“You doing any shopping?”
“Fuck no,” I replied, smiling. “I hate crowds, especially during the holidays. I ordered all of my shit online.” This year my list was much longer than usual. My family tree had grown substantially and it now it even included nieces and nephews.
“At least you don’t have a chick to buy for,” he replied, opening up the back door and tossing the snow brush inside. “I gave Terin a new vacuum last year for Christmas. You know…one of those Roombas that do the job for you? I thought it was as cool as shit, especially since she was always complaining about not having enough time to vacuum. You should have seen the look on her face when she opened it. I thought she was going to reach for her gun.”
I laughed. Terin, his wife, was a cop. “Dude, you don’t give your woman something like that for Christmas. Unless you’re going to follow it up with a pair of earrings or something sentimental.”
He grinned sheepishly. “Yeah, I should have known better. Another reason why I’m doing my shopping tonight. I’m thinking about getting her this ring she was eyeing at Adriana’s store. That’s where I’m heading now.”
Remembering the engagement ring I’d purchased for Bonnie the year before, took the smile off of my face. Fortunately, I’d been able to return it and buy my sled, but the memory of what had happened still stung like a son-of-a-bitch.
“Have fun,” I said, turning around and walking toward the doorway, shoving Bonnie’s memory out of my thoughts. I was done with commitments and, hell, women in general. Sure, I partied with them and had an occasional one-night stand. But frankly, I trusted a woman as much as I did a preacher living in Beverly Hills and driving a Beemer. Most of my time and respect went toward the club and my brothers. They were now my world and I was finally beginning to feel like I really fit in.
“Thanks. See you later.”
I waved at him over my shoulder and continued on my way.
“There he is,” Tank said when I walked inside of the clubhouse. “The man of the hour.”
I stomped the snow off of my boots and smirked. “Oh, shit. What do you need me to do now?”
I’d been a Prospect for the last ten months and they were always giving me shit to do that nobody else wanted. I didn’t mind, though. I’d become really close with everyone the last year, especially Raptor and Tank. Jordan was cool, too, but never around and when he was, he hardly said anything. It was also his way and I was getting used to it.
Tank laughed. “Brother,” he said, putting his hand over his heart. “Can’t I just give you a warm welcome? Especially on this cold-assed blustery day?”
“You could, but then I’d have to drive you to the E.R. to find out what kind of head trauma you received and if they can fix it,” I said wryly.
“That’s definitely your brother,” he replied, smiling at Raptor.
“And he’s got your number,” Raptor replied.
“Mine? You’re the one who volunteered him.”
I looked at Raptor. “For what?”
He shifted in his chair and then smiled. “How do you feel about kids?”
I frowned. “I like yours.” I nodded toward Tank. “His, too. Jordan’s are pretty cool as well. Other than that, kids are great as long as they’re not in my way. Why?”
Tank started laughing and Raptor gave him a warning look.
“Okay. What the hell is going on?” I asked, smiling.
“Being a Prospect means that you have to commit yourself to tasks that you don’t always find… enjoyable,” Raptor said.
I walked over to where they were sitting, at one of the pub tables. “Yeah. I’ve figured that out. Especially last week when Tank asked me to help clean out the grease trap at Sal’s.”
“Oh, shit. That’s right. I’d forgotten about that,” Tank replied looking amused.
“Thanks, by the way. I don’t think that thing was ever cleaned,” I replied, remembering the smell and the mess.
“Raina was really grateful for all of your help,” he replied. “She says you’re doing an awesome job with the electrical stuff, too.”
“I’m glad she’s pleased,” I said truthfully. “Now, spill it. What did you sign me up for?”
“How’s your ‘ho, ho, ho’s?” Raptor asked with a mischievous grin.
Chapter 12
Chloe
“I STILL FEEL like shit about this,” Kai said, as we set down the last of the moving boxes into my new apartment. “I wish you weren’t moving out. I know you’re upset about Trey, but he really does like you and feels just as bad as I do.”
I bit my tongue, knowing that whatever I said wouldn’t make a difference. Kai was still madly in love with Trey, who was as manipulative as ever. Unfortunately, he was also blinded by that love and unwilling to see the man for what he really was – a selfish and lazy prick. During the last year he’d basically wormed his way into our lives and hadn’t contributed anything toward rent or housing expenses. Yes, he was working part-time, but his money went toward who knows what. Kai kept making lame excuses for him and I’d stopped asking questions long ago.
“This is for the best,” I replied, staring at the walls of my new place, relieved that I wouldn’t have to live with Trey any longer. Just seeing the man made me so damn angry. Fortunately, he’d kept his paws to himself and had only flirted a couple of times. Realizing that I wasn’t interested and in fact annoyed as hell, he’d given up and we’d ignored each other for the most part. There was one time, however, when he’d walked in on me in the bathroom. I’d been taking a shower and had apparently forgotten to lock the door. Of course, I’d also thought I was the only one home. I’d screamed and Trey had claimed he hadn’t heard the water running, which was bullshit. I knew better. Fortunately, he hadn’t seen much of me, only a blur through the frosted glass, but I still felt violated by the incident.
“Are you sure you don’t want any help unpacking?”
“No, but thank you. I need to run to the store and pick up a few items before I start anyway. I’ll probably leave here right after you do.”
“Okay. By the way, Renee said that you can visit Georgie whenever you want,” he said.
My heart felt heavy just thinking about Georgie. I couldn’t have him in the apartment as they didn’t allow pets. I’d struggled with letting him go, but in the end found a solution that was bittersweet. Kai’s niece, Katie had been wishing for a dog for Christmas, but they couldn’t afford one. It was my gift to her. I knew that Katie would take very good care of Georgie, who had grown attached to her quickly.
“Thank you,” I replied, trying not to cry as a wave of emotions rushed through me. I was losing both Kai and Georgie. Sure, I could still see them, but it would never be the same.
He nodded and then gave me a hug. “If you ever need anything, call me. I don’t care if it’s in the middle of the night,” he said softly.
“Thanks. Same goes for you.”
Kai released me and I walked him to the door.
“Kai.”
He turned and looked at me.
“You only live once, so be good to yourself,” I said, remembering our old saying used back in college. It had been more of a joke and we’d used it on everything, whether it was choosing something on a menu or buying an expensive article of clothing. I just wish he’d remember the motto when it came to relationships.
His eyes softened. “You, too.”
We said our ‘goodbyes’ and then he took off. I could tell that he felt guilty, but his love for Trey outshined everything. Sadly, that included our friendship.
An hour later, I was battling the crowds at the store. I should have known better, since it was the holiday season. But, I wanted my own Christmas tree and was determined to get one up before I went to bed that night. Call it silly, but I really needed some festiveness in my life, especially after moving away from my best friend. As I was contemplating which tree to buy, my cell phone rang. It was Jessica.
“Hi, how’s the move going?” she
asked in a cheery mood.
“It’s been a lot of work, but I just got the last of the boxes into my apartment,” I replied, walking by a frosted pine tree.
“Would you like some help unpacking? I just finished my shift.”
“No. But thank you for the offer.” I knew that she’d be tired anyway and I had the next couple of days off to unpack.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m actually at the store purchasing a Christmas tree.”
“You are? Oh, that reminds me… the Gold Vipers are going to be holding another fundraiser this year and are looking for volunteers to help out. They’re trying to raise money for the homeless and the Children’s Cancer Research Organization.”
“Cool.”
“They’re also sending Santa Claus over to the hospital on Friday, to pass out presents to the children. They need an elf to help him out, preferable someone who knows their way around. I’m working, otherwise I’d do it.”
“I can do it, if they haven’t found anyone else yet.”
“I don’t think they have yet.”
“What time?”
“Around eleven.”
“That time works for me. I’m not back at the hospital until Sunday night and I can’t wait to see the looks on the children’s faces when they see Santa,” I replied, smiling.
“You’re a doll. Thank you. I’ll let Tank know. Should I have him call you?”
“Yeah. I’m also free on Friday if they need any other help.”
“Actually, Tank might take you up on it. They’ve rented out some banquet room, downtown, for children to meet Santa. They’re going to charge for pictures and donate all the proceeds. They need volunteers for that, too.”
“I’m available. Let him know.”
“You sure you won’t be too busy?”
“I’m never too busy for holiday fundraisers.”
“I’ll tell Tank. He was hoping you’d be available.”
Me specifically?
“Really?”
“Well, I told him that you mentioned something about being able to help out this holiday season. He must have remembered. Of course, not a lot of bikers want to dress as elves. So, that’s probably why he was hoping you’d volunteer.”
I chuckled. “Makes sense.”
We’d talked about it last year, after the party at the clubhouse. I’d been a little tipsy on the ride home, volunteering my time freely without thinking. But, I loved Christmas and needed something to cheer me up. This sounded like fun and it was for a great cause. Plus, I’d heard that Graham was now a Prospect and secretly hoped to run into him. I still wasn’t crazy about the jail thing, but I wasn’t planning on marrying the guy. Not even date him. I just wanted to see him again. I’d spent many nights thinking about him; hell, fantasizing about him. I just wanted to see if he was as sexy as I’d remembered. Bad boys weren’t my thing in the real world. But, fantasies were different. They were safe, no matter who I chose to be my partner.
“Anyway, I’m going to call him and let him know you’re in.”
“Sounds good.”
We spoke for a few more seconds and then hung up. A short time later, I had a new tree in my cart and was racking up over three hundred dollars for lights and decorations, but didn’t care. I was determined to make it beautiful. After all, a person only lives once…
Chapter 13
Graham
AFTER MY TALK with Raptor and Tank, I was grumpier than shit. They’d basically put a kibosh on my relaxing, fun-filled weekend. Instead of snowmobiling, I would spend the next few days wearing a red suit and a white beard. If that wasn’t bad enough, I’d have to pretend to be jolly for the kids, which was going to drive me to drink. I have a feeling as to why Santa’s eyes were always twinkling. He was half-in-the-bag most of the time.
I knew dressing up and playing him was for a good cause and everything, but I was not the right guy for the job. Hell, I wasn’t even looking forward to Christmas. I hadn’t even put up a goddamn tree, wanting the season to be over as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, there wasn’t anything that I could do about it, unless I wanted to turn in my Prospect cut disappointing both my brother and Tank.
Fuck.
I walked out of the clubhouse, needing some fresh air. The snow was coming down harder and I saw Cleaner in the parking lot, trying to plow around the vehicles with a small tractor. He saw me and waved me over.
“What’s up?” I asked.
He handed me a bunch of keys. “Can you help me move some of these vehicles so I can move some snow out of the parking lot?” he asked loudly.
“Sure,” I replied, taking them from him.
“Thanks.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of smokes. “It would have been nice if the guys would have just volunteered to move their own vehicles. But, they like to see me running.”
“You and me both. It’s payback.”
“Yeah.” He lit his cigarette.
I stared at the snow coming down. “Why don’t you just wait until this shit stops?”
“It’s not going to. We’re going to get dumped on for the next several days,” he replied. “And most of us are heading out this weekend to go snowmobiling. I want to make sure Tank and the other guys can get in and out of the parking lot.”
My eye twitched. “Okay.”
Cleaner blew out a cloud of smoke and smiled. “I heard you’re going to be playing Santa Claus. I thought for sure they were going to make me do it.”
He was also a Prospect and although he was younger than me, he looked more the part. A burly guy with a slight paunch, dimples, and bright blue eye. He always had a smile on his face, even when he was picking up after everyone, which was often. He had O.C.D. and couldn’t leave a room without cleaning something up first. Truth is, I’d never seen the clubhouse look so spotless since he’d arrived.
“Nope. Guess, I’m the lucky bastard,” I muttered.
“Come on, man. It won’t be so bad. You look like someone just pissed in your Wheaties,” he replied, looking amused.
“You want to switch with me?”
He laughed. “Fuck no. Like I said before… I’ve got the weekend off and I’m going to put some miles on my sled.”
“Yeah. Lucky you,” I said dryly. “I thought I did, too.” My sled had very little miles on it. I’d purchased it in October and it was being stored at Hoss’s cabin, since I lived in an apartment.
“Did you tell them you had other plans?” he asked, studying me.
I shook my head. I hadn’t, which was my own fault. But, somehow I think they’d already known anyway. “I doubt it would have made a difference.”
“Probably not but you should have said something. Raptor’s your brother. He might have left you off the hook.”
“I don’t need any special treatment.”
I knew that some of the other Prospects thought I’d get off easier because of Raptor, but it seemed like just the opposite. Which was why I hadn’t complained when I’d heard the news about playing Santa Claus. As mad as I’d been, I’d kept my mouth shut and hadn’t said a word about how pissed I’d really been.
He stared at me for a few seconds more and then nodded toward the vehicles. “Let’s get those cages moved so we can finish this shit up. Afterward, if they let us go, I’ll buy you a beer.”
“Sounds good,” I replied.
AN HOUR LATER, we’d managed to clear out most of the parking lot. Thankfully, the snow had tapered off and wasn’t supposed to pick up again for a few hours.
After putting the tractor away, we walked back into the clubhouse and handed back keys to the remaining club members that were still there.
“Anything else you need done?” Cleaner asked, when we approached Tank, who’d just gotten off the phone with someone.
“You can go home, Cleaner,” he replied and then looked at me. “You can, too. After you drop something off for me first. It looks like it should be on your way anyway.”
“S
ure,” I said, relieved. “Where to?”
He tore off a piece of paper he’d written something on and handed it to me. “Here’s the address. I need you to drop off a package that’s sitting on my desk to that place.”
I looked down at the address. “Is this an apartment complex or a business?”
“Apartment.”
I nodded. “I’ll go and grab the package then. Anything else?”
He grinned. “Nope.”
Tank look amused and I wondered if something was up. Before I could ask any more questions, his phone rang again. He answered it.
“You see that look on his face?” Cleaner said as we walked away.
“I noticed.”
“Wonder what that was about?”
“Maybe he’s imagining me in a Santa suit,” I said dryly.
He chuckled. “I have to admit, that is kind of a funny vision. You as a jolly, old elf. If I wasn’t going snowmobiling this weekend, I’d take pictures and heckle you all weekend.”
I flipped him off.
Chapter 14
Chloe
The roads were starting to get very slippery and everyone was driving slowly. Almost too slowly. By the time I made it home, I was too tired to do much of anything, so I decided to unpack some of my clothing and then get to the Christmas tree. As I was deciding where to put it, my cell phone rang. It was a phone number that I didn’t recognize.
“Hello?”
“Hey, is this Chloe Wilson?”
I groaned inwardly. The guy sounded too cheery to be anything but a telemarketer. “Yes.”
“It’s Tank. I don’t know if you remember me, but we met last year at the Gold Viper’s fundraiser.”
“Of course, I remember you,” I said, relaxing. “How’ve you been?”
We chatted for a while about the last few months and then he brought up the fundraiser.
“Tomorrow we could use a few people to hand out invites for our ‘Meet Santa’ fundraiser. I was just wondering if you’d have an hour or two to help pass out some fliers?”
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