“I’m good,” I said. I didn’t have a problem taking sloppy seconds when they were actually good, but she would be more trouble than she was worth, which was why he was offering her to me. Scorpion would prefer that I be on the other end of whatever crazy she harbored.
Scorpion leaned forward, staring her straight in the eyes. “Get the fuck out of here. If I see you in my clubhouse again, I’ll teach you how to give a proper blowjob, and you’ll hate every minute.” He wouldn’t, but she didn’t know that, running out the front door as tears streamed down her cheeks.
I was halfway through calling him an asshole when the front door to the clubhouse slammed, cutting me off.
“Dude, you need to control your Old Lady.” Aces came storming into the room, Eights quietly following behind him.
“I don’t have an Old Lady. Angelica’s made it perfectly clear she wants nothing to do with my ass.” Scorpion scoffed before interlocking his fingers behind his head. He’d severely fucked that up, and instead of making amends, he’d continued fucking everything in sight.
I shifted in my chair, making sure I could watch Scorpion. He would always swing first, not asking questions, whenever someone mentioned Angelica’s name. Aces had already started the argument, but he never knew when to quit, and Angelica was clearly off limits.
“Your bitch called while I was busy, and when I told her no, she threatened to tell you. If she’s not your Old Lady, she doesn’t get those fucking privileges. Her new girl parked in the visitor’s lot, and you know how the sheriff gets about that.” Aces huffed, puffing his chest out.
“Not my bitch.” Scorpion shifted forward, preparing to launch at Aces if he came close enough. It wouldn’t matter that Scorpion’s ass would be on display as his pants hung from his ankles. I slid to the edge of my seat, my hands resting on my knees, while Eights shifted to his toes, ready to grab Aces from behind if it came down to it.
“Where does she get these rejects?” Aces sighed, running a hand through his hair. “The girl’s car wouldn’t start, so it’s currently sitting in the garage. I told Angelica I wasn’t looking at it until tomorrow. I don’t fucking work on an empty stomach or with a hard dick.”
“Free lunch means we’re fucking paying for it.” Scorpion had bought the Blue Angel Saloon to win Angelica back, but she’d shut the door in his face—message received. They spoke only when necessary, or if it regarded their daughter.
“No, it means you’re fucking paying for it.” Aces flicked him off for good measure, deflating now that the fight was over. “You done?” he asked, pointing to Scorpion’s dick.
“Didn’t even start,” Scorpion said, holding the waistband of his jeans as he stood.
“Come on. You can have the brunette.” Aces headed towards his room, expecting Scorpion to follow him. “If you ruin my free lunch, I’m going to tell Angelica you only fuck blondes because brunettes remind you of her.”
“I’m going to bed. Don’t let me sleep past a free lunch tomorrow, since it’s going on Scorpion’s tab,” I yelled after them before they turned into the hallway.
“It’s not free, fucker.”
***
Roxy
I had been eager but anxious to walk into the saloon for my first day. When I’d spoken to Angelica the day before, it had sounded like she was going to throw me to the wolves. While I knew I could do it, it would be a fight to prove I belonged, but Angelica had been right. Once the nerves settled, I was nailing my first day, which hadn’t happened in a really long time. I smiled normally, but when I looked in the mirror, it was extra bright.
“I’ve known plenty of girls like you,” she had said. “You don’t want to let anyone in, but you’ll turn on the charm to make a good tip. You have car repairs topay for, and supposedly this is all temporary.” She had laughed, her eyes sparkling as she shooed me out of her office.
She had made a few assumptions about me, but they had all been true. She didn’t spew any bullshit, delivering the power punch under a cool veneer, and coming from someone like her, I wanted desperately to believe I could amount to her level of greatness.
No one had ever asked me what I wanted, but now that I was newly independent, I was planning on taking control of my life and dictating what happened to me. I wasn’t someone who always found the negative, but it always seemed to find me, and I was tired. I wanted to break the cycle. Be confident in myself and my abilities. Angelica had proven it could be done.
I figured she had a past, but you would have never known it by the way she glided through the dining room. I still didn’t know if she was the owner or just the manager, but she gave off the impression that you should thank her for allowing you into the saloon. Not the other way around. I’d watched her occasionally as she stopped at each table to introduce herself. She’d make small talk, ask them if they needed anything, and then move on to the next. She was almost too perfect to be real, and while I didn’t aspire to that level of greatness, I wanted some of it to trickle down to me.
“You doing alright, honey?” the older waitress asked, waiting for me to look up from where I was pushing mashed potatoes into the trash. She was on her way out with a tray full of food, so I quickly nodded, letting her know I was fine. She’d been checking in with me for most of the morning, like the mother hen of the saloon.
Francene was past her prime, her gray hair in a pretty twist at the back of her head. I knew what it was like to run out of options, and when she had told me she only stayed because she had nowhere else to go, I could see myself doing the same thing. I wasn’t sure where my journey was going to take me, but if I wanted to settle down, this was one of the nicest places I’d worked in. The corset with shorts they called a uniform sucked, but it could have always been worse.
Lulu sidled up to me as I finished. “Don’t look now. The sexiest men alive just walked through the front door.” She was almost as bad as a man. It didn’t bother me, and most of the time I laughed as long as we weren’t in the dining room. She was harmless but flighty, and I had a feeling that if I gave Lulu an inch, she’d try to take a mile, and I wasn’t sure I had that kind of energy.
“They might be hot to look at, but no man is worth the trouble.” I chuckled.
“If Aces wanted to tie me up, I’d let him.” She smirked, bumping her hip into mine. “There’s six of them, so I’ll set two four-toppers up, but you should be alright to serve. We just won’t give you another table until they’re gone. You’re welcome.” She winked at me before sashaying out the kitchen door.
Washing my hands, I grabbed silverware before heading to the dining room. My smile was in place, but as I crossed the threshold, I froze. Sitting near the middle of the large table was the biker I’d left in the dust. Across from him was Aces, who’d taken my car to the garage yesterday for repairs.Why the fuck does this shit always happen to me? It had never crossed my mind that they knew each other.
My stomach dropped as more realizations came flying at me. Angelica had called Aces. She might not have been part of their club, but she was comfortable enough calling them for help.Should I run? Fear clouded my judgement, but I didn’t want anyone to see weakness. They’d never let me live it down—I’d learned that from experience.
I plastered a fake smile on my face and forced my feet to move until I reached the biker sitting at the end closest to me. He was bald, with the bluest eyes I’d ever seen buried beneath wire-rimmed glasses. I didn’t know his name, but he was reading the menu as I approached. If I wanted to keep my distance, he seemed like the safest bet.
