I grind my teeth, although I’m not surprised after Natasha’s display. “Really? Do they date?”
“No, I wouldn’t say that. Jack doesn’t date anyone. I think they hook up from time to time, though. She would jump at the chance to be exclusive with him if Jack was into that.”
I take in the information. So Jack hooks up. Got it. But why would he hook up with Natasha? Is she his type—the kind of woman he likes? I’m incredibly frustrated because I want Jack’s attention, but I’m not trash or willing to stoop that low to get it.
I growl. I don’t even know why I’m thinking about this. It doesn’t matter. We’re not dating. I’m temporarily living with him. End of story.
“You want a drink?” Sonny asks.
“I sure do, but I’m not twenty-one.”
She wanders to the bar and grabs two glasses filled with some sort of red liquid. “Jessi, this is a biker club. No one cares. Have a little fun.” She dangles one in front of me, and I grab it and take a sip. I cough.Holy shit is this strong. But I hide my reaction and take another sip. This time it goes down smoother.
“I take it this is your first time visiting an MC?” Sonny asks.
“Yeah, I feel a little out of my element to be honest.”
“Okay, I like you, so I’ll give you a rundown. A lot of the girls who hang around here are trying to shackle themselves to a member. We call them biker bunnies, but they don’t have any boundaries. They will throw others under the bus and sleep with other men and not think twice. The wives and girlfriends will give you the cold shoulder until they learn you’re not a threat. The biker bunnies will immediately see you as one—case in point, Natasha. Don’t worry about them. The ones who are cool will come around quickly. There are prospects and there are members. Prospects are working their way to full membership. Members are in for life. Nothing is more important than the club. I am going to assume that since you came with Jack you have some idea of what happens here. The two biggest things you need to remember are one, stay away from other women’s men, and two, you didn’t see or hear anything that happened here. If you think you will have an issue with either of these, I highly suggest you head home now. The club doesn’t take snitching lightly.”
My thoughts tear through my mind. Can I handle this? What kind of things will I see? Simple drug exchanges like Austin andDavid would do right in our living room? Or worse? How can I agree to what I don’t know?
But I do anyway.
“Got it,” I tell her.
Sonny is sweet. I can’t remember the last time I had an interaction with a girl who wasn’t mean. She has blonde hair, which looks natural and not out of a box. You can tell by the way her clothes hug her body that she has a killer figure, but she leaves a bit to the imagination. I like her, and if I get a job here, I hope I’ll work with her a lot.
As the night goes on, more people show up. The music gets louder. I start to have fun.
“Hey, girls,” Sonny says as we approach a group of women by one of the tables. “Here’s Jessi. She is cool and came with Jack.”
One of the women raises her eyebrows. “We know. Natasha hasn’t shut up about Jack’s new bitch. About time someone put her in her place.” Her gaze peels to me. “So, you and Jack?”
I duck my head. “No no. He’s my neighbor. I’m staying with him for a bit?—”
She rolls her eyes and tilts her head toward Sonny. “Sure. It’s completely normal for Jack to show up with random women on the back of his bike.” She rubs a hand up her arm. “Honey, you keep telling yourself that. We know Jack. He isn’t the type of man to tote pretty women like you around without a reason. There’s something there, even if neither of you acknowledges it yet.”
I take another sip of the drink Sonny made me and absently tap a nail against the glass. “I don’t think so.”
I can see why Jack loves this place. It’s hard to believe anything that he or Sonny have warned me of are true.
Hmm. Where is Jack?I search around and spot him on a barstool near a pool table. There’s a game going on, but heisn’t playing. Natasha stands between his legs, but his eyes are trained on me.
What the hell? The one person who was mean to me is who he’s hanging out with? My thinking might have gotten cloudy after all the drinks, but I still know that’s a dick move.
Whatever. He doesn’t owe me any loyalty. It isn’t like he is mine. He just brought me here.
People start dancing, and an idea occurs to me.
It’s time to let loose and forget about Jack.
CHAPTER 26
JACK
After Natasha licked her wounds, she started following me around like usual. But I couldn’t take my eyes off Jessi. I’ve always thought Natasha attractive, but she doesn’t hold a candle to Jessi. And having her all over me right now makes my skin crawl.
Natasha and I go way back, and maybe I was an asshole for leading her on, but I’ve made myself clear. I’m not interested in anything serious. Not with her. Not with anyone. Except maybe . . . No. I won’t go there. Natasha refuses to let go of the hope that one day I’ll come around and we can be a thing. She says she’s fine with casual, but I know she’s lying. That tantrum back there proved it.
