“What?” I stood up, ready for action. How dare he touch her? Jackson was dead.
“Guys, it’s okay. He didn’t hurt me,” Isabel said.
Duncan looked at her. “It doesn’t matter. There shouldn’t be non-members touching you.” He turned back to me. “So where were you? Why weren’t you with her?”
I glared back at Duncan. What was I supposed to say? I couldn’t stand having her against me without touching her the way I wanted to. Another minute of her sweet scent and I would have taken her to the ground and mated her like an animal. Complete with grunting and bite marks.
“You’re right. It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have left her.” Then I looked at Isabel, so small and innocent. I left her to the wolves because I couldn’t control myself. “I’m sorry.”
“You’re forgiven,” she said and gave me a shy smile. I’d be blind not to notice the blush that came to her cheek. Fuck me. When was the last time I saw a woman do that?
Duncan looked surprised that I apologized so easily. The boy obviously thought he was going to have a fight on his hands.
Greyson stood up and walked around to face me. “Don’t let it happen again,” he said.
I nodded.
“Come on, baby girl.” Duncan put his arm around Isabel. “I promised you some Netflix.”
“Goodnight, Rem,” she said as Duncan led her toward the stairs. She did spare me one more glance over her shoulder before disappearing upstairs.
“She’s a sweet girl.”
I turned to look back at Greyson, who had taken his seat at the bar again. I almost forgot he was here.
“So?” I said.
“Don’t play dumb with me, boy. I see the way your eyes follow her.”
“Oh, really?” I sat back at the bar, trying to play it off.
“Mm-hmm. And I know that look.” I stared at the bottles behind the bar, refusing to meet the old man’s eyes. “So, what you going to do about it?”
“Nothing. I know how to follow orders. Hands off, you said.”
“Not if you intend to make a claim.”
“There is no way I’d take a girl like her as an old lady.”
“Is there no way you’d take her, or are you more afraid that she won’t take you?”
I stayed quiet. We both knew the answer to that question.
“Rem, you are like a son to me, so let me give you some fatherly advice.” I turned my head to look at him. “What’s the harm in getting to know her a little? Why not have a couple conversations?”
He chuckled when I got a confused look on my face. “I know that is a foreign concept to you seeing how you’ve had pussy on a platter since you were fifteen. But talking to Isabel will help you get over your curiosity, let’s say, or it might make you want to know more.”
I absorbed the words as Greyson stood up from the bar. What would it hurt?
Before turning to leave, the old man added, “And in the process, it might just show her that you’re not such an asshole.”
Chapter Eleven
Isabel
I was up early again the next day. Even though I wanted to keep sleeping, the pounding in my brain insisted that I stand up.
I need to remember to hydrate. I’d had my share of late nights, but yesterday was a lot of hard liquor.
When I came downstairs, Sophie and two other women were already in the kitchen. They were making breakfast.
“Morning, pretty girl,” Sophie said as I came in.
“I don’t feel pretty,” I croaked.
“I should have warned you that a prospect mixed drink equals three in a real bar,” she said, before she turned to the others. “Ladies, this is Isabel or Izzy. The one I told you about.”
“Hi. I’m Michelle.” One of the girls waved with a spatula. Her hair was red, the kind you see in hair color commercials. She also had lovely pale skin, and she was curvy but not overweight. Her brown eyes were kind when she smiled. She didn’t wear any makeup, which made her look too young to be in an MC.
“I’m with Sam,” she said as she continued to flip pancakes on a large hot plate.
“Oh, yeah. Duncan told me you just had a little boy.”
“Yeah,” she said with a proud little smile. “I wouldn’t even be here if he hadn’t started sleeping through the night last week.”
“Motherfuck.” I heard from behind Sophie. A black haired woman was standing at the stove frying bacon. She was standing a couple feet away and trying to lean back to avoid the flying grease.
“That’s Lydia, Donny’s woman.”
“How’d I get stuck with bacon duty?” Lydia asked over her shoulder before giving me a quick “hi” smile. She had a southern accent, but it was subtle. She was mixed race based on her flat nose and gorgeous big lips, but her skin was light allowing freckles on her cheeks and arms.
“You’re doing bacon because you always skip out on dishes,” Sophie replied.
“Oh yeah,” she said and turned back to the stove.
“What can I do to help?” I said.
“Can you make the eggs? I bought the stuff in a carton so you don’t have to crack any.”
I simply nodded and headed toward the fridge.
“I’ve got the prospects out grabbing fruit and fancy pastries. Lydia has bacon and sausage while Michelle is making waffles. I’ve got the coffee going. Is there anything I’m forgetting?” Sophie pursed her lips as she thought.
When no one answered, I said, “Sounds good to me. Are we going to be cooking every meal this weekend?”
“No, thank God. We just have to worry about breakfast and lunch. Thankfully, most of the clubs know to bring their own food for those meals, but they expect dinner to be on us. I have a friend who caters, but she has a day job. She’ll be here with a staff for dinner every night for the rest of the weekend.”
“I’m surprised you found someone willing to come to the property. Last year, the prospects had to pick everything up,” Lydia said.
“It’s Jeanie Stanthorpe,” Sophie said after a moment.
“Oh.” Lydia smirked and glanced at Michelle.
“Who is Jeanie Stanthorpe?” I asked.
Just then, I heard a group of guys come in through the back door. “I’ll tell you later.” Sophie said.
The girls chatted while we continued to cook and serve. I learned that Michelle and Lydia both worked at the salon that the club owned. Lydia was the stylist, and Michelle was a manicurist. Although, Michelle only worked part time now that she had the baby.
“I just can’t stand the thought of being away from him for forty hours a week,” she admitted with a wistful sigh.
Lydia had twin girls that were about to turn eight. Poor Donny, I thought. If those girls were half as sassy as their mother was, he must be a saint not to lash back.
The breakfast line got busy around ten when empty stomachs started waking up everybody up. After that, Lydia and Michelle left to relieve their sitters, but they said they would be back tonight for the party.
“What should I do with the leftovers?” I asked Sophie as we were cleaning up.
“Throw the eggs out, but let’s take the pastries and drinks into the officers’ meeting. I don’t think I saw very many of them in line.”
I nodded and started loading the pastries on to one tray.
Chapter Twelve
Rem
It was a little past eleven when all the Presidents and Vice Presidents sat down for their meeting. As host, Greyson sat at the head of the table, and I sat to his right. Jackson and his VP, Mac, sat across from me. The Bulls officers, John and Colt, sat in the middle with the Aces charter members, Laughton, Jimmy and Dean, sitting at the end.
Before Skinny closed the door, Sophie and Isabel came in with a tray of food and drinks.
“I didn’t see all of you in the food line,” Sophie announced and then motioned to Isabel. “Put that one by Rem.”
Isabel smiled in her nervous way as she came toward me. I moved back to let her lean ov
er the table and was struck by that scent again, fresh like linen but sweet like oranges. I had to close my eyes and turn away. When I opened them, Jackson was looking at Isabel. In fact, he was looking down her shirt that was gaping as she arranged the food.
“Hurry up,” I growled at her.
She jumped and quickly stood back up. She looked at me like I kicked her puppy before moving toward the door. I also got a glare from Sophie as she left. Just great.
“What’s Izzy’s story?” Jackson said, his gaze still on the closed door.
“She’s a club girl from out east. Friend told me she was looking for some place new, and I offered our club. She’s already been vetted and we needed more variety around here. At least that’s what the boys tell me.”
“She is definitely something else,” Jackson drawled.
Before I could stop myself, I snarled at him. “She is something you will keep your hands off of.”
Greyson gave me a scolding look. We shouldn’t bring more attention to her.
But she brought the attention on herself.
“Forgive Rem.” Greyson chuckled. “He’s a little jealous since Izzy hasn’t given him the pleasure yet.”
Jackson smirked at me as if I was a child having a tantrum. I was ready to leap over the table when Greyson spoke again.
“Let’s get to it, boys. Current accounts. Rem, why don’t you start?”
I held Jackson’s eyes for a few more seconds, letting him know my warning was serious no matter what Greyson said. Of course, the bastard just glared back, daring me to challenge him. But an Ace never fought over a club whore.
“Rem,” Greyson said.
I finally looked away and addressed the table. “Within the last few months everything has been quiet on our end. The only strange occurrence was a lab we shut down run by skinheads. Our policy against production and distribution is well known, so we think there may be more going on. They seemed well funded and organized. There may be a connection to the Snakes, but we have yet to prove it.”
“You manage to talk to any of them?” John asked.
“Like I said, they were organized. They had more men there than we were expecting. We accomplished our goal, but we didn’t stick around for more info.”
Greyson spoke again. “We are still looking into it. Everyone keep your eyes open for more operations like this one. Someone seems to think they can break a rule we’ve had in this territory for the past twenty years. We need to know why. Also, an informant has told us that the Snakes’ accountants, Charles and Lionel Rochester, are on the run. We ask that you pass on any leads to us concerning those two.”
“Why do you suspect the Snakes?” Laughton said from the end of the table.
I decided to answer this one. “We’ve heard rumors over the past several months of the Snakes trying to get into meth. As long as it stayed out of our territory, we had no objections. But this reeks of Snakes.”
They all nodded in understanding.
After the other clubs gave their reports, we moved on to new business.
“I have something,” Jackson said. “As you know, the Wraiths have been growing. We are looking to expand our territory.”
“How’s that?” John asked.
“We will form a new charter with myself as President and move further in to Cali.” He paused before adding, “Mac will take my place as President in Lockwood.”
“Where is home base?” Greyson asked.
“We are looking at a little town called Smithsville.”
Greyson rubbed his chin. “And Vincent has approved?”
Jackson smirked. “It was his idea.”
Greyson simply nodded. That put an end to the discussion.
****
“I’m about ninety percent sure that girl is a virgin,” Duncan whispered.
I didn’t look up from the paperwork, hoping he would take the hint that I was trying to concentrate.
I was little disturbed from this morning’s meeting and Jackson’s bomb about California. Pushing into California was dangerous. It was home to some of the oldest and meanest MCs in history, specifically the Heaven’s Devils and the Monsters. The war between those two had lasted since the sixties. They dominate the state, and that raises big concerns for the Covenant if Jackson is expecting our support.
I was not surprised that it was Vincent’s idea. He was the head of Levino crime family and one of our partners. The man had an ego that was lethal to everyone who worked for him. Jackson was actually his nephew, but I was still surprised that Jackson was willing to go along with the idea.
After the meeting, I decided to do some real work to get my mind off it. Right now, I was reviewing invoices for the shop and placing orders. I actually enjoyed this part of my job. It was the honest part. Building bikes, fixing cars, scheduling employees, invoicing customers, and paying taxes, it all made me feel like I was contributing to society. As opposed to other amount of my income that helped destroy it.
I thought working in the clubroom would be better than my office since there was more space. But I forgot that working in the clubroom meant anyone could interrupt me with idle chit-chat, like Duncan.
“What are you talking about?” I asked when he didn’t go away.
“Izzy,” Duncan said. “I think she is a virgin. We talked quite a bit last night, and I got the feeling she still has her cherry.”
I looked up to where I knew Isabel was working in the kitchen. While I did my work, I’d kept track of her movement around the room for the past hour.
I had thought about what Greyson said last night, but I didn’t want my brothers to know about my fascination just yet. “Who cares? You heard Pres. She is off limits,” I said when I looked back at Duncan.
“Only while she is in trouble.” My friend grinned. “I figure once we solve her problem and she is no longer under our protection, she’ll be fair game.”
“Even if that were true, why would you want a virgin? You know the trouble they bring,” I said. I felt like an asshole for trying to dissuade Duncan from liking Isabel. He was my brother and it was a dick move to cock block, but I needed to figure out things with her first before he had his chance.
“Yeah, I know. Avoid clingers at all costs.” Then he sighed and looked at Isabel again. “But I think I would appreciate a little innocence in the right woman. I kind of like the thought of my woman knowing only me. Ya know?”
I gave him a look, and Duncan rolled his eyes. “I know, it’s a double standard, but I have a feeling I’ll be a possessive bastard when it comes to my old lady.” Then he stood up and righted the chair he used. “Well, back to the coal mine.”
I grunted my reply. When Duncan was out of sight, I felt my gaze pulled toward Isabel again. What if she is a virgin? I felt myself harden at the thought of the space between her legs, tight and untouched. How would it feel to be the first? I had a sudden flash in my mind of Isabel on her back looking up at me. She gasps and her eyes widen as I thrust forward, claiming her sweet cherry. I could feel her hand wrapped around the back of my neck and the other around my bicep. Her nails bite into my skin as I push deeper inside her, the untried warmth sucking me in. “Rem,” she moans.
“Rem.” The star of my little fantasy was standing in front of me. “Do you need me?”
I blinked. “What?”
“Well, you were staring at me so I thought you wanted me to come over. Did you need me to do something?”
Jesus. What is wrong with me? “No, I don’t want you for anything. Go back to cooking.”
“Oh, okay.” She looked down before turning away. Damn, girl.
Chapter Thirteen
Isabel
“Damn, girl. You keep cooking like this and I might have to patch you as my property.” Duncan leaned on the sink next to me while I finished the dishes from lunch. It was another successful meal with Sophie’s help. Who knew I could make fried chicken? Duncan was nibbling on the last drumstick as we spoke.
I rolled my eyes. “Oh y
es. I am an expert at following the recipe on the box. My audition for Top Chef is next week,” I said in a haughty tone.
He laughed and continued to chew. I liked Duncan best of all the guys. He was easy to be around, even if he was a shameless flirt. The others could be so intimidating, especially Rem. He was so daunting that I mentally put orange cones around him whenever he was near. The cones even had a sign. Any dorky girls found within a ten-foot radius will be eaten alive.
“Fried chicken is more than any woman has done for me before,” he said as he set down his empty plate and leaned a little closer.
I leaned away and splashed at him. “Maybe they won’t make you chicken, but we both know you get your fair share of services from the opposite sex.”
“And you’re not willing to do those services?” He wiggled his eyebrows at me.
“Not with you,” I answered honestly. Duncan was hot. He had this wild mess of curly hair that managed to come off as sexy, and he had large shoulders and arms that could make a girl drool. But he was not boyfriend material. He was still “sowing his wild oats”, as they say. He couldn’t handle anything serious, and I didn’t know how to handle anything but serious. Also, I didn’t want to lose one of my few allies in the building. That would make this situation ten times worse.
“What?” He looked shocked.
“You’re too immature.”
“What?”
“Did or did you not moon the guy at the Wendy’s drive-thru?” Amy had told me the story after Duncan mentioned a court date.
Duncan scoffed. “That was over a month ago.” He smiled. “So you’re saying I have to grow up before you’ll wear my brand?”
“Brand?”
“My name will be tattooed on your skin. You’ll be my property.” He was inching closer again.
I snorted. “Like a cow? Is it in case I wander off? Why not just stick me with one of those microchips they put in dogs?”
Duncan laughed. “It’s more than that.”
“Oh really. Why don’t you educate me?”
“In the MC life, when a man puts a brand on a woman, it’s like they’re married. By becoming his property, she gets his love and protection.”
Reign Over Me (The Covenant Book 1) Page 7