Chapter 3
Chapter Three
Eli (Handlebar)
Mace sits at a table near the door to the clubhouse. He’s with Talon, his VP and a few other guys from their club. Two of them are members here but King put a few of our guys over at their clubhouse. He said it’s to help integrate them. I’m sure Mace doesn’t believe that.
The keys to his bike are in my pocket. He hasn’t asked about it and we haven’t even spoken, but the bike is fixed. I hide a grin as I turn away, not quite ready to hand them over.
The party is still going strong. The bride and groom disappeared at one point, then returned looking disheveled enough to cause riotous applause from the brothers.
King toasted them both, uncharacteristically laughing and cheering at them ‘consummating’ their marriage. She’s dancing with a few of the other women now. My eyes seek out Cassie who is with them, her face dewy with perspiration.
It is getting cooler now the sun has set, but it’s still damn hot. Her dress flares out at the bottom as she dances. It is sexy as hell, with a cut out down the center of her chest, showing serious cleavage.
Fuck she is something else, beautiful, confident and not afraid to let loose with her friends.
I drag my eyes from her and straighten up when War comes to stand beside me, grabbing a beer from the cooler on the ground. He nods at me, and I return it.
“He’s in for a hell of a life tying himself to her,” War says with a chuckle.
“Ah, she ain’t so bad,” I grin.
“Thank Christ they live off compound though,” War mutters. “I’m gonna be heading out in a couple of days, you alright to check the bike?”
“Sure,” I nod. “Is there a problem?”
“No, nothing like that. I just want it to be in its best condition.”
War won’t tell me where he is going or what business he has away from the club. I’d given his bike a once over a few months ago, fixed a few issues. It should still be running like a dream, but I get it. If he is going long distance.
“Bring it by in the morning. I’ve finished a job and am still waiting on parts for something else so I can fit it in.”
“Thanks, appreciate that.”
We make small talk until one of the new club girls comes over.
They aren’t shy and this chick makes it clear she’ll be happy with either or both of us if we want.
I’ve seen War with a couple of the club girls recently, but he isn’t interested.
He slaps my shoulder as if to say she’s all mine then walks away.
Molly is young, probably around twenty-two or three, way too young for me.
If I do hook up with anyone, it is always women more around my age.
Feels weird going with someone I consider a kid.
She is nice enough, good looking with short blonde hair and big blue eyes.
I haven’t fucked anyone for a few months and don’t intend to start now.
I happen to glance up and see Cassie looking over. She isn’t dancing anymore, she’s at a table with Waverley and a couple of the other girlfriends.
Her eyes scan over Molly as she leans into me, one hand resting on my abs. Whether Cassie wants to admit it or not, the look in her eye says she isn’t happy about it.
“Want to dance?” Molly asks, drawing my eyes away from Cassie.
“I don’t dance, sugar.”
“Well, there is something else we could do.” She bats false lashes at me.
“And what might that be?” I arch a brow.
“Oh, you know… Anything,” she whispers into my ear.
“That right?”
She runs a fingernail up my shirt until she hits bare skin. It’s doing nothing for me, but seeing steam practically come out of Cassie’s ears makes my smile wider. I take Molly’s hand.
“How about we go get a drink inside,” I say.
Molly nods eagerly and we walk to the door into the clubhouse, out of Cassie’s line of sight. I catch Mace’s eye as I pass.
“I’ll meet you in there,” I tell Molly letting her hand go. She giggles and heads inside.
Taking the keys to Mace’s Harley out of my pocket, I toss them at him. He catches them without fumbling, giving them a cursory look before raising his head back up to me.
“It’s out front of the garage. Shouldn’t give you any more problems.”
“Took you long enough.”
“What can I say, I’m a busy guy.”
That is bullshit but I hide my smile as well as he hides his irritation.
Mace glances at the clubhouse, where Molly has gone, then looks at me, leaning back in his chair. Will he make a move on Cassie now I’ve got her all riled up?
Fuck I hate this feeling of seeing him as competition for a woman who has made it clear she doesn’t want me.
No one at the table speaks, sensing the weird energy between the two of us. Screw this.
I saunter in the other direction from the clubhouse and the party without another word. I’ve made a point to Cassie. Let her think what she wants. It is petty and childish but fuck, I am feeling some kind of way at seeing her tonight.
My dick twitches at the memory of her as I stride to the garage. I remember how fucking soft her skin is, how it feels having those magnificent tits pressed against me, in my hands and my mouth.
Fuck, I push my dick down as I try to banish the image from my head. Maybe I do need to get laid, the problem is, there is only one woman I want.
I don’t feel like going home to an empty house, but I don’t want to be around all these people either. The sounds of the party are loud, so I don’t feel quite so alone away from it all, which settles me.
Sometimes I wonder if I should move into the clubhouse.
There are a few empty rooms and I’d be more than welcome.
Close to the garage if I ever need work to take my mind off shit.
I’ve been a loner for a long time, but the older I get, the more I crave being around people.
And the harder it gets to bear the total silence.
My phone beeps, alerting me to a news story. I’d set it up a while ago and I’m not sure why. It always leaves me feeling like shit, but I can’t help it.
There is an article about my father. He’s been caught with another woman, causing another huge scandal. This one is married and is younger than me.
He is still with his wife. I refuse to think of her as my mother anymore. Adriana lived through scandal after scandal with him, never leaving his side, despite how many times he made her look a fool. She doesn’t care, that is what people don’t realize.
Adriana is a sociopathic, money grabbing bitch, who doesn’t care about anything but what she can get for herself. She barely tolerated me when I was a kid. When she got pregnant with Talya, dad forced her to keep the baby. Fuck knows why, he was barely around for me either.
I hated wishing my sister was never born. I loved her so much. Talya suffered a lot in her short life, no matter how hard I tried to love and protect her.
I’d taken care of her, hadn’t been bothered by the way she followed me, even though there were ten years between us. Talya wasn’t getting the love and care she deserved from our fucking parents, so I gave it to her. I gave all of myself to her because she should be loved.
A miniature version of our mom with her strawberry blond curls and megawatt smile, Talya was always happy. Whenever we went out in public, people flocked to her because she was so outgoing, inquisitive and cute.
I started noticing the way Adriana looked at her when she was around three.
Sometimes, when they were alone, I’d hear Talya’s chatter and Adriana’s irate voice, then Talya would start to cry.
I found bruises on her more than once. Adriana claimed she’d had an accident.
Falling and bumping her head, or playing too close to our pool and falling in.
My vivacious, adorable little sister was disappearing. She cried a lot, began cowering away from Adriana. I did everything in my power to keep her happy and safe. Talya only giggled and became herself when it was the two of us.
Just after her fourth birthday I began sleeping in Talya’s room. Adriana hadn’t liked it and there had been fights but I was scared about leaving her alone with Talya. I tried to talk to dad, but he was only interested in his latest role or modeling campaign.
No one wanted to listen to me, no one else seemed to notice. Or believe Adriana was capable of hurting her child. In public, she was the doting mother, no one would have believed the way she was behind closed doors.
It was hard for me to discern what she was doing. She always did it when they were alone.
I shut down the news story and put my phone in my pocket, running a hand down my face.
Remembering that night, I get angry all over again.
I got detention after school for something stupid. I had to stay after for an hour and the whole time I’d been worried about Talya. I’d ridden my bike home so fast, I almost fell twice and nearly got hit by a car crossing a junction.
Our house was huge, a big old mansion behind a closed gate. Dad’s car was gone but Adriana’s wasn’t. I threw my bike on the ground and ran into the house, calling for my sister.
Adriana came out into the hall holding a glass of wine. She’d stared at me in complete silence, rage rippling under her skin. I hated her so much, and the feeling was mutual. She looked up the stairs as I’d stood there, frozen.
Then the sweet sound of my sister’s voice broke me out of it.
I ran up the stairs, found my sister in her room surrounded by her stuffed bears.
She flinched when I came in, but a smile broke her face at seeing it was me.
I locked the door and hurried over, sitting down and joining the tea party without a fucking care I was a fourteen-year-old boy playing teacups with my baby sister and her dolls.
I was so stressed out from spending all my waking hours watching out for my sister, I’d fallen asleep on the floor. Talya was cuddled up beside me, singing to one of her bears. I’d drifted off to the sweet sound of her voice.