“You didn’t understand and we thought you should.” Avery patted my hand. “I suck at the rules, and Rock mostly protects me. I mean, I don’t even come out here without him—that’s his rule.”
“So how do I support him when he doesn’t tell me shit?” This was too complicated and way political. If only I’d known the shit storm this was, I’d never have said yes.
“You find out by befriending other old ladies, listening to what he does say. Dare never said make the club run smooth, in fact, he bitches about it, but he’s number two and that’s his job so it’s mine. All the problems you caused this week, Dare’s had to smooth out because the Prez can’t sort the mess his old lady causes. It makes him weak.”
“Specifically what’s my job as Jericho’s old lady?”
“To do nothing or anything you want. Keep the dominance, but let go the attitude. You don’t need to force it, and honestly the harder you try the worse it is.” She looked to Avery. “Grab us Cokes?”
I reeled with all the new information. I had fucked it all up and Bound was falling apart. Maybe Jericho and I were bad for each other, too obsessed with topping him I’d just undermined all we’d hoped to accomplish.
With a nod, Avery stood and headed to the bar.
When she was away from the table, Lila leaned in a bit more. “Avery likes you and that’s good but what I heard about you this week—a bitch, a showboat, doesn’t know her place, thinks she’s a biker. That’s not going to fly if you’re wanting to help your old man. He’s worse off for choosing you at this point, not that anyone else will say it like that.”
Those words stung and I bristled ready to do battle.
“Stop now.” She smacked her hand on the table. “You don’t get to just come after me because I pissed you off with the truth. Deal with it or stay away—that’s the bottom line.”
I’d fucked up royally. I never screwed up like this. Maybe we had rushed too fast into the whole old lady business. I wanted to help, but I was shit at this.
“You’re a natural match for Jericho, I get that.”
That floored me. How the hell did the woman see that? We were too much alike and too volatile.
“But if the right person spreads the word and pushes for it, he could still be out on his manipulative ass—the Brotherhood can vote a Prez out in a general meeting. And Jericho isn’t well liked by some, he’s changing things so fast the brothers can barely keep up.”
“So you’re saying things are rockier than I knew and I made them worse.” I blew out a breath and downed more whiskey. I also swallowed my pride. “Give me the rules and tell me how to start over before I go.”
“First rule, bikers fight, old ladies don’t, unless your man has some sheep infestation anyway.” She grinned at me. “You’ll likely have a few of those to deal with.”
“Be seen and be nice. No jumping to conclusions and hitting first,” Avery popped off. “I’m not a fan of being out here, so I stay close to Rock. Lila hangs out more with the old ladies than I do.”
“When Dare lets me. He likes me on him.” She drained her Coke. “And I always do what he wants, having a loyal old lady is important. And in front of others you can’t question your old man, top him that’s the word you’d use, or contradict him in any way. I’m Dare’s property to command and to protect.”
“I don’t want to be protected.” The command part rankled as well, but I’d known about property before I’d agreed so no complaining now.
“Too damn bad. And last, you can’t put yourself in a position where he has to pick you or the club—you’ve been pushing that line. To admit guilt at your actions, like when you attacked Andrea, it weakens him.”
This was all too damn complicated, and I wanted to steer my Mini home and forget all about this. However, I’d fucked up, and as a Domme I’d always taken all my responsibilities seriously, I could do no less with this job. Because I finally understood, whatever was between Jericho and me, this old lady shit was a job, a role, much like my role at the club. A lot like me, but not truly me. I was only Maurine at home and in bed with Jericho.
“So what do I do? I can’t tuck tail and run.”
Avery jumped up and hugged me. “I knew we could count on you.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jericho
I walked into the Council chamber to find Andrea’s old man Ringer waiting for me along with Dare. The others hadn’t arrived yet. I walked in and stood at the front of the table.
“Ringer needs a word or two.” Dare nodded and the big man stood up.
I gave a nod, having expected the visit, even if it was faster than expected.
“Your old lady treated mine wrong.” He moved closer. “I stayed because you put out the effort for me, but now I mean if you can’t control your old lady, how can you control this club. Ren’s been saying that shit but I ignored him. Maybe he’s right.” The first shot hit my gut, the second my jaw and the third bust open my lip. He had a vicious right.
Breathing hard, he dropped his arms to the side. “Look I ain’t having my old lady mauled so you and your Domme get off.”
I punched the bastard, not caring if I gave Ren another fucking recruit.
“Don’t fucking bad-mouth what’s mine.”
“So you do care for her.” He broke out in a grin. “That will get you a lot of forgiveness. We all understand that situation.”
I didn’t understand.
“I thought you were letting her run rough over our rules to secure Bound, but if it’s about the heart and the dick, well that’s always complicated.”
I opened my mouth and shut it. If it meant he was on my side I wouldn’t correct him. But my heart didn’t even understand love, so he was wrong about that one.
“You siding with him?” I laid it out there, knowing I couldn’t afford more enemies.
“Nah, he’s a cruel fucker. I got you. And Andrea does too.” He gave me the nod and walked out the door.
I blew out a breath and took the ice pack Dare handed me. “He’s got a strong right.”
“You have a chaotic old lady.” He smacked my back and sat beside me. “Which you fucking deserve. Hard to calculate with her stirring the pot.”
“Yeah, ain’t that the truth. I’m going to miss that pussy, but I won’t miss the chaos.”
Dare frowned at me.
“She’s heading back to Ardmore tomorrow.” I sighed, not sure how I felt about not having her next to me. It was damn convenient, especially when my dick had an exclusive ticket to her pussy. Yet, I needed help settling Bound, not that Ren or his guys were making any friends there by beating up the staff.
Viper walked in with a black eye and a blacker mood. “You need to send Marr home. I need her at Bound.”
“She can’t get enough of me.” I leaned back in my chair and gave the bastard a smug smile. If I’d had a rough week, his had been three times worse. Between the women at Bound pissed off and the bikers pissed off—Viper had been armpits deep in stupid shit all week. Hell, I’d been there as much as here this week because Ren’s faction were a bunch of pussies who thought knocking around women was a God-given right.
Rock, Romeo and Thorn came in together and we started the meeting. Rebel had left to hunt down a skip, so he wasn’t there. We reported out normal business then I brought up what had been eating at me. “What’s Ren doing now that he’s out of Bound?” I eyed Romeo directly.
“Entertaining women at his place instead.” Romeo wouldn’t meet my eye.
“Marr secured Bound to me, so he’s coming for my seat on this Council. Don’t you think, Romeo?” I pushed the fucker.
“Why ask me?” he fired back.
I stood. “Because you’re the only one of my Council allowed to party with him.” I was done sidestepping the fucking traitor in
my Council. “What do you say?”
“Fuck, I guess he will. We don’t talk shit like that for a reason.” He looked around the room. “But it’s his only play.”
Anger snapped at me. Fucking trouble at Bound, then Romeo buddying up to the bastard, it was too goddamn much. “You made time to visit Dogg? You two used to be close.”
He gave a single shake of his head. “Been busy busting my guys.”
“Then why am I still kicking them out of Bound?” Anger seethed inside me. Romeo was behind this somehow.
“You ready to step the fuck down and let another bring control to JB Securities?” Dare piped up, saving me from what I was going to say next.
“You son of a bitch,” Romeo charged Dare.
Ready for Romeo, Dare sidestepped and kicked his ass on the way by. “Let’s go, old man. I say you smell bad, and I’m sick of it.”
Goddamn if Dare wasn’t doing it again. Taking on the shit I couldn’t say without kicking him out of the club. The fucker was a natural VP and his loyalty ran deep.
“You stupid bastard.” Romeo circled him. “You’ll pay for those words.”
Dare went still with the insult, one of the words only an idiot used around Dare. He hated that word applied to him and Romeo knew it.
“Old man, your days are numbered,” he spat out, not falling for Romeo’s bait.
Romeo charged and Dare connected a solid blow to his gut, sending Romeo reeling back. Dare strode forward and kicked Romeo before he regained his feet. Once, twice and the third time Romeo caught his boot and sent him crashing to the floor.
Struggling up, Romeo jumped on Dare and he rolled Romeo under him. Each one traded blows with the other in a battle of endurance.
Thorn looked as if he wanted to be in there as much as Dare, which was some serious shit. He and Romeo had once been as close as me and Dare.
“Break it up,” I yelled when it was clear neither one of them was going to win anytime soon.
They ignored me and Dare landed a sweet blow to Romeo’s eye.
“Thorn, grab Dare.” I waded in, pulling back a chunk of Romeo’s short hair before I locked him in a sleeper hold, dragging him off of Dare.
Eyes rabid, Dare went straight for Romeo but Thorn grasped both arms and held. The two men shot daggers at each other while straining to get free.
“Romeo, I’m telling you now. Choose this Council or the company you’ve been keeping, but you can’t play both sides another fucking day.” I was done with this shit.
He hung his head. “It always been you, Jericho. Ren isn’t a leader and never will be.”
Something inside me clicked into place with those words—words I’d desperately needed to hear, even if I wasn’t sure I believed them. Romeo had a shadow game going and I only wished I knew what it was.
Thorn had released Dare who stood glaring murder at Romeo. “No one ever trusts a coward—playing both sides is weak.” Dare spat on the floor toward Romeo and turned his back on the man, goading Romeo to finish what they’d started.
Romeo spit blood out of his own mouth but said nothing, resuming his seat on the far end of the table. “You don’t trust me, you should send me on my way.” His cold words taunted me.
“So I can have two of you causing more mischief? Nope, you resign or you toe my line—that’s the deal.” If it wouldn’t mean total chaos with the Security brothers, I’d have already kicked his ass off the Council, maybe out of the club. But that’s how tight shit was these days. I was seconds away from civil war and Marr’s shit wasn’t helping a single fucking bit.
Despite the problems she caused me, I was addicted to my fucking old lady. I went searching for her as soon as the meeting was over, hoping some hard, hot sex would even me out after the tense meeting. Instead my phone pinged. Gone shopping with the girls, see you at Blue’s.
Well, at least I’d have company for the next few hours. When I returned to the front, Zero dealt cards to Rock and Dare. Dare had cleaned up the blood on his face but he’d have a black eye tomorrow for sure.
“No one wants me today,” I bitched and sat down. The guys pushed the cards back to Zero and he dealt again.
“We’re playing hearts, and I’m gonna shove that bitch down your throat,” Dare said. “You find a way to make my woman gone too damn much.”
“I didn’t steal her, blame Marr.” I picked up my cards. “I’d rather be buried in Marr than staring at your sour ass.”
Three games of cards later, I owed Zero money and was more than ready to see Marr again, I’d hoped to have her on the back of my bike tonight. I liked her arms around me as we flew down the highway, but obviously no one cared what I wanted.
I strode into Blue’s first and what I saw stole my breath. Marr wore that leather bra and cut, her head thrown back laughing along with Mama and Pixie. Rachel stood there laughing along with them, and they all looked beautiful, but none as breathtaking as she was. I’d only heard her laugh twice and it was addicting.
I stalked toward her, needing her lips on mine, now. I’d like all our parts to connect but that would have to wait until tonight. I reached her and pulled out the chair beside her before I leaned into her and brought her lips to mine. Heat rushed through me as Marr battled me for control of the kiss. That was my woman, always wanting to be on top. I missed her and let her win the battle, tasting the sweet victory of losing as she poured on extra heat. I palmed her tit and she moaned into my mouth before she bit my lip. The world faded when she kissed me. Solid. Possessive. Mine. I loved the way she fucked me with her mouth.
Her hand clutched my hard cock then she broke the kiss. Swollen lips and seductive cat eyes stared at me. “You taste delicious.” She purred low. Her hand resting on mine. “Missed you today.”
Those three simple words did something to me, she did so much to me with her badass attitude and sex-kitten stares. The woman had me by the balls and I liked it, just as long as she kept stroking them, they were hers.
“Going to fuck you all afternoon, and then you were gone. Shit timing, even if I’m glad to see you all getting along.”
“Anticipation makes it all the sweeter.” She turned to Avery. “I told you I was missing out when I went with you two.”
“We all did, so shut it.” Avery leaned back into Rock and kissed his neck.
“Woman, you’re too far away.” I tugged her toward me but she resisted.
“I’m not spending another night sitting on your hard-on all night. I’ll keep my own chair.”
I threw my head back and laughed. She called them like she saw them.
“I like your laugh, it turns me on,” she whispered in my ear before she bit the lobe. “There’s a band again, and I want to dance with you all night. Then go home and fuck you silly, so we can’t get fucked up like last time.”
“We could go now.”
“Nope.” She smirked at me. “I spent the day learning all the bloody old lady rules and I damn well intend to put them to work tonight, so quit tempting me.”
“You did? Why?” I teased her. We both knew she’d been a hellion all week.
“Because Avery made me.” She stuck out her bottom lip, and I leaned forward to bite it.
“That little waif of a girl taught you to behave.” I kissed her again. I loved a woman who tasted of whiskey.
She smacked my chest and her finger poked the cut on my lip.
I winced.
“You got a love tap, darling.” She blew me a kiss then stood up.
While we’d been acting like idiots, the table had filled up with biker couples. Hell even Zero had a woman with him, and thankfully it wasn’t Jayna. She and Lila put arms around each other and gabbed all the way to the bar. She came back with four bottles of Jameson. Starting at the far end, she stopped and chatted before setting down a bottle. Rachel fo
llowed her with shot glasses, handing them out behind her. Eventually she made it back up to us with the last bottle.
“What are you doing?”
She ignored me.
“I see ya’ll got your shots in hand, let me get these slowpokes ready and we’ll have a true Irish toast.”
Lila poured the whiskey and even she and Avery took a dram. Rachel sat two shot glasses full of Irish in front of us and Marr picked hers up.
“May you work like you don’t need the money.” She smiled and the Irish was strong in her voice.
“May you love like ye never been hurt. May you dance like no one is watching. May you fuck like yer being filmed.”
A wolf whistle from Bear made her laugh.
“And drink like a true Irish woman.” She belted back her shot and we all followed. “Now that’s the way we welcome people in the home country.”
She sat down among whistles and cat calls.
“Damn woman, you never do what I think you will.”
She gave me a lopsided smile. “What’s the fun in that?”
We ordered food and ate but Marr never stayed still long. She played musical seats, stealing another’s seat as soon as they got up. But somehow she made it around the table, talking to everyone. Her open seat meant bikers kept taking hers and we’d talk. The new Marr acted like being an old lady was something she’d been born to do. I stared over at Mama and Pixie who looked like proud parents. How the hell had they transformed her in one afternoon?
She plopped onto my lap, holding onto my neck as she swayed. My hands wrapped around her to steady her. “Goddess, you’re lit.”
“You better be sober or we’re fucked, or not fucked as the case may be.” She grinned up at me with the out-of-focus gaze of one well on her way to oblivion. “Should’ve figured they’d wanna buy me shots in return.” She kissed me but missed my lips and hit the corner of my mouth. “Dance with me. The band’s starting up.”
I stood up with her as the beat of the drum started the first song. “Just how many shots have you had?”
Deny: A Dark, Erotic Motorcycle Club Romance Page 22
