Mixed with Trouble: A CASH BAR NOVEL

by Faiman, Hayley

  Skinner and my mom left last night, after a long dad-like talk from Skinner. He was angrier than he had been when he walked into the bar, but not because of me, because of the mark on my skin.

  He warned me against Baby as well. I’m not sure why they are so against me being with him, it’s no surprise that I’ve wanted him since I was a young girl.

  I feel like they’re hiding something, like they’re all hiding something from me. If Baby would just come back here, then I could ask him about it, but he’s completely vanished.

  “Party tonight,” Coda announces, flopping down on the sofa next to me.

  I’m just people watching, bored out of my fucking mind, but trying to keep my promise to stay inside. There are whores walking around barely dressed, men that I recognize and some that I don’t, all of which are giving me a wide berth and I’m confused as to why.

  Have I been away for so long that I’m no longer part of the club? I’ve never felt as much of an outcast as I do right now.

  “Oh?”

  Coda nods, his eyes searching my face before his lips tip up into a kind smile. “You should come. It’ll be entertaining if nothing else.” He shrugs.

  “Why?”

  I’m not sure why, but this guy is extra talkative with me, he’s also sitting a little too close and if I’m not mistaken his kind smile is actually more of a flirty one than anything else. Tilting my head to the side, I continue to watch him.

  “You don’t talk much, do you?”

  “I do. Just not to men I don’t know very well.”

  He chuckles, lifting his hand and his index finger touches the tip of my nose. “Oh, but I bet you do. You look a little wild, Lea. I don’t bite unless you ask me to.” He grins.

  “You’re pretty brave considering I’ve got another man’s ink fresh on my skin,” I point out.

  His laughter doesn’t die, in fact, it gets a little louder. “I’m only a prospect, I know, but babe trust me when I say that Baby’s name on your skin doesn’t deter me from all that is you. I’m a man who sees what I want and I go after it, especially when I know what I want is about to get beat down by life.”

  “What?” I breathe.

  His words, they mimic how I’ve been feeling since arriving here. Something is definitely off, something that everybody knows but me. I feel like a fucking fool, because I know something is wrong.

  Baby marked me so quickly as if he wanted to ensure that I wasn’t going anywhere and then he bounced, leaving me alone in the clubhouse.

  I feel it in the pit of my stomach, a bomb is about to drop and I know without a doubt that it’s something that is going to destroy me. I already know, it’s like a nightmare happening right in front of you and you can do nothing but watch and wait.

  “When he fucks up, you know where to find me, babe. No fuckin’ lie, I’d kill to have a woman like you in my bed.”

  “Why? You don’t even know me,” I point out.

  I’m wary of everything right now. Every single person in my life is hiding something, I trust nobody, not a single fucking soul, especially not this stranger.

  He tilts his head to the side, his lips twitching in a smile. “I know of you, Lea. I know that you’re blindly trusting a man that you shouldn’t. It’s sweet. I know your mom and Skinner. You deserve so much fuckin’ better than Baby. Like I said, when you find out everything, come to me.”

  “Why don’t you just tell me?” I ask, on the verge of pleading.

  Coda shakes his head. “Can’t do that, babe. I would love to, but honest to shit, you need to hear it from the source. It ain’t my place, but I’ll be here when you need to escape. Any way you want to escape.”

  Without another word, he stands to his feet and I watch as he walks away from me. Someone clears their throat and I turn my head to look up at the man who is leaning against the wall. His eyes are focused on Coda’s back before he turns to look down at me.

  “The kid is a good one. One of the best prospects we’ve had in a while. He doesn’t fuck around too much, he does what he’s supposed to do. Swear to shit, I like the kid. If there were anyone in this club I’d want my own daughter to date, it’d be him.”

  “But?”

  Snake shakes his head. “You’re marked as Baby’s. He knows that you are, and even if I agreed with what he offered and what he said, I can’t condone it and the kid could end up hurt if you acted.”

  Standing, I wipe my sweaty palms against the thighs of my jeans, my eyes never leaving Snake’s. “Something is going on and nobody is telling me what it is, including the man that is supposed to be mine. He dropped me off and ran away, it’s been over twenty-four hours and he hasn’t been back. I know that means something, I’m just not sure what,” I state.

  Snake doesn’t let me continue with my thoughts. Instead, he holds his hand up and shows me his palm. “I already told you, not everything is as simple as it seems. Just remember that. When you hear the truth, know that there is so much more behind it than what you see with your eyes. Wish I could tell you more, but it’s not my place.”

  I shake my head a couple of times. “I hate cryptic shit. I fucking despise it. Everyone here is either saying something cryptic or downright ignoring my existence. Maybe I should have just stayed in Alberta.”

  “Don’t say that. This is where you belong, Lea. It’s where you’ve always belonged,” he offers.

  He says the words, but his eyes, they relay something completely different. He’s looking at me with pity. I hate pity, I’ve hated it since the world found out that Fish wasn’t my real father, that he was some piece of shit that betrayed his club.

  “Is it? Doesn’t feel like it right now,” I whisper, unable to hide my own pain from my voice. I hate that too, looking weak—feeling weak.

  He nods once, his gaze still focused on me. “Yeah, I know, but trust me. This is where you belong.”

  I watch as his eyes flick from me to the door behind me and his jaw clenches, his whole body going from relaxed to stiff as shit. Slowly, I turn around. It’s as if time has slowed down. As if things around me are frozen. My eyes follow Snake’s gaze and then I hear myself gasp loudly.

  There. Standing in the doorway of the bar. There. Baby and some woman who looks like a model. She has her arms wrapped around his waist and his arm is draped over her shoulders, pulling her closer to his body.

  “Smoke and mirrors, Lea,” Snake grinds out.

  I don’t believe him. Not for a fucking second. This is not smoke and mirrors. This is a woman who belongs to a man. A man that is supposedly mine. My heart squeezes, it clenches so tightly that I have to bring my hand up and massage my chest.

  Baby’s eyes find mine and he shakes his head, but I don’t know what the move means. All I know is what I see, and what I see is him with his arms around this woman who is clearly wrapped all up in him.

  Unable to watch them for even a second longer, I turn away and practically sprint back to my room. A room I realize why now, is not Baby’s. Fuck this. Fuck this asshole and fuck whoever that woman was and fuck, fuck, fuck, the Notorious Devils.

  BABY

  “Awe, Baby, your little friend is going to go in her room and cry now.” Chardonnay cackles just loud enough for me to hear her.

  I fucking hate her.

  Fucking. Hate. Her.

  “Don’t you leave my side. This is to prove a point to little bitches who think they can do what they want. I’m in charge here. As much as you want to think you are, you aren’t. Snake isn’t, nobody is, nobody but me,” she growls.

  Turning my head, I look down at her. “Yeah, I fuckin’ got it. You think you got me by the balls, got this club by the balls,” I snort.

  “I don’t think, Baby. I do. Now, be a good boy and get me something to drink,” she says, patting my stomach. “Oh, and Baby?” she calls before I can disengage from her tentacles. “You’re going to fuck me in front of her tonight. I want her to know without a doubt that this dick does not belong to her,” she anno
unces, reaching down to grab my crotch.

  “You’re a cunt,” I growl.

  She laughs again, throwing her head back as she releases her hold on me. “Queen cunt, Baby. Now, get me my drink.”

  My gaze finds Snake’s and he shakes his head once. Patience. He made sure to drill that fucking word into my head earlier today when I met him off the grid, away from the clubhouse and anyone who could possibly hear us talk.

  This will come to an end, but I already know that Lea is going to be destroyed in the process and I can’t do anything but fucking watch from the sidelines. I feel like a goddamn pussy. The whole thing makes me feel like Chardonnay does have me by the balls.

  I fucking hate it, I hate everything that I’ve allowed to happen.

  “Figure you may want something special for your woman,” Free announces, sliding a tumbler of liquid for me.

  “It poisoned?” I ask, dipping my chin to the glass.

  “Poison is such a loose term. It won’t kill anyone, but I wouldn’t drink it if I were you.”

  I smirk. “Thanks, brother.”

  “Only doing it so you can talk to Lea without the cunt on your heels. Don’t make me regret it,” he mutters.

  I watch as he slides off of the barstool and makes his way over to the huddle of women where his wife, Whitley, is standing. Turning back toward Chardonnay, I slip the glass into her waiting fingers.

  Bringing my own beer to my lips, I watch as she drinks her own cocktail. Holding my breath, I wait for something to happen. I expect it to be immediate, but it isn’t. The music begins to play, the party starts to ramp up.

  Chardonnay starts to lean heavily against me and then I let out a bark of laughter as she completely collapses. Reaching out for her, I wrap my hands beneath her armpits and drag her off to my room.

  Lifting my chin toward the prospect that’s walking down the hall, I instruct him to keep an eye on the door. Chardonnay isn’t allowed to leave if she wakes up. He lifts his chin in understanding and that’s when I decide to go to my woman.

  Marching toward the guestroom, I wrap my fingers around the doorknob and push it open. Lea is there, sitting in a chair at the window and she doesn’t even flinch or attempt to look around or at me when I open the door.

  Closing it behind me, I lock it to ensure privacy. I don’t know how far Chardonnay’s reach extends, but I don’t want to be interrupted, not tonight. Not with as important as this conversation is going to be.

  “We need to talk,” I say when she doesn’t respond to my presence.

  She turns around and I expect to see tears shimmering in her eyes, but I don’t, instead I see fire and anger. She’s never looked more beautiful.

  “You can go fuck yourself, Mitchell,” she hisses.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  LEA

  I wish that I were just angry instead of hurt and angry. But this is Baby and this is my dream, my dream that’s been shattered into a million pieces.

  Why I thought that he would be different than who he is, I don’t know. Maybe I hoped that because it was me, he would suddenly change. He hasn’t. He won’t. I should know that men don’t change, people don’t change, not unless they want to.

  “The only thing I’ll be fuckin’ is you, Tiny,” he announces.

  He seems bigger standing across the room from me, his feet planted far apart from one another, his arms crossed across his chest, his jaw tight and his eyes narrowed on me.

  I shake my head at his words. He thinks because I’ve been starry-eyed over him for my entire life that I’ll just spread my legs anytime he looks at me.

  Unfortunately, he’s probably right in his thinking, at least in most circumstances. But not this one. He put his mark on me, he claimed me as an Old Lady, then walked that bitch into the room on his arm.

  That is unforgivable. That goes against everything that this club is. That is not something I’m willing to just turn a blind eye to. I refuse to be turned into a fool just because I’m young and hopelessly in love with this man.

  “Who is she? Nobody was surprised by her presence,” I ask.

  “That was Chardonnay. She doesn’t matter,” he states.

  I snort. “Oh, but she does. Because by the looks of it she’s on your arm and I’m some side-slut.”

  He takes a step toward me, a growl erupting from his throat. I stand firm, unmoving, but my eyes stay glued to him, waiting to see what he’ll say or do next.

  “You are not a side piece, don’t fuckin’ ever say that shit again.”

  Taking a step toward him, I inhale a deep breath and let my head fall back slightly so that I can see into his eyes. He doesn’t even flinch as he watches me, giving no fucks that he has another woman here, one that has his arm even if I hold his mark.

  “What am I then?” I chance asking.

  He dips his chin, his blue eyes focused directly on mine. If I stayed right here, in this moment, in this room, I could believe everything he’s telling me.

  “You’re mine, Lea. You’ve always been, mine.”

  “I know,” I breathe as my eyes flutter closed. Stupid little girl that I am, he knows that without a doubt I am his. “But I’m not going to sit here and let you treat me this way, Mitchell,” I snap, opening my eyes.

  He blinks, looking down at me with unmasked surprise. “You’ll do whatever the fuck I say, Lea.”

  I feel his hands reach for my top and before I can respond he has it over my head and tossed to the floor. I gasp in shock. He grins, his eyes scanning my shoulder, focused on his mark. I should hate it and hate the way he’s looking at it, but foolishly I don’t.

  The way his eyes devour the mark he’s made on my body, then slowly slide down my neck, chest, and land on the waistband of my jeans. His tongue peeks out, tasting his bottom lip before he hisses and reaches for my pants.

  I feel the button pop open, then my jeans are being pushed down my hips. His hands grab ahold of my ass and he squeezes, it’s so hard that I have to bite back a moan. He chuckles, his lips twitching and I hate the smug assed look on his face.

  “I won’t, Baby. You think because of my mark. Because I’ve always wanted you and this is a dream come true that I’m just going to be some bitch that spreads when you say when? No. Not a chance in fuck, Mitchell. You figure out who you want then you come to me. Maybe I’ll still be around.”

  He laughs, dipping his chin a bit. Baby’s nose slides alongside mine, his lips find my ear and I feel his breath wash over me. I can’t stop the goosebumps from appearing before he speaks.

  “You’ll do what I want, Lea. You don’t have a goddamn choice.”

  I suck in a breath when his hand dives beneath my panties and I feel his fingers slide through my center. They circle my clit and no matter how hard I try, I can’t stop myself from letting out a sigh at the touch.

  Reaching between us, I wrap my hand around his wrist. He stops as his eyes lift to mine. “Don’t, Tiny,” he warns. “Don’t take this away from me.”

  “Did you fuck her after you were with me?” I ask.

  He shakes his head once. “You know not to ask questions like that, babe,” he warns.

  My body trembles slightly as his fingers continue to rub against my clit. I tighten my grip against his wrist, but it doesn’t stop him and if I’m being honest, I’m not sure that I want him to stop anyway.

  “I’m asking anyway, Baby,” I breathe.

  He slides two fingers inside of me, hooking them before he makes a come-hither motion. His lips brush mine then stay there as he speaks.

  “You ain’t gettin’ an answer, Lea. Stop asking,” he grunts.

  Before I can say anything else, he pulls his hand from between my legs. My grip falls from his wrist and I let out a small cry as I’m spun around. Baby puts his palm against the center of my back and none too gently, pushes my torso over.

  I feel his heat against my back, his lips brush the center of my neck and I can’t hold back the whimper from his closeness, his touch, his mouth
.

  My knees buckle and I fall down to the floor. Baby grunts, his body following behind mine. Then, without hesitation, my panties are wrenched down my ass to the middle of my thighs.

  “One day this ass will be mine, Lea,” he murmurs behind me as his hands grab ahold of my ass.

  I moan, letting my head fall onto the bed, my cheek resting as I bite the inside of my cheek. I shouldn’t be allowing this moment to even happen.

  I shouldn’t be pushing against his rough grip. My pussy shouldn’t be wet, and I definitely shouldn’t be praying that he’ll fuck me hard and fast.

  “Fuck,” he groans, releasing my ass.

  The slap rings through the room before I feel it land against my ass. He doesn’t wait even a breath before he does it again. And then again, and again. His slaps fill the room, my ass burns, and my breathing turns to panting.

  I want him.

  No, I crave him.

  BABY

  I run the head of my cock along her wet center. She’s ready, always so goddamn ready for me. Reaching around her hip, I slip my hand between the bed and her body, my fingers finding her clit.

  She moans, the heady sound, too fucking much for me right now. With the music in the background, the smoke, the booze and now this.

  This moment, right here, with her in my arms, her warm wet cunt waiting for me, it’s more than I’ve ever thought possible, especially the past year.

  I should come clean to her, tell her everything, but I can’t. The less she knows, the better for her. She’s already in the middle of this fucking bullshit, and I don’t want her in any deeper.

  Bending over her back slightly, I press my lips to the side of her neck as I align my cock with her opening. She pushes back slightly, my fingers never stopping their sweet assault against her clit.

  “Hurt me,” she begs as she tries to push back against me again. I shake my head, my teeth bared as I slide them alongside her skin.