by Jade Kuzma
“Shit…”
“Need a light, friend?”
I looked up and didn’t even notice the man who was suddenly standing in front of me.
That guy…
It didn’t take me long to figure out who he was.
Messy hair underneath his hat. Dirty face. Unwashed clothes. The guy looked like some bum you’d find at the homeless shelter. He wasn’t wearing shades but it was him. The man from the street fight with Isaac I saw last night.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I said to him.
“I just thought I’d come over and have myself a beer.”
He held a pack of matches up to me. I swiped them from him and lit my cig. He kept looking at me, that stupid smile still on his face.
“The bar is inside,” he said. “I won’t check your ID because you look old enough.”
“Right, right…”
He squinted at me.
“Is there anything else you need? Some directions?”
“No. But… I was thinking you and I could have a friendly conversation.”
I had to laugh at his suggestion.
“We’re not friends, so I don’t think that’s happening,” I said.
“Oh, I think you’ll be interested in what I have to say.”
“I don’t give a shit what you have to say.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“How can I be so sure? You host street fights just to line your own pockets.”
“A man’s gotta make a living.”
“That kid the other night… Isaac. He’s barely 18. You had him getting his face bloodied and bruised just because you could make a profit off of him.”
“That was Isaac’s decision to make. I never forced him to do anything. Besides, Isaac may have taken his lumps but did you see the other guy. He’s the one you should be concerned for.”
I took a long drag of my cig. I held the smoke in my lungs and looked away, waiting for the man in front of me to walk away. I exhaled the smoke into the air and turned to find him still there, grinning at me like a fucking moron.
“Yates,” I said. “That what your name is, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Listen, Yates. Either go in the bar and have your beer or walk away. I don’t give a shit what you do. Just leave me alone.”
“But you still haven’t heard what I had to say.”
“I don’t give a shit what you have to say. And if you make me repeat myself, I’ll knock your head off your fuckin’ shoulders.”
“I bet you will… Aden Mercer.”
The smile left his face. He narrowed his eyes at me.
Who is this motherfucker?
I stared back at him, my jaw clenched.
“That’s right,” he said. “I know who you are.”
“Good for you. Isaac tell you?”
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “It took me a second to figure it out. You look a little different but there’s no mistaking it. You’re Aden Mercer. You’re the Aden Mercer—”
“Look. What the fuck do you want from me?”
“Okay, okay, okay…”
He put his hands up to try and feign his innocence. My blood was boiling even though the motherfucker hadn’t even said anything.
“…I just had a proposal for you.”
“A proposal?”
“You saw what kind of money Isaac made. I think you’d make a shit load of money. Being Aden Mercer and all—”
“Not interested.”
“Now hold on. Just a second. I don’t think you heard me. I’m telling you that you can make—”
“I heard you. I don’t care how much money you’re offering me. I’m not fucking interested.”
I moved forward and snatched him by the collar.
“Listen to me,” I said as I looked him right in the eye. “This is my first night on the job. I’ll let you go inside and have a beer. Business is business. But if you keep this up, I won’t hesitate—”
“Okay, okay,” he said, his hands still up. “You win.”
I pushed him back a few steps and moved back against the wall. I took another puff of my cig. Yates kept staring at me.
“I’m around Old Town,” he said. “I shouldn’t be too hard to find. If you ever change your mind, come looking for you.”
“I’m not gonna change my mind. And I won’t come looking for you.”
Yates finally turned around and started walking away. The sound of him whistling echoed through Old Town as he made his way down the sidewalk.
Motherfucker…
I shook the thought of him out of my head. Before I had a chance to think about anything else, the front door opened.
“Hey,” Roman said. “Takin’ a break?”
“What’s up?”
“Motherfuckers are fighting over some broad. Might wanna break it up.”
“Yeah…”
I dug my cig into a nearby ashtray.
“Women,” Roman said with a laugh. “Always causing trouble.”
I laughed right along with him. But hearing him say it made me think about the only woman in my life at the moment.
I thought about what she was up to right now. Dealing with the shit I was about to handle, the thought of seeing her again never seemed more appealing.
Chapter 10
DANICA
Finn’s was right in the heart of Ivory. When anybody wanted to have a good time, Finn’s was the place they headed to. Finn’s didn’t have any allegiances to any MCs. No, it was a place where every club came when they wanted to get away from the usual crowd of their own clubhouse.
Every night of the week, the scene was just as chaotic as the previous night. You could never tell what time it was because it was always time to drink. You could never tell how drunk anybody was because they were always drunk. And you never had to guess if there would be trouble because there was always trouble.
Seeing as how troublesome it was just to have a drink here, it took a special kind of person to work at a place like Finn’s. For me, the only motivation was the money.
I wasn’t ashamed to admit it. There was no better place that tipped like this. Usually, drunk guys would check me out and tip me a little extra to get my attention. But there was more to it than that. Club members were always having pissing contests. They all had money from their under-the-table deals and they had to constantly flaunt it. There was no better way to do that than at a club like Finn’s, in front of the other MCs.
I took full advantage of it.
My jean shorts were already revealing enough but I cut them a little more. There was just enough to leave a little to the imagination. My top highlighted my cleavage just right. I put my hair up and didn’t bother putting on much makeup. I didn’t need to be as pretty as I could be with how drunk all the guys here were. Just a hint of the possibility of what I looked like naked was more than enough to get all the attention I needed.
The night was in full-swing at Hades. I made my way around the tables, carrying around pitchers of beer and shots of liquor to help all the men enjoy their evening. The glasses I put down on their table were replaced with dollar bills and seductive winks.
I had to admit that some of the guys in the place were good-looking. There was just something about a man in a leather kutte and all the ink that proudly displayed his club affiliation that made a woman feel a certain way. Growing up in Ivory, I wasn’t much different from other women in that regard.
I was at the bar after delivering a set of drinks.
“How are you doing? Hanging in there?”
Lauren gave me a smile. It was nice seeing a friendly face to remind me that I wasn’t in this alone.
“Hanging in there,” I said to her. “That’s one way of putting it.”
Lauren started working at Finn’s a few months before I did. We weren’t close but we were always watching each other’s backs.
She leaned in close to me.
“Hey,” she said.
“Come here. I need to tell you something.”
“What is it?”
“Come closer.”
She motioned for me to move toward her. I thought it was strange, considering how loud it was in the bar. Even if she yelled, Lauren still wouldn’t have gotten the attention of everybody around here.
“You see those guys over in the corner,” she whispered.
I scanned the bar and eventually found a group of bikers hidden in a corner booth.
“Yeah. What about them? They don’t look familiar.”
“That’s because they’re new in town, apparently. They call themselves the Iron Spades.”
I never kept track of the MCs in Ivory. There were so many clubs and they were all coming and going.
I looked closer and squinted to get a better idea of why Lauren was so concerned.
They were a rough-looking bunch. All of them had their heads shaved. In place of hair, they all had tattoos on the back of their heads. It was one thing to have ink on your arms but they had all it all over their necks and some even on their faces.
“I’ll probably stay away from them,” I said.
“You don’t have to stay away from them. They’re tipping well. Really well.”
“Is that right?” I said, raising an eyebrow at Lauren.
She laughed at me despite the concern on her face.
“I know you won’t be able to resist making that kind of money. All I’m saying is that you be careful around them.”
“Everybody knows that you can’t start shit at Finn’s. I don’t see how these guys would be any different.”
“Oh, Danica… Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Lauren gave me a wink and ventured back through the bar to deliver another set of drinks.
I kept staring at the group in the corner of the bar. They were all having a good time, laughing with big smiles on their faces and girls on their laps. They might have been threatening to Lauren but from what I could see, they were just looking to have a good time.
All right. Be careful now.
I figured it was worth whatever risk Lauren warned me about to make a few more dollars tonight.
I headed over to the corner booth and realized just how loud they were. Each of them cackled like hyenas. They gulped their beers and smacked their lips. The women on their laps laughed at whatever inane conversation they were undoubtedly having.
“Hey, gentlemen,” I greeted them. “Can I get you anything else to drink tonight?”
I said it loud enough for all of them to hear but none of them paid me any attention. I waited for a bit before one of them finally turned toward me.
The smile had left his face as soon as his eyes met mine. He was probably the most menacing one of the bunch. Red tattoos on the back of his shaved head and even more ink around his collar. Deep bags around his eyes and more wrinkles on his face. A beard thick enough to hide his mouth. Even if that wasn’t intimidating enough, his big biceps were enough of an indication that people didn’t mess with him.
“What’s your name?” he asked.
“Danica,” I said, still maintaining my composure despite how imposing he was.
He moved the woman on his lap off of him and stood up from his seat.
“Danica,” he said as he looked down at me. “Call me Hawk.”
“Hawk… All right, Hawk. Did you want something to drink? Maybe a refill on your pitcher?”
“I haven’t seen you around tonight.”
“Well, I’ve been around. It’s pretty crowded in here, so I don’t blame you.”
“Oh, no… I would’ve noticed you if I saw you…”
He looked me up and down. The way he stuck his tongue out made it obvious what kind of lascivious thoughts were running through his mind. Working at Finn’s, you got used to that sort of thing. Of course, I never minded too much.
But there was something about Hawk that made me uncomfortable. His voice was gravelly. Even with how kind his words might’ve seemed, they almost sounded threatening. Then there was the way he looked at me. Beady little eyes with intentions that seemed like he wanted to do more than just bend me over.
“I’m thirsty,” he said.
“All right. I can get you a beer. Or were you in the mood for something else?”
“Oh, I’m in the mood for something else, all right…”
He took a step toward me.
“…I think that wet pussy of yours can quench my thirst.”
I caught a whiff of him. The combination of liquor and dirty leather wasn’t pleasant in my nostrils. I turned my head away and took a step back.
“Believe me,” I said. “My pussy is anything but wet right now.”
“What did you say?”
I could feel his glare on me. The rest of his club had stopped what they were doing and now they were all looking at me. None of them were smiling. A bunch of predators eyeballing me like I was a piece of meat.
“I asked you a question,” he said.
“I…”
I coughed to clear my throat.
“…I wanted to tell you that the bar has a wide variety of beers on tap that I’m sure will satisfy you.”
“I don’t want beer.”
“Oh, well then we have—”
“What’s wrong with you? You too dense to get it? Nah… That shit don’t matter. You’re just my type, Danica.”
“Sorry.”
I said it without hesitating. I might’ve slept around but I was never the type of woman who hooked up with just anybody. There was nothing Hawk could do to get me to change my mind.
“Not interested,” I said. “Employees at Finn’s are discouraged from fraternizing with the customers.”
“Discouraged.”
He looked at his club and started laughing.
“You hear that, boys? This broad doesn’t wanna suck my dick because it’s against the club’s policy.”
They all joined in with Hawk. Even the women at the table were cackling loud.
I looked off to the side, just waiting for the moment to pass.
“All right, Danica,” he said. “Keep playing the rules. You’re probably a frigid bitch anyway. Do me a favor and get me another pitcher.”
He forced a small wad of bills into my hand and turned me around. A sudden stinging slap against my ass cheek made me yelp. It drew another burst of laughter from his group.
This motherfucker…
I closed my eyes and gritted my teeth. It was taking every ounce of strength to maintain my composure. Who the fuck was I kidding? I would never be able to maintain my composure. Not with a smug prick like this guy.
I turned back around and glared at Hawk. He looked back, his eyebrows raised.
“Well?” he said. “What are you waiting for? Get me my pitcher of beer!”
“How about you get yourself a pitcher, asshole?”
I threw the money back on the table in front of him. As soon as I did it, Hawk jumped out of his seat.
“You stupid bitch—”
Before Hawk could do anything, club security was already surrounding me. I didn’t even notice how quickly they’d gotten to me.
“There a problem here?” one of the security guards said.
“No problem,” Hawk said. “Just wanted to order a few drinks and this waitress here refused.”
“Sorry,” I said. “This… This isn’t my table. I’ll get someone else to take care of you.”
I walked away with a few security guards by my side. I breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the moment was over. I stood next to the bar and tried my best to regain my composure.
“Danica.”
Lauren stood right next to me. The concern on her face was obvious.
“Didn’t I warn you not to mess with them?” she said.
“You warned me. You also told me that they tipped well. You know I can’t refuse a chance to make some easy money like that.”
“You’re right. I should’ve known better—”
> “No, no. It’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have gone over there in the first place.”
“It’s a good thing I was watching. Who knows what that asshole would’ve done if I didn’t send security over.”
I looked over at the corner table. Hawk and the rest of his boys had gone back to their conversation like nothing had happened. Thinking about what just happened made me shudder.
“What’s wrong?” Lauren asked.
“It’s nothing,” I said. “He just… He just gave me the creeps, hearing what he wanted to do to me.”
“You’ve been at Finn’s long enough. Creeps are always on the menu. You’ll never find a decent guy at Finn’s. You’ll have to go to a clubhouse if you want to find a club member who’s worth it.”
I thought about Aden as soon as Lauren said it. It’d only been a day since I last saw him but he was on my mind constantly.
“Danica.”
Lauren woke me up from the trance I didn’t realize I was in.
“Are you all right?” she asked.
“I’m fine. I was just… thinking.”
“You’ll have plenty of time to think later. The night’s still young.”
Lauren went back to work and left me alone at the bar.
I pulled my phone out for a second and thought about sending Aden a message. I wanted to see him again. I wanted him inside of me. I wanted to satisfy him. I wanted him to make me forget about all of the crap I had to deal with just now.
No… Not tonight…
I convinced myself to forget about him, even for just a few hours.
Aden was just some guy I hooked up with. I couldn’t depend on him, even if it was just for the sex. Tonight was for working.
Still, I couldn’t deny that I was looking forward to seeing him again. Whenever that was, we would pick up right where we left off.
Chapter 11
ADEN
Hard punches…
I swung my fists at the heavy bag. Every punch landed with a thud against the leather.
Hard punches…
Sweat dripped down my brow, across my cheeks and down to the floor. Every inch of me was drenched.
Hard punches…
The burning sensation in my arms was familiar. You never got used to it but you always just told yourself that you had to.