* * *
The walk from my apartment to the diner was short, barely five minutes, and along the way, I observed the neighborhood and basked in the glory of my new independent life.
I was picking up double shifts at the diner these days so I could save more money. Since I didn’t have a social life here, and nothing much to occupy me on most days, I felt better staying distracted working at the diner instead of staying alone in my apartment with nothing to do.
Besides, the diner was where my friend Melody was, so I got to spend time with her there. We’d quickly become good friends during our shifts and she was responsible for showing me around Orlando.
I walked with a skip in my step now as I headed for the morning shift to the diner. I was looking forward to the rest of the day. Melody and the others at the diner were always making fun of how happy I was to get to work, unlike the others for whom this was just a job. For me, it was a chance to get to know the neighborhood and the locals, and to make friends.
I’d never had a job like this in Perry, and as small as it was—this still felt like a huge step for me.
While I walked, a swarm of motorcycles zoomed past me and parked in a hoard outside the dive bar across the street from the diner. I tried not to look but I couldn’t help but notice the big rugged men who got off the bikes and walked into the bar together.
The place was called T-Bone, and even though I didn’t know much about it, I saw these bikers parked there often. It piqued my curiosity, and I wanted to know more. I walked into the diner, and turned to look back at the bikers again, hoping for some strange reason that one of them might look in my direction. I had no idea why.
The diner was about to open up, and other than Melody and the chef, there was nobody else there to greet me.
“Mornin”, she said, rolling her eyes. The day hadn’t even begun and she was exhausted already.
“Hiya!” I exclaimed with a bright smile as I made my way to the back of the diner. Melody had been wiping the countertops, but she followed me to the back now.
In my bag, I had the uniform. It was a yellow and white checkered dress, in an old-fashioned style, with lace around the collar and on the short sleeves. The dress itself was somewhat short, leaving our legs scrumptiously bare. Melody complained that the owners did it purposely because they knew exactly how the waitresses’ uniforms attracted customers.
I agreed with her that it was wrong, but I’d also noticed how most of the girls here flirted with customers for the extra tips. So, as long as everyone was safe and not harassed, I didn’t see anything wrong with the uniform. It seemed like a win-win situation to me.
Melody continued to chat about random casual things while I changed into the uniform in the bathroom.
While she talked, I thought about the bikers again. I could still hear the roar of their engines outside.
“You know the bikers?” I said abruptly, interrupting Melody’s speech about some new nail salon that had opened up in the neighborhood.
“What about them?” she asked.
Flipping my blond curls out of the back of the dress, I stepped out in her view.
“Who are they?”
Melody tipped her head to one side, standing there with her arms crossed over her chest.
“You want to know about the bikers?” she asked, wiggling her eyebrows notoriously.
“I’m just curious about who they are. And why they are at a bar at eight in the morning. Why are you looking at me like that?” I said, grinning.
“Because we all, and especially a delicate little flower like you, need to stay away from men like them,” she said. I was in the process of tying my hair up in a ponytail. I could sense her watching me curiously.
“I have no intention of anything, I’m just asking you a general question. I see them around here a lot.”
Melody was smiling. Maybe she had the same interest in them that I did—they were a group of strong rugged men. What else were we supposed to feel?
“Well, they’re part of an MC called the Marked Skulls.”
“MC?”
“Motorcycle Club,” she clarified.
My eyes grew wide.
“So, they’re a part of some kind of hobby club?” I asked, just before Melody broke into a loud uncontrollable laugh.
“A hobby club?” she kept repeating and laughing. “Aww, bless you. This is why I adore you already. You’re so sweet. Too sweet maybe. No, hun, they’re more than just a hobby club. They ride their bikes and conduct business,” she explained.
I could feel my cheeks flushed to a deep red. I still wasn’t sure what Melody was talking about.
“Okay…but what kind of business?”
“You don’t need to know that.”
“Why not?”
“Because they can be dangerous when they want to. Just know this, nobody messes with the Marked Skulls around here,” she said, and gave me a knowing wink.
I sighed and shook my head.
“I don’t understand why you feel like you need to protect me from something.”
Melody came over and gave me a quick hug as we prepared to go out into the diner and start our shift.
“Just trust me, hun. Keep your distance from them. No matter how delicious they look, they’re trouble,” she said. I shrugged my shoulders and nodded, but I knew Melody hadn’t done anything to quench my curiosity.
I was still hoping that one of them crossed the street and came into the diner, so I could really see them. Since they were a part of Orlando, I wanted to experience them too. Something new.
3
Oz
After we were done prepping for the shipment at the docks, we all headed back to T-Bone for a few drinks. It was still the middle of the day, but we had time to kill.
The shipment wasn’t due to arrive before midnight, which meant we had hours to occupy ourselves. Abe and I had gone over every last detail of the shipment with the prospects, and we seemed fairly confident that the drop-off was going to go smoothly tonight. It would be the first time that the prospects were involved in a shipment, and it would help us know who could handle what.
We rode to T-Bone and parked our bikes outside as usual. Across the street, the new Starlight Diner was opening up for business. I saw an employee walking in, a sexy young thing whose hips swung as she walked. I forced myself to look away from her and followed Abe into the bar.
Since Lewis hadn’t called for Church, the bar was nearly empty. Nobody felt the need to come in this early in the middle of the day. So, it was just us hanging around, filling our stomachs with beer.
While Dash and the other prospects sat around a table drinking, Abe and I took up our usual chairs at the counter. We hadn’t got the chance to share a drink alone in some time.
We popped open our cans and drank deeply from them.
“Once we get the shipment tonight, maybe you can start working alone with the Cubans, handling the prospects yourself,” Abe said.
I nearly spit out my beer. I couldn’t believe he was fucking serious.
I turned to him in my chair, and he must have been able to see the look of shock on my face.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Oz, you don’t have the job yet,” he smirked.
“You want me to do this alone?” I asked, a smile spreading on my face.
“I spoke to Lewis and he gave me the green light to decide when it was time,” he replied.
“And you think I’m ready?”
“I think you are,” he said and before I could stop myself, I was bear-hugging the guy. Abe laughed and pushed me off him. He could see how excited I was about this. He was happy too.
I was Abe’s personal recruit. He’d handpicked me, trained me and now he was going to watch me fly. Even though he wasn’t going to admit it, I knew he was proud.
“Thanks, man,” I told him, and he shrugged his shoulders like it was no bother.
“You deserve it, you’ve been working hard. The new prospects like you
too, and you’ll make a good trainer. Dash is the brightest new recruit and he’s learning from you. So, good job!”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. If this was true. If this was really going to happen—then I’d be the youngest newly patched-in member to get sole responsibility of a contract like this. The Cubans were harmless, but they were still important to us.
Abe and I sat in silence for a few moments. I was lost in thought, excited about the new opportunities that were opening up for me. I knew I’d made the right decision joining the Marked Skulls. This was what I was good at, and now I would have a chance to grow.
When I looked over at Abe, I could see he was lost in thought too—dreaming about my sister, no doubt.
“How’s the wedding planning going?” I asked him. Abe blew air out of his mouth and shook his head.
“It should have been going well but that woman can’t make up her mind about anything,” he said, and we both laughed.
We were both well aware of Alexis’ moods. One day she decided she wanted something and the next day she didn’t anymore. My sister had always been temperamental like that. The only thing she wasn’t going to change her mind on was how much she wanted to marry Abe. I was truly happy for them.
“I feel sorry for you, man,” I told him and we laughed some more.
“Sometimes I’m half-tempted to just pick her up and throw her over my shoulder and carry her to the courthouse. Just get it over with so we can move on!” Abe continued. I shook my head.
“Alexis will slaughter you if you ruin her plans. She needs to go through the process of rejecting every plan and then somehow, just days before the wedding, you’ll see that her plans have magically fallen into place. I have no clue how she does it, but it happens every time,” I reassured him.
Abe nodded his head with a smile, and then his phone rang.
I could sense it was my sister calling. They spoke for a few moments and Abe hung up.
“Apparently she needs a second opinion on the six cakes she’s shortlisted,” he said and in one swig, he’d emptied the beer in his can. I couldn’t help but laugh at that too. Just the thought of a big guy like Abe sitting and tasting cake—seemed out of this world. But then again, I knew he would do anything to make my sister happy.
“It’s not like she’s going to let you make the decision yourself anyway,” I said, and he rolled his eyes.
“Exactly. Anyway, I’ll see you back at the docks tonight, quarter past eleven,” he said as he started to leave.
“I’ll gather the troops before that,” I told him and gave him a mock salute as he walked away.
I looked over at the table where the prospects were sitting. I could have joined them, but I was getting hungry. My stomach rumbled and I could hear it. I hadn’t even stopped for breakfast this morning.
Now that the new diner had opened up, it was the perfect place for me to catch a midday bite. I got up from my chair and left the bar to cross the street.
4
Kaya
Melody, the rest of the waitresses, and I fell into our usual rhythm of taking orders and serving customers. It was a busy day at the diner, and since my conversation with Melody in the bathroom earlier, I hadn’t had much of a chance to talk to her. I was looking forward to my break in half an hour.
Even though I had never waitressed before, it was something that seemed to come naturally to me.
Clearly, the first rule of being a good waitress and receiving good tips was to be polite, and I had tons of that on my side. My parents had raised me to be hospitable and courteous and both those qualities came in very handy at the diner. Even though I was new, I was the one getting the most tips, and I put it all down to the smiling.
I had a tendency to smile at everyone, and not because I was forcing myself to—it just came naturally to me. I smiled at all our customers and I smiled at the other waitresses, the chef and the owners. Melody had told me earlier about how the others spoke about me and that I apparently lifted their spirits with my smiles.
I was glad they thought that of me. Given the fact that I came from a small town, I figured it would take me some time to fit in. I also didn’t want the others to think I was too naive, but none of that had happened. Not only had I fit in well at the diner, everyone seemed to like me. Which made my job here a lot easier.
The last thing I wanted was to get involved in politics at the workplace. I wanted to stay out of it and just do my job. I hadn’t moved all this way, made such a big change in my life—and all just to get into trouble.
And with a friend like Melody watching over me, I felt like I had everything.
So even though the diner was busy today, I was in a good mood. Having this independence made me feel like right now I had nothing to worry about. I had nobody to answer to, and I had no responsibility.
I took another order from a table and flashing them one of my famous smiles, I rushed over to the kitchen to collect the prepared order for another table.
The diner served a generous serving of waffles. Personally it was my favorite thing on the menu and I recommended it to whoever asked for my opinion.
In the kitchen, Melody was chatting with another girl and they tried to get me involved in their gossip. But I didn’t want to stand around and waste time talking. I collected the plate of waffles from the counter and hurried out of the kitchen before they could stop me.
Out in the diner, the place was buzzing with people and chatter. As I crossed the floor over to the other side, I heard the front door open, making the bell tinkle above it.
I placed the plates down on the table I was serving, wished them a good time and hoped they would enjoy the meal, and then began to walk away. I slipped the notepad out of the pocket of my white frilly apron to look at my pending orders.
In the meantime, I was headed in the direction of the front door where I knew the new customer was waiting to be seated. I was concentrating on the lists in my hand, instead of the man who was staring at me.
I was too lost in thought to sense the glare. That I was being heavily scrutinized.
“You can sit wherever you like,” I said absent-mindedly, as I went over my orders.
“Which table are you serving?”
I heard the voice. It was deep and like a growl. As soon as I heard his voice, I jerked my head up to look at him. I wasn’t quite sure of the effect that voice had on me. Was I in shock? Was I surprised by how sexy he sounded?
All I knew was that he’d startled me.
And now that I looked at him, I felt like someone had just punched me in my stomach. I hadn’t had a chance to think about the bikers all morning, and now there was one standing right there in front of me!
A big hunk of a man, so tall that he was towering intimidatingly over me. There were thick dark tattoos running up and down the length of his arms. He looked muscular, in his leather vest and with those bulging biceps and thick rugged looking thighs.
He had a thick crop of brown hair which looked ruffled and mismanaged. His face was chiseled like he was made out of stone, and he had deep blue eyes. While I stared at him, he looked back at me intensely, meeting my eyes.
I couldn’t look away. Did I want to look away?
I had no idea what was happening to me. Why my body was reacting in the way that it was. It felt almost unreal. Like I was imagining the whole thing.
But then he spoke again and that deep hoarse voice seemed to pierce my soul.
“So which table are you serving? Kaya?”
The fact that he knew my name almost made my knees wobble. I thought I was dreaming. I didn’t want to wake up. I wanted to keep standing there, staring at his chiseled handsome face.
But I noticed his gaze drift down to the name tag on my breast, and I felt my a blush start to creep up my cheeks. I opened my mouth to respond but no words came out. I was tongue-tied and I was making a complete fool of myself.
5
Oz
I wasn’t surprised by the reaction
that Kaya had towards me. Most women reacted that way when they first saw me. Women saw a tall guy covered in tattoos and muscles. A guy who knew how to take care of himself. All signs of a guy who would be able to take care of her too.
Those were the first instincts women had, and I liked it.
What they didn’t know was the depth of danger I was constantly in. The life I had committed to and the extent to which I would go to get the job done.
It didn’t matter. They didn’t need to know, because I wasn’t going to involve them in it. I doubted I would ever let myself get attached to anyone like Abe was with my sister.
So now while Kaya stood there in front of me, staring into my eyes with her lips parted—I knew exactly what she was thinking. How big was my cock going to grow between my legs.
My gaze traveled down to her tight breasts under that sweet looking dress she was wearing. Kaya had an innocent looking angelic face but a body that was made to be worshipped. She had thick blond curls which she’d tied up in a ponytail and big green eyes. Her complexion was pale, her cheeks were rosy red. She looked like the kind of girl who hadn’t experienced any hard labor.
With. just one glance at her, I knew she’d led a sheltered life.
Her body was voluptuous, her hips and thighs were curvy, just like her juicy pink lips. She was standing there like she was frozen to the spot.
“I…I…can show you to a table.”
She was stammering with her words which was adorable. She wasn’t the kind of girl who could hide her nervousness very well.
“I’ll follow where you lead,” I told her with a smirk, and I watched as she gulped, like her throat had gone completely dry. Why was she this nervous? Was she always this nervous when she bumped into a guy she was attracted to?
Marked Skulls MC Series: Books 1-5 Page 45