I walked around the table to take him up on his offer and sat beside him. As I glanced up, I was pleased that Lyric and TUGS had joined us down this end of the table.
Lyric picked up the foil trays and used the spoon to scoop out what he wanted before passing it to me from across the table. I smiled as I took the trays and started to relax in my new surroundings.
"So how many children do you have Spike?" I asked intrigued.
He finished chewing before he answered. "Soon to be four, the Mrs is expecting twins again."
"Oh, that's fantastic. I bet you're so excited. Have you got everything you need?" I asked picking up a fork full of food.
"And then some!" Spike sniggered and continued to eat his food. He had a glow about him when talking about his family and I knew that he was a true family man.
"And you TUGS? How many children do you have?" I was genuinely intrigued about all of the guys. They all looked quite menacing with their sheer size and confidence but I wanted to get to know all of them on an individual level especially if I were to be living here for the foreseeable future.
"I have four children. Two older boys and two younger girls."
TUGS seemed a little closed when talking about his family but this wasn't the time or the place to start digging for more information than he was willing to give.
I nibbled at my food. I was hungry but my stomach was in knots. There was all so much to take in and I was concerned that I had possibly taken on more than I could chew.
"What's up with your food?"
I looked up to see Lyric staring at me waiting for a response. I hadn't realised that I was playing with my food. "Nothing, it's great but I'm just exhausted from all the travelling today."
"Are you going to eat that?" Lyric pointed at my plate with his fork.
I sniggered, "It's all yours." I lifted the plate and handed it to him.
Letting out a loud yawn, I quickly placed my hand over my mouth. "I'm so sorry."
"Is our conversation that riveting?" TUGS asked making light of the situation.
"I'm truly sorry, like I said it's been a long day."
"Don't feel that you need to stay in here with us just to be polite. We won't be offended if you want to turn in for the night." I smiled and let out a sigh of relief, knowing that I was flagging and wouldn't be able to stay out here much longer.
I took a quick swig of my beer to wash down my Chinese before standing.
"Thank you for making me feel welcome but I am literally shattered and need to get my head down."
"That's fine, have you got everything you need?" Spike asked placing his knife and folk down.
I nodded, "I haven't seen the bathroom, have you got a bath or a shower?"
Recon rolled his eyes, "This hotel only has a shower I'm afraid but remember, it's only men that stay here so you may want to give it a quick scrub before you use it." Recon moved his hand back and forth indicating a wanking gesture.
"Well if your girth is only that thick, it's no wonder you're single." I stepped aside allowing myself room to tuck the chair under the table to the roar of cheers from the guys. My heart raced at this type of banter but I knew that I needed to hold my own and not show any weakness especially to Recon.
He smiled and leaned back in his chair.
I raised my hand, "Good night everyone. Nice to meet you all." As I met TUGS' stare he gave me a wink and I knew that his gesture was for the appreciation of my banter.
I smiled and felt relieved as I slowly walked in the direction of my new bedroom. It had been a very long day and all I wanted was a quick shower before crawling into bed.
I had been told that the bathroom was opposite my room but I hadn't used it yet. I noticed the door slightly ajar and pushed lightly on the wood panelling hoping that it was the bathroom. I let out a groan as I saw the mess within. There was a toilet, sink and shower and it all needed a good scrub. That was a job for another day, I didn't have the energy at all this evening.
I closed the door behind me and made my way across the corridor towards my bedroom. This is when I heard my phone ringing.
Quickly opening the door, I rushed to retrieve my phone from the bed.
"Dad," I answered swiping the screen.
"You haven't been responding to my messages so I thought I'd call."
I let out a sigh, "I'm with friends but I'm heading to bed now because I'm shattered."
"Why don't I come and pick you up and then you can stay here with me?" I heard the pleading in his voice.
"Dad, I'm in my room now. I can't keep my eyes open any longer."
"Okay." He replied quietly.
"Don't do that." I stated firmly.
"Do what?"
"Try with the guilt trip."
"I'm not." He spluttered innocently.
He couldn't see me but I rolled my eyes. "I'll call you tomorrow."
I hung up and turned the ringer off. I knew that he would message again but I didn't want to talk to him. I understood that my dad loved me but sometimes he could be so overpowering.
I moved the suitcase from my bed and placed it onto the floor. I would sort things out tomorrow but for now I really needed to get some sleep.
Chapter 5
Victoria
I felt around the bed looking for my second pillow and grasped it tightly with my hand to place it over my head.
Loud music pumped from outside my bedroom window and a lawnmower could be heard in the distance to add to the noise. The pillow muffled the sound but it wasn't going away anytime soon.
I groaned and extended my arm in the direction of the bedside cabinet to retrieve my phone. Squinting at the screen, I was able to see that it was 10.30am.
"Shit!" I hadn't realised that I had slept in. I wasn't officially working for the club yet but I didn't want to take the piss and stay in bed all day.
I pushed the covers back and sat up before swinging my legs off the edge of the mattress. The sun was beating in through the window and it looked to be a lovely day.
I stood and gave a big stretch. I caught a glimpse of my reflection and groaned at the state of my hair. I would need to make myself presentable before facing club members this morning that was for sure. I rummaged around in my suitcase and found my wash bag and towel. Holding them both close to my chest, I opened the bedroom door and peered into the corridor hoping not to see anyone. Luckily, the coast was clear and I quickly sprinted towards the bathroom. Tugging on the handle, I opened the door and was shocked to see a man with his back to me wrapping a towel around his middle. He glanced over his shoulder and gave me a huge smile.
"Good morning Queenie and how are you?"
"Erm all good Recon thank you," I answered in a fluster. "I'm sorry for interrupting, I'll come back."
"Not a problem, I'm done." He fastened the towel and walked towards me. "Remember that you may need to clean the shower." This time Recon placed both his hands together so that his fingertips touched, and moved his hands up and down in front of his groin.
I rolled my eyes at his gesture and gave him enough room so he could step past me. Recon chuckled to himself but I wasn't giving him any further satisfaction by making me feel uncomfortable. I closed the door behind me and stepped backwards to rest my back against the wood that was slightly damp with condensation. Observing the small space, I noticed that it was still in need of a good clean. I didn't really have the time but there was no way that I was using the shower especially after Recon had just used it.
I pulled the stretchy hair band from my wrist and tied my hair into a messy bun making sure that it was all out of my face.
Opening the doors to the vanity unit, I saw an array of cleaning materials and quickly grabbed a bottle of bleach, a bathroom cleaner and scourer.
I sprayed the the shower cubical allowing the foam to run down the screen and turned towards the toilet.
"Yuck!" I stated aloud as I noticed the grime around the seat.
It was going to be difficult living w
ith so many men but I needed to formulate routines in order to make it bearable.
I bleached the toilet using what was left in the bottle and shut the toilet seat. That would need to work its magic before any further action was taken.
I returned my attention to the shower cubical and grabbed the scourer. I scrubbed heavily around the screen making sure that I removed the weeks possibly months of grime. I sighed at the size of the task, it would take a lot longer than expected but I really didn't have the time this morning to do a thorough job.
I removed the shower attachment from the stand and turned the knob making sure that the water dissolved all of the suds. Once clean, I attached the shower to the stand and removed my PJ's. Stepping into the shower cubical, I appreciated the hot spray and used the shower gel that was on the shelf. It smelt manly and I sniggered at the thought but they wouldn't know that I had used it.
No sooner was I in the shower, when several loud bangs were made on the door.
"You gonna be long, I need a shit!"
I stood motionless, not believing what I just heard.
Three further abrupt bangs were made on the door.
"Can you hear me?"
I slowly opened the cubical door, "I'm just getting out now." I answered a little embarrassed.
"Oh sorry, I thought Recon was in there. I'll use the other toilet."
I switched off the water, grabbed for the towel on the vanity unit and wrapped it around my body. Bending down I grabbed my PJ's from the floor and shuffled towards the door. I unhinged the lock and opened the door slowly hoping that whoever had just knocked had gone. Peering through the small gap, I glanced up and down the corridor making sure no one was in sight before making a dash to my room. I really didn't want to be caught in just a towel.
My heart thumped hard inside my chest as I leapt into my room and closed the door firmly behind me. I stood still slowly calming my breathing. I noticed the music was still pumping loudly and knew that I needed to get ready quickly, to show that I was keen and a team player.
"Hi!" I waved awkwardly as I stood by the door of the clubhouse.
"Oh here she is sleeping beauty." Lyric strolled towards me holding Poppy's hand.
I crouched, "Hello again, princess."
Poppy smiled as I greeted her.
"What's going on with her hair Lyric?" I asked touching it softly.
"I don't know what to do with it. It's all wiry and the brush I had just made it worse."
I sniggered, "Would you like me to have a go at getting it under control?"
"Yes please." Lyric seemed grateful for my offer.
I smiled, "Not a problem but do me a favour. Could you get the purple bag on my desk because it has all of my hair products in there."
He nodded, "Yeah sure."
I stood and clasped Poppy's hand to take her over to the picnic benches. I glanced around the yard and noticed that the guys were clearing up and sorting out a barbecue.
The music was still playing loudly but as we didn't have any neighbours directly next door, it wouldn't be a problem. I wasn't sure whether it was a special occasion or this was something they did to bring the ACES family together.
"So young lady, are you having fun staying with your Uncle?"
Poppy nodded excitedly, "He buys me sweets."
I laughed, "And what do you prefer, chocolate or jellies?"
"Chocolate," she replied loudly.
"Hi five, me too." I held up my hand for her to slap and I was pleased that we would have this time to bond.
I played with her hair to see what condition it was in and noticed that her skin was also a little dry. She needed a bit of TLC and I intended on giving it to her. She had been through a lot lately and this one on one time would be good for her.
"Is this the bag?" Lyric held up the purple bag and smiled as I nodded.
"Thank you."
"No problem. Are you two okay while I go and help the guys out?" Lyric was clearly eager to have a break.
"Yep. We are going to play hair dressers." Poppy replied as she swung her legs back and forth on the bench beside me.
"Okay, well I'll be over there if you need me." Lyric pointed at the barbecue before heading in that direction.
"Okay princess, if you turn around that way and face the swings I'll be able to do something with this hair."
Poppy shuffled on the bench and crossed her legs in front of her to get comfortable. I quickly unzipped my bag and removed a bottle of leave-in conditioner and a detangling comb. It had the correct teeth that would be perfect to tackle Poppy's hair.
"Are you okay for me to braid your hair?" I asked excitedly.
"Yep, I've had it done before and it looks nice."
I took the spray from the table and applied it to her hair making sure that I got underneath as well.
"I'll try and be as gentle as I can." I sectioned her hair and used the comb to brush the conditioner through and detangle her wild her. Once I was happy I used the back of the comb to further section her hair before placing it into my mouth for easiness. Working my way from the front of her hairline, I started to braid her hair in tiny briads.
"Would you like coloured bands or the same colour?" She'd had it done before so Poppy may have had a preference.
"My mum's friend Lottie did it last time and she did the same colour but I would like lots of colours please."
She sat perfectly still as I worked my way down her scalp to the end of her hair. I held the end and leaned over to get a small elastic band.
"What colour is the first band?" she asked excitedly.
"Yellow."
"That's my favourite colour."
"Well that was lucky that I chose that one then."
Poppy giggled happily allowing me to section another part of her hair.
"It looks like you're having fun."
I glanced towards the voice to see Amy. She was wearing a lovely dress that showed off her curves.
I removed the comb from my mouth to speak to her properly.
"Hi Amy. Her hair was all over the place so I thought it best to tame it. I don't want to give the social worker any excuse for us not to keep her in our care."
"I doubt they will move her if her hair is a mess." Amy frowned and sat on the bench opposite.
"You'd be surprised. If they think that we can't cater for her ethnicity and race then they just may."
"Bloody hell."
"I thought I'd use this time to get to know Poppy more and find out what her mum and dad used to do with her." I continued to braid Poppy's hair as I spoke and had now got a rhythm going.
"My dad doesn't do anything with me."
I glanced at Amy before returning my attention to Poppy. "Oh that's a shame, why's that?" I asked treading carefully.
"He tells mum that he wanted a boy and I'm a girl so that makes him unhappy." Poppy replied in a clear tone, like that sentence had been drummed in to her from a young age.
"That's an awful thing to say." Amy stated.
"It don't matter."
"Well let me tell you this young lady." I stopped braiding Poppy's hair and placed both hands on the side of her head to turn it slightly towards me. "You are very much wanted in this family and we will make you feel special every single day."
Poppy smiled and it melted my heart. I leaned down to plant a kiss on the top of her head before grabbing for the comb from the bench. My blood was boiling. How dare an adult say such horrible things to a child.
I caught Amy's eye and she smiled.
"What's that look for?" I asked confused.
"You'll fit in just fine."
I drew my brows. "Fit in where?"
"Here!" She stood and raised her arms to her side.
I glanced around the yard. The guys were busying themselves setting up the barbecue and the women were bringing out food and tending to the children. It was a great family environment and one that I would be pleased to be involved in.
"I'll leave you two to it." Am
y turned on her heels and strolled towards a small crowd of women standing by the play area.
"What you doing?"
My attention was drawn to a young girl of around six years. She was wearing a lovely pink dress with frills and her hair was pulled back into a neat French plait.
"I'm making Poppy's hair all pretty by putting it into these tiny braids."
"That will take you ages." She stated watching my every move.
"It will but it will look lovely once it's finished."
The little girl nodded. "I'm Devon and that boy over there is my brother Tommy." She pointed to a young boy of similar age climbing up the slide.
"He's such an idiot at times, he's going up the slide the wrong way." Devon rolled her eyes and it made me snigger. She was very confident for her age.
"Who did your hair, it looks lovely." I asked trying to work out who her parents were.
"My mum, she's the one with the big tummy. She's having twins."
"Okay and who's your Dad?" I asked but I think I had already worked it out.
"Spike, the one with the millions of tattoos." She pointed at him and almost gushed with love when she saw him. "He's not our real dad but he loves us and we love him." Devon was very articulate for her age and could hold a better conversation then some adults.
"Is this little girl your daughter?" Devon moved so she was standing in front of Poppy.
"No she's Lyrics Niece and I'm her...nanny."
I saw Devon analysing what I had just said. "So she's family."
I slowly nodded, "Yeah, I suppose she is."
"Well I'm going to play with my brother but you can come and play with us once you've had your hair done." She directed her sentence at Poppy.
"Thank you."
Devon smiled and turned quickly to run towards her brother. She was like a spitfire with bundles of energy.
"She's nice." I couldn't see Poppy's face but her little feet moved back and forth excitedly.
"Yes she is. I'll try to finish this as quickly as possible and then you can go and play."
She was sitting patiently but I was worried that she may get bored because it was taking so long.
"Do you want to play a game on my phone while you wait?"
Poppy turned her head towards me and smiled. "Mum never let me play on her phone."
LYRIC (Aces MC Series Book 6.5) Page 5
