by Ren Parris
“No, I am not. Do I look like the color blue?”
“Not yet, but if you keep eating blueberry pancakes, it will happen.” I ruffle her hair and set her on the floor before swinging my legs off the couch. I scruff my hand over my face to wake myself up.
“Come on, meanness, let’s tell Cook what to fix you for breakfast,” I say, standing up.
“Ms. Pepper told me she would make them if nobody else would. She is nice; I wish she could be my new mommy.”
“Ah, sweetheart, you have a mommy, but Ms. Pepper could be an aunt.”
“Not if she marries my daddy. I’m going to have a talk with him and tell him he needs to marry her.” She crosses her tiny arms over her chest and tilts her head up, giving me a pointed look.
Pepper walks in and clears her throat. “Is there anyone down in the kitchen yet? Tanya is very hungry, and she wants some pancakes.” Her eyes scan over my body, and I can read the filthy thoughts that take up her mind just from the lustful glint in her eyes. She carefully studies the eagle tattooed across my chest, memorizing each detail of the ink etched into my skin, then her gaze roams downward across my six-pack abs. Her breathing hitches in her throat and she pulls her bottom lip between her teeth when she focuses on the sleep pants riding low on my hips. I’m thoroughly enjoying my shameless display.
As I trod toward her, her eyes flicker with excitement with each flex and ripple of my muscles. “Morning to you, too,” I whisper, a hairsbreadth away from her ear. As I walk past her, a squeal falls from her lips. I turn toward her to see her hand latched over her mouth and her eyes as wide as saucers. I chuckle to myself, knowing she’s mesmerized by my physique and tattoos. The Freedom insignia covers my back, and it’s a true work of art.
I finish my business in the bathroom and get dressed, pulling on my jeans, t-shirt, and cut. I splash water on my face to wipe the cocky smirk off my lips.
“I like Hello Kitty, okay, but I would rather wear my Little Pony t-shirt,” I hear Tanya say, full of sass.
“What time is it?” I ask, walking into the bedroom and interrupting the little girl.
Pepper startles at the sound of my voice. She’s tying Tanya’s shoes, having already dressed her in the clothes that Bull left for her. Damn, he’s fucking soft for his kid. Tanya’s wearing pink biker shorts and a white Hello Kitty tank top.
Pepper glances down at her watch in a daze and drags in a breath like the room is lacking oxygen. “It’s seven fifteen. I guess Tanya and I are very early risers.” She looks bashful, a pink tint on her cheeks.
“Nah, Cook usually starts breakfast around seven.”
She nods and turns her attention back to Tanya, brushing her hair back into a ponytail. She’s so good with her. “Hey, thanks for taking care of Tanya. I appreciate you making sure she was safe and getting her dressed even. You’re going out of your way here. But we appreciate it nonetheless.”
“It’s no problem, Wolf. I’m glad I can help.” She smiles, and that one look she gives me says so much.
“You girls ready to go eat breakfast?”
“Yes, Uncle Talen. Is Cook going to have me some blueberry pancakes?”
Rolling my eyes, Pepper laughs at the brazen little sass with her hand on one hip while pointing a finger at me.
“Yes, sweet pea. Cook knows blueberry pancakes are your favorite and I’m sure he’s made enough for all of us.”
“Good, let’s get a move on then!” Tanya says, her short little legs carrying her out of the room.
Chapter nine
Pepper
Wolf, Tanya, and I go to the kitchen, finding it empty except for two guys I haven’t met yet.
“Morning, brothers.” Wolf claps one on the back. “Pepper, this is Tank, my VP. He was at the gas station yesterday. And this is Ghost, our head of security.”
“Morning, ladies,” Tank offers.
We fix our plates of food, then sit down at the table to eat.
“Pepper, you were brave for what you did yesterday, but you should never try to take on a biker,” Tank says.
Looking up, I meet his gaze. “Thank you, but I would do it over again if I had to.”
“Maybe so, but the next time there might not be guys there who could back you up.” He shrugs.
Not sure if I like Tank too much, with the hard tone he uses as he speaks to me. My ex-boyfriend liked to talk to me the same way, and I’m not going to be bullied like that ever again.
“Look, Tank, I get that it’s not wise to take on a man ten times my size, but let’s get something straight right now: I will never let anyone be terrorized if there is anything I can do to help!” I say, my voice growing with each word because it’s something I really believe in.
“You talk like you’ve experienced something like this before,” Wolf questions in concern.
“Yes—not that it’s any of their business,” I sneer at Tank and Ghost, “but my ex-boyfriend was a bully who only got more aggressive after drinking.”
“Tank, you need to lay off. Pepper, did your ex hurt you?”
“Not the way you’re thinking. He was verbally abusive, and the more he drank, the worse his belittlement would get.”
“How long were you together?” Wolf asks.
“About eight months. Everything was perfect until one day it wasn’t. He started to change, and I knew something was going on.” I look up from cutting my pancakes, and Wolf nods for me to continue. And as though the flood gates are opened, my mouth drops open and I let it all out without even realizing just how much I’m telling them. “He made the mistake of getting caught doing something with my neighbor; he thought it was okay to let other women have his wee wee. I cut all ties then and there. But he has a problem with letting go. I travel a lot, so he really can only harass me via text or phone calls, and I didn’t bother getting my number changed because I thought he would eventually give up and move on. Unfortunately, that hasn’t happened yet, but I can tell I’ve finally worn him down because his attempts to contact me are becoming few and far between.”
Tank, Ghost, and Wolf look at me in disbelief, and I immediately shrink into myself. My mind races, and I wish I’d pressed Wolf to let me leave last night. Being around all these men, their size so intimidating—I guess I’m just nervous. The last twenty-four hours have been stressful. Shit, I’m rambling to myself now while they look at me like I have a screw loose. I blush and pinch my eyes closed as I try to calm my nerves. I hear faint chuckles, and of course it pisses me off so I look up, furious that they’d have the gall to laugh at me.
“What’s so funny?” I ask pointedly.
All three men look at each other and burst out laughing. Ghost looks young and even approachable with smile lines stretching across his cheeks.
Ghost holds his waist as he doubles over. “Did you just say wee wee?”
“Well, yes I did. There are little ears in the room with us. You people seem to not realize that and say whatever you please. Where I come from we do try to watch what is said when little ears can hear,” I say, pointing to Tanya.
“We don’t usually have kids at the clubhouse unless we’re on a lockdown or having a family get-together, and when kids are around we try to keep our foul language and anything else to a minimum, for the most part,” Wolf informs me.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to offend anyone.”
“Sweetheart, you didn’t. We just live different than most people,” Wolf says.
Not knowing what else to say, I turn to Ghost and change the discussion. “So, Ghost, tell me, did you get your nickname by putting a sheet over your head and yelling BOO to everyone?”
The men are so choked up at what I said, they spit their food out of their mouths. They’re laughing again at me.
Wolf looks at me with his eyes watering as he bites back his laughter. “You know we get those road names that you call nicknames for very different reasons than you seem to think.”
“I know that. I’m not stupid. I thought it would be funn
y to ask those questions. Apparently, you all did, too. I thought it might relieve some tension.”
After breakfast, Tanya and I go back upstairs to Wolf’s bedroom. We spend an hour reading several stories from Tanya’s collection of books until her grandma arrives to get her.
Since it seems I‘ll be visiting for the next few days, I’ll go in search of my Escape so I can get more clothes and my pillow. I know I’ll sleep better if I have it.
Wolf told me earlier that I can go anywhere in the clubhouse except down to the basement. If I want to go outside, for safety reasons, I need to stay at the back of the clubhouse and not to go beyond the buildings.
Starting from Wolf’s bedroom on the second floor, I count each door that I pass. Hoping to not invade anyone’s privacy, I peek into the doors left ajar. Of the twelve doors, all but two are good-sized bedrooms and the others are bathrooms. On the third floor, I find a long hall with fourteen doors. I assume the third floor is the same as the second floor except for a small apartment like Wolf’s room.
After checking out the top two floors, I make my way down to the first floor and run into Cherry carrying linens up the stairs. “Oh, hi there.”
“What’s going on? You look a little flushed,” I say.
“We’re trying to get ready for the lockdown. I have been running up and down these stairs since early morning.” She huffs a tired breath.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
“No, but thanks, I’ve got it under control with the help of Crystal.”
“Well, let me know if you need help.” I move to go around her.
“Where are you going?” Cherry asks. “I mean, is there something I can help you with?”
“I’ve been exploring. I wanted to get my bearings on where things are located. I found bedrooms on the second and third floors. I figure the first floor is where the bar, kitchen, offices, and laundry room are located.”
“That’s right, except there is a big meeting room just past Wolf’s office that nobody is allowed in except the members of the MC.”
“Okay. You can help me. Do have any idea where my vehicle might be?
“Not sure, but if I was guessing, it would be in the garage. You can go to the bar and get a prospect to show you.”
“Okay, thanks. I’ll do that.”
Making my way on down to the bar, the first person I see is the grumpy old man, Fox, at the same spot he was sitting in when I came in yesterday.
Ghost and some women I haven’t seen before are also at the bar.
“Hi, Ghost, is there a prospect or someone who can show me where I can find my vehicle?”
“Sure thing, sweetie. Travis will be back in a second, and he can take you. Sit down with me until he gets back.”
Sitting down at a bar at ten in the morning seems a little weird. Fox and Ghost have already started drinking beer. It’s a little early for alcohol, so I take water when asked if I want a drink. Looking around, I see a guy coming in the bar. He must be the prettiest man I’ve ever seen. Built like an athlete, tall with toned muscles. His face looks like it’s chiseled in stone, with messy, dirty blond hair. The best feature is his aquamarine eyes, resembling a clear arctic sea.
Ghost notices I’m mesmerized by the man just like every woman who has ever stepped foot in this clubhouse, I'm sure. Ghost leans closer to me. “That’s Slick.”
Turning my head so fast to quit looking at the gorgeous man, I nearly snap it off and heat rushes to my cheeks. I can tell someone is coming up behind me. What I don't expect is arms slipping around me and grabbing a hold of my breasts.
I jump off the stool so fast, causing the ass to lose his hold on me, and slap him in the face before anyone can do anything, leaving a red hand mark on his perfectly chiseled cheek. Slick has no clue.
“What do you think you are doing?” I ask angrily.
Standing there stunned from being slapped, he growls, “Fuck, woman! Who the fuck do you think you are? Why did you slap me? I was trying to have a little fun? Did you tell someone else they get the first fuck?”
Ghost snickers under his breath, trying to contain his laughter.
“What the fuck is so funny, Ghost?” Slick asks.
“This is Pepper, not a BB. She saved Tanya from Moose.”
Before Slick can say anything, Wolf walks into the room and takes in the scene. I obviously look enraged and ready to hurt someone while Slick is rubbing the red mark I left on his cheek. Looking between Slick and me, Wolf knows something just happened, I can tell.
Wolf addresses Slick first. “What the fuck did you do, motherfucker? You better not have touched one hair on her head.”
I speak up, realizing this is about to get out of hand. “He didn’t touch my hair, Wolf.”
Before I can say anything else, Slick steps in front of me. “Wolf, man, I didn’t know who she was. I thought she was a new BB.”
“I’ll ask you again what you did.” Wolf clenches his hands into fists, his voice low and furious.
“Hey, man, I’m sorry, like I said I didn’t who she was. I grabbed her boobs.”
Ghost quickly stops laughing and tries to defuse the situation, jumping up between Wolf and Slick. “Wolf, I didn’t warn Slick about who Pepper is. And I didn't warn Pepper about Slick's nature.”
I take that by ‘nature’, he means the way Slick treats women. Probably a man whore. It's pretty obvious he could get about any woman he wants. Not me, though, and from the looks of Wolf, he's thinking the same thing.
Something bad is about to happen. The muscles in Wolf’s jaw tick and clench as he heaves a rattled breath. I step in front of him, pressing my back to his chest.
I look up at Slick. “So, Slick, I guess your nickname means you have a silver tongue?”
Slick looks down at me, confused, then averts his gaze back to Wolf. There’s a silence as the two brothers stare at each other quizzically, trying to figure out what I’m talking about, no doubt.
“You know, charming.”
“Are you making fun of me?” Slick growls.
Ghost and I laugh at Slick’s expense, but Wolf tries not to crack a grin.
Giggling, I smile at Slick. “Yes, I am. You do have that Prince Charming effect on people.”
“You have got to be shitting me. I haven’t heard something like that in years. Ha-ha funny.”
“Slick, man, I believe she just saved you from getting a beating,” Ghost says while trying to keep a straight face.
Wolf looks at the three of us then pushes me to the side. He rears back and knocks the shit out of Slick with his fist. Slick falls backward into the bar. He looks up at Wolf and swipes the smear of blood from his lip, but he doesn’t say a word, knowing he got what he deserved.
Wolf bends over Slick and leans in close, jabbing his finger in his chest as he spits, “Don’t touch my woman again or any woman until you know for sure who she is.”
Wolf grabs my wrist and drags me with him down the hall. My feet falter as I stumble to keep up with his long strides. He walks us into his office and slams the door closed before shoving me against it. My mouth opens to argue with his rough manhandling, but his lips are on mine, kissing me like I’ve never been kissed before. He pulls back and presses his forehead to mine, our breathing scattered and heavy. “Damn, baby, you are killing me. I want you so bad.”
“I’m not sure if we should go there. I’ll be leaving in a few days.” I speak the words, but my body craves his touch, needing to feel his hands all over me.
“What were you doing at the bar anyway?” Wolf asks.
“I was waiting for a prospect to show me where my vehicle is. I wanted to get one of my suitcases so I would have some clothes to wear. I also wanted to get my pillow. Yours suck, no offense.”
“None taken. I’ll take you and help you get what you need. I can show you around a little on the way.”
“Okay, that would be great. I’ve already checked out the upstairs.”
chapter ten
We leave the office, going out the back door near the kitchen. There are several buildings at the back of the compound.
“These buildings are used for different things. One is an apartment complex with enough room for six families. Each has three small bedrooms, a bathroom, fair size living room, and a kitchenette. The other building consists of a storage area, a gym, and a big play room for children when we have a lockdown. It’s also used for parties.”
Walking around the other side of the warehouse, I show her our huge garage, which could house twenty or more vehicles.
“We work on our own stuff at this garage. We also run a chopper garage in town.”
“Do you only work on motorcycles?”
“Yes, but some of us can work on cars, too.”
“Is the garage the only business you have?”
“No. The club owns a strip club, sex store, three bars, and a motorcycle clothing store. We make a good living from all of them. We also grow and sell legal weed.”
“Do you do anything else besides that? I have always heard that some MC’s don’t always abide by the law.”
“I’m going to answer your question as much as I can to help you feel safer. Yes, we do other things, and nine times out of ten they are legal. We have done things that aren’t legal. We will always do whatever we need to take care of our family, legal or not.”
“Okay, good enough for me for now.”
Walking into the garage to her car, she gets the things she needs to take back to my room. As we are walking out, we hear a loud scraping sound.
Knowing no one is usually in there before eleven, I pull my gun out and whisper-yell, “Get behind me.”
Trembling, she sets down her bags and pillow, grabbing the back of my belt loops. She tugs on a loop and says, “It’s probably a rat.” I slowly turn around, but we hear the noise again. Tapping my index finger against her soft lips, I urge her to stay quiet. I take two steps forward, Pepper still tightly clutching the back of my belt, when I see a shadow. I quickly pull Pepper down behind a car, hiding to see who’s in the garage.
