Sadie wanted to argue. Aiden could see it. She closed her mouth, opened it again, then finally snapped it shut with a click of her pearly teeth.
Axle wished them luck and stalked out of the room. Even though it wasn’t necessary, Aiden closed the office door. Rubbing his hands together, he turned to Sadie, who greeted him with narrowed eyes and crossed forearms. “I understand you have a contract for—”
“‘We used to date’?” she snapped.
“Yeah.” He grinned. “I know.”
Sadie huffed. “Why did you say that?”
“Because it’s the truth.”
“It’s an unnecessary bit of information.”
“He wondered how we knew each other. I was just—”
“What are you doing here?” Sadie interrupted.
“I work here.” Aiden eased into Axle’s chair, leaning back. He briefly considered propping his boots on the desk but opted not to. Sadie’s rage was barely harnessed as it was.
Sadie slanted a glare at him, reminding him of the night he met her in the club. “I know you work here. I mean, why did Axle hire you? What experience do you have in retail?”
“First off, this is a motorcycle shop, not the mall.” Aiden hoisted one finger. “And second, I have been underneath a car or bike since I could hold a socket wrench. Plus, my dad knows Axle.”
“Ha!” Sadie stood, pointing an accusatory finger at him like a late-night-TV lawyer. “I knew it.”
Aiden couldn’t keep his eyes from skating down the snug black skirt clinging to her thighs. He licked dry lips. Good Lord. Sadie, though petite, had curves that turned both women’s and men’s heads. Her narrow shoulders gave way to a swell of ample breasts before diving inward to her slender waist, and out again to allow for rounded hips.
Snapping his attention to the coffee mug on the edge of a desk, Aiden rummaged for an ink pen. Not because he needed one, but because he needed a safe place to rest his eyes.
“Three years,” Sadie said, pacing the narrow space between the guest chair and desk.
Aiden tried to drag his eyes off her perfect butt. And failed. Luckily, when she turned, he was able to meet her eye.
“I have been massaging this account for three years.” She leaned over the desk, the soft scent of her swirling around him. “I am this close to securing the number one sales position at Midwest. And Axle has handed my future to you. You! Someone he hired because…” She waved a hand. “Because…he and your dad were old war buddies!”
“War buddies? How old do you think my dad is? He and Axle used to work at the factory together.” The factory where his dad still worked. The factory where Aiden would end up working if he didn’t make this job at Axle’s work.
Aiden had branched out once before—into the volatile field of real estate development. Even if he and his former buddy Daniel had survived the bubble that eventually bankrupted the company, Aiden had no idea his business partner would stoop to the depths of sleeping with Aiden’s then-wife. A hole in a wall, a few choice words to Danny, and a motorcycle wreck later, and here Aiden was, attempting to make it on his own again.
What Sadie didn’t know—what no one knew—was that Axle Zoller was selling out and retiring. And that left five stores available for purchase. If Aiden could wrangle the funds to buy him out, and not lose his ass in the process, that’s exactly what he planned to do.
Sadie flopped into her seat again, face pink, lips downturned. She tossed a high-gloss black folder with a red stripe down one edge in front of him. “Just sign it and we can both get on with our day.”
Aiden flipped the cover open and started to read.
“What are you doing?”
He looked up. “Reading your proposal.”
Her nostrils flared. “Do not ruin this for me, Aiden Downey. I’ve worked too hard to land this contract.”
Aiden kept his expression neutral. “Something in here you’re afraid I’ll find? Price gouging? Remanufactured parts instead of new? Zero buyback policy?”
“What?” Sadie barked. “No, of course not.”
Aiden released the folder and leaned back in Axle’s chair, hands laced over his stomach. Sadie’s chest heaved. Such a temper on that girl. “Well, how am I supposed to know what it says if I don’t read it?”
Sadie pressed her lips together. She could have defended herself with a You know me, or You can trust me. She could have made an emotional plea of How can you say something like that after all we’ve been through? But she did neither. She’d never expect someone to give her something she hadn’t earned. And she’d sooner die than have Aiden feel sorry for her.