"Tank," she gasped out, turning her head away so he could only kiss and suck at the side of her neck. "My friends are in the other room."
"We've sent the cops after that trailer," he told her, pulling her shirt off. She let him do it. "There was a guy taking a boy away. We got him back. Chased the guy down. I'm worked up. I ... I need this, baby."
"But they're right in the living room."
"I'll try to be quiet."
She giggled at that, then gasped as his hands ran over her breasts. "I don't think you can do this quietly."
"I said try," he clarified before sitting on the edge of the bed and pulling her close enough to suck one nipple between his lips.
Her hands clenched in his hair. "Tank, fuck that feels good."
"Please," he repeated, since she wasn't saying no yet.
"It has to be quick."
"I'll try."
"And quiet."
"I'll try."
She stepped back, pushing her leggings off those long stems. He was undoing his jeans immediately, smiling to see her naked. The hair at the juncture of her legs was coming in. She kept it trimmed now since she hated waxing; only did it while she was dancing. He liked it this way.
Rose placed a knee on the bed next to him, then settled her weight on all fours with her ass in the air, knees at the edge of the mattress.
"Fuck English, tell me you're wet."
"Since the moment you got here," she mumbled, and he stepped behind her, running his fingers over her opening. Sure enough, she was wet. He bit his lip not to groan and reached for a condom. He hadn't fucked her like this. God, it was beautiful. That long line of her back and neck, the pert little ass rounded out and up over her hips like that. He would have loved to eat her out in this position, but maybe another time. She had company over.
He plunged in, eyes closing in concentration, fighting to not bellow out. He pulled and pushed her hips to ride over his cock, letting her drop to her elbows to get a good angle. He knew she had it when she grabbed a pillow and forced her face into it to shout out her release. He had to grunt, holding off for God knows what reason, and before she was entirely past it she was up on her knees, arms wrapping his head, her back flush with his chest. He had to bend his knees to keep thrusting into her, but now she rode him, too, bottom lip pinched between her teeth, eyes closed and brow furrowed. He knew because he could see her in the mirror over the dresser, across the room.
"Fuck, Rose," he whispered, making her whimper. His hand clamped on one of her breasts, rolling her nipple, the other going to her clit and doing the same. She jerked in his hold, crying out, and he closed his mouth over her shoulder to moan loudly as he came hard, his neck actually cracking. He might have bit her a little, but she didn't seem hurt.
When he opened his eyes they made contact with hers in the mirror. Rose was smiling, looking properly satisfied. "That likely wasn't quiet enough," she whispered and he chuckled.
"Sorry."
She eased off of him, going forward on all fours again, crawling away then dropping on her back, out of breath.
"I probably shouldn't stay, hey?"
She smiled. "They might make a point of teasing you after this. But maybe tomorrow?"
He shook his head. "The club barbecue's tomorrow, English."
Her face fell. "Shit, that's right."
"You hang with your girls tonight. How long are they staying?" All this while he tied the condom off and cleaned up with tissue.
"I didn't ask yet."
"If they want, bring them tomorrow."
That surprised her as she was reaching for her leggings. "Really?"
"It's a community event, English. It's almost an open house. Like I said, until the kids go home, anyway."
"You think that's a good idea?"
He laughed, buckling his belt. "You worried about your friends hanging out with us dirty bikers?"
"I'm more worried about your dirty bikers," she shot back with a smile, wiggling into the leggings topless, which was distracting. "I love my friends, but they can be whores sometimes."
"We are not!" Someone shouting from outside, and they both froze staring at each other, then he couldn't help it. He started laughing, and so did Rose as she pulled her top back on. If he didn't know any better, he'd swear she was blushing.
"Are you listening at the door?" she scolded, yanking it open and catching the two blondes right at the jamb.
"I'm not!" Jennifer called from the living room. "I'm respecting your privacy."
The blondes weren't even embarrassed as he leaned on the door jamb. "We used to live together in a three-bedroom apartment," the platinum blonde, Brandi, explained. "We knew each other's sex lives pretty intimately considering how thin the walls were."
"I see."
"We judge our men by how good the sex seems to be," Gloria explained further. "For example, that was kinda quick, Tank."
"Not too quick," Rose snipped, and he felt his chest swell again. Standing up for him to her own friends, too.
"She seemed to like it just fine."
Gloria and Brandi exchanged smiles. "Yeah, she did. And so did you, big guy."
He had no idea if that meant Gloria approved or not, but they left the doorway and Tank sighed, looking at Rose. "I'm staying at the clubhouse tonight," he said unnecessarily.
She smiled and then stretched up on her toes to kiss him again. "Okay. I think the girls expected to stay here, anyway."
"And if they want to come to the barbecue it's fine. I mean it. I'll look like a hero to the guys bringing that much fresh meat out."
She scoffed. "That is so foul."
He shrugged. "They seem like grown-ups. They just listened to us fucking through your bedroom door. Don't tell me these are ladies in waiting, English. They're dirty girls, just like you."
"I'm not dirty!"
He smiled. "You were grinding on me while you introduced me."
"You're the one throwing wood in a room full of strangers."
"Not until you kissed me, honey. So do that again and let me get out of here before we give them another show."
She did, giving him a chaste little smooch before leaving the bedroom.
"If you go anywhere, call me and let me know, okay?"
She nodded, turning back to him as he opened the apartment door. "And Tank?"
He turned back to her. "Yeah?"
"You're okay, right?"
He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring way. "I'm great now, English. Have a good night."
"You too, Cowboy."
Chapter Thirty-One
Staying up that late with the girls had been a terrible idea; add in the fact that Gloria ran out to get rum and vodka, and it was downright stupid. Rose's head was pounding as she opened her trunk at the clubhouse, grabbing a plastic grocery bag stuffed with paper plates.
The lot was quiet, but she recognized a small SUV as one that Jolene usually drove. Next to her, Gloria was pulling into a spot in her rental car. There was a row of bikes parked under a wide awning along the front of the clubhouse, sheltered from the sun. Where there weren't any bikes there were a few tables and chairs waiting to be arranged, as well as an oil drum grill.
"It's okay if I park here, right?" If Rose hadn’t known any better, she'd swear her friend was nervous.
"I think so. Grab a few bags."
Brandi pushed the rear passenger door open and winced in the sun behind her dark glasses. "Fuck!" she shouted. "Why rum? Why fucking rum?"
"Please don't shout," Rose begged, touching her temple. "Just at least wait for the aspirin to kick in."
"Pitch in," Gloria, apparently hangover free, said while shoving a box of plastic cutlery at Brandi. "How many people are supposed to be here?"
"Gertie said about 150."
"And who's Gertie?"
"She's Buck's old lady."
"Old lady?"
Rose sighed. "Yes, Brandi. That's the term they use instead of wife."
"So they're marrie
d, though?"
Rose shrugged. "Not officially, no. They just ... belong to each other."
Jennifer reached into the trunk to share the load, too. "I kinda like that. You just decide that it's good, and you stay together. Who needs a wedding and a piece of paper?"
"I do," Gloria mumbled. "So that when he cuts out the second my ass starts sagging, I can get half of what he's worth."
"That's romantic," Brandi drawled. "You'd think you were a divorce lawyer."
"I'm a realist. And I never pegged you for a dreamer."
"I'm not, I'm a stripper. I have to believe something can last past our physical prime, because God knows this job won't."
Rose shook her head and led the way to the clubhouse doors. She yanked one half of the double entrance open, stepping into the cool interior and pushing her sunglasses up to the top of her head. They'd already been hard at work. The club girls, or sweet butts, but she refused to call them that, were everywhere. One was vacuuming, another wiping the bottles behind the bar while another was scrubbing the wooden top down. A third was shining the chrome legs on the barstools.
It even smelled good in here, that was how much cleaning they'd already done. There were a few good smells coming from the industrial kitchen off to the right as well. Gertie had mentioned that 50 bikers plus friends and family could eat a lot of potatoes, and from the smell of it they were starting to get those ready.
The woman herself pushed through the swinging doors with a couple of warming trays in her arms. When she saw them she smiled.
"Yay! You're here already."
"Hey, Gertie," Rose greeted her, holding up the plastic bags in her hands. "Where do we put the stuff?"
"Oh! Over here." Next to the doors, a long row of tables were already set up. "We'll do most of the buffet here and send everyone outside to get their steaks and burgers from the grill." Then her hazel eyes flicked over the rest of the group. "Who're your friends?"
"Oh, this is Gloria, Brandi and Jennifer. Tank said it shouldn't be a problem if they came along. And in case it is, I thought we could put them to work so they could earn their meal."
Gertie's smile grew wider. "Of course! No such thing as too much help. Let's wrap the buffet table before we get anything else on it, though."
She'd bought rolls of black plastic for this purpose. Jolene joined the group; they got the twelve feet of table space covered and Gertie started placing out the serving trays. Brandi got the head of the buffet prepped with plates, napkins and cutlery while Jennifer and Gloria set up a table outside for burger prep with the condiments and cheese slices and more napkins.
Between that and the prepping of salads and toppings and mushroom and onions sautéing the time passed quickly. They were ready just as the first Red Rebel made an appearance. It was the president, Jayce. He’d been officially introduced, and before that Rose had seen him a few times at the club, but they hadn't really ever gotten to know each other. Still, he gave her a broad smile and squeezed Gertie's arm.
"Need any help with anything?" he asked, and Rose knew he wouldn't have offered if it wasn't mostly done.
"We're good. How'd the pick-up go?"
Rose didn't mean to eavesdrop, but the way Jayce sighed she couldn't help it. "All right. She's resting with the kids at the house. I'll stay here tonight. She's looking forward to seeing you, I know that."
Gertie's smile was a little sad. "I'm glad she came."
"Me, too. She's missed some of the other old ladies."
Rose watched Jayce wander off following a quick hug from Gertie, then she moved closer, dying to know more. "Is Trinny here?"
Gertie nodded. "She came for the anniversary. And I think the kids were due for a visit with Jayce anyway."
"Wow. What ... awkwardness."
Gertie shrugged. "Once this place is full you won't notice anything is off. I'm just excited to see her."
Rose checked to see who was close, and there wasn't anyone. "Gertie, what happened with Trinny, exactly? I mean, I know she got shot, but that's just the basics. I know you were there."
Gertie looked down at her hands and Rose worried that she'd stepped over a line, but eventually the redhead spoke up. "I don't know how much Tank has told you about the club, but I can tell you my part. I was stupid, I was helping the wrong people because I thought I was helping my dad. They took me as bait to get to him when I couldn't be of the same use to them anymore. The way they treated me after that was because of my connection to Buck. The club wasn't what really got me in trouble, it was just the reason I was raped. Then I heard them talking about taking out Trinny and the family, creating a diversion. I broke away, with some help, and got there just early enough to warn her. We were fucking lucky she had guns."
Rose swallowed. "I knew about what happened to you, and I'm so sorry."
Gertie shook her head. "I'm getting better all the time. Most of it's because of rehab. The rest is because of Buck. He's wonderful, the best thing that ever happened to me."
Rose smiled. "I'm glad to hear that."
Gertie set down the bowl of salad dressing she'd been holding. "I'm sorry about what happened to you, too. The way I understand it, this kind of thing isn't usual around here. Things have just gotten worse lately."
It was a way of saying everything and nothing, but Rose appreciated her effort. "Right."
Now she had Gertie's full attention. "So, how are things going with Tank?"
"Oh. Um, things are ..." She felt flustered by the unexpected question. "Things are ... things are going well."
Gertie winked. "He's quite the topic for gossip with the guys."
"They gossip?"
"Worse than women. It's nice to have the attention off me for a while."
"What are they saying?"
She shrugged, avoiding Rose's gaze again. "Just that he's all love-drunk and sappy about you. And he won't wipe that goofy smile off his face."
"I love that goofy smile," Rose cried, throwing a napkin at her.
"Glad to hear it, English." The voice came out of nowhere, and hands grabbed her from behind, cuddling her into a wall-like chest she knew really well.
Gertie was laughing, and Rose knew she'd set that all up to be overheard. Thank God she hadn't said anything bad, but she couldn't think of anything bad to say about this man.
"Makes me nervous you two talking about me."
Gertie just grinned at him, not at all worried by the warning in his tone. Even Rose could recognize he wasn't a threat to anyone in the room. "She had nothing bad to say, Tank. She's totally smitten, too." Rose felt her face warm, and Gertie smirked. "I'll go see how the potato salad's coming." They were left somewhat alone in the clubhouse, and Rose turned in his arms.
"You've been helping out?" he asked, kissing the end of her nose.
"For a few hours now. How come you guys never help with this stuff?"
"What? We're grilling the steaks."
She scoffed. "That figures. I made the marinade and put the steaks in it. There are four cows in there."
He grinned that "goofy" smile and chuckled. "That's woman's work, English."
"You're treading on dangerous ground there."
"I promise to take you to my dorm room later and make it all up to you."
"What about my friends?"
"They can get to your place on their own. I feel like being loud tonight. Missed you this morning."
Her belly went all gushy again. "Missed you, too."
The kiss was soft and sweet, lazy, not made to get into her pants. Just to make her feel all snuggly and happy. That didn't mean Gloria didn't make a big show of groaning as she left the kitchen.
"Oh come on. Are you teenagers?"
Tank shot her a grin. "Some guys never lose that stamina."
Gloria rolled her eyes. "What about the staying power, big guy?"
"Does it matter how long it takes if I come twice?" Rose shot at her, and Tank nipped at her neck before letting her go.
"Too much information
being shouted now," he advised, nodding to Gloria. "Thanks for helping out. Appreciate it."
Gloria's smile was genuine. "No problem for the guy that makes my girl smile this much."
Chapter Thirty-Two
The clubhouse was flooded with people. Townspeople had come out to the open house aspect of the anniversary invite. It was even published in the local paper as an event for the family. They had burgers for those folks, and the women helped the families with kids get their meals sorted. Everyone trailed through the clubhouse, shook hands, milled about and shot the shit for a while. Then the locals left, and the clubs and hangarounds got to dig into potatoes and steaks, and the bar was officially open.
Tank was proud of his girl. She met people, smiling and chatting with the confidence she'd always had as they bullshitted and likely flirted with her. He didn't care. They could flirt all they wanted. He was sleeping with her that night; that was all that mattered.
She fit right in with Gertie and Jolene. He didn't know why that was a surprise, but every time he saw evidence of a friendship he felt relieved. He always worried that being involved with a club member could isolate old ladies, and maybe that was true as far as the outside world went. But as long as they had each other they would always have someone to talk to, just like their old men did.
And her friends were mixing in just fine, too. Gloria and Jennifer were sticking close to Rose, and they seemed to get along with Gertie and Jolene as well. That platinum blonde, Brandi, might be trouble, though. Tank liked her; she was a foul-mouthed bitch who spoke her mind, but she never gave him the gears about Rose. Not like that Gloria did. But presently she was leaning against a wall, beer in hand, while Knuckles had her effectively pinned in place with his hand over her shoulder, leaning into her as they spoke. Yeah, they're fucking tonight. He had no doubt about it.
Rose hadn't noticed yet, so he hoped they got out of the main room before she caught what was brewing there. But really he could give a shit, so he wasn't saying anything. Knuckles never raped anyone, none of them did. Every broad going to his room wanted to go and take part in whatever he wanted. He just hoped Brandi was as up for anything as she appeared.
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