by Ravenna Tate
“Donny has nothing to do with this. You two are going behind his back to take out di Stefano, so don’t throw your uncle in my face, Digger.”
“We’re not going behind his back,” said Vassago. “We’re going what family does. We’re protecting our own.”
“Fine. But we’re your family, too. So tell me how you’re gonna protect us. What’s the plan here? What is she gonna tell everyone?”
“You’re letting her stay then?”
“Depends on what you tell me, Vassago.”
“We tell them the truth. That I made up the cover story because I had no time to plan out what to say. That Vince was using her to get business from Donny. That she helped a friend get away from Vince, and he suspects she did. That he broke off the engagement because of that. She now believes her life is in danger, so she ran. That she lied to Digger to get him to bring her here.”
“What about why Digger is here? I assume you don’t want the entire club to know your plans for di Stefano.”
“We tell them Digger came here to see Donny.”
“More lies.”
“Yeah. You’re right. It’s a lie. But like you said, we don’t want the entire club knowing our plan.”
“So we put it all on Marie, not Digger.”
“It’s only right. Digger didn’t know why she asked to come along. Marie knows if she doesn’t come clean right away, no one here will ever trust her. She’s ready to make this right.”
“That was her idea?”
“Yes.”
Gorgon narrowed his eyes. “Sounds like you think she’ll be around for a while.”
“I hope she is.”
He and Gorgon locked gazes, but most of the anger had left Gorgon’s eyes. “That still remains to be seen. Let’s go.”
Chapter Seven
Marie heard shouting in the office, but couldn’t make out any actual words. When the sound of chairs scraping reached her ears, she moved back so they wouldn’t think she’d been eavesdropping.
“You ready?” asked Jimmy.
Gone was the lust from earlier. He looked ready to kill someone. “Yes, Jimmy. I’m ready.”
“Call him ‘Vassago’ in front of the others,” said Gorgon.
“Okay.” Gorgon looked like he needed take a shit. Or get laid. Or something. What an unpleasant person.
Digger cast her nasty looks. She might as well start with apologizing to him. “I’m sorry I lied to you, Digger. Did Ji—did Vassago tell you both what Vince said to me about wanting to get in good graces with Donny?”
“Yeah,” said Digger. “Apology accepted, Marie.”
“Thank you.” She turned her attention toward Jimmy. “What should I say to the others?”
“The truth. I’ll start with the fact that I lied to them at dinner. You tell what you heard Vince say about the real reason he wanted to marry you, how you helped Sofia get away from him and why, and that you tricked Digger into bringing you here.”
Did the entire club know what those two were planning for di Stefano? Donny certainly didn’t know, which made it a lie. How many times growing up had she heard inside the hallowed halls of Holy Angels Catholic Academy that a sin of omission was still a sin?
But she couldn’t raise the point now. Now with Gorgon glaring at her like she’d just been caught stealing from their profits. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“Hang on,” said Jimmy. “Let’s bring people into the dining room instead. I don’t want any customers overhearing this.”
“Yeah,” said Gorgon. “Good idea. Digger and Marie, you wait in there. Vassago and I will bring people in.”
Once she and Digger were seated, Marie blinked back tears. She certainly had fucked up big time. Of all the scenarios that included seeing Jimmy again after all these years that she had played out in her mind, this hadn’t been close to any of them.
“He hates me, doesn’t he?” she asked. “Gorgon, I mean.”
“He’s only protecting his club. It’s no different from the way we grew up, is it?”
“No. Not really. Are you and Jimmy okay? You both looked really upset when you came out of there.”
“We had words about you.”
“I’m really sorry, Digger. You’re a good friend, and I used you, the same way Vince used me.”
“Yeah, you did. But your motivation was fear. Vince is just an asshole.”
“That doesn’t make it right. By not telling you the real reason I wanted to get away, I put the whole club in danger.”
“I’m sorry Vince was using you. I didn’t know or I’d have taken care of the asshole sooner.”
“You really gonna have him killed?”
“Yeah. I really am.”
“Who’s gonna do it?”
“Don’t you worry about that. It’ll be done right. No way will it get back to you or your family.”
“Are they going to be okay? My family, I mean?”
“Shouldn’t you have thought about that first?”
“Yeah. I really fucked up.”
“I’ll make sure they’re okay. When it’s all over, you can let them know you’re safe.”
“Not sure I can ever go back, Digger.”
He grinned. “Not sure you can, or not sure you want to?”
She never had a chance to answer him because five women walked in with Jimmy. “Marie, this is Chloe, Rai, Meghan, Kayla, and Liz. Chloe is Gorgon’s old lady, Rai is Tannin’s, Meghan is Phenex’s, Kayla is Mastema’s, and Liz is Rahab’s. You haven’t met all the officers yet. Tannin is our Sergeant-At-Arms, Mastema is our Secretary, and Rahab is our Vice President.”
He was starting with the big guns, but at least her first test was with women. “Nice to meet you all.”
They sat, but said nothing. Chloe was obviously pregnant, so Marie started there. “When are you due?”
“In May.”
“Your first?”
“Yes.”
“Get on with it, Marie,” said Jimmy. “I’ve already told them I made up the cover story. Now it’s your turn.”
“Can’t I congratulate a woman on having a baby?”
He gave her a droll look.
She turned her attention toward Chloe. “The congratulations still stand.” When Chloe returned her smile, Marie relaxed. “I’m sorry I brought this trouble here. I lied to Digger, and used him to get away from Brooklyn.”
She had rehearsed the story in her mind, using as few words as possible, and sticking only to the facts. It took no more than two minutes. Once it was over, the women gave each other astonished looks.
“Do you mean to tell me that bastard was only trying to get in good with Donny?” asked Rai. “And that’s why he asked you to marry him?”
“Yes.”
“So he never really loved you,” said Chloe.
“No.”
“You must be in so much pain,” said Kayla.
“I’m embarrassed and humiliated. I never should have helped Sofia get away, and then I wouldn’t have had to lie to Digger or run.”
“Yeah,” said Meghan, giving Jimmy a quick glance, “but then you wouldn’t have met him again after all these years.”
Liz laughed. “See? Things worked out.”
Heat rose up Marie’s face, and she couldn’t help smiling. “We’ll see.”
“And what about you?” asked Chloe, glancing toward Digger. “Have you forgiven Marie for the deception?”
“Yes,” said Digger.
“Are you staying, Marie?” asked Kayla.
“I hope so,” said Jimmy.
“What about Donny?” asked Liz. “Does he know any of this yet?”
“Liz is a paralegal at the firm that represents Donny,” said Jimmy.
“He doesn’t know yet,” said Marie. “But I’ll tell him, too.”
“We’ll worry about that another time,” said Jimmy.
Rai narrowed her eyes. “Is that because of the attempt on Donny’s life? The reason he isn’t being told?”
“He’s not being told because he’s not here right now. No other reason. We didn’t want to wait to come clean with everyone here.”
Rai nodded. “Okay. Marie, thanks for the confession. If you spend any time here at all, you’ll soon learn that we value honesty and loyalty. It’s important to the MC, and to the business. So, welcome.” She smiled.
“Thank you, Rai.”
The others voiced similar sentiments, and before the women left, each of them either shook her hand or gave her a quick hug. But when Jimmy brought in the next group, they were all men, among them the two prospects who had ogled her naked body. Marie swallowed hard and gave her speech. The men were less vocal or emotional about accepting hers and Jimmy’s apologies, but they did accept them.
“Don’t expect much from the male members,” said Digger, after the men left, and Jimmy followed to get the next group.
“I won’t.”
By the time every patched member, prospect, dancer, and sweetbutt had been brought into the room, Marie was emotionally drained, but glad she’d done this. No one gave her shit about the deception or the cover story Jimmy had told. Several people voiced the same comments that Rai had about loyalty and honesty.
What would Jimmy think about all this once it was over? He might still want to fuck her, but was that as far as it would go? She’d lied to Digger and used him. She’d brought all kinds of trouble here.
Sure, she had owned it and made an apology for everything, but why would Jimmy want to be with someone like her? The man of her dreams would stay that way forever. A fantasy only. Someone she would never truly have. She’d been the biggest fool in history to even entertain the idea it could one day be anything else.
Chapter Eight
There was no communal breakfast in the club, like the way they ate lunch and dinner together. The woman on kitchen duty made breakfast for the men and took it up to their rooms. They ate on their own, in between cooking and then washing the dishes afterward. If they weren’t on kitchen duty, they ate in the kitchen before doing whatever chore group they were assigned to.
Marie wandered into the kitchen late the next morning, after taking a quick shower. The club closed at two in the morning on Fridays and Saturdays. Jimmy had taken her aside after she’d apologized to everyone the night before, and asked her if they could resume what they’d been interrupted at earlier in the evening, once the club closed.
She’d told him she was tired and needed to be alone to think about everything. He’d been disappointed, but there were too many people around for them to have a conversation about it, and Marie had slipped away and gone upstairs. The rooms didn’t have locks on the doors, so she’d wedged a chair under the doorknob. This morning, she felt ridiculous for having done so.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to fuck Jimmy, but after the realization that this was nothing more than a temporary situation, her lust had faded. All she’d wanted to do was cry herself to sleep.
Meghan, Rai, Chloe, and a dancer she’d met the night before named Natalie were in the kitchen. They smiled at Marie when she entered. “Do you need help?” she asked. “I’m a really good cook.”
“No,” said Chloe. “We have this down pat. Help yourself to anything you’d like. There’s fresh coffee, too.”
“Thank you. Are you sure I won’t be in your way if I eat?”
“Not at all,” said Meghan. “We’re used to this.”
“What does Vassago want for breakfast?” asked Natalie.
“I wouldn’t know.”
Chloe and Rai both flashed Natalie an exasperated look.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I just assumed you’d spent the night with him.”
Marie turned her back toward them as she removed eggs and butter from the refrigerator. “I didn’t. I was too tired from the long drive to stay up that late.”
She kept her back to them as she made her own breakfast. They made small talk as they worked, and when each of them left to take a tray up to a room, Marie finished her food and washed the dishes. She was ready to leave the kitchen when Meghan returned.
“Is it all right if I take a cup of coffee up to my room?”
“Of course. Take one of the small pots up, if you want. There’s plenty of it.”
Marie started to leave, but Meghan’s voice stopped her.
“That was a really brave thing you did last night. Apologizing to everyone.”
“It was only right. I put everyone in danger.”
“You’re safe here. From Vince, I mean.”
They didn’t know that Digger was having him taken out. She had assumed they did, but now realized she’d been wrong. “I know. Thank you.”
“Hey, Vassago said you do nails.”
Marie smiled. “Yes. I’m a nail technician at a salon in Bay Ridge. Or, I used to be. I’m sure I’ll be fired after I don’t show up for a few days.”
“Well, you could do our nails here. We all go to a place in town, but it would be easier having someone right in the building.”
“Seriously? You’d be okay if I did that?”
“Sure. Why not? Do you have your supplies with you?”
“No. I only brought a few things for my personal use.”
“There are a few beauty supply places in Elyria. That’s not too far away. One of us will take you there.”
“That would be great.” Except she had no clue how long she’d be staying.
“Okay. We’ll work out the details later.”
And that was Marie’s cue to leave and let Meghan get back to work. She was climbing the stairs to the third floor when a familiar voice behind her stopped her progress.
“There you are. I was afraid you’d sneaked out of the building in the middle of the night.”
“No. I was just tired, like I said.”
He moved close to her, and every nerve ending was on fire. “I had no choice but to stay in the club last night until it closed.” She wanted this man so badly she could taste it. He eyed the coffee pot in her hand. “Did you eat?”
“Yes. In the kitchen. Natalie asked me if you wanted breakfast. She thought I was with you last night.”
His expression grew sad, and her heart gave that odd little lurch again. “I think more than one person in this building assumed things last night.”
“Jimmy, I’m sorry. I really was tired, and I had a lot to think about.”
“Did you get all your thinking done?”
Not even close. “As much as I could, yes.”
“And?”
“And what?”
“What did you decide to do?”
“I didn’t think it was my decision to make. You pretty much laid it out for me that I was stuck here until this was over.”
The lust was back in his eyes. Her traitorous body responded by sending shivers down her spine, and a gush of wetness to her pussy. He leaned closer, and she backed against the wall. They were still in the stairwell so there was no place to go. Jimmy put both hands on the wall above her head, caging her with his body.
“I meant, what did you decide to do about fucking me?”
That voice! She was powerless under its spell. Every doubt she’d had about this going anywhere beyond sex was still there, but she couldn’t resist him forever. She wasn’t that strong, and he was her fantasy man. As long as she acknowledged up front this was only fucking, she couldn’t get hurt. She wouldn’t let that happen.
“Because know this, Marie. We will fuck. You can’t hide from me in this building.”
“I’m not trying to hide from you.” Her voice came out breathy, but that was because she could barely think, let alone speak. All these years, and this man still held power over her emotions like no one ever had. What a cruel cosmic joke that the only thing she’d ever share with him would be sex.
“Good. Because you’re spending the day with me. I’m going to get some breakfast, and then we’re picking up where we left off last night. Wait for me in your room.” He kissed her, and it was just as hot as the
kisses they shared last night. She nearly dropped the coffee pot.
When he released her mouth, he gave her a look that could have boiled the coffee in that pot. “I’ll be up in about fifteen minutes. I want you naked and ready.” He moved away, but then turned back after descending a couple of stairs and grinned.
“Oh, and this time, don’t shove anything under the door knob, or I’ll break the fucking thing down.” He winked at her, and it was several minutes before Marie could move.
So he had tried to get into her room last night. She should be outraged. He was so damn arrogant with that wink, and the assurance they would have sex, no matter what. But it wasn’t outrage she felt. Not even close. She almost ran after him, but the guy needed to eat first if they were going to have mind-blowing sex.
Her plans to leisurely sip the rest of the coffee in the pot she carried were abandoned as Marie turned down the bed covers and tore off her clothes. She bunched up the pillows and sat against them, legs spread, lazily rubbing her clit and grabbing her boobs while she fantasized about Jimmy fucking her. The scenarios in her head were so familiar now that she barely needed a moment or two before an orgasm drew close.
But she held it back. It would be more fun to have the first one with him along for the ride. Her pussy was soaking wet by the time she heard footsteps outside her room. What if it wasn’t him? A brief slice of fear raced through her, but when the door opened, there he stood.
His jaw went slack as his gaze roamed over her naked body. “Such a good girl. You did exactly as I asked.”
“I didn’t think it was a suggestion, Jimmy. Close the door. I don’t want anyone thinking this is a gang-bang.”
He slammed it shut. “Anyone tries to come near you, and they’ll have me to contend with. Play with yourself. I want to watch.”
“That’s what I’ve been doing. I’m close to coming.”
“Yeah. Do it.” He tore off his t-shirt and tossed it onto the floor, and followed that with his sweatpants. He was barefoot and wore no underwear.
“Commando. How sexy.”
Marie stared at his thick, red cock, moaning softly while she stroked her clit again and pushed two fingers into her wet hole with the opposite hand. That dick was more than enough to satisfy her, and one of the burning questions was finally answered. Yes, he was inked all over an impressive body.
