Everyone bowed their heads. I thought about my brother, AJ. His devil-may-care attitude. He taught me everything I knew. I wanted him back.
Jasper continued, “This motorcycle club is changing and we need to accept it.”
Hammer took up the gavel. “I propose we cut out drugs for now and keep the guns business. We can sell our contacts to our black brothers and focus more on the new restaurant. All in favor, raise your hand.”
I knew the club needed to go legitimate at some point but I thought that was a long way from now. I didn't want to give up being an outlaw. I couldn't imagine myself working in a burger restaurant the rest of my life. But I had to focus on the survival of the MC.
I raised my hand along with the others. It was unanimous.
Hammer pounded the gavel to the table. “There's only one problem,” Hammer began, “we need to to break the news to the Los Diablos. The Blacks won't sell to the Mexicans; by doing this deal we are essentially cutting the Mexicans off from their number one supplier.”
“And how do you suppose we get around this problem?” Maverick asked, rubbing his large stomach.
“We need to set up a meet with the Los Diablos and explain to them why were doing it. If we find them another supplier, they won't be happy but maybe it will prevent a blowback.” Hammer looked around the room at all of us. “We need to work together on this.”
“Miguel and I grew up together,” Jasper announced. “Let me talk to him. I can get him to see it our way.”
Hammer nodded. “Zane, I need you to reach out to your contacts in Vegas. See if you can find a new supplier. Make sure they'll be willing to work with the Mexicans.”
Zane looked up from cleaning his gun and nodded. Zane's tattoos covering every inch of his body, including his shaved head. He was always fiddling with his guns, never paying too much attention to what was going on around him.
“This meeting of the Dark Steel MC is adjourned.” Hammer slammed the table one last time.
Chapter Five
Katherine
The black coffee kept me warm as I pulled into the empty parking garage. It was five in the morning and the place was deserted. For most people this was an ungodly hour but this was the time I got the most work done. The sun was barely up and the noise of the city had not begun. It was serene and perfect.
I parked in my usual spot and walked to the dark corner of the parking garage. I came to a long door that stated: Electrical Closet. Warning: High Voltage. I pulled out my key card that had my name engraved and slipped it into the subtle slot right below the door handle. A beep announced that it was okay for me to turn the handle.
The room was pitch black until I flipped the switch. The lights flickered and buzzed, lighting the small space. Nobody was here yet. I was always the last to leave at night and the first to arrive in the morning. We used to have a whole floor in the office building above but the bosses cut the team by ninety percent and exiled what was left down here. I actually liked it more. Less people meant less annoyances.
I sat down in a rigid chair and let the coffee heat my hands. I blew on it before taking another sip. I glanced up at the giant bulletin board that hung on the wall. The Dark Steel Motorcycle Club had eluded us for a long time. They were pretty smart criminals—covering their tracks and never making a mistake.
The pictures of each member formed a sort of pyramid on the board. At the top was the leader, Hammer. Below him were his right-hand men, Maverick and Ace. At the base of the pyramid were the rest of the members. These were the ones we focused on the most. The less important members were more likely to mess up or turn against the MC. We knew every detail of their lives: who they talked to, who they fucked, where they took their smoke breaks. Folders and folders of small details that were for the most part useless. I had spent years of my life on Dark Steel and I had nothing to show for it.
The beep at the door signaled someone was coming in. I checked my watch that said: 5:30 A.M.
“Good morning, Agent Malarkey,” I said, surprised that he showed up so early.
Malarkey walked in carrying a tray of four Starbucks coffees. He had been with me since the beginning. He was older and more experienced but didn't have the ambition to rise the ranks. He didn't let office politics influence his decisions which made him the perfect partner.
“Coffee, Agent Swift?” he asked.
I raised my own. “Already beat you.”
Malarkey sat down and sighed. He rubbed his eyes and scratched his head.
“Rough night, Malarkey?”
“I didn't get much sleep. I got some intel from my girl at the restaurant last night.”
I quickly grabbed the file on our sources and began flipping through it. “Remind me who that is.”
“Hailey Gutter. She works at The Burger Joint.”
I turned to a photo of her arrest. Her face was contorted in disgust as she held the black sign with her serial number on it. Hailey looked like the usual scum that frequented The Burger Joint—bleached blonde hair and eyes caked in dark makeup.
“I remember now. She's slept with a few of the members in the past. We turned her a year ago when her boyfriend was arrested.”
Malarkey laughed. “Funny thing is, she broke up with her boyfriend soon after that.”
“Yeah but she can't stop talking to us or we'll leak that she's one of our sources to the MC.”
Malarkey blew on his hot coffee. “She doesn't know that we're bluffing. We would never put anyone in danger.”
I skimmed through the rest of her file for anything interesting. “What did you find out from her last night.”
“The MC has a meeting with the Los Diablos set for tomorrow afternoon.” Malarkey grinned.
I leaned towards him, my eyes lighting up. “Do you know what about?”
“The source says that there are rumors buzzing around that Dark Steel is getting out of drugs.”
The synapses in my brain fired off, connecting all the dots. “They wouldn't give their supplier to the Mexicans so they must be telling them that the Blacks are getting it. Which means the Mexicans will be without drugs.”
“Exactly,” Malarkey said, resting his hands behind his head.
“They won't be happy to get that news.”
Malarkey shook his head. “No, not at all.”
I closed the file in front of me. “Okay I want us at the meeting. Get Agent Daniels to trail Los Diablos and you and I will follow Dark Steel. We'll need surveillance equipment and a couple cars. I want us armed and ready for action. This could get messy.”
Malarkey smiled. He lived for this.
And so did I.
Chapter Six
Rachael
My head was in a daze. I couldn't believe that Ace was taking me out to dinner tonight. My shift at the Nautilus would be over in an hour and Ace was supposed to pick me up soon. I was so excited that I could barely keep myself from shaking.
I danced on stage, swinging around the pole, closing my eyes and focusing on the image of Ace. His shirtless chest, strong arms, and open lips made me ooze inside. I wanted to kiss him so badly, to feel his mouth against mine. I bent over and rubbed the pole in between my ass cheeks, imagining it was Ace's hard erection. I moaned as a warmness pooled between my thighs. I spread myself up and down the pole, flipping my hair back and taking off my top. The crowd cheered at the sight of my bouncy chest.
I got down on my knees and pushed my tits together right in front of a customer's face. I turned around and crawled towards the pole, giving them all the perfect view of my ass. I ran my tongue up along the pole, gathering my salty wetness. I'd never tasted myself before and it was really turning me on.
The desire to touch myself was building. My face was flushed and my heart was racing. I continued dancing, picturing Ace holding me tight and never letting me go. I snapped back to reality when the music stopped. The audience erupted with cheers and gave me a standing ovation. I didn't even know what I did up there. I was so distracted w
ith the thought of Ace.
I went back stage to find Helena getting ready to go on.
“I just watched you, Rachael. What got into you on stage? I've never seen you like that before.”
I blushed and hid my face. “I don't even know what I was doing.”
“It looked like you were ready to orgasm up there.” Helena laughed.
My face turned a deeper shade of red. “I think I almost did.”
Helena continued applying her makeup. “Well give me whatever drug you're on because I want to feel that.”
Should I tell her about Ace? There was something about this guy but I barely knew him. “Good luck out there,” I told Helena as she went out on stage.
I sat down in my seat and realized that my panties were soaking wet. I got a fresh pair from my drawer and slipped them on. I relaxed and closed my eyes. Ace was so fucking hot. My body pulsed at just the thought of him.
Joe marched in through the door and interrupted my fantasy. “I don't know what you did out there but it was fantastic, Rachael.”
“Thanks, Joe. I guess I was just in the right mood.”
“Well whatever it was, do it again. You have a gentleman out there requesting a lap dance.”
Could it be Ace? I checked the clock on the wall and it was almost ten. I smiled and got my game face on. I was going to give him the lap dance of lap dances.
I strutted out into main room and over to the private booths. My heart skipped a beat right before I opened the velvet curtain. And everything fell apart when I saw it was a stranger and not Ace.
I put my smile back on. Got to focus on all those tips. “Hey sugar, you want a lap dance?”
“Get that pretty little ass of yours over here.” The customer was large and reeked of alcohol. His eyes were cast in shadow and his grin scared me a little.
“Buckle up then, this is going to be a wild ride,” I replied playfully.
I faced away and planted my butt right on his crotch. He was already hard which wasn't surprising. Most of my customers were before I even started. I rubbed against him, listening to him moan and groan.
He wrapped his hands around me and squeezed my breasts. I normally didn't care about men touching my chest or my ass but this felt different. It felt wrong. The man leaned forward and whispered in my ear, “You were so hot on stage. I couldn't stop thinking about your big tits and fine ass. I bet your pussy is so wet right now.” His hand trailed down my stomach and I swatted him away.
I shook my finger at him. “No no, you're being a bad boy.”
The customer leaned back and smiled. He was really enjoying this. I spun around and straddled him. I buried his face in my chest, rubbing my cleavage all over his face. Suddenly, he flung me off him and stood up.
His smile turned devious as he looked down at me. “I bet you can't wait to feel my big cock inside you.” He began to unbuckle his belt.
I was calm and collected. I'd been in this situation many times before. Jerome, the bouncer, was only feet away—plus I knew Karate. The customer was drunk and there was no need to cause a scene. I tried reason with him. “Sir, you're drunk and you can't do this.”
The man kept grinning as he pulled down his pants. His prick was small and hard. Not enough meat for any woman. I giggled a little and called out for Jerome.
The velvet curtain opened and it wasn't Jerome. It was Ace. His eyes glanced from the customer's crotch to me sitting helpless in the booth. His eyes filled with fury and his fists clenched into wrecking balls.
I put my hands up to stop him but it was too late. He used the customer as a punching bag, hitting him in the stomach until the customer puked all over the floor. Ace didn't stop there. He smashed his fist against the guy's face, dislocating his jaw.
Jerome hustled over within seconds and wrapped Ace in a bear hug. But Ace was in a blind rage. Nothing could stop him now.
He wrestled with Jerome and I screamed for them to stop. “Jerome, he's my friend!” I called out.
Jerome saw the customer on the floor and realized what happened. He released Ace and held him at arm's length. “Are you okay, Rachael?”
“Yes, I'm fine,” I replied. “My friend, Ace, came to my rescue just before things got out of hand. Jerome turned towards Ace. “I'm sorry I grabbed you. I thought you were the one trying to hurt her.”
The red in Ace's eyes faded as he breathed in deeply. He nodded to the bouncer who dragged the customer out of the booth. Ace took my hand and lifted me up. “Are you really okay?” he asked.
I nodded, dusting myself off. “Thanks for protecting me.” My heart was beating more rapidly than before. He still held my hand as he led me out of the booth. His touch was electrifying. We came to the back door that said: Employees Only. “Let me change and I'll be right back.”
Ace looked concerned and didn't let go of my hand.
I wanted him to hold it all night. “It's okay, Ill be all right.”
Ace nodded and let go.
I caught his eyes staring into mine as I closed the door.
Cherry came running up to me in heels with her big tits flopping up and down. “Are you okay, Rachael? What happened?”
“A customer got too close. Nothing out of the ordinary,” I told her.
“Thank god, with all the commotion out there, I thought it might have been worse.”
“Relax, I'm fine,” I told her. But did I believe it myself?
Cherry smiled and went back to fixing her hair.
I took in a deep breath and found the dress I brought for the date tonight. I changed out of my skimpy strip-club outfit and into my civilian bra and panties. I slipped the dress on and couldn't reach the back zipper.
“Cherry, could I get a little help here?” I asked, gathering my hair out of the way.
She rushed over and pulled the zipper all the way up. “Damn Rachael, you look fucking hot.”
“Thanks.” I looked at myself in the mirror and realized that Cherry was right—I did look hot. My short black dress hugged every curve and pushed my boobs together, creating a massive canyon of cleavage. I sat down and put on my long leather boots.
“Have a hot date?” Cherry winked.
I nodded. I hadn't been on a date since high school. If you could even call that a date. Kyle trying to get in my panties before we even started the car wasn't exactly what I thought a date should be.
“You're going to knock his socks off.”
I smiled and hoped that Ace would feel the same. I brushed my hair and fixed up my makeup before going back out.
Ace's smoldering look turned to shock when he saw me in my dress. “Rachael, you look fucking beautiful.”
A shiver ran through my entire body. How could his words make me feel so sexy and confident?
Ace bent his elbow out and I took his arm. “Shall we go?”
I stared at him behind my lashes and nodded. I was speechless in his presence.
Jerome apologized to Ace on the way out and he played it off like it was nothing. We walked through the parking lot, arm-in-arm, and came to his motorcycle. The bike was all black save for some large chrome pipes that ran along the sides.
“What's wrong?” Ace asked, sensing my fear.
“I've never been on one of these before.” I pinched a small strand of hair and tucked it behind my ear—my nervous tick.
“It will be a first for both of us. I've never let a girl ride with me before.”
I cocked my head to the side. “Why not?”
Ace shrugged and kept silent. He was so mysterious which made him damn sexy. Ace handed me a helmet that was big and bulky while he put on a little bucket that barely covered his skull. “Why do I have to wear the full helmet and you get to wear the small one,” I asked.
“We have to protect that beautiful face of yours.” He knew exactly how to make me melt. I whipped the hair out of my face and stuffed my head into the tight helmet. It fit perfectly.
Ace straddled the bike and jerked his head for me to come over. I
lifted my leg over and sat down behind Ace. My thin dress didn't provide much of a barrier between my panties and the seat of the motorcycle.
Ace hit a red button and the bike groaned to life. The rumbling between my legs was a sensation I'd never felt before. It was rough and hard but I kind of liked it. I looked around for somewhere to put my hands. Where does the passenger hold on?
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