When I’ve refastened his clothing, I pass a clean, and fresher-smelling baby, back to his mom.
Vi takes him. On her face is one of the strangest expressions I’ve ever seen.
Chapter Fifteen
Violet
Oh my God! I cannot believe what I just saw. I think my female parts convulsed when I watched this big strong man being so tender and patient with my baby. Which is a pity, as he told me he didn’t want kids, or at least, with me. I suppose it’s the ‘going to bed with me’ part that puts him off. The way he’s handling Theo suggests he’d be a natural at the parenting role.
I’d said yes at his insistence, but watching him now, maybe he’d have been better with a woman he did get the hots for, and have children of his own.
I never expected he’d step up so fast, and once having made his decision, dive headfirst into being a dad. And calling Theo ‘son’? I just about melted on the spot.
I couldn’t have predicted my reaction. When Angelino had referred to Theo as his, every fibre of my being objected and I wanted to be sick. When Demon had said it? It had the complete opposite effect: a relief that here was going to be someone to lean on, to help share not only the joys of having a child, but the trials that come with that too. Okay, so all he’s done so far is change one diaper, but it was a pretty horrendous one, at that.
Theo’s rooting expectantly, his little hands finding the edge of my tank top. “I’m, er, going to have to feed him.”
“I’ll give you some privacy. I need to get to church anyway.”
You don’t need to. But I don’t say it.
As he swiftly turns to go out, I satisfy myself with a nod to his back. A dirty diaper is fine, a woman feeding her baby, apparently not. Taking Theo to the bed, I lean back against the headboard and allow him to suckle. I’ll have to get him a bottle too; I know my milk’s starting to dry up, or at least isn’t enough to satisfy him. I look down proudly at my son, he’s becoming a big lad, and already very handsome, at least in the eyes of his adoring mom. Now he’s acquired a father. A man I can trust, not like his sperm donor.
The room seems silent after an afternoon of arguing, the only sound a slurping coming from Theo. It seems empty, too. Demon’s such an imposing presence, an energy has left and gone with him. I have space to think for the first time in what seems like hours.
Have I done the right thing? I’ve been handed everything on a platter. But I have the man of my dreams for all the wrong reasons. How I wished we’d met as strangers, became attracted to each other, dated and fallen in love, then agreed to take that step into marriage as a consolidation of what we felt.
We do, however, respect each other, and there’s a sibling-type love. But is that enough? Can we pretend for Theo? Or will he grow to suspect? Exactly how long will we be together in this sexless relationship? If Angelino continues to press his case, it could be for years. By the time Theo’s eighteen I’ll be forty-three and verging on, or even over, the line of being able to have any more children. Demon will be fifty-three, not many years younger than his father is now. The best of both our lives will have passed.
Will Angelino give up? I’d never wish death on anyone, but I hope he dies an early gangster’s death. That’s the only way I’d ever truly be rid of him. In his grave is exactly where Demon wants him, but I don’t want Demon to spend his life behind bars, or, worse, if the Silvestri live up to their reputation, bring danger to all his club.
Theo’s finished, but his fist going into his mouth shows he’s still hungry. Straightening my tee, I stand up. “Come on, little man. Let’s go get you topped off.”
Carrying him carefully, I descend the stairs, my attention on the next step, not on the people below. When I near the bottom, I realise the chatter in the room has quieted. It’s the silence that makes me falter and look around. The men, apart from the prospects, aren’t in sight. But all the women are watching me.
Jayden and Mo are sitting on the couch, frozen in tableaux, Jay with a cup halfway to her mouth. The club girls are in a group by the bar, and Jeannie has paused halfway across the room.
The prospect Dan has a smirk on his face and Wills looks puzzled.
“Er, I’m just going to get Theo a bottle.” For some reason I feel the need to explain my appearance. Then I quickly look down to make sure I remembered to pull my top down and my boobs aren’t hanging out, but everything seems to be fine.
I start moving again. You could hear a pin drop as I cross the clubroom, but no one impedes me on my way through. As I take a bottle I prepared earlier and put it in some hot water to warm, I hear the murmur of conversation start up again. I shrug, maybe I’d been clanking down the stairs and had disturbed them. Still a little uneasy, I decide I’ve done nothing to upset anyone and take Theo out to give him his milk.
As soon as I sit, I notice once again the chattering has stopped and I’m the centre of attention. I settle Theo on my arm, he eagerly grasps the bottle and starts drinking. I steady it with one hand, then look around.
“Okay, have I grown an extra eye or something?”
Jeannie steps closer and takes the seat at the opposite end of the couch. “Something, definitely.”
“You been holding out on us, Vi?” Jay raises an eyebrow.
“Knew there was something going on with Demon,” Mo states.
He couldn’t have told them, could he? He wouldn’t, surely. Not without letting me come to terms with it first.
“You really going to marry Prez?” The sweet butt called Titsy—why she bothers to get dressed I’ll never know, it’s clear she’s not wearing a bra or underwear—leans over the opposite sofa.
Okay then, he has.
But what on earth has he actually told them? It’s best to ask so I don’t put my foot in it.
“What’s he said?” I’m staring at Mo.
“For all of us to get our finery ready as we’ll be going to the courthouse as soon as he can arrange it.”
What?
Breezy joins Titsy and waves the other sweet butts over. “Can’t see it myself,” she announces conversationally. “Prez likes variety. Never shown an interest in settling down. There must be more to it, unless you have a magic pussy.”
As my face starts to burn, Jeannie claps her hands. “That’s enough now. Think you better get your head around the fact that Prez is off the market. No one wants to know your views on that.”
Titsy straightens reluctantly and shrugs. “Can’t see how she’s gonna keep him satisfied, that’s all. Even if her cunt’s made of gold.”
Tulia taps her on the shoulder as they follow Jeannie’s instruction to make themselves scarce. “Wouldn’t that be uncomfortable?”
“What?”
“A pussy made of gold?”
“For fuck’s sake, Tulia. I didn’t mean it literally.” Titsy gives a loud sigh as she rounds the bar. Playfully she slaps Tulia around the head.
Jeannie’s narrowed eyes follow them out of the room. When they disappear and their voices fade, she theatrically mimes taking something off her head and holds out her empty hand to me. For some strange reason mine automatically reaches out as though she really was giving me something.
My hand hovers in mid-air. “What?”
“I’m passing it over. Seeing as you’re the Prez’s old lady.”
My face scrunches up showing my confusion. “What? And I’m not, yet.”
“Responsibility for them, the club girls. I’ve been chasing their butts for too many years now, I’m more than ready to hand them off. And that, my dear, comes with being the club’s first lady.”
Still confused, I jerk my head toward Mo. “She was the prez’s old lady until recently, yet you say you’ve been doing it for years.”
Mo shrugs, Jeannie answers for her. “Well, Mo didn’t come to the club much, and someone had to keep their asses under control. But now I’m ready to pass the baton over.”
“I’m not his old lady.”
“You soon will be,” Ja
yden says with a grin. “Bet they’re agreeing it now in church.”
“Yup.” Jeannie sees my confusion. “Even a prez’s old lady needs to be voted in by the club.”
“Especially the old lady of the prez,” Mo confirms. “Everyone’s got to be happy with it. You’re going to be Queen Bee, dear. You think you’re up to it?”
No, no. This marriage is just for show. It isn’t for real. Yet they seem to be sitting here taking it seriously. “You mean there’s a chance someone might object, and I won’t have to marry Demon?”
“Have to?” Jeannie says sharply.
My eyes close. Damn. Poor choice of words.
“Knew there was more to it. Spill.” Mo sits forward. When I stay silent, she lowers her voice. “Prospects aren’t listening, it’s just us here. We’re all old ladies, we know how to keep our mouths shut. You and Demon getting together? Can’t say I think there’s anything wrong with the idea. But something tells me there’s something not right about it, either. In which case, bottling it all up isn’t going to help. You need women around you.” She breaks off, glancing at Jeannie. “Jeannie’s kept secrets for me for many, many years. Secrets which no doubt you’ll be hearing, but not from my mouth, so don’t bother asking me. Owner of the secret can decide whether to tell it or not.”
“Mo’s right.” Jeannie narrows her eyes. “I know how to keep my mouth shut.” She indicates first Mo, then Jayden. “You can tell us shit you don’t want others to know. And she’s right again, isn’t she, Violet? This isn’t some crazy-fast lovefest come to its conclusion. Tell us or not, as you want. But there’s something that’s not so straightforward about how you came to be here, and what Demon’s achieving by marrying you.” She stops for a moment. “He hasn’t forced you to do anything you don’t want, has he?”
“Hey, Jean. You’re talking about my son.”
Before Mo and her friend come to blows, I blurt out, “Of course he hasn’t, and won’t. That’s part of the problem.” Christ, I should be watching my tongue. “Look, the short story is I was raped. The man who got me pregnant wants Theo. He’s Angelino Silvestri, part of the Mafia family, and I wouldn’t trust Theo with him, even for a visit. Demon thinks marrying me, saying Theo is his, not Angelino’s, will keep him off my back.”
Mo’s face has gone tight as if something’s pained her. She seems to be at a loss for words. Something’s wrong. That’s confirmed when she stands, her body jerking as if she’s a puppet being raised by strings, and then she walks off.
Jeannie’s watching her carefully. When I go to ask what it was that I said, she shakes her head, then, as if to distract me, “Why is Demon stepping up?” she asks, her brow furrowed, “Why not someone else? Someone a bit younger, perhaps.”
I can’t explain I wouldn’t want anyone else. Wouldn’t be pushed into a sham of a marriage even if someone else had offered. It’s only ever been Demon. I’m saved by answering when Mo comes back, carrying a glass of water. I notice she seems to have gotten herself under control.
She sits, sips from her glass, then leans forward, clearly having overheard Jeannie’s question. Her brow, which had been creased, begins to smooth as she finds her voice. “It’s because of your brother, isn’t it?” Quickly she fills them in on what happened. “Those boys were as thick as thieves. Demon’s doing it for him, isn’t he? Taking on Nathan’s nephew and his sister.”
I glance around. Mo I like, always have. Jeannie I’m coming to respect. Jayden’s already a friend. I need women in my corner, so I confide in them. “And that’s what’s wrong,” I supply. “He’ll never think of me as anything other than Nathan’s sister.”
“Do you want him to?” Jayden, who’s been quiet for a while, asks.
I put down Theo’s empty bottle and settle him on a mat on the floor. Jayden reaches over behind the couch and the baby gym appears. He starts to kick happily.
“I’ve always liked Demon,” I admit, realising it’s his mother I’m speaking to. She’s grinning, probably remembering how I used to embarrass myself, it’s impossible to hide much from parents. “I’ve grown, but he can’t get the image of Nathan’s annoying little sister out of his head. He doesn’t seem to see me as I am now.”
Mo still has a smile curving her lips. “Presumably his intention is that you’ll stay married until he’s sorted out this Angelino for you.”
“It might take years,” I glumly agree.
“Then you have time to change his mind, Vi. No need to rush, take things slowly.”
Jeannie laughs. “That’s one thing the whores said right. Demon’s enjoys a good…” she breaks off as Mo’s frantically signalling her, grins, then resumes, “Shall we just say he has a healthy sex drive.” At that, Mo nods primly.
“So he’ll be unfaithful,” I say. They are so not making this better.
“No,” Mo’s the one who contradicts fast. “Demon won’t step out on you; I brought him up much better than that. But he might get a little desperate.”
Jayden giggles. “He might need a… helping hand, shall we say?”
“Let’s not,” says Mo. “I’d rather not have that image in my head. It’s my son we’re discussing. I’m not going to give Sex Ed to my future daughter-in-law.”
Jeannie reaches across the low table and pats her friend’s arm. “Nah, we’ll just have to find a discreet way of getting the lowdown on whether they’ve fucked yet or not.”
Mo throws back her head, clearly exasperated, but amused at the same time. “As long as you don’t talk about opening a book,” she says when she looks back down.
“Now there’s an idea.”
“I’m not freaking telling you when, if we have sex!” I cry out. My cheeks couldn’t go any redder if they tried.
The sound of heavy footsteps and loud voices drowns out any reply. Dan reappears from wherever he’s been hiding and slips behind the bar. Demon comes out from the direction of their meeting room, a number of men slapping him on the back as they pass on their way to get a drink. The man himself, however, is heading straight for me.
“What you all been gossiping about?” He crouches down, and stares at Theo, watching him play, then reaches out and tickles his tummy, making Theo laugh. “You been getting at Vi?” He keeps his voice gentle, but his eyes, flicking between Mo and Jeannie are hard. “Girl’s gone red. What have you been saying to her?”
“Old lady business,” Jeannie quickly replies. “And none of yours.”
The look on his face is priceless. When the others burst out laughing, it’s not long before I’m joining in.
Chapter Sixteen
Demon
Fuck, but it’s good to hear Violet laugh, a genuine chortle right from her belly. Jeannie’s comment had taken me by surprise, but I suppose I, and my brothers, deserve that. On purpose I stand, glaring. That just makes them laugh harder. Vi’s wiping tears from her eyes, and I’m happy she’s getting some relief from the tension I laid on her earlier. It warms me that she’s getting on with the other old ladies. Jay, used to club life, had settled right in, deferring to Mo and Jeannie as the senior women in the club.
To Vi, though, this is all new and strange.
As my old lady, she’ll be at the top, and expected to enforce her position when there’s a need to. I’ve been worried about that, whether she’s too young, too genteel, so seeing her right in the thick of it warms my heart. Maybe this will be easier than expected. Well, accepting herself as an old lady part.
That she definitely is, boys just agreed to it, and Buzz wrote it in the book. Signed, sealed, and delivered. Soon she’ll have my patch on her own cut.
It’s their other suggestion that I’ve just agreed to that I think will come harder. How I’ll persuade her I’ve no idea. They think it will help protect her from Angel.
I wait until the laughter dies down, then approach. “Jay, you okay to take Theo for a while?” I make sure I cock an eyebrow at Vi, a silent question to check she’s okay leaving her, our, child. She glances down at him
happily kicking his feet and nods.
“Yeah, Prez. We’ll take care of him.” Her gaze encompasses Mo, deferring to her. In a second I find out why.
“Seeing as he’s my grandson, I’ll be here too.” Mo challenges me. A mom-stare that hasn’t lost its power over the years.
It startles Vi as much as it does me. But when Hell raises his chin, I take it as a sign all the men and women here will have my back. This marriage might be something only on paper, but outside these walls, no one else will know that. It starts here, inside. With us all committed.
Vi stands. I jerk my head upward, she comprehends my meaning. Following her up the stairs, I wish for a moment I’d taken the lead, the way her ass cheeks flex is too fucking enticing, and predictably, has my cock interested. Discreetly I adjust myself in my jeans. Why is it the one woman I can’t have who gets my engine revving? Is that it? That it’s not her, it’s that she’s unattainable?
Oh, shit. She left her door unlocked. There, in the middle of her bed, is Bitch. Vi laughs; my cock deflates. On seeing me approach, the cat gets to her feet, arches her back and hisses, making Vi giggle more. Of course, when she approaches, the darn thing relaxes, and rubs up against her and purrs.
“Can you please put that fuckin’ animal out?”
Violet’s eyes flash. “Don’t call her that.” She makes no move to do as I ask, instead she lets the cat settle on her lap. She’s wearing it like a suit of armour. “Time for an explanation, D.”
I sigh deeply. It is. Made more than one decision without her input.
Unless it involves the club where everyone votes, I’ve only had myself to consider. I’ve always felt I’ve known best. A niggling thought at the back of my mind warns me a woman, a wife, might not be so easy to convince.
“It’s all agreed, Vi. I’ve officially claimed you as my old lady. We’ll get the license tomorrow morning and be married the next afternoon. There’s no need to wait.”
Satan's Devils MC Colorado Boxset 1 Books 1 - 3 Page 54
