As she pushed open the back door with her knee and made her way into the darkened hallway, she could only just make out the door ahead of her. In the past six months the club had been refurbed and the lights were still all out down the back of the building. There were rumors flying around town that something really nasty had happened there, but all of the bikers were cagey and never seemed to want to talk about it in too much depth.
Courtney wasn’t bothered about details. She knew that if she was ever meant to know, then they would tell her in their own time and not a minute sooner. All she knew was that Tanner, one of the well-loved members of the Forsaken Riders had been killed… but by whom and how, had never been discussed in front of her, and as it stood, she had no desire to find out.
She reached the end of the corridor and shoved open the heavy swing doors with her shoulder before she made her way into the main room of the club. The front doors were open, letting in sunlight and a nice cooling breeze. It made a change to see the place not completely dark and lit with disco lights, and it kind of made it seem all the more surreal.
Courtney had never had a job like this before, and she had never been involved with a bike gang before she had found herself in Slate Springs, but she seemed to take to it like a duck to water and she had quickly settled in and become part of the furniture.
She looked around at the room. The actual furniture had not long been replaced from moth eaten old couches to sleek leather modular pieces that added a touch of class. The walls had been painted and the stage had been replaced along with the sound system and a lot of the lights. The vibe was still somewhat dingy and seedy, but from what Courtney had seen on pictures, it was a hell of a lot better.
Truckers were still their main clientele, but now, there would occasionally be an odd business man who would stop by for the night on his way through town to a meeting down south, or even some bachelorette parties wanting to see what it was like to be in a real live biker bar. Those groups of girls stood out a million miles away, and even though they drove Courtney mad, she was always pleasant, took their cash and made sure they all had a good time. She wasn’t the one shaking it up there on stage or working the room half naked. She was the bar manager and she could pretty much do whatever she wanted.
She heaved the crate of glasses up onto the countertop and sighed. The sweat was running down her chest and she fanned herself with her hand.
“Jeez,” she sighed. “It’s going to be a long day.”
She sat down on one of the high stools and mopped her brow. Even though the bikers were good bosses, she could have used an extra set of hands around when it came to setting up the entire place for the weekend. She reached over the bar and pulled a cold beer out of the fridge. As she twisted off the top and held it to her lips and sipped, she let out a long moan. She had been looking forward to it since seven am, even though she would never admit it.
“How’s it going?” the voice came from behind her and King came strutting in with his leather jacket thrown over his shoulder.
Even though Courtney knew he was a taken man, she couldn’t help but find King incredibly sexy. She had liked him since the moment she had laid eyes on him four months ago when she had first walked into Tanner’s and asked for a job. He had looked her up and down, nodded in approval and handed her an apron.
“It’s yours if you can start right now,” he’d said with a wink and she had felt her heart dance in her chest.
If only he didn’t have a girlfriend… if only he had ever really taken proper notice of her and knew that she existed. King may have been one of the only reasons she hung around Slate Springs, but no one would ever know that. She wasn’t silly enough to tell anyone her biggest secret… that she had a crush on her boss and one of the more senior members of The Forsaken Riders who happened to be engaged to biking royalty… the daughter of Reid, one of the most well-known bikers in the country.
Courtney sighed again. How could she ever compete with that?
“All good,” she smiled as she looked at him over her shoulder. “Hot though, and after that I’m broken,” she slapped her hand down on top of the crate full of glasses. “I had to take a rest.”
King smiled and sat down next to her. He held a cigarette up to his lips and lit the end.
“I’ll bring in the other crates,” he said with the smoke clamped between his teeth. “I felt bad watching you struggle with it.”
Courtney felt her smile spread from ear to ear but she quickly shook it away and rolled out her shoulders.
“Thanks,” she nodded. “That would be a real help.”
“No problem,” King said as he got to his feet. “But don’t get too used to it.”
He slapped her playfully on the shoulder and she giggled.
Stop it Courtney… she thought. You’ll only end up disappointed.
She turned and watched King saunter out of the front doors and into the baking hot sun. His huge arms were tanned and muscular and as he held them high above his head and stretched they seemed to bulge. Courtney’s breath caught in the back of her throat and she watched him there for a moment, barely able to breathe.
When she snapped herself back to reality she got straight to her feet and walked around to the back of the bar. She still had so much to do before the club opened at 3pm and she was really going to be up against it. As she pulled out her cleaning rag and her rubber gloves she laughed to herself. When she had accepted the job as the bar manager at a strip club, she had imagined something slightly more glamourous that donning a pair of marigolds and scrubbing at the tiles… but that’s just the way things were.
King came back inside with one of the heavy crates over his shoulder and she watched him place it down on the bar top.
“How many more do you need in?” he asked.
“Just another one,” Courtney smiled. “I’m going to clean up here and then change all of the glasses and restock the refrigerators.”
“Great, thanks Court,” he winked as he turned on his heel and made his way towards the double doors that led down to the changing rooms.
“Maybe I should start stripping instead of this shit,” she whispered to herself. “Maybe then he’d notice I was alive.”
She smirked and shook her head. The thought was ridiculous to her, so God knows what anyone else would think of her peeling away her clothes and shaking her butt up on stage for all of Slate Springs to see.
She sprayed the cleaning fluid all over the bar top and underneath and started to clean. Once it was over and done with, she could forget about it and get Tanner’s really ready for opening. She worked quickly and flawlessly and when she was finished she allowed herself another deep swig of beer.
“Drinking on the job,” King joked as he hauled in another large crate.
“You’re just determined to keep catching me out!” Courtney laughed.
“I’m just kidding with you,” King winked as he slapped his hands together and shrugged. “Right, you all good?”
“Yep,” Courtney smiled as she pushed her hands deep into her short pockets and swayed on her heels.
“I’ll be back later,” King said as he grabbed his leather jacket and slung it over his shoulder. “I need to go back to the club house to sort a few things. Can you set up the back room here for us tonight? We’re having a meeting…”
Courtney’s heart sank. She still had so much to do and now she was going to have to rush it so that she could prep the back meeting room which was currently full of trash and boxes.
“Sure,” she smiled happily, even though inside she was screaming with rage.
“Thanks, you’re a star,” he grinned. “We’ll all be over for it around eight, so make sure it’s all done by then.”
Courtney looked down at her watch, it was almost 2pm and the place opened in an hour. She was going to have to work like mad to get it all done, but she knew she could do it.
“No problem at all,” she did a mock salute and smiled.
“Catch you
later,” King said as he lit another cigarette and walked toward the door.
Courtney couldn’t help it, but she let her eyes fall down to his rock hard butt and let them linger there as he left.
“That can be my compensation,” she said aloud to herself. “For being over worked and underpaid…”
She would rather have King for real, but the odd glance and a wicked fantasy would have to do for now…
3.
Courtney worked like mad and the club opened as normal at 3pm. She had done everything she needed to and as the girls who danced started to drift around the club room she told them she was going to have to head out back and prep the meeting room.
“Can you keep an eye on things out here?” she asked Crystal, another new girl who had come to Tanner’s after its transition from Red X.
“Sure,” Chrystal smiled.
Courtney made her way to the right of the stage and out of a dark doorway which led down to the office. She rarely ever went down there because there was never any real need, but every time she did find herself taking a trip down there she liked to check out the photographs that had been placed carefully along the walls.
The men of the Forsaken Riders were so secretive and tight, she had no real idea of what they were capable of, but what she liked about them the most was that they had honor. They looked after each other and they had integrity. That, above all else, was what turned Courtney on. She had never had a man who had been as respectful as she had seen some of the bikers be with their women, and she craved it more than anything. She let her eyes skim over the old photographs, at some of the MC’s history that had been placed along the hallway as a reminder of how many years of loyalty had gone before them. Courtney wanted to be a part of a family like that, but she knew she couldn’t just be with anyone… she wanted to fall in love properly… not just settle with any old biker because it would be easy.
She pushed open the door to the meeting room and groaned. It was dark and dirty in there and she knew she had another few hours of hard work ahead of her… but maybe it would be worth it… maybe she would get a raise or a few extra days off for her trouble…
As she opened up some trash sacks and started to sweep in the mountain of old papers and porno mags she laughed to herself and smiled. They really would all be screwed now without her. She was sure of that. She was part of the glue that held the Forsaken Riders together… and she was sure it wouldn’t be long before she met someone who would be perfect for her and she could forget about King for good.
***
Later that evening the club was starting to fill up with the Friday night regulars and some clientele from out of town. Tanner’s was bustling and Courtney worked the bar alone and chatted and smiled to her customers to make sure they had a good time. She had been there for almost twelve hours straight, but she didn’t feel tired one bit. She was riding the wave of the atmosphere and getting drawn in to the excitement.
Chrystal was taking to the stage and she wore a long sheer white robe which she had tied delicately at the waist. She was such a beautiful girl and Courtney found herself being hypnotized by her and her petite blonde frame as she wrapped herself around the pole and made it look so effortlessly easy. Courtney was so different to her, it was a stark contrast. She wasn’t tiny, blonde and bone thin like Chrystal, she was curvy with big breasts and a perfect hourglass figure. Her jet black hair was cut in a blunt bob and she wore dramatic make-up which made her look vampy rather than sweet and innocent. She sometimes wondered what it would be like to dye her hair lighter but she felt as if a part of her identity would really be missing. Ever since she was a teen she had been a fiery brunette and she was proud of the way she looked. She had never had a man not fall at her feet… except King…
Maybe that’s why I like him so goddam much… she thought.
The door to the club swung open and the bikers started to filter through. Courtney found herself watching them intently as they split off into different groups, some of them approaching the bar, some of them watching Chrystal for a few moments, and some of them going straight toward the door that led to the back meeting room.
“Hey Courtney,” Carter smiled as he leaned over the bar and motioned for a drink.
Over the months, Courtney had made it one of her top priorities to remember what each and every one of the Forsaken Riders liked to drink, so she never had to ask them. She nodded and smiled and reached straight for the refrigerator where she pulled a cold beer for Carter.
He nodded and winked at her when he took it and made his way over to the door that led to the meeting room. King was stood in the doorway, watching and waiting for the other’s to catch them up and just as the majority of them disappeared inside he caught Courtney’s eye and held his hand up in the air, summoning her.
Her heart almost hit the floor. She turned and looked over her shoulder, assuming one of the other bikers must have been standing behind her, but it was no one but truckers and punters.
“Court,” he mouthed before he waved his hand again.
She pulled her apron off her waist and brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. As she wandered towards him a million ideas flashed through her mind, all of them creating different scenarios as to why King would want her there, but most of them ended with him pushing her down on the table in a fit of passion, and reaching for her panties…
“We’ll need some drinks,” he said. “Can you bring us in some bottles of Jack?”
Her heart sank. She knew it was getting ridiculous, she had to forget him. He was a taken man and she would never do that to another woman. Lexi and King were in love and she had to forget him and move on. She had to find someone of her own.
“Of course!” she smiled a little too enthusiastically.
As she walked back to the bar she cursed herself for being such a fool. She was a beautiful woman, and she was wasting her time on pining for a man she could never have. It was time for Courtney to find her great love… even if it meant leaving Slate Springs for good… She had never admitted it to herself before, but she wanted a man more than anything… a husband… a family of her own.
She sighed as she reached down below the bar and felt around for the whiskey bottles.
She wasn’t going to be overlooked anymore.
She had to take charge of her own destiny.
It was time to live her life.
***
Courtney stacked the bottles of whiskey onto a tray along with a selection of glasses and an ice bucket. She lifted it high onto her shoulder and made her way toward the door that lead out to the back meeting room. As she shoved it open with the side of her arm and made her way down the dark corridor, she could feel the eyes from all of the photographs on her… hundreds of eyes, from hundreds of years, all following her as she made her way down to the Forsaken Riders’ meeting.
When she reached the closed door she turned around and tapped it gently with her heel whilst keeping a tight hold of the tray balanced on her shoulder. Within a minute it creaked open and Bull, one of the newest members of the charter, opened it and glared at her with interest.
“Drinks,” she smiled and he stood back and let her inside.
The room was quiet and fogged with smoke. There must have been at least thirty men in there, all of them with cigarettes or cigars clamped between their teeth. Courtney tried not to cough as she made her way further into the room and stepped to the side where there was a tall bench in the corner.
In the center of the room was the main table. It was funny, if the circumstances hadn’t been so different, Courtney could have almost been a secretary walking into a conference room and setting up a corporate meeting… But here, in the back of Tanner’s Bar… the atmosphere was very different indeed. Courtney could feel the tension the second she set foot in there.
The bikers all sat around the large, oval, center table, and she walked around each one and placed a glass in front of them. Some of them nodded and some of them tapped her hand in thanks
, but a few were so tense and preoccupied, they didn’t even seem to notice she was there.
“We have to act now,” Lynx said. “We’ve already waited too long.”
“No,” another voice interjected. “The more time that passes, the less they’ll be expecting it…”
“Oh please,” another of the bikers stepped in. “They know what’s coming to them… the longer we leave it, the more it’ll drive ‘em nuts.”
“I don’t care about them being driven mad,” one of the old men said. “They need to suffer for what they’ve done… they need to know there’s only one club out here in this desert.”
Courtney felt her arms prickle into gooseflesh. She had had the feeling that there was trouble brewing with another club, and now it looked as if it was all about to come to a head.
Maybe another club was responsible for killing Marv and Tanner… she thought.
“We wait,” King said strongly as he got to his feet and commanded the entire room. “No one makes a move until I say so.”
“And what…” one of the younger members interjected. “We just let them think they got away with it?”
“They haven’t got away with it,” King said. “And trust me… it’ll be worth the wait…” he smirked and Courtney found her eyes falling on him, fixating and unable to move…
The room hushed and she moved back towards the bench where the ice bucket and bottles of whiskey were waiting. She kept her back to the table in the center of the room and pretended to be in the middle of something so she could listen in. She could tell that King was about to announce something… and she was desperate to know what.
“Oh yeah,” Carter said. “And how do you know… what do you have in mind?”
“It’s not what I have in mind,” King said sternly before he let out a low chuckle…. “It’s who.”
Suddenly there was a buzz in the room and Courtney felt the hairs on the back of her neck tingling. The suspense was killing her.
BULL: MC ROMANCE (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 6) Page 155