by Amy Cecil
I was going through some notes when I heard a knock on the door. What time was it? 10 am already? What the fuck? I’d been holed up in this office for four hours. “Come in.”
The door opened and Hawk walked in. “Hey Prez, what’s going on? You’ve been in here for quite some time.”
“Just checking and double checking our strategy for tonight. I want us all to get out of this whole, especially Skeeter.”
“Ice, he’ll be fine. It’s not like he is gonna become a Satan. He is just going to give them some intel that will make him their new best friend. Exactly what we need.”
“I know you’re right, but I can’t shake this feeling that something is going to go wrong.”
“Ice, you worry too much. The plan is going to go off without a hitch and we are all going to return whole. Now why don’t you come out and relax a bit. Your little Emma was asking about you.”
I looked up at my VP and best friend. “What’d she say?”
He started to laugh. “I knew it! You’re so damn pussy-whipped.” He continued to laugh and then added, “I never thought I would see the day when Caden ‘Iceman’ Jackson was whipped by a chick.”
Fuck him. “Are you done?”
His laughter subsided and he turned to leave. “Yeah, I’m done.” He chuckled as he left my office.
Asshole. Why do I put up with him? Does the whole club know? They can’t. My wing of rooms is on the opposite side of clubhouse, away from everyone else. The only two people in that portion of the building are Emma and me.
Not long after Hawk left, I emerged from my office. I spotted Emma immediately. She was sitting at the bar drinking a cup of coffee. Thank God she wasn’t drinking whiskey again. That’s a good sign, isn’t it? Suddenly, I felt unsure. My confidence wavered and I thought, “What if she is pissed at me? What if she changed her mind and did not want to be mine? Fuck it, Caden. Stop this right now. Chicks come and go. You can have any pussy you want, even Emma.”
With a renewed sense of confidence, I walked over to the bar. I leaned down, kissed Emma on the cheek and walked into the kitchen to get myself a cup of coffee. When I returned, all the guys who were sitting around the bar were quietly staring at me.
“What the fuck is wrong with all of you?” I asked.
All at once, the boys suddenly seemed like they had been caught doing something they shouldn’t have been. Then there was a mixture of, “Nothing Ice,” “No, Prez, we were just hanging out,” and, “We’re good, Ice.” I walked over and seated myself next to Emma, who was giggling to herself. Aw, come on, not her too. Why was
I the laughingstock of the club this morning? Suddenly, the boys sitting at the bar all stepped away from the bar and into the other areas of the common room, giving Emma and I some privacy.
I looked over at Emma and asked, “You too?”
She smiled, “Well, Caden, it seems that the club has never seen you … well, how did they put it … claim a woman before.” She giggled again.
I leaned in closely to Emma and said, “You sure about this? And keep in mind, you are not just agreeing to be with me. You are agreeing to being with my club. This is my life now.”
“Caden, please understand, wanting you has never been a problem. I’ve always wanted you.”
“Why do I feel that the next word out of your mouth is gonna be ‘but’?”
“Because it is.” I started to speak, but she held up her hand to stop me. “Please hear me out,” she asked. I decided to let her speak and nodded reluctantly. “As I said, wanting you has never been a problem. But you live in a world that scares me. The power you have scares me. And it is your life that I am not sure about, not you.” She paused for a moment and then added, “But, on the other hand, it is your world that’s helping me too. I thought Mark was a stand-up guy, an aspiring attorney … and now, I am certain that he is the reason that Brianne is gone in the first place.” She paused again and I was more confused than ever. Then she said, “I guess what I am trying to say is that what I thought you and your club stood for and what I thought Mark stood for … well, I was wrong. I judged you both and came to the wrong conclusions. Now, do I think you are a saint? No. But I know you are a good man, Caden, and I trust you with my life.”
“So what is it you are trying to say?” I asked hesitantly.
She smiled, “What I am saying, Caden, is that I love you. I’ve always loved you and yes, I want to be a part of your life. And yes, I understand the club comes with you. If having the club means I get you in the bargain, then it is worth it.”
I felt as if my heart was going to explode from my chest. “So you will be my old lady?”
She laughed and said, “Yes, but you are going to have to send me to old lady school.”
I laughed. She was amazing, taking all this in for me. I stood and addressed the brothers in the club, “Hey boys … well, it is official. I’ve finally found a woman who will put up with me and all of you sorry losers.” I gestured toward Emma and continued, “My beautiful, sexy, and smart Emma. She has always had my heart and my protection. Now she has my patch.”
Everyone cheered and came over to congratulate us. “I don’t see a patch. Where’s her patch, Prez?” Rebel asked sarcastically.
Well shit, this happened so fast, I didn’t think of her “Property of Ice” patch. “Well I guess we‘ll have to get one made for her, now won’t we?” I looked down at Emma and winked.
Emma gave me a curious look, but remained silent. After a few minutes, while the celebration continued, Emma turned to me and asked, “What do you mean when you say that I have your patch?”
She had so much to learn. “Well, darlin’, now that you have agreed to be my old lady, you become my property.”
“What?” she asked, as if she was mad at me for something.
Brushing her off as I didn’t want to create a scene in front of the rest of the club, I said, “We’ll talk about this later. Now is not the time.”
Now I’d really pissed her off. I could see that vein on the side of her temple pulsating, and I knew that the next words out of her mouth were not going to be pleasant ones. “Now let’s get one thing straight, Caden Jackson. I have never been nor will I ever be anyone’s property. You got that?”
Everyone in the club fell silent, and all eyes were on Emma and me. Great. I didn’t need this, especially not in front of my club. Damn. Knowing that I didn’t want to lose my girl, but that I also needed to save face in front of my club, I proceeded with caution. “Emma, let me ask you something.” She nodded. Well that was a plus, at least she was keeping her mouth shut. “Are you saying that you do not want to be my old lady?”
Confused, she looked at me and answered, “Of course not. That’s not what I am saying at all.”
“So you do want to be my old lady?” I asked again.
Meekly, she answered, “Yes.”
I grinned and said, “Well then, that’s settled.”
Again, more confused than before, she asked, “How is this settled?”
“Sweetheart, it comes down to two choices for you. Either you do want to be my old lady or you don’t. If you do, then you will wear my property patch. If you don’t, then we will settle this mess with Brianne and you will go on your merry way.”
She just stood there, staring at me in shock. Then she looked around at everyone around us and suddenly looked embarrassed. She turned back toward me, still silent.
“Well darlin’, what’s it gonna be?”
Suddenly, she stood a little taller and straightened her shoulders. Not looking embarrassed anymore, she said, “Oh, no! You are not getting rid of me that easy. You’re stuck with me!”
Laughing, I pulled her into my arms and said over her shoulder to the club, “Well, I guess now it’s settled.”
Chapter 17
Caden
After we all had a celebratory drink in Emma’s honor at 10:30 in the morning, I called for a meet with the brothers
who would be in on the drive-by tonight. Now that Emma was on board, Honey offered to have Emma’s vest and patch made and I agreed. Honey was a champ, and I was proud of her. I knew this had to be hard for her, but she took it all in stride.
Hawk rounded up the rest of the boys that didn’t sleep at the clubhouse. By 11:45, all the boys were in the chapel waiting.
We discussed the details of tonight’s plan over and over. When everyone had it embedded in their brains what they were to do, the meeting was adjourned. We were all to meet at the clubhouse at 10 pm.
I spent the rest of the day pretty much by myself. I needed a clear head for tonight, so messing around with Emma wouldn’t be a good thing, even though I couldn’t get her out of my thoughts. Still, Emma had to wait.
At 9:45, the boys started to arrive. We put our cuts on and at approximately 10, we headed out of the compound. We parked our bikes about a block away from Dirty Dick’s and waited. Around 10:45, Rebel got the text from Skeeter. It was time. We fired up our bikes and headed toward the bar. As we got closer, we slowed, glancing over to the bar. Just like we planned, twelve Satans were outside, watching. I could only imagine what type of weapons they were brandishing, but then again, they were probably just as well-armed as we were. You can never be too careful in situations like this, and I always make sure my boys are prepared. Once we saw the Satans, we picked up speed and drove off. Phase one of our plan was complete. Now we wait until Skeeter makes contact.
When I got back to the clubhouse, Emma was sitting at the bar talking to Honey. They looked pretty chummy and it appeared that they were becoming friends. Oh damn, I hope they were not comparing notes. Shit. Oh well, I can’t change it if they were. I walked over to them and took the seat next to Emma. Honey immediately stepped away and started wiping down the bar. Was it something I said?
Emma looked at me curiously, then asked, “Well?”
I knew what she was asking, but I also needed to make her understand that she couldn’t be privy to everything that involved club business. So I played dumb. “Well what?” I asked back.
Frustrated, she asked again, “How did it go tonight?”
Keeping my response as vague as possible, I replied, “It’s all good sweetheart. No need to worry your pretty little head about matters that don’t concern you.”
I’d pissed her off again. She asked, “But Cade?” She wanted to continue to prod me for information, but the look I gave her made it clear that she needed to stop. Thankfully, she got the hint. She was angry, and I knew I would have to deal with that later. She would have to understand. I was not about to explain to her in front of Honey that as a woman, she was not in a position to know about everything we do. I know, it sounds completely sexist, but it is a rule that we abide by on all levels.
I’d planned on having a drink, but decided against it. I was sure that if I lingered at the bar with her, she would find ways to keep prodding and I was not in the mood to deal with it. I got up from the barstool and kissed Emma on the cheek. I started to walk away when Emma called back to me, confusion written all over her face, “Caden?”
“No worries, princess. Just got some work to do.”
Sadly, she responded, “Ok.”
I went into my office, grabbed my private stash of Maker’s and poured myself a drink. My head was pounding and for the first time since Emma has been staying here, I realized this wasn’t going to be easy. I thought I could just ease her into club life and there wouldn’t be any problems. But, after the whole property conversation this morning and now her wanting details on tonight’s run, it’s clear that I need to get her straight on a few things. I finished my drink and stepped out of my office. To my surprise, the common area of the clubhouse was dark. The bar was cleaned and everyone was gone. Holy shit, how long was I in my office? I looked at my watch: 3am. Damn … time flies when your brain is full of shit! I needed to get some sleep.
I headed off to bed. When I got to Emma’s room, I was again surprised to find her awake. She was sitting up in bed reading and it appeared as if she was waiting up for me. By the look on her face, I could see she wanted to talk. She wasted no time, either.
“Caden, what’s going on?”
“Nothing is going on. Why would you ask a stupid question like that?” I was too tired to give her anything more.
“You were downright rude to me when you came back. I want to know why. I don’t appreciate being treated like a dumb blonde! I asked you a question about tonight and you totally blew me off!”
And there it was. I had no choice at this point. She was not going to let me get any sleep unless I talked to her. She wasn’t gonna like what I had to say, but she better at least accept it. “Emma, you are my old lady. You are no longer considered a civilian in the eyes of this club. Women involved with this club – old ladies, sweetbutts, etc. – they do not get involved with club business. Tonight’s run was just that, club business. Not your business. Women are on a need-to-know basis. If I determine that there is something that you need to know, I’ll tell you. If I don’t, then don’t expect me to tell you. The details of tonight’s run were not something that I felt you needed to know. Understand?”
“Why are you being so mean?” Tears started to well up in her eyes.
Damnit! Why did she choose to do this at fucking three in the morning? But she was right, I was being harsh. I’m not used to having to answer to the woman in my life. I guess with Emma, things are going to have to be different. We all have a price to pay for the things that we want … I guess this is mine.
I walked over to the other side of the bed, removed my clothes and crawled into bed next to her. I pulled her toward me and nuzzled her against me. “Emma, I’m sorry. I was rude to you downstairs, but please understand I am not being mean or intentionally being rude. First of all, I’ve had a long day, and I have a raging headache and a ton of shit on my mind. But that’s not an excuse for my behavior.” She started to speak, but I took my finger and placed it over her lips. “While I am still awake, let me finish. We have rules. Rules that we all abide by. If the president doesn’t follow the rules, then who sets the precedence for the other members of the club to follow them? I should have explained this all to you before, and I didn’t. So, I’m gonna explain now. We don’t involve our women with club business for their own safety. The less you know, the safer you are. Can you understand that?”
“I do understand, really. But I was so worried for you. I just wanted to know that everyone was alright.”
“I know, sweetheart. When it is just you and I, we can have these conversations and I can tell you that everyone is just fine. But in front of the club, the old ladies and sweetbutts, it’s just not appropriate. It’s my fault; I should have had this talk with you sooner. I just didn’t realize how little you knew about club life. I don’t mean that in a derogatory way, but in ignorance on my part for not being realistic.”
Sheepishly, she asked, “Are you saying you don’t think this will work out between you and I?”
I chuckled, “Now young lady, you are putting words in my mouth. No, I am not saying that. I think you are going to make a damn good old lady. What I am saying is that I need to be more understanding of what you don’t know.” I paused for a moment then added, “Let’s do this: how about for now, until I can spend more time with you showing you the ropes around here, if you want to know something or you don’t understand something, wait and ask me when we are alone.”
“Are you asking me to make you look good in front of your club?” she giggled.
“Yeah, darlin’, that’s exactly what I am asking you.”
“So,” she said, as she moved away from me. Getting up from the bed, she stood there staring at me. “How tired are you?” As she said this, she began to lift the tank over her head exposing her bare breasts.
“Well, five minutes ago I was dog tired, but now, I’m thinking not so much.”
She grinned and proceeded to remove her panties. S
he was completely naked and standing at the opposite side of the bed. I couldn’t take my eyes off her; her beauty was breathtaking. Why was she just standing there? “Sweetheart, if you don’t get your sexy ass over here, I’m comin’ to get you.”
She got on the bed on her hands and knees and began to crawl over me. When I reached for her, she shooed me away. What the hell? Next thing I knew she had crawled on top of me and was straddling me. I could see the heat in her eyes and it was unlike anything I had ever seen before. She was on fire, and she wanted me.
“So, you’ve got me here. Now, what are you gonna do with me?” I asked teasingly.
Smugly, she replied, “Look at you.”
“I’m right here baby, you can look all you want.” Her fingers began to trace the dragon tat that encompassed the upper portion of my chest, his wings and tail trailing down my left arm.
“Your ink is amazing,” she said as if she was mesmerized by the color and detail etched into my skin. “Why do you have a dragon?” she asked.
Does she really want to talk at a time like this, or is she just prolonging the inevitable? I could see the passion in her eyes, so I played along. “Well, Ace’s road name was Dragon.
“I thought Ace was his road name?” Emma asked.
“Nope, it was Dragon. But more people called him Ace. I really don’t know why.”
“That’s odd, doesn’t seem to fit the protocol that I have seen around here.”
“No, I guess it doesn’t. I never really thought about it, but you are right.
“So, Ace is the reason you got the tattoo?” She urged.
“Yeah, he gave me a life when I had nothing. He was more of a father to me than my own dad was, and I loved him like a father. When he was killed, I had the ink done.”
“You don’t talk about him much. What was he like?” she asked.
“Emma, do we really have to talk about this now?” I said, exasperated. She must have gotten my message by my tone, because she continued her inspection of my body. Her hands never leave my skin as she studies my ink, tracing the intricate lines. She moves her hand over to my right shoulder and inspects my armor.