Surrender (Club X #2)(4)
Author: K.M. Scott

At that moment, I couldn’t think of anything I’d like to do less.

“I’m not interested in a membership, Stefan. I’m interested in making money at a job. Hopefully, you and your brothers will recognize my talents and hire me. Either way, I have to go.”

Before I could say another word, she turned on her heels and marched out the door. Fuck, she was a feisty one. I stood there watching the door close while my brain played tug of war with itself. On the one hand, Shay was smoking hot and I had no doubt having her would be a good time. Long brown hair, a mouth that would have made me hard if it wasn’t spewing such sharpness, and a body….fuck, her body was hot! My mind was already filled with thoughts of how incredible it would be to fuck her. What an ass she had! On the other hand, she was smart and possessed a level of bitchiness that even I had to admit I might not be able to overcome.

Might. But if I’d ever met a challenge, it was her.

“She wants a job as a bartender,” Cash announced behind me.

Turning to face him, I pretended not to care. “Yeah?” I said with a shrug. “I don’t know if I need a new bartender, and we have a list a mile long of people who want to be one.”

“Okay. I just wanted to mention it. She seemed nice in the interview. Kane liked her well enough, which says something, I guess. You would have gotten to talk to her if you bothered to join us.”

Why I hadn’t gotten to the interview on time had to do more with nursing a hangover from the night before than with not caring about Cash’s precious hiring process. Not that I really cared to sit through hour after hour of interviews with him and Kane. “We have private investigators for a reason. I don’t need to see every goddamn person who walks through the door for a job, Cash.”

He put his hands up in surrender. “Okay, okay. Take it easy. You don’t want her to work for us, she won’t work for us. Case closed.”

Cash walked away as I stood still stinging from Shay’s barbed jabs. I didn’t know if I wanted to bother trying to get with her. With all the women in the world, why take the time to overcome whatever defensive bullshit she had going on?

Kane came around me and stood with his arms folded across his chest. “She’s a wild one, isn’t she?”

“Wild? I missed the interview, so I wouldn’t know.”

“I heard how she took you down a few pegs before she left. Looks like there’s at least one woman you won’t be having.”

I didn’t enjoy Kane’s smugness. Whether it was because he’d been pissed off about something recently or because he never had any women, he seemed to truly enjoy Shay’s attitude with me.

“It doesn’t matter how fucking wild she is. She’s not going to be working here, so what do I care?”

“Seems to have struck a nerve there, Stef. I guess she’s just out of your league.”

He wasn’t even trying to hide his joy over this. “Has nothing to do with leagues, Kane. If it did, we might be talking about how someone like that wouldn’t even bother talking to the likes of you if you weren’t part owner of this club.”

“I’m not the one who thinks he can have any woman on Earth. I’m a little choosier and I prefer to keep my relationships a little more private. You prefer to have them displayed on the bar each night and then in lawyers’ offices during depositions. But you’re not going to get the chance with this one.”

“That sounds like a challenge, Kane. I don’t think you’re up to it, though.”

He chuckled and shook his head. “She’s not my type, Stefan. I don’t want her, and I won’t fight for her.”

“Not fight for her. It just sounds like you don’t think I could get her.”

His chuckle morphed into a full-blown laugh. “I know you can’t. That woman is too smart for you. She saw your game coming a mile away. Accept it. Shay isn’t a woman you can have. Move on and be happy with those cheap little playthings you prefer to spend your time with.”

“You honestly don’t think I can get her to go out with me, do you?”

“I honestly can’t believe you’d want her. She’s too much work for you, Stefan. You’d have to be more than the man whore you’ve always been. I just don’t think you’re up to it.”

Was Kane serious? “You’re saying you think there’s a woman I can’t seduce? Am I hearing you right?”

“I’m saying seducing her isn’t something you know how to do. It’s going to take a whole lot more than a few drinks, your charming smile, and whatever smooth lines you use to get with your usual type.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Kane, who I didn’t think I’d ever seen with a woman, was doubting my ability to charm someone. Kane, who most females backed away from in fear, was saying I wasn’t smart enough to get Shay Callahan, science nerd, into bed. He had to be kidding!

“Kane, you’re coming dangerously close to insulting me. For a man who has so little success with women, you seem to not know how successful I’ve been.”

“I’ve seen your conquests. Not impressed. It doesn’t take much to get cheap sluts to fuck you. They’re going to do it anyway, so if you’re the nearest guy around, you luck out.”

“Fuck you, Kane!” I spat out, sick of this conversation. It wasn’t bad enough I was hung over, but now I’d had to deal with two people giving me shit.

“You know what they say. It’s all about location, location, location. I’d bet if you didn’t have a constant stream of young ones wanting to work as bartenders here that you’d get far less ass.”

The guy was taunting me. I knew it, but something in me snapped and made me want to force him to put up or shut up. Kane was much bigger than I was, though, and I wasn’t stupid. I may have wanted to knock him flat on his ass, but the reality was that I’d likely get one or two shots in before he kicked me around my bar.

No, I couldn’t beat him physically. But there were other ways to bring him down to size.

“Kane, I could stand here all day trading jabs with you, but I’ve got a better idea. Let’s make a bet. That’s if you’re up to it, of course.”

He stepped back and stared me down. “You want to bet what with me? That you can get with that girl?”

“Yeah. Take the bet or show you’re all talk.”