by L. Wilder
I stocked her kitchen with some basic groceries and supplies, and I got everything ready to make the lasagna. It really didn’t feel like a Thanksgiving kind of meal, but I figured it was something that might last her a couple of days. I cleaned the kitchen while the lasagna baked in the oven, and ended up taking three bags of garbage to the curb. When the lasagna was done, I was ready to get out of there. She was passed out in the recliner when I walked back into the living room. I leaned over her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She didn’t even budge.
When I made it back to the clubhouse, I noticed most of the guys were still gone. They were all out visiting their families for the long weekend. I grabbed a few beers and headed back to my room. If I was going to be alone tonight, I’d rather be here than back at my house. I turned on the football game and tried not to think about my shitty afternoon. I fell asleep sometime around the third quarter.
Bishop showed up around 11 o’clock the following day. He had that “look” that something was on his mind. He gave me a nod, so I followed him into his office and shut the door.
“Did ya have a good Thanksgiving with Tessa and the kids?” I asked.
“It was good. Ate more than I should’ve and missed most of the game.”
I decided I didn’t want to mention how my night sucked, so I changed the subject.
“You seemed to have something on your mind when you walked in. Is everything okay?” I asked.
“Not sure. Tessa’s cousin is moving here. She has something going on, but we don’t know all the details.”
“Anything I can do to help?”
“We’ll see. Tessa wants her to run the bar now that Jessica is gone. Not sure how that will work out. I’ll have to meet her first and see if I think she’ll fit in with all of us.”
“Tessa is pretty cool, man. If she thinks this girl can do it, then I’m sure it’ll be fine. Does she have any experience?”
“She bartended for a while, but no idea if she’s any good at it. She’ll have to help out in the kitchen and take up some of the slack around here. This place is a pig sty.”
“Yeah, it’s gotten out of hand over the past few days. When is she supposed to get here?”
“Later today. Tessa is going to bring her over and show her around. I’d like her to start today if she’s up to it. She’s been driving for three days, but the guys will be coming in tonight.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine. It’s not like she’ll be mixing a lot of drinks....”
“True. We’ll see how it goes.”
“I’m going to do a little work in the garage. I’ll be around if you need anything,” I told him.
“Thanks, man,” Bishop replied as his phone began to ring. I left him to his call and headed over to the garage. I wanted to finish up a few things before the guys started rolling in.
Working turned out to be a bad idea. My mood went from bad to worse. I couldn’t get the engine in the piece of shit Chevy truck to turn over, and the parts I’d ordered last week still hadn’t come in. When I felt the urge to punch the concrete wall, I knew it was time to get the hell out of there.
I walked into the bar and froze. The most devastatingly beautiful redhead I’d ever seen was standing at the bar with a pen hanging from her perfect round mouth. I was immediately jealous of that damn pen.
My body instantly reacted to her. Her delicate features reminded me of an angel. She had amazing green eyes that glowed when the light hit them, and her deep auburn hair barely touched her shoulders. I had to stop myself from reaching out to touch her. There was such an innocence about her. She was like some kind of dream, and I had to see if she was real. At that very moment I became consumed with the overwhelming urge to protect this woman.
She was looking through all of the cabinets and counting the bottles of liquor we had lined against the wall, when she turned toward me and jumped.
“Shit! You scared me half to death! What are you doing just standing there gawking at me like that?” she snapped.
It took me a minute to respond. I wasn’t expecting that kind of reaction from her. “I was trying to figure out why a girl like you is standing there behind my bar,” I said sarcastically. I remembered Bishop mentioning Tessa’s cousin would be working here, but there was no way this could be her.
“What exactly is that supposed to mean? A girl like me?” she said giving me a Go-To-Hell look. “I’m here to bartend, Einstein. Why else would I be taking stock of all the liquor?”
“Uh, yeah. That’s not gonna happen, little girl. There’s no way in hell you’re working in this bar,” I told her.
“Excuse me? What’s got your tighty whities in a twist? Bishop hired me to run the bar, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do!”
Just as I was about to really lay into her, Taylor opened the front door, and Renegade followed her in carrying a huge box. He had his hands full but still managed to notice the girl the minute he walked in.
His eyes quickly gave her the once over, and he asked, “Who’s this?”
Seeing him even look at her pissed me off even more. “This is nobody. This is someone who was just about to leave,” I growled.
She put her hands on her hips and gave an audible huff before she said, “Actually, my name is Lily. I’m the new bartender. I’m taking Jessica’s place.”
“Nice to meet ya,” Renegade replied. He looked over in my direction and smirked as he said, “Looks like it’s your turn, Goliath.” He laughed out loud as he headed to the garage.
I scowled at him before I turned to Taylor. “This is bullshit. She isn’t working here. Hell, she can’t be over 18. It would be illegal for her to serve drinks here.” I was pissed, and I didn’t mind letting them both know it. How could Bishop think she could work there without all the guys putting their damn hands all over her? I loved my brothers, but there was no way I was going to let that happen.
“What’s your problem, asshole? I’m 24 years old, and I’ve been working in a bar bigger than this for over three years. I can definitely handle this place,” Lily said defiantly.
“Goliath, just give her a chance. She may be great at this. She doesn’t have to do everything Jessica did. Just let her bartend and help out around the kitchen for a little while. We’ll see how it goes,” Taylor said obviously trying to calm me down, but it wasn’t working. It was a disaster waiting to happen.
“Yeah. She’ll last about a day around here. Do whatever you want, little girl. I couldn’t care less.” I did care, though, and that was the problem. She just seemed too innocent to be working there. The thought of her even being there didn’t sit well with me.
“Sure thing, Mr. Personality. Why don’t you go pull that corncob out of your ass, and I’ll finish getting ready for tonight’s party. I’ll make it just fine,” Lily said as she turned her back to me and began to wipe down the counter at the bar.
My day just kept getting better and better. The hell with what she thought. The clubhouse wasn’t the place for a girl like her. Fuck it. I walked out the door and headed for my bike. I needed to get the hell out of there before I did or said something I’d really regret.
Chapter 3
Lily
The blonde-haired beauty stood there staring at me with a concerned expression. It was kind of comical that the chick was actually worried about me. She reminded me of my best friend in high school. The kind of girl all the boys pined over but never stood a chance with. Her blonde hair flowed down around her shoulders, and she had an athletic build. It was obvious she took care of herself. Normally, I would have been a little intimidated by someone that attractive, but there was something about her that I already liked.
“You’ll just have to ignore him today. There must be something that’s bothering him. He’s usually not like this,” she tried to explain.
“It’s me. I’m not sure what I did, but I could tell the minute he saw me, he was put off. I guess I rubbed him the wrong way or something… but he can just get over that shit. I nee
d a job, and I’m not going anywhere,” I told her with one of my exaggerated eye rolls.
“My name is Taylor, by the way,” the bombshell said as she politely extended her hand.
“Well, nice to meet ya, Taylor. I hope I haven’t given you a bad impression. I’m usually not such a bitch,” I told her with a warm handshake.
“Don’t worry about it. I like a girl who can stand up for herself,” she replied with a wink.
“Thanks. Are all the guys like that? Tessa said they were all sweet and would love having me here. But… I’m not off to a very good start.”
“The guys are great. Really. You’ve already met Bishop, he’s the club president, and I’m with Renegade, the Sergeant of Arms. Goliath is the VP. You’ll meet the rest of the guys tonight. I’m sure they’ll love you. Just don’t let them give you a hard time. Ha, but from what I’ve seen, I don’t think you’ll have a problem with that,” she laughed.
“I hope so. I really need this to work out. Tessa has been a lifesaver helping me find a place and lining up this job.”
“It’ll be great,” she smiled. “Look, let’s get together later in the week. I’ll show you around, and you can tell me all about yourself.”
“I’d like that. I’ll see you at the party tonight, right?”
“We wouldn’t miss it. I better go check on Renegade. If I don’t keep an eye on him, he’ll be in that garage working and forget all about me being here,” she laughed as she headed for the back door. “See ya tonight! Wear something hot. It’ll piss Goliath off, but it’ll be so much fun to watch!” she added as she shot me a dazzling, devilish smile.
I couldn’t help but laugh. I had plenty of sexy little numbers that I could use to torment him. I’d make him think twice before he called me little girl again! I couldn’t remember the last time a guy got me riled me up like that.
I mean, you’d have to be blind not to see that the guy was totally hot. Damn. He had to be at least six foot five, and he was built like one of those cage fighters you see on TV. You could see the muscles rippling through his tight black t-shirt every time he moved. His hair barely reached the tips of his shoulders, and he had it brushed back out of his face so you could see his gorgeous eyes. They seemed to change from hazel to dark brown when he became frustrated with me. When he stormed out of the bar, I had to admit, I enjoyed the view. That man had a smoking body. Too bad he had a shitty personality to go with it.
I spent most of the afternoon cleaning and organizing the kitchen in the clubhouse. It was a total mess, but after I finally finished cleaning, it looked pretty awesome. It had a really rustic feel to it. There was a fully stocked kitchen, and a long hallway to bedrooms for the guys. The bar had several tables and an awesome jukebox. There was a long, deep cherry counter with leather barstools facing a huge mirror. It reminded me a lot of my father’s clubhouse.
I never got to see my dad very often when I was little. My mother had really hated us having anything to do with him or his damn club. She told us that we didn’t have any idea how awful he really was, and she’d made a mistake marrying him. She was always reminding us that we should stay away from him and his kind. I had a hard time believing everything she said, because I loved him. I never saw him that way, and I wanted to spend time with him. When I was finally old enough to drive, I snuck over to his clubhouse to see him. His clubhouse was awesome, and everyone loved him. He would light up the minute he saw my face, and he was always bragging about me to all of his brothers. I always looked forward to the next time I would get to come see him.
Everything changed the day Big Mike decided he wanted to have a turn with me. I wasn’t even sure how I ended up alone in the room with him. He was overweight, making his gut jet out over his belt. The long hairs on his arms made me cringe when he put his arm around my shoulder. I smelled the booze on his breath, so I knew he’d been drinking. He leaned over and tried to kiss me. I pushed him away, and he didn’t know how to take no for an answer. I’d just turned 17, and I wasn’t prepared to take on a man like that. He took my throat in his hands and slammed me against the wall. I begged him to let me go. I could barely catch a breath through the tight grip of his fingers. His free hand started to reach between my legs. I could smell the stench of his revolting breath as he told me all the horrible things he wanted to do to me. I started to panic and began kicking and screaming with all my might. It didn’t even faze him. Luckily some of the other men came in just as he began undoing my pants. Black spots were swimming in front of my eyes. He dropped me to the ground, grabbed his beer, and acted like nothing had ever happened. I quickly stood up, and without ever looking back, I raced out to my car. I wasn’t sure if my dad even knew what had happened with Big Mike. I’d been so freaked out by it, I never went back to his clubhouse. I’d decided Mom must have been right about bikers after all.
I ran back to the house to take a quick shower and finally check in on John Warren. He was down for his nap, and everything seemed to be fine. Tessa arranged for Bishop’s neighbor to watch the kids tonight. She assured me that the lady was wonderful, and I didn’t have anything to worry about. She hadn’t been wrong yet, so I took her word for it. At least I’d be right around the corner if they needed me.
The house Tessa had found for me was perfect. It was really close to the clubhouse, which made it easier for me to check on John Warren when I needed to. It was an older home with two bedrooms, and it was already furnished with the basics. It wasn’t anything fancy, but it was a start, and I liked it. Tessa let me borrow Izzie’s old crib and helped set it up in the spare bedroom. She’d already bought plenty of groceries for us, so I wouldn’t have to worry about that for a while. I would’ve been lost without her.
Before I went back to the clubhouse, I gave myself one last check in the mirror. I was wearing my best push-up bra with a low cut black t-shirt that showed off my assets and dark skinny jeans with black boots. I put on more makeup than usual to cover up the dark circles under my eyes. I added a little extra dark eyeliner and threw on a few bracelets and a pair of earrings. After running my flat iron through my hair, I was out the door. I didn’t have time to give it my all, but I didn’t look half bad.
Luckily, I was the first one there. I had time to gather my wits before the guys started showing up. I checked the bar one last time just to be sure I knew where everything was. I didn’t want to drop the ball with Bishop there that night. I wanted him to feel good about hiring me.
It didn’t take long for everyone to start rolling in. Courtney and Bobby were the first to come up and introduce themselves.
“You must be Lily! Tessa has told me so much about you. I’m Courtney, and this is Bobby,” she said, pointing over to the good-looking guy beside her. With a pouty expression, she continued, “The guys around here call him Crack Nut. I’ll explain all that later. So, how’s it going so far?”
Bobby gave me a chin lift and a smile before he headed over to the pool table. I smiled back, deciding he seemed like a nice enough guy. Hopefully, the rest of the guys would be too.
“Tessa’s told me all about you, too. She said you’d be here tonight. Nice to meet ya. And so far… things are going pretty good.”
“Well, if you ever need anything, just let me know. I heard all about your nephew. I can’t wait to babysit. Tessa has me on the calendar to watch him next week.”
“Calendar?” I asked.
“It’s a teacher thing. Always planning everything out. She’s made sure that you have a sitter on all the nights that you’re working.”
“That girl thinks of everything. I don’t know what I’d do without her. Can I get you something to drink?”
“Sure! I need a drink or two. It’s been a long day,” Courtney said, as she plopped down on the stool and rested her arms on the bar.
I grabbed her a beer and asked, “Beer okay? They don’t have much to choose from around here. I need to make a liquor run before the next party.”
“Yeah, beer is fine. Thanks.” She too
k a drink, and that’s the last thing I remember. People started piling into the clubhouse and rushed the bar. Everyone introduced themselves as they asked for their drinks. I barely had time to look up for the first two hours of the party.
When things finally slowed down, I walked to the end of the bar to talk to two of the guys. One of the prospects, a guy named Bulldog, seemed abrasive to me, but the other one, Sheppard, was very easy on the eyes. He didn’t really have the whole biker look going on. He was clean shaven with short blonde hair, but there was something mysterious about those deep blue eyes. He reminded me of a young Brad Pitt, but Sheppard was rougher around the edges. I always liked that in a man… too bad he was a biker. Off limits.
“You guys need another drink?” I asked.
“Always. Just keep them coming,” Bulldog replied. I turned to grab them both a beer out of the cooler, and I could feel their eyes burning a hole in my jeans as I leaned over. I turned back, and Sheppard gave me a lazy grin. Yeah, he was easy on the eyes alright.
“So, Bishop said you moved here recently,” Sheppard began with an interested expression. I knew he was hoping to get me to tell my “story”, but I didn’t want to get into all that yet.
“I always liked it here when I was a kid. It’s nice to be back.”
“You planning to stay here long?” he asked.
“Not sure. I guess I’ll have to see how things go,” I said with a nervous laugh. There was no way to be sure. I could only pray that no one found us there.
The front door suddenly flew open, and Goliath sauntered in. Damn. I couldn’t take my eyes off of him. My body instantly reacted to him, and I hated myself for it. His eyes met mine, and he continued to stare at me as he walked over to Sheppard and Bulldog.
Sheppard looked over to him and asked, “Where’ve you been all night? I figured you’d be the first one here.” He nodded over in my direction and continued, “Have you met Lily? She’s going to be working the bar now.”
