The Sinner Within (L.A. Sinners MC Book 1)

by J. L. Leslie

  “No. When I found out you were somehow connected to Gavin, I thought you were his old lady. Obviously,” I smirk.

  “Obviously,” she grins.

  “Why did you stick around? Once you knew who I was and you thought I killed your brother – you still do – but you haven’t cut ties with me,” I ask her, not reminding her that I’ve already told her before that I’m an innocent man when it comes to Gavin Mason.

  Her gaze shifts down and then back up. “Like you said, it doesn’t matter. I knew this was going to happen between us. I just felt it.”

  My damn dick twitches, bobbing between us. I tell myself not to even think about it. She will be sore and doesn’t need to be fucked twice tonight. It’s not fair to her.

  But she keeps looking down at me, her gaze hungry. Her bottom lip is tucked between her teeth, the same way it was when she came. I want that mouth around my cock. I know eventually I’ll have it there, but not tonight. Tonight, I just need to be inside her.

  I take a step toward her, and she presses her back to the shower wall. She raises her leg up, hooking it over my hip, and I hold it there as I drive into her, loving how incredible it feels to fuck her bare. Knowing that she trusts me with this honor.

  “You’ll be sore tomorrow,” I warn her, pausing for a moment.

  She places her hands on my shoulders, smiling as she grinds her pussy against me. “Good.”

  Harper

  I suck in a breath, jolting awake from the dream that has plagued me for over three years now. It’s always the same. Gavin is burning and screaming in pain, but I can’t get to him. I couldn’t save him then, and I can never save him in the dream either. If only my dreams would reveal who started the fire.

  I curl up onto my side, trying to forget the dream as I face Lucien, who is sprawled on his stomach. He’s facing the window, and from this view, I can see the artwork that runs over his back and shoulders. What’s more, I can see his scars. The tattoos do a good job of covering them up, but his burn scars are there.

  I take my fingertips and trace them over his skin, feeling the ridges. I can’t imagine the pain he felt. The pain Gavin felt. Shit, they did that to each other. Both of them so consumed by a war neither of them could escape from. Both of them trying to prove themselves to their clubs. The same thing I’m trying to do.

  There were consequences for them, and as I look over Lucien, I know there will be consequences for me too. How do I tell Donia that she’s wrong? That what she has believed for so long isn’t the truth?

  “I know you’re touching me,” he says, his voice scratchy. “But it feels light as a feather.”

  “You seem to have healed nicely,” I tell him. “We had to have a closed casket for Gavin.”

  He stays on his stomach but turns his head to face me, a smile playing at his lips. “Mine was a closed casket as well.”

  “What a dick,” I murmur and start to get off the bed.

  He pulls me back down, and I toss my leg over his ass, leaning in to touch my lips to his. I lower my hand down his back and cup his ass cheek, giving it a firm squeeze, but startle when his door suddenly opens.

  “Hey, boss, we need your approval…” the guy’s voice trails as his eyes roam over my naked body. He’s one of the members that always comes in the diner. I will never forget his blow job comment or how he looked last night with blood covering him. “Waitress girl?”

  “Is there a reason you’re fucking staring right now?” Lucien raises his voice angrily, pushing me off of him and climbing from the bed in all his naked glory.

  “Um, no, sir,” he shakes his head. “I wasn’t expecting you to have company, boss.”

  “That’s because you didn’t fucking knock!” he yells. “On your motherfucking knees, Reid!”

  I gather the sheet up, covering myself and feeling awkward for being a witness to the scolding the Sinner is getting. I know it’s embarrassing for him because the man looks pissed as he drops down to the floor, his face only inches from Lucien’s dick. He averts his gaze, his top lip curled in a pissed off snarl. Lucien slaps the side of his head, forcing him to look forward.

  “We’ve had this discussion before, Reid,” Lucien says, annoyance and frustration clear in his tone. “My room is off fucking limits. Do not disrespect me again.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “You want something to stare at?” he asks him, and Reid doesn’t answer. “I have ten inches right here.”

  He strokes his dick, the tip of it coming so close to hitting Reid’s cheek. He’s humiliating this man and over something so silly as him walking in his bedroom without announcing himself first. I want to intervene, tell him it’s okay and that this isn’t necessary, but I know that I can’t do that.

  Instead, I get up from the bed, in all my naked glory, just as he did, and scoop my clothes up from the floor before walking into his bathroom. I slam the door shut and lock it.

  “Harper!” he calls from the other side just a few seconds later. “Open the fucking door!”

  I pull my clothes on, wincing from the soreness between my legs as I call out, “Are you finished jacking off for Reid?” I hear a muffled curse, and I smile. “Maybe I should walk through your entire club naked so you can do that to all of your members!”

  He’s quiet on the other side now, and I wonder if he’s left. I tug my shirt down over my chest and open the door. Lucien stands there with his arms crossed. Still fucking naked.

  “Point taken,” he tells me. “If it makes you feel any better, I didn’t even come.”

  I roll my eyes and attempt to walk past him, but he catches me by the arm. He jerks me to him, one hand snaking possessively around my waist while the other squeezes my ass.

  “You don’t get it, Harper,” he says. “I have to instill fear, and I have to demand respect.”

  “From your own members?” I ask him.

  “From everyone, especially my members,” he nods. “They’re the same people in line to take this job the moment I lose it.”

  “That was just humiliating though,” I let him know. “He didn’t deserve that.”

  “You don’t know him, Harper. Trust me; I know how to handle Reid.”

  I give him a slight nod, and he gives me a chaste kiss on the lips before pushing me toward the bed until I fall backward. I prop myself up on my elbows while he pushes my skirt up over my hips.

  “Lucien, no, I’m sore.”

  He ignores my protests, spreading my legs apart. His palms skim over my thighs, and I spread my legs for him.

  “I’m not going to fuck you, Harper,” he says, his voice husky as he drops to his knees. “Your body is mine and for my eyes only.” He jerks me to the edge of the bed, making me gasp. “Right, baby?”

  He trails his fingertip up and down my center, through my wetness. When I don’t answer him right away, he eases two fingers inside me, and I look down at him. His mouth is poised at my pussy, licking his lips, ready to eat me. He groans when I answer him, telling him what he wants to hear and what I’m afraid is the truth.

  “Yes, Lucien, I’m only for you.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Lucien

  I open the door to my bedroom and lead Harper out into the hallway. When we came to my room last night, everyone was still outside partying, celebrating our wins from the fight. Now, the aftermath of that is half-naked people scattered all over my clubhouse. Reid was probably up only because he never went to sleep.

  “Wow,” Harper mumbles. “This place is a fucking pig sty.”

  I don’t disagree with her. When I lived here with Spencer, she and the other old ladies made it a point to keep the place clean. None of them could stand living like this.

  Damn, I scold myself for thinking about her. I fucked Harper last night, and I have no business reminiscing on how things were when Spencer was here. She’s gone, living her new life, and she’s never coming back.

  “I’ll get a few of the prospects to clean it up,” I let her know, knowing t
hat since we lost some members in Verdana, we don’t have as many old ladies here.

  “Like Warren?” she asks.

  “We have other prospects other than Warren.”

  Although I know if I treat him differently, they’ll bust my balls. He may have been a Ryker, but he’s still new to the Sinners. He needs to go through the same bullshit the other prospects do. Earn his cut. That’s just the way it is.

  “How long does it take to become a member? I mean, what do they have to do?” Harper questions me, stepping over a passed out club whore as we reach the door to go outside.

  “It just depends. Some make it to member status in months, others it takes years. Some never fucking make it.”

  Once outside, I see all the beer bottles and trash that litter the ground. Soco and Reid already have the prospects cleaning everything up, including dismantling the ring which is where Warren is. I can look at Reid and tell he still has a chip on his shoulder. Apparently, he didn’t like my dick in his face too much.

  I saunter over to him, ready to listen to what he needed approval on now that Harper is fully dressed. He stands with his arms crossed, face forward, refusing to look at me as he speaks.

  “There were three club whores that performed services last night. I need your approval to pay them,” he grits out.

  I see Harper shift on her feet at his words, obviously curious. I can admit that I’m not sure what he’s talking about. We didn’t discuss having any of the club whores perform services.

  “Who performed services and why?” I ask him, and he finally looks at me.

  “Sabrina thought it would be a good idea to have some of them give the fighters a distraction before the fight and it fucking worked. They lost their asses off.”

  “Warren agreed to it?”

  “He didn’t have to. She isn’t his old lady, for fuck’s sake.”

  I clench my jaw and nod my head. “Since she didn’t go through the proper protocol, if you want the whore paid, pay her with your fucking winnings from the fight,” I answer him and when he starts to protest, I cut him off. “Next time, get my approval first. We don’t need women to do our damn jobs for us.”

  I motion for Harper to follow me and walk away from him before I get any more pissed off by his lack of respect. If we would’ve lost last night, then it would’ve been on us, not on some woman. This kid has a lot to fucking learn.

  I turn back to Reid before I get too far and tell him, “I’ll be back in a bit, and I want that fucking money counted and separated.”

  I smile at his response. “Yes, sir.”

  He might learn something yet.

  Harper

  I turn the stove off and scoop the eggs from the pan onto my plate. A piece of one falls onto my counter, but I snatch it up and pop it into my mouth. Lucien is seated at my table sending a text message, but I don’t ask him who he’s texting. He’s been like this since we got to my house.

  As for me, I barely walked up to my porch after the ride here, his motorcycle definitely letting me know how sore I am. Once I got inside, I showered and started cooking, realizing how hungry I was. He’s been at the same spot at my table ever since.

  I take a seat across from him, and he glances up from his phone. I get a sip of my orange juice, waiting on the question that I know is going to come.

  “Is there enough for me?” he asks.

  Not quite the question I expected but close enough. “Sure. I was going to fix your plate for you, but then thought that you were capable and I didn’t want you thinking a woman was doing your damn job for you, you know?”

  I fight back a smile and see one playing at the corner of his lips as he gets up from the table and goes to my stove. I hear him open my fridge, no doubt getting some juice, and then he sits back down across from me.

  “I didn’t mean to offend you,” he explains.

  “No offense taken,” I assure him, and continue to goad him. “I love knowing your true feelings about women.”

  He shakes his head, “There are women, and there are club whores. They are not the same, Harper.”

  I lower my fork to my plate. “Seriously? Those women took it upon themselves to fuck men that are not part of the club they service. They did this to help the Sinners out because they felt it was in the club’s best interest. They weren’t asked to do it, but they did it because maybe they care for you guys.”

  “They did it because they are whores, Harper,” he deadpans. “It’s what they do.”

  “You know,” I begin. “I’m not saying I agree with what those women do because I always hated them when Gavin would tell stories about them, but I do know that they hold more power in the club than what you might realize and you should appreciate them. Those club whores just might be the next old ladies.”

  He seems to be stunned by my words, but he should know me well enough by now to know that I’m not just going to sit by quietly. If he says or does something that bothers me, I’m going to let him know.

  “What am I going to do with you?” he says, somewhat to himself.

  “Well, I’m just saying, Lucien. You said the members could be the next president, well the club whores could be the next old ladies and you don’t want to disrespect them by treating them like they don’t really matter. You should face it; your club needs them.”

  I stand up, grabbing my plate and taking it to the sink. He’s behind me moments later, rinsing his plate once I’m finished with mine.

  “I’ll be by later,” he tells me and leans down to kiss me. “I have some club shit to do.”

  I don’t know if my words got through to him at all, but I kiss him. I kiss him because there’s a part of me that wants him to need a woman in his life.

  That woman is me.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Lucien

  When I return to the clubhouse, the majority of the mess is cleaned up. A few old ladies and club whores are working on the inside, and I let them know that I appreciate it as I walk through.

  Harper’s words weigh heavily on my mind as I see Sabrina scrubbing the counter. It was her idea to screw those fighters last night, throw their game off. I have no idea who they were, but according to Reid, it worked. I can’t go back on my decision and pay her now, but I’ll keep it in mind in the future.

  I step into my office, and Soco is there, locking the cash into our safe. He gives me a grin as he shuts it.

  “We fucking banked, boss.”

  “How much?”

  “Just over a hundred fifty grand.”

  I do the calculations in my head, and we’re fucking close. We need to pull a job and get the rest of the funds to purchase the supply from Wakeford. We’re so damn close to being back on track, I can feel it.

  “Almost there, man,” I tell him.

  He nods. “You’re doing good here. You have gotten things under control a hell of a lot faster than I imagined you would. The men respect you. I can admit that I couldn’t have done it.”

  “Eh, we still have a long way to go, and I know some of them don’t believe I should be in this position. Ian is a little wary of me and Reid doesn’t behave like he deserves his cut.”

  “Ian isn’t sure how to earn his and Reid is still trying to prove that he has. He just doesn’t always remember the rules. They both want to be here though.”

  I take his word for it, knowing he knows both of them better than I do. I take a seat at my desk and motion for him to sit across from me.

  “We’re still short on the funds,” I tell him. “I don’t want to dip into the general funds, but it’s looking like we don’t have a choice. If we do, we need to replenish it ASAP, and the only way to do that is to pull off a big job. We need the money we have to keep making our regular monthly payments. We can’t afford not to make payouts. We both know how important the people on that list are.”

  Paying the right people is simply part of the game we play. We pay to keep our members out of lockup. To have certain officials look the other way wh
en dead bodies turn up. It has to be done.

  “What do you have in mind?” he asks me.

  I know the idea that I’ve bounced around in my head isn’t a smart one, but it keeps coming back to me. I guess dumb ideas replay in your head when you’re desperate for money.

  “I want to hit the Jiminez cartel.”

  Soco’s eyes go wide. “Are you fucking serious, Luc? I mean, I get that you and Reid got their drop on their pill mill, but Jiminez is one of the most dangerous cartels in L.A. He’s probably already pissed his fighters got their asses kicked last night.”

  “The drop on the pill mill was fucking easy, Soco. He didn’t have security on the place at all, and we walked out with over sixty grand. It wasn’t difficult to find the location either. He’s cocky as hell and doesn’t think anyone would try to take him out. We hit them all at once, and we’ll have the money we need.”

  “And Jiminez will know who did it too. He will slaughter us.”

  “Not if we slaughter him first,” I reply. “Besides, I’ve already died once.”

  Harper

  I read over Mackenzie’s notes again before getting up and heading into my kitchen. She follows behind me, accepting the soda I offer her.

  “I know it’s a lot to take in, but studying it all now will ensure you know every detail for when the job goes down,” she tells me.

  “I understand.”

  “Our guess is that it will only be another couple of weeks before Lucien has a deal with Wakeford & Sons. If it’s even that long. That really doesn’t give you a lot of prep time.”

  “I’ll be ready,” I assure her.

  Mackenzie came over a couple of hours ago, and we’ve been going over details regarding Wakeford & Sons’ delivery trucks ever since. Mackenzie has all of the intel on their routes from pick up, including all delivery stops, and then their return to the warehouse. Of course, once the deal is made with the Sinners, our best bet is to intervene right after they leave the warehouse before they ever stop to make their first delivery or to stop them on the road somehow.