“When are you going to give it up, honey? Every man in here is dying for a taste. Some women, too,” the head waitress said, dressed in a tube top and tight shorts. She thought she owned this place because her old man was an officer. Barked orders like the rest of us gave a shit.
“I have a boyfriend,” I said, staring straight ahead. “Not interested, so there’s more dick than you could ever handle floating around.”
“If they want you, they’ll find a way. Want to bet who gets some first?” Everything was a competition. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I made more than shedid in a night. The key was to keep enough covered to appear mysterious. A tight t-shirt and a pair of short shorts would do that.
It had been a year since we’d taken off from New Jersey, and this was my fifth biker bar. They were all the same. Different logos, same bullshit to worship. The brothers in this club were obnoxious. One night, they had a dick-measuring contest in the middle of the bar. Next, it was how many women they could bag. They used the nasty bathroom. I sure didn’t give a fuck.
I kept their beers flowing and dodged any grabby hands. Tuning them out was the only way to survive. The only thing a biker bar was good for was quick employment. They didn’t care if you vanished as long as there was no heat on the club.
“Girl! Jimmy’s going to prospect. You’ll have to roll the dice and see how many you can take. Your ass won’t be so high and mighty then.” She blew a bubble and popped it with her teeth in my face. “Better act nice. Depending on which brother you land, they might take it easier on you if you do.”
Jimmy? Prospecting?It had to have been a joke. He’d never been interested before, so I wondered what had changed in the last couple of weeks. The club had its own rules and regulations, and Jimmy didn’t have the discipline needed to be a brother. He had thought about it once, but when the club had handed him their code of conduct, that had been the end.
If this was his big plan to get ahead, we could have done that from home—New Jersey, not Williams, Arizona. Now, there was nowhere for me to run.
The bartender placed my bottles on the bar, popped the tops, and shoved them towards me. I had only a few seconds before I needed to move. Standing still meant unnecessary attention. Taking a deep breath, I smirked in her direction.“I’m only here to make money until we move on. You’re stuck here permanently. Good luck with that.”
This was for the president and his buddies, and if I played my cards right, he’d leave a crisp one-hundred-dollar bill on the table. I could stomach the pig as long as the money was flowing my direction.
“Roxy.” Ripper rolled my name off of his tongue as I sat his beer in front of him. “When are you going to keep me company? I’m bored.”
I wanted to say never as I moved around the table, but I didn’t know how he’d react. It was a toss-up between fight and flight. “I can’t. You don’t pay me to sit.” It was the truth, so I didn’t feel too bad about my retort. I pushed my luck, seeing if he would tell me anything more. “Besides, you have club girls for that, and Jimmy is not one of you.”
The tables had plenty of space in between, which was one of the few reasons I stayed. As long as I kept my backside away from the table, no one could grab a handful. I could also see anyone coming before they snuck up on me. There were gropes and grabs all the time. Some waitresses even encouraged it, hoping for a bigger tip.
“Yeah, I’ve had all the rest.” He picked at the label on the bottle. “It’s not fun when it’s the same old thing.”
If he thought that was going to make me give in, he was sadly mistaken. In fact, I was thinking it was time to go. If Jimmy was really prospecting, he could stay here. I was fine hitting the road myself. I had too much self-respect to be passed around like a fucking rag doll, and they would.
“Jimmy’s a piece a shit. He knows how it works around here but doesn’t seem to care. Only a matter of time.” He slugged the rest of his beer before letting out a loud belch.
“He’s had other opportunities to prospect, but he has a hard time with the code of conduct.” I could speak freely in the bar, but if I was overly harsh, someone would think it was their duty to discipline me. I’d already seen this happen to another waitress.
Ripper threw his head back and laughed. “Keep sweet. Once he wears the patch, you’re mine. Jimmy’s out right now with the enforcers learning the ropes.” He swiped his tongue against his lips before flicking it at me. If that was supposed to excite me, it had the opposite effect.
He thought he had me cornered. All he had done was convince me to run.
Chapter two
Goodbye, Jimmy!
Roxy
I burst into the motel room, beelining for the bathroom to collect my toiletries. I had never had enough money for luggage, and I wouldn’t stop packing long enough to worry about it now. My mind raced, thoughts scrambling. I couldn’t think.
My clothes went into as many grocery bags as I could find. I laid my change jar on top of the bags, opening and closing the dresser drawers until I found it—the tip money I had shaved off the top to hide. Jimmy never looked in the drawers, so they had been perfect when I thought I needed a nest egg.
Sitting on the bed, I asked myself if this was the right call.Am I really going to throw two years down the drain?Panic ensued. Jimmy had been good to me. Sure, there had been problems, but what relationship was perfect? For a second, I talked myself into pretending none of this was happening.If Jimmy is prospecting, Ripper will get first dibs. They’ll pass me around.It wouldn’t matter. I’d never escape that personal brand of hell.
Grabbing my things, I let the motel door slam behind me. I couldn’t take the chance of being wrong. The stakes were too high for me, even though Jimmy had been the one to create this mess.
Slamming the trunk down on my car, I was ready to take off—with or without him. I was sitting in the driver’s seat with the doors locked when I finally took a minute to breathe. I closed my eyes, trying not to feel guilty.What if I’m wrong?Jimmy was no saint, but it could have been worse.
Suddenly, I heard screams, but I couldn’t find the source. Sitting forward in my seat, I surveyed the rows of motel doors for any sign of distress.
“Don’t touch me,” I heard a woman scream. “Help me!”
It went silent. I didn’t have a plan, but I wanted to help her. I just couldn’t find which room she was in.
