they were operating at full capacity.

Their growth in the past year had been staggering. Each product line was reporting a healthy margin which was quite a feat in a very competitive industry. The profits were either saved in their growing war chest or reinvest into research and development. One of their fastest growing divisions was their merchandising division.

It dealt with everything from clothing to beer mugs. A traditionalist like Uncle Cass would’ve blown a gasket at having every Tom, Dick, and Harry wear their colors but the profits were undeniable. It had also helped grow their brand in Europe and Asia. Day by day, they were inquiries from Asian companies about doing business with them.

Things were going to get more complicated when they would go public. It went without saying that the Alastair family would be the majority stakeholders of the company. Nonetheless, they intended to make a sizeable number of company shares available to investors. Dante had even thought of providing shares to employees as a bonus. Lucia wasn’t so hot on idea but she’d consider it if the shares were stripped of voting rights.

They had already gone on a hiring spree to hire the right talent needed to run a publically traded company. Lucia was just one woman and couldn’t be everywhere at one time. Having the right people would help their business gain a much needed sense of legitimacy. The finance and business law portion of running a company bored Dante. The business documents he read might as well have been written in Greek.

He was college educated but his expertise lied in engineering rather than corporate management. More importantly, he had spent most of his college years riding motorcycles, throwing parties, and dating a string of loose women. The young man wasn’t exactly executive material.

“Are you alright, sir?”

Dante turned to see a highway patrolman on top of a police motorcycle. Incidentally enough, he was riding one of the Black Hounds’ motorcycles. It was an older model the company had donated to law enforcement agencies as a gesture of good faith. It was ironic to see Black Hound motorcycles ridden by the police. In the place of the familiar Black Hound logo was the state police’s emblem.

With his motorcycle visor blocking his face, the man didn’t recognize him. Dante’s handsome mug was just too well-known these days. “I’m fine, officer. Just taking a breather for a minute before I head back on the road, officer.”

The policeman nodded. “There’s a filling station and restaurant on the side if you keep going straight for a mile. It’s the afternoon rush so it might be crowded.”

It was good the officer wasn’t ticketing him for any traffic infractions. He had enough drama in his life. “I’m good. Thank you, officer.”

The policeman shot him a look of envy before departing. “Nice bike. Have a safe trip.”

After a moment of rest, Dante did just that.

“He’s here!”

“Who’s here, Harold? The guy whose supposed to fix the truck?”

“Miss Kaplan, Dante’s here!” Harold said with a spring in his step. “He hasn’t brought any flowers or chocolates with him though.”

News of their relationship had reached the ears of her workers. It had provided them substantial ammunition for their teasing of her. “Thank you, Harold. I’ll go see him.”

Of course Dante would be here. She had a business deal with him just like she had with her suppliers and distributors. The woman was a living, breathing public relations stunt for him. Like any other deal, she had to keep up her side of the bargain.

There was no reason to get intimate with him any more than there was to be close to one of her supplier. At the first sign of trouble, they’d cut her loose and let her fend for herself. That’s just the nature of business. Last night would just be a detour in what should be a mutually beneficial relationship.

“I’m really happy for you, Miss Kaplan,” Harold said, breaking her out of her somber thoughts. “It’s great you’ve found a man like Dante, especially after Mr. and Mrs. Kaplan passed…”

Trisha fought back a pang of sadness. She wasn’t sure if it for her late parents or the state of her relationship with Dante. “Yes, he makes me very happy.”

Harold smile. “And very wealthy! Some of the other workers have been working here since your parents’ time and they’ve never seen it so busy. We’re probably going to have to hire more people just to meet our minimum commitments!”

The two walked into the living room where Dante sat. He read some of the coffee table books she had on herbs and wildflowers. Harold excused himself so the two could be alone. “I’ll be outside if you need me, Miss Kaplan.”

Putting down the book, Dante turned to face her. His familiar, heartrending smile send shivers down her spine. “It’s good to see you, Trisha.”

She loved his scent. It was a mix of premium gasoline and whatever thousand dollar cologne he used. “Sorry, I left on such short notice.”

After looking to make sure they were alone, he reached out to hold her hand. “Trisha, I should be the one who is sorry.”

Trisha wanted to sit back and enjoy the warmth radiating off his body. But his words puzzled her. “What do you mean?”

The woman couldn’t deny the more primal emotions she felt for him. Trisha needed his love again. She needed to feel safe and desired in his arms.

Yet, she didn’t know what would happen if their personal relationship superseded their business arrangement. She was responsible for the wellbeing of her farm and its workers. They came before whatever romantic feelings she had for the biker turned CEO.

“We should talk about our… arrangement,” he said, trying to sound serious. Trisha knew he was just as nervous as she was. “Trisha we haven’t been together for a long time but you’ve made quite an impression on me. You’re wise beyond your years and you’re committed to your farm.”

The farm girl almost laughed. She wondered if Lucia had put him up for this. It would’ve been funny if it wasn’t sad hearing the funny, charming biker act like a CEO. “What are you saying exactly?”

He glanced to the side. “After last night, I think it would be best if we dialed things back. This arrangement is just as new to me as it is to you. I think it would be best if we moved slowly.”

Trisha felt like she had been run over by a tractor and then mauled by wild animals. The young woman didn’t know what she had expected when she heard he had arrived here. It certainly wasn’t this.

She hid her disappointment as best as she could. “That’s… acceptable.”

Dante didn’t look anymore happy than she did. “I loved our time together, Trisha. It was like a gulp of fresh air after a long dive underwater. I just have… too many responsibilities. My father wanted the Black Hounds to go clean. If I go to my grave doing that, I can die a happy man.”

Trisha couldn’t deny his commitment to his business. She felt the same loyalty to Foxtail Farms. “I understand completely.”

If they couldn’t be a real couple, then they could at least enjoy each other’s company. There wasn’t any reason why they couldn’t genuinely have a good time with each other. Dante was the man of her dreams. Like a dream, his existence was fleeting. She could enjoy him for what little time that remained.

“Thanks, Trisha,” Dante said, caressing her face. Then, he turned around to look around the house. She had finally had the time to clean up her house. Her home was her office and an office had to look presentable. “Look like this place is busier than ever.”

“It’s like this place changed overnight,” she answered. Then again, it did indeed change overnight. A month ago, Foxtail Farms wasn’t even on the radar of most food distributors. Now, businesses from the East Coast and even Canada were talking to her. “I know I’m supposed to concentrate on the Black Hounds but this farm has gotten so big so quickly!”

The biker nodded. “Is there anything I can do to help?”

Foxtail Farms was going through some growing pains. It had gone from a struggling farm to a cash rich business in the span of a week. There was not much to be done for this painful transition other than to be patient and adapt to the changes. Nonetheless, she didn’t need him involved in her business any more than he already was.

“We ordered a new truck for hauling supplies but it’s having some problems,” she replied. The engineer in him liked the challenge. “A worker drove it here without issues but the engine has been making some weird noises. There’s a repair shop ten miles and the manufacturer is taking ages to just process the warranty request. I’m good with fixing tractors made during the Reagan Administration but a fancy truck like this is out of my league.”

Dante smiled. “Just give me a socket wrench and I’ll go to town on that engine.”

It felt like the good times as she and Dante worked on the truck. The man took off his jacket and examined every part of the truck from the fuel line to the muffler. The man’s knowledge of vehicles wasn’t just limited to motorcycles. He had worked on his share of heavier transport vehicles.