by Amy Davies
Did I mention being a woman fucking sucks arse right now.
Why do women have to go through this shit every month? Like, really? Like the female species doesn’t have enough shit to deal with from men, but on top of that, we have to bleed every month for a few days.
It’s my turn to open today. I unlock the front door to The Silver Bowl and walk inside. I can see some shapes of the furniture in the room, thanks to the exit lights and the small lights under the liquor bottles. As I walk further into the room, I hear a crash, then see I’m being charged at. I scream because, come on, I am a woman after all.
I see two figures running at me, but before I can get out of the way, they ram into me. I’m launched off my feet, the wind knocked out of me. I gasp and try to grab onto one of their legs. I get kicked in the face for trying. I cry out and roll onto my side, holding my face in my hands.
The main door slams. The room fills with light as the door bounces off its hinges and swings open again, but then I am back in the dark. I lay there, trying to catch my breath. The taste of copper fills my mouth, and I know I’m bleeding. I cry and feel weak all over again.
After a beat, I push to my feet and pick my bag up off the floor. I don’t even check to see the damage, or to see what has been stolen. I walk out and lock up behind me. I take a deep breath and walk, leaving my car at the pub. Walking will clear my head.
I worked so bloody hard to not feel weak again, and in a split second, I’m that weak girl all those years ago.
Fucking bollocks.
I walk and walk, ignoring the people I know are staring at me. I lick my bottom lip and wince when my tongue touches the cut there. I stop to dig around in my bag for my compact mirror to see the damage. Lord knows how I look.
“Jamie?” I hear my name being called. My head snaps up, and I see Zarah standing outside the cafe. Had I really walked that far? Did my body know where I needed to be?
“Hey, Z.” I step closer to her, and I see her face when she finally catches the damage on mine.
“What the fuck? Who did this?” I shrug.
“I don’t know. Someone broke into the pub, and I disturbed them.”
“Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up, and I’ll call the club. Dyson needs to be here.” My chest tightens at the sound of his name. We haven’t spoken in a week. He sent a text saying he was leaving on a run, but I never replied. The last text I received yesterday, with him saying we needed to talk.
I heard some shit a few days after he left. Apparently, he had a club girl give him a blowjob before he left, saying he needed something to ease the tension I had caused. It gutted me, to say the least. I thought I was enough, but clearly not.
I clutch Z’s hand tightly in mine, and she nods in understanding. She knows I need her strength right now.
She ignores everyone in the cafe and drags me through to the back, stopping in the kitchen. Ana is standing there, dishing out someone’s food order. Zarah pulls out a chair for me to sit on. It’s a small bistro seat that sits in the corner of the kitchen.
“Hey, J,” Ana greets as she turns around to face us. A gasp slips from her mouth when she sees my face. “What happened?” I explain everything in detail to them both as Zarah cleans up my face.
As it turns out, I split my lip in two places. My eye is slightly swollen, and my eyebrow is split open, but she doesn’t think I need stitches.
“I’ll call Ace. He can send Sully over to check on you.” Zarah cleans up the blood, her face showing her concern.
“I’m fine. I don’t need a doc,” I whine.
“Do I look like I care what you want?” Z chides. I huff, making her laugh at me.
“Bitch.”
“Whore.”
“Twat.”
“Harlot.” I fake gasp, placing my hand on my chest.
“I’m hurt you called me that.” I pout, the frowning action causing pain to shoot through my eyebrow.
“I’m fine. I don’t need a doc.” Zarah imitates my voice, repeating my words back to me.
“Cunt-bag.” Ana giggles and walks out of the room, taking people’s food with her.
“You two are the worst,” she shouts back at us. Z winks at me and checks my eyebrow for more bleeding.
I sigh and slouch back onto the chair, waiting for the brothers to turn up. Fuck knows who will actually walk through the door. I hope it isn’t Dyson. I’m not ready to face him yet.
I send a quick text to Lance, explaining what's happened and we’re not opening for lunch today, and that I’m okay.
“I want a do-over,” I whine. I lean forward and place my arms on the table, gently laying my head on them. Taking deep breaths, I try to centre myself. I need to get my head together so I can get back to the pub, clean up, and be ready to open. Opening my eyes, I see blood on my jeans. Shit. I’ll have to change before opening.
Okay, I need to pull my big girl knickers up, put my shit-kicking boots on, and get through the rest of this day. I sit up and lean back in the chair. Zarah is looking at me like I’m about to shatter into a million pieces, so I blow her a kiss. I get flipped off for my gesture.
“Oh, they’re here.” I hear them as soon as she says the words.
“Fuck me, do you have sonic hearing or something?” She shrugs and walks out of the kitchen, leaving me alone.
“She’s in the kitchen,” Ana says.
I sigh and straighten my shoulders, making sure I don’t look fucking weak or like a scared little girl in front of these men. I hold my breath, praying that Dyson doesn’t come marching through the door.
My body sags when I see Court, Maze and Ditch come into the room. My eyes quickly flick behind them, but he isn’t here. It’s stupid that the disappointment settles in my belly, even though I had hoped he wouldn’t come, but this is the proof I was waiting for.
He’s done with me, that’s what his text meant last night.
“What happened, sweetheart?” Maze asks, kneeling in front of me. He grips my chin softly, turning my face right and left to check out the injuries.
“Someone broke into the pub. I disturbed them, and they knocked me over when they were fleeing. They caught me off guard, or I would have kicked their fucking heads in.” The boys chuckle. Maze’s gaze locks on mine, and I can see the concern written all over his face. He cups my jaw, smoothing his thumb over my cheek.
“Brother,” comes a warning tone from Court. Maze gives me a small smile, hearing the warning he was just given. Even if Dyson and I are done, Maze can’t touch me. It’s a rule of the club.
Maze is fucking beautiful. Around my age, with dark brown eyes and black hair long enough that it curls around his ears. His skin is tanned from being outdoors so much, with a touch of designer stubble, as they call it.
“You hurting?” Maze asks, not responding to Court’s warning.
“I’m fine,” I say, sounding weak as hell. This man can make any woman melt around him. He gives me a panty-dropping smile and leans in and kisses my forehead.
“Yeah, you are, babe.”
“Fuck me. Do you wanna be buried six-feet-under? Leave a brother’s woman alone, for fucks sake.”
“Do you see Dyson here?” I snarl up at Court. I stand, almost knocking Maze off his feet. I put my hands on my hips and stand off against Court, the meanest-looking UR the club has.
“He’s busy,” he says nonchalantly.
“Oh, he’s busy. Too busy to come and check on me, the woman he says he wants as his old lady. Fucking fat chance now,” I fume. I spin around and pick my bag up off the floor and go to storm out, but Maze stops my grand exit.
“He would be here if he could,” Maze explains, keeping his sincere gaze locked on mine. I honestly get the feeling that Maze never lies to anyone. He says what he means and means what he says.
“If you say so.” I keep my gaze locked on him and get lost in the dark pools of his eyes. His thumb slides over my arm, where he’s holding me, stopping me from leaving. The comfort, coming from him, s
hould not affect me the way it is. I’m with Dyson, right?
“You have a death wish, motherfucker.” My head spins around to look at Court. He’s scowling at Maze. He looks from his hand on my arm and up to his face, shaking his head. “You know he will hurt you for touching what’s his.” Maze nods and looks at me. He smirks and winks before speaking.
“But it would be worth it, brother.” His hand tightens on my arm once more, before he lets go and steps back. “You okay to go back to the pub, or do you want a prospect to take you home?”
I shake my head. “I need to go to the pub. It has to be cleaned and prepped for opening tonight. We’ve missed the lunch rush now.”
“Okay, we’ll all go and check out what's what there. We may need to call Batch to send someone to fix anything that can be fixed.”
“God, me alone will be keeping Graves Construction in business if things keep going like this.” The men laugh—well, except Court, because it takes a fucking special woman to get him to smile.
“Will your face crack if you smile, Court?” I quirk a brow at him, hoping that I get something from him. The boys laugh, and then it happens. A flicker, a twitch at the corner of his mouth. “Yes! I did it. You all saw that, right?” I look at the boys. “His muscle twitched. That fucker can smile if he wants to.” I do a little jiggle of my hips and pump my arms in victory, forgetting all about my painful period.
“Come on, you dopey mare, let’s get you to the pub and assess what’s up there,” Maze pipes in, stopping my little victory dance.
“Spoil sport.” I follow the three men out of the kitchen and kiss Ana and Zarah on the cheek before leaving. We stop outside, where three bikes sit at the curb. I bite my lip, thinking how they are going to get me to the pub. I know the club doesn’t like it when a brother’s woman rides on the back of another brother’s bike.
Court and the prospect, Ditch, climb on their bikes, and my gaze swings to Maze, sitting on his. He winks at me and taps the seat behind him. I hesitate, licking my lips again. I step forward, and I see a look on Maze’s handsome face. He saw the respect I have for Dyson when I hesitated to climb on another man’s bike.
Resting my hands on Maze’s shoulders, I swing my leg over and settle on the bike, keeping some inches between our bodies. But Maze is having none of it. He grips my thighs and pulls me forward, so my hips sit next to his.
“Death wish,” is muttered from the bike next to us. I look at Court, and he looks pissed, but not at me; at Maze.
We pull away from the cafe, in the direction of the pub. I let the wind wrap around me, soothing the ache in my chest from feeling weak and not having Dyson here with me. This man is changing the way I feel about so many things in my life, and I’m still not sure if this is something that won’t hurt me in the future.
The engine between my legs cuts off, shocking me out of my thoughts. I climb off, my legs like jelly. Maze climbs off and steady’s me, before leading me into the pub. I pull my keys out of my bag, but Court snatches them from me and unlocks the door.
“Why, yes, Court, of course you can open the door for me,” I say in a very sweet but sarcastic voice. Maze and Ditch laugh, but Court just stares at me before turning away.
“Bitch,” he mutters.
“Fucknut,” I snark back. I see Court shake his head at me, but he carries on through the door. I’m sure he smiled just then. Ditch goes looking for the light switch, and I sigh when I see the room.
“So, what was the point?” Ditch asks, surveying the room.
There is no, and I mean zero, damage at all. I walk further into the room and head behind the bar. The till is still intact. Strange. I’m completely baffled as to why they broke in, if they weren't going to at least smash up the place. Don’t get me wrong, I’m fucking grateful they didn’t, but what kind of robbers are they?
“The office is untouched, too,” Court adds. I didn’t even notice him leave the room. I turn to see the three men in a huddle, talking in hushed tones. The feeling of being robbed but not being robbed doesn't sit well with me. What did they want?
I close my eyes and think. I run different scenarios through my head, different reasons as to why someone would… Oh, fuck me. I spin around and see the three men looking at me, wearing pissed off faces.
“The Tiny Dick Crew. It was a scare tactic, like my house,” I fume. The men nod, but I can see that they’re thinking something else. “What?” I demand.
“Club business, babe,” Maze says.
“Whatever. That’s bullshit and you know it. I need to know. It affects me and my business.”
They ignore me and walk out the front. I can only assume to report back to Suede and possibly Dyson. I shake my head and pull out my phone to text Lance and the rest of my staff. We are officially back open for business.
I will never let the fucking cunts win over me again. No way in hell.
Dyson
Walking into the kitchen the next day, I see Court, Ditch and my dad sitting around the large table we have in there. Mum wanted a table big enough for us all sit and have a meal together during tough times.
“Morning,” I mutter, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. I open my eyes wide enough to pour myself a cup of coffee. I join them at the table. The tension could be cut with a knife, it’s that fucking thick.
“Wanna tell me why you lot are moping this morning?” Court looks at Suede, then back to me. What the hell?
Suede sighs before speaking. “There was an incident yesterday.”
“What kind of incident?”
“The kind where a certain pub was broken into—” I cut him off.
“What the fuck?” I yell. “What, and no one thought it would be a good fucking idea to let me in on this piece of information?”
“Dyson, you had just arrived home, and you were dead on your feet. You needed sleep.”
“What I need is for my brothers to let me know when my old lady gets hurt or put in danger.”
“Your old lady?” comes from behind me. I turn to see Maze leaning against the doorframe. My fists clench at my sides.
“You got a fucking problem, brother?” I grit out the last word. He steps into the room, looking like he wants a fight. But I know Maze; he’s the calm one of the club. Plus, he wouldn’t stand a fucking chance against me.
“You haven't exactly claimed her in the eyes of the club, brother. So she’s free for anyone who wants to step in.” I scoff, doing my best not to laugh in his face. He’s being a cocksucker right now, and I don’t know why. But I will fucking find out.
“You want a piece of my woman, Maze?” It’s his turn to scoff. He steps up to me, until we’re almost nose to nose. I can see the look in his eyes. He really wants Jamie for himself. Well, over my dead fucking body is he getting what’s mine.
“I can get what I want, brother. It was my bike she was on the back of yesterday, while you were in your room, sleeping off the ride. Clearly the club didn’t think she was important enough to you to wake you.”
“Now hang on, Maze. I let him sleep. He needed it. That was a low blow.”
“No, it wasn’t, Prez. If you thought she was that important to him, you would have woken him up. Fuck, any brother would want to be woken up if their woman was hurt.”
“Watch it, Maze,” my dad snaps back.
“Are you fucking shitting me right now? The club knows she’s mine. And what do you mean, hurt?” My gaze snaps to my father. He looks sorry, and that doesn’t happen often.
“She was knocked over when the men fled. She tried to stop them, and they kicked her in the head. Maze checked her over.”
“I bet he did. You touched something that’s mine. MINE, BROTHER,” I roar. Court jumps between us, pushing Maze away. I’m breathing heavily, my anger raging through my body. My heart is beating wildly, and my fists are clenching, itching to plough through Maze’s face. Who the fuck does he think he is, touching my woman? He smirks at me, keeping his gaze on me.
“What the fuck did I tell
you?” Court says, getting up in his face. Maze looks at him, then back to me. His eyes lose some of the hardness around them, and he steps back.
“You claim her in front of the club, or I swear to fucking God, I will, Dyson. She is way too good to be let go. You want her, then you take her, and you keep her, brother. I knew yesterday that I didn’t have a shot with her. When we took her to the pub to check on things, she hesitated in getting on the back of my bike. She’s perfect old lady material, brother. Keep her safe.”
“I will always protect mine,” I state, meaning every word. Jamie London is mine. He just gives me a chin lift and walks out of the room. I need to keep an eye on him. Maze isn’t the type of bloke to steal another man’s woman, but there is obviously something there for Jamie.
“She’s fine, son,” Dad says. I shake my head at him.
“You should have woken me, Suede. You know how I feel about her.”
“Eyes of the club, Dyson. You know that.”
“Oh, for fucks sake, that’s bullshit and you know it. I have been seeing her for weeks, only fucking her. Were you or were you not at her place the other day, helping to fix up the shit that went down there?” He nods. “Then you and everyone in the club knows she’s mine. Goddamnit. Fuck,” I mutter and run my hand through my hair. It reminds me of Jamie doing it when we’re shagging, or just lying in her bed.
“Make her see it and let everyone know, Dyson.” I know Prez won’t budge on this. I know I have to claim her in front of the club. They need to know who she belongs to.
I just nod and leave the room. Marching back to my bedroom, I need to shower and get over to see Jamie. I need to see for myself that she’s okay. I hear moaning coming from one of the rooms, and I stop to see who it is. I’m surprised to see EC with the kid that Click brought with her when we needed her help finding Gary, Ana’s ex.
EC is sucking his dick, and the kid looks like he’s enjoying the fuck out of my brother’s mouth wrapped around his cock. I clear my throat, causing them to stop.
“Fuck.” The kids yelps in shock, tucking his dick in his jeans as EC wipes his mouth and stands.