Steel: Bracken Ridge Rebels MC (Book 1)

by Mackenzy Fox

  “Yeah, just his pinky finger oughta do it.” Rubble laughs out loud again.

  Steel is the only one taking any of it seriously. “What does Hutch say about that?” he barks, still looking dumbfounded by the prospect. “We don’t wanna be a laughing stock.”

  “Let’s not worry about that right now,” Gunner says quickly, “as long as I’m bringing in the coin for the club coffers, it shouldn’t matter, plus I’m not gonna wear club colors or mention the chapter, this is just pay dirt for very little work, plus it’s just skin, dude, don’t be too offended when every chick in town is lining up to get some action.”

  Steel crosses his arms over his chest. “The hell it doesn’t matter.”

  “I’m still having trouble understanding that women would actually pay to see you without clothes on,” Patch just can’t get over it.

  “Well, alright, since you are all obviously jealous of my new-found fame, let’s settle the score, shall we?” He waves his arm over to me and Lucy. “Let’s ask the panel here, they’re women of the world and know what’s hot and what’s not, let’s find out if they’d pay to see me in compromising positions without clothes on.”

  All eyes fall on us. I bite my lip to refrain from laughing, there’s something very wrong with this picture and I’m not sure I want to be involved.

  “Come on,” Rubble prompts Lucy with a shake. “Spit it out, we wanna know.”

  “For fuck’s sake,” Steel mutters, shaking his head.

  “Well, my angels?” He turns to us and lifts his t-shirt up to show us an up-close and personal shot of his abdomen and chest. He has a large eagle spread across his pecs, his abdomen is ripped, there’s a light, blonde trail of hair that leads from his belly button down into his jeans which I follow with my eye. Then he gives us a hip roll and then a thrust for good measure, laughing all the while. “What’s the verdict?”

  Lucy and I look at each other. “Hell yeah,” we say in unison.

  Gunner throws his head back and laughs, Rubble groans, and Steel just shakes his head like he is not happy at all with our answer. He isn’t laughing, oh no he is not.

  “Fuckin’ women.” Rubble kisses Lucy on the head affectionately. Gunner looks over at Steel then comes toward me and slings his arm around my shoulder, lazily pulling me into his side, I can tell by his demeanor that he’s just trying to piss Steel off and it looks like he’s doing a good job of it.

  “I don’t know, I think they’ve got pretty good taste.”

  He’s an irresistible but harmless flirt, and he smells fricking good too. It’s a fresh scent though, not musky like Steel.

  “You’re asking for trouble,” Dalton mutters under his breath, a couple of the guys snort with laughter.

  Steel comes towards Gunner and removes his arm from around me and pulls me to him instead. Gunner just smirks like he knew that was going to happen.

  “You don’t have to sexually harass the new office girl on her first day,” he says, his tone clipped though his lips are twitching like he secretly finds this amusing but won’t laugh to save himself.

  “Sounds like a challenge.” Gunner gives me a wink. I’m starting to think he has a death wish.

  “Best not to poke the bear,” I whisper as Gunner smirks and I feel Steel look down at me.

  “I think we’ve all seen enough profanity for one morning,” he huffs, “but I can only speak for myself obviously.”

  I glance at Lucy and she gives me an eyebrow raise. I roll my eyes. Macho men. Yep, she’s totally right.

  Steel leans close to my ear. “Don’t you got work to do?”

  “Yes, but this is way more fun.”

  He lowers his voice. “We’re not here to have fun, fun is for later when you’re wrapped up around me in bed.”

  I look around but nobody is listening, Gunner’s shoving Jaxon around.

  I look up at him. “I think I’m going to fit right in here.”

  He nudges me with his hip. “Don’t get too used to it.”

  “Famous last words,” I say and waltz back to the office; I know his eyes are on my ass as I walk away, so I put a little more sass into it.

  “Get back to work, all of you,” I hear him bark as I smirk to myself, liking the fact that he’s a little bit jealous over Gunner and I got to him. I think we just went way past complicated.

  15

  Steel

  Sienna and Lucy get a lot done on the first day, then Sienna threw herself into it like a woman on a mission. By Friday, she has so much done I can’t even believe it. I like that she’s got a brain… it’s not just looks on her side but she’s got smarts as well. I have no idea what she sees in me, aside from the fact I know I’m good in bed, but I know I’m all wrong for her and I shouldn’t pursue her, but the more she’s around, the more I’m convinced we could be a good thing.

  It’s been a big week. I brought the little guy home after spending four days at the vets, I gotta feed him slowly to get used to actual food again. Sienna named him Rocky because she said he looked like an underdog, which I think is pretty fitting. I think about bringing her up to my apartment tonight. We got a party at Church tomorrow to celebrate the clubhouse HQ being officially ours and, what’s worse, Hutch wants me to invite Sienna.

  I imagine what she’ll think of our partying and shudder, I don’t think she’d appreciate some of our customs as she’s already been very vocal about our misogynistic ways.

  But first, we discuss the real order of business around the gavel.

  “Couple of guys from the New Orleans Chapter will be coming through on business,” Hutch says at the helm, “be here for the party as well, Jett handles all the security down there so he’ll set it all up, Steel’s gonna talk to Stef about upping security at the Crow on a permanent basis, thinkin’ of trying to set somethin’ up for Colt to run, maybe Patch too, he’s lookin’ for extra work, there’s a call for it, even more so now that Bracken Ridge has expanded over the years. I got people askin’ for protection and we got the manpower.”

  Aye’s of agreement roll around the table.

  “Get Summer or Ginger to make up some rooms for the boys,” he looks at Gunner, “and we gettin’ that wood fire pizza guy again?”

  “Already arranged,” he replies, he’s always thinking about his next meal.

  Hutch turns to me. “Colt all set for tomorrow?”

  His first shift as security detail at the Stone Crow is tonight, and if that goes well, he’ll be getting patched in tomorrow at the bonfire. It’s been a year, he’s earned his colors, he’s loyal and trustworthy, he’ll make a good brother, and now he gets to have any sweet butt he wants. He’ll be a happy boy this time tomorrow night. No more hauling shit, no more taking orders, no more being an ass licker. Which reminds me, I’ve only got today to give him as much shit as possible.

  “Think he’s just happy I finally released him from Lily duty,” I mutter.

  Hutch frowns. “How’s she doing?”

  “Back to bitchin’ and doing what girls do, so I’d say she’s back to normal.”

  A few snorts go around the table.

  Hutch swings his eyes to his V.P. “You got the cut organized?”

  Brock nods. “Already done.”

  “Who’d you find to sew? My mom has been on night shift all week,” I say to Brock across the table suspiciously, I can’t imagine Chelsea, his latest sweet butt, sewing shit. Mom does a lot of mending for the boys in the club since most of them don’t have ol’ ladies to do that shit for them.

  “Angel,” he says like it’s obvious.

  Angel is the best ink slinger and piercer in town, she hangs around the club a little bit now and again but she, like the rest of us, is always busy at her shop. Angel’s done a lot of my work. Even though she’s a chick, she puts any dude through his paces, chicks are also a lot gentler with a needle, so I’ve found out.

  I grunt. “Angel? Since when does she fuckin’ sew?”

  “She sews, I picked up Rawlings from daycare the
other afternoon, she owed me one.”

  Rawlings is Angel’s kid to some loser she’d dated a while back. She’s a good girl but doesn’t know how to pick them. She had an on-off thing with Brock years ago when we were kids but now they’re just friends, it’s not unusual for the club to help out but normally it’s one of the girls helpin’ with the kid. I wonder if Brock has got something secretly going on again with Angel, he doesn’t normally get involved with the kid stuff even though Rawlings adores him.

  “You back on?” Bones asks before I get the words out.

  “Nope,” he says, sitting back in his chair, running his hands through his hair. His body language is all wrong though. “That was years ago, just friends, bro.”

  “Since when are you just friends with anyone?” Gunner pipes up, like he’d know shit.

  “Since I met her,” he says nonchalantly.

  “You goin’ soft in your old age?” I smirk.

  He meets my eye across the table. “Nah, brother, just don’t wanna be tied down. Rawlings is great and all but I like my freedom.” Right. It’s no secret he’d been hung up on Angel for years but never did anything about it aside from a couple of hook-ups. He also made sure not to be all over anyone at Church when she was around, I notice these things. I notice everything, it’s my job.

  “Rubble, you got anything?” Hutch says as we all turn to look at him. “You’re unusually quiet.”

  Come to think of it, he does look a little lost if not a bit pale.

  “I can help out at the Crow if needed,” he says out of nowhere. Huh? Even if Colt is about to be patched in, he is newly patched so it’s still expected he’ll pull his weight, nobody expects any of us to actually do the security work and shit-kicking ourselves. We’ve all got full-time jobs. I’d help Jett do what he needed with the cameras and shit but this was Colt’s baby to run from there on in, he would report to me weekly but that’s where it ended.

  “What the fuck, bro?” Bones slaps him on the back. “You in trouble with the ol’ ball and chain or somethin’?”

  He holds up a hand. “Don’t even.” He then runs his other, shaking hand through his hair that has me leaning forward to look at him, waiting for him to spill his guts.

  “Surely, it can’t be that bad,” Bones shrugs, not understanding where the issue is, “you two having problems? Is Lucy okay?”

  “What is this, group therapy?” I bark, annoyed.

  “Shut up, Romeo, we’re not all gifted with the art of caveman ministrations,” Gunner chuckles. “That’s how you snagged Sienna, isn’t it? Yanked her off by the hair with your club, beating your chest, dragging her into your lair.”

  All eyes hit me, then more laughs ensue which I do not appreciate.

  I shoot him a look that says it all. As usual, it isn’t enough to deter him from shutting the hell up.

  “Come on, let us all in on it, you’re doin’ her, aren’t you? Does she squeal, yelp, or moan?”

  I sigh heavily. He knows how to push my buttons, and though we usually talk like sexist assholes, this time it’s different. I don’t want to talk about Sienna like that with them; she’s no sweet butt or piece of ass to be pawed over by him or by any of them.

  “All of the above because I’m just that good,” I say, looking him right in the eye.

  “Fuck,” says Brock, “way to go, brother.”

  “Sweet,” Bones agrees, knocking his knuckles on the table.

  “That’s old news,” says Rubble.

  “Proud of you, son,” Hutch slaps me on the back, it’s like I’ve won Olympic Gold or something.

  I’m sure Sienna would not appreciate being discussed like a piece of meat around the gavel meeting table. In fact, I know she wouldn’t, she’d be pissed.

  “She’s fuckin’ hot, dude,” Bones admits as I turn to look at him. “Nobody blames you, bro, hell, if I’d had half a chance…”

  I sock him in the arm. “Don’t go there, brother.”

  More laughter and snickers. It seems everyone is in high spirits today at pissin’ me the hell off.

  “I don’t know how you did it,” Gunner continues just to rile me, “Sienna’s high class, a top-shelf broad, Steel, never thought I’d be asking for tips from you, big guy.”

  “I’ll give you a tip, brother, my fist down your throat, with knuckle dusters.”

  “Ouch.” He laughs, rubbing his throat with his hand.

  I have to shift the subject quickly. “Weren’t we discussing Rubble?”

  The best thing to do is not encourage any of them.

  “This isn’t group therapy,” Gunner chuckles in a high-pitched voice, repeating my earlier statement. More laughter erupts. I could honestly sock him one, he hasn’t had a good roughing up for a while and we usually get into tussles now and then. It’s all harmless fun.

  “What’s going on, Rubble?” Hutch says, ignoring all of us. “Lucy okay?”

  He sighs then runs his hands through his hair again, he’s acting really weird.

  “Shit, dude, is it something serious?” I’m worried now about Lucy but she’s not said anything, I just saw her yesterday and she seemed like her usual self.

  “I didn’t wanna bring this up here, but, sometimes you know… you just gotta vent.”

  I lean on the table. Shit, something may be really wrong with Lucy the way he’s acting. She’s everything he cares about most in the world—that and his custom sled.

  Everyone is silent, waiting for the revelation.

  “She won’t leave me alone,” he states eventually, lighting up a cigarette, “the woman is insatiable and I mean, a man-eater, it’s like she’s taken crazy woman whore pills.”

  We all look at each other like we’ve misheard.

  “What do you mean?” Bones asks in confusion.

  “Is Lucy physically fucking okay?” Hutch barks out, clearly, he’s had just about enough.

  Rubble shifts in his chair and blows smoke up into the air. “Yes, she’s okay, she’s driving me nuts though, the hormone injections are doing funny things to her; the mood swings, the cravings, she’s just… she’s… she’s goddamned ovulating.”

  I frown, what the hell is he talking about? Ovulating?

  “She’s fuckin’ what?” Bones asks, looking at me for clarification. I can’t help him, my head is down and my shoulders are shaking from my laughter.

  “She preggos?” Brock asks, bewildered.

  Hutch barks out a grunt.

  Bones is banging on the table with both his fists now he understands, takes him a second.

  Gunner has no idea what’s going on. “What’s she doing?” he asks across the table.

  “I don’t fuckin’ know, dude,” I reply, “but it don’t sound good.”

  “Don’t get me wrong, the sex is fantastic, but it’s morning, noon, and night. Surely you can’t be fertile every fuckin’ day,” he goes on like we really wanna hear it. We don’t. “A man needs a little alone time, a little time to himself, you know, to gather yourself, to get shit done; I don’t know how much more I can take, she’s like a woman possessed.”

  It's no secret they’ve been trying for a baby for a long time, but I’m not sure we need all the gory details.

  Brock has his head in his hands on the table as his shoulders shake.

  “Jesus fuckin’ Christ.” Hutch actually pinches the bridge of his nose, “This is what happens when your woman gets too big for her boots, boys.”

  “Yeah, you need to put her back in line,” Gunner agrees, smirking, “you know you could start by asking her for your balls back.”

  Little Lucy has him by the shorts, that much is for sure because Rubble is not joining in with the laughter, oh no, he seems quite serious about his dilemma.

  “You idiot,” says Hutch, “you had us all fuckin’ worried then about Lucy and you’re complaining like a little bitch? Come see me when you hit fifty and over, son, then we can have a deep and meaningful conversation about how much sex you won’t be gettin’, Jesus Christ.�
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  “Oh,” Gunner says like he’s just realized what’s going on, “but wait, I don’t get it, you’re actually complaining that you’re getting it too much?” He glances at us all again one by one, confounded, “Is he actually being serious right now?”

  Bones slaps him on the back. “Some have all the luck.”

  Gunner shakes his head in dismay. “Quit complaining! Your ol’ ladies hot, maybe you need a break, big boy, from shooting blanks, need me to go on over, help her out?”

  Here we go, least he’s focusing on Rubble now instead of me.

  “You keep talkin’, brother, and you’ll be drinking out of a straw for the next six months,” Rubble replies, dead-pan.

  Everyone is so used to Gunner’s sick sense of humor that nobody actually takes anything he says seriously, he’s probably the only one of us that can get away with that kind of shit without getting his face punched in because we know he’d never do it. He talks trash and brags about his conquests, but out of all of us, he’s the most respectful to the women of the club, just not around the table. He’s even nice to the sweet butts, probably why they hang off him so much. He needs to be firm, as does Rubble, Lucy has had his balls in a sling for quite some time, we all know it, as much as he tries to deflect and pretend that ain’t the case.

  Gunner laughs, then adds quite seriously, “Just trying to be supportive, bro.”

  When everyone is finished laughing, Rubble looks up at us.

  “So, yeah, anyone got any jobs that can get me out of the workshop, just for a couple of hours a day? It would be most appreciated.”

  Brock barks out more laughter. “So much for layin’ down the law.”

  “Suck it up, sunshine,” I snort, “some of us have real shit to do, like organizing a ride one of these days.”

  Everyone nods and grunts yeah’s around the table. I look pointedly at Bones, the Road Captain. “Now the weather is warmer, we should organize somethin’ soon.”

  “Yeah, weather is clearing up nice next weekend,” he agrees, “can sort somethin’ for Sunday week, everyone in?”

  “Yeah,” Hutch barks. “Get the girls to call Rusty and we can do a spit roast or something… make a night of it.”