“I’m outside now. No one can hear us. What’s the matter, Mia?” Ashley asked.
“I just, I don’t know. I needed to talk to you. You’re the only one I can trust.”
“It was a long time ago. Prom night, remember. We promised each other we wouldn’t do this. We covered our asses, so stop bringing it up before you fucking curse us.” Ashley sounded broken over the line.
“I can’t stop.” Taking deep breaths, Mia did her best to get her rioting emotions under control. “It’s all right for you. You didn’t do anything.”
“I was there, and I helped. He was a bastard, Mia. We did the right thing.”
“You mean I did.”
“Is this about Curse? Is he asking questions?” Ashley asked.
“He’s always asking questions. It’s only a matter of time before he finds out the truth.” Opening her eyes, she turned to face the room. “He won’t take no for an answer.” And she’d grown tired of fighting him. She was always fighting him, and it hurt at times.
“Then make him forget about your past.”
“There’s only so much I can do and say. He’s relentless.”
Ashley started talking about other things.
“I need you to sleep with him,” Mia said, cutting her friend off.
“What?”
“He promised there wouldn’t be any other women. If you sleep with him, it’s a reason for me to stop.”
Silence met her answer.
“Mia, I’m not some whore to use like that.”
“You’ve fucked him before, and you sleep with half the club. I’m not offering you cash. I’ve got none. I need you to help me to stop him from wanting to be with me.”
Ashley hysterical chuckle came over the line.
“You’re not going to help me?” Mia asked, angry.
“I can’t help you with this.”
“You asked me to keep this a secret. I’ve done everything in my power to make your life easier, Ashley. Help me with this, or I swear to God, you and I will no longer have anything in common as I’ll turn myself in.” She slammed the phone down.
Mia wasn’t lying. She was tired of feeling this way, and if the only way to make it all stop was to come clean, then she would.
Chapter Six
Curse stormed into the clubhouse within half an hour of dropping Mia off. He went straight for the office where he knew Devil would be. Entering the office he found his president on the phone looking serious.
“You’re fucking serious? Alex did it? Shit, Tiny, what are you going to do?”
Devil looked up at him and nodded for him to take a seat.
“Butch is not going to come back to The Skulls now.”
Tiny was obviously saying something else.
“I know, and Angel is settling in again?”
“She’s still in Italy with Lash?”
His president nodded. The conversation was one sided. Tapping his leg, Curse waited for the phone call to end. Ten minutes later Devil hung up. “I’m telling you we settled in the wrong fucking town. Tiny and The Skulls are dealing with a whole load of other drama.”
“Who with?” Curse asked.
“Butch and Alex.” Devil shook his head. “I’m not going to get into it. It’s fucking ridiculous, but I’m sure we’ll be dragged back to Fort Wills in no time. Lexie has agreed to go. Eva’s arranging a family barbeque for all of us to be invited. It will be good. Anyway, why are you here?”
“I want to kill Jerry.”
The other man burst out laughing. “Yeah, right, it’s not going to happen.”
“I’m being fucking serious. I want to kill Jerry, and I want permission off you to do it.” Curse’s words sobered Devil up.
“Okay, why do you want to kill the man we’re in business with?” Devil asked, leaning back in his chair.
“He offered my woman a job as a call girl.”
“Mia, the woman from the diner.”
Curse frowned. “How do you know about her?”
“It doesn’t take a fucking genius to realize shit like this. Also, I know everything about my men.” Devil shook his head. “We’re not going to start something with Jerry. He offered your woman a job, but that doesn’t mean he was being disrespectful to you.”
“What would you do if it was Lexie?” Curse asked, knowing he hit below the belt.
“Come on, let’s go and deal with this shit.” Devil got to his feet, grabbing his keys from the desk. He flipped his cell phone open and dialed a number. “Hey, babe. Did you sleep well this morning?”
Tuning out of the one sided conversation Curse spotted Ashley in the corner of the clubhouse looking pale. He frowned but didn’t stop to say hi. Curse would deal with her when he got back.
“Oh, where are we going?” Pussy asked, joining them.
“I’m going to kill Jerry.”
“Sounds exciting. I’m coming along.”
Pussy joined them, and Devil walked out of the clubhouse five minutes later. Straddling his bike, he followed Devil out of the compound. He hoped Jerry was at home. The desire to sink his fist into the guy’s face was strong.
The roads were not that busy as they drove up the main road. Outside of Jerry’s house a woman was struggling with four large suitcases.
“Aren’t you going to help me?” she asked, screaming at Jerry.
“You want me to help you leave me? You’ve got no chance, baby. You want to leave, do it under you own steam.”
Curse smirked even though he wanted to hate the bastard. Jerry was a pimp, a drug dealer and the owner of respectable companies, but he loved the rounded woman struggling to put the cases in her cheap ass car. The other man looked annoyed. His two kids were buckled into their seats as they passed the car.
Jerry nodded at Devil. “I’ll be with you in a second once my wife decides if she’s leaving or not.”
“I’m leaving. I am fucking leaving you.” She threw curses at Jerry, hatful words even. Curse saw through it all. The woman was in pain, and she was doing everything she could to force herself to leave.
After ten minutes, Jerry was on his cell phone. A limousine pulled up outside of the house. Curse watched as he carried his two kids to the waiting limo then went to his wife. When they first met Jerry, he was married to a blonde, slender woman who was a viperous bitch. Melanie had been his mistress. Within the few years of them being in Piston County, the wife had gone and Melanie became his wife. The drama hadn’t all been there.
“I hate you,” she said.
“I know, and I promise you nothing happened.”
She shook her head. Jerry placed her in the back of the limo and told the driver where to take them.
Once the limo was out of the street, Jerry turned back to them.
“Sorry about that.” The other man looked lost.
“Trouble in paradise?” Devil asked. His president had been there for the wedding.
“You could say that. She’s under the impression I’ve got a mistress hiding somewhere because of what I did with her.” He picked up two of her cases with ease. “She trashed the house the other day in our argument, and now she wants a divorce.”
Curse grabbed the other two cases, and together they entered the house.
“Do you have a mistress?” Devil asked.
Since they settled down, Devil had turned into a gossip.
“No, I’ve not. Fuck, having Melanie as my mistress was a fucking mistake. I saw her when I was away from home and fell for her, but I was married to that fucking viper.” Jerry shook his head. “She’ll soon come around.”
“If not, you’ve got another divorce on your hands,” Pussy said, sounding cheery.
“Great, thank you. Why are you here?”
“Curse wants to kill you,” Devil said, taking a seat in the nearest sofa. “You propositioned his woman, and he’s come to hurt you for it.”
Jerry frowned. “Seriously? A whore convinced you she wasn’t a whore.”
“Mia’s no whore.
”
The other man tensed then cursed.
“I had no idea she was taken.” Jerry moved over to the bottles of scotch. “It’s five o’clock somewhere, and I’ve had enough already.”
“Why did you offer her a job as an escort?” Curse asked.
“I offered her a chance to make extra money. She works two jobs, and in case any of you are blind, she’s a fucking stunner. The raven hair, pale skin, and fucking ocean eyes will earn her a fucking fortune.” Jerry took a long swallow of his drink. “I may be married, but I also know how to make fucking money. She’s struggling, and she doesn’t have to.”
“You weren’t going to test out the goods for yourself?” Curse glared at the other man, knowing the fight was leaving him.
“No. Regardless of what others think I’m satisfied with my wife. There are men out there who’d pay for a night with Mia, and she wouldn’t be laboring away for a pittance either. She’s yours, fine. I didn’t mean to overstep the line.”
Turning to Devil, who was smiling, Curse shook his head. “I won’t be killing anyone today.”
“See, we can get through life without killing everything.” Devil got to his feet. “Good luck with your woman.”
“Thanks. It’s going to take more than luck to get me what I want,” Jerry said. “You guys know where the front door is.”
“Wow, that was rather anti-climactic,” Pussy said. They were outside where several schoolgirls passed them, giggling.
All three men sneered at them. None of them were into young girls in the bedroom.
“He was trying to help my woman, not sleep with her. I can’t kill him for that. She works too damn hard.”
Straddling his bike, Curse looked at the other two men.
“Is she going to be your old lady?” Devil asked.
“I don’t know. She won’t be honest with me, but I’ll let you know the moment I do.”
“Once she is, she’ll be under the club protection,” Devil said. “I’m going home to my woman and kids. See you guys later.”
Heading back to the clubhouse, Curse parked his car up and made a note to go sort out Mia’s mother. He needed a wash and a change of clothes.
Going to his room, he paused when he found Ashley sat outside of his door on the floor. Her feet were up to her chest as she stared into space. Clearing his throat, he got her attention. Her eyes were red from crying.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Nothing, I thought it would be nice for us to catch up. It has been a long time since we got to know each other.”
Entering his room, he let Ashley enter. The sound of the lock flicking into place had him turning toward her. She was swigging from a bottle of scotch.
“What are you doing? We’re not going to be fucking. Pussy is downstairs. Give him some attention. I don’t want it.”
She moved to his side, running a hand down his chest, similar to the way Mia had done hours ago.
Catching her wrist, he stopped her from going down any further. “I said no.”
“Come on, Curse, you know how much you love to fuck me?”
He frowned, staring at her. She wouldn’t meet his eyes, and he grew suspicious. Ashley was a sweet woman even with her preference for sex.
“What’s going on?” he asked.
“Nothing. I just miss your cock. You know how big you are.”
“I also know Pussy is bigger, and you like him a little more.” Folding his arms, he took a step back. This was a puzzle, and he liked figuring out puzzles. Her hand shook as she raised the bottle to her lips. “Why are you drinking this early?”
“It’s good to start drinking early. The party is going to start soon enough.” She turned away from him, and he watched her wipe something from under her eye.
“Are you crying?”
“No, I’m not crying. Why won’t you fuck me?” she asked, snapping at him.
“Watch how you fucking speak to me.”
He stared at her and wondered what the fuck was going on. Why she was here didn’t make any sense to him.
“I’m with Mia now. There will be no fucking around.”
“Mia won’t mind.”
She stared somewhere past his shoulder.
Grabbing her arms, he glared at her. “You better tell me what the fuck is going on right now, or I swear I will make your life a fucking misery.”
Ashley sobbed seconds before collapsing against him. When she told him the truth, his anger spiked. Mia was going to know not to fucking mess with him.
****
Tired, fed up, and angry at herself, Mia entered the staff room to grab her bag. Resting her head against the wall, she cursed herself for her actions earlier. Since hanging up the phone, she’d regretted her words to Ashley. She didn’t want Ashley to sleep with Curse or to have anything to do with him. Rubbing at her chest, she took several deep breaths to try to calm her nerves.
Will he sleep with her?
The thought of his hard body moving over Ashley filled her with jealousy. She heard several women giggling as they looked over a magazine. Ignoring them, she grabbed her bag and headed out the front door. Curse waited for her with his arms folded. He was staring at the ground rather than at her. Walking across the road, she stopped in front of him.
“Hey,” she said.
He looked up, and she saw the anger lurking in his eyes. Pausing a step away from him, she fisted her palms.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“I could ask you the same question.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She looked at the ground without meeting his gaze.
Curse reached out, grasping her chin in his hand. “Don’t fucking lie to me. Get on the bike.”
“We’re going home to my mom, right?”
“She’s being well taken care of. I put Pussy and Ashley onto her care.”
“What? She can’t be around a total stranger.”
“Which is why I sent Ashley with him. Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen to your mom. Now, get on the back of the fucking bike before I lose it here for all of them to see.”
Teeth gritted, she looped her arm through her backpack and moved toward his bike. She didn’t see any reason to argue.
He gunned the engine and took off out of town. She wasn’t too concerned with the direction of where they were going. Curse wouldn’t hurt her regardless of what others thought.
Keeping her arms banded around his waist, she held onto him as the wind blew through her hair. Closing her eyes, she tried to think of the reason as to why he was so angry with her. Nothing made any sense, not his anger, unless he knew about Ashley. Crap. What if her friend had spilled the beans on her? Several minutes later, Curse pulled up outside of the house they’d stayed in the night before. He waited for her to climb off, then took hold of her hand, leading her into the house. The moment the door was shut her back was pressed to the wall.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” Curse asked. His face was red with rage.
“What?”
“Do you really think I’d sleep with Ashley if she came onto me like a cheap fucking whore?”
Shame consumed her at what she’d done. “Listen—”
“No, you fucking listen.” His palm smacked against the wall the other side of her head. She jerked from the harshness of the movement. Curse’s anger took her completely by surprise. It changed him, made him scarier than she ever imagined.
“You really thought I wouldn’t find out about what you’d done?” he asked.
“I didn’t think about you when I asked her to do what I wanted. I only thought about getting you off my back.”
He shook his head. “You’re a real piece of work, do you know that?”
His words hurt, but Mia knew she deserved him lashing out.
She shook her head, tears filling her eyes.
“God, I can’t believe this. You know, there are thousands of women out there who’d be begging for my attention.
Instead, I’ve got to try to convince you that I want to be here,” he said.
Running shaky fingers through her hair, she stared up at him. “I’m sorry,” she said.
“It’s not good enough. Not from you. I deserve something far better from you.”
“Look, I made a mistake. I realize that.”
Curse held his hands up stopping her from talking. “No. You told Ashley to fuck me so you’d have a reason to leave me. It’s not going to happen.”
Both of his hands rested on the wall on either side of her.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“I’m keeping my hands where I can see them before I do something I regret like hurt you.”
Scared, Mia stared at his chest. “I’m sorry.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Nodding, she ran her fingers through her hair for something to do. She squealed as he grabbed her hand and placed then against the wall underneath his large hands.
“Some things are going to change around here, Mia,” he said.
“What do you mean?” She tried to keep her voice quiet so she wouldn’t anger him.
“From now on, you’re going to learn to accept me in your life. This is not going to be about sex or you trying to find some other woman to lure me away.” He covered her mouth with his palm as she went to argue with him. “No, shut the fuck up, you little bitch, before I seriously lose my temper.”
Mia couldn’t believe what he just called her.
You deserve it. You deserve everything he has to say and throw at you.
Licking her lips, she dropped her gaze from his.
“You’re going to learn to shut up and to stop arguing with me. I’m not going to deal with your crap. You ever force or even fucking tell another woman to sleep with me then I’ll have your fucking hide.” He cupped her check.
For some bizarre reason she wasn’t afraid of him even though he’d shouted threats to her.
“This is not what I want.”
“Your pussy is wet for me,” he said.
“It means nothing.”
His eye brow rose as he looked at her. “You really think it means nothing?”
“Yes.”
Curse's Claim (Chaos Bleeds) Page 6