by Erin Osborne
Raine punches NeNe in her face and slams her to the ground before turning her back on the bitch. NeNe is screaming and crying, but not a single person steps forward to help her. It’s not until Raine tells one of the bitches to get her out of her sight that they step forward to pull NeNe from the room. What a clusterfuck of a morning. Now, I need to go to Hollie and talk to her.
Getting off the barstool, I leave the clubhouse. I can feel eyes on me as I make my way out to my bike, but I don’t give a fuck. My only concern is making sure Hollie’s okay and isn’t taking NeNe’s bullshit to heart. I don’t want any more setbacks where we’re concerned. I’ve added enough obstacles in the way and I’m not going to add any more. The only thing I want to do is make sure she’s okay, then I’ll try to figure out the rest of the shit I need to do to be the man Hollie wants and deserves. I’ll never be good enough for her. Even I know that already. No one will be.
When I pull up to Hollie’s, Axel isn’t sitting out front where he should be. He’s in the fucking house. Again. I hate that Hollie brings the Prospects in for lunch and dinner. No one should be in her house but me. But, that’s something I need to work up to again. Once she’s my ol’ lady, I’ll be putting my foot down about this shit.
I walk into the house and hear the two of them talking and laughing in the kitchen. As I enter the room, Hollie stops laughing and looks at me. Axel turns his head to look at me and suddenly stops laughing too. It’s like they’re sharing a secret no one else is allowed to know about. This makes me jealous as hell and I want to know what’s going on, but I don’t have that right just yet.
“What’s goin’ on?” I ask, sitting down at the table with Axel as Hollie gets up and takes her plate to the sink.
“Nothin’. Just finishin’ up lunch so I can go back outside to wait for Shane to get here and relieve me,” Axel answers.
“I see. Hollie, can we talk for a minute?” I ask, turning my attention toward her.
“About what?” she asks.
“What happened this mornin’,” I tell her.
“There’s nothing to talk about. It happened and it’s over with now,” she says, turning her back on me as Axel takes his plate over to her.
“What did you see?” I ask as Axel leaves the room.
“Didn’t see anything. NeNe was leaving your room, then she waited for me in the common room and we had words. Satan took care of it. Nothing for you to do about it,” she tells me.
“I’m sorry you had to see that. I can say I honestly don’t remember doin’ anythin’ with her. I sat at the bar and drank straight from a bottle of Jack. Don’t remember goin’ to bed or anythin’ else. As far as I know, I hit the bed and passed out,” I tell her honestly.
“It doesn’t matter, Capone. We’re not together and you’ve made it clear what you want. It’s not me, because I’m not going to be with someone who’s fucking other women. We can never be more than friends. I’m sorry. I truly want more with you, but I’m not going to give up what I expect of my partner just to have you,” she tells me. “You’ve been a great help getting me through things and I appreciate it. More than you’ll ever know.”
“I can change,” I tell her, meaning the words. “I’m not gonna be with any of the bitches anymore. I want you and I’m gonna prove to you I can be the man you want, the man you need.”
“Then we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, Capone,” she says. “Now, I have work to do. I’m sure you have other things to do too.”
“I’ll leave for now, but you’re never gonna trust me if you don’t let me back in. All the way,” I tell her.
“It’s going to take time. Just give me that and we’ll see what happens,” she says, a sad look in her eyes.
Hollie doesn’t have faith in me that I can change my ways. I know I can. From the second I laid eyes on her, I’ve felt an instant connection. It’s only grown since then. I’ll give up anything but the club for Hollie and it’s not going to be a hardship at all. It’s not like I haven’t thought of her every single time I’ve fucked someone else.
“I’ll give you some time. But, you need to realize I’m goin’ to do whatever I have to in order to prove it to you. You take the time, but it’s not gonna be forever. I’ll be by tomorrow for lunch. Whoever’s watchin’ over you can eat outside or not at all,” I growl out.
“Capone, they’ll be inside with us. I’m not gonna make one of the Prospects sit outside to eat. You’ll deal or don’t bother comin’ over,” she tells me.
“We’ll see,” I tell her.
Walking up to her, I place a kiss on her forehead and take a minute to inhale her scent. She’s stiff in my arms and I know it’s going to take her time to get over this. To realize I’m going to stop fucking them. I’ve got a lot to do, but I’ll do it for her. She’ll see. The first thing I need to do is head back to the clubhouse and get rid of shit. I’m going to make sure I have a new bed in there with new sheets and blankets. Nothing Hollie touches will have ever touched one of the house bunnies. She deserves that and so much more.
Chapter Eight
Hollie
CAPONE STOOD BY his word and came to have lunch with me yesterday. Axel was on guard duty and he ate outside after Capone made a stink about the whole thing. I wasn’t happy at all, but there’s nothing I can do when it comes down to two men in the club.
We had a good afternoon together. It was almost like old times. But, I’m still not going to give him an inch when it comes to us being together. He’s going to have to prove himself to me and show me he’s serious. Until I know he’s not fucking the house bunnies or any other woman, I’m not going to let him back in. It’s the only way I know to protect myself from the man.
So, today, I’m not waiting for him. I’m going to the diner in town for lunch by myself. Yes, I’ll have a babysitter as usual, but I don’t have to invite him in with me. I want to eat alone and prove to myself that I can do it. I’ve always had someone with me to do things and it’s way past time I learn to do them on my own. Including going out alone. Raine has a family now and she needs to not worry about me all the time. I’m going to show her, and the rest of them, I can be alone and be happy.
I am happy for the most part. I’ve got both my jobs, a roof over my head, and food in my stomach. I’m getting new authors as clients on a daily basis now and adding more covers to my portfolio. The formatting aspect is slowly coming in for me since I’m new and authors usually have a team they work with, but I’ll take what I can get until my name is established.
My newest client is an author by the name of Keira. She’s so funny and I love talking to her through our messages. She writes several different genres and we’ve talked about me taking over all her cover designs. I’m not sure what happened to her last designer, it’s not my business, but I’ll take the work. And the friendship we’re starting to form.
I have two covers to work on for her when I get home. One’s an MC book and the other is a western-themed book. She’s got pictures of models she’s going to send me and then I have free reign to make the covers the absolute best for her. Since the MC is a new one, I don’t worry about matching any other covers in the series. The western one is a standalone so I really don’t have anything to worry about there either. I love the challenge I find in making the covers something the author will fall in love with. Keira is easy to please when it comes to her covers— she usually knows what she wants them to look like, but can’t work the programs to make them herself.
“Axel, I’m going out to lunch,” I tell him, heading out the front door to get to my truck parked in the driveway.
“Alright.”
“I’ll order you something to bring back, but I’d really like to eat alone today,” I say.
“Whatever you want to do is fine. I can get my own lunch, Hollie,” he answers.
“I know you can, but I like making sure you guys are fed when you’re stuck here watching over me for whatever reason,” I reply.
Getting in the
truck, I make my way to town and take the short trip to the diner. There’s a spot in front and I take it, making sure Axel can park close to me. He’s not going to be far from me even if he’s not inside the diner with me. I give him a small wave and go inside.
The diner isn’t as crowded as I thought it would be for a lunch rush. I’m not going to complain though. I grab a table in the middle of the diner and sit down, picking up the menu already sitting on the table.
There’s a good-looking guy sitting at the table next to me. He looks up at me and gives me a small smile. I return the smile and turn my attention back toward the menu so I can figure out what I want. By the time the waitress comes over to me, I decide on a BLT, fries, and a chocolate milkshake. I also order a cheeseburger and fries with a soda for Axel. I’ll take it out to him as soon as it’s ready.
“So, um, I haven’t seen you around here before,” the man says to me.
“No, I usually get an order to go and eat at home,” I answer, looking at him closer.
The man looks to be taller than me, but it’s kind of hard to tell when he’s sitting down. He’s got dark hair that’s long on top and shaved at the sides. His eyes are a dark brown color that’s a shade darker than mud. They’re not exactly warm either. A close-cut beard covers his face and his lips are full and look kissable. He’s wearing a tee-shirt and a pair of jeans with sneakers covering his feet. He looks relaxed, like he owns the room he’s in.
“I’m Clay,” he says as my eyes meet his again.
“Hi, Clay. I’m Hollie,” I answer as my food gets delivered.
“It’s nice to meet you, Hollie. Do you live in Willow Creek?” he asks.
“Yeah. For a little while now. How about you?”
“For a few years. Work brought me here and now I fell in love with the small-town feel,” he responds, eating his sandwich.
“What do you do for work?” I ask, genuinely curious.
“I’m a handyman. I do odd jobs around town,” he answers.
“That’s interesting.”
“What do you do?” he asks.
“I do some accounting work and other work on the side,” I tell him.
Yes, I know I’m being vague as hell. I’m not going to put the club’s name out there and I’m certainly not going to talk about my other work to anyone I don’t know either. Axel is still the only one who knows about me working with authors and it’s starting to bother me. I was just happy when I told him, wanting to have some form of validation. Raine wasn’t around, so I talked to Axel about it.
Now, I want to share this part of me with Raine. She’s done so much for me and deserves to know what’s going on in my life. She has sacrificed so much for me and hasn’t asked for anything in return. The only things she’s ever wanted from me are my happiness and to see me walk the stage at my graduation. I walked for her and now it’s time I work on being happy. That means I have to talk to my sister about doing the covers and other things for authors.
“Hollie, do you think I could have your number? Maybe we can get to know one another or something,” he asks.
“Oh, um, yeah, I guess that would be okay,” I tell him.
I rattle off my number and watch as Clay puts it in his phone. He sends me a text message and I save the number to my phone.
“It was nice to meet you, Hollie. I’ll message you later on and see what you’re up to,” he says as he pays his bill and leaves a tip on the table for the waitress.
“You too, Clay. I look forward to hearing from you,” I say with a smile on my face.
After Clay leaves, I look at Axel through the window. He’s watching me with the eye of a hawk. I know he’s going to tell Capone or Satan about me talking to a random guy. They don’t have the right to make my choices and run my life. Satan may be my brother-in-law, but that’s it. He’s not my keeper or my man. Capone is nothing more than a friend. He’s made that clear and until he proves otherwise, there’s nothing he can say about me talking to a guy who started a conversation in the diner.
I pay the bill for our lunches, leave my tip, and make my way out to the truck. I’m going to go home and call my sister to come over. We need to talk and figure things out before shit gets out of hand. I’m sure Satan will be at work or the clubhouse right now, so it’s the perfect time. And I can show her what I’m working on. Plus, I want to see Harliegh and Rhett. My niece and nephew are so damn cute and I miss them.
Hooking my phone up to the Bluetooth in the truck, I call Raine. She tells me she’ll meet me over at the house in a few minutes. Excitement fills me at the thought of seeing my family. It’s going to be a great afternoon.
I’m sitting in my office when Raine and the kids come in. She walks into my new office and I don’t bother hiding the computer screen from her. I want her to know what I’m doing these days. It’s past time for me to share this part of my life with her.
“What’s going on?” she asks, sitting Harliegh down on the floor.
“I’m working,” I answer.
“What are you working on?” she asks, walking behind me to get a better look. “What’s this?”
“I design book covers for authors. And logos. I also do a little bit of formatting for them too,” I tell her, waiting to hear what she thinks of this.
For a few minutes, Raine doesn’t say a word about it. Then she pulls me out of my chair and wraps me in a damn hug. A hard one. It lasts forever. Especially when my niece wraps her arms around my leg too. I love it!
“So you’re happy?” I ask her.
“If you’re happy, then I’m happy. You deserve this,” she tells me. “Now, show me what else you’ve done.”
For the next half hour, we go through the work I’ve already done. Raine’s amazed by the work I’ve created. I let her know Axel is the only other one who knows about this and that’s how I want to keep it for now. This is my dream and I don’t want to share it. My only goal is to help some amazing authors prepare their books and do the best job I can.
By the time Raine and the kids leave to go meet Satan, I’m ready to get back to work. There’s things I want to get done today for work and then around the house. Once I get the next few covers done, I’m going to rearrange the living room and put it the way I want it, not how Raine and I had it done. I’m also thinking about redoing the bathroom with a new shower curtain and other decorations.
Shane comes in and has dinner with me tonight. I’ve made a simple dinner of eggs, pancakes, and toast. I wanted comfort food and he’s not complaining based on the way he’s devouring his second helping. Shane and I don’t talk the way Axel and I do, though I’m not sure why. I feel closer to Axel than any of the other guys who watch over me. Thankfully, Capone doesn’t show up. I’m sure he’s busy with the club and that’s where he needs to stay.
Just as I’m getting ready to climb into bed, I get an alert on my phone. Picking it up, I see I have a new text message.
Clay: It was nice meeting you. Have a good night.
Me: Nice meeting you too. Good night.
I get in bed and hope I can fall asleep. I’m not going to call Capone tonight because he’s in town and I don’t want him to rush over here. If I can’t sleep, I’ll get up and work some more. Or clean.
Chapter Nine
Capone
IT’S BEEN A long two days as I’ve stayed away from Hollie. Axel let me know she was talking to a guy at the diner the other day when she went for lunch and I’m pissed as fuck. I want to go tell her she’s mine and no one else will talk to her let alone get in her fucking pants. But I can’t, because Hollie isn’t mine. Yet.
So, I’ve stayed away so I couldn’t say or do something stupid as fuck. I went to the clinic and got tested to make sure I’m clean as hell, so when I go to Hollie, she knows I’m not bringing anything with me. I’d never put her in danger like that. I’m not worried about the results of the test because I always wrap my dick. Even for a blowjob. It’s for Hollie’s peace of mind.
I cleaned my roo
m from top to bottom. The first thing I did was take my old bed out and got rid of it with the help of Steve and Shane. Then I went and bought a new bed, new bedding, and a bookshelf for my room. Hollie likes to read and I want her to have a place for her books when she’s here. Instead of having one of the house bunnies clean my room for me, I did it myself. It’s so clean, you can eat off the damn floor now. Not that I would. Even all my clothes and bathroom are clean.
It helped me keep busy so my mind wasn’t on Hollie every second of the day. Not until I fell into bed at night, then all bets were off. It’s nothing new because Hollie’s always on my mind. I’m not going to drink her away either. The last time I tried that, it led to NeNe being in my room and I’m not sure exactly what the fuck happened.
Today, I’m going to Blazing Babes early so I can do inventory and place an order to make sure we don’t run out of drinks or food. Plus, I want to go over the books since Satan gave them back to me yesterday. Hollie’s damn good at her job for the club and I want to double-check to make sure she hasn’t found any discrepancies. She’d tell us if she did, but it’s just me.
I’m on my way out the door when NeNe saunters up to me. She’s got a smile on her face, something in her hand, and not much on in the way of clothes. I don’t have time for her shit right now.
