True Me (Fallen Brethren MC #6)

Chapter Five

Eagle

W ALKING INTO ENTICE , this is the last place I want to be right now. Rebel is at the clubhouse still even though she’ll be here in a little while. I’ve hired her as a bartender for the club and Cash will be having her with him during the day sometimes at the shop. Chad knows she works the bar at the clubhouse and won’t expect her to be at a strip club and tattoo shop working with us. Plus, it allows Cash and me to keep her close to us and not spend hours away from her. Rebel was on board with this plan as long as she still gets to spend time with her grandma and be there for her as her days wind down to nothing.

Looking around, I see everyone working hard to get the strip club ready to open for the night. Sloan and Kenna are pulling down all the chairs while Panther and Connor work behind the bar right now. The dancers are practicing their routines for the night as I make my way over to the bar to grab a bottle of water before making my way to my office so I can start to go through the paperwork that’s been piling up while I’ve been with Rebel and Cash as we start to deal with her situation.

“You two good here for right now?” I ask the men behind the bar as I watch them stock everything and put up the clean glasses.

“Yeah. We don’t have a problem fillin’ in behind the bar when you need us here. Have you thought about hirin’ a new bartender to lighten the load?” Connor questions me, as he pauses his work for a minute.

“Yeah. Got my girl comin’ in tonight. She’ll be workin’ a few times a week when I’m here. She’ll also be workin’ with Cash at Fallen Ink a few days a week too,” I answer, leaning against the bar and looking at everything.

“You and Cash got a girl? Together?” Panther questions me, not realizing what we’ve been planning this entire time.

“Yeah. Haven’t you been payin’ attention to anythin’ in church or at the clubhouse?” I ask Panther with laughter filling my voice as I feel eyes on my back.

“Didn’t think the two of you were that serious. We all know this is new for Cash and you, sharin’ a girl between the two of you. For the longest time, I thought the two of you hated one another and were only on friendly terms because of your connections to Hawk. Now, to hear you’re both into the same girl and it’s Rebel, is kind of a shock. Rebel doesn’t touch the guys of the club. .We all know that,” Panther says, his voice full of surprise as I smile bigger.

“Cash and I have a complicated friendship. Hawk was initially our connection. For the longest time I thought he was too immature and would never take anythin’ serious. But, I’ve watched him around Rebel and he’s changed my mind. We’re both all in when it comes to her and that’s not gonna change. So, we’re willin’ to put our differences aside to be there for her and make her ours. We’re just gonna take things slow and at her pace,” I respond before tapping the bar and heading for my office so I can get the work I’ve been neglecting done before Rebel shows up. When she’s working, I plan on being on the floor and nowhere else so I can keep an eyes on her.

The eyes don’t leave me as I make my way down the short hall to the office while pulling out my keys to unlock my door. Entering the room that’s the bane of my existence, I close the door behind me and take off the lid of my water before taking a deep sip. When I’m at Entice, I don’t ever drink on the job. I used to when I first started managing the strip club, but quickly learned I made horrible decisions when I was drinking. I lost more than a few dancers because I was more worried about getting my dick wet than anything else. They couldn’t take my rejection despite me making it perfectly clear that I was not the guy who gave more than a night to any woman. At the end of the day, I decided to stick to water or soda once in a while so I could keep a clear head and not mix business with pleasure. Rebel will be the exception to the rule because she’s gonna be my ol’ lady and nothing will change that.

Turning on the monitors so I can keep an eye on things around the club, I try to shift my focus on the paperwork in front of me. Most of it are invoices I have to go through and put away after ensuring the bills have been paid to our various vendors. As I pay each bill online with the club’s credit card information I’ve saved for Entice, I set aside the invoice to file. As I continue to make my way through the large stack of papers, my door opens and I look up to find Fawn strutting in as if she has a right to be here without knocking on the door and asking for permission to enter my office.

“What do you want, Fawn?” I question her, my voice hard as I continue looking at my paperwork.

Fawn is one of the dancers here and has always made it very clear that she wants to fuck me. I’ve never given her a chance and she won’t get one. Sure, she’s sexy and if it were a few years ago, I might have given her a ride on my cock. Now, she doesn’t compare to Rebel and never will. She’s a slut who’s only looking to gain an in with the club because none of the guys will fuck her. Fawn figures if I give in, then the rest of them will follow. The thing is, Reaper and I have never once said that the strippers were off limits to any of the members of the club. They simply don’t want Fawn because we can all see what her end game is. Plus, she’s a vapid bitch who likes to play petty games and spread rumors that aren’t true if she feels it will give her an edge over the other dancers.

“Eagle, don’t be like that. You know you want me in here with you. We don’t get any alone time. Plus, you’ve been missing for a while now,” she says, leaning a hip against my desk as I continue keeping my attention focused on my work and off of the barely clothed stripper in front of me.

“First of all, you knock on my office door and don’t just enter without my express permission. This is a fuckin’ business and I’m your boss. I don’t play your childish games and I’ve told you more than a handful of times I will never fuck you. So, quit tryin’ to play this shit with me and do your job while leavin’ me alone or you’re out on your ass and I won’t hesitate to blacklist you when I kick you out,” I growl out, frustration filling my voice because she’s no better than the Phantom girls who can’t listen to an easy letdown. Ones who make up fake relationships in their head because they feel as if they’re right and we owe them something.

“Eagle, you can’t tell me you seriously don’t want this. Look at me. I’m the sexiest dancer you have and there is no way you’re not wishing you had a taste of me,” she purrs, batting her eyelashes because she thinks it’s sexy and she truly only looks as if she has something in her eye.

“Fawn, one more fuckin’ second in your presence and you’re out. Get the fuck outta my office. I will never fuck you and I’m not sayin’ it again. I don’t mix business with pleasure and you have nothin’ I want. You spread your legs for every man who looks in your direction and I’ve had more than enough of that. I’m with someone and you will never have what she does. You’re nothin’ compared to her and that’s bein’ nice about it. Get. Out!” I yell as Fawn stares at me with wide, uncomprehending eyes for several seconds before letting her fake as fuck tears fall down her face to make me feel bad. I don’t.

Finally, she leaves my office and I know she’s going to try to get the rest of the girls to pity her as she cries her fake tears as she tells them how I turned her down. She’ll make me the villain of her story and I’m more than okay with that. Fawn means nothing to me and she never will. She’s my employee and the club already knows I’m ready to fire her ass so she can’t get close to me and try to spread her bullshit among the rest of the employees here. She’s done it before and she’ll do it again because that’s just who she is—an entitled bitch who feels as if she is always right and will never be in the wrong.

I put my focus back on the papers in front of me and am happy to see that the pile is almost gone. Paperwork fucking sucks and I absolutely hate it. I would hire someone to do this job for me if I could, but there’s too much information about the club and the finances of this place for me to trust it with anyone. So, I’ll continue to suffer through this mundane task for now.

I ’ve been killing time until Rebel gets here. Cash is bringing her over and hanging out until we leave for the night. Rebel won’t be closing the club until this situation with Chad is taken care of. If he expects her to be here until closing to make a move and she leaves before the club closes, then he has less chance of getting close to her. She’ll work odd hours at Fallen Ink as well. Nothing will ever be the same on a weekly basis for her so no one can pin down any kind of routine for her. We all know the fucker is willing to drag other people into his plans to get her back and we’ve decided to do everything in our power to ensure he won’t have a chance to get close to her through a routine she keeps when she’s not at the compound.

Looking at the security footage, I spot Cash bringing our girl in the club as she takes in every detail. She’s done her hair since I left the clubhouse and changed the color in her long blonde strands. There are chunks of a deep violet that make her eyes stand out even more than normal. Tonight she’s wearing a tight pair of cut off jean shorts that leave a long expanse of her tan, tone legs on full display. Her chest is covered by a tight black tank top with Entice across her chest in white lettering with the club’s logo on the back of her shirt. It’s not what our bartenders typically wear, but Rebel has permission to wear this because she’s our girl.

Getting out of my chair, I leave without hesitation and make my way to the floor where Cash and Rebel are waiting. I only stop long enough to ensure my office is locked once more before heading out. Tyra is currently on stage while the other dancers are out on the floor in order to get customers to the private rooms while giving lap dances to those who don’t want to visit those rooms for their own personal reasons. I watch as Fawn notices me and tracks my movements through the main floor of the club. She’s about to get one hell of a show because I’m not about hiding my need for Rebel despite Cash’s arm already holding her close to his body.

Walking straight up to my girl, I pull Rebel into my arms and press my lips against hers, waiting for her to decide how deep this kiss goes. She opens her mouth, sliding her tongue along the seam of my lips as I open my mouth and slide my tongue inside her mouth to explore and taste her as deep as possible. With one hand gripping her throat, I place the other on her hip and pull her body closer to me so there’s hardly any space left between the two of us as I feel Cash step up behind her.

When we finally pull apart, Rebel and I are both panting as we try to breathe air into our lungs that we deprive ourselves of. I don’t release my hold on her hip as I look down and see Cash has a hand on her other hip as we both hold her close.

“Missed you, Sweet Girl,” I whisper, feeling Fawn’s eyes on me as Cash steps away and takes a seat on one of the bar stools.

Leading my girl behind the bar, I introduce her to Connor. He’s a Prospect for the club, but I’m not sure how much time they’ve actually spent with one another. So, I make sure they know one another here so she has someone to turn to if I’m dealing with something else and no one else can help her. Connor can remain behind the bar with her instead of on one of the doors as he normally works. Titan is always at the front door or on the hallway guarding over the dancers. Panther fills in where he’s needed and Connor is usually on one of the doors or bringing out stock to fill the bar since most nights are so busy.

“Missed you too, Eagle. So, I’m just working the bar here?” she asks me as Fawn makes her way over to the bar and slams her hand in front of Rebel.

“Get me a vodka neat,” Fawn demands, anger flashing in her eyes as she rakes her eyes over Rebel from the top of her head until she can’t see any more of her body.

“You’ll talk to her different than that or you won’t get a fuckin’ thing,” I demand, my hand still on Rebel’s hip as I step even closer to her while Cash stands from his stool and Panther and Connor step up closer.

“What the fuck is this shit? You all tapping this skank and need to step up to protect her?” Fawn asks, laughter filling her voice as she looks at everyone.

“Unlike you, I don’t have to fuck everyone with a cock around me to get what I want. I’m with two men and only two men. Men I haven’t even fucked yet because we’ve just gotten together. I can count the number of men I’ve even seen naked on one hand and still have fingers left over. Even more fingers left over for the number of men I’ve let fuck me. Can you say the same thing?” Rebel questions Fawn with an innocent smile on her face as she reaches out and rests her hand on Cash’s arm while keeping a hand placed on my chest between the sides of my cut. “Now, if you want a drink from this bar, you’ll ask for it nicely or you won’t get served. No one will serve you including Connor. You are nothing more than an employee in this club and based on your outfit, I’d say a dancer. You’re a dime a dozen and can be replaced quicker than fuck if Eagle chooses to get rid of you.”

“Eagle, baby, are you seriously gonna let the new bitch talk to me like this?” Fawn questions, reaching out as if she’s gonna brush Rebel’s hand from my chest and stake her own claim over me.

“Eagle’s not the one talking to you. I am. So, I suggest you deal with me like a fucking woman unless you’re nothing more than the dumb skank I truly believe you to be. So, like I said, either respect me since I’ve done nothing to you and ask for a drink like a normal fucking human or get the fuck away from the bar,” Rebel states, keeping her head held high as I listen to Titan laugh his ass off while never once leaving his spot at the front door.

“You don’t have a fucking thing in this club. You’re fucking new here and don’t know a damn thing of how things truly work here. I suggest you learn your place really fucking quick,” Fawn says, her voice with a hard edge to it and I know this isn’t gonna end well for her.

“I know where my place within this club is. I’m the new bartender but I’ve been in this club a fuck of a lot longer than what you’ve been here. I’ve been the bartender for the clubhouse for years while you’re an almost used up dancer with no future because you waste your years being a fucking bitch. So, I suggest you figure out where you truly belong in the pecking order while I get on with my job. For the rest of the night, you will not get served a drink unless it’s a bottle of water. That includes sending up other girls to get you something. I’ve seen it all and you won’t pull one over on me,” Rebel states, turning her back to me and leaning on the bar as she gets in Fawn’s face which has lost all color as she looks between Rebel, Cash, and me.

“So, it’s true? This is your one?” Fawn finally asks, realizing what’s going on as all of her anger dissipates.

“She is. Cash and I will be makin’ Rebel our ol’ lady and what she says goes behind this bar when she’s here. So, for tonight, you will not be drinkin’. You can have water and we’ll be keepin’ a close eye on things movin’ forward. If this is gonna be a fuckin’ thing where you cause problems for Rebel, then you can leave right the fuck now. Not puttin’ up with your bullshit, Fawn. You’re a good dancer and bring in a steady client base. However, like Rebel said, you’re a dime a dozen and we can get the next dancer in here quicker than shit,” I state, my tone leaving no room for argument as I look at the stripper where she stands near the bar.

“I’m not gonna cause problems. This is obviously who you want and I’m not about to keep playing this game. I need a job and can’t afford to fuck this up for her. I’ll stay out of her way,” Fawn says, her voice timid making me realize I need to truly figure out what she’s hiding and why she’s suddenly desperate for this job.

Fawn walks away as I walk Rebel through where everything is behind the bar. This one is set up differently than the one at the clubhouse. Rebel has made changes there to make it work for her and I have a feeling she’ll eventually do the same thing here because she’ll be the one working and have to deal with everything a few times a week. Everyone else can adapt to what she wants and not talk shit about it. Our ol’ lady will have what she wants in here and at the tattoo shop. The tattoo shop will be slightly trickier, but she’ll be working the front desk so she can rearrange certain things on it. Cash won’t give a fuck what she does there as long as she’s with him. Taking a seat next to my friend, we watch Rebel work and handle each customer like the professional she is and still manages to charm each man in front of her while making friends with Sloan and Kenna. Exactly what I was hoping for.