by Erin Osborne
“I think I’m going to take a nap,” Patience says, looking at the bed that I just managed to get for her.
“Okay. I’m going to have to go into work later, but I’ll make sure you have everything you need before I leave,” I tell her, leaving the room and letting her get the rest she needs.
For the next few hours, I sit on the couch and get lost in a book. Growing up, I used to read all the time. As I got older, I pushed that love aside while I tried to find my way in the world. Now that I live alone, until today, I’ve rediscovered that love and I read every chance I get.
I get so sucked into the story that I almost make myself late for work. Rushing through my routine, I get a shower and get dressed in a pair of sweats before taking off. Patience is still sleeping, so I leave her a note with my cell number on it and tell her I’ll be home in the early morning. If she needs me, I’ll have to talk to Playboy and ask if he can help me out. Once he knows the situation, I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to make sure Patience is covered.
If I still lived at the clubhouse, my cousin wouldn’t be able to stay with me. But, now she’s alone at my house without knowing a single soul in town and I have to work until one in the morning. I guess I didn’t really think this through.
I didn’t want my aunt and cousin to know that I was a house bunny for the club and now I don’t really want them to know that I work in a strip club. Now that Patience is here, I can’t hide the fact of where I work. Yes, I could lie to her, but eventually she would find out the truth. So, there’s really no point in lying to her. I just hope I don’t have to talk to my aunt about it.
As soon as I walk into Allure, I make my way to the locker room so I can get changed into my uniform. China is already in there and she looks at me with contempt in her eyes. I’m not sure what the hell her problem is, but she’s had it in for me the second she stepped through the doors.
China is one of the dancers and she thinks she should be headlining the show instead of starting at the bottom and working her way up. I’m not even a fucking dancer so I don’t see what the problem is. Unless it’s the fact that I have a bond formed with the men of the club and she wants to fuck them all. She has no clue that’s not gonna happen, even after being told the members typically don’t fuck the dancers or staff at any of their businesses. They don’t want to shit where they eat, as the saying goes.
The only time the girls from Allure ever get up close and personal with the men is if they’re invited to the clubhouse when more girls are needed for entertainment. She won’t ever be one of the girls that gets chosen to go there because of her attitude and that she already tries to fuck the guys in the strip club.
Playboy made a rule that no one that works at Allure can do anything other than strip and dance for the customers. All the private rooms have cameras in them so that no one can get away with anything. We’ve lost strippers because of them wanting to give a customer a blowjob or fuck them to get more money. The club is not running a prostitution ring and they have a zero-tolerance policy on this.
I get changed and manage to not say a word to China. Something must be going on with her today because she didn’t utter one word to me. Usually she’s a bitch and has some smart-ass remark to say about me. The funny thing is, she doesn’t know my past or how long I’ve been with the club. As far as she’s concerned, I’m trying to fuck my way through the men and I don’t get punished for my behavior around them.
Making my way out to the bar, Playboy is already sitting on a stool. He’s got a drink in his hand and paperwork laid out before him. This is his routine. He hates being cooped up in the office, so he does his paperwork at the bar before the doors open. It also gives him a chance to watch the girls warm-up and rehearse before opening.
“What’s goin’ on, Shy?” he asks as I start to make sure I have everything ready for the night.
“Not much. Um, I have my phone with me tonight. My cousin just moved in with me and I don’t know if there’s gonna be any problems,” I say, stopping to look at him so I can judge his response.
“Okay. Is she runnin’ from somethin’?” he asks.
“She’s pregnant and her man is gonna be getting released soon. We thought it was best if he didn’t know where she is,” I tell him.
Playboy looks at me and I know he wants to say something. Instead, he nods his head and goes back to his work. The only other interaction we have is when I slide his second, and last, beer in front of him when the first one is empty. He won’t drink any more the rest of the night.
He doesn’t always stay the entire night, especially on the days that he gets here before anyone else. Those days, another member of the club comes in to make sure that nothing happens. Eventually he wants me to take that over, but I’m not interested in it. I don’t know how long I’ll be in Benton Falls so there’s no point in me taking on more responsibility than what I have right now.
If David finds out that Patience is here, he’ll be here sooner or later looking for her and the baby. When that happens, Patience will leave and I might just go with her. It’s not like there’s anything left for me here. My dreams were shattered the day that I realized Slim would never give himself to me.
The night is busy as hell and when I walk through the door of my house, I’m shocked to see Patience awake and watching a movie. She looks up at me as I walk in the door and offers a small smile. When I sit down next to her, her nose immediately wrinkles up in distaste.
“Where the hell have you been?” she asks.
“Work. I told you that,” I answer.
“You smell like a brewery and smoke,” she says.
“Oh. Sorry. I’m gonna take a shower and go to bed. I’ll see you in the morning,” I tell her.
“What’s going on with you?” she asks.
Sighing, I sit back down and tell her about my time with the Phantom Bastards MC. When I tell her that I’m now working at the strip club as a waitress, her eyes widen. Not in shock or fear, but in awe. Patience has lived a sheltered life for the most part and ended up with David in an act of rebellion. She’s going to hear stuff living with me now, so I might as well get it all out in the open.
“So, you’re still in with the club even though the President doesn’t want you. Are you sure you don’t strip and just don’t want to tell me?” she asks, not being phased in the least by my story.
“I guess so. How are you doing?” I ask her, wanting to make sure she’s okay.
“I’m good. Tomorrow, I’m going to call a doctor in the area and get set up with them. Then, I’m going to start looking for a job. I need to be able to afford to have a baby and a place of my own,” Patience says.
“Okay. If you need any help, let me know. I try not to sleep in too late on the nights I work,” I say, giving her a hug before making my way up to jump in the shower so I can get ready for bed.
Chapter Eight
Slim
I’M FINALLY HEADING back home after being gone for a few days. I needed this break to re-evaluate my life and the way that I’m living it. The one person that was never far from my mind was Shy. She’s always on my mind.
The first day I went and checked out the area. The For Sale sign I saw ended up being for a hundred-acre piece of land. There’s no buildings on it, nothing planted for farming. It’s just wide-open land. I called the realtor and had him meet me there to work out a deal.
Once he showed me around, I made a cash offer. The realtor’s eyes about bugged out of his head when I told him I had the money and I’d bring it to him as soon as the offer was accepted. He thanked me and told me he’d get on the phone as soon as he got back to the office. I’m sure the generous commission I promised him if he had this closed in a day or two helped him get the ball rolling as fast as he did.
The land itself is nothing spectacular. There’s trees on one side of the property with the rest of the was barren. I have a few ideas of ways to improve that. I just have to get the ball rolling and make sure that I get the
land for what I want and then we can figure the rest out when we need to.
This piece of land is a surprise for my club. When we need to get away or want to have a big party with the Wild Kings and Satan’s Anarchy, we’ll have a place that will hold all of us. An idea formed as soon as I saw it about having an annual week-long party out here. Just the three clubs. Women and kids included. I know that we’ll have to figure something out for the single men involved in the clubs, but that’s on the to-do list.
For now, I envision building several smaller cabins for the families. Toward the back, I want to build an area for swimming. A fence will be built around the entire property to keep unwanted guests out. I may hire someone to stay here on a full-time basis, but that will be a club vote.
All these thoughts have been running through my mind since I laid eyes on the For Sale sign. I want to leave the club something good— somewhere all our friends can come and get away from their problems for a while. Eventually, it will go to the kids and they can decide what to do with it from there. For now, I want to make my vision a reality and I think the other clubs will help me out with that.
It helps that the Wild Kings have Rage and his construction crew and Satan’s Anarchy have Psycho and Johnson Construction. If I can get a crew from both clubs here to help with building what I want, it won’t take any time at all to accomplish. It will be a club vote though, as is anything the club does.
As I ride back into Benton Falls, my mind returns to Shy. She’s going to be working tonight at the strip club and I’m tempted to head there. Shy is the only reason I’d step foot in there these days. It’s the last thing she needs, but I almost can’t stop myself.
At the last second, I turn toward the clubhouse and pull into the almost vacant lot. No one seems to be around tonight and that’s got me wondering what’s going on. Playboy hasn’t called me about anything coming up, so I park my bike and make my way inside.
Alex is standing behind the bar with Hound being the only guy in the common room. I make my way over to him, wondering what kind of reception I’m going to get from the man that has known me for longer than we’ve been in the Phantom Bastards. He looks up at me before turning back to face the wall behind the bar.
I’m handed a beer as I sit down next to my friend. After taking a long pull from the bottle, I set it on the bar top and turn to my longtime friend. He’s just looking at me like I’ve got three heads or something attached to my body.
“What is your problem?” he asks me, taking a sip of his beer while never taking his eyes off me.
“Come again?” I ask, needing to know I’m hearing him right.
“I’m not talkin’ to you as my President, I’m talkin’ to you as my friend. That woman you continue to push away isn’t comin’ back here because of you. She’s goin’ to forge her own way in life, same as she was doin’ here. Only now, you don’t have anyone to calm your ass down when shit gets real and you need her. And, you’re just flat out treatin’ her like shit right now,” Hound says, finally turning his eyes away from me.
“You don’t have a clue why I’m doin’ what I’m doin’. You don’t know the target that will be on her fuckin’ back if I open myself up for that,” I tell him.
“That’s bullshit and we both know it. She’s gonna have a fuckin’ target on her back because of the club and her association with us. What the fuck is the real problem?” Hound asks.
“You wanna hear that Roxy fuckin’ destroyed me all those years ago? Or the fact that Shy is younger than my fuckin’ daughter? How about that I haven’t let anyone get close to me in over thirty fuckin’ years and I don’t know if I can give her what the fuck she wants?” I yell, finally snapping and letting out why I’ve kept Shy at arm’s length for three fucking years now.
“What Roxy did to you is on her. She’s the one that left and let another bitch come between you and her. If she had just fuckin’ talked to you instead of runnin’, who knows where you two would be right now. As far as that other shit, that’s just excuses and you fuckin’ know it. From what I hear, Tank already told you that he, Maddie, and Playboy are onboard with you claimin’ that sweet as fuck girl,” Hound says. “You don’t deserve her sweetness or any light she shines on you, but it’s what you need and want. Just like we all know that Shy has pined for you since the second she saw you. Now, you’re fuckin’ it all up and sooner or later, she’s not gonna be here, period.”
Hound doesn’t say another word. He doesn’t give me a chance to say anything back either. The man gets up and walks away from me. It’s the first time I can ever remember there being any sort of tension like this between us. It honestly guts me to know that I’m fucking up with everyone in my life. There’s nothing I can do now. I’ve pushed Shy past the point of caring and I won’t get her back.
I drain my beer and get up from the bar. Making my way to my office, I unlock the door and wonder still where the hell everyone else is. The only thing I can think of is that they’re at Allure or out finding some strange for the night.
As soon as I’m in the office, I close and lock the door behind me. My desk is littered with paperwork and I know there’s shit I have to catch up on after my impromptu vacation.
Sitting down in my chair, the first thing I do is sort through the mail. I grab the manila envelope that’s buried under the pile and look to see who it’s from. There’s no return address on it. As I rip the flap open, my gut begins to churn and I realize this shouldn’t have made it on my desk with no return address on it. Usually one of the guys handles this shit in case it’s something important that needs to be dealt with immediately.
I put my hand in the envelope and feel the contents. Not knowing exactly what’s inside, I dump it out on my desk and take a look. There’s a ton of pictures sitting in a pile in front of me. Picking up the first one, it’s Shy standing outside of Allure. She’s talking to Playboy and the pain she feels is clearly written on her face.
The rest of the pictures are of her too. She’s standing in front of the strip club, inside working, at her house, in her car, walking down the sidewalk, and doing other daily tasks. My breath is coming in short pants as the truth that she’s a target of someone hits me full force in the chest.
I swipe the contents of my desk to the floor and rush to the door. The few brothers that are now in the common room stand and look at me. I look for Fox and find him in the kitchen.
“Need you. Now!” I yell, not caring who’s around to hear me.
“What’s goin’ on, boss man?” he asks, not knowing the gravity of the situation at hand right now.
“Pictures. All of Shy,” I murmur. “Where the hell is she?”
“She’s workin’ tonight,” Playboy answers, walking into the kitchen along with the rest of the men.
“Get someone on her and bring her here. I want her here now,” I yell, leaving the room to go back to my office.
“She’s not gonna come back here. What’s goin’ on?” Playboy asks, following me into the office.
“Look!” I say, not wanting to get close to the pictures that hold different images of her.
Playboy walks over to my desk as I begin to pick up the contents that now litter my floor. One of the pictures managed to land under my computer monitor and it looks like it was taken in her bedroom. There’s a bed in the background with a few clothes on it. Hound walks in my office and he picks up a picture before swearing. Taking it from his hand, I see that it’s one of her dresser drawers; the one that she puts all her panties in. Fuck!
“I want her here now!” I yell again. “She’s not fuckin’ safe.”
“Well, you fuckin’ ruined her comin’ here. Shy won’t step foot in the clubhouse anymore and she’s made that perfectly clear,” Playboy says as more guys fill the office.
“Tell her what’s fuckin’ goin’ on. Nevermind, I’ll go fuckin’ get her myself,” I say, walking through the men on my way out to the common room.
“Not sure that’s a good idea right now,�
� Fox says. “If you go in there like that, she’s gonna be pissed as hell and you’re not gonna get anywhere with her. Let one of the boys go in.”
“Fuck that.”
I slam the door open as I make my way out to my bike. Throwing my leg over it, I don’t hesitate as I start the engine and roar out of the clubhouse parking lot. My only thought is to get to Shy and make her understand why she needs to come to the clubhouse. That my main fear for her is coming true. Someone is out to get her because of me.
The trip to Allure is a blur as I only concentrate on getting to the one woman that’s made me feel a damn thing in my entire life. I thought that woman was Roxy, but she never made me feel the way that Shy does just from a look. Shy is the one woman that can make me vulnerable and feel like a man all at the same time.
I park my bike right in front of the club and barely put the kickstand down before making my way inside. No one tries to stop me, not that I’d let them if they did. As my eyes adjust to the dimness of the interior, I look all over for her. Shy isn’t anywhere to be seen at first glance.
Not until I look behind the bar and her head pops up from below the bar top. One of the men at the bar sits back down on his stool as he was leaning over to get a good look at her ass in the booty shorts I know is part of the uniform.
I stalk toward the bar and don’t stop until I’m behind it with her. Shy looks up at me and visibly shrinks in on herself as I loom over her. I did this shit to her. Shaking my head, I try to calm myself as I step into her personal space just to be close to her.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, her voice coming out in a squeak.
“Need you at the clubhouse. It’s for your safety and I’m not takin’ no for an answer,” I say, steamrolling over her in a way I know she hates.
