Mason: Inked Reapers MC

by West, Heather

  “Yeah,” He nodded. He tried to hide it, but I could see the excitement in his eyes. He’d wanted a family, a stable woman, kids, yard, everything he never had growing up after his pops ran off with some waitress.

  “Great. It’ll be great.” I said again as I eyed a pixie-haired beauty enter the diner. Tick started talking. I watched Lucy enter the restaurant and head for the counter. She was back in her cotton sundress and white gym shoes. The woman looked like she belonged in a Sunday school job, not playing the whore for a bunch of dirty MC members. The Disciples weren’t easy riders either, yet she didn’t look as though she’d been worn out by them. If the tightness of her pussy told him anything, it was that if she really was a mc whore she didn’t mess around too often.

  The waitress with wild red hair spiked in every direction jotted down Lucy’s order and pointed to the stools at the counter for her to wait. She hadn’t noticed me yet, so I kept watching while Tick rambled on about how he was gonna to propose to his girl. When Lucy sat on the stool, she leaned on the counter, the short sleeve of her dress crept further up her arm and that’s when I saw it. A dark purple bruise. My gut twisted, and I shoved away from our booth, ignoring Tick’s questions.

  “What happened?” I demanded before she even saw me coming.

  She jumped and looked at me with confusion. “Mason. Hey.” She quickly scanned the restaurant before giving me a small smile.

  “What happened?” I asked again, placing one hand on the counter and the other on the back of her stool, trapping her right in front of me.

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Your arm.” I yanked up the sleeve further and saw the bruise went up her arm all the way to her shoulder. “This.”

  Her face paled when she looked at the marking on her arm. Not because she hadn’t already seen it, but probably because of the anger she saw in my face at noticing it. “Who did this to you?”

  She yanked her arm away and looked around. “No one.” Pulling her sleeve back down, she shot me a glare. “An accident. I’m fine. Go back to your friend.”

  “Who did that to you?” I asked again, moving my face closer to hers. I wouldn’t’ let her get away without an answer. Someone put hands on her, hurt her.

  “Mason. Please, you’re making a scene.” She looked around the restaurant, and I realized that the other customers were probably looking at us.

  “Sit with me then.” I didn’t give her a chance to deny me, I laced my fingers through hers and pulled her from her stool and half dragged her to the booth where Tick and I were sitting. Tick saw us coming and scooted from his seat.

  “Hey,” He nodded to Lucy. “Uh. I’m gonna head back. Massy just sent a text, she’s not having a good morning.”

  “Coward.” Lucy shot at him. He clapped me on the back and headed out, leaving me with the damn check. Again.

  “Now tell me what happened. And no bullshit.”

  “Or what? No orgasm from you?” She rolled her eyes.

  “Lucy.” I tried to appeal to her sense. “Did Jayson hurt you? Because if he did-”

  “What? You’ll kick his ass? Start a war over the Disciple’s whore?” She laughed and ran her fingers through her short hair, wincing at the pain the movement caused her arm.

  I took a deep breath. She was right. If I went in fists blazing, a war would follow. “Okay. Just tell me what happened. Please.” I all but growled.

  Her grin widened. “Now who’s begging?” She teased me, and I couldn’t help but chuckle. “Look, it’s not like you’re not rough.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “The other day, when I wouldn’t drop my pants for you. That was you, right, who bent me over and- well-” A soft blush covered her face. “You know what you did.” She looked away from me then, it was my turn to grin.

  “Spanked you? Hell, yes. And I’d do it again if you defy me. Look I may be a bit more traditional when it comes to my women, but I don’t use them as a punching bag. A spanking for disobeying- that’s one thing. A punch to the arm- totally different.”

  “You’d spank your girlfriend?”

  “If she defied me? Hell yes. Not just in bed, either. That shits hot in there, but in the real world- if I say she needs to do something, there’s a reason and if she doesn’t listen- then yes, I’d bend her over my knee and spank her good.”

  Her jaw dropped and she stared at me as though I had just admitted to murdering her cat. “I can’t believe you just admitted that.” She whispered as though it were something to hide.

  “Why? I wouldn’t ever be with a woman who didn’t understand that going into it. And my old lady would be on the same page as me about who gave orders and who took them.” I watched her expression, looking for the repulsion I’d seen in other girls I expressed my views too. She looked at me with more curiosity.

  “So the spanking the other day-”

  “Really a cake walk compared to real discipline.” I placed my hand over hers, she was tearing a napkin to shreds onto the table without even realizing it. “Lucy. Who did this to you?”

  “I appreciate your concern, really, but there’s nothing you can do about it.” I couldn’t ignore the defeat in her voice, the sound grated against my skin.

  “Like hell, I can’t.” The waitress showed up with Lucy’s order all wrapped up and placed it on the table with the check. I plucked the bill from her before she could get to it, and pretended I didn’t see the sour glare she shot my way.

  “I don’t see you as the relationship type.” The change in topic threw me for a second and I had to think about what she was talking about. “I mean you talk like you’d like one, but I can’t see you bothering with it.”

  “Bothering with it?”

  “Yeah. I mean a relationship takes effort. Feelings. I don’t see you as the type to have either of those qualities.” If she was trying to piss me off, she was doing a pretty good job. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, you definitely like the physical stuff with a girl- but the real stuff, I don’t see it. You talk a big game- spanking- ha! Like a woman would ever let you do that.”

  Hadn’t he told himself that time and time again? He had no time for a woman. No time for a relationship. Yet here he was talking as though he’d planned it all out. “Maybe I just haven’t met the right girl.” I tried to sound casual, not stare too deeply into her eyes when I said it- because the idea that there was a right girl out there left me feeling unsettled. “And Lucy, you liked that spanking I gave you the other night.” Her jaw dropped. “And you’d like being under my control all the time, too. A discipline spanking is a small price to pay in comparison to the rewards of being a good girl.” The hot flush that erupted on her cheeks and the dilation of her pupils told me everything I needed to know about her response.

  “Fuck off.”

  I laughed. The woman had no idea how easy she could be read.

  Tossing the bills on the table to pay her tab and my own, I picked up her food. “I’ll walk you to your car.” I nodded toward the front door. Thankfully she didn’t give me any crap about it and slid out of the booth, heading to the exit. I watched her ass sway while she walked, the skirt of her dress moved along with her steps and it took more strength than I thought I had, not to grab her at that moment and drag her to the back room.

  She led me to a compact run-down car that looked like it crawled to the diner. “You drove this thing?” I couldn't’ stop the disgust from appearing in my voice.

  “Yeah. It’s my car.” She put a hand on her hip and glared at me. Those beautiful eyes narrowed in the sunlight, but I could see the smile on her lips just fine. “It’s a bit old, but it gets me where I’m going.”

  I shook my head and pulled the driver's door open half expecting it to fall off, there was so much rust. “Why don’t you ask Jayson to get this fixed up?” I prodded. I’d seen enough of her expressions when he was mentioned to know she didn’t hold him in the kindest light.

  She huffed. “Right.” Taking her food
from my hands, she put it in the car then looked up at me, shielding her eyes from the sunlight with her hand.

  “Is Jayson the one who put his hands on you?” I blocked her exit from the car and held the door so she couldn't shut it if she decided to retreat inside. “I won’t let you go without an answer.”

  “You said yourself you’d-”

  “I said I’d spank her, and only if she had agreed to that.” I shoved my hand through my hair, this woman made me lose my patience so damn easily. How the hell did I let her keep coming back to that topic? “I would never do this.” I gripped her arm where the bruise was and waited until she winced before for I let go. “Now, who the fuck did it?”

  The revving of an engine distracted her. I caught a glimpse of the bike driving down the street, slowing down as it approached us. One of the Disciples. Not giving a shit, I looked back to her, ready to demand an answer again. Those sweet soft brown eyes were wide, her face had paled and it looked like she was holding her breath.

  “Lucy.” I cupped her chin and brought her gaze back to me, but her eyes darted down the road.

  “I have to go. Please, Mason. I have to go.” She yanked away from me and jumped into her car. I stepped out of the way so she closed the door and looked down the street to see the same asshole sitting at the stop sign ahead. Her car growled to life- she needed an oil change and probably a new transmission from the sound of it.

  “I’ll be by tomorrow.” I promised. She looked behind her and pulled out of her space in into the street without looking back at me. I’d bet anything Jayson hurt her. And fuck if I was gonna let that slide.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  LUCY

  Jayson stopped talking to Jessica when I walked into the clubhouse. His eyes told me his anger hadn’t subsided after our chat earlier. My arm still hurt from where he squeezed me and shook me as he bellowed into my face. The stench of liver and onions from his breakfast still lingered in my nostrils.

  “Where the hell were you?” He yelled from the bar.

  “Went to grab some breakfast.” I held up my food container.

  “Yeah. I heard about your little date.” He made his way over to me. Jessica shot me a sympathetic glance from behind him.

  “I wasn't on a date, Jayson. I picked up my breakfast after I ran to the post office for Lucas.” I pulled out the receipt and shoved it at him.

  “I don't want to hear you’re hanging with that Reaper asshole.” He snatched the flimsy paper out of my hand. “You work here, and if he’s gonna keep stopping by your room, you need to start collecting my fee.”

  As far as I knew, Mason didn’t know there was a fee. He took me for a club whore. Which was worse? I didn’t even know anymore. “Fine. I’m gonna go eat.” I turned and left him glaring at my back. Fuck him.

  How the hell was I going to tell Mason he had to pay me if he came by again? I’d never collected the money before. The guys dealt with Jayson. Now I had to give him a quote? My bed creaked when I sank into it, my breakfast sat cold in its container on my night table. I had no appetite. Everything got shittier with Jayson. He enjoyed making my life hell, and I had no idea why. I hadn’t done anything to him. I’d never even met him until Kerri brought me to the clubhouse.

  It would be easy to blame Kerri for my situation, but she never made me go with her. I should have known not to bother with the club. I remembered enough from high school to know these assholes were bad news. After Mom died, I didn’t have anything. Every penny I had went to her bills and her funeral expenses. The few friends she’d had all jumped ship when she took a turn for the worse. People just can’t stand to watch death take over a person’s life.

  Coming back to Spring Valley hadn’t been my first choice, but I knew I’d be able to get some work and find a place to rent that I could afford. I only wanted to crash at Kerri’s for a while, just until I got on my feet. When she mentioned the club, I should have ran. Hell, when she told me she was dating the VP, I should have ran and taken her with me.

  I pulled the nursing brochures out again. Mason had fished them out of the trash and left them on my dresser. Jayson couldn’t stop me from taking a class. Just one, in the mornings, before I needed to tend bar for the men.

  Imagining life outside the club was dangerous, but for the moment, I let myself wander. Working at a hospital would be nice. The day shift, so I could go home at night and have dinner with Mason- wait. No. Mason was just another biker. How’d he get in my daydreams? I needed to push that idea away and quick. Being with Mason would just be a team change, the game would be the same. And I’m sick of the game.

  The evening shift on a Friday never left me longing for excitement. The strip club did twice as much business, which meant the girls would be busy out there all night long. Leaving me to deal with the members that didn’t feel like strolling the five hundred feet to the club. Jayson never let the members fuck around with the girls on busy nights. They were for paying customers.

  “Lucy, a little bird told me you were with Mason yesterday.” Lucas took a long pull of his beer.

  “You need a new bird.” I wiped down a few glasses. A group of guys racked up the pool balls in the far corner, carrying on about a bet.

  “He’s trouble, Luce.” The big brother tone made me smile.

  “So are you.” I winked and moved on to the next glass.

  “I’m serious. Jayson will have your head-”

  “Lucas, I have no interest in Mason or any other biker. When I’m done here, I’m moving on. Away from this town, this club. So relax okay?”

  “He’s never gonna okay that nursing shit.” He scratched his chin under the beard that was long overdue for a clip.

  “I know.” I nodded. “But maybe you could talk to him?” I leaned over the bar, letting my breasts press against his hand. His eyes went straight for my cleavage and he sighed.

  “One day, I might just visit your room there, little lady.” He threatened. It was the same empty threat he made every time he stepped in for me with Jayson.

  “You’ll do it?”

  “I’ll try.” He sighed. “I’ll tell him we could use someone with medical skills around here.”

  “He’ll hate you for it.” I grinned at him again. Whatever hold Lucas had on Jayson, worked to my benefit. But, I knew there was something there- something that gave Lucas an edge.

  “He can’t hate me.” Lucas slid the empty bottle toward me and stalked off into the back room. Two other guys followed him. “Beers, Lucy!” Lucas’s voice shook the wall. Asshole. Just loved to throw his weight around after he got through being sweet with me.

  “You really think Lucas is going to be able to help?” Jessica asked as she tied her apron on.

  “I don't know. But I have to do something. There has to be something after all of this.” I leaned pulled out a few bottles of beer from the cooler.

  “Look. Jayson hates the Inked Reapers. If he thinks you're starting to hook up with the Mason guy- it could be bad for you. Real bad.”

  “I’m not hooking up with anyone. I just want to get through this nightmare and move on.” I cradled the beers in my arms and headed off to the back room. I could feel her staring at my back. She knew how bad I wanted out of the club, but she also knew how bad Jayson could be about it.

  Lucas sat at the table in the back room with Jayson and a few of the other patched members. I barely knew their names, and really couldn't have cared less about them. One of them, the guy with piercing through his tongue, I knew him. He came to my room once in a while. Never wanted to fuck, just wanted me to jerk him off. I could feel him eyeing me as I handed out the beers to the guys.

  “We can’t let them get through the next month. They have to fuck up.” Jayson slammed his hand on the table just as I placed his beer down. He glared up at me, like it was my fault he almost spilled the bottle. “Get out.” He jerked a thumb toward the door.

  “Gladly.” I mumbled and made my way out. I slowed down as I walked back to the bar, listening
to Jayson ramble on about the Reapers.

  “I want their territory. The next run, I want it fucked up, and I want the blame on their doorstep.”

  “Hey, Lucy!” Jessica jerked me back to reality. They just started the alliance with the Reapers, why would fuck with it already? I’ve never paid any attention to club business before, not my business, not my problem- but Mason would be on the receiving end of that shit storm if Jayson managed to do what he was planning. Telling Mason could- no- would get me killed. Not telling him could get him killed. “Hey, where's your head?” Jessica grinned at me as she pushed a few drinks my way. “The guys in the pool room.”

  The door opened as I put the drinks down by the pool table. Before I turned around, I knew what I would be facing.