by Sarah Bale
He shakes his head, snorting.
“What?”
“You might be the hottest accountant I’ve ever seen.”
That makes me smile. “Thanks.”
“Why accounting?”
“Numbers are safe. They make sense.”
“Well, kudos to you, because they confuse the hell out of me.”
Someone else comes up to the counter, so I take their order. A lot of the guys have left, so it’s not as loud in here. Or scary, if I’m being honest.
Another man comes up to the bar and gets my attention.
“I’m sorry if I scared you earlier, ma’am.”
I blink, trying to place his face. And then I realize it’s the man I was talking to right before my panic attack.
“No need to apologize. I just got overwhelmed.”
“I get that, and we can be a bunch of jackasses. Again, I’m sorry.”
He gives me a smile before stumbling away. I turn, finding Bash watching.
“What?”
“I’m glad he apologized.”
I reply, “He really didn’t need to. It was me. I just get… antsy when there’s a lot of people around.”
“Trust me – he needed to apologize. Saint would make sure it happened one way or another.” He winks. “Besides, Big E shouldn’t be a dick to such a pretty girl.”
“You’re going to give me a complex if you keep giving me compliments.”
He shrugs. “You ought to hear at least ten a day, in my humble opinion.”
My cheeks feel heated and all I can do is smile like a fool.
Over the next few hours the room thins out until there’s only a few guys here and there. Bash stays at the bar, talking and joking with me. Even Jas speaks to me in a complete sentence and she’s not rude.
Around five in the morning, she sighs, tossing her apron on the counter. “I’m calling it a night. Are you sticking around or heading out?” Before I can respond, she goes on, “Just make sure the old timers have a few beers and you’ll be good to go.”
She goes in the same direction a lot of the men went.
I ask Bash, “What’s down there?”
“That’s where the rooms are. Some of the members live here and then there’s one large bunk room for out-of-towners.”
“Does Jas live here?”
“Yeah. Most of the girls who work here do.” He gives me a look. “Just remember that having a room here comes with certain obligations.”
Well, that sounds ominous. And intriguing.
He stands, stretching. “Fuck, I’m beat. I’m going to call it a night, too. You about to head out?”
“Uh, yeah, I think so.”
“Okay. See you around, Olivia.”
He leaves and I look around the room. I’ve done a good job keeping the tables clean and it looks better than when I got here. One of the guy waves me over by holding up an empty bottle. I grab another and take it to him. He’s older and looks like he’s lived a hard life. Plus, it’s hard to ignore the tattoo of a spider than spans one side of his face.
“Thanks, honey.” He says, slipping me a folded bill. “Sure nice having something pretty to look at while I’m drinking.”
“And that’s all you’re doing, right, Psy?”
I jump and find Saint standing there, arms crossed.
The man sits straighter. “Course, Saint.”
Saint motions for me to follow him back to the bar.
“Did I do something wrong?”
He glances over my shoulder and says, “Psycho has a past. I try not to let the girls hang around him.”
“Oh.” I pause. “Well, thank you.”
“You about done here for the night?”
“I wasn’t sure how long I should stay, since there are still people in here.”
“If you wait for the guys to clear out, you’ll never leave.” He calls out, “Okay, you fuckers. It’s time to get the fuck out of here.”
There are rumbles and obscene responses from the guys, but, one by one, they leave.
I let out a small laugh. “I’ll have to remember that trick.”
He gives me a smile that makes me a little weak in the knees.
“I, uh, should wipe the tables before I go.”
Anything to get away from him and how he makes me feel. I grab the rag from the counter and go around the room, pushing in chairs and giving the tabletops one last clean. I try not to notice him leaning against the bar, watching me, but it’s really hard not to. Saint is the kind of man that demands attention with his very presence and I can feel his eyes on me as I work.
With a sigh, I go back to the bar. I’ve dragged this out for as long as I could. He watches me approach, a small smile on his lips.
“You can go home now, Olivia.”
I moisten my lips. “I, uh, don’t have a car. I’ll have to call an Uber.”
His eyebrow lifts. “How did you get here?”
“Razor brought me.”
“Come on. I’ll give you a ride back to your place.”
Why am I suddenly so nervous?
I follow him outside, where the sky is dark, but showing hints of dawn.
“Jeez. I didn’t realize it was so early.”
Saint laughs. “Early. Late. All depends on how you look at it.”
I grin back. “Early for me. I’m only up this time of day when I have class.”
“Fuck. How old are you?”
“Just turned twenty-two.”
He lets out a groan, but I know he’s joking. Or, I hope he is.
“Shit, you’re a baby.”
I glance at him. “How old are you?”
“Old enough.” But he’s smiling.
We reach a bike that’s massive, just like Saint. He grabs a helmet and hands it to me. When he sees the hesitation on my face, he takes it, putting it on my head and making sure the straps are secure.
“I’m guessing Razor didn’t put a helmet on you when he picked you up tonight?”
I shake my head. “No.”
“He’s going to crack that pretty skull of his open one of these days and then he’ll learn the hard way.” He climbs on the bike, his massive thighs looking even bigger. “Come on, darlin’.”
I pause and then blurt out, “The last time I don’t think I did it right. Some of the guys with Razor laughed at me.”
“I promise I won’t laugh.”
I climb on behind Saint, doing much better than I did the first time. His bike is different. The seat I’m on is more comfortable, but my legs are spread wide, making me all but straddle Saint’s backside.
Saint puts his helmet on and asks, “Ready?”
“Yeah.”
“Which campus do you go to?”
I tell him, and the bike roars to life as we leave. When we reach the main road, he takes off. I knew it was coming this time, so I’m more prepared and don’t even have to hold onto him. But when we take a turn, I wrap my arms around him out of fear. Beneath his mass, I feel the steady beating of his heart and it calms me to the point that I’m able to relax.
We speed down the empty roads as the sun rises, basking everything in a light pink glow. When we turn into the campus driveway, I’m shocked to find that I’m a little disappointed that we’re already here.
Saint comes to a stop in front of my dorm building. He looks up, shaking his head.
“What?”
“Just thinking I better get out of here. I’m sure they don’t appreciate old guys on bikes rolling in with cute college girls at six in the morning.”
“When you put it like that it sounds bad.” I climb off the bike and unbuckle the helmet, handing it back to him. “Thanks for the ride.”
He’s looking at me with an expression I can’t describe on his face. A look, I might add, that leaves me feeling warm all over and wanting more.
“Saint?”
He clears his throat. “Right. No problem.” Then he says, “Wear something less revealing tomorrow.”
&
nbsp; He starts the bike and takes off, leaving me standing there, wondering what in the heck just happened. And then I look down.
“Fucking Rabbit!”
Once again, my newly cut shirt has risen, given Saint a free show. At least it wasn’t as bad as when I was with Razor. I yank the shirt down and run into the dorm. When I get inside my room, I tug the shirt off, tossing it into the trash where it belongs. Lucy is sleeping and doesn’t even stir as I grab a nightshirt.
I climb into bed, trying to process everything that happened over the past few hours. Saint is… I can’t even put into words how he makes me feel. Bash seems sweet. Razor seems a little wild. And Jas will hopefully warm up to me the longer I’m around. Closing my eyes, I try to go to sleep, but my thoughts keep going back to Saint. He’s on my mind as I finally drift off.
The door slams and the thirteen-year-old version of myself curls into a ball on the mattress, praying he doesn’t notice me. I can’t go through this. Not again. Not so soon. I’m still hurting from last night-
His stale breath assaults my nose and I begin to shake. I mean, how could I not? I’ve known what this means since I was eight.
“Get up.”
His words slur--but not enough. God, why couldn’t he be more drunk?
My eyes water, and I wish I could stop this. Or that someone could save me.
“I said get the fuck up.”
Pain radiates down my back from where he kicked me.
I stand. Because there’s nothing else I can do and no one is going to save me.
“Now. Undress.”
“Olivia, are you going to get up today?”
Lucy shakes my shoulder again and I jerk away, breathing heavily from my nightmare.
“What?”
“Girl, your phone’s been going off nonstop, for the last hour. Someone’s trying to get ahold of you.”
To prove her point, my phone dings twice as a text message comes through. I grab it from my nightstand, unlocking it. Holy shit. It’s already four in the afternoon and there are a ton of messages on my phone. But that dream… god, it’s left me feeling out of control.
Lucy perches at the end of my bed. “So… were you on a date last night?”
I glance up. “Why would you think that?”
“I’ve known you for three years. You’re as predictable as my grandma. And you didn’t come home until this morning and you never sleep in this late.” Her eyes are positively twinkling as she finishes.
“Sorry to disappoint you, but it wasn’t a date. I got a job at a club.”
“Another job? Doesn’t that make, like, three?”
“Only one now. The library and deli in the student union had to let me go for the summer.”
My sweet roommate would shit a brick if she knew what else I did for extra money. Which reminds me, I need to log into the app to see if I have any jobs I can do before I go into the club. After last night’s panic attack, and now this dream I need to make sure I’m in total control, and that means taking care of my other needs.
She shakes her head. “You’re going to work yourself into an early grave.”
“Maybe. But, I might be able to afford an apartment next semester.”
Her eyes light up. “Does this mean what I think it does?”
Lucy has been wanting to live in an apartment since I met her. The college requires freshmen students to live on campus, but after that we’re free to live where we choose. I really think she could have moved out during our sophomore year, but she said she didn’t want to leave me behind. I appreciate that kind of loyalty.
“It does. See if your mom can snag us a good deal.”
She throws her arms around my neck. “I’ll have her work on it over summer break. Wait. Where are you going to stay during the summer?”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“You know, the invitation still stands. You can come home with me.”
“I’ll think about it.”
But we both know I won’t go. I don’t want to impose, even though she’s assured me that her parents won’t mind having me. Plus, I’ve seen the way her dad looks at me. If I were to go, I would only ruin things in Lucy’s perfect little family. It’s still nice to be asked, though. Heaven knows my family’s not the same. I’ve gone to my cousin’s house once since leaving for college and it was a nightmare.
It was so bad that I ended up renting a room over the garage of an elderly couple’s house. They let me come back last year, but they called a few months ago, saying they were moving to be closer to their kids, which means I’m shit out of luck this summer. I have to wonder if they knew what else I was up to in their little room with the hideous floral wallpaper. Something tells me they did.
Lucy says, “I’m going to the library to turn in some overdue books. Want to come?”
“I need to make a call, but I’ll text you when I’m done.”
She shakes her head, chuckling. “New job. Agreeing to get an apartment. Saying you’ll text to possibly hang out. I think I like this new Olivia.”
She grabs a stack of books and heads out. I wait until she’s gone to look at my text messages. They’re all from Agent Hill, asking how last night went. I punch his number and it rings once before he answers.
“Good afternoon, Olivia. I was getting worried about you.”
“I just woke up.”
“I’m at Panera Bread. Meet me in ten minutes.”
He ends the calls before I can reply. I groan. Ten minutes. I won’t even have time to shower. But he sounded kind of pissed, so I grab a t-shirt and shorts. I pull my hair into a messy bun and don’t even bother with make-up. Grabbing my keys and wallet, I head outside. The campus is fairly busy with people moving out of the dorms. I regret not grabbing my laptop before I left. I need to find a room as soon as possible.
When I enter the restaurant, Agent Hill is sitting at the same table we sat at last time. There are two cups of black coffee in front of him. When I sit, he pushes one toward me.
“So… how’d it go last night?”
I swallow a yawn. “It was different. Why didn’t you just say you wanted me get a job bartending?”
His eyebrow lifts. “That’s what they offered? Nothing else?”
“Yeah, just bartending.”
I take a sip, letting the coffee work its magic. I might not allow myself to drink more than a cup a day, but, god, do I enjoy that one cup. Agent Hill silently watches.
Finally, he asks, “Who all did you meet?”
I think. “A girl named Jas, who’s a bartender, too. Razor, Bash, and Saint. Oh, and Rabbit, of course.”
His eyes light up. “Did any of them speak to you?”
“I mostly talked with Jas, since we were working together. She’s bossy.” I yawn. “To be honest, Agent Hill, I mostly handed out beers and picked up empties all night. I didn’t get home until six this morning.”
“How did you get home?”
I feel warm. “Saint brought me, since I didn’t have a car.”
He nods. “Very good. When do you go back?”
“Tonight. I work Thursday to Sunday.” I think. “Saint told me not to come in until ten tonight, so I’m going to go back to the dorms and crash before I have to go over there.”
He frowns, but says, “I’ll be in touch. Remember, let me know if you hear anything. You have my number. You can text.”
“Agent Hill, it might be easier if I knew what I was listening for.”
He doesn’t answer and leaves me sitting there. I know I agreed to help him, but the way he’s acting is making me second guess myself. On the flip side, I would be dead without him. So, I owe him.
Sighing, I finish my coffee. I’m too wired to sleep, but maybe I’ll look at apartments until it’s time to go into the club. My pulse quickens at the thought of seeing Saint. But then I remember he’s taken. By Bash. And just like that I feel deflated. But there are other ways for me to get that connection I wish I could have with both men.
When I leave the restaurant, I pull out my phone, opening my app. There’s six notifications and I scroll through them, seeing if anyone is nearby. Well, look at that. There’s a ping from a guy within a mile of me. I open a new box and send him a text. Like clockwork, he replies, giving me his address and room number. I’ve been to this motel before, so I tuck my phone into my pocket and head his way.
He’s waiting at the door when I get there. I’m glad he looks like his picture. I can’t stand it when they use fake images. Just own up who you are. Hell, it’s not like I’m going to say no. He’s literally paying for this.
“Olivia?”
I smile, running my tongue across my lower lips. “You can call me V, big boy.”
“I’ve never done this before,” he lies.
Playing along, I say, “Me either. You’re my first.”
What he doesn’t know is I can see his rating on the app, much like he can see mine. But, my phone dings with a payment notification, which means he’s ready to play, and I smile at him.
“Can we go inside?”
I move closer, brushing against him. And just like that, another one bites the dust as he pulls me into the room, locking it behind him. The rules on the app are pretty straight forward for both of us, so there’s no need to play games anymore. He wants to feel loved for few minutes and I want to fuck until I don’t feel anything. A win-win situation, if you ask me.
5
Bash
Saint calls Church into session by banging the gavel on the table next to him. King is at his right, where the Vice President should always be, and I’m next to King. Razor is at Saint’s left and Jesus and Tiny are next to him. There’s one vacant seat next to me.
Saint stands. “As you can all see, Mammoth’s seat is empty. Our brother decided to go back to the Oklahoma chapter to be closer to his ailing mother. We’ll be holding an election at the end of summer to fill his spot.”
Tiny nods his greasy head. “Amen. Not sure how much longer we can function without a treasurer.”
Razor leans back in his chair and asks, “Tiny, shouldn’t you be able to do the job until we get it filled?”
“Not me! I’m shit with numbers.”
Saint says, “Anyone who’s interested, let me know.”
