Astrid Chapter 10
Mayhem and I left at eight o’clock this morning. We wanted to get an early start so we could arrive in Virginia Beach by early afternoon. Once there, I’d show him the storage unit. We’d wait to pack it up tomorrow morning, which won’t take long, then drive back.
After church the other night, I’d been tense.
It wasn’t because Mayhem had shared with his club brothers what happened to me.
I wouldn’t have known they knew based on their behavior after church.
It was the same as always. He told me that Reaper wanted me to consider talking to Haven and the other old ladies.
When he explained that numerous women who were old ladies to friends in the various clubs they associated with had experienced some of what I had, I was upset that they’d suffered, but thankful to know that so many had found happiness. I couldn’t wait to meet them.
No, the tension was because after we arrived in Virginia Beach this evening, we had plans to meet Cass for dinner.
When I shared the details of the call with Mayhem, including Cass’s desire to have dinner soon, he insisted I reach out to him and let Cass know we’d meet him for dinner.
I knew part of the reason was so Mayhem could check Cass out.
The other was to hopefully settle down Cass.
Since our call, he’d messaged me a few times, asking for more information about Mayhem, including his real name and other identifying information.
I thought Mayhem would be pissed when I told him, but he wasn’t.
He responded that the insistence made him think better of Cass.
It was precisely what Mayhem would do. I was still nervous about allowing them to meet.
I figured Cass wouldn’t be thrilled that my man was a biker.
All those stereotypes would undoubtedly surface.
And I didn’t want to cause issues between the two men, even if it was probable they’d never meet again.
When Mayhem asked me if Cass had feelings for me, other than as a friend, I tried to evade the question, but he pushed for an answer.
I gave him an honest one, while I assured him there was zero feeling other than friendship on my end.
“Astrid, stop fidgeting. What’s got you so wound up? You’ve been like this since yesterday,” Mayhem remarked.
We were in Virginia Beach and headed to the hotel where we’d made a reservation to stay.
It was located near the unit and close to an area filled with restaurants.
The one we were to meet Cass at was only five miles away.
It was conveniently located near the base and the area where Cass lived.
I knew where he lived. Even if I hadn’t been there, we’d talked about it.
“I’m sorry, I just want this trip to go well.”
“And for me and your buddy Cass not to beat on each other,” he added dryly.
“Yes, and that. Men can be such Neanderthals. There’s no reason for it. I told you, no matter what Cass’s feelings are for me, I see him as a friend, period. It’s not going to change.”
He reached over and took my hand. I opened it so we could clasp hands. He tugged me closer so he was able to raise mine and kiss the back of it. My heart melted when he did that. After he let go, I brought his hand to my mouth so I could do the same to his. Mayhem’s smile lit up my mood.
“Babe, I promise to be on my best behavior. As long as he acts appropriately, there’s nothing to worry about. I know I can’t prevent men from falling for you. You’re irresistible. As long as you don’t fall back, we’re good.”
“Jamie, how could you ever think of me falling in love with anyone else? You’re my love, my old man.” I winked. I liked to call him that.
He grinned. The rest of the drive to the hotel passed in a more relaxed mood. As we pulled into the parking lot, Mayhem told me something that made me forget all about Cass.
“We made great time. That means we have time to relax. I know what’ll do the trick. It involves both of us naked and worshipping each other. What do you say?”
His sexy smile immediately made my body warm up. “I say, what’re you waiting for? Let’s get our asses in our room.”
He was growling all sexy-like as he jumped out of the truck and rushed around to my side. I laughed at his expression. I was in for a workout, and I couldn’t wait.
???
We walked into the restaurant Cass had suggested for dinner a few minutes before eight o’clock.
We’d decided on that time to allow him plenty of time to tie up his workday.
It was a steak and seafood restaurant, but one that didn’t get picky about what you wore as long as you had on shoes and a shirt.
As expected, Mayhem was dressed in his usual clothing of jeans, boots, his cut, and a shirt.
His one concession to the place was that instead of wearing a T-shirt, he had on a dark maroon short-sleeved button-down shirt.
I’d brought a dress. It wasn’t formal, yet it was nice.
When Mayhem saw it, he whistled and suggested we stay in.
The only time he’d seen me in a dress before was at Haven and Tinker’s wedding and at the dinner he crashed.
That one had been dressier and shorter. This one was empire-waisted with a band beneath my breasts, and the fabric flowed from there to almost the floor.
It was black on top, and the bottom part was covered in small clusters of delicate pink, purple, and blue flowers.
I paired it with a pair of black wedges.
A few people were waiting to be seated, and the place was packed.
At the hostess stand, Mayhem gave the attendant the name of our party.
A quick check revealed that Cass was here and seated.
We were ushered to the table. As we made our way through the dining area, more than a few heads turned to check out my man.
The hunger was evident on the women’s faces, even if they were with other men. I kept my hand firmly on his arm.
“Don’t worry, if any of those men make a move, I’ll beat their asses,” he growled softly in my ear.
I playfully smacked his arm. “The ones who need a beating are the women staring at you. You’re why there’s so much staring.”
“How about we agree to protect each other? You have my back and I’ll have yours,” he suggested.
“Deal,” I said just as we came to a stop.
I’d forgotten what we were doing. Turning my head, I saw Cass come to his feet.
His gaze was on me first. His smile was wide.
Then he shifted it to Mayhem. I saw him take in my man’s figure and linger on the front of his cut.
It was clear from the patches he wore that Mayhem was affiliated with a motorcycle club. It took Cass a moment to move.
Before I could attempt to sit or make introductions, Cass came around the table with his arms open. Shit, he was trying to elicit a response from Mayhem. My man stood there calmly. I did embrace Cass back, but I made it a quick one before I pulled away.
“Cass, it’s good to see you.”
“You look beautiful, Astrid. As always. It’s wonderful to see you.”
He paused and glanced at Mayhem. I retook the lead. “Let me introduce you two. Cass, this is Mayhem. He’s my boyfriend. Mayhem, this is Cass Snyder. My former commanding officer, whom I told you about.”
They did shake hands. I couldn’t tell if they were squeezing the hell out of each other’s hands or not.
They parted quickly after murmuring hello.
Both men reached for the chair closest to me, but Mayhem beat Cass to pull it out.
As I sat down, Mayhem held my hand. Cass had slowly gone back to his seat.
Mayhem leaned over and dropped a kiss on my mouth before taking his seat—an explicit declaration of his ownership.
“Thank you for inviting us to dinner. I wanted to see you and let you and Mayhem meet. This place is a great choice. I remember they have great food here,” I said to fill the silence. The host hadn’t stuck around after he got us to the table.
“I’m glad I convinced you to do it. And you’re right, they do have great food. We had an excellent dinner the last time we were here,” Cass stated.
Lord, it was going to be a long night. I spread my napkin over my lap. Glasses of ice water were poured and were waiting for us. I took a drink of mine to have something to do.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been to Virginia Beach. It’s grown. Astrid says this is a convenient place for you, given the location of the base and your home. Have you always lived here?” Mayhem asked nicely.
“I’ve been all up and down the East Coast, but Virginia is home. I’ve been here in VB for the past five years. That’s when I took over command of Astrid’s air squadron. Since you know what I do, tell me about yourself, Mayhem. What do you do? Are you from Virginia?”
Before my man could answer, a waitress came to take our drink orders and handed out menus. She left after getting our order.
“I’ve been around as well. I was stationed in the eastern part of the US during my time in the Army.
I grew up in Pennsylvania in the Harrisburg area.
When I left the Army, I ended up joining a motorcycle club in Bristol, Virginia.
It’s called the Iron Punishers. The president is a former Navy man like you and Astrid.
He was a SEAL. I have a few other brothers who served, too.
I work for the club. I oversee one of their businesses and act as the enforcer. ”
I wasn’t ashamed of what he did. It meant nothing to me, but I saw the frown grow on Cass’s face. It was due to the enforcer statement. There was a prolonged silence before Cass said anything.
“You oversee a business, you say. Mind if I ask what kind? I can’t picture the kind of work a motorcycle club does.”
“The Punishers have several successful businesses that the brothers work in and even some of their old ladies help with,” I interjected.
“Brothers? Old ladies?” Cass repeated.