“I uhhm. I need to. I have to quit.”
He went bug-eyed. “Quit? What? Where are you going?”
“Nowhere. Just going home.”
“Don’t quit. You don’t want to do that. It’s never a good idea.”
“I need to, really. I just wanted to let you know. You’ve been good to me, and I don’t want to leave on bad terms.”
“You can’t go anywhere and make this kind of money, Sandy. Take a few days off, and think about it. I’m sure you’ll come to your senses. You sure there’s nothing you want to talk about?”
I clutched my purse and rocked back and forth in the seat. “No. Not really. And, no, I don’t need to think about it. I just need to go ahead and quit.”
“I’ll give you 70% of the cut from the drinks, and 100% from your take on private dances. How’s that?”
It made me wish I would have threatened to quit two years prior. At those rates, I’d easily make another $100-150 nightly.
“I really can’t.”
“What’s wrong? Did Joe Marcelli approach you? From San Diego? Are you going to San Diego?”
I shook my head. “I’m pregnant.”
He inhaled a deep breath, held it, and then exhaled. “You’ve got a while before you’ll need to quit. Just stick around until you’re uncomfortable, and then--”
“I’m sorry, I can’t. The father has asked that I quit.”
He nodded toward the door. “Not one of my employees?”
“Oh. No. He’s someone else.”
He stood, and then clasped his hands together. “Give me two weeks. How about that? Two weeks? It’ll let me find someone to replace you in the headlines. It’s not easy getting someone that’ll draw the crowds you do.”
Two weeks would let me stick a few thousand dollars away, and I was sure it’d be that long before I moved in with Smokey anyway, if not longer.
“I’ll agree to it if you keep those rates you were talking about. 100% of my dances, and 70% of drinks.”
“I can do that.”
I stood. “Okay. I’ll stay two weeks.”
“Thank you. And, before you go, be sure and come say goodbye. I’ll miss you, Sandy. I really will.”
“I’ll miss you too, Mr. Rosetti.”
I smiled and turned toward the door.
Two more weeks.
What could that hurt?
Chapter One Hundred Thirty-One
Smokey
I rolled up beside the three other bikes, came to a stop, and then whacked the throttle twice. Standing on the far side of the shop, Crip cupped his hands to his ears and shot me a glare. I shut off the motor and grinned.
As I was hanging my helmet on the handlebars, he shouted across the shop. “God damn it with you and that loud ass bike. Shut it down at the street and roll in here from now on with that loud cocksucker off. I’ve only asked you what? A thousand times?”
“I’ll try and remember,” I yelled, turning to face him as I spoke. “Got a lot on my mind.”
He shook his head and turned toward Pee Bee.
“The Nut will be here in a minute.” I took a few steps in their direction. “Wanting to talk to the four of you.”
Cholo, Pee Bee, and Crip were all gathered around the refrigerator. I’d sent each of them a text message to see if they were at the shop, and after finding that they were, asked P-Nut to come in as well.
I wanted to tell them about the changes I was going to go through before they heard it from someone else. It seemed anytime information came from anywhere other than the source, it was inaccurate at best.
Bikers with Ol’ Ladies were looked at differently than bikers who were single. Often, when a man like me ended up in a relationship, he was looked down upon and considered a sellout. If the four men I was speaking to accepted my situation, everyone else would do the same. Convincing them I was doing what was right should be easy, as three of them had Ol’ Ladies.
“So, what the fuck’s going on?” Crip asked. “Having problems with the prospect?”
I pulled my vape from my pocket and checked the battery life. “Nope. In fact, he’s coming along smartly.”
“Why the meeting?” he asked.
I took a long hit off the vape. “Is that what this is?”
He glanced at Pee Bee and Cholo, and then looked at me. “Looks like it.”
I blew the cloud of smoke toward Crip. “Makes you nervous when someone other than you calls a few of the fellas together, huh?”
“God damn it, Smokey. What’d I tell you about that fucking thing? Blow that shit somewhere else.”
“My bad, Crip. Shit, I can’t remember a God damned thing. Think the exhaust fumes are getting to me. Either that or the adhesive from all the tile work.”
He glared. “I mean it.”
I extended my fist toward Peeb. After he pounded it, I did the same with Cholo. Then, I made eye contact with Crip and gave him a half-hearted nod.
He shook his head and turned away.
Aggravating him was part of what made being around him so much fun. Most of the fellas knew I was full of shit, and simply accepted me as being me. Crip took everything personal, and genuinely let me get under his skin. The fact that I could irritate him enough to get him off his game drove me to do so even more.
After two minutes of silence, Crip turned to face me. “What’s this about?”
“Got some news to give ya.”
He folded his arms across his chest. “Well, give it.”
I took another hit off my vape, and held the smoke in. “Waiting on the Nut.”
He shook his head. “Perfect. That’s all I need is the two of you together.”
“We’re all brothers, Brother,” I said, my tone sarcastic.
P-Nut was a veteran with the Fuckers, and was a lot like me. He was a man of principle, had a good set of moral values, and didn’t take shit from anyone, especially Crip. He didn’t hang with Pee Bee or Cholo, and not because they didn’t like him. It was more a result of his desire to survive on a day-to-day basis without being scrutinized by anyone.
He would do anything for the club, for his brothers, or for a good cause, as long as he was the one to make the decision.
And, it was that lone wolf attitude that kept him and Crip at odds.
The sound of a motorcycle’s approaching exhaust caused me to tense. I wasn’t necessarily nervous about talking to them, but I wasn’t completely comfortable either. After spending nearly two decades screwing every woman who held still long enough for me to poke my cock in them, settling down and having a baby with someone would certainly raise eyebrows, and I knew it.
P-Nut came screaming through the parking lot at twice the speed that was safe and shot past the shop. Beyond the opening of the overhead door, but still well within our view, he locked up his rear brake and slid into a smoky 180 degree turn.
With his front tire now facing the garage door and the motorcycle still well into a power-slide, he hit the throttle and launched the bike into the shop.
Blazing across the floor – and directly toward us – at full speed, his little display of power didn’t bother me. Crip, on the other hand, was screaming at the top of his lungs.
P-Nut’s bike came to a screeching stop right beside mine.
He revved the throttle once, and shut off the engine. After tossing his helmet onto the floor, he looked up and grinned. “That was interesting.”
“God damn it, P-Nut,” Crip hollered. “That was un-fucking-necessary.”
P-Nut pulled a pack of cigarettes from his front pocket, lit one, and then looked at Crip through one eye while the other was pinched shut. “Which part?”
“All of it,” Crip snarled.
In the middle of taking a drag off his cigarette, P-Nut paused, and then blew the smoke to the side.
“Can’t agree with you on that, Crip.” He waved his hand toward the wide-open garage door. “Fast as I was going, I had to shoot past the door, or I’d have wrecked. Then, if I didn’t
do that little U-turn, I’d have hit the far side of the fucking fence. And, the coming in the shop part? Shit, you know I ride hard. Nope. I’m thinking pretty much all of it was necessary.”
He took long strides across the shop floor. Upon reaching us, he pounded my fist, and then gave Pee Bee and Cholo a nod. “What’s up fellas?”
“You need to slow that piece of shit down,” Crip said. “If you’d have been going the fucking speed limit, we wouldn’t be having this conversation, would we?”
P-Nut flicked his ash on the floor, rubbed it with the toe of his boot, and then looked up. “Changin’ the name of the club to the Clean Clan or are we keeping the Filthy Fuckers patch on our colors?”
Crip glared.
P-Nut shrugged. “Just wondering. I mean, if we’re all going to abide by the speed limits and everything. Want me to turn in my pistol, too? I could start carrying a bible and a box of Snickers bars instead of a pistol and a pack of cigarettes.”
Crip clenched his jaw. “Slow the fuck down in the parking lot.”
P-Nut took a long drag off his cigarette, blew the smoke in Crip’s direction, and then began to rock back and forth on the balls of his feet. “Got all the decision makers in the same place. Hope nobody drops a bomb, this club would be brainless.”
The Nut never stood still for longer than a few seconds, and to those that didn’t know him, he seemed sketchy and nervous. His given name was Percy, and considering the fact he acted nuts most of the time, he earned the name P-Nut.
“Shouldn’t take long,” I said “I’ve just got something I need to bring to light.”
“Make it quick,” Crip said with a laugh. “He’s making me nervous.”
Although every member of the club was my brother, I didn’t look at them all the same. I’d put my life on the line for any of them, or I wouldn’t have taken the oath to become a Filthy Fucker. Being close friends with each of them, however, was impossible.
The four men in front of me were ones that mattered to me the most.
“I’ve got something to say, and I’d appreciate it if you keep your shitty remarks to yourselves.”
Cholo, Pee Bee, and Crip were all leaning against the workbench, while P-Nut nervously paced the floor between them and the far wall.
“You all know that I’ve got a daughter, and that I’m protective of her. I’ve got--”
P-Nut stopped pacing and shot me a look of concern. “Nobody fucked with Eddie, did they? God damn it, I’ll kill a motherfucker--”
“Settle down, Nut. No. Eddie’s fine. Hear me out.”
He lit another cigarette, and went right back to pacing the floor.
“In the last month, I’ve been seeing a girl.” I figured saying I’d been seeing her would sound a lot better than saying we’d fucked twice. I scanned the men for reactions, and other than Nut’s pacing, everyone seemed pretty calm, so I continued. “And I liked spending time with her, but I knew it’d never amount to much with my rule about relationships and all.”
I paused, took a long pull on my vape, and then tilted my head toward the ceiling. After exhaling the smoke into the steel structure of the shop, I lowered my gaze and dropped the bomb.
“She’s pregnant.”
P-Nut stopped in his tracks and looked right at me. One of his eyebrows arched.
The other three men’s jaws dropped.
While Crip’s mouth twisted into a shitty smirk, I continued. “And, before any of you say anything slick, she’ll be moving in with me. We’re having the baby. Together.”
Crip rubbed his face with the palms of his hands and then crossed his arms. “Going domestic on us, huh?”
“Nope. Just doing what’s right.”
“It’s good you’re doing right by her,” Cholo said. “She’s good people. The two of you can come over and stare at the beach with Lex and Me from the back deck. I mean it, Brother.”
Crip shot him a look. “You know this chick?”
Cholo nodded. “Works with Lex.”
I turned toward P-Nut. Standing in the same spot, he stood statue-still with his eyes fixed on the floor. Every few seconds, he’d blink.
“You alright, Nut?”
Without looking up, he nodded.
I nodded in return, giving him the time and space he needed to come to terms with the change. I looked at Pee bee. “Well?”
He shrugged and gave me his signature grin. “Tegan and I been going skin on skin for a bit. I can’t say shit.”
“I don’t even know how to operate a condom,” Crip said. “It’s just by the grace of God I don’t have a kid.”
I couldn’t believe it. I lowered my vape and glared. “So, that’s it? None of you fuckers are going to talk shit?”
P-Nut looked up. “What’d Eddie say?”
“Ain’t talked to her yet.”
“But you’re going to, right? Not just move the chick in?”
“Fuck no,” I said. “I’ll talk to Ed about it. Jesus, Nut, you know me better than that.”
His nodded, and then his eyes fell to the floor. After a long pause, he looked up and clapped his hands. “I’m good with it.”
I looked at the other three men and shook my head. “Nothing? Not one slick ass comment from the rest of you?”
“What’d you expect?” Crip asked with a dry laugh. “You’re an asshole. If anyone would have said anything, you’d have either threatened to fight ‘em, pulled your fucking gun, or called ‘em a no-good cocksucker.”
I shrugged, and then took a hit off my vape. “Probably right.”
“Right as fuck.” He chuckled and then extended his hand. “Congratulations. I know how much Eddie means to you. I hope this one is just as enjoyable.”
As the president of the MC, Crip was an arrogant prick. As a person, he was as solid as any man could be. The problem, if it was in fact a problem, was that he was almost always acting as the president of the club.
I shook his hand. “Appreciate ya.”
“What’s her name?” P-Nut asked.
“Sandy.”
“White? Black? Mexican?” He looked at Cholo and then at me. “Hispanic? Tall? Short? Blonde? Brunette? Is she thick? What the fuck’s she look like?” he asked in one breathless sentence.
“Blonde,” I said. “I don’t know. Five foot six or so. She’s a little thing with big boobs.”
He fumbled to get a cigarette from his pack. After lighting it and taking a drag, he exhaled the smoke to the side, and fixed his eyes on mine. “Cute as fuck? Like traffic-stoppin’ cute?”
Uncertainty washed over me. Concern came right behind it. I crossed my arms. “Yeah.”
“She work at the Main Attraction?”
It was a strip club most of the men went into, and I should have known it was going to come up sooner or later.
“She’s putting in her notice. But yeah. That’s her.”
“Texxxas,” he said. “That’s her stage name. Nice girl. You said Sandy, then said big tits, and my brain went ding ding.”
“Oh shit,” Crip said.
I turned toward him.
Pee Bee’s eyes were as wide as saucers.
I looked at Crip and lifted my chin slightly. “You know her?”
“Yep.”
I shifted my eyes to Pee Bee.
He grinned. “That’s an affirmative, Ghost Rider.”
Cholo shook his head. “Never been in the place. Just know her through Lex.”
“Any of you fuck with her?” I looked the men over, pushed my vape into my back pocket, and then crossed my arms. “Tell me now. I fucking mean it.”
Four heads shook side to side.
I pursed my lips and nodded. “Any of the other fellas? That you know of?”
Crip shook his head. “She’s all business. Doesn’t fuck with guys from the club. Least not that I know of.”
Hearing it was a relief. I hadn’t given any thought to fact that the fellas might know her, but if I’d have taken a moment to think about it, I would have kn
own. The club where she worked was a common hangout for the MC.
“Appreciate the honesty,” I said.
I let out a sigh. I was pleased that everything went as good as it did with the fellas. I had my doubts my luck was going to continue with my next stop, though.
Eddie was going to be a tough sell.
Chapter One Hundred Thirty-Two
Sandy
Lex and I were sunbathing on her deck. The back of her house faced the ocean, and had an unobstructed view of the water, which placed what I expected to be an emotional conversation in a very relaxing setting.
She took a drink of tea, and then tilted her head toward me. “It’s really rare for a person to fall in love first and have sex later. Especially now. I mean, crap. Girls have apps on their phone to hook up with guys. Swipe right, swipe left. It’s crazy. They hook up, and if they like it, they do it again. If they get along after that, they end up hanging out for a few months while they continue to have sex, and then they fall in love. Falling in love is the last step for millennials.”
“Did you and Cholo fall in love first?”
She let out a sigh. “Yeah.”
I sat up in my lounge chair and pushed my sunglasses up the bridge of my nose. “I knew it! You were just trying to make me feel better.”
“I was not. It’s true,” she said. “You know, if you guys would have kept seeing each other, maybe you would have fallen in love. But, you got pregnant first. And, just like Adam says, it is what it is. You can’t change it, Sandy. You can only learn to live with it. I don’t know. Maybe be grateful that he’s not being a dick about it.”
“I am grateful.”
“You don’t sound like it.”
“I think I’m…I don’t know. Maybe I’m scared.”
I hated to admit it, but I was scared, and I knew it.
“Of what?”
“Failure. Of us not making it.”
She pulled off her sunglasses. “Because you didn’t fall in love first?”
I nodded. “Uh huh.”
She laughed and then raised her index finger. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have laughed. But that’s ridiculous.” She sat up and turned to face me. “Do you trust him?”
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