“Come on,” I said, hanging up my pool cue and leading the way to the bar. “Next round’s on me.”
Sabrina
“I don’t think this is a good idea,” I said, tugging at the hemline of my dress, but I couldn’t pull it down any further. There wasn’t enough material to the thing.
The outfit was Lacey’s, and she had insisted that I wear it when I showed up at her house after serving dinner at the soup kitchen. I’d been reluctant; it was far more revealing than anything I would normally wear, but she’d played the best friend card, demanding that I trust her and promising that I’d have fun tonight.
She also refused to tell me where we were going.
“Stop fidgeting, the dress is supposed to be short,” Lacey said, slapping my hand away.
“I’m at least three inches taller than you,” I pointed out. I was tall for a woman, like all women in my dad’s family. “So that makes it even shorter.”
“Calm down. Your ass isn’t hanging out or anything.”
No, it wasn’t. The blue dress stopped at my upper thigh and clung to me, highlighting my curves, and I had to admit to myself that it looked good.
Lacey navigated her little PT Cruiser through the streets of La Playa, and I recognized the area we were in. There was a diner nearby where I liked to eat named Tiny’s, but I was sure that wasn’t our destination. It was too late in the evening for that.
My eyes widened when she pulled into the parking lot of a bar with a big lit-up sign proclaiming it to be the Blue Dog. There were motorcycles all over the parking lot, and I could see bikers standing outside in their leather jackets, smoking as they leaned up against the front of the building.
“This isn’t a...biker bar, is it?” I asked, unable to hide the nervousness in my voice.
“Of course it is,” Lacey said cheerfully, putting the car into park and killing the engine. I gaped at her. She was serious about this.
“I can’t go in there.”
“Why not?”
“Bikers are rough. They do drugs and mistreat women. I’ve even heard that sometimes they kill people. It’s not safe.”
“Don’t believe everything you hear.” Lacey dismissed my concerns as she slipped out of the car. I sighed before opening my own door to follow her. Taking a hold of her arm, I pulled her to a stop.
“I’m serious, Lace,” I insisted, looking her in the eye.
“I know. You always are, but I wouldn’t bring you somewhere dangerous. This is the Outlaw Souls’ bar. They aren’t going to hurt us.”
“Outlaw Souls?”
“Yeah, it’s the name of the motorcycle club that owns this bar. My brother is friends with their president. Trust me, they’re not going to hurt us.”
I still had my misgivings—bikers had a certain reputation and it included mistreating women—but I trusted Lacey more than anyone. Besides, I couldn’t deny that there was something appealing about going into a place like this, a dive bar full of men that lived a life so different from the one I knew. There was a wildness about the men that were outside, watching us talk to each other. It was an enticing feeling, walking toward the biker bar. I felt like a different person, a rebel, and I embraced it.
When we walked through the door, I was bombarded by noise and movement everywhere I looked. For a small bar, this place was packed with people. There was music coming from a jukebox and a space had been cleared on one side of the room to create a dance floor. On the other side of the room, three pool tables were set up. In between, tables and chairs littered the space, filled with people talking and drinking. A long bar ran along the wall in front of us, and we headed in that direction. I couldn’t help but notice the side glances we were getting from the men in the bar, and I felt a boost of confidence.
A tall, thin man with an earring was behind the bar and when we both squeezed into a small space between the barstools, he came right over to get our drink orders. I noticed the way his eyes swept over Lacey and bit back a smile. He was barking up the wrong tree with her. Lacey had a thing for thick men.
“What can I get for you ladies?”
“I’m a big fan of sex on the beach,” Lacey said, grinning.
“Aren’t we all, babe?” He sent her a wink, and I could have sworn that she blushed. Maybe he had a chance after all. He turned to me. “How about you?”
“Uh...the same.”
I didn’t go out drinking much, and I couldn’t think of a single drink to order. All I knew was that I didn’t like the taste of beer.
“Coming right up.”
