Finley's Adoration

by Elizabeth Knox

  A few moments go by when someone knocks on the door. “Y’all dressed in there?” Cedric quips.

  It’s hilarious he continues to do this, considering he walked into the Fort one day to find me going down on Ainslee in the kitchen. I couldn’t help it. She looked delectable in her camisole and shorts set. I needed her, so I had her right there on the counter next to my coffee mug.

  “Shut up and get in here,” I command with a roll of my eyes and smile at Ainslee as she giggles.

  The door fully opens for Cedric and Halton both to step in, closing the door behind them. Before I can say anything about the money, Mara-Lee comes rushing in through the other door. “Hey, sorry to interrupt, but you need to come to the second floor. You’re gonna want to hear what Mystic has to say.”

  Mystic is one of our new girls, who’s a waitress on the second floor.

  Standing, I round my desk and head for the door leading straight to the second floor.

  I find Mystic looking worried. She’s biting on her fingernails as I approach. “What’s going on?”

  “I’m sorry, Finley. I don’t want to be a snitch or anything like that, but I thought you deserve to know,” she rambles, glancing around the area.

  “Deserve to know what?” I demand, feeling Ainslee’s presence at my back.

  Mystic looks from me to Ainslee and back again. “I overheard Lacey talking to a few of the other girls, bitching about how you would . . .” She stops to lick her lips nervously. “She was muttering on about how she should be the one you’re with and not a whore like . . .” Mystic pauses, not wanting to say Ainslee’s name, and I’m glad she doesn’t. She’s respectful, unlike that cunt Lacey. “Instead of you being with a bitch like her and giving you a bastard child like the one—these are Lacey’s words, I swear . . . a bastard kid like the replaceable whore did. I think she’s gonna try something. She’s acting crazy.”

  Anger fills me, but it’s not me that makes the first move, it’s Ainslee. Before I know it, she’s walking away.

  Shit.

  This isn’t good.

  Lacey doesn’t know what she’s done by talking shit about my woman. She would have been better off if I handled it. Too bad I don’t feel like being generous. Ainslee will make sure she gets the message, and I’ll be there to back her up in a few minutes. I’ll let my girl have her fun first.

  Chapter Two

  Ainslee

  I want to think there isn’t any way I heard Mystic right, but there’s no way she would’ve lied about something like this. Thank goodness I put Dominic in his playpen, ‘cause I’m thirsty for blood.

  I waste no time in my efforts to get out of here. I’m about to lose all of my control. Before I know it, I’m walking down the hallway, headed to where I can find Lacey. If she has something to say about my son or me, she can say it to my fucking face, but I highly doubt she’s gonna wanna do much talking. Mothers will go to war for their kids, and obviously, this bimbo doesn’t know just how far we’ll go. She’s about to find out.

  With my blood pumping, I take in a deep breath and try to focus. I notice when I’m going through the doorway, I’ve been clenching my jaw this entire time. As a matter of fact, my whole body is tense. Heat flushes over my chest and I’m positive I’m red all over my chest, neck, and face. I’ve never been the type who’s been able to hide my rage. It must be those good Scottish genes of mine.

  I find Lacey in some light pink number, looking like she’s something innocent, but she isn’t going to trick me. Unlike most people here, I’m not one of her clients and I’m not buying the bullshit she’s selling me. I march right up to her and I figure I’ll start by talking, but just as I begin to speak, I put my hands on her scrawny shoulders and shove her against the wall. She falls to the ground and turns around, her mouth agape and her eyes drawn, glaring at me with all her might.

  “I heard you had some shite to say, so please, tell me what it was you were flappin’ your jaws about,” I grit, balling my fists at my side, ready to wreck the filler that’s in her face, or maybe even fuck up the nose job I’m sure she’s had.

  Lacey uses her hands to push herself off the ground and stands. “What is it you heard, Ainslee? I mean, it could be a silly little rumor, and how pathetic would it be to get upset over something so minuscule.” She bats her eyelashes and smirks lightly, thinking I’m going to believe her.

  Wrong.

  I lick my bottom lip and take a step closer to her, slightly lifting my chin. “If you don’t admit to the shite you’re pulling, I will wipe this floor with your fake arse.”

  “God, you’re delusional. One day I hope Finley sees you for what you really are.”

  “Oh, shut your fuckin’ mouth. You’re a shit-stirrer and you always have been. Go fuck off somewhere else. No one likes you here anyway,” Gemini, one of the other girls who works here on the second floor, says. I appreciate the fact she’s sticking up for me.

  “Who asked you? You’re nothing but a washed-up girl with daddy issues.” Lacey rolls her eyes.

  I take another step toward her and clench my jaw, gritting out my words. “Go on, keep talking.”

  Lacey scrunches up her nose and grabs a strand of her hair, twirling it around her finger. “I could say a lot, but I know when to speak and when not to waste my breath.” She blinks a few times at me, trying to keep this innocent persona up.

  I’m half a second from snapping, grabbing her by her extensions, and slamming her head down on the bar, but somehow, I’m holding myself back. I want to see the fear in her eyes when she realizes what I’m going to do to her.

  “Look, I’ll make this plain and simple for you. I’m Finley’s. I’m her main bitch. I’m her woman, and I’m the one in her bed every night. Now, I know you’re a jealous, bitter woman, but this is pathetic. Where you crossed the line is when you spoke about my child.” I spot a bottle of champagne on the bar and grab it with my left hand, wasting no time as I swing it in the air and smack it on her head. She immediately falls to the ground, and I smash the bottle against the wall. Champagne spurts everywhere, and the bottle cracks down the middle.

  Without thinking, I kneel and press the sharp end of the bottle against Lacey’s throat. “You’re lucky I haven’t jabbed this through your neck yet. I should after what you said, after what you did. You’re an ungrateful, disrespectful person who has no place here.”

  “And none of the other girls like her,” Gemini speaks up in my defense again.

  “What do we have here?” Finley’s voice comes from behind me, and I stand, keeping an eye on Lacey. I put the broken bottle on the bar and stare down at the woman whose face is turning red in anger.

  “Ainslee came in here and shoved me into the wall, and for what? She hasn’t even told me! I’m beginning to feel like it’s unsafe for me to work here. She seems to think I want you in some romantic aspect, and quite honestly, it’s laughable.”

  Finley comes up beside me and crosses her arms. “What’s laughable is the fact you think you can get away with talking about our son.”

  “What? I did no such thing!”

  “Bullshit. I heard every word you said, and I’m sure others are going to speak up too,” Mystic speaks up.

  “She did, just like she always does,” Gemini states as she walks up and takes a seat at the bar.

  “Seeing as you don’t feel safe here, maybe you shouldn’t come back.” Finley’s words practically shock me, and I look into her eyes to see if she’s serious or not. Sure enough, she is.

  “Wait. What?” Lacey doesn’t know what to make of this.

  “You no longer work here, Lacey. Get your shit and get out. Mara-Lee will make sure you are seen out and will take your access cards. I’ll also be making sure Cedric informs the rest of security you’re no longer welcome here. I take care of everyone here, but you start talking about my family, you’ve crossed the line.” Finley’s tone is stone-cold, and my heart swells with happiness. We won’t have to deal with this nonsense anymore.
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  “All of this because of her?! She’s nothing but a washed-up bitch who’s going to take you for everything you have! She’s going to ruin this establishment, Finley. Trust me. I’ve seen so many girls like her before. They’re just gold diggers who want one thing.”

  “Get the fuck out of here before I lose my shit,” Finley seethes, taking a step forward. Lacey backs up into the wall, and I debate whether or not I’m going to get my hands a bit dirty. I could, but she hasn’t done anything else stupid.

  “She and that rotten kid are going to ruin everything. You can’t even see what she’s done already!” Lacey shakes her head, and I realize I’ve given her more credit than I should’ve. I quickly slide my hands into the pockets of my jeans and loop my fingers through my brass knuckles. I take my hands out and slam my fist into her face with lightning speed. The blow knocks her backward, and she falls against the wall. “You guys want to make sure the clients are in rooms because I’m just getting started.”

  Finley smirks devilishly. “You got it, babe.”

  As I go have my merry way with Lacey, I overhear Cedric’s voice in the background saying some Iron Vex MC guys just walked in. I don’t know which of my brothers or sisters are here, but I’ll be damn glad to see them. I’ve missed my family.

  Chapter Three

  Finley

  Lacey deserves everything Ainslee gives her. She knew the rules and broke them by what she said. This isn’t the first time I heard complaints, but it’s the first time it’s involved Ainslee and Dom. I don’t play when it comes to them.

  Cedric looks up from his phone and grins. “We’ve got some Iron Vex MC members here. They’re downstairs at the bar looking for Ainslee.”

  This is good. Ainslee’s a part of the Iron Vex MC and her family. She’s here as a regent for them. But I’m betting being away from her club is hard on her. She doesn’t admit it, but she doesn’t need to.

  “Go ahead and send them up to my office. Have Halton take out the trash when Ainslee’s done here,” I say.

  “Got it, boss, and for the record, Mara-Lee’s been chomping at the bit to kick this bitch out on her ass.” I knew about this already. The woman doesn’t hide shit from me, but she knows I’ll protect the girls who work here until they cross the line. Even then, I still find them somewhere else to go to keep them out of Preacher’s hands.

  Preacher is a fuckin’ thorn in my side that I want to get rid of more than anything else.

  Heading back to my office, I step into the room to find Dalton still in the room with Dominic playing in his playpen.

  “Thank you, Dalton. I appreciate you watching him,” I tell him, and he nods. A few years ago, something happened with his vocals making it difficult to talk much. He mainly speaks through sign language or text for those who don’t know how to sign.

  Dalton moves his hands, and I pay attention to what he’s saying. Need to get back downstairs, but just wanted you to know I spotted two of Preacher’s men downstairs scoping the place out.

  “Shit, are you sure?” I ask while signing the words to him using both ways to interact with Dalton even if he can hear me.

  He nods to the window beside him that looks down to the bar. I look through it and follow to where he’s pointing. Dammit, how the hell did they get in here?

  Going to my desk, I look over the schedule to see who’s manning the door.

  My office door opens, and I glance up briefly to see Cedric coming through with Omen and Ricochet. Focusing back on the task, I see it’s Asher. That explains everything. He’s still new here. Fuck.

  Looking back up, I meet Cedric’s gaze for a second and turn to Dalton. “Keep your eyes on them. I don’t want those fuckers even breathing wrong in this club. If they do, get their asses to the basement, and it’ll be my turn to have some blood on my hands.”

  Dalton grins, then nods his head and leaves the room.

  Dominic makes a cooing sound from where he’s lying down in his playpen. I go over to him and check to make sure he’s good. Lifting him in my arms, I turn back to the men filing into the office.

  “Cedric, text Mara-Lee for me and tell her Dom wants his aunt to come watch him,” I say, making everyone chuckle.

  “Mara-Lee’s already on her way up. She told Mystic to throw Lacey’s shit in the trash. There’s nothing in there she needs to take with her,” Cedric informs me.

  “Good,” I mutter.

  “Damn, this chick almost reminds me of Boss,” Ricochet snickers.

  Omen rakes his eyes over me. “Yeah, they’re cut from the same cloth.”

  “Would you like to tell me why the hell you’re comparing me to your Prez?” I mutter, annoyed thanks to the way this night has gone. Here all I wanted to do was get Mara-Lee or Cedric to watch over Dominic so I could have my fill of Ainslee on my desk. Now that shit ain’t gonna happen.

  “It’s not anything bad. Take it as a compliment,” Omen tells me as he comes forward. “Anyway, do you think we can check out the digs here? It’s a pretty sweet setup you’ve got. Shit, I wouldn’t mind checking out the second floor. Ainslee told Boss about it, and I’m cravin’ to get down there.”

  I knew Ainslee told Boss about the place since she talked to me about it first. As long as everyone who found out about my business knows it belongs to me, I don’t give a fuck. I’m not playing around when it comes to what I do. I don’t give cuts to anyone for anything except the Devil’s Riot MC, and the only reason they get anything is because of my cousins, Lex and Annabel.

  “Sure, if you have five thousand dollars. No one gets to go to the second floor without paying.” I shrug.

  “Five-grand to even set foot onto the second floor?” Omen quirks his brow.

  “Yep, and that doesn’t include the girls’ fee if you go to their room,” Cedric chuckles.

  “And people pay these prices to fuck here?” Ricochet whistles before he smirks, finding amusement from his VP’s curiosity.

  “Oh, they pay for the secrecy of it all. I even have a few that pay me fifteen-grand at a time to use certain rooms down there,” I say without telling them what those rooms are. They’re the special rooms for the clients who have particular tastes.

  Omen pulls out a wad of cash and hands it over to me. “Here you go. I wanna go to the second floor.”

  The door to the office opens, and Mara-Lee steps through, ignoring everyone in the room except for me. She comes to retrieve Dominic from my arms.

  “You’re needed downstairs,” she mutters.

  Cedric steps forward and looks at me. “I’ll take Omen to the second floor.”

  “Thanks,” I say, my heart rate already picking up intensely. What am I needed for downstairs?

  “Is there any way I can go crash at y’all’s place?” Ricochet asks.

  “That’s fine. Sorry, but I gotta get going,” I say, excusing myself to go see what’s going on.

  My job is never done, and I don’t mind it most of the time. Right now, I’m tired of all the bullshit drama. Maybe I need to think about taking Ainslee and Dominic down to the Outer Banks for a vacation. I can’t remember the last time I went surfing or the last time there was a day where I wasn’t constantly aggravated.

  I walk down the stairs that lead straight to the first floor and find it’s time to go to the basement. From the corner of my eye, I catch Link helping Dalton with two men who look to be unconscious.

  Grinning, I flex my fingers, ready to fuck someone up. What better way to release tension if I can’t have Ainslee right now?

  Chapter Four

  Ainslee

  Dried blood covers my hands and my knuckles are already beginning to swell. Lacey kept talking about Dominic, and I’ve never felt a fit of anger like this. Who even talks this way about a baby? A baby she doesn’t even know. It’s not like she ever will, though, but still. It’s not appropriate, and you must be damn bitter to talk this way.

  Mara-Lee is watching Dominic, and I drove myself home because Finley had some things to hand
le at the club. Omen and Ricochet showed up tonight, and Finley texted me to let me know Omen dropped 5k to go to the second floor, which seriously shocks me. But maybe it doesn’t surprise me too much. I mean, he’s never been the type who’s had a woman with him. Not a serious girlfriend anyway.

  I park my bike, shut off the engine, prop my kickstand down and dismount in our garage. It’s sick as fuck, with built-ins and equipment you’d see in a professional garage. Finley added all of it for me and bought an old Harley from the 70s that I’m bringing back to life. Now, I’m not a mechanic, but this is my passion project, and I’m happy with the progress I’ve made.

  I take my helmet off and set it on the counter before I pull the door open to the main living area of the Fort. No one else is here except me right now, so I kick my boots off and head up the stairs to the room I share with Finley. My knuckles ache and I want nothing more than scorching hot water to wash away the filth on my body.

  I turn the knob to our bedroom door, shut it behind me, and walk straight into our en-suite bathroom. We recently did a few renovations, so it looks like our bathroom is something that should be at a spa. After peeling my socks off and stripping every other fabric of clothing off my body, I toss them in the hamper and head straight into the shower.

  The floor is made up of a natural dark gray slate from the Northeastern part of the United States. Finley even put a jagged feature wall in here too. It was my idea for the rainfall showerheads. We’re both working crazy long hours. She’s at Night’s Bliss, and I’m doing shite for the club, going to school, and raising a little boy. Not to mention all my coursework.

  I turn the handle to the left, and water comes pouring down from the nozzle. We have a dual shower head, so I walk to the other side and turn the other side as well. The sounds of the water hitting the stone floor remind me of what it would be like in a tropical rainforest, peaceful and exhilarating. I close my eyes and walk under the hot water, placing my hands on the wall, allowing the water to slowly cascade down my body.