“Why don’t you have a drink?” Di asked suspiciously.
Jewel stared into the blazing fire and shrugged. “Couldn’t hold the baby and a drink at the same time.”
“Don’t see a baby in your arms now.”
“Yeah.”
Di studied her sister’s profile in the glow of the fire. “You know, if I ever see any of us without at least a beer now, I’m going to suspect that sister is knocked up.”
Jewel shot her a wide-eyed look. “Believe me, it isn’t me. If it’s anyone, it’s Kiki.”
Di laughed. “True.”
Jayde suddenly came bounding around the chairs they were sitting in and bounced on her toes in front of Di and Jewel, making her long dark pony tail bounce along with her. “Holy shit! Did you get to hold Zeke yet?”
“No,” Di answered.
“Yes,” Jewel said at the same time.
“Oh my God, he’s so adorable. I want one!”
Di looked up at the youngest DAMC sister and rolled her eyes at her.
“I need to get a man and have lots of babies,” Jayde continued, not catching what Di did.
“Are you even supposed to be here? I thought Mitch told you to stay away from the club.”
Jayde waved a dismissing hand. “He doesn’t know I’m here.”
“Of course not,” Di mumbled. “Because if he did, he’d probably drag your ass home.”
“He needs to see his grandson,” Jayde said with a frown.
Di didn’t know anyone who didn’t agree with that statement. “No shit. But until he gets that stick out of his ass, he won’t.”
“I’m going to bring Mom to the bakery so she can see Zeke.”
Di sighed. She wanted April, her aunt, to see Zeke, but she also didn’t want Jayde and April going behind Mitch’s back and tearing their family apart more than it already was. Baby or not.
Things had improved between Axel and Zak since Axel and Bella now lived together, but even their relationship was still tenuous and strained. Right now they were tolerating each other because of Bella and because of Z’s baby.
But it wouldn’t take much for that thin olive branch to snap.
“Have you seen Linc?” Jayde asked out of the blue.
Di frowned at her cousin. “Maybe you should stay away from Linc tonight since you’re in ‘I need to have lots of babies’ mode. You coming home knocked up by a biker will make your father lose his mind.”
Jayde leaned close to her and Jewel and whispered loudly, “I know how to have sex and not get pregnant.”
Di snorted, shot her sister a look then turned her attention back to Jayde. “How about you just leave Linc alone so the poor guy doesn’t end up with two bullets in his ass. One from your father and one from Axel.”
She scowled down at Di and then stomped away, mumbling, “Whatever.”
Di sighed and shook her head. She had a feeling Jayde was going to do something stupid and send shit sideways with the rest of the family.
Bella came up and squatted between the two chairs, holding a full red plastic cup. “Who pissed in her Cheerios?”
“Di did,” Jewel answered with a snicker.
Bella swung her head toward Di. “What did you do?”
“Warned her off Linc. I don’t think you want your man going to jail after plugging a round into Linc.”
Bella’s raised her brows. “For what?”
“Simply accepting something that’s being waved in front of his face.”
Bella turned back to look in the direction Jayde went. “Shit. Hopefully Linc has a better head on his shoulders than that.”
“It’s not the head on his shoulders he has to worry about.”
Bella laughed.
Di leaned over and peered into her cup. “What are you drinking?”
“Jack and Coke. You?”
Di lifted her I.C. Light bottle and Bella winced. “Not that light stuff.”
Di shrugged. “Hey, it’s low on calories and carbs.”
Jewel laughed. “You know, so she can stay lean and mean to kick some ass.”
“Speaking of that... Did you ever finish your certification?” Bella asked.
Diamond glanced around quickly to see if anyone was nearby and could overhear them. It wasn’t like what she was doing was bad, but she had a feeling it would be frowned upon by the guys and they might give her shit about it. And when they were on someone’s case they could all be annoying.
For that reason, she never talked about it in front of any of them. What they didn’t know they couldn’t complain about.
“Yeah, I finished it and started subbing at the gym.”
“Subbing? Substitute instructing?” Bella asked.
Di nodded.
“That’s so cool!” Bella exclaimed. “Are you going to start teaching full-time?”
Jewel leaned forward and said, “No, she isn’t. For some reason, she has this fear that the guys will find out and be assholes about it.”
Bella snorted. “When aren’t they assholes? But, seriously, that’s crazy. It’s just a workout.”
No, kickboxing was more than just a way to keep in shape. She started doing it when she wanted to protect herself. After Pierce cornered her all those years ago, she knew she had to take steps to keep herself from being vulnerable, becoming a victim, so she got her mother to enroll her in a self-defense course. Di never told her why she wanted to take it, and Di definitely didn’t want anyone to know what Pierce did because she still felt stupid for putting herself into that situation. So she ended up learning some basic moves and while at the gym, she watched a kickboxing class and then begged her mom to sign her up for that next.
Ruby was just happy her teenaged daughter found some sort of interest that kept Diamond out of trouble.
Jewel and Bella were pretty much the only ones in the DAMC who knew that she still kickboxed and was serious about it. Occasionally even competing. Her brother Jag knew she had done it when they were teenagers but most likely thought she eventually stopped, that it was just a phase Di went through.
But she didn’t stop. And to get a discount and help pay for classes and training, she ended up working the front desk at the gym. Eventually, the owner convinced her to get certified as an instructor because she was so passionate about it. A natural from what he said. And he needed someone to sub for him when he couldn’t teach for whatever reason.
Unfortunately, the job had paid shit and it was a half an hour away, so Di agreed to take over managing the office at Shadow Valley Body Works when Jewel went to work for Diesel. But she still drove up to the gym to train whenever she could.
All those years she worked at the gym, not only did the guys not know she was kickboxing, but the gym owner pushed her to get better and stronger. A few times, Di considered turning it into a career somehow. And Jewel had actually encouraged her to do just that.
“You should talk to Z about having the club finance your own gym,” Bella said to her. “That would be so cool. You could teach us all to kickbox and do self-defense. Learn to kick some ass!”
“I don’t know...”
“Why not? I know if I had known some self-defense or...” Bella drifted off.
Fuck. Di did not want Bella remembering the abuse her husband had put her through. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration.
So she quickly said, “Do you think they’d go for it? Sophie’s bakery and Kiki’s law firm are the only club businesses run by women. And you know why? Because Sophie already owned her business when she met Z and Kiki had enough of her own money to start her own firm and didn’t need any help funding it. Do you think the Executive Committee would agree to fork over a wad of dough to help me start a business?” She shook her head. “They’d probably laugh.”
Jewel made a noise. “They could only say no, but it’d be better than working in the shop’s office.”
“You worked in the shop’s office,” Di reminded her sister.
Jewel lifted a shoulder. “Yeah, but now I’m not.”
>
“Because D demanded you run his business instead. It’s just another way for him to keep an eye on you.”
“I think we could convince them,” Bella cut off Jewel’s response before things got heated. “Think about it, these guys like to work out. All they have is that shitty little room in the back of the body shop with half-assed equipment. If the club owns our own gym, they could have whatever equipment they’d want, and they’d have a lot more room to grunt and sweat. As it is, that room’s so small, it’s tight if more than one person is in there lifting. And forget any of us women trying to use it. Honestly, I’d think they’d go for it.”
“And,” Jewel added, “there’s no competition. There isn’t a decent gym in Shadow Valley. It’d give the club more money in the coffers and another place for prospects to work, which could help expand the club. It’s a win-win for these stubborn men. It’s all on how you present it.”
That was true. Though, Di had considered it many times, she had always pushed the thought away. It was one thing to take over managing an established business like Shadow Valley Body Works. Quite another to start one from the ground up. But even if Z and the others agreed with it, she’d need a lot of help and everyone was busy enough already.
“I’ll think about it.” Di eyeballed Jewel. “You might have to do some negotiating since asking for funds to start a new business needs to go to a vote and your beast of a man doesn’t think us women can or even need to protect ourselves since we have him. To him, we’re helpless—”
“Woman...” came a deep, scary voice behind them.
Oh, fuck.
All three of them looked at each other, then up over their shoulders at Diesel. His eyes were pinned to his ol’ lady. “Whataya yappin’ about?”
Di watched her sister’s face go blank.
“Nothing,” Jewel answered.
He stared down at her for a moment, then said, “Better not be lyin’ to me.”
“Why would I lie to you?” Jewel asked with a smirk.
He grunted.
Diamond leaned toward her sister and whispered, “Because you want one of his lessons.” Then she jumped out of her chair, grabbed Diesel’s thick-as-a-tree-limb arm and pulled. “Need to talk to you about something.”
“What?” he grunted with a frown.
Di’s eyes fell on Jewel and Bella, then she gave them a slight chin lift. She tugged on his arm again even though he didn’t budge. “Come with me.”
He studied her for a moment, then finally his big booted feet began to move in the direction she tugged.
“Got a question for you. Or maybe even a favor...”
D’s brows snapped together as he reluctantly followed her. “What about?”
“Well, it’s more like a who...”
* * *
Slade stepped out into the cool night, the smell of smoke of both the legal and illegal kind, as well as the bonfire variety, still lingering in the air. The band had just packed up their equipment and left, and the fire burned low in the pit. He’d missed the party, but the bar had been so busy he couldn’t find even a minute to get away. Even when Jester and Coop came in to relieve him.
Hawk had dropped in a few times to survey the bar patrons, make sure everything wasn’t going to shit and to remove money from the cash register every so often.
Last year, Slade had showed up at The Iron Horse about the same time Kiki entered Hawk’s life, so he only had to go by what the other brothers said about Hawk spending most of his waking hours at the bar until his woman came along. Now, the man tried to stay away as much as possible.
He trusted Slade and Linc to handle the day-to-day management, and the prospects, Jester and Coop, to help. Plus, he had some outsiders work the bar part-time and in the kitchen as line cooks, dishwashers and just general get-shit-done employees.
Slade could easily see why Kiki was more important to him than the bar was. But it was the revenue from the bar that helped buy that enormous diamond that the club’s attorney showed up wearing tonight.
Slade couldn’t even imagine what it cost but agreed Kiki was probably worth it. She was Hawk’s world. His everything.
It was hard to miss that Hawk’s eyes tracked his woman constantly when she was in his vicinity. And it wasn’t just Hawk who did it. D did it with Jewel, Jag with Ivy and Z definitely watched his woman and now his newborn closely. He didn’t blame them one bit.
All those brothers had landed themselves some fine ol’ ladies. Loyal and bangin’ hot, as well as smart.
Slade’s eyes swept the courtyard, disappointed that Diamond didn’t stick around until his shift was over. He scrubbed a hand over his hair, then headed over to one of the remaining kegs by the fence, grabbed a plastic cup and poured himself a draft. He headed back over to what was left of the bonfire and settled his exhausted bones into a chair. He released a long sigh, put his head back and closed his eyes.
He had no idea how long he was out, but when he woke, the fire had died to glowing coals, the courtyard was dark, and a head of dark brown hair bobbed in his lap as his dick was sucked.
What a helluva way to wake up.
His fingers slid into her hair, fisted and he tilted her head up. “Princess...” he groaned.
He blinked in shock. It wasn’t Diamond’s lips around his cock. Oh, fuck no, it wasn’t.
Fuck!
Slade shot to his feet, his chair falling behind him into the dead grass.
Lola looked up at him from her knees, a smile on her lips. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”
“What the fuck, Lola?”
Her smile flipped into a frown. “What? You’ve never complained before.”
His mouth dropped open as he stared down at her. Then he lifted his gaze quickly and searched the courtyard. Relief flooded him as it seemed empty except for the two of them.
“What the fuck?” he asked again.
“I thought you’d enjoy waking up that way. The fire had died down and you were going to get cold. I figured I’d get you warmed up.” Lola slowly climbed to her feet, running a hand over her mouth.
Slade carefully tucked what was left of his hard-on into his jeans and struggled to zip them shut. “Can’t just whip my dick out an’ suck it.”
She laughed. “What fucking man complains about a head job?”
“One who doesn’t want it from you.”
Her eyebrows knitted. “Why? Like I said, you’ve never complained when I’ve done it before.”
Even though she was right, things had changed... “Didn’t ask you to do it now.”
“C’mon, Slade. I didn’t mean to make you upset. I was just looking for a little company.”
He shook his head and blew out a breath, pinning his narrowed eyes on her. “Why are you still here?”
She shrugged. “I was hanging with Jester until he went to work the bar.”
“Jester can’t fuck you.” Prospects could not get a piece of any sweet butt. If Jester was touching Lola, they’d both be kicked out on their asses.
“Didn’t say he was. He was just being friendly.”
Friendly. Riiiight. Slade shook his head again. “Lola, you need to get gone.”
“You don’t want some company?”
He wanted company but not Lola’s. Not now. He didn’t need that headache since he was landing in Diamond’s bed on the regular. “Fuck no.”
“Damn, Slade. That’s harsh. You had no problem fucking me in the past.”
“That was before.”
“Before what?”
“Before we set rules,” came a low female voice from behind him.
Lola’s gaze lifted as she looked over his shoulder at whoever was behind him.
Slade knew exactly who was behind him. Fuck.
“What kind of rules?” Lola asked, her eyes narrowed.
“Like not having skanks suck his dick.”
“Well, that doesn’t apply to me then, since I’m not a skank...”
Diamond snorted.
“Ain’t talking to you, bitch,” Lola snapped. Her eyes slid back to Slade. “So I’m asking you, want some good company for the rest of the night?”
A hair-raising noise came from the woman behind him and Slade was afraid to turn around. He had a feeling that Diamond’s bitch switch had been triggered.
“No, he doesn’t want your used-up skanky snatch.”
“Does she talk for you, Slade? Is she your ol’ lady now?”
There wasn’t much Slade was afraid of, but if there was, it was two pissed off women fighting over a man. That would be at the top of the list.
“I might not be his ol’ lady, but I’m smart enough to know he shouldn’t stick his dick where he could catch something! Who knows where the fuck that mouth of yours has been. Could be like a petri dish.”
“Diamond...” he murmured and before he could turn around to get her away from Lola, he was knocked to the side as Lola rushed past him with a shriek and tackled Diamond to the ground.
“Fuck!” he shouted and before he could grab Lola off her, Diamond did a move that stopped him in his tracks. Her fist was lightning fast as she stunned Lola with a quick punch to the face.
“Damn,” he breathed.
With moves like a pro, Diamond had the sweet butt flipped over onto her back and she straddled Lola’s waist and restrained her, using her weight. There was no hair pulling, no scratching, no bitch fighting at all.
Unfortunately, he didn’t have the time to appreciate Diamond’s skill since Lola had her arms flailing as she tried to grab Diamond’s hair and scratch her face. And if that happened...
But it didn’t... Diamond skillfully trapped the sweet butt’s wrists and pinned them to the ground. Lola’s body bucked underneath her wildly as the woman screeched. Somehow Diamond hung on and kept herself from being attacked.
Slade rushed over, grabbing Diamond under her arms and hauled her off Lola. Her chest was heaving, her eyes wild, her hands still clenched into fists. “You’re out of this club, bitch!” Diamond snarled, lifting one of those very skilled fists and shaking it at the sweet butt.
Lola pushed herself to a seated position, wiping at her mouth. “Fuck you, Cubic Zirconia.”
Oh, fuck. Bitches were crazy.
Slade pointed at Lola. “Stay down. Don’t you get up ‘til I have her outta here. Got me?”
Down & Dirty: Books 4-6: Dirty Angels MC Box Set 2 Page 51
