by Kay Marie
“I would be honored. Racing in an underground circuit had been a dream of mine since I started racing. Being invited to this one was a dream come true and it was a fucking rush,” I admit to him. “Y’all put on a good race with some good competition.”
“Here is your prize.” Axel slides a thick envelope across the table. I pull it to my lap and open it just enough to see a stack of hundreds. I look from the cash to Axel. “Ten thousand dollars.”
“Holy shit,” Diesel says. “Did you know about that?”
“No, I had no idea what or if there was a prize,” I admit.
“That makes this even better,” Ric says. “A true racer, doing it for the love and thrill of it.”
“We’ll be in touch.” Axel and Ric slide out of the booth. They stop to talk to the waitress before leaving. The waitress walks over to our table.
“What can I get for you fellas today,” she asks, smile beaming.
We get through breakfast as quickly as possible and are on the road by ten-thirty. We’re driving straight through today and decide to split it up. Diesel and I are both driving the first half while Rascal and Sketch nap. Then we’ll switch and they’ll drive while we nap. We stop at a gas station before we really get going to fill up and grab some energy drinks and snacks so we won’t need to stop for lunch. We’ll stop for gas as needed and dinner later. I shoot Buster a text to let him know the plan.
To Buster: I know we originally planned on being back tomorrow, but we decided to drive straight through. The four of us are coming straight to the house and we should be there around 2 am.
From Buster: Sounds good, brother. Drive safe.
It’s a long, slow drive, but music and energy drinks have been my lifesavers. I’m more than happy to pass the reigns when my half is up. We grab a quick dinner and get back on the road. As soon as we’re back on the highway, I’m out like a light. I wake up around eleven and stay awake for the rest of the drive. We pull up to mine and Buster’s house just after two in the morning. There’s a soft light shining in the living room window. The first thing I notice when I walk in is Buster sitting on the couch and Cali asleep with her head on his lap.
“Welcome home,” Buster whispers. Cali stirs a little then opens her eyes.
“Hey, you made it.” She has sleep in her voice. “How was the drive?”
“Long as fuck.” I turn to the guys. “There’s a room for each of you to crash in. I’m going to bed.”
I walk into my room and kick my door closed. I let myself fall onto my bed face first and pass out.
Chapter Eleven
Sienna
I send Minx a text to let her know I’ll be over after my interview today. I’m so ready for a girls' night. I love hanging out with Wren, but with her trying to push me to give TJ a try, I need fresh ears to vent to. I’m getting ready for the day when my phone vibrates. I pick it up, thinking it’s Minx.
From Mystery Man: Good to know. I’ll be here. ;)
Shit. I sent it to Shade instead of Minx.
To Mystery Man: That wasn’t meant for you.
From Mystery Man: Where’s your interview?
To Mystery Man: Wouldn’t you like to know.
From Mystery Man: Mmm, there’s that sass.
From Mystery Man: For real though, good luck with your interview. Where ever it is.
I smile to myself. I find myself wanting to tell him where I’m interviewing, but I don’t. I can’t get close to him. Even if he wasn’t Wren’s brother, I wouldn’t let myself get close to him. I would only be setting myself up for heartache. I won’t do that to myself. My mind starts to drift to thoughts of my past, but I busy myself before I get too deep. If I let myself go there, I won’t ever leave my apartment.
I get to Rosie’s Diner fifteen minutes before I was told to be here. It’s open 24/7 and is owned by the Savage Menaces. Tink and Lolita had nothing but great things to say about this place. Tink said I would be meeting with Rosie’s daughter Ruby. I walk in and it’s like I’ve traveled back in time. I head straight for the counter where Lolita is. She’s wearing a pale yellow, vintage dress with a white collar and a white half-apron. Instead of wearing saddle shoes, she has on a pair of brown boots.
“Hey, girl! You’re early.” She smiles at me. “I’ll go let Ruby know you’re here.”
“Thanks,” I respond and sit. A few minutes later, a woman dressed similar to Lolita walks over to me.
“Sienna?” I nod. “I’m Ruby. Come with me and we’ll get started.”
I follow her back to her office. She sits behind her desk and motions for me to sit too.
“So, Tink and Lo tell me you’ve worked in a bar for the past few years or so?”
“Yes, ma’am. I worked at Bluez Lounge for the last two years and a different bar for two years before that,” I tell her.
“You wouldn’t mind working nights when needed then, right,” she asks.
“No, ma’am. Not at all.” I smile.
“Fantastic. I trust those two more than anything. I’ll have you fill this out,” she hands me some paperwork, “and if you’re able to, we’ll have you start April first.”
“That works for me,” I reply.
“Great! That gives us time to get a few uniforms ordered for you. We’ll get you a couple of the yellow ones and a couple of turquoise ones, and two half-aprons. Most of the girls wear boots with their dresses,” she explains.
“Sounds good. I have a pair of boots I could wear too.” I grin. I don’t wear my boots often, but I do love them.
“Perfect! I’m sure you’ll be a great addition to the team. I’ll email you your schedule the weekend before you start,” she says. I finish up my paperwork and we say our goodbyes. I walk out of her office, back to the dining area, feeling really good about this decision. I think working at Rosie’s is going to be great.
“How’d it go,” Lo asks.
“Great! I start on April first,” I tell her.
“Eeek! That’s awesome! You’re gonna love it here,” she says.
“Are you coming to Minx’s later?”
“Yup! I’ll be there as soon as I’m done here,” she tells me.
“Awesome, I’ll see you later.” I walk out to my car and head over to Minx’s house.
“How did your interview go?” I barely make it through the door before Minx starts questioning me.
“It went great. I start on the first,” I tell her.
“You’re gonna love it there. The patrons are all really nice and most of the employees are a lot of fun to be around,” she says.
“Where are Wren and Rivet,” I ask.
“They ran down to the clubhouse to talk to Tink,” she replies. “What’s up?”
“I need some advice.”
“About Shade,” she asks.
I gape at her. “How did you . . . “
“He looks at you the way Raze looks at me. Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to Wren,” she promises. “So, is he your mystery man?”
“Yeah,” I admit.
Her eyes go wide. “Holy shit.” Minx laughs. “That’s awesome.”
“Is it though? He’s my best friend’s brother,” I remind her.
“And? If she truly cares about the two of you, which she does, then she would want y’all to be happy. If it means y’all being together then whatever,” she tells me.
“What happens if it doesn’t work out between us? I don’t want her to feel like she has to choose sides,” I admit.
“Maybe don’t say anything to her until you’re sure,” she suggests and shrugs. “That way, if it doesn’t work, y’all can just try to act like nothing ever happened. Get to know him, have some fun and see where it goes.”
“That’s not a bad idea,” I say. She makes a good point. If we don’t tell Wren and it doesn’t work out, she never needs to know. There’s still the fact that I haven’t let a guy close enough to even touch my heart in years.
“What’s got you in such a daze,” Rivet asks. I
glance up at her. She’s wearing a goofy grin while Wren is studying my face, trying to read me. I was so wrapped up in my thoughts, I didn’t even hear them come in. “You’re thinking about that mystery man of yours, huh?”
I shake my head, smiling. “Something like that.”
“What are we ordering for dinner tonight?” Rivet looks to each of us. I shrug.
“We could get Chinese,” Wren suggests.
“Yes! There’s a takeout menu in the kitchen. I’ll go grab it,” Minx says before walking into the kitchen.
“The club is having their big party tomorrow instead of tonight,” Rivet states. “It’s their big St. Patrick’s day celebration. Are y’all going to come?”
“Y’all better come! It’s going to be so much fun,” Minx says to us as she walks back in, menu in her hand.
“I don’t think I will.” Wren looks at her hands.
“Why not? Have you spent any time with your brother or gone to any club parties since you’ve been with Zack,” I ask her. Her cheeks turn pink. Minx gives her a sympathetic look.
“He doesn’t go to parties with a bunch of women. I don’t need to go to parties with a bunch of men,” she says.
“Wren, they aren’t just a bunch of men. They’re your family,” Minx says.
“No, Shade is my family. The rest of them may be his brothers, but they aren’t mine.” She has bitterness in her tone. A look of hurt crosses Minx’s face.
“You might not be one of the brothers, but you’re still part of the Savage family,” Minx says in a softer voice.
“Has Zack said anything to you about you going to the club parties,” I ask Wren.
“What? No! Of course not,” she responds. She’s saying one thing, but the look on her face says something else.
“Alright, enough serious talk. We need to watch a rom-com or something,” Rivet announces. She turns on 10 Things I Hate About You while we take turns looking at the takeout menu, getting our girls night started.
Chapter Twelve
Shade
I spent all day Friday lounging around the house and doing laundry. All the driving this week was exhausting. I don’t mind making the trip up to Colorado, but it’s nice to be back. I’m watching some random shit on Netflix when Cali comes into the room.
“Are you going to the clubhouse tonight,” she asks as she sits on the couch.
“Yup, St. Patrick’s Day party tonight. Are you and Buster going?”
“I told him I want to go, but he's weird about it. I told him if I get too tired, I’ll just sneak away to our room,” she says.
“He just doesn’t want you overdoing it. He’s trying to look out for you,” I tell her.
“I know,” she sighs. “And I love him for that, but I still want to have fun.”
“Just withhold sex with him if he doesn’t let you go.”
“That’s a great idea,” she shouts.
“What’s a great idea,” Buster asks. He leans over the back of the couch and kisses Cali’s neck.
“Uh uh.” She pulls away from him. “No sex for you until further notice.”
“What the fuck, sólnyshka?”
“Unless,” she pauses. “You take me to the club’s St. Patrick’s Day party.”
“You want to go that bad,” he asks her and she nods her head. “Fine, we’ll go.”
“Yes! I’m going to go get ready,” she giggles.
“I just got played, didn’t I,” Buster asks once Cali is out of earshot.
I chuckle. “Let her have some fun. It’s not like she’s gonna be around a bunch of strangers,” I tell him.
“I know, I just worry about her and the baby,” he admits.
“They’re gonna be fine. You know Minx will go Lil Mama on her if she needs it,” I remind him.
“You’re right. I better go get ready too.” With that, he walks away. I turn the TV off and make my way to my room. My wardrobe consists of primarily black, white, and gray shirts, but I do have a green tee just for St. Patrick’s Day. I get cleaned up and head out.
I pull up to the clubhouse and it looks like half the brothers are already here. Bull is opening this party up to hang arounds tonight, so it’ll be interesting. Some of the hang arounds want to be prospects for the club, so tonight will be a good night to scope them out and see who would be a good fit.
“Hey, brother,” Clutch greets me when I walk into the clubhouse. “Ace told me about the circuit. How did you like driving that Audi?”
“It was fucking badass,” I tell him. “I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
“Yeah, I bet. Those cars are sexy as hell.”
“What cars,” Hollywood asks.
“Audi R8s,” I tell him.
“Yeah, those aren’t bad,” he replies. We’re all standing at the bar talking when Tink walks over.
“Can I get y’all anything,” she asks. Hollywood’s eyes drift down her body and back up, and she’s giving him a challenging look. He nods his head.
“I’ll take a beer,” Clutch says. It causes the two of them to break their stare.
“Make that two,” I add. She turns around to go grab our beer. “You trying to fuck her or have you already fucked her?”
“Neither. Just appreciating what she has,” Hollywood says, and then walks away.
“He’s lying outta his ass,” Clutch says. “He’s had a fucking hard-on for her for weeks now.”
She brings our beers and we make our way to the couches. Rascal takes a hit of a blunt as we sit, and passes it to Clutch.
“I took my bike out on a nice, long ride yesterday,” Rascal says. “Made up for all that time I spent cooped up in that fucking cage.”
“Yet you always volunteer to go on those runs. Why is that?” I give him a sly grin and he glares at me.
“It has shit to do with Marley if that’s what you’re getting at,” he replies.
“If you say so, brother.” As if on cue, Cookie, one of the cut bunnies, walks over to us.
“Can I do anything for you fellas,” she asks.
“Yeah, babe, you can sit right here,” Rascal says to her, pulling her onto his lap. “You and I can have some fun tonight. What do ya say?”
“I’m always up for some fun,” she giggles. I glance at my phone, it’s just after eight. I start wondering if Sienna is coming tonight.
“Has my sister been around here at all this week,” I ask Clutch.
He shakes his head. “Not really. She was here with Rivet yesterday, talking to Tink, but I think that was the only time she was here.”
If she never worked at Cali’s bakery, she never would have become friends with Minx and Rivet and I would probably never see her. I need to talk to her and figure out what the fuck is going on.
To Wren: Are you coming to the clubhouse tonight?
From Wren: No, I’m not.
To Wren: Can we meet up for lunch tomorrow and talk?
From Wren: Sure.
That was a lot easier than I anticipated. Cali walks into the clubhouse with Minx, Rivet, and Sienna fawning over her. My eyes are glued to Sienna. She’s wearing a green shirt with the word lucky in white across her boobs. It has a scoop neck that shows off the top of her tits. My eyes move down her body. The shirt is cut so it falls just above her belly button. She’s wearing skin-tight, waist-high black leggings so you can’t see stomach.
“You want to pick your jaw up off the floor before she catches you staring?” Buster snickers. I flip him off. Coco, another cut bunny walks over to us.
“Hey, Shade. Looking for some company,” she asks.
“Not interested,” I tell her. She pouts her lip out. “That shit doesn’t work on me. Move along.”
“Aw, come here, Coco. You can play with Cookie and me,” Rascal tells her. Coco looks at the two of them and walks off. Clutch, Buster, and I burst out laughing.
“Can’t win them all,” Clutch tells Rascal. Rascal shrugs and turns his attention back to Cookie. I take a glance at Sienna. This time, our
eyes lock. For a split second, I catch the fire in her eyes, but she breaks our stare to say something to Minx.
“Y’all have history,” Buster asks me.
“That’s Sienna, Wren’s best friend,” Clutch tells him. Buster is still looking at me, waiting for me to answer. Before I get a chance to, Cali comes over to us.
“Anyone up for a game of pool,” she asks the four of us.
Saved from having to answer Buster’s question— I owe Cali one.
“I’m in,” Clutch tells her.
“Me too,” Buster says. Cali’s face lights up. The three of them walk over to the tables where Sienna, Minx, and Rivet are. I can’t help but watch Sienna and how she interacts with everyone. You would think she’s known them her whole life.
Chapter Thirteen
Sienna
When we walked down to the clubhouse, we ran into one of the brothers and his lady. Minx introduced me to them, come to find out it was Buster and Cali. Cali owns the bakery that Wren works at. She’s also about four or so months pregnant and absolutely adorable.
Now, we’re hanging out by the pool tables. Cali talked Buster and another brother into playing teams against her and Rivet. I’ve felt Shade’s eyes on me since I walked through the door and somehow, have managed to only look his way once.
“So, Minx, where’s your man at,” I ask her.
“Sitting at the table behind us with his boyfriend,” she jokes. I glance behind us. “His name is Raze. He’s the one on the right.”
“And the other one?”
“That’s Saint. He and Rivet have the hots for each other but neither will ever admit it,” she informs me.
“Raze has his eyes glued to you,” I tell her.
“And Shade has had his glued to you since you walked in,” she whispers to me. A few minutes go by and Wren comes walking through the door. She glances around until her eyes land on us and walks over to us.
