They pulled around to the back, and she was surprised to see a parking lot full of cars. And not just old beaters, either. She noted some BMW’s, Jaguars, and even couple of Porches. The big men pulled their bikes up alongside the back wall of the warehouse where there were already a few other motorcycles parked. They got off and removed their helmets, so Madison followed suit.
“Where are we?” she asked, probably louder than she needed to be but she could barely hear herself over the ringing in her ears. They were numb from the roar of the engine she had been riding over. She hoped that was something she’d eventually get use to, and wondered whether bikers typically wore earplugs.
“At one of our clubs,” Dax said over his shoulder. He and Lurch started to walk without looking back, forcing Madison to quickly follow. “When we go in, I want you to stay at the bar. We have some business to take care of.” Dax hadn’t even looked to see if she was still keeping up with them.
They made their way around to the front entrance and there were two large men in leather jackets with Desperado patches on their breasts. They nodded at Dax and Lurch as they approached.
“Yamada is inside,” one of them said to Dax.
“Thanks, Thunder,” he replied.
“So is Magnum.”
“Shit, he is? What’s he doing here?”
“Girls,” Thunder said with a shrug. “What else? He doesn’t know about the situation. He just showed up an hour ago.”
Dax shook his head. “Fuck sakes. This may get more complicated if he gets involved.” He shook an accusatory look at Madison, as if blaming her for coming along once again. “Remember what I said. You stay at the bar.”
The other biker standing by the door grabbed it and pulled it open. Madison was immediately greeted with the sounds of music and voices from within. All three headed in and the door was shut behind them.
The inside of the warehouse was brightly lit, and packed with people. To the right of them was a large bar that spanned most of the length of the interior, but most of the people were concentrated around the center, standing in groups around various tables. Every few seconds Madison would see and hear them groan or roar, punctuating their exuberance with fits of clapping, laughing and the occasionally pounding of fists.
“Are they gambling?” She’d never been to a casino before, but she’d seen enough of them on television and movies to recognize the dark wood and green felt, and the unmistakable clacking of chips as people threw them onto the tables or played with them in their hands. She even noticed the dark black domes dotting the ceiling which she knew held cameras that would watch the action closely for cheaters.
“Smart girl,” Dax said. “Wait at the bar.”
It was a casino, and she knew that gambling wasn’t legal in their state. This must be one of the ways the Desperado gang made their money.
Dax and Lurch headed down into the pits, pushing their way through the crowds, so Madison shrugged and did as she was told, heading over to the bar. The girl behind the counter smiled at her as she mixed a cocktail for another couple that were at the other end.
That was me a few hours ago, Madison thought. The girl even had a similarly low cut top that accentuated her large breasts, but she was wearing tight fitted jeans instead of cut offs.
When the bartender approached, Madison just asked for some coke. The girl looked at her for a moment. “To drink?”
It was a strange question, but Madison just nodded and the girl turned to get a glass. Before she could give it much though, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.
“Well, well, hello there pretty lady,” a deep and raspy voice said from behind her.
She turned to see an unfamiliar face smiling at her. The man wore a black skull cap despite being inside, and his beard was long but actually braided neatly into a thin rope beneath his chin. He wore the leather of a biker, with a Desperado patch that said VP on it.
“Oh, um, hello,” she said with a shy smile. She looked quickly around for Dax but he was nowhere in sight.
“Who brought such a dainty little flower into my dark little garden here, I wonder? Are you a player, or are you looking for something more ... exotic?”
Madison had no idea what the man was talking about. She just shook her head. “No, I... don’t play. I don’t gamble. That is, I never have...” She trailed off as the bikers hand slid down her arm and was now holding her hand, squeezing it gently. She considered pulling it away, but she thought that since he was a Desperado she was likely safe. “I’m here with Dax,” she said, answering his first question.
“Dax? Dax is here?” The man’s head whipped around, causing his thin beard to flop back and forth under his chin in a comical manner.
“Yes, somewhere, I’m not sure. He and Lurch said they had some business to take care of but-“
The man let go of her hand and spun around without another word, launching himself down into the pit and shoving people out of his way as he stormed through. Madison wondered whether she shouldn’t have mentioned Dax. She hoped she hadn’t gotten him into any trouble.
“Here you go.”
The bartender’s voice reminded her of her drink, and she turned back to take it. “Who was that?” she asked, tilting her head towards the pit as the biker continued to push his way through.
“That’s Magnum,” the bartender said. “One of the owners I think. He’s here a lot.” She looked Madison up and down and then added. “I’d stay away from that one, honey.” She then left to go and serve another customer at the other end of the bar.
Magnum? Seemed like everyone in this club had a nickname except Dax. Then again, she wasn’t even sure if Dax was his real name or a nickname as well. Although she couldn’t imagine what Dax would mean. Magnum, at least, was fairly obvious. That was probably his gun of choice or something.
She sipped on her drink and watched the crowd. None of the bikers were visible anymore. There were still large amounts of people concentrated on certain tables. The biggest and loudest centered around long rounded rectangular tables where they were throwing dice around. She knew those were the craps tables. She also identified other crowded tables where there were cards games, and even a roulette wheel. They seemed to have it all.
In the back corner were a bunch of tables set up where people were sitting and playing cards. She couldn’t tell for sure from this distance, but she guessed they were playing poker. Past the pit of people, there was a closed off area. One set of big double doors that said VIP Lounge above it, and then other single doors further down.
As she was looking at the doors, one of them burst open and Magnum emerged, looking angry. Shortly after, Dax and Lurch came out as well. The three men stood outside the room and were talking to each other. Even though she couldn’t hear what they were saying, she could tell the conversation was heated. Suddenly, Magnum pushed Dax up against the wall, pinning him there with his forearm. Madison’s heart started pounding in her chest and she stood up, unsure what to do. Lurch stepped in, though, putting a hand on each mans chest and pushing them apart. More words were exchanged, and then Magnum stormed away, heading towards the big double doors which he yanked open, disappearing inside.
As soon as he was gone, another man emerged from the open door next to Dax. He was a much smaller Asian man in a suit. Dax turned to him and said something, and then the man went back into the room and Lurch followed, closing the door behind them. Dax then started to walk over to the bar.
“Whiskey,” he said to the bartender as soon as he was close enough for her to hear. “Straight up and make it large.”
He pulled up next to Madison and looked her in the eye for the first time since they’d left the clubhouse. “You alright?”
“Yes, of course. Why?”
“Mag said he’d met you. He can be... unpredictable.”
“Oh. No, he was fine. I didn’t speak to him long. Once he heard you were here he left. What was that all about?”
“Club business,” he said with a
grunt. His drink arrived and he gulped the tall glass down in one swallow, slamming the glass back on the bar loudly. “Another.” The bartender hadn’t even had time to move away, so she just nodded and took his empty glass back to refill.
“Your club owns this place?”
“No. The Japs own it, we just have a vested interest. We’re here to collect on that interest, which hasn’t been flowing as much as it should lately. Lurch is handling it.”
“Oh.”
His new drink arrived and he pounded that one back just as fast. He looked meaningfully at the bartender and she shrugged, taking his glass back to refill again.
“You shouldn’t have come,” Dax said again. “Things may get heated.”
“What’s wrong?”
Dax didn’t say anything. He just glowered at the big double doors behind which Magnum had disappeared.
She decided to try a different angle of questions. “Is Magnum the vice president of your club?”
Dax just nodded, but she could see his jaw tighten. His bald head was beaded with sweat, although she wasn’t sure if it was from the heat inside the club or something else.
“What are you? I mean, what’s your role?” His patch had the letters SA on it, but she wasn’t sure what that meant.
“Sergeant-at-Arms,” he said flatly.
“What does that mean, exactly?”
“I handle security issues. Things that require a bit of force. Including collections, like the one we’re on now, when we think there is the possibility of there being some resistance.”
His new drink arrived, and Madison was glad to see he didn’t throw this one back immediately. He picked it up and just took a small swallow, then placed it back on the counter. The bartender had been hanging around to see if she’d need to get another but now she turned and went back to the other customers.
“So Lurch came to help with that?”
Dax nodded.
“And Magnum as well?”
This time he shook his head and gave a grunt. “He shouldn’t be here. Mag is unstable, at best. Just bad luck that he showed up.” The alcohol was loosening him up, so Madison decided to try to press for more details while she had the chance.
“But he’s vice president, how would he get that if he’s unstable?”
“Cuz our president isn’t much better,” he spat. “We have some leadership issues in this club.”
Madison was silent for a moment, watching Dax. His teeth were still clenched, and his eyes still focused on the big double doors as if he was waiting for Magnum to emerge at any moment.
“What’s back there?”
“Entertainment,” he said simply.
“What kind?”
His focus broke away and he looked at her, deciding what to say. He finally seemed to come to a decision to tell her. “Girls. It’s a place where guys can go and spend some of the money they win in the pits. Keeps some of our gambling losses from walking out the front door.”
It made sense, but she wasn’t completely clear. “By girls you mean...”
“Dancers,” he said. “But for a little extra, customers can get more than a dance.”
Dax was staring at her, watching for a reaction so Madison kept her face calm, intentionally squelching her natural inclination to make a face. She wanted Dax to see that she was tough, and these things wouldn’t phase her. Even when they did. I’ll get use to this lifestyle. I wanted to get in with this crowd, and this is what they do. Stop being a baby, Madison! This is the way the world works.
“Of course,” was all she said. His eyes studied her face, looking into her eyes. She stared back defiantly, unwilling to let him probe the truth out of her with just his gaze this time. He finally nodded and took another sip of his drink.
The club was getting busier now as the afternoon was wearing on. Madison looked down across the bar at the people sitting there, drinking and chatting. The bartender was talking to one gaunt looking young man with dark circles under his eyes. She reached up and pressed something into his hand, and he handed her some bills. As she took her hand away, Madison caught a glimpse of something white before the man clenched his fist around his prize and turned away, hurrying off into the crowd.
She suddenly understood the bartender’s strange question from earlier. “The bar sells more than drinks, I see. That another way the club turns gambling losses into wins?” She raised an eyebrow at Dax who scowled back at her.
“That’s one of Mag’s... innovations,” he spat. “If it were up to me, the club would not be into drugs. Gambling and fucking are fair game in my opinion, but drugs take us down a notch. I’d rather not be part of that.”
“So why don’t you change it? Can’t you, I don’t know, bring it up at a meeting or something?”
The big man snorted at her. “If you ain’t the VP or the Prez, all you got is a vote, not a voice, at our table. And even those don’t always count for shit. The problem with this club is at the top – and things won’t change until the leadership changes first.”
“Dax!”
Lurch’s deep voice cut through the din of the crowd as he approached. Madison hadn’t noticed him come out of the back room.
The men stepped away from the bar and put their heads together as they spoke, too low for Madison or anyone else to hear. Finally they stepped away from each other as Dax just nodded. He returned to the bar.
“Things went better than expected, sounds like we’ll get our money from the Jap after all without having to force the issue. But I gotta go talk to Mag for a minute.”
“Can I come? I want to see the back room.” Prove that the idea of dancers and hookers don’t intimidate me.
Dax stared at her again and then finally gave a little half smile. “Fine, fuck. You’re a tenacious little bitch, you know that?”
She decided to take that as a compliment, and the word bitch as a term of endearment. She smiled back and grabbed his muscled arm, giving it a tight squeeze. “But I’m your tenacious little bitch,” she replied. Dax wrapped his hand around her back and reached down to grab her ass, giving it a big squeeze before sliding it around her waist. It felt comforting having it there. She moved her own hand so it wrapped around his waist as well, and the two of them made their way towards the double doors at the other end of the club.
As they approached, the doors opened and a short, skinny man in an oversized sports jacket came out, covered in smears of lipstick and a big smile plastered across his face. He looked drunk, barely swerving out of their way as they slipped through the doors before they closed.
The room they entered now was dimly lit, and was just a long hallway that they had to follow for a few feet until it turned left and opened into a big room. In the center was a small stage adorned with a brass pole. There was already a girl on stage, wearing only a frilly white thong and she was dancing circles around the pole with one hand on it. She had small breasts, probably only a B cup, but her face was pretty and she had long black hair that flung out behind her as she danced. She smiled at the two of them as they arrived, but Madison noticed her smile extended across to everyone else as she spun.
Dax was looking around, but not seeing Magnum.
“Hi Dax baby,” a woman appeared in front of them, blond hair and a tiny bikini top on that barely covered her nipples with a matching bottom. Her hand snaked out right in front of Madison and grabbed Dax’s jean covered cock as she greeted him.
“Hi Bambi,” Dax said, ignoring the hand on his crotch as if it were a normal way of greeting someone. “You seen Magnum?”
Bambi’s hand slid off of his crotch slowly, as if she was giving him a familiar stroke as she nodded. “He’s in the back room, baby. Who’s your cute friend? She a new dancer?”
Bambi’s gaze was on Madison now, and she was eying her big tits appreciatively. “I’d love to see her shake those titties!” Without warning the girl reached forward and grabbed one of Madison’s tits through her shirt. She let out a gasp of surprise and the dancer jus
t laughed. “You’re gonna need a thicker skin that than to work here, honey.” She gave the breast a good squeeze before letting go.
“Nah, she’s not a dancer,” Dax said as he started to walk away, pulling Madison by the arm to follow.
“Pity,” Bambi said as they departed. She winked at Madison. “If you want a private dance, sugar, let me know. Dancing for girls is a sweet treat and one of my specialties.”
Madison was still in shock that the girl had grabbed her tits, she’d never been touched by a girl before. She thought she’d be more disgusted, but it had honestly not been too bad. In fact, she’d actually felt a bit of a tickle between her legs when the girl’s hand was on her. It was probably just the strangeness of the situation, and excitement of being with Dax in such a new environment. Her blood had never pumped so hotly through her veins as it did now, spending time with this biker.
Dax led Madison around the stage and to the back of the room where there was another door and a big man standing in front of it. He nodded at Dax as he approached.
“Magnum in the champagne room?”
The bouncer nodded and stepped aside. He reached down and grabbed the door, pulling it open. Dax walked through, dragging Madison along behind him.
The lights in the back room were even dimmer than the main strip club area, and it took a minute for her eyes to adjust. At first, all she saw were shapes in the corners, moving together as a big blob, but as her pupils dilated to accommodate for the darkness, she realized that the shapes were bodies. Three of them, it seemed like.
On what looked like a dark couch along the wall, there was a girl on her back, completely naked and kissing another girl who was also naked and pressed tightly on top of her. Their breasts were mashed together, and the girl on top hand had her hands against the wall above the other girls head as they kissed. Behind the girl on top was Magnum, naked as well, and pounding his hips into the girl from behind with his own hands on tops of hers against the wall for leverage. The girl on the bottom had her arms wrapped around both of the bodies above her, and her nails were raking the back of Magnum as he thrust into her friend.
Sergeant-at-Arms (Desperados MC) Page 2