Mixed with Trouble: A CASH BAR NOVEL

by Faiman, Hayley

Fuck.

  She really does get off on the pain. Sliding my damp palms down the thighs of my jeans, I clear my throat and shift my gaze away from her only to hear her small laugh fill the space.

  My phone rings in my hand a second later and I slide my thumb across the screen as I stand and walk through to the back of the shop into Josiah’s office, and away from Lea so she can’t hear the conversation.

  “Where the fuck are you?” Snake barks.

  Clearing my throat, I let out a sigh. “Had to make a pit stop,” I say.

  “Baby,” he warns.

  “You find anything out?” I ask, changing the subject.

  There is a moment of silence, then Snake begins to speak. “Chardonnay isn’t Senator Phillippe Martel’s daughter. The man that introduced himself to Lea is Phillippe Martel, Senior. Everything that I’ve found out about our senator and his family through backdoor digging is proving to be a real fucking eye-opener.”

  “Like?” I ask.

  “Phillippe Martel, Senior has three children. Two sons and a daughter. His youngest son is named Carter, which I’m assuming you killed. Lea needs to get her ass back here and so do you. I want her on lockdown until further notice.”

  “That won’t be a problem,” I mutter.

  He chuckles. “Lea has hated lockdown since she was in diapers, you want to tell me how that shit isn’t going to be a problem?”

  I wait for a beat, a moment too long and I hear his heavy sigh before I even tell him why it won’t be a problem.

  “What the fuck did you do?” he demands.

  “Just know it won’t be a problem.” My eyes find Lea through the glass window in Josiah’s office. “She’ll listen to me and she’ll follow my fucking directions.”

  “I’m not going to like this and I’m going to have to lock Skinner down, aren’t I?” he asks.

  I chuckle. “Yeah, you will. None of them will like it, but I can’t give a fuck because, for the first time in my life, I like right where I am.”

  Ending the call, I don’t allow for him to respond, I don’t want to hear a fucking word. Shoving the device in my back pocket, I make my way back out to the main room where it looks like Josiah is just finishing up his work on Lea’s shoulder.

  LEA

  Josiah holds the mirror up for me to take a look at the tattoo that Baby had designed. The rose is breathtaking. I never considered myself a flower person, not until this exact moment.

  I can see Baby’s name interwoven throughout the design, it’s subtle and I’m surprised it’s not pronounced bold and in your face.

  It’s beautiful.

  “I love it,” I whisper just loud enough for Josiah to hear.

  He doesn’t say anything. Shifting my gaze to his, I realize he hasn’t said anything, or even directed a question toward me the entire morning. His focus is on Baby and only Baby, as if I don’t exist.

  “Looks good,” Baby states, reaching into his pocket to pull out a wad of cash. He doesn’t even count it as he pushes it toward Josiah.

  Josiah takes the cash, shoving it in the front of his jeans as he stands to his feet. “You know how to care for it, I’m sure. See you around. I’ll lock you out,” he says rapidly as he reaches for some supplies to wrap the piece up.

  Baby rests his palm on the small of my back as he guides me out of the shop. Without a farewell, Josiah slams the door and locks it as soon as we’re one step out of the shop.

  “He’s a little… eccentric,” I point out when we’re in front of Baby’s black bike.

  Baby snorts. “He doesn’t care much for women. Which is why he didn’t speak to you. He was raised a bit differently.” He shrugs.

  “But you know him, from where?”

  “Grew up together. We lived close to one another, our fathers were hunting buddies, friends.”

  Looking at the woods behind the shop, I frown. “Are your parents still here, are we going to visit them?” I ask.

  Baby chuckles. “No, you won’t be visiting them. I left that house for a reason, Lea, and I’m never going back.”

  I want to ask him more, but I don’t. He doesn’t want to talk about it, and I know what it’s like to have a past that you don’t want to bring up.

  Climbing onto the back of his bike, I look over at him and wait for him to slide on in front of me. He doesn’t. Instead, he just stands there, his eyes searching my face, then dropping to the fresh ink on my shoulder.

  “You get hot with that needle on your skin?” he asks, his lips twitching.

  I bite the corner of my lip to keep from smiling bigger than I should. “It hurt,” I admit.

  He reaches out, cupping my jaw with his palm. “You like the pain,” he says as his thumb traces my bottom lip.

  Peeking my tongue out, I taste the pad of his thumb. “I do,” I admit on a breath.

  Baby shakes his head once, his hand falling from my cheek. “You’re fuckin’ trouble, Tiny,” he announces as he swings his leg and straddles the bike.

  Wrapping my hands around his middle, I slip my fingers beneath his shirt, feeling his warm muscled skin beneath my touch. My lips touch the back of his neck until I place my mouth at the shell of his ear.

  “You like the kind of trouble that I am, Mitchell,” I whisper.

  “Fuck yeah I do, babe.”

  His bike roars to life and without another word, he guides us back onto the road and toward the clubhouse.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  LEA

  My nerves are completely shot by the time the familiar sights of my hometown come into view. The gates of the clubhouse have my hands shaking so hard that Baby has to place his palm to them in an attempt to calm me down. It doesn’t work.

  The gates open as soon as the bike pulls up to them, no questions asked. I don’t know what I expect when we pull into the parking lot, but I’m a bit disappointed when I only see a handful of bikes parked.

  Baby kicks his stand down, then turns the engine off as I climb off of the back of the bike. My ass is sore, so is my pussy, but I can’t think about that now, not when my eyes are focused on this building that I swore I would never walk into again.

  “Didn’t want to tell you, but babe, you have to stay here for a while. No roaming around town,” Baby says, taking me out of my thoughts.

  “Lockdown?” I ask, crossing my arms beneath my breasts.

  His eyes flick down to my tits, then lift back up to meet my own. “Lockdown. Just until we figure out what is happening. Snake has guys working on everything, but it’s more complicated than Carter,” he attempts to explain, lamely.

  “Can’t I just stay at your place, you have somewhere of your own, right?” I ask.

  Something that I don’t recognize flashes in his eyes before it disappears. He shakes his head twice, pressing his lips together before he speaks.

  “Snake wants you here. So this is where you’ll be. Whatever’s going on, this is the safest place for you.”

  I nod, taking a step forward, my hand wrapping around the side of his throat. He lifts his own, wrapping his fingers around my wrist, holding me as I look up at him. There is something working behind his eyes, but I can’t read it at all, not even a little bit.

  “Be a good girl for me, Lea. You can do that, can’t you?”

  Pressing my lips together, I tip my head back a bit more. “I can try,” I whisper.

  He dips his chin, his lips brushing against my own. “Good girls get rewards, Tiny. Remember that, yeah?”

  “What kind of rewards?” I breathe.

  “The kind that hurt in the best of ways,” he mutters against my mouth.

  I open my mouth only to have his tongue plunge deep inside, tasting every square inch of me. My head falls back a bit more, my mouth opening wider as he tastes all of me, causing my thighs to shake and my pussy to ache in the process. That is, until a throat clears behind him.

  We break apart. Lifting my gaze, I look past Baby to see Snake standing behind him, his arms crossed over his chest, his ha
rd gaze focused on us.

  “You’re wading in deep shit, Baby,” he growls.

  Baby winks at me, turning around he slides his hand around my hips, his fingers curling against my waist before he tugs me close to his side.

  “You remember Lea, don’t you, Pres?” he asks with humor in his voice.

  Snake’s gaze flicks from him to me, then lands on the tattoo that’s covered on my shoulder. “What did you do?” he demands.

  I open my mouth, snapping my lips closed when I don’t know what to say. Baby just laughs and Snake marches toward me and reaches for the covering of my ink then rips it from my body. I let out a squeak from the abrupt move.

  “Fuck,” Snake curses. “How are you going to explain this shit?” he asks, his eyes saying something else as he stares at Baby, but I don’t know what.

  “We’re getting rid of that issue, right? What’s the problem?” he asks.

  I feel like I’m completely lost in the dark on this one as they banter back and forth. Snake throws his hands up in the air, then points an index finger mere inches from Baby’s face.

  “That shit ain’t handled yet, and you know it. This was irresponsible, Baby. Fuck. This bites us in the ass and I’m holding you personally responsible,” he warns.

  Snake’s hand drops and he takes a step back, his eyes shifting from Baby to me. “Got a room all set up for you, Lea. Things are tense, but we’re all real glad to have you home,” he says, smiling genuinely for the first time.

  “Baby said I’d be in his room,” I lamely point out.

  Snake’s eyes go hard, the intensity in them scares me. I try to take a step back, but Baby’s grip is too tight on my waist.

  “Don’t make promises like that you can’t keep, Baby,” he warns, then turns toward me. “You’ll stay in one of the guest rooms. After this is over, I honestly don’t give a fuck what bed you’re in, or who you sleep with, Lea. But right now, your legs and Baby’s dick are closed for business to one another.”

  He turns around, leaving us standing in the parking lot, my mouth gaping wide open in surprise that he’s said exactly what he’s said. In fact, I don’t believe that he’s actually just said that, to me.

  “Did he just say that?” I whisper.

  Baby snorts. “He did. But I never follow his rules, and you’re my Old Lady. I’m fuckin’ you in the middle of the bar if I feel like it.”

  “Mitch,” I hiss.

  He turns his gaze to meet mine, his eyes alight with mischievous delight. “Now I’m going to do just that. Let them see how good I got it, Tiny. I don’t give a shit.”

  “I give a shit if Skinner and my mom see me having sex,” I murmur.

  Baby lifts his hand, wrapping it around the front of my throat, all humor immediately vanishing from his features. “You know what that ink means on your shoulder?” he asks.

  “That I’m claimed,” I whisper.

  “You know what that means?” he asks.

  “That I’m yours.”

  He grins. “Being mine means what, Lea?”

  I just stare at him, not sure what he wants me to say. I don’t have to wonder long. He leans forward, his nose sliding alongside my own.

  “It means I fuck you where I want when I want, and if I feel like it, with who I want. Nobody is going to tell me dick when it comes to you. They can’t. Not even, Snake.”

  I should slap him. I should tell him to go to hell for what he’s just declared. What I shouldn’t do is lean forward and press my lips to his, tasting them and slipping my tongue inside of his mouth to have more.

  Baby’s hand slide down to my ass, grabbing ahold of me and pulling me against his hips. I moan into his mouth at the feel of his hard length against my belly. It doesn’t matter how badly I ache, that I only just had him this morning, I want him again and again, and again.

  “Let’s get you set up in your room. This one thing I’ll give, Snake, but if he thinks he’s keeping your pussy away from me, he’s got a rude fuckin’ awakening.”

  Without another word, his fingers lace mine and together we walk into the Notorious Devils clubhouse.

  BABY

  Guiding Lea toward the guest room, I slip inside behind her, locking the door. She lets out a sigh, spinning around to face me.

  “What happens now?” she demands.

  Fuck, she’s beautiful all fired up like this. I shouldn’t have brought her here. What I should have done is kept her far away until I dealt with Chardonnay. I have a feeling that she’s going to lose her shit when she discovers the bitch.

  “I have to brief with Snake and see if he found anything else out today. Then, I’ll see if I can find you some food, maybe get Skinner and Gracie here to see you,” I explain.

  I expect her to look excited at the idea of seeing her mom and stepdad. Instead, she looks pale, almost sick.

  “I need clothes if I’m going to see them, Baby. I’m on day two of my panties and honestly, that’s more than a little gross,” she explains, wrinkling her nose up.

  Chuckling, I reach forward and grab one of her dreads, tugging it gently. “Some of the girls probably have shit here you can borrow.”

  Her eyes widen, then she lets out a bark of laughter. “I’m not wearing some whore’s panties. Absolutely not. I’ll just call my mom, ask her to bring me a few things,” she sighs.

  Leaning down, I brush my lips across hers. “She won’t care, babe. She’ll just be glad you’re home safe. Now, let me get this shit over with, you call your mom. Then I’ll get us some food or something.”

  “Okay,” she breathes against my lips. “Baby?” she asks.

  “Yeah?”

  “You’re sleeping here tonight, right?” she asks.

  “You still hot from your ink?”

  She lifts her head, her eyes telling me every single thing I need to know, but Christ I want to hear her say the words aloud. She nods, her teeth sliding across her bottom lip before she speaks.

  “I need to feel you again,” she whispers. “I need you.”

  Reaching out, I wrap my hand around the back of her neck and roughly pull her against my chest. My lips slam against hers, kissing her hard and rough before I release her mouth.

  “You need me, Tiny. You fuckin’ got me.”

  She shivers in my arms. Kissing her one more time, a bit gentler than before, I slowly take a step back and release her. Walking over to the door, I glance back at her, my eyes roaming over her now flushed face.

  “Stay in here, locked in here, only answer and open the door for your mom or me. Nobody else.”

  “Mitchell?” she asks, her voice sounding slightly scared.

  “Just until we know what’s going on,” I lie.

  Honest to fuck, I don’t want Chardonnay to get ahold of her, not until I can explain shit to her. Not until Chardonnay is no longer an issue. Not until Lea’s completely in love with me and can forgive me. I need her tethered to me in a way where she can’t be free of me, not ever. I need her complete devotion.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  LEA

  I stare at the closed door. Unable to stay still for a moment longer, I make my way to the bathroom, thankful that this room has one attached, as most of them don’t. Taking a long, hot shower, I hiss when the water slides over my tattoo.

  Closing my eyes, I think about just what is about to happen. When my mom comes, when Skinner sees Baby’s name on my skin, I have a feeling all hell will break loose.

  There is something else happening behind the scenes, something that is being hidden from me, and I have a feeling whatever it is, it’s pretty big. I could tell by the looks that Snake and Baby were giving one another, and the way that Baby forbade me leaving this room.

  Turning the water off, I reach for a towel and quickly dry off my body. Unfortunately, I’ve been terrible at following demands and rules since I was a teenager. Baby should know this, especially since any time I was supposed to be stuck here on lockdown, I snuck out.

  Walking over to the sma
ll dresser, I tug the drawers open to see if anyone has left any clothes here. I don’t know if it’s a better alternative than the clubwhore’s clothes, but wearing their stuff, it’s just something I can’t do. I’m sure that says something about me being some kind of judgmental bitch.

  Grabbing a men’s black tank top, I slip it on over my head, thankful not to have my nipples showing through my white one anymore. Tying the hem in a knot, I tug my dirty jeans back on, deciding I can’t do day three with my panties, there is only so much a girl can do and day three on panties is not anything I can deal with.

  Slipping my feet back into my shoes, I shake my hair out with my fingers. Slowly, carefully glancing around to make sure that my door isn’t being guarded by a prospect, I make my way into the hall and then toward the bar.

  I need a drink.

  Walking up to the bar, I’m not surprised that I don’t recognize the man tending it. He lifts a brow toward me from the end and slowly saunters in my direction. His cut deems him as a prospect. I’m sure that there have been dozens of prospects in the six years that I’ve been gone, this man is just one of them.

  “Help you, little one?” he asks.

  I snort at his nickname for me. Every man in this place thinks that I’m some tiny little creature. Granted, I’m on the shorter side and thin, but why must they always point it out? Tilting my head to the side, I give him a flirty smile.

  “Bottle of vodka, please,” I ask.

  He looks at me, then back to the room where I know the patched members are having church. His gaze slowly comes back to me and he shakes his head once.

  “Not sure a little girl like you should have a whole bottle to yourself. Not even sure if you should be drinking anything,” he mutters.

  Clenching my fingers into a fist, I dig my nails into my palm and shake off the anger that I’m feeling. It’s not his fault, he’s just trying to cover his own ass.

  Reaching out, I wrap my fingers on the other side of the bar top and pull my body across. Extending my arm, I grab a bottle of vodka from the shelf below. I know that’s where they used to keep the good stuff, and it looks like at least that hasn’t changed in six year’s time.