Chapter 6
Shivana
The party was finally underway at the clubhouse. I was ready for some wild fun. Mama Hen had hooked me up with a few pairs of jeans, tank tops, and some very tight t-shirts. My feet were a tad bigger than hers and her daughter’s, so I was stuck with my heels or the one pair of tennis shoes I had packed. Since it was a party, I opted for my heels. Heels looked great with jeans, anyway.
It wasn’t something I’d normally wear, but it seemed to fit the overall theme of the clubhouse. I was happy with my choice of tight-ass jeans and red tank top for the party. Maybe it would get Jackal to fold. My cleavage was on point. Being curvy meant I was rocking a great rack, and I wasn’t above using it.
The night started out with food and drinks, almost like a barbeque. But then Hawk made the announcement that Jackal was now an officer, and the party seemed to ramp up. Everything got louder and busier.
Jackal was completely tied up and surrounded by men. That was all part of this culture. Plus, it was a huge deal that he was an officer, according to Lacy and Daisy. It made sense. The whole place was one big subculture with their own rules and hierarchy, and officers were at the top of it all.
What better way to celebrate than with me? The only problem was, I couldn’t find a moment where he wasn’t completely engulfed in conversation and handshakes.
Falcon and Eagle were also off doing man-business, so Daisy and Lacy kept me company and kept the drinks flowing. We were hanging out in the bar area, and I had already had about three shots and who knows how many beers when I finally saw him sitting; I was feeling bold.
“I’m gonna grab him a shot,” I told the girls as I stood up. I was a little wobbly, but it was nothing I couldn’t manage.
Lacy tried to get me to sit back down. “He’s still doing club business, Shiv. Just hang out here. We’ll catch him.”
Daisy shrugged. “A drink won’t hurt. But if he says he’s busy, don’t get butthurt. That just means they’re talking about club stuff.”
Nodding sharply, I said, “Got it. Wish me luck.”
I walked to the bar and asked the bunny for two shots of Fireball. But when I turned around, a different bunny was leaning down with her breasts in Jackal’s face saying something. He smiled at her and touched her hand. I knocked one of the shots down, sat the glass on the bar, then turned back.
The bunny had walked off but he was still smiling. He looked in my direction, so I took the other shot and turned to slam it on the bar.
It burned going down but I was so mad I didn’t care. It probably wasn’t a good idea to take two back-to-back since I had already been drinking a while, but it was too late now.
Blinking a few times and bracing myself on the bar because my sight was crossing, I decided I should try to make my way back to Mama Hen’s. When I turned around, there was a large figure in my way.
“I haven’t seen you around here before,” the man said as he looked me over.
He was a giant with a short beard and cropped brown hair. I didn’t recognize him or his cut. He must be with one of the other clubs that was invited.
“I’m sort of new here,” I said, trying to act like I wasn’t completely drunk. But when I tried to flip my hair, I think I looked more like I was swatting the air.
“You got a man?” he asked as he stepped even closer.
I was about to answer no, which was true, when a familiar deep voice said, “Can you excuse us?”
The man looked over his shoulder then stepped away from me. “My bad, Jackal.”
“No worries, Bama,” he said as the man walked away.
Leaning against the bar to steady myself, I drew in a breath. “Why did you send that nice man away?” The taste of cinnamon was still strong in my mouth, and I wondered if I just blew it all over Jackal’s face as I expelled a frustrated breath.
“ Nice ?” he asked as he looked over his shoulder then back at me. “Not sure I’d describe Bama that way. Are you alright?”
“I was perfectly fine until you rudely interrupted our conversation,” I said, tilting my head and smirking.
Jackal crossed his arms. His long dark hair was pulled back and I could see his jaw ticking. Why did he have to be so hot ?
“So, you wanted to talk to him?” he asked, a brow cocked.
“Well, nobody else was talking to me,” I said, wrapping my arms across my stomach, pushing my breasts up.
His eyes dipped down, and I giggled. Shit . I was trying to be sexy and confident, not immature and comical.
“I think you’ve had enough. Why don’t you let me walk you back to Cindy’s?” he asked as he put his hand out.
“Um,” I paused for a hiccup, “you’re not the boss of me.” I turned around and waved for the girl behind the bar. “Can I get another shot of Fireball?”
Immediately he said, “No, she’s good.”
I turned back around and stepped closer, wobbling on my heels. Looking down, I cursed them. “Damn shoes.” I put my finger up, nearly in his face. “I’m an adult and I will say when I’m done.” The more I spoke, the more slurred it became. But he wasn’t in charge of my alcohol consumption. “How dare you?” Hiccup .
A few bunnies got quiet nearby and were obviously eavesdropping. Or maybe it was only one? Hard to tell if I didn’t close one eye.
He looked around and grabbed my wrist. “Come on.”
I smacked at his hand. “No. And seriously, where is my Fireball?” I said over my shoulder.
Lacy walked over and grabbed my hand. “Hey, you okay?”
I pulled my hand away. “I’m fine. But who do I have to fuck to get a shot of Fireball?”
A couple of guys walked to the bar and I laughed but Jackal swung his fiery gaze in their direction, and they stepped back. “Lacy, I’m taking her home,” he said in a low timbre. Did he just growl?
The noise distracted me for a moment, but then I looked over, expecting support from my friend and all she did was nod and walk back to the table. “Lacy, really?”
Suddenly, I was lifted, ass in the air, over his shoulder. “Hey!” I yelled as I started beating on his back.
But he was unbothered by my kicking, hitting, and cursing. The other guys made some comments as he marched me from the clubhouse and outside.
I kept squirming, my limbs flailing wildly but hardly connecting with anything as he kept walking towards the house. One of my heels fell off in transit so I said, “Hey! My shoe! You dropped my shoe!”
“I’ll get it later. Calm down.”
I fully had a snarky rebuttal about him telling me to calm down. But my eyes were unfocused and being slung over his shoulder as he walked had me bouncing around. It was dark and watching the ground shake was making me queasy. Slurring, I said, “You should know, I’m about to be sick.”
Jackal stopped and gently put me down. I toppled over because I only had one shoe, but he quickly grabbed me, righting me. I looked up and closed one eye to focus. “You’re really beautiful, you know. But you make me crazy.”
“I could say the same.” His expression seemed playful, but I could have been imagining that. Everything was blurring together. His strong hands were holding my arms, keeping me steady.
My breath hitched at his words and the look, but the moment was overshadowed by my mouth watering. “Oh my God,” I said before I turned so he couldn’t watch all the Fireball make a grand exit. My eyes watered as I heaved. “Oh shit, that burns,” I said before round two hit. “It’s like rotten Red Hots.”
He grabbed my hair, pulling it away from my face with one hand and rubbing my back with the other as I braced my hands on my knees. I was too busy getting sick to notice anyone else, but Jackal barked, “Get the fuck out of here,” and I heard a few squeals and quick footsteps heading away from us.
My hands shook, but I wiped my mouth with the back of one. “This is so bad,” I said after I was pretty sure I was done getting sick. My head started spinning and I stumbled when I tried to stand.
Jackal lifted me up in his arms, so I put my hand over my face. “I’ll try not to breathe on you.” My head rested against his shoulder, and I did my best to shield the rank Fireball-vomit breath from his nose.
His chest shook with laughter. This was awful. But being carried around wasn’t. His chest was firm, and he held me like I was light as a feather. Like a little bird. I couldn’t smell his normal fragrance of sandalwood with hints of citrus, only foul cinnamon. None of this was how I envisioned being in his arms.
The rest of the walk to Mama Hen’s was quiet and I focused on not getting sick again. Once inside, he walked me upstairs, still not even winded, and I pointed to the room I was staying in.
Mama Hen had insisted on me not sleeping with the bunnies. I didn’t argue with her since sleeping in a twin bed with another woman didn’t sound like fun. I wasn’t a prude, but I slept like a starfish and could barely fit on a twin by myself. It was just her and her daughter in the house on the property and Hawk stayed in another alone.
Jackal placed me on the bed, then pulled my other shoe off. “I’ll grab the other one later,” he said as he put it on the floor.
I was burning up and my head was spinning still. There was no way I could sleep with jeans on, so I started unbuttoning them and pushing them down.
Jackal turned. “Whoa, whoa, whoa.”
“Oh c’mon. I know you’ve seen women in underwear. I can’t sleep in this,” I said as I struggled to get the tight jeans off. “ Help meeee .”
He turned and grabbed the end of the legs, tugging at them as I pushed. I’d seen my cousins dressing and undressing their toddlers, and this was similar.
Once the jeans were off, I sighed heavily and said, “Freedom.”
“Well, I’m off. I’ll get your shoe back to you.” He grabbed the tiny trash bin from the corner of the room and moved it to the side of the bed.
Rolling on my side to help the spins, I mumbled, “This isn’t exactly what I had in mind when I said I wanted you to take me to bed.”
“Good night, Lil Bird.”
The door clicked as he left. Moaning as I struggled to get comfortable, I hoped I was too drunk to remember all of this tomorrow.