Wylde (Iron Tzars MC 9)

Wylde (Iron Tzars MC 9)
Marteeka Karland
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Copyright ©2023 Marteeka Karland

Wylde

“I’ll take a double ristretto with iced vanilla double shot and organic chocolate brownie decaf, please.”

The line behind me groaned.

One guy grumbled from behind me, “Some of us got places to be!”

“Yeah,” someone else volunteered. “You shouldn’t get something so complicated when the line’s so long.”

I just grinned, loving the disgruntled mutterings. Did my heart good. “It’s amazing what you can wait for when you’re, you know, early. My recommendation to people in a hurry is to start earlier. Then you’re not in such a rush.” I leaned in over the counter for a stage whisper at the woman getting ready to serve me. “Too much stress can lead to gas.”

The young woman gave me a star struck smile, eating me up with her eyes and actually licking her lips. What can I say? I have that effect on women. Even if this one was a little young for my tastes.

“That was a… double… uh… and vanilla… decaf?” She graced me with a dreamy smile. The girl had no clue what she was doing, but I wasn’t about to push her. Mainly because I saw the one person in the whole place who could make this situation better.

Danica James stepped behind the counter as she tied her apron around her slender waist. She rolled her eyes, giving me a look that said I was being a drama queen again. Instead of saying anything, she pulled out a big mug with the coffee shop’s logo on it and filled it full of black coffee.

“Anything else, Wylde?”

I grinned as I paid for the cup and the coffee. “Nope. Thanks, Danica.”

She raised an eyebrow, glancing at the tip jar pointedly. “Just put the tip in, Wylde. See how it feels.”

Yeah, we had a thing going. And I always waited until she said it before I put in my tip. She always said it.

“What? Is that it?”

“Asshole.”

Yeah, the groans behind me were amusing as shit.

“You’re welcome.” I threw up a hand and headed back to my table where I’d set up my laptop for the morning. I loved coming here. Not for the glacially slow Internet or the stimulating company that amused me so much. Hell, I didn’t even come for the coffee, though it was the best in town. No. I came for Danica James.

The woman was sin and sex with a snarky attitude. She knew my drink as well as my moods and accommodated both. If I were the kind of man looking for a woman for my own, it would probably be Danica. Not only was she beautiful and sassy, but she was kind, as well. I’d seen her giving out the leftover pastries to a few homeless people who hung out a couple of blocks from Henry’s Coffee Shop on multiple occasions. I’d also seen her paying for them out of her tips so her boss didn’t get in a twist. I made sure to contribute as much as I could and not look like a creepy stalker. I also was pretty sure she knew what I was doing.

An hour later, I was banging away on a Discord channel I frequented, helping noobs learn to play Fortnite. The other barista approached me, a big smile on her face. She’d loosened a couple of buttons on her top so I had a good view of her cleavage. Which, I admit, was a pretty good view. But she wasn’t my style. Mainly because she was star struck by my good looks, tattoos, and quite possibly my Titan GT77, but I didn’t think so. She might surprise me, but didn’t strike me as the computer geek type.

“Hey, Wylde.” She smiled and set a large black coffee next to my empty mug. “Want me to freshen up your mug?”

I glanced at the cup she’d just set in front of me. “I think I’m good. I’ll come to the bar if I need something.” I smiled to take the sting out, but honestly, I could care less if she got offended. She wasn’t stupid… exactly… she was just young and thought she could lead guys around by their dicks. I’d seen it a few times since she started. I’d also overheard her telling her girlfriends she could get me into bed with a crook of her finger. I had to chuckle at that.

Her smile faltered. “I was just being nice.”

I sighed and looked up from the chat session I was in. Normally, I’d have my headphones on using voice chat, but it was crowded and I didn’t want to disturb anyone. I could be a bastard, but I wasn’t a complete asshole. Most of the time.

“Look, kid. I’m sure you’re nice and all, but you ain’t my type. Tell your friends I’m gay or something if you think it will help you save face. But I’m not interested. ‘K?”

All right. So maybe I was a complete asshole. Wasn’t the first time. Wouldn’t be the last.

The girl stomped her foot. “You don’t have to be so rude.” Then she turned and flounced off.

“Making friends, I see.”

Danica grinned at me from where she was wiping down a table while Little Miss Thang had moved back behind the bar. She glared furiously at me before going back to her phone.

I grinned at Danica. “I do my best.”

She snorted. “Right. You do your best to piss as many people off as you can. Pretty sure you think they’ve made pissing people off an Olympic sport, and you’re determined to win gold.”

I barked out a laugh. Which got Little Miss Thang back to glaring at me. Only now, her anger spilled over to Danica. That wasn’t happening. I met her gaze while I continued my conversation with Danica. The look I gave her was probably not very pleasant.

“Well, you know what they say. Better pissed off than pissed on. I mean, that’s not really my thing, but I could do it. Honestly, though, she didn’t take the hint so I had to go the not-so-subtle route.”

“Just be careful of your coffee if Jordan serves it. Not saying she’d put laxative in it. Not not saying it either. Or maybe salt.” She looked off, as if pondering which would be worse. “I think I’d prefer the laxative.”

I sketched her a two-fingered salute and we both went about our business. It was one of many reasons I liked Danica. She knew when to leave a man alone, and she didn’t throw herself at me either. Hell, I knew she wanted me. What woman wouldn’t? But she never let on like she did. Which, I’ll admit, was part of the draw. It was also the reason I didn’t pursue her. Once the chase was over, I’d get bored and she’d get hurt. That was the last thing I wanted.