by Ethan Egorov
“Thanks. So you’re the new prospect everyone is talking about.” She grabs a stool and sits on it.
“I guess I am. I hope they aren’t talking about me though.” I chuckle.
She shakes her head and shrugs, “I mean it’s mostly good but I won’t take their word for it.” She giggles.
I smile at her, liking how easy it is to talk to her. I don’t usually have that anymore, or ever. Not with women at least. I wasn’t good at it in school, I didn’t make friends. I don’t know why I feel like I can be friends with her. If not more, because up close, she is damned sexy.
“Fair enough. Did you just come into town today?” I ask.
“Yeah, I did.”
“From?”
“Um, Austin. My mom and I live out there.”
“I didn’t even know Tank was married.” I laugh.
She smiles, “Yeah I guess he doesn’t really talk about it. They’re married but obviously they don’t live together. I visit my dad over the summers.”
“Oh okay. So you’re in school then?” I ask. I figured she was at least over high school age. But after I turned twenty-one, I stopped counting age because I wasn’t in school.
“Um, not really I guess.”
“What?” I laugh.
She giggles, tucks loose hair behind her ear and bites her lip. “I graduated high school and then didn’t know what I wanted to do. But I go to college in the fall.” She explains.
“Gotcha. School isn’t my thing. Clearly, since I’m slumming it here.” I shrug, and she laughs.
“The club isn’t bad. Well, you would know, since you’re in it.”
I nod, “Eh, not by choice. My big brother thinks he can save me. But really, he thinks he can just babysit me.” I joke.
“Well, I don’t have siblings, so I guess I don’t know how that goes.” She uncrosses her arms for the first time and my eyes drop to her chest, I swallow back my reaction to her full breasts, fighting the material of her shirt. I force my eyes back to hers and clear my throat.
“You’re lucky in that regard. So how long are you staying?”
“A few months.”
“Nice. I’ve only been in the club for a few months now, so I don’t really know what the other guys mean when they talked about you before. I guess I figured I would never meet you.”
“That would have been easier.” She half smiles.
I tilt my head at her and take another step closer. It gets me in the right place, once I breathe in, her scent wafts up. Definitely better than what I smell around here, it’s a sweet smell, like… something edible.
“Why? I mean, what does everyone keep talking about? I know Tank, maybe not all that well, but he seems like a reasonable guy.” She stands up and faces me.
Her eyes widen as she looks up at me, she takes a breath and then tilts her head up at me.
“I was about seventeen when a guy hit on me, right here in this bar. I told my dad and he threw him out—literally. On his ass.”
I chuckle. “Tattle-tale.”
She grins, her lips curling in before it’s a full smile.
“I guess that’s fair.”
I nod, “Mhm. What’s your name anyway?”
She opens her mouth to answer but is cut off by glass breaking in the back ground. I turn to see what it is, but it’s just two of the club guys around the dart board. Not my problem.
She sighs and I look back at her. “It’s Jeannine.”
I smile and hold out my hand. “Spencer.”
She shakes my hand, hers is soft and feels like it doesn’t belong in mine. But there it is.
“You don’t have a weird club name yet?”
I release her and laugh.
“Nope, I’m just a regular guy.”
She smiles, her dad comes out of the back door and even I take a step back. Roland will never let me hear the end of it, if I fucked this up for a girl. Even one as pretty and nice as Jeannine.
“Somehow I doubt that.”
I watch her walk off in the direction of her dad, I see him a little less as Tank in that moment. But then he looks over his shoulder at me, as they leave, and I realize I am already on his hit list.
4
Jeannine
“What was that?”
“What was what?”
“Jeannie…” Dad warns with his hard stare. He towers over me and it used to be quite intimidating as a kid, but I’m the only one in the world that knows his big scary demeanor is just for show.
“Dad, please. Let’s just go home.” I said. But I could still feel him scowling over at the new guy. Spencer. I didn’t want him to get in trouble, and I already had a bad track record of doing that to guys at the club. Well at least, the last one was warranted because he was an ass. But Spencer didn’t seem like that, in fact it was hard not to look over my shoulder when we were leaving.
“Fine. Did you have fun?” he asked.
We walked out into the chilly night air, and he handed me my new jacket. I had left it in his office, when I went off to snoop. I was glad for it now, I put it on and it was warm and insulated. No wonder the guys loved wearing them.
“Uh, sure. I’m kind of hungry though.”
Dad grinned at me and handed me my helmet. “I figured you were.”
We stopped at the diner we had been going to since I was a kid. It was open all night, so I could get breakfast any time I wanted, which was really just chicken and waffles with a shake. Dad had a steak and fries combo like he always did too, I would be afraid he’d get high blood pressure or something but he is healthy as a horse. He asked me about what I had been doing, stuff with Mom he pretended not to care about. It was the same old thing.
“Why do you do that?” I sipped my milk shake and stole a fry from his plate to dip it in.
He scowled, intending not to answer me. But he always started off that way. There were only a few other people in the diner, some of which were subtly staring. But then a six-five dude in an MC cut a few feet from them, they always stared.
I nudged him, “Dad?” I even used my whiny voice that irritated him.
“That’s grown up stuff, sweetie.”
I frowned, “You’re my parents. It’s different. It’s different when I see photos of you around both your houses, and you act like you don’t care. But you do. I mean, wasn’t I enough?” I lean back in the chair, taking a deep breath. I don’t know why I said it, what’s been on my mind for such a long time. Perhaps it is because it’s so late, or because I am just older and don’t hold my tongue anymore.
Either way, it made him actually look sad instead of indifferent for a change.
“That’s not why, Jeannie. Your mom doesn’t like what I do. I’m not going to stop doing it. You see the problem.” He followed me in dipping a fry in my milkshake and I smiled.
“Yeah I see the problem. Do people like you not retire?”
He laughed, “Not really.”
After I had a berry cobbler for dessert, I was officially full enough to go home, where I knew his fridge was probably half empty. I went up to my room, liking how it looked more my age now. I showered and wore my fleece to bed, but I couldn’t get my mind to calm down, no matter how tired I am.
I keep thinking about Spencer.
I’ve been going to that club for years, so seeing him was a shock and it’s probably why I got so intrigued. Besides him being hot; for me some guys were cute, or handsome. I never found them sexy, it wasn’t my thing. But Spencer was hot, that’s for sure. Knowing he was new to the club made it worse, because more tattoos and sun tans from riding for hours would only make that worse. I liked coming here, but now I almost didn’t want to leave, just so I could get to know him better.
When I gave up on sleep for a while, I checked my messages to reply to my mom, not expecting her to reply so fast. I almost wanted to tell her I asked Dad about them, but she is a lot more sensitive about it. Which I understand. But it’s still hard to be caught in the middle of a fight that i
sn’t even happening.
My eyes started to droop, and I let myself fall asleep, knowing I would definitely be dreaming about a certain new person in my life.
“You should go out with him.”
“Are you crazy?” I stare at Adriana with a crazed look and she just laughs in response. Adriana is probably the only reason I am a regular person—somewhat. We have been friends since junior high, when I lived here in town, and stayed friends even when I moved. She stuck around here for school and is now a teacher. It’s absolutely crazy how someone who parties on the weekends teaches tomorrow’s youth during the week, but she does it well. Her third grader’s love her, and the school is so small, almost everyone in town went there. We both did.
“I mean yeah, but I am also right.” She dips a piece of bread in her soup.
I let the chatter from the large group of people in the café play out behind me as I try and figure out what to say. I told her about meeting Spencer, of course, and she has been talking my ear off about it ever since. I kind of wish I hadn’t said anything, but I would have given myself an ulcer from over thinking it. I’ve only been at my dad’s for a few days, and I haven’t been back at the club, so yeah, I’ve been slowly going out of my mind.
“I just met him, and he probably doesn’t even like me that way. Everyone at the club is under the impression that I am off limits.” I pop a fry in my mouth, barely tasting the salt.
Adriana laughs, “You are kind of off limits. But that makes it exciting.” She nudges me under the table, and I nudge her back. Her finely tweezed brows tighten as she gives me a funny look. She has a simple look to her, but it’s not simple the way I am. Her brunette hair is shiny and wavy, her green eyes always bright, and if she weren’t a teacher, I’m pretty sure she could be a model.
“I don’t need exciting. I need to have actual experience before I go off to college and turn twenty-one. I don’t want that to include the sudden disappearance of a man or getting someone killed.” I shiver at the thought. My dad isn’t a violent criminal, but he does criminal things. There is a difference, but also a fine line.
“That’s all it could be. A summer fling. I wouldn’t have gotten through high school without them, honestly.” She waves her hand. Adriana has always been a fan of travel, and so have her parents. They went all kinds of places, sometimes leaving her unattended to do whatever she wanted.
“I don’t want a fling. Nor do I want the trouble of getting involved with an MC member.” I reasoned. She responded with a scowl and shook her head at me.
“What?” I pried from her.
She giggled, “Nothing. I just thought you would be more adventurous by now.” She shrugs, trying to make me feel bad.
I release a breath and try to ignore her. But it keeps sounding like a good idea the longer I think about it.
Even if I agreed to though, I have no idea how to initiate things with a guy. Not one that looked like Spencer, at least. All my experience lied with high school group dates and one very weird prom date, who I think is an MIT nerd now. So I wasn’t about to sell myself short.
“You can’t guilt me into this, Anna.”
We finish eating, talking about her work at school and my dad. I filled her in on what’s been happening with them, she’s the only one who can really calm my mind about it. I have gotten to an age where it is hard to ignore it, but also hard to confront it.
“When are you going to the club again?” she asks me as we leave. It’s the summer time, so she doesn’t have to go to work regularly, but sometimes has staff planning meetings and such.
“I don’t know, whenever my dad drags me there again.” I laugh once. We stop by the door of my car, she is taller than me and looks down with an amused look.
“No, this weekend. To see—”
“No way.” I laugh aloud.
“Come on, live a little. Or a lot more.” She hugs me sideways and I wiggle away from her.
“Nope. I’ll see you tomorrow?” I ask.
She nods. “Yeah, I’ll try again then.”
I shake my head at her because she is relentless. We hug goodbye, and them I’m off to stop at the grocery store and then to get shirts from the shop. It’s been around for a few years, dad thinks I don’t know but they needed another way to hide money they got from their less than conventional ideas. I still like the shirts though.
I parked out front and didn’t see anyone at the register from through the window, so I hoped my dad wouldn’t eventually ask me to work some shifts like he always did. I saved money babysitting during the year at mom’s place, so I was always fine on that, especially since dad sent money every month too. I only did it to help, but it was still a drag.
After scouring the rack for a few minutes, I picked out a few options.
“Are you following me now?”
I froze. The newly familiar, soft yet deep voice, came from behind me and I nearly dropped the shirts on the floor. I closed my eyes, swallowing heavily as I turned.
Spencer stood behind me, smiling as he leaned his arm over the rack. He was in one of the shirts, a gray color that was tight on his arms and chest. He looks a lot more muscled than I remembered, my eyes went from his faded jeans fitting him in all the right places to his smirking face. I suddenly felt even more subpar than normal in my leggings and oversized high school jersey. I played soccer and kept all the shirts. I realized that he had said something, and I am just standing here staring.
“I um… I’ve been around this place longer than you have, actually.” I clear my throat and try to stand my ground, which just includes holding the shirts in front of me for protection. From what I have no idea.
“Fair enough. Nice.” He gestures to my chest.
“Excuse me?” I screw up my face.
He pauses, licks his lips and then smiles. “Your shirts.” He chuckles once.
I widen my eyes and inhale sharply. “Oh. Thanks.” I don’t know why I thought he was referring to something else, but judging from the way he is acting, I think he did mean it to come off like that.
“You work here every day?” I ask him, taking a step closer. It moves the air around me and I feel less like I am being suffocated.
“Pretty much. It’s what no one else wants to do so as the new guy, I guess I have to do it.” He grins.
“They won’t run you around for long.” I assure him. I have been around the club long enough to know that they only put up a front most of the time.
“I’ll take your word for it then.” He stares back at me and we kind of stand there silently until the awkwardness takes over.
“I’ll uh, ring you up.”
As we walk over to the register, I keep thinking of what Adriana told me. It could just be a fun fling, and it doesn’t have to be anything that the whole world knows about. I’m a little pissed at her for planting the seed, because now it is really growing.
“So what do you do when you’re um, not here. Or at the club?” I stutter, avoiding his gaze.
He stops scanning the shirt and gives me a funny look. “Not much.” His half smile plays across his face and my stomach flips.
I swallow, trying to figure out what to say next. I wait until he is halfway through folding the shirts before I have courage again.
“Do you want to um, hangout sometime?” my vocabulary has taken a dive, as I blurt it all out at once.
He drops the shirt onto the table, heat passing between us as his dark eyes bore into mine. A shiver goes down my back, along with a cold sweat that passes through my fingers, splayed across the counter top. They feel so clammy they could slip off, and I feel my heart in my throat even more as time goes on.
“Like, to hook up or as friends?”
I choke, “What? No, I mean… no. I don’t know.” I stutter.
He laughs audibly, stuffing my shirts in a bag. “I’m just messing with you. Sure, we can hang out.” He reaches behind him and takes out his phone, I hand him my card to pay in turn.
“You have to
pay for this?” he chuckles.
I add my number in his phone and spell my own name wrong, starting again.
“Um yeah, my dad is all about fairness.” I hand his phone back and watch him flinch, it’s short but I see it.
“Thanks. I’ll see you… later.” I almost phrase it as a question.
He nods, smiling, but it doesn’t reach his eyes. “Yep.”
I walk off, getting in my car and driving home. It isn’t until I get there, that I notice the shift in his demeanor, as soon as I mentioned my dad—
Crap.
5
Spencer
I’m staring down a beer bottle when Roland comes up in front of the bar.
“You couldn’t last six months?” he barks, leaning over the bar.
I frown at him and say nothing for a while. He calms down and sits on the bar stool. I laugh at him and start wiping it down.
“So what are we talking about?” I ask him.
He scratches at his stubble, a permanent two-day shadow he is set on hanging onto for the rest of his life.
“Everyone heard about you talking to the pres’ daughter.”
I laugh aloud, “What the fuck man, seriously? I forgot this was a cult.” I murmur. It happened maybe twenty minutes ago, before she was practically forced out by her father.
“It’s not—look, I just want to make sure you aren’t doing anything crazy.”
I stop what I’m doing and face him, leaning my hands on the counter.
“I’m a sane person, bro. Besides, she isn’t even my type.”
I wave him off, and we leave soon after. I get the hang of riding my new bike, but once I am inside all that is the last thing on the mind.
Jeannine is my type, if I ever had one. I’m not a choosy person, but if I could come up with something perfect it would probably be her. She was cute, not so unattainable. I have seen hotter chicks in my life, but the point was that she wasn’t like that at all. Not like the women who hung around the club, not like anyone I’ve ever gone after. So of course, she is one person I am not allowed to think about.