He grimaced, then said, “Dog, she doesn't know MC life, and what she's probably heard was that's how it works, and for most it probably is. Did you happen to explain any of this to her beforehand?”
I sighed and some of my anger left me. “No. Didn't have the chance.”
“Then, Brother, you can't come down that hard on her. Most women would think the exact same thing.”
I plopped down into the chair knowing he was right, damn his sorry ass. “Why the fuck you got to always be right? Are you ever wrong?” I asked him.
“Yeah, I was wrong once, and it almost got two of my sons and Jennie killed,” he growled. “I try not to be wrong.”
Now it was my turn to grimace. “Fuck, Brother. Sorry.”
He glanced at me as I heard Seer and Blood come back into the room and said, “It's all good.”
I glanced at the others and asked, “Y'all ready to get started again?”
Everyone indicated they were.
~***~
Chapter 10
Nothing is going to be handed to you - you have to make things happen.
~Florence Griffith Joyner~
Mad Dog
May 30th, 1998
Two hours and two interviews later and we all looked shell shocked.
“What the fuck, man?” Blood said more of a statement than a question. 'What're fucking people coming to?”
I was wondering the same damn thing myself. Skye’s and April's stories were fairly similar to what Ree's had been. And now we had two more club girls who were moving in tonight.
“Fuck, not sure where we're gonna put one of them. We've already got three girls and still have three interviews.” I shook my head, “Well, who's next?”
“Sydney is,” Seer informed me.
Once again, I pulled out my phone and called Creed. “Bring Sydney down here, then get us some fucking lunch, I'm damn near starved.”
“On it, Prez.”
As Sydney came through the door, I saw what Slaughter had meant when he said she was fine. This woman was fucking stunning. No way she would work out here. She would have every woman hating her and all the Brothers fighting over her. I glanced at the others and saw the same look on their faces.
“Hey, Sydney. I'm Mad Dog, the Prez here. Why don't you have a seat and tell us a little bit about yourself and why you want to be a club girl?” I already knew the answer was going to be no, but we owed it to her to hear her out.
She smiled at us as she sat down, “As you already know, I'm Sydney. I've been working at the Blue Moon stripping and I'd seriously like to quit. I came from nothing and would like to make something of myself. I really want to go to college and get my accounting degree.”
Fuck, she had the sweetest voice and generally seemed nice.
“What do your parents think about you doing something like this?” Viper asked.
The smile she flashed him was slightly sad, but genuine and sweet.
“Both my parents are gone. When I was three, my dad killed my mom in a fit of jealous rage then turned the gun on himself. My only other relative was my gram. She raised me. Sadly, she passed away when I was nineteen. She'd had emphysema for years and it steadily grew worse. I stayed at home and nursed her until she passed. She left me a couple thousand, but that wasn't enough to do anything with other than pay the rent for where I lived for a few months.”
“How old are you, Sydney?” Blood asked.
“I'm twenty-three. I'll be getting a late start for college. But if you considered me for one of your open spots, I'd make sure I did everything I was supposed to if you could give me a few hours during the day to go to classes.”
“How are you going to pay for it?” Seer inquired.
She sighed heavily, “I'll have to take out student loans. I could probably take out enough to pay rent and things, but I really want to keep the amount I borrow to a minimum so I don't have to pay back so much.”
“That's fucking smart of you to realize how hard it will be to pay back,” Seer told her.
She smiled gently at him. “I've always been really good with numbers, and have always understood the consequences of misusing the money you have.”
“Sydney, not gonna lie to you girl. You're a fucking stunning woman. Why would you want to do something like be a club girl?” Viper asked her.
“Honestly, I hate stripping. I'm not ashamed to show my body, but I hate knowing all those men are imagining me when they go home.”
“You realize don't you, darlin', that here the men wouldn't be imagining, they would be fucking you instead,” I said.
“Yeah, but that is different,” she argued. “I would know the men who I would be with, and I mean if they did jack off and imagine it was me doing it to them, well it's still the same. I would know the men and it wouldn't feel degrading. Knowing some man is going home and doing that and imagining me because his wife won't fuck him just makes me ill for some reason.
“Beau told me all about what was expected. He said I couldn't pick and choose and I'm okay with that really. He said I would have my own room, so I wouldn't have to worry about rent. He mentioned a really small allowance. He didn't say an amount, just that it would probably buy any necessary things I needed.
“He mentioned the paperwork I would have to sign. I agree with all of that. Being able to be a club girl would give me the chance to be something one day. And I really want that chance.”
She shrugged, “I enjoy sex. It would be nice to be able to have sex and it be in a safe environment. To know that I wouldn't have to worry about being hurt, beaten, risk an STD, or raped. Please don't use my looks against me. I'm like any other woman. I just have some dreams that I would really like to come true.”
Well hell. She was a nice kid. I admired her wanting more out of life and willing to work for it.
“Can you go out to the bar and let us talk a minute, Sydney? We'll get back with you shortly,” I told her as I was thinking to myself that it looked like we now had four new girls with two interviews to go. I guess we could cancel those. But then I remembered that one was the woman Seer was wanting us to interview. Fuck. My. Life. I should have stayed in bed this morning.
After she left, I looked at the men in front of me and said, “Well, what the fuck we gonna do?”
“She's gonna be real popular,” Blood stated. “All the guys will be wanting to tap that. Me included.”
“That's my issue. We don't need any of you hot headed assholes fighting over a damn woman.”
“Don't think it will come to that, Prez. I honestly don't. Fuck yes, she is stunning. But every girl that has been through here today has been beautiful.”
“Never would have believed that we would take the first four girls we interviewed. Fuck, Blood. Go give her the news and see when she wants to move in, then bring back whoever is next.”
As he walked out the door, I looked at the other two men, “Unfuckingbelievable,” I muttered.
“It definitely is,” Seer said. “Think things are gonna change some around here and definitely for the better.”
“Do we even need to fucking interview the other women, Seer? Do you know something we don't?” I asked him and heard my stomach rumble. I was about to open my mouth and shout for Creed when he walked in with our food. “‘Bout time, dammit. I'm hungry.”
“Sorry, Prez. Didn't know if I should interrupt or not.”
I sighed. I was being an ass to him, and it wasn't his fault.
“You're fine, Creed. Just cranky because I'm hungry.”
As he made his way out of the door, Blood ushered in another fucking beautiful woman. This one was a little older and I was curious why she wanted to be a club girl.
“This is Amy,” Blood said by way of introduction. “Have a seat, Amy.”
“Amy gotta forgive the Prez's sorry ass, he's hungry and angry like an old bear. So, we're gonna let him eat and the three of us will be asking you questions,” Seer commented.
I growled at him as I took
a bite of my sandwich, making the old fart snicker at me.
“See, my point exactly,” he chuckled. “Growling like an old bear.”
I frowned at Seer as Viper and Blood each reached for a sandwich.
“That's totally fine, go ahead,” she stated, then her stomach growled and she blushed bright red.
I couldn't help it. I had to laugh. I pushed a sandwich toward her, thinking she probably wouldn't pick it up. But like the rest of the damn day has gone so far, she proved me wrong.
“Thanks, I'm freaking starving. I was too nervous to eat earlier. That was obviously a mistake.”
We all laughed at her. She had an easy way about her that was just comfortable to be around. It was apparent that she was more mature than the other four girls.
“Want a beer?” I asked.
“God yes, I'd love one.”
I reached over and grabbed her one. I twisted it open then handed it to her. She was tearing small bites off the sandwich so she could eat and answer questions at the same time.
“Well, since the rest of the assholes now apparently have a mouth full, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself and why you want to be a club girl,” I said then shoved another bite into my mouth.
“Tell you what, I'm gonna tell you about me and why I want to be here and let the chips fall where they may.” She took a sip of her beer and swallowed, “I got married when I was eighteen and was married for six years. I've been single for two years now, so yeah, I'm twenty-six. I found out during the whole time I was married my husband was cheating on me. Apparently, he didn't realize that a zipper is supposed to go up as well as down.”
Seer barked out a laugh, “Sorry, hon, that was just damn funny.”
She nodded at him, “It wasn't then, but it is now. When I caught him screwing the last girl, it was my sister. She ended up pregnant by him, which is ironic since he told me he didn't want kids. They are now living happily ever after.” Amy made air quotes when she said the happily ever after part.
“He tried to tell me it was my fault. That I wasn't good in bed. At first, I believed him. But after having been with a few men since him, I realized I wasn't the problem, he was.”
She took a bite of the sandwich and chewed a minute, then washed it down with a drink.
“Over the last two years, I've realized that I really enjoy sex. I have six years to make up for. I should have fucking realized that I wasn't the problem when I could count how many orgasms I had on one hand during the time I was married to him.”
“Jesus,” Viper muttered. “Fucking asshole.”
“You would be right, he's a fucking asshole. But the men I've been with since my divorce all seem to get serious really quick and I am so not ready for that shit, and truthfully, may never be again. Would I want to be a club girl my whole life? Probably not. But I can see myself doing it for several years. The appeal to me is being able to have sex daily, possibly more than once or twice a day.
“I'm a healthy woman with a healthy sexual appetite and I'd like to get my fill of it. I'm sure you have other things that would be required, and I don't have a problem with that. I'm also sure you probably have a non-disclosure form to fill out. Fine with that too. I will not be dishonest nor ever do anything to harm this club. I'm not looking to be on the back of some Brother's bike, I'm just looking to have a good time having sex with multiple partners, singularly or not.”
I saw Blood's gaze sharpen at that. He and Slaughter often shared women. They had been on the same SEAL team and apparently discovered they liked to share when they were in the service. It wasn't an all the time thing, just occasional and none of us here could care less at what they wanted to do. That was their life and totally up to them what they did sexually.
She sat back and took another bite of her sandwich. “Y'all have any questions for me?” she asked us.
Fuck. At this point, I wasn't really sure there were any to ask. She had a great personality. She was coming into this with a healthy view of what she was going to be doing. She was mature enough to realize that she didn't want this for life, but she did for a few years. I didn't have a problem with any of that. She was also smart enough to know about the non-disclosure agreement. Hmm, I looked at her speculatively. I wonder what she does for a living.
“Got a question for you, Amy. What do you do for a living?” I asked her. I had a feeling I knew what she was going to say.
“I'm a secretary in a law firm.” I noticed the other's eyes sharpened.
“What firm?” Viper asked.
“Jerik, Miller and Courtway,” she said. We all sat back and crossed our arms.
“How long have you worked there?” Blood asked her.
“Four years. Is something wrong?” she asked, clearly puzzled at our reaction to her comment on who she worked for.
“What partner do you work under?” I inquired.
“Right now, Mr. Jerik. When I first started two years ago, I was one of the secretaries on Mr. Miller's team.”
My body tightened up at hearing that.
“Okay, seriously, you guys need to tell me what's going on,” she demanded.
“How loyal are you to them, Amy?” I demanded from her.
“Well, I'm willing to quit work, if that's what you're asking?”
I shook my head.
“I can't talk about the cases I've worked on. Just like what you guys are requiring, I had to sign non-disclosure papers there as well.”
“Wouldn't ask you to share any of their confidential information.” I told her, wondering if it was possible she knew anything about Mr. Miller.
“So then, what's the problem? I don't get why you are all uptight at once.”
Seer reached across the table and gently took one of her hands into his, “Amy, we wouldn't ask you to do anything unethical nor would we ask you to do anything you were uncomfortable with. But with what you just told us, we'd like to inquire about what you might know not about the lawyer but the man, Mr. Miller.”
She grimaced, “I hated working for him. He set my heebie-jeebie factor off big time.” She glanced at us, then said, “I think he's into illegal activities. I don't know for sure, I just heard parts of a few conversations. I wasn't one of the administrative secretaries when I worked for him, just a junior one, so I wasn't often on the floor his office is on.
“But a few times I heard him talking on his cell phone about buys that didn't sound kosher to me. Since I started working for Mr. Jerik, I haven't really had to deal with him at all.”
“What do you think about Mr. Jerik?” Viper asked her as he took a sip of his beer.
“He's a great guy. A good employer, on the up and up. I'd stake my life on that.”
Viper inclined his head at her, then glanced at me questioningly. I didn't know what to think or do. Asking her to help us seemed a little forward since she didn't even know us.
“So obviously you guys have some sort of beef with Mr. Miller and are curious about the other lawyers in the firm. I personally think Miller is dirty as hell. Jerik not. Courtway, now that's strange right there. He hasn't ever been in the office in the four years I've worked there. The time I asked about him, I was told he's not actively practicing law as an attorney. When I asked what that meant, I was told he was a judge in Rogers. If he's dirty, I have no clue. But I do know I have overheard Miller talking to someone he called ’judge’ on the phone.”
A fucking judge, what were the odds. I never asked Sarge what the man's last name was, I didn't care. I had just wanted him dead. Surely there was no way in hell it could be the same person. But I had to find out and now. I grabbed my phone and dialed Sarge's number.
“What's up, Dog? Everything okay there?” Sarge asked me after he picked up.
“Got a quick question for you, Sarge. Can't stay on the phone but a minute. What was the name of that judge?”
I heard my dad take a deep breath, “Something wrong?” he asked.
“Just need to know, Sarge.”
&n
bsp; “Courtway, his name is Joseph Courtway. His son's name was Michael.”
“Okay, Sarge. Thanks for the info. I'll talk to you later.”
“Wait, son, what's going on?”
“Can't talk right now. I'll call you later,” I said right before I hung up the phone.
I took a deep breath and released it. That fucking bastard was involved in this. I felt it all the way to my bones. What were the fucking odds?
“Let me guess, Amy. Courtway's first name is Joseph,” I said to her.
“Yeah, that's it. Now you guys want to tell me what the fuck is going on?” she remarked.
I dragged my hands down my face, then looked at the guys. All of their expressions were grim. I blew out a breath.
“You will have to sign a non-disclosure statement right now before I will even think of discussing any of this with you, Amy.”
“Bring it on,” she said.
I nodded at Seer and he got up and headed toward his office. We sat in silence until he returned about two minutes later.
He slid the paper over to her and she began reading it. As soon as she was through, she picked up a pen he slid to her next and signed the paper. Seer asked to see her driver's license then got out his stamp and filled out all the required information then used his seal to stamp it. Seer was our notary and by stamping any papers, this proved that the signatures were all done voluntarily, and the person was who they said they were and agreed to what they were signing.
“Okay, spill. I'm curious as fuck.” She demanded.
Damn this woman had balls of steel. I seriously liked that about her.
“Gonna run through something with you, afterwards we'll talk about it.”
“All right”.
I then proceeded to tell her Ava's story, then mine.
“That bastard,” she raged when I was through. “Tell me you're gonna do something to Miller's sorry ass? Is there anything I can do? I'll do whatever you need. That's just fucking bullshit right there. He needs a bullet between the eyes.”
“Damn, you're seriously pissed,” I muttered.
“How did you all react the first time you heard this? Because if y'all weren't pissed then I'm in the wrong damn place.”
Mad Dog (Angel’s Rebellion MC: #2) (Angel's Rebellion MC) Page 16
