by Erin Osborne
“Slim, I don’t know how these cunts found that shit out, but it wasn’t from us,” Wood says, turning his attention to our girl. “Jennifer, we would never tell anyone what you told us. We know how much it took for you to open up, and we’d never betray that.”
“That’s a good point,” Slim says, standing and walking over to the two bitches. “One of you better start talkin’. Now!”
“Don’t have to tell you anything. That bitch has it coming. Looking down on us when she’s taken more dick than all the Phantom Bastards bunnies combined,” Collette says as the color drains from J’s face. That’s enough! This bitch has gone too fucking far. Again.
“Listen up, you fuckin’ skank. Our girl has a past. We all fuckin’ do. That doesn’t give you the fuckin’ right to spread hers all over like it’s not a big fuckin’ deal. How the fuck did you hear our conversation?” I ask, getting in her face as the anger and rage I’m feeling right now coils tightly in my stomach.
Collette smirks at me, letting me know that she knows my past too. I don’t give a fuck if she spreads that shit far and wide. She has no right to say a word about Jennifer. The bitch sits in her seat and looks down at her nails like she’s bored as fuck right now. I’m ready to beat this slut to death, but I’ve never hit a woman before and I never will. I watched my mom get beat and it’s not something I’ll ever do. No one deserves that; even this bitch.
“You heard my past too? You want to spread that shit around?” I ask, leaning in closer. There’s not an ounce of fear in her eyes. “I’ll tell you all what she knows. My mother was a drug whore. Never knew my dad. When I became a teenager, my mom decided that she’d pimp me out to ensure she got her fix. It started with her friends and then went to some of the men that brought her the fix she needed. I was raped repeatedly by men and women for almost four years. Is that what makes you think that I’ll back off Collette? Now every single member of my family knows my secret. You don’t got shit, so get off whatever high horse you think you’re used up ass is on and answer the fuckin’ question. How did you hear about our past?”
Ginger looks at everyone in the room. At least she has enough sense to look fucking scared and sorry about what she did. “She planted listening devices in your house. As soon as she found out that you started sleeping at the apartment with Jennifer, she broke in and made sure that she’d hear you guys whenever you were home,” Ginger says, tears filling her eyes.
“What did you get promised for followin’ along with her fucked-up idea?” Wood asks, walking closer to Jennifer.
“She told me she’d ensure that you took me on as your ol’ lady. I’m sorry, Jennifer,” she cries out, hanging her head down as Collette begins to screech and scream at her.
“That’s enough!” Slim shouts. “Collette, you’re done here. You don’t get to grab anythin’ from the clubhouse or step foot on any of our properties again. Ginger, you’re on probation until I say otherwise. You better kiss Jennifer’s ass if she tells you to. Do you understand me?”
“Yes,” Ginger answers as Collette sits next to her.
“What the fuck? She went right along with my plan,” Collette suddenly shrieks like she’s the victim here.
“Exactly, you’re plan. You did all this for nothin’. Now you have no protection and no home. Go whore yourself out on the streets for all I care,” Slim says, getting in her face as his turns deadly serious. “You’re lucky I’m not puttin’ you six feet under for what you’ve done. Get the fuck out of our club and I never want to see your fucked-up face again. Remember that you’re gettin’ off easy tonight for everythin’ that you’ve done. Now, go!”
Collette sits stock still for several minutes before Killer moves toward her. She’s always been scared to death of him. We all watch on as Collette finally moves. She almost trips and falls on her towering heels in her haste to get away from us. Well, from Killer if we’re being honest. Every single member of the club turns and looks at Jennifer as I make my way back over to her.
“Jennifer,” Slim says, his voice gentle and caring as he walks over to her. “You showed today what a great ol’ lady you’re goin’ to make for these two fuckheads. Not only did you keep a confrontation to yourself, you made sure to put them in their place without worryin’ if anyone was watchin’. You got a promotion today that we’ll discuss as a club later on and made a plan to help find out what I’m suspicious about. It didn’t take you weeks, hours, or even minutes to come up with that plan. Tonight, I’ve watched you bust your ass on the floor and behind the bar tellin’ me that my decision was right. I’m sorry about all the shit that you’ve been dealin’ with today. Next time, you come to one of us. Thankfully, Stryker and Trinity witnessed that shit or we’d never have known about it. You and Wade are a part of this club, and we’ll do what we need to in order to protect you both.”
Everyone claps and hollers at the small speech Slim just gave praising our girl. It’s not very often that he does something like that, but I see his point and know that today it was truly deserved. Jennifer turns and buries her face in Wood’s chest out of embarrassment at Slim’s words. She doesn’t like attention, and never openly seeks it out. Tonight, this has to be hitting her hard with the way that her day has gone.
“Baby, why didn’t you call us?” I ask, wrapping her in my arms.
“Because I didn’t. I was hurt and feeling betrayed that they knew that stuff. You two were the only ones I told, and I was trying to wrap my head around it,” she says, looking up at me finally. “I can’t believe you told your story to everyone here.”
“They’re our family. You see that no one is treatin’ me any differently because of it. We won’t ever share your story, that’s yours to tell. Just know that they’ll have your back if you decide to open up to them. You feelin’ any better knowin’ the truth?” I ask, needing to know that she understands we’d never betray her.
“Yeah. Sorry I thought you two would do that to me,” she mumbles, looking at Wood too.
“Don’t worry about it, Spitfire,” he says. “You go finish up work and then we’ll go home. Gonna send Fox over there now to make sure the bugs are gone. Ginger, you go with him. If you attempt to fuck with our home or anythin’ in it, you’ll be out on your ass. That understood?”
“Yes, Wood. Jennifer, I’m truly sorry for everything,” Ginger says, standing between Fox and Killer. I know Killer will go to make sure she doesn’t fuck with anything. Most of the house bunnies are scared to death of him. They suck his cock or ride it when he turns his attention on them, but they scramble away as fast as they can afterward.
Wood and I follow J downstairs and watch as she helps Trinity and the guys finish cleaning the club. We’ll talk about her promotion later on at home. I’m so proud of our girl. She’s certainly coming out of her shell and proving to herself what we already know; she’s a strong woman that’s going to set this world on fire with her ideas and plans.
Chapter Twenty
Jennifer
I’VE BEEN THE manager of Phantom for two weeks now. No one, other than Slim, Wood, Boy Scout, and I know about this. I haven’t even told the girls. I have a list of people I’m letting go and a list of people that I think are going to walk out on their own when they realize I’m now the manager of the nightclub. So, I’ve talked to Kim and Sally about working the club as bartenders while I hire other girls to work the floor. I really want to get Trinity in here to be one of the waitresses because she kicked ass the night she came in and worked with me.
Whino sent out a mass message telling everyone to be at the club by noon today for a staff meeting. Wood, Killer, Whino, Kim, and Sally are here with me as we sit at a table and wait for everyone to get here. It’s almost quarter after by the time Serena and Trisha walk through the door. They’re talking and laughing, acting like they’re not wasting our time here.
“’Bout time you got here,” Whino says, keeping up the pretense as he stands before everyone in the room.
I watch as the two g
irls sit at the table next to us and try to get Wood and Boy Scouts attention. Stupid bitches! Turning my attention back to Whino, I put them to the back of my mind knowing that they won’t be here much longer and that my men won’t pay any attention to them.
“We brought you here today because some shady shit has been goin’ down. Because I can’t be here like I used to be, Slim has decided to put someone else in my place as manager of Phantom. Today you’ll meet that person and hear the rules that are goin’ to be in place from now on. These rules have been approved by Slim and myself, so I suggest that you all pay attention. Well, the ones that are still here after the next few minutes are over with,” Whino says, pausing as everyone looks around trying to figure out who the new manager is. “You’re new manager is Jennifer.”
I hear a bunch of groans followed by my family cheering and clapping as I stand in front of everyone here. There’s a select few smiling, and I know it’s a matter of time before their smiles are gone. I’m not a pushover, and they’re not going to be here long enough to try to walk all over me.
“The first thing I’m going to do is let you know who is out of here as of now. Serena, Trisha, Brent, Michael, and Chasity, you no longer work for Phantom or the Phantom Bastards MC. We’ll wait until you leave to continue the staff meeting,” I say, looking at the five people I’ve just let go with no warning.
“What the fuck! You can’t get rid of us,” Serena whines, remaining in her seat as the other four stand up. “We’ve been here since the very beginning, and you have no right to fire us.”
“I was just gonna leave it at you being fired. Since you want to make this difficult, I’ll let everyone know why you’re all being fired. Michael, you seem to think that it’s okay to not work and deal drugs right out in the open of this club. You were all told that there was a zero-tolerance policy. Brent, you were caught on camera using drugs before you let two underage girls into the club. Chasity, you have called off more than you’re here. When you are here, you’re too worried about drinking than doing any actual work. Trisha and Serena, you have been having sex with patrons in the bathrooms, or anywhere for that matter. You two refuse to help out and do the bare minimum of work. This is not acceptable behavior and things will be changing for the rest of you that want to stay and have a job. Now, we’ll wait to see who’s going to stay and who’s going to leave,” I say, knowing that the guys will make sure at least those individuals are out of the door before we go any further.
After the group of five that I fired leaves with about six other people, I see that I now only have four employees. This is not going to work for me. I’ll have to hire some more people immediately to ensure that Phantom can stay open and the club doesn’t lose any business.
“For the rest of you, thank you for staying and giving me a chance. Things are going to change around here, but I think you’ll like the changes that are made. First of all, there will be a member of the Phantom Bastards here every night on the door until we can hire a security firm that the club agrees to for bouncing and letting people in. Kim and Sally are both new and will be bartenders here. Kim, you’ll be upstairs in the VIP section while Sally is downstairs. I’m going to need to get more staff in here quick as hell. Now, bartenders, I want you in here an hour or so before your shift starts. There will be no excuses for not having a stocked bar and everything prepped when we open. If you need help or more time, we’ll discuss that privately.
“Waitresses, you will be required to be here a half hour before your shift. You will be responsible for getting the tables ready and making sure that the bartenders have everything they need. We’ll work out schedules one-by-one in my office so I know of anything you have going on outside work. There will be no phones on the floor. If you have an emergency, let me know and we’ll work it out. I want everyone to have fun here, but we all need to work together. Especially until I get more bodies in here. I will have an open-door policy in my office. Anyone can come to me with any concerns and we’ll work it out. Together. No one will be walking to their car alone at night. If no one else is ready when you are, find a bouncer or member of the club. Does anyone have any questions?”
I continue to stand there and wait to see if anyone has anything to say. When no one asks anything, I tell them all to get ready to open since we now have a few hours and I want Kim and Sally to get used to the bar and where everything is. The rest of the employees can do what they can to help out with that so we have a smooth night tonight. Walking Sally behind the bar, I put Casper with her. He’s a nice guy that’s been here since opening. We call him Casper because he’s that pale and his hair is so blond that it’s almost white.
Meanwhile, I take Kim up to the VIP section and begin to explain things to her. It’s a little different in the VIP room than downstairs. Obviously there are not as many tables, and there’s no dance floor upstairs. It’s more tables that are comfortable and made for privacy instead of being open. Unless the guys are here, no one else really uses the VIP room. That’s something I want to change as well. It might bring in more revenue if we allowed it to be booked for private parties on certain days. I’ll have to run it by Slim and the guys later on. Bud is already up here so I leave Kim in her hands while I go down and see where I can help out the most.
“Baby, so proud of you,” Boy Scout says, catching me as I walk back downstairs.
“Yeah we are. Tomorrow night, Boy Scout’s takin’ you out while I hang with Wade,” Wood tells me, wrapping his arms around me from behind.
“Oh yeah? I have to work tomorrow night,” I respond, looking around the main room of the club.
“Not tomorrow you don’t. Whino will be here so he can get his shit from the office, and make sure that everythin’ you want is set up,” Wood says.
“Okay then. Well, I’m gonna see what I can do to help out before we open. Tonight is gonna be crazy since we’re short staffed,” I say, kissing them both before going to check on Sally.
Chapter Twenty-One
Boy Scout
J AND I left the house almost an hour ago. When she came down the stairs, I couldn’t believe how she looked. She was dressed simply in a pair of tight jeans that looked almost painted on. On top, she wore a tight-fitting Phantom Bastards tank top with one of Wood’s hoodies over it. Her long hair is braided and there’s barely any make-up on her face. It’s the most relaxed and beautiful I’ve ever seen her look.
I turn off the highway and onto a dirt road. It’s almost no more than a path at this point with the overgrown weeds and trees that haven’t been taken care of in years. Driving down until we’re almost at the pond, I feel J’s hands wrap tighter around me as the path becomes bumpier. With her tits pressed up against my back, and her arms around me, I can barely concentrate on what I’m doing. She’s distracting without even doing a damn thing. Thankfully, I pull up to the spot I want and turn the bike off.
We’re secluded and can’t be seen from the road a mile or two behind us. The pond is lit up only by the moon that’s starting to shine bright as the sky darkens and nighttime falls all around us. The stars are just starting to come out as I help J off the bike and lead her to the blanket and picnic that Alex brought up here a little while ago. There’s a cooler with drinks, a small radio, and the basket filled with some food. It’s all sitting on a blanket with a few cushions placed against the tree.
“You did all this?” J asks, taking in the scene before us.
“Alex brought everythin’ up here a little while ago for us,” I answer, putting an arm around her waist and pulling her into my side. “Is this okay?”
“I love it! You should know by now that I don’t need anything fancy. I’m more comfortable doing something like this than having money thrown at Wade and me. This is simple, and shows me more than going out to some fancy dinner ever could,” she answers, dragging me over to the blanket with her.
Sitting down, I pull her between my legs and we sit in silence for a little while. The frogs are starting to croak while cric
kets begin to chirp around us. Every now and then we can hear the splash of a fish in the pond that always seems to be stocked by someone. J sits back against me and watches the sky for the longest time; she’s lost in her own world.
“What are you thinkin’ about?” I ask her, running my hands up and down her arms.
“Just about life and the journey that I’ve had to take to get where I am today. How much I’ve grown and learned to let go and lean on those around me. And I’m thinking about how strong you are. You’ve suffered more than most, and look at the man you’ve become,” she says, shocking me with her thought path. “You may have moments that your past comes back to haunt you and you can’t push that shit down, but we can’t always fight all of our demons on a daily basis and beat them. Sometimes, they leak through to try to break us again.”
“You know that you’re stronger than you think you are too, right? Your childhood was taken away from you, and you made the best with what you had to deal with. When you were forced to do things you didn’t want to do, you didn’t turn to drugs or drinkin’. You took that shit, did what you had to do for your son, and accepted our help to leave when we offered it. Now, you’re goin’ to school, workin’ a full-time job for the club, and lettin’ us in. Tonight, isn’t about that. It’s about us spendin’ time together so that we can create a bond that will last a lifetime. Because you are ours, J,” I tell her, sitting up so that I can pull the food out.
As I sit back down with a plate in my hand, Jennifer leans up and places a kiss on my lips. It’s soft, sweet, and all-consuming. She doesn’t deepen it, just rests her lips against mine. Before long, she’s pulling back and looking down at her plate. I know that she’s still insecure as hell when it comes to making the first move with us. But, it’s something that she’s working on and overcoming. We eat in silence while watching the world around us. It’s peaceful and quiet here. That’s why I come here when I need to think and just be alone.