City limits! Mel wanted to do fist pumps at the sight of the Missoula sign. Only a few more minutes and his first run would be done. There was no denying he felt close to Silo, Dice and Trans after all they'd gone through together and that some kind of bond had been created between them. Plus he knew having the senior brothers observe his skill in enforcing HC's terms of payment had earned him their respect.
Something Dare had said was vital in obtaining approval for membership. After one of their training rides, his sponsor had broken it down regarding the process to become a full member. "You fuckin' need 100% of the vote in order to patch out. That's all the fuckers in the club, dude. For every ten 'hang-arounds', or 'hang-ons' as Trey calls 'em, only about five will make it to recruit. And of those fuckers only about three, three man, will earn their patch. So you gotta shine in fuckin' everything you do. All eyes are on you as a recruit and because you're fuckin' my damn choice that scrutiny will be constant. Under the fuckin' microscope, dig?"
Mel parked his bike and wasn't surprised to see even Silo and Dice were trying to stretch after unpeeling themselves from their machines.
"Be it ever so fuckin' humble…" Silo growled with a smile, slapping Dice on the shoulder.
"Thinking I getting too fuckin' old for this shit, Si. Need a gallon of scotch to kill the pain in my ass." Dice rubbed his butt and seemed to walk with a slight limp as the group made their way to the clubhouse.
Silo turned back to the recruits. "Next step of a goddamn run is where you report in. Important, yeah? You don't fuckin' do it through the phone either. Recap of a run needs to be fuckin' done in person to the highest ranking brother available, even if you have to fuckin' drag their ass from one of the rooms behind. Comprende?"
As the group got closer to the door, Mel could hear music, lots of laughter and talk spilling out of the clubhouse. It almost sounded like a party was in progress and he wondered what had gone on at the compound or with the club while he'd been on the road.
The sight that greeted him though was so far from what he expected that he stopped just inside the doorway and stared.
There was Lulu in one of her fancy dresses with petticoats and high heels holding court on one of the barstools that was turned towards the big room. She had a short, fat glass in one hand as she threw back her head and laughed uproariously . The large group around her, comprised of the council and other brothers as well as a few Honeys, were laughing along with her.
Catching sight of the dirty, tired group that had just entered, the laughter died away but the smiles held.
"Mel!" he heard Lulu cry loudly and watched as she handed off her drink, slid down from her chair and came running towards him, her tall heels click-clacking and skirts swishing as she moved. Her smile was as wide as the arms she held out as she closed the distance between them. Throwing herself against him he felt the inside of her elbows on either side of his neck as she shoved her face into his collarbone. "I missed you so much!"
Over her shoulder, he saw more than a few eyebrows were raised at the receptionist's affectionate move or maybe it was her enthusiasm at seeing him.
"I'm filthy, precious," he advised, giving her waist a squeeze and then tied to step back but Lulu was having none of it.
Letting go of him with one arm and half-turning back to the room, Lulu announced, "Hey, everybody. It's Mel! He was my very first friend in Montana! Isn't he hot?"
The room erupted in laughter.
He had no control over the heat that crept up his neck and into his face at Lulu's proclamation. But there seemed to be an air of expectation among the group as if he was supposed to speak. "Thanks, Lu. But I've, ah, I'm supposed to report to Trey now."
"Oh. Okay," she said blinking her big, baby blues up at him. "Work before pleasure, huh?"
While she wasn't slurring, Mel thought the beautiful girl he wanted as his was probably more than a little buzzed which made him grin. "Something like that."
She ran a finger over his bottom lip, her eyes still glued to his and he felt his body's reaction to her simple move. "If you're still around when I'm done, Lulu, I'll catch up with you."
"Okay, Mel," she breathed and he got an unobstructed whiff of the alcohol on her breath. She wouldn't be driving herself home, that was for damn sure.
"Hardwood! Getcha ass over here. Princess ain't fuckin' going no place," Silo bellowed across the room.
Lulu had just been making her way back to her seat when she stopped and turned back. "Hardwood?" Her eyes went to the bar and sought out both Tight and Carmi. "Hold up, I knew you both did Mel but didn't you two tell me that Hardwood was…"
Oh, fuck!
Mel didn't stick around to hear the rest of Lulu's statement. He didn't want to listen to whatever the Honeys had told her and felt like his face was on fire because of the heat it was generating. He turned to follow the rest of the council and his run-brothers to a table in the back as he tried to ignore the conversation coming from the bar.
Fucking shit!
He sat down gingerly, very conscious of his ass cheeks and slid down in the chair so the pressure was off them. And even though most eyes were on him because of the scene at the door, he made a point of directing his gaze to Trey.
Both Mel and Transport kept to themselves as Silo and Dice recapped their adventure to the group around the table. Although, in Mel's opinion, too much was made of his handling of Hart. But Trey didn't seem to be of the same mind if Mel read the president's head nod correctly.
The smile Dare shot him seemed full of pride as well.
There was a moment of silence around the table when the recap was concluded before Bishop spoke. Reaching into one of his vest pockets, he took out two Harley Davidson enameled pins, designed with the winged skull and slid them across the table to the two recruits. "You fuckers more than earned these even though it was your first goddamn run. Wear 'em with pride knowing you represented the Hellions with fuckin' courage and dignity."
In one of their talks, Dare had just touched on the different pins a member could get and how they were hard to come by saying they'd talk about it later. His sponsor's own cut had two rows of six on both the right and left portion of his vest although Mel'd noticed other brothers had just pinned them in place without a pattern.
Mel couldn't help his feeling of satisfaction even as he worried over the significance of the pin while he stuck the iconic emblem just underneath the rectangle that identified him as a recruit. Courage and dignity? That wasn't fucking how he remembered it.
Trey raised his hand over his head and waved towards the bar. In less than a couple of minutes a round of shots was on the table, with fresh drinks for each man. Mel saw he was given a beer and knew that the info regarding his preference had been noted by the Honeys. But they were good like that, always paying attention to the member's choices. He just hadn't realized that their interest extended to recruits as well.
"Long live the Hellions and long may they ride!" Trey yelled, lifting his shot glass towards the center of the table. Every man copied his move and echoed his cry before upending their glasses into their mouths. Unlike the first couple of shots he'd had at HMC-Sheridan the night before, the one he shared with his brothers to celebrate their successful run didn't make him want to cough or even taste bad as it slid down his throat.
Maybe I'm toughening up, he thought as he sipped his beer, idling listening in on the different conversations around the table.
"So is somebody gonna fuckin' tell me why princess is damn-well hanging out in the clubhouse?" Silo boomed.
As the council took turns telling the story of what had happened that afternoon, Mel made sure to keep his face neutral even though his insides were churning. Lulu had a fiancé? And what was all that shit about Albuquerque? She'd told him she'd come from L.A. But he'd liked the part about her telling the panty-waist off and how Trey had manhandled the douche-bag to the curb.
Seemed like he'd been right about her not divulging much about her past when they'd t
alked during their time together at lunch. She had deflected his questions and put the focus back on him. Apparently his precious girl had almost as many secrets as he did.
Mel turned his head to get another glimpse of her and found she was already looking at him. Her mouth tipped up in a shaky, sad smile before she turned her head back to one of the Honeys.
She'd called him 'friend' and he didn't like it. Not that he didn't consider them friends but had thought they'd come to mean even more to each other than that even if it'd only been one night.
Steeling his resolve, he pledged to get with her to sort their shit out and get back on track.
He didn't want to be just Lulu's damn 'friend'. Shit, he didn't even consider Carmi and Tight his friends but just a couple of girls he'd fucked, for Christ's sake!
No, it was time to step up his game because he was determined Lulu was going to be fucking his with no ifs, ands or buts.
Chapter Twenty One
I woke the next morning in a room I didn't recognize with a bad headache and a terrible taste in my mouth. But I knew the signs having gotten potted a few times in college and at a couple of bridal showers at the country club.
Hangover city. Yuck!
Pulling the frilly comforter closer, I took a moment to remember the end of the evening. Oh yeah. Jilly. The platinum blonde had been working the bar and had taken me home with her after Bishop announced I was in no condition to learn the new locks and codes he'd had installed at my apartment.
"You'll pro'lly fuckin' have the cops at your place and wake all your goddamn neighbors if you try the system when you're so fuckin' squiffed," he'd laughed. And, darn it, I'd even laughed along with him.
I pushed back the covers and saw I'd at least had the good sense to strip down to my bra and panties before climbing into bed. My dress was on a hanger on the back of the door and I saw my petticoats were piled on a chair along with my thigh-high stockings.
'Well, at least you'll have an unwrinkled walk of shame,' I thought to myself with a head shake as I dressed. I could hear noises coming from the front of the house and wondered what time it was. I pulled out my cell and saw it was only six.
Thank god.
At least I wouldn't be late for work. I'd always been of a mind that if I partied with my classmates or coworkers then I was obligated to show up the next day on time and ready to dig in no matter how bad I felt.
I made the bed and arranged all the cute, lacey pillows against the headboard. It was such a feminine room but I knew Jilly lived with Snake so the décor and furniture must have come from her old place.
Slipping into the bathroom, I viewed myself with something akin to horror. It wasn't only the smeared makeup and messy, tangled bed head that greeted me in the mirror. It was the pasty skin and dull eyes, too. Spying a clean towel and washcloth set on the back of the toilet, I got busy by giving myself a military bath and scrubbing the previous day's war paint away. Digging into my big handbag, I pulled out my ever-present and ever-filled makeup bag that included everything I needed to completely re-do my face. I brushed out my wild-woman-of-Borneo hair and pinned it up in a french twist before adding a spritz of cologne. One last look in the mirror and I decided I was as ready as I could make myself.
Jilly was waiting for me in the kitchen with a huge smile, a mugful of coffee and a bottle of pain relievers. "Thought you might be feeling it this morning, Lu, but you look great."
"Thanks," I mumbled, my voice just shy of raspy. "Not feeling great, though."
"Aw, you'll be better after lunch. You want something to eat?"
I couldn't help my shudder as she held out a pan of oatmeal. "Uhm, no thanks."
Watching her fill her bowl adding milk and sugar, I finally found the courage to ask, "so how badly did I behave? I mean, I remember all of us laughing and having fun but I've been known to get a little too honest when I'm drinking."
Jilly laughed and glanced at me. "You were fine, honey! And a hoot, too. God, just the way you talked about those snooty country club bitches had me rolling!" Her face took on a different, slyer look before she added, "and that little scene with Hardwood was cool. I didn't know the two of you had a thing going."
Cheese and rice.
My memory of him walking into the clubhouse, looking so darn manly and powerful, his green eyes full on me gave me a shiver. He'd looked better than hot. Smokin' was the word my aching brain supplied. Mel had just been smokin' hot as he'd stood there almost waiting for me to go to him.
I ducked my head to my mug before replying. "We did, but now we're just friends."
"Uh-huh. Sure. But I don't know of very many brothers that call their friends 'precious'. Don't kid yourself, honey. He's into you," Jilly said confidently with a knowing smirk.
I didn't have a reply but my heartbeat had accelerated at her words. We needed a subject change and we needed it immediately. "Can you give me a ride to work? If you can't that's okay because I can just call Gritty to come pick me up."
"Gritty? Oh, girl. You don't want to ride with that piece of stink." I saw Jilly scrunch her nose up.
"Gritty's okay. And I had a talk with him about his hygiene. Seems he didn't think he needed to use deodorant or change his clothes daily. All I had to tell him was that girls like clean-smelling men and he seemed to really clue in." Our giggles echoed in the small confines of Jilly's kitchen.
"Yep, even the hardest bad-ass will change their ways with the thought of getting more pussy," Jilly intoned with a headshake. "Men are weird."
I couldn't disagree with either of her assessments. "So about the ride?"
"Oh, I'll take you. The compound's on my way to work," Jilly explained. "Just give me five and we'll leave."
My morning went okay and not too bad considering my hangover. Bishop brought me the paperwork on my security system which I read through over the pizza that Trey'd had delivered for all of us at lunchtime.
Actually all the men made a point of coming and sitting in the chair next to my desk for a review of either yesterday afternoon or last night. By their words and actions, I knew I was considered one of the group, their group and was most definitely treated as a little sister or beloved niece.
"Sorry we didn't get a chance to get to the gun shop, baby girl," Dare said. "How's your Saturday look?"
"Open."
"Good. We'll grab Hardwood and hit the place before going to the range, okay? After seeing your lil' meet and greet last night I didn't think you'd fuckin' mind me inviting him along." I shot my eyes to Dare only to see his were narrowed as he studied my reaction to his news.
The potty-mouthed creep.
Although each and every manager had either come right out and asked me about Mel or alluded to us being a couple when talking with me. My first reaction had been one of truthful denial much like it had been with Jilly but then I decided to act as if they were just teasing. I think at one point I'd even tapped Brand's arm and giggled out an, "oh, you."
I just hoped they weren't pestering Mel with it as well. I didn't want him to think there was anything more than friendship between us. Especially not after what Carmi and that tall girl, Tight, had confided about his performance with them. Only I hadn't known it was him when they'd been speaking.
"Never met a dick that wouldn't go down," Tight had said leaning in to the group and speaking quieter than she had been. "Shit, I bet that boy could fuck all night with the right incentive."
"You ain't kiddin'," Carmi had agreed, using a swizzle stick to stir her frothy drink. "Give Hardwood a few more lessons and he'll be a master cocksman. Shame he ain't come back for seconds."
"I keep waiting but other than hello, he won't look at me twice." Tight's voice held an edge of complaint.
I remember thinking that Mel had shown just as much stamina in our play as the man they were describing. It seemed we'd just finish and then he'd start touching or kissing me and be ready to go again almost immediately. And while he hadn't had any real moves to speak of and had kind of fum
bled around when he'd first touched me, he'd soon gotten the gist of things. Cheese and rice, had he ever!
So it wasn't a wonder I was crushed to discover that Hardwood and Mel were one and the same person. Or that it was the two Honeys I'd met and who I'd known had been with him previously were describing the very same guy.
Or that the hurt I'd thought I'd put behind me at him being with them would rear up again.
I think he saw some of what I had been feeling when our eyes had connected right before Jilly had taken me back to her and Snake's place. Because the small grin he sent my way looked …regretful. Although it could've been just me seeing what I wanted to in my 'squiffed' state.
Reinventing Mel: A Hellion MC Novel Page 19
