by Carina Adams
“You don’t think their views are a bit…”
“Outdated? Discriminatory?” she interrupted, laughing. “I do. But, tell me where you’ve been that isn’t that way. At least the Bastards have rules they follow. Out in the world, if a man touches you and you say no, you can file charges against him, maybe claim sexual harassment. Then it becomes a ‘he said, she said’ nightmare and every decision you’ve ever made is questioned. In the Bastards? A member that touches you when you don’t want him to gets his ass beat or loses his colors.
“I know that I could be drunk off my ass, work one of the boys up, and then say no, and that Bastard would let me walk away without so much as a scratch. I’d probably have to pay a fine, or lose club privileges for a while, but that man would not hurt me. Granted, I would never pull shit like that because if they’re going to treat me with respect, it’s gonna get returned.” She paused and I heard a loud thump. “I gotta hit the road. Call Rocker, tell him you’re gonna be his date and clear the air while I’m gone. ‘k?”
*****
I loudly cursed my skirts the next evening as I rode the elevator up to the top level of my apartment. There was no way in hell I’d be able to navigate the stairs in them. They weren’t extremely bulky, but they were a horrific combination of full, tight, and long. Whenever I moved, I had to yank a handful of the material off the ground and then I had to take small steps to avoid tearing. I swear the slit up my left side had ripped a little higher already, and I’d only had the dress on for fifteen minutes.
I had assumed that searching for a formal gown on the day before you had to wear it would be difficult. I couldn’t have been more wrong. After I called Rob to tell him I’d go, Hawk had shown up at the apartment with Rocker’s credit card in hand and had taken me to a designer boutique. Twenty minutes after I walked through the door, I was standing on a stool in the middle of the shop, being fitted into one of the most beautiful gowns I’d ever seen. The sales staff had taken one look at me and told me it was the perfect dress for my figure. Wearing it was another story, though.
The sea foam wrap gown was more daring than anything I’d ever owned. Thin sparkly straps crossed each other on my upper back and continued over my shoulders and onto my chest, crossing once again, each side holding a breast before continuing onto my hips, before the left side wrapped back around my back where it met the other on my right hip and was tied. The bottom half was made up of layers of silk and had a slit that went almost up to my left hip. The dress, combined with all the pampering I’d had done, made me feel like a princess.
I hadn’t just spent the day getting pretty, however. I’d also been researching. The Bastards, it seemed, needed a new lawyer. They had one on retainer, but after Tank had been convicted, Rocker had started looking for another. Jonathan Greenwood, Esq. was the best criminal attorney in the state, Rocker had explained when he came home Friday night, and he hadn’t lost a single case. However, he was very selective of his potential clients and wouldn’t return the club’s calls.
Mr. Greenwood had a soft spot for smart and strong willed women. Cris had been the first option. That’s where Caleb came in. He was a partner in the firm Greenwood owned and couldn’t resist her advances after one of her classes at the gym. Something told me that he walking into her studio hadn’t been an accident. However, after weeks of dating, Cris still hadn’t met Caleb’s boss.
Now, it was my turn. Rob had friends everywhere and one of them had made sure we would share a table with Greenwood tonight. I would sit right next to him, making small talk and charming him until I had him wrapped around my finger. Or, until I could show him that the Bastards were worth his time. No pressure.
I pushed a hand against my stomach, trying to will away the nerves as the elevator opened. My date stood in the hall, waiting for me, holding out an arm. “You look absolutely stunning, Ms. Walker.”
I grinned. “You don’t look half bad yourself, Mr. Doyle.”
He looked rakish and as dangerous as James Bond, dressed in a tux that had obviously been made specifically for him. It hugged his hips and long legs perfectly, and the jacket accented his wide shoulders and large biceps. A gigantic man any day of the week, Rob usually looked like the quintessential biker or the carpenter that he was. Tonight, though, his 6’3, 250ish pound frame in that monkey suit would make every other man at the benefit look like he was playing dress up in his Daddy’s best.
“Hawk and his girl will be here soon,” he promised as he pulled me into the kitchen. Hawk told me as we looked through dresses that he went to this benefit every year in order to placate his father. He was sharing our limo and table, though, to offer support. “You feeling prepped?”
I pushed my hand into my stomach once again as I sat at the table. “Yes.” I nodded. “Well, I think so.” Rob walked to the island and poured us each a shot. “What if I screw it up?”
He handed me the glass and smirked. “You won’t. But even if he doesn’t bite, at least you tried.” He tipped his glass back and strode back to the counter to refill it.
I turned my glass around, looking at the amber liquid, too nervous to drink it. I felt like something was going to go wrong, which usually wasn’t a good sign. The elevator came back to our floor with a ‘ding’ and I heard laughing.
Laughing from more than two people.
A low whistle sounded from the hall. “Holy shit! Someone cleans up nice,” the familiar voice joked. “And I’m usually the one that’s overdressed.” He laughed. “You’re taking pictures, right? My sister is gonna flip her lid when she sees how you look with Barbie tonight.”
I’d done a ton of preparation for tonight, but nothing could have gotten me ready for this. As Matty walked into the kitchen, Hawk and his date behind him, and leaned against the counter opposite my date, Rob scowled.
“What in the hell ahh you talking about?”
Confusion crossed Matty’s handsome face. “I thought Cris went away and you were taking Jess.”
Rocker didn’t answer. Instead, he turned his entire body towards me, arms crossed, face hard. His eyebrows were raised in question, but he looked pissed.
Matty’s head turned to follow Rocker’s glare. As soon as he saw me, his entire body stiffened. The look of confusion mixed with fury made me nauseous. I pushed myself to my feet, needing to touch him and make everything better. I was almost to him, walking slowly in the death traps some designer decided was stylish, when I offered him a small smile.
“I didn’t know you were coming tonight.” It was a pathetic grasp at conversation, but I had to say something to break the tension.
Matty inhaled sharply, his eyes widening, showing me the dark blue storm clouds in them. “Yeah. I can see that.”
Chapter 20
Matty
It had been a long fucking few days. I thought things were good between us when I left Wednesday morning. If I hadn’t had to get back for work, I would have stayed in our room, wrapped up in her all day. Now, I wished that I had just called out sick and stayed put, because things weren’t good. They were fucking falling apart.
When Rob called and told me about what happened at the club, I was pissed. My first call had been to Jo, but she didn’t answer so I dialed Tank, just to let my brother know that I was going to kick his ass next time I saw him. He’d apologized, telling me everything that had happened. Not only had he kissed her, but he’d also fondled her and slapped her ass. My girl had stood up for herself like a fucking champ, but she shouldn’t have had to. It was my fault I hadn’t been there to stop it.
I’d called her every chance I’d gotten from that point on. She sent me to voicemail or ignored every call. Of course she was pissed, and she had every right to be. She’d been telling me for days that she missed me, and I’d promised her last year that no one would ever put their hands on her again. It only made it worse that it was one of my brothers that did.
I had to get to her, just to hold her and tell her how sorry I was. I’d had Sammy last night
and all of today, but explained to Becky that I needed to drop him off early because I had to get to Jo. She understood. Hell, she’d been in my life long enough to know that I wouldn’t drop everything if it wasn’t important.
I’d driven as fast as I could, imagining I’d find Jo dressed in one of my tees and her ratty sweats, eating ice cream, and lying in bed. I had so many ideas on how the rest of this weekend was going to play out. All of them involved the two of us not leaving the bedroom. I was going to love every inch of her until she forgave me.
The woman in front of me, though, wasn’t moping in bed missing me. No, her makeup was flawless enough for a magazine cover shoot and her hair was up with curls dangling everywhere. She was a walking wet dream. I wanted to pull her out of her chair and carry her downstairs, not letting her leave my bed until both our bodies were satisfied.
I saw the panic in her eyes as she stood up and walked towards me, giving me a full view of the dress she wore. If you could even call it that. There was more skin showing than anything else. Material crisscrossed over her chest, barely hiding her nipples, her breasts bulging out over the top of them. Every single one of her sexy curves were on full display. That was the only thing covering her top half and the bottom wasn’t much better. A long slit up one side flashed leg with every step she took, and the material just managed to cover the crack of her ass.
She smiled at me, dark red lipstick making me think about the only place I wanted those lips to be right now. “I didn’t know you were coming tonight.”
“Yeah. I can see that.” I was pissed. She would have known if she’d picked up her fucking phone. I felt my anger growing as I watched her. She was every man’s fuckin’ fantasy and there was no fucking way she was leaving my sight in that. “Go change.” She raised an eyebrow, as if she needed an explanation for my bad mood. “You’re not leaving here dressed like that!”
Her face fell. “Excuse me?”
I shook my head annoyed. “I didn’t fucking stutter.” I felt my lips curl in disgust. “You’re not fucking wearing that!”
She inhaled at my tone. The entire atmosphere of the room shifted, the air suddenly full of tension. Hawk and Tabby’s quiet conversation came to a screeching halt. I heard the uneasy shuffle of feet as they tried to figure out how to ignore us.
Jo tipped her head back slightly, meeting my eyes with an angry glare. “Yeah, I am.” Trying to force my agitation down, I took a couple of deep breaths and then stepped towards her. “What the fuck is your problem?” she hissed, taking a single step back.
"Right now, you are. You and that pathetic excuse for a dress! I've seen hookers that had more covered than you do!” I lifted a finger, pointing it at her so she would understand that the coming threat wasn’t an idle one. “Either you go change, or I'm gonna carry you down those stairs and strip you myself." I wanted nothing more at that moment than to do just that. In fact, I had never wanted to take a woman over my knee as much as I did right then. She swallowed hard, but her eyes stayed on mine, defiant. I leaned in, lowering my voice even further. "And when I'm done with you, you won't be able to walk for a week."
Color rose in her cheeks, but Joes was never one back down. “The last time I went out with you and your friends, I looked like a cheap ass whore, and you didn’t have a single complaint!”
“Yeah, well, at least you weren't half-naked. I didn't have to sit around fuckin’ worryin’ about who was looking at you, and who might try to put their grubby paws all over you ‘cause we were right there, weren’t we? No one was gonna look twice because it was obvious who you were goin’ home with, and even more obvious who you belonged to!” My eyes narrowed even further than before as I leaned closer. She wasn’t getting the point. “Go. Change.”
She pulled back her shoulders, straightening herself, as if ready for a fight. “Oh, for Christ’s sake!" she snapped. “Rocker’s one big dude, Matt!” The sarcastic way she said my name had me fuming again. “I’m his date! No one is going to even look twice at me. And, unless you have other plans, you’ll be here when I get home.”
My jaw clenched. “Joes.” I hoped she knew by the way I growled that I was barely controlling myself. "You're wearing somethin' else!"
“My date said I look fantastic.” She copped a major attitude, jabbing a finger into my chest. “If you don’t like my dress, or how I look in it, then don’t fucking look at me.”
“You’re all anyone is going to be looking at!” I snapped back, done having this ridiculous conversation.
“Thanks!” she snarled back. “I’m gonna take that as a compliment.” She looked at Rocker. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, my date is waiting.” She tried to move by me, but I grabbed her arm.
“He’s gonna keep waiting!” I looked over her head at my best friend, hoping he could see how dangerous an interruption would be right now. He held up his hands as if in surrender, backing up.
“We’re gonna go see if the car’s here yet and give you two a minute.” Jo snapped her head towards him, but not before I could see worry taking over her features. Rob wisely ignored her. “I’ll see you later, Brothah.” He nodded and then they were gone.
I waited until I heard the elevator doors close before I yanked her back so she was facing me. “What the fuck, Joes?” was all I could spit out. I had so much to say, but I couldn’t process a single thought.
“Exactly! What the fuck?” she yelled back, shoving at my chest with her free hand. “Let me go or I will kick your ass.”
I leaned close to her ear. “You wanna get rough, Joey? I fuckin’ love rough.”
“Ugh!” she screamed in frustration, and I had to fight not to laugh. “Let. Go. Matty.”
I released her arm. Instead of stepping back, she stepped into me, shocking the shit out of me. Grabbing my shirt, she pulled herself into me. My body, already tense from our argument, reacted instantly, and I felt myself harden against her. I would want this woman until I died. She tipped her head, looking up at me with perfect eyes.
“I have to go, Matty. It’s club business.” She shrugged and I suddenly hated that fucking term. “If I had a different gown, I would change, just for you. But, I don’t. I have to wear this.”
I searched her eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me you were goin’ tonight?”
She raised an eyebrow and shook her head once, but that was enough to tell me she hadn’t even thought about telling me, that I hadn’t even been a concern. Instead she answered with the annoying, “Its club business.”
“And I’m a member of the fuckin’ club, Joes. So I can know!” I turned, pacing into the hallway and back. “Don’t go. Stay here with me.”
She adjusted again, bringing herself up to her full height—all five feet of it. “You know I can’t do that. Your club needs me to do this.” She turned, walking over to the elevator and pushing the call button. “It’s only a few hours and then we’ll have the rest of the weekend.”
I was pissed again. “My club doesn’t need you to do this shit! We’ve got it fuckin’ handled. You’re doin’ this for Rob!” I sneered, fisting hands at my sides. “I could make you stay, you know that right?”
She turned to me, eyeing me coolly, and then pushed her shoulders back, making her breasts jiggle and proving once again how fucking skimpy her dress was. “Yeah, I do. But, I also know you won’t.”
The elevator opened and I reached for her, stopping her as she stepped in. “Jo.” Even I could hear the hard warning tone in my voice, the ultimatum there, but left unspoken.
She stepped around my hand and turned, facing me with pleading eyes. “I have to go, Matty. I have a quick job to do and then I’ll be back. We’ll talk about this later.”
Then the elevator doors closed, and she was gone. My fists clenched at my sides. I wanted to hit something. Fucking beat the shit out of something. I turned around the empty foyer, mind frantic.
I needed a drink. No. I needed to get drunk. Fucking shitfaced. Can’t-even-walk-let-alone-think-straight drunk. I sla
mmed the call button and when the elevator came back up, I pressed the basement button angrily.
There was no doubt about where I needed to go. Throwing my leg over my Harley, I fired her up and headed for the clubhouse, tires squealing angrily on pavement. I needed to sit my ass on a stool and drink until I could forget that Jo just left me.
Jo
I sagged against the wall as soon as the elevator door closed. I always hate fighting with Matty, but the look of disbelief and wrath he’d just given me was enough to make me want to cry. I knew he wouldn’t believe it, but nothing sounded better than taking off this dress and crawling into bed with him. It was as if he thought I was choosing his friend over him. If I hadn’t promised Rocker… When the elevator opened on the bottom floor, I didn’t move. I could easily press the button and go back upstairs. Except, I realized as I debated with myself, that I didn’t have the key fob. Well, fuck it. The decision was made for me.
There was a stretch Lincoln Navigator parked in front of our building and my three companions were standing on the sidewalk, chatting with the driver as I walked down the stone steps. I knew my face must reflect my shock at such an obtrusive vehicle, but Rocker ignored it as he walked to me and offered me his arm once more, leading me to the car. He stepped into the limo in front of me and then turned back, offering me his hand, and pulled me up.
I paused once I was inside, surprised by how big the car really was. There was a long, curvy black bench seat down the left side of the vehicle that curled into a cozy love seat at the back. On the right side, across from the seat, a bar. Rob sat in the first seat and tugged me down next to him. The seat was soft, subtle leather, and I sighed as I sank into luxury. Hawk helped his date climb up into the cabin, laughing and joking as they took seats. We’d barely pulled out onto the road before Hawk moved towards the bottles, grabbing one and filling a glass. He took a single sip before holding it out to me. I shook my head. Alcohol was the last thing I needed.