Her eyes glaze slightly as she thinks back. “I think part of it was the danger. Keeping our relationship hidden made it exciting, though we spoke many times about how we wished we could date in the open. Date,” she repeats the word with a shake of her head, “that’s what we were doing—keeping things innocent—hand holding, a few kisses, never taking it further. Saving ourselves for the marriage that we knew we were heading for.”
“What happened?” Tits prompts, realising like me that there was not going to be a happy ending.
“I thought Frank was ready to wait. But one day I went looking for him at school and found him behind the bike sheds. He was fondling a cheerleader’s tits, and she, well, she had her hand down his trousers.”
“I hope you dumped his ass,” Cindy states.
Pearl shrugs. “Nope, I wasn’t as sensible as that. I went in all guns blazing and slapped her face. Then I asked Frank what he thought he was doing.” The hurt is so plain on her face that even a hardened biker like me can see it. I realise I’ve just accepted Pearl had come to the club, and we’d never bothered to learn her history. Of course Token had investigated her, but satisfied she wasn’t a plant by our enemies, that was all we needed to know. Oh, and that she knew how to fuck.
“What did he say?” It’s Alicia’s soft voice that encourages her this time.
“He fumbled his words. Said two things, one that he had sexual needs and I wasn’t prepared to do anything about them, and then came up with an excuse that he didn’t want to come to me as a virgin. That he needed to get in some practice first with a girl who didn’t mean anything. Of course, I couldn’t see the real him, all I saw was the moon and stars and that he was my everything. I’d do anything not to lose him. He promised me that this was the first time he’d given into his urges, that he could no longer live with his frustration.”
She stops, shakes her head, then resumes, “My parents were going out that evening, so I invited him over. One thing he’d told me was true, he hadn’t yet lost his virginity. He hadn’t a clue. His eagerness made him rough, and his hands were all over me. Talk about not knowing where a G-spot was, he didn’t know there was one to find, or even how to get a girl off. No, he just inserted item A into slot B, painfully as he hadn’t prepared me. But that didn’t matter, as he came almost before he was in completely. But I forgave him. I loved him, see? And knew in time it would get better.”
“Did it?”
Pearl turns toward Alicia. “Didn’t get a chance to find out. You’ve got a great mom, kid. See how supportive she is?” She jerks her head toward Mary. “Mom had gotten a headache, and my parents came home early. They caught us in my bed.”
“No.” Eva’s hand covers her mouth. “She stopped you from seeing him?”
“Oh yes,” Pearl confirms. “Dad hit him, hard. Frank’s mouth was bleeding. Me, he left to my mom, and she slapped me across the face.” She touches a small white scar on her cheek which I had noticed but never questioned. “Her ring caught me here,” she explains, now unnecessarily, her gesture had told us all we needed to know. “Then she grabbed hold of me and pulled me naked out of bed. She allowed me at least to pull on some clothes, then, in just what I was wearing, she threw me out of the house.”
“Pearl, no.” Even Tits is shocked.
Pearl raises and dips her head. “I tried to go back of course. I pleaded and begged. Maybe if it had been someone else, I’d have gotten away with it. But I’d fucked the son of their enemy, and they no longer had a home for me.”
“What did Frank do?”
She snorts. “Ran home with his tail between his legs. I spent the night on a park bench, then went back to try to see him the next day. He told me in no uncertain terms I was to stay away from him. He was lucky, our parents didn’t speak, and he didn’t want his folks to find out.”
“What did you do?” I notice Alicia’s sent a sneaky look toward her mom, as if realising how lucky she is to have her.
Pearl grimaces. “What could I do? I needed to eat. When I got too hungry, I accepted twenty dollars to give a man a blow job. Finished my education on the streets, but it wasn’t one that led to a GED. Fucked my way from Los Angeles to here, and then finally, thank fuck, joined the MC.” She takes hold of Eva’s hand, and when she looks up, she even sends a smile toward me. “I finally found my family.”
Her gratitude cuts me to the bone. Why had we never known her story? She might be comfortable here, but what happens when she loses her looks and her firm body? Will we throw her out on the streets?
Patsy’s one step ahead of me. “Yeah, Pearl. We’re your family. This is your home now—for as long as you want it to be.”
I’m glad the prez’s old lady has made the decision. Now I don’t even have to propose that the Satan’s Devils will give Pearl a home for life, Patsy will clear it with Lost.
Alicia’s staring down at her hands. Various expressions appear then disappear on her face, then she raises her head. “Seems like the mythical magical first time doesn’t exist.”
It’s her mom who steps forward. “Honey, it really doesn’t. And it’s the twenty-first century. Men don’t give that much weight to virginity. Not that,” she adds fast, “I condone what Owen did. Not in any way.”
“Thank you.” Alicia looks directly at Pearl, then at the other women. “Thank you for telling me your stories. It helps.”
Sure, it helps, but only a little. I can see that from her face. Sounds like the others have all shared similar stories, about what bastards men can be. We cheat and lie our way into women’s beds. While I hope I’ve not done so myself, I couldn’t say one hundred percent that I hadn’t, especially when I was younger. As I stare at the girl, I realise if I had my way, I’d make sure from here on out she’s kept safe from predators, and any potential boyfriend is vetted very carefully.
But, I pull myself up, I’ve no place in her life. Unless I cultivate this friendship with her mother and stay linked to her in some way, which is unlikely. For now, though, all I can do is mitigate the current threat, then our paths will probably go different ways.
Tits has started on the potatoes again, Alicia picking up her own peeler. Cindy’s turned the heat up under her pans, and I see revelation time is over.
“Mary?” I ask, quietly. “Can I have a word?”
She checks in on her daughter. “Honey? I’m just going to talk to Grumbler. You okay here?”
At her daughter’s nod, Mary in turn raises her chin toward me, and as I turn to leave the kitchen, she follows me. Heading for the far table on the other side of the room, I pull out a chair for her, then take the adjacent one for myself.
“Did you know?” she asks when she’s seated. “Did you know Pearl’s story?”
With a sigh, I admit, “I did not.”
I wait for her to berate me, to point out how we take advantage of damaged girls, but she surprises me.
“She’s happy here. They all are.” A little shake of her head, then she says, “I can’t understand it myself, but I suppose it’s better than being on the streets.”
“We don’t force the girls to stay, or to do what they don’t want.”
“But if they said no? If they refused to have sex with you?”
I chuckle softly. “Been a long time since I’ve been with the club girls, doll. It would be like fuckin’ my granddaughter. But yeah, you’re right. If they kept refusing, they’d be out.” I try to put it in words she’ll understand. “What would happen at your job if you refused to do what you were paid for?”
“I don’t have to fuck the boss.”
I lean in closer. “Look around you, Mary. Look at Dusty over there, and Pennywise and Salem playing pool. The girls fuckin’ fight over who’s going with them. And even if they haven’t got the looks, the others are popular too. Bikers know how to fuck, babe. We go at it hard just like everything we do, giving it everything we’ve got. And unlike Pearl’s boyfriend, we don’t need a road map to find a G-spot.”
Is it my
imagination, or does a flush come over her face?
And fuck, I didn’t expect the question which next comes out of her mouth which has formed a small smile. “You keep saying we, does that include you?”
Is she tempted?
“It did, babe. Haven’t fucked for a long time now.”
Her face seems to fall, but whatever she’s really asking, I don’t want to mislead her. Then I frown as a stirring in my long dead cock causes me to shift position.
I’ve got to get this conversation back on track and do what I need to do—update her. “We’re pulling in the big guns now, babe, to locate and destroy all copies of the video that was made.”
That gets her attention off my sex life, or lack thereof. “The big guns? Have you gone to the cops?”
“Nah. One of our chapters is full of technical experts. They’ve got the resources to go far deeper than Token.” I level my stare at her. “They’ll succeed, Mary. I’ve no doubt of that.”
Her expressions says she’s not convinced. But then, she doesn’t know me or my brothers, or the lengths we’ll go to, to set things right.
She’s biting her lip. “I want to go home, but Patsy said I shouldn’t.”
“She’s right,” I don’t hesitate in telling her. “Not going to keep you here against your will,” I pinch the brow of my nose, “but here you’ll both be safe.”
“But you’re no closer to finding Owen or Devon.”
“Babe,” I growl. “If you think you can face them down alone, then you’ve got another fuckin’ think coming. There’s a risk that Owen wants more from Alicia, if only to make sure she’s keeping quiet. If you go home, you’ll be unprotected.”
“But for how long?” she queries, shaking her head. “I’ve got work and Alicia’s got school. We can’t stay at the compound. All the stuff we need is at our house. We’ve got no clothes here, only what we’re wearing. How long until you find them and put a stop to this? You’ve already spent weeks searching, and nothing’s come up.”
I can’t tell her we’re hoping to get a lead when Utah hacks into the credit card database. There are some things she’s better off not knowing, but she’s right in that I can’t give her a timeframe.
“When I first met the club girls, I wanted to get into my car and drive. But I stayed and got to know them. They’re good people.”
They probably were, to her. I know enough about women not to tell her this, but they’d have scratched out her eyes if she were younger. But seeing as Alicia’s too young, and Mary herself too old, they’d retracted their claws and acted human.
“But thinking about staying just brought up problems. I thought about going to stay with a friend. Kristen or Terra would be happy to have us.”
Sounds like a good solution, so why don’t I like it? Because I’m a control freak, always have been. I was voted the sergeant-at-arms because it suits me to be in charge of everything and I’ve never run from responsibility.
“I dismissed that idea too,” she continues, to my relief. Sounds like she’s staying. But it seems I’ve been premature in my assumption. “So it’s back to plan A. Alicia and I will go home this evening.”
“No—”
“Let me finish, Grumbler?” Her gaze lowers and when she looks at me again, it’s through her eyelashes. Even her voice sounds shy when she asks, “I’d like you to come home with us?” The next words come out in a rush. “I know it’s an imposition, but if Owen or Devon put in an appearance, you’ll be there to deal with them.”
Fuck. She’s come up with a solution. While I don’t want to put her or Alicia in danger, it’s only a small risk that Owen or Devon would turn up. But if they did, and I was there to intercept them, it saves the club tracking them down.
My mind starts working at light speed. “I’ll come back and stay. As you say, we can’t fix a timescale, so if I can’t be with you, another brother will. I’ll get a prospect to escort Alicia to and from school.”
Her face lights up. She leans toward me, places her palms either side of my face and plants a kiss straight on my lips. Just a peck, but fuck it surprises me. But I don’t get a chance to think about it.
“Grumbler, thank you so much.” She grins widely. “I almost want Owen to visit now. He’ll be no match for you.”
“I fuckin’ hope he comes to us too.” I tap the table, knowing I need to get Lost in on this. “I’ll need to run this by Prez. I’ll take you back to Alicia.”
Mary glances behind her, then turns back to me. “She’s only in the kitchen over there, I don’t need an escort.”
Her way, however, is blocked by the bodies of my brothers. Maybe it was meeting the club girls, maybe it’s just that she’s recovered her balance from the shock she received earlier, but Mary seems to be feeling more confident in the clubhouse.
I raise my chin at her. “I’ll come find you when I’ve squared it with Lost. He’ll be fine with it,” I hastily reassure her. “I just need to warn him what we’re doing.”
With a little nod, she stands, and confidently walks through the clubroom, nimbly evading Pennywise striding from the bar carrying two beers over to the pool table.
Lost is in his office as I expected and looks up as I enter. Quickly, I run Mary’s proposal past him.
When I finish, he sits back, linking his hands behind his head. “That’s a fuckin’ good idea, Grumbler.” His eyes narrow slightly. “You need backup, or are you okay on your own?”
I’d briefly thought about having someone there with me and had dismissed it. “If Owen and Devon turn up, I won’t have a problem taking either of them on, or both of them together. I’ll go back with Mary in her car, so in the unlikely event they’ve got eyes on her place, they won’t see me arriving.”
“You want the prospect to come in a cage when he’s going to take the kid to school?”
Now this is our prez. He thinks of everything. “Yeah.” I don’t want Alicia on the back of any man’s bike, not even a prospect’s. “Can you organise Wrangler or Curtis?”
“Why not Connor? He’s closer to her in age.”
And he’s a good-looking fucker. “His age is exactly why I don’t want him.”
Lost tosses back his head and chuckles loudly. “I’ll feel sorry for the kid if you and Mary become an item.”
Now it’s my turn to bark out a laugh. “Not fuckin’ going to happen, Lost. We’re just friends.”
He shakes his head, adding knowingly, “That’s how it starts, Brother.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Mary
“Alicia? Can I have a word?”
“Yeah, Mom.” She gets to her feet.
Patsy waves to a door leading out of the kitchen. “Picnic benches out back if you want to get some fresh air.”
Giving her a grateful nod, I indicate to my daughter that we’ll go that way. Once outside, I take a seat, then point with my hand. “You can see the Coronado Bridge from here.”
She glances that way for a second, then loses interest fast and looks back. Her brow is furrowed. “What did you want to talk to me about?”
“How are you feeling? Really feeling I mean. Don’t tell me ‘fine’ as I won’t believe it.”
She presses her lips together. “Like my world’s been shattered. I trusted him, Mom.”
It’s the first time we’ve had a chance to talk one-on-one about what’s happened to her, and her opening gambit makes me want to cry. I fight back my tears, knowing my own sadness and disappointment won’t help her.
“I know you did.”
“What was your first time like?” A quick glance spared for the scenery, then her eyes come back to me.
“A disappointment.” I swallow and tell her the truth. “I was the starry-eyed girl who made it easy for the most wanted guy in school. Then, having got what he wanted, he made sure he was never alone with me again.”
“Why, Mom? Why are men like that, always taking advantage?”
“Not all men are. But yeah, the bad apples seem to
be attracted by good girls.”
She ponders that for a moment. Her brow creases again. “That video—”
I cover her hand with my own, squeezing it. “There’s another chapter of the Satan’s Devils who are technical experts. They are going to track that video down and destroy it. I believe Grumbler when he says they can do it.”
“Grumbler’s a good man,” she agrees. “I like him, Mom.”
I ask the question that I’d had since I first arrived. “Why did you come to him, and not to me?”
She looks down to where my hand is still holding hers. “I didn’t want to be shouted at. I knew I deserved it, Mom. I didn’t know where to go. I couldn’t admit what a fool I’d been to you, or my friends. I had no one else to go to. I don’t really know why, but I thought of him.”
“How on earth did you know where to find him?”
“I didn’t, but the Uber driver knew where the compound was.” Which was lucky. I doubt many people could find it. I’d needed Grumbler’s instructions. Alicia continues, “Apparently, he used to be a pizza delivery guy and had been here before.”
Seeing cooking wasn’t the club girls’ primary role, I can imagine they get takeout quite a lot.
“I don’t mind staying here, Mom. I think talking to the women helped.”
I’m glad it helped, but I’m not sure I want my girl to be influenced by them. “We’re not going to stay here—”
“Mom! How can we go home? What if Owen comes around? What if he threatens me? Threatens you? What—”
It’s my turn to interrupt. Jumping in fast, I explain, “We won’t be alone, Alicia. Grumbler’s coming back with us, and a prospect will come and take you to school and pick you up. We’ll be hoping Owen does come around so Grumbler can sort him out.”
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