“Okay. Let’s see what ya got,” I respond as he steps behind me and I feel him work on my hair.
“You nervous, Doll?” he questions me as he works.
“A little. This is the first time I’m going to the clubhouse with you. I don’t want to do something to embarrass you or do the wrong thing,” I tell him honestly.
“You won’t embarrass me, Doll. Just be yourself and everyone will love you. Don’t think about sayin’ or doin’ the wrong thing because that’s not who you are. When it comes to the Feral Girls, stand your ground. They can be territorial and bitches. Don’t throw the first punch, but fight if they start a fight with you. Trust me, no one in the club will ever make you feel bad if you beat the fuck out of one of them because they put their hands on you first. The guys already know who you are because they’ve seen you a few times. Viper and Count will be there as I said before. If I’m not available, you go to them,” he tells me while braiding my hair.
“Okay.”
It doesn’t take Rex long at all to complete the braid and secure it with the hair tie I hand him. He uses his phone to snap a picture and I stare in awe. Rex didn’t just braid my hair, he did a perfect French braid. I wasn’t expecting that as I smile up at him and move to slide my helmet on. Rex secures it for me as I remove my keys from the bag on my thigh. Today, his bandana is around his neck because he’s not on hisDucati. While I have a full face helmet, he doesn’t. Once he ensures I’m ready to ride, I straddle my bike as he pulls the bandana up to cover his face before putting his own helmet on. We leave the parking lot and head for the clubhouse.
When we pull up to the gate, Evan lets us in and Rex points where he wants me to park while he moves up to the line of bikes by the front of the building. After backing my bike in a spot next to an SUV, I shut the engine off and climb off my bike. Right in the parking lot, I strip out of my riding gear as Rex walks over to me.
“Didn’t realize I was gettin’ a strip tease today, Doll,” he jokes as I hand him my riding jacket.
Stepping out of my riding boots, he hands my other shoes to me. When we were still at Fantasy Realm, I handed them off to him to carry in his saddle bags.
“You’re funny, Rex. You’ve gotten a strip tease more often than I ever thought I’d do over the last few weeks. I haven’t heard a single complaint about it yet,” I tell him as he leans close and presses a kiss against my neck.
“You won’t ever hear me complain about you gettin’ naked, Doll. Unless you're exposed to someone else. Your body is only for my viewing pleasure. No one else gets to see you naked, hear your moans, or anythin’ else. I’ll gut a fucker for anyof that,” he says, stepping back as I fold my riding gear and Rex picks it up to take to his room. The only thing I grab is my phone from the bag I wear on my thigh in case someone needs to get a hold of me.
“The same goes for you, Rex. None of those bitches in there get to see you naked anymore,” I state as he laces our fingers together and leads me toward the door of the clubhouse.
“Never again,” he says before opening the door and holding it for me to step through.
It takes my eyes a minute to adjust to the interior after being out in the sun. The room we’re standing in is full and all eyes are on Rex and me. Most are friendly faces, but I immediately know which girls Rex was talking about. They’re wearing barely any clothing and have a ton of make-up caked on their faces. Those girls are glaring at me and I know one of them is gonna test my limits. It’s written on their painted faces.
“This is the common room, Doll. It’s where we all hang out and have a drink. The bar is fully stocked and you can have anythin’ you want. There’s soda because I know you don’t drink. Don’t let anyone pressure you into drinkin’ while you’re here. Annistyn doesn’t drink either so she’ll always be sober with you. It’s rare Cali drinks but there are times when they have a babysitter she lets loose,” Rex tells me as Annistyn stands from a table in the back of the room and heads straight for me.
“Taleah, it’s so good to see you here,” she says, pulling me in for a hug before pulling me away from Rex.
“I’ll put your gear in my room while we’re here. No one will get near it because I keep my door locked,” Rex says as I’m led across the room toward a table in the back next to the men.
“Cali, this is Taleah. She’s Rex’ girl. Taleah, this is Cali. She’s Reckless’ ol’ lady. Link is my man. We have some kidsrunning around here. There’s Bryce, Rory, Dakota, and Kylan who belong to Cali and Reckless. Dakota and Kylan are twins and so damn adorable. My son is being held by his dad. His name is Ridge. They’ll come up to you sooner rather than later,” Annistyn explains as I shake Cali’s hand.
“It’s nice to meet you, Cali.”
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Taleah. Annistyn has told me about you,” she says and I can hear the hesitation in her voice as she looks around the room and I spot the kids playing in front of some couches.
“Take a seat, Taleah,” Annistyn says as she grabs the seat next to Cali.
I pull out a chair and take a seat as Evan brings over a bottle of water and sets it in front of me. He smiles quickly before disappearing as Rex steps back in the room and sits at the table next to us. Rex looks at me as if he’s checking in and I give him a slight nod in response. Cali and Annistyn tell me about the clubhouse and share stories of their time here. I laugh as the kids run around the room and talk to everyone. Dakota, the cutest little girl ever, walks up to Annistyn and sits in her lap. Cali simply shakes her head at her daughter.
“Is there a bathroom I can use?” I ask the girls at the table with me.
“Of course. Go down the hallway and it’s the first door on your right,” Cali says, pointing to the hall just past the table Rex is sitting at.
“Thank you,” I say, standing from my seat and making my way to the bathroom.
I take care of business and I’m washing my hands when the door opens. One of the Feral Girls struts in as if she owns the clubhouse. She steps up next to me at the sink and I don’tpay her any attention. I know girls like this. She’s looking for attention and a fight. She wants to bully me and make me feel as if I don’t belong here. This isn’t my first rodeo with bullies and she’s no different than the rest.
“Who the fuck do you think you are?” she questions me as I give her my back to dry my hands before walking past her without saying a word in response. “I’m fucking talking to you.”
I continue walking and almost make it out of the hall before she grabs my arm and spins me around to face her as I see the table Rex is sitting at and know other guys can see in the hallway.
“Don’t touch me again,” I state, my voice low and lethal as anger surges through me. “Put your hands on me again and I’ll beat your ass into the ground. I don’t play bullshit games like you.”
“You have no right to say that to me. You don’t belong here. I suggest you leave now,” she says as I turn to walk away from her again.
