“I guess what we’re trying to tell you,” Trinity says. “Is that everyone finds their own place in this club and helps out in whatever way they can. Hope’s most important job is keeping our president happy, so no one cares that she’s not the perfect hostess.”
“She does a lot of other stuff,” Heidi adds. It seems to bother her that we’re discussing Hope at all, which wasn’t my intention.
“I wasn’t saying she doesn’t, Heidi. Her role just seems different than what I grew up around.”
“Honestly,” Trinity says. “I don’t think it would even occur to Hope to do some of that entertainment stuff that old ladies like Tawny do.”
“Oh,” Heidi says. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”
I snort out a laugh. “I’m pretty sure that’s all my uncle thinks women are good for.”
“Well, obviously that is the more prevalent attitude among bikers,” Trinity says. “I’m not denying that. Our club is different.”
“Teller cooking in my kitchen makes more sense now.”
“Aw,” Heidi sighs. “All my nagging finally paid off.”
Trinity laughs and flicks her with a dish towel.
“Actually, he told me that was all your doing, Heidi.” I relay the story about the two of them watching cooking shows together when she was little and she blushes.
“That’s true. I forgot about that.”
My front door opens, and the three of us turn to see who it is.
Trinity reaches for something under her pant leg. Christ, she’s probably carrying at least one gun on her. “It’s my brother,” I explain before she shoots him.
“Hey, Carter!” I shout.
He walks toward us, then stops. Poor Carter. While he’s known Mercy long enough to be comfortable joking around with her, overall he usually ends up tongue-tied around women.
I rush over to meet him. “Who’s the porn star?” he asks loud enough that I’m sure Trinity heard him. Behind me, Heidi giggles, drawing Carter’s attention to her. “And the model?”
“Stop right there,” I grumble, placing my hand on his chest. “That’s Teller’s sister and Trinity is an old lady.” Under my breath, I add, “Don’t you dare embarrass me.”
His cheeks turn bright red. “Too late.”
Letting out a frustrated huff of air, I turn to introduce him. Trinity seems more amused and charmed by Carter than anything. And thank God for that, because the last thing I need is Wrath hunting down my brother.
After the official introductions, Carter holds up a bottle with some unidentified chemical in it. “I brought this, it’s supposed to help remove the fingerprint dust.”
“Oh, thank you,” Trinity says, taking the bottle out of his hand to study it. “That’s a bitch to clean.”
Carter’s wide, puppy dog eyes following Trinity around earn him another smack from me. “Knock it off. I’m serious. Her husband’s the club’s SAA.”
“What’d I do?” he asks with complete innocence.
A few hours later when the place is spotless—probably cleaner than when I moved in—and there’s no sign a man had been stabbed in my kitchen, Teller and Murphy show up.
“Hey, Carter,” Teller says, holding out his hand.
My brother gives him a cool look but shakes his hand.
Heidi runs over and tackle-hugs her fiancé, which makes Teller groan.
Carter grins, picking up on the dynamics in play immediately. “How’s that karma tasting, King?”
“Is Wyatt with you guys?” Trinity asks.
Please say no.
“No, but he wants you to call him,” Murphy answers.
Trinity steps onto my back porch to call her man.
Murphy squeezes Heidi’s side. “I got your unicorn decorations.”
“He dragged me to three party warehouse stores, Heidi,” Teller grumbles. “You realize Alexa isn’t gonna know the difference between a unicorn and a horse right?”
“Yes, she will,” Heidi says.
Carter busts up laughing. “Oh, man. The scary bikers shopping for glittery unicorn party hats. That’s priceless.”
Murphy scowls, and I smack the back of Carter’s head. “Knock it off.”
I turn in time to see the told you so face Teller shoots at Murphy.
“We’re having a big party for my daughter’s birthday in a couple weeks. You should come, Carter,” Heidi says, ignoring Murphy who glances down at her as if she’s lost her mind.
“Uh, sure,” Carter says. “Thank you, Heidi. Sounds like fun.”
“Hey,” Trinity calls out. “Wyatt needs me to come pick him up. I’m going to head out.” She glances at Heidi and smiles. “I assume you’ll be riding with Murphy.”
“Does he need help?” Murphy asks.
“No, I have his truck.” She turns and gives me a big hug.
“Thank you so much, Trinity. I never would’ve gotten this done without your help.”
“No problem.” She squeezes Carter’s shoulder which leaves him tongue-tied. “Nice to meet you, Carter.”
“Make sure he calls if he needs something,” Teller says as Trinity reaches for the door.
“I will. Promise. Later.”
“Shoot, I wanted to at least buy her dinner,” I mumble after she whirls out the door.
“You can buy me dinner,” Carter suggests.
“You didn’t do anything,” I tease.
“Murphy’s buying dinner,” Teller announces. “He owes me for the seventeen Party Warehouse trips.”
“Two. Two stores. Stop exaggerating.” Murphy’s mouth curls into a wicked smirk. “How’re you gonna get Charlotte to make babies with you if you can’t go shopping for kid stuff without running your mouth?”
Heidi and I burst out laughing while my brother groans. “I don’t need that visual.”
“Don’t you want a niece or nephew to spoil?” Heidi asks.
I’m not sure it’s something Carter’s ever considered. To end the awkward silence, I grab my purse. “I’m buying, but only if there’s no more baby-making talk.”
“That’s all it is, Charlotte,” Heidi says. “Talk. They really just like baby-making practice.”
Now Teller’s the one groaning. “For the love of fuck.”
Heidi giggles and grabs Murphy’s hand, dragging him out the door.
Carter stops me with a hand on my arm. “I’m gonna go…you don’t want me tagging along.”
“Sure we do,” Teller says, inserting himself between us. “Murphy told me about this mural he wants designed for Alexa’s bedroom and I told him you’d give it a go.”
“You what?” Carter asks.
Teller ignores the question. “Fair warning, it probably involves a unicorn, a crown, and a four-leaf clover.”
“Well, now I’m intrigued,” Carter says, marching out the door.
Teller winks and slips his arm around my shoulders. “Thank you,” I say, reaching up to kiss his cheek.
“You can thank me later with some baby-making practice.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Friday evening, Marcel arrives at my apartment a few minutes after me. I can’t lie, I’ve been freaked out about this trip all week. But I packed my backpack last night, and I’m ready for a weekend away with him.
“Where is everyone?” I ask, locking up my apartment behind me. Not that I expected the whole club to rumble down Lark Street, although it would be impressive.
“Waiting for us near exit twenty-three.”
“Everyone’s held up because of me? I’m sorry.”
He picks up one of my braids and flicks the end over my cheek. “It’s not a problem. We all ride together.”
I slip my backpack over my shoulders and hop on the bike behind him, clinging to his body.
We ride out of downtown Empire and meet up with everyone at a gas station next to the Thruway entrance.
“You good?” Marcel shouts.
“Yup!”
He circles the parking lot and pulls up beh
ind Z. When there’s a break in traffic, Rock signals everyone to move and we roll out.
It’s a cool summer night, but I’m still sweaty when we arrive at the downstate club two hours later. My ass is numb and my legs don’t seem to want to move for a minute. “You all right, Sunshine?”
“My butt fell asleep.”
“I’ll help you wake it up.”
Chuckling, I use his shoulders to balance myself while I climb down.
He takes my helmet and sets it on the bike. “I’m all sweaty and gross. I’m going to make a terrible impression,” I grumble, undoing my braids and finger-combing my hair.
He snorts. “You’re surrounded by bikers.”
Hope hurries over and wraps her arm around my shoulders. “Ready?”
“As I’ll ever be.”
I take Marcel’s hand and I’ll admit, the confident way he swaggers across the parking lot is a huge turn-on.
We receive a respectful greeting from two prospects at the front door before entering the downstate clubhouse.
Now this clubhouse atmosphere is more familiar to me. Naked girls laid out on the bar top, the sweet stench of pot in the air, and a lot of drunk bikers. Sparky pushes past us, diving into a group of brothers gathered around a huge skull-shaped, glass water bong.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” I mutter. Teller squeezes my hand, the only warning I receive before Tawny arrives.
Yes, the woman in the skin-tight leopard print pants and six-inch heels can only be the president’s old lady.
Hope takes over and introduces us.
Tawny reminds me of my mother in the early days. Or who my mother could have been if my father hadn’t died, leaving her broken and unable to cope. In other words, she’s a tall, stacked, helmet-haired bitch on wheels. Although the patch on the front of her “property of” vest says Queen B. I assume the B stands for bitch. And I don’t think my assumption would offend her one bit.
“Go on boys,” she says, waving the guys off with a regal flick of her wrist. “Sway’s waiting for you in the chapel. Let me catch up with the girls.”
Teller raises an eyebrow, and I give him a brief nod. I can do this.
Once our men leave, she holds out her arms and gives me a welcoming hug. “Aren’t you pretty?” She turns, her gaze landing on Teller across the room. “Seems like you’ve managed to turn his frown upside down.” Her lips twist in a teasing way.
“How was your ride?” she asks Hope.
“Not bad. Thanks for having us again so soon,” Hope says in a perfectly gracious manner. She’s basically the opposite of Tawny and yet they seem to get along.
Trinity remains quiet during this exchange. Tawny finally seems to acknowledge her with a quick hello. Hope, who very obviously doesn’t like anyone showing a hint of disrespect to Trinity links her arm through hers. “I’m dying for a drink, do you mind if we go raid your kitchen?” Hope asks. She doesn’t really wait for an answer. Tawny stops me from following them by wrapping her arm around mine and turning us to face the room. “You stay here so I can get to know you better.”
Oh goodie!
Tawny zeroed in on Charlotte the second we arrived, which I kind of expected.
Wrath chuckles as he watches the two of them. “I almost feel bad.”
“Don’t lie.”
He laughs harder, not offended at all.
Sway pulls us into the chapel. “Thanks for coming down. Smoke’s been a mess since he got out of the hospital. I was hoping a big party with a couple chapters would lift his spirits.”
Sway doesn’t know us all that well, or maybe he does but just doesn’t care. From what I’ve seen, since Rock settled down with Hope, he’s over his partying days. Same for Wrath, so I’m not sure how the two of them are going to cheer up anyone.
Not to mention, word that’s spread through the club—because yes, bikers gossip as much as any group of women—is that Smoke laid down his bike because he was drunk.
Having seen a lot of carnage in the early days of the club, Rock’s always had strict rules about drinking and riding. It only made sense, so no one in our club’s ever fucked up on that one. If one of us pulled what Smoke did, we’d be on the receiving end of an ass-kicking, and possibly a temporary patch-stripping, not a party thrown in our honor.
“Yeah, no problem. Where is he?” Rock asks.
Sway cocks his head, a filthy smile in place. “With a couple girls. Shoulda left your ol’ ladies at home.”
“We’re good,” Rock says.
“Oh, Christ.” Sway turns to me. “This new girl of yours got your dick in a cage too?”
“Nah,” I answer with a big grin. “Couldn’t find one big enough.”
Sway sends us back to the rest of the party. Charlotte’s red hair catches my attention, and I lift my chin. She waves and blows me a kiss.
This is different. I’ve never brought a girl who was one-hundred-percent mine with me on one of these trips. Besides loving the way it felt to have her at my back the whole way here, knowing who I’m going to bed with leaves me free to concentrate on the conversation around me.
I lose sight of Charlotte in the crowd, but I’m reasonably sure she’s safe with Tawny, Hope, Trinity, and my brothers looking out for her. Rock bumps my arm. Leaning over he says, “She’s fine.”
“Do I look that worried?”
“Worried? No.”
Before he has a chance to expand that thought, Sway joins us. “You free next month to escort Stella around?”
Because he’s standing so close, I both hear and feel the irritated groan emanating from my president. Somehow I manage to keep a straight face.
“Z’s on board,” Rock answers. “I don’t think it’ll be hard to find a couple other brothers to help out.”
Escort the hot porn star while she picks up random dudes to fuck in her hotel room as part of her “film project?” No, I don’t think Rock will have trouble filling that job at all.
Sway’s normally sleazy-jovial mask slips and he adopts a more serious expression. “I’d really feel better if I have the president watching her. I got a lot of money tied up in this project and I know you’ll make sure she’s safe.”
Rock’s expression turns to stone. “None of my guys are sloppy. If you’re that worried, why aren’t you going ‘on tour’ with her?”
Sway’s eyes stray to somewhere behind us—Tawny if I had to guess. “Not everyone gave the green light for this project and it’s caused some friction, so I need to be here.”
Holy shit. Is Sway admitting his ol’ lady gave him some sort of ultimatum? I’m not sure why she’d choose now to put her foot down. The whole organization knows they’ve fucked around on each other for years. It’s not a well-kept secret.
Rock seems to have drawn the same conclusion. “Tawny got your nuts in a cage now?” he taunts—not a level Rock would normally stoop to, but Sway’s earned it over the years.
“Steel vise is more like it,” Sway admits.
I choke and sputter, trying not to laugh.
“Listen,” Rock says, finally taking mercy on Sway’s situation. “Z and Dex run Crystal Ball tight. They’re not gonna let anyone mess with your girl.”
Sway flicks his gaze across the room. “You’d trust them to watch Hope?”
Jesus Christ, is Sway in love with his little porn star?
“Without a doubt,” Rock says.
“You’d trust Wrath more.”
Oh, hell. We all know this isn’t a job Wrath wants to be signed up for. Rock snorts. “Yeah, I trust Wrath to look out for my wife. I wouldn’t trust him with Crystal Ball. He’s got no patience to sort out glitter thong thefts among the girls.”
“Fair enough,” Sway says. “Thanks for this. I’ll make sure you’re compensated.” He flashes a dirty grin. “Stella will too. If you ask her nicely, she’ll even do it off-camera.”
Gross.
Sway takes off, leaving Rock and I shaking our heads. “Someone needs to cut off his Viagra prescript
ion,” Rock mutters.
“Someone needs to cut off something of his.”
Rock’s mouth curls into a smirk and he gives my shoulder a push. “Surprised Tawny hasn’t by now.”
We’re interrupted from mocking our brother’s love life by a brother from our charter in Virginia.
“T-Bone,” Rock says, shaking his hand. “How you been? You can’t drive the extra two hours to come visit us?”
“Fuck that. Too fucking cold.”
“It’s summer,” I say.
“Your crew was supposed to come to us.” T-Bone pulls Rock aside and as I lose track of their conversation, a soft hand grazes my arm. Thinking it’s Charlotte, I turn with a smile.
And find Serena.
Shit.
“Sorry,” she says, glancing away. “I didn’t mean to bother you. I just wanted to say hello.”
“No problem,” I answer. Is it too much to ask for her to hook up with T-Bone so she leaves me alone?
No such luck. Rock and T-Bone move their conversation to the bar so I guess I can’t count on them to distract Serena.
“So, you’re riding again?” she asks.
“Yup. First run since the accident.” I shift, uncomfortable with where our conversation might lead. While I’ve never fucked her—at least I don’t think I have—she and Murphy were pretty tight for a while after Heidi got married. And I just know she’s dying to ask—
“Did Murphy come with you?”
There it is.
“No, he’s home.” Fuck, I have no way of knowing what Murphy’s said to her. But I want her to understand my best friend is forever off-limits. “You know he’s with my sister now, right?”
“Oh.” Her eyes widen as she digests the news. “Heidi, right. I remember her. I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
Before she can ask her next question—which I’m pretty sure will involve an offer to warm my bed tonight—Charlotte slides her arm around my waist, tucking herself into my side.
“Hi, Serena? Right?”
I tip my head in Charlotte’s direction. “Serena, this is my girl, Charlotte.”
To be fair, Charlotte isn’t catty. She holds out her hand and after a second Serena takes it. I’m probably an asshole, but I really like how it feels having Charlotte assert herself this way. The sweet but confident expression on her face clearly says “he’s taken” and it gives me an unusual jolt of satisfaction.