Chapter 7
SEVEN
Oro
I walk back into the clubhouse with a million and one ideas rushing through my head.
I’m going to make this as fucked up for her as I can without putting her ass in the hospital. It’s going to be a thin line for me to tread.
Vado, hell, all of the brothers in here, know not to take the club bunnies too seriously, but straight-up abuse isn’t something they’re going to allow, no matter what my history is with her.
“Cono, what the hell were you two doing? I don’t have time for this shit.” Vado walks in my direction from the small bar on the opposite end of the main room.
There were a few alterations made to the floor plan after we had to renovate because of the fire. One thing we all made sure came back was the portable bar and stool set. We have too many parties and get-togethers in here not to be able to have a bar set up.
“It’s all good now.” I nod my head and walk by him back to my seat.
He stares at me for a second, probably trying to read the underlying meaning of my words.
I don’t want him guessing shit, so I continue.
“I just had to make sure our little Starlight here understood what she was getting herself into.”
My eyes snap over to Estrella. She’s got her arms crossed over her chest and her jaw is clenched tight.
Starlight.
She hates when people call her that.
“Pues? Does she?” Digger sits forward in his seat.
“She says she does, but I think we should give her the full treatment. This one is going to need to be run hard.” I smirk in Digger’s direction, and his eyes light up.
I’m basically giving him permission to act a complete fool. He was right before. If the new hires can’t handle us at our worst, then they don’t belong here.
“Come, front and center.” I shout over my shoulder, not even bothering to look back at her.
Estrella slowly makes her way, but it’s not fast enough for me.
“Are you intentionally trying to get rejected?” I snap my eyes in her direction. Her brows furrow in confusion. “When any of us call, you move your ass. Come now.” I bark at her.
Estrella jumps, startled, but that lights a fire under her ass, and she nearly jogs to stand where I want her.
For a second, she looks uncomfortable, but when her gaze drifts from me to the others sitting around, I see her I’m so perfect mask fall into place.
It’s nearly scary that she can change that fast. No wonder my mother and her father never bothered to question her accusations of me. She’s a fucking pro.
I look down at the notes and papers I have in front of me—questions I had planned to ask all the women who came to interview. I toss them aside. I’ve got something else planned for Estrella.
Leaning back, I let my eyes roam over her body once again. She truly grew up into a fucking beauty. I knew she would. Even as a young girl, she was pretty. There was no awkward puberty phase.
Now she’s standing in front of me with her grass-green eyes, dark brown hair, and pouty lips. A beauty mark right above her top lip somehow brings more attention to her mouth.
She’s got maybe a handful of tits and her waist is narrow, but the main attraction on her body is that ass. Her hips and ass are full, curving out like one of those fancy wine decanters.
I lick my lips, thinking about the way her ass would look in my hands.
She might be my stepsister by marriage, pero esa no familia. There’s no blood linking us together.
“Are we going to start this or what?” AZ says with a sigh from where he’s sitting. We’ve all been going at this for a long time.
Where they’re all starting to wind down, having Estrella here at my whims gives me a burst of energy. Sinful energy.
“Go get me a beer.” I order her.
Her smile slips as she focuses her attention on me. “I don’t know where they are or what that has to do with the interview.” She talks back.
“It’s part of the interview because I say it’s part of the fucking interview.
It’s not all parties and clients in here.
When you’re not servicing the clients, you’ll be serving us.
Now serve me, Starlight.” I say again, and I swear I can almost see the steam shooting out of her ears like one of the cartoon characters.
Her eyes dart in the direction of the door. When I turn to see who she’s looking at, I realize Coca has come in to watch what’s going on. I’m not sure if Lobo texted her or something, but this interview is the first one she’s sat in on.
Coca points to the small fridge that is settled near the lounge chair we had set up for the interview candidates.
When she looks back at me, I can see the disappointment starting to brew there.
She probably doesn’t understand why I’m being such an asshole to Estrella.
No one in here does, but I’m just grateful no one is questioning it. They’re letting me run the show.
Lobo handed Seda off to me, and right now, I’m glad for it.
Estrella pulls her shoulders back and lifts her chin slightly as she turns and grabs the beer out of the small fridge. She comes to me, arm outstretched, waiting for me to take the beer from her.
“It’s wet. Dry it off and open it for me.”
She doesn’t miss a beat. Servitude looks good on her.
She uses her shirt to dry the outside of the bottle and then twists off the cap before handing it to me again.
This time I take it, and after a very small swig, put it down on the floor next to my already full other bottle of beer.
When she sees that I didn’t need another, her fingers flex into a fist before she quickly releases it.
“Like I said, we run shit here. I don’t care what you’re not used to or what you don’t want to do. Either you find a way to make things easy for us, or you can find yourself out on the street looking for a different job.”
She simply nods before taking a few steps away from me.
I jump right into the hard questions. “What does loyalty mean to you?”
She blinks once before she answers. “It means looking out for those that look out for you. Protecting family. Trusting even when I don’t understand the reasons or motives. It means having each other’s back.”
Protecting family?
I can’t believe she just said that shit.
My blood is nearly boiling with rage.
Where the fuck was all this loyalty when she was supposed to be my sister? When the hell did she ever have my back?
I want to call her out on her lies, but then I’d have to explain to Vado and the rest of the guys what the real problem was with her.
They don’t need to know about that shit.
If I could, I would forget about it myself.
I would dig a six-foot-deep grave and throw every moment of my past into it if I could.
It’s going to be real damn hard to do that now that I’m about to have a constant reminder of it working across the street.
“Fine.” I grumble before moving on to the next question. “Do you have any personal ties to law enforcement, politicians, or any gang members?”
“No.”
“Do you scare easily?” I lean forward in my chair. I want her to break. So far, it’s not as simple as I thought it would be.
“No, I don’t.” She answers with all the confidence in the world, as if it’s not really a lie.
“Segura? You realize this isn’t some nine-to-five business department, right? Scary, intense shit happens here. Things can get bloody. You going to be good with that?”
She swallows hard. “Are you saying I’m going to have to get bloody?”
“No, that’s not what he’s saying.” Lobo speaks, pulling me from my focus.
“What he’s saying is that sometimes we’re not the most liked group of people.
We have enemies. People that want what we have.
If you work here, we’ll protect you, but you might see some things you wouldn’t normally see in other places. ”
Estrella lets out a breath before she nods her head. “I understand. I’m good with that.”
“What about the things we do expect you to do? You know what our clients are going to want you to do?”
I sit back in my seat, waiting for her to fold her hand. Give up. Waiting for her to rush out the front door like the woman before her.
Estrella’s face goes ashen, which is hard since she has a naturally a sun-kissed tan complexion. Finally, something that’s going to get under her skin. She flinches before she opens her mouth to answer, and for half a second, I almost regret it. Almost.
“Do I have to? I mean, if it’s something I don’t like or not my preference, will I be forced to—”
Coca takes several angry steps in her direction. “No. Absolutely not. My girls are all well taken care of and protected. A client may choose you to have some fun with, but you have the final say. Consent is mandatory for all parties involved.”
Coca gentles her gaze on Estrella for a second, nodding softly before she turns those piercing eyes on me. The disappointment is gone. Now all I see is anger. Coca’s glare burns through me. She doesn’t say it out loud, but I can see the words in her eyes—You’re crossing the line.
I’m going to have to deal with that later.
“Okay, as long as it’s my choice. I understand,” Estrella replies.
“Yes, your choice, but it wouldn’t be smart of us to sign you on if you’re not open to more than just the ordinary. Most of these clients can get an ordinary fuck from anywhere. They come here for the thrill, the exotic, the dream. Can you sell the dream?”
Estrella nods her head.
She’s close to cracking, but somehow she manages to stay strong. It’s angering me.
“Prove it.” My voice comes out gruff, and I hear some chuckles and expletives coming from the group sitting behind me. My pulse drums in my throat. I know I’ve gone too far, but watching her squirm does something to me. Maybe I want to see her fight. I know for sure I want to see her break.
Digger leans forward with a smirk. Vado stays still, unreadable. AZ drums his fingers against his thigh, a silent warning I ignore.
“Oro, que mierda, what are you talking about? This isn’t part of it.” Coca hisses in my direction.
“Don’t question me, Coca. I know what the hell I’m doing! If she can’t deal, the door is right there.” I snarl back at her.
Her eyes widen briefly, and I know she wants to keep fighting me. It pisses me off because if it had been AZ or Vado or any of the other brothers giving this order, Coca would’ve stood in the corner with her mouth closed.
Thankfully, she doesn’t say another word, just moves away from me to go stand next to Vado. I’m sure she’s about to give him an earful.
“What do you mean, prove it?” Estrella asks, her voice softer, more of a whisper.
“How about we start with something simple. We like to make sure all of our guests have the very best options to choose from. They deserve the best. Show us what they’re going to get.”