Electra Chapter 3 #2
A clap startled her, causing her to swing around and stumble back into the counter.
I threw out my hand to keep her from falling forward.
There stood Diablo with a massive grin on his face.
He was accompanied by a lovely woman whom he had his arm around.
The woman was several years younger—at least a dozen.
While Diablo’s medium brown hair was heavily flecked with gray, the woman, Jauhnna, I presumed, had the blackest hair I’d ever seen.
It, paired with her pale skin and green eyes, was striking.
I was glad to see that she had curves on her like I did.
“That’s your best imitation yet, Annette.
Keep practicing. And she’s right. We hate pussified coffee or something that has no taste but a brown tint.
Don’t stop on our account. Get your coffee, and we’ll sit for a few minutes.
What have you in your hand, Annette?” he asked as he came forward with the other woman.
“Something Electra brought. Don’t they look amazing?” she exclaimed.
“They do, and that can only mean one place. You got them from Sprinkles of Heaven, didn’t you?” Diablo said.
When I nodded, he grunted in appreciation, then sighed.
“There goes my manners. She’s trying to teach me, but I’m still working on it.
Forgive me. Introductions, then coffee and sweets.
Jauhnna, this is our new co-manager, Electra, who will be assisting Swerve in running things.
And Electra, this insanely beautiful and sexy woman, is the one who shares my bed and life, and a whole lot more. ”
I pasted on a smile and held out my hand to her. As our hands connected, Diablo added on, “She’s my wife, my old lady, Jauhnna.”
When he said it, the fact that she wore a leather cut registered. Jauhnna rolled her eyes.
“I told him to stop introducing me that way. It sounds like I’m his mistress or piece on the side.
It’s wonderful to meet you, Electra. Diablo told me all about your resume and your interview.
We’re so happy to have you join us. I try to help as much as I can, but with two kids and my time at Furever Caring, the animal rescue I work at, it’s hard to give it the time it deserves. ”
“It’s great to meet you, too, Jauhnna. You work two jobs and have kids. May I ask how old your children are?” We shook hands, and then she let go so I could get back to making my coffee.
“They’re coming up in a few months, on seven for our daughter, Jaycee, and our son, Chasin, will be two.” I heard the love and pride in her tone when she named them.
“Okay, you need a break. I don’t know how you do it all. And then you have a home, laundry, and school for your daughter. When do you sleep?” I asked.
“I have an extensive club family, and Diablo is very much a hands-on dad with them. He won’t like me saying it because it destroys his tough biker image, but he does laundry and helps with the housework, and does homework and stuff. If we’re both busy, then one of the others pitches in.”
I had to admit that I was more than a little surprised that this biker would do such stuff.
Diablo groaned and muttered that she was killing him.
It earned him a kiss, which I think was his goal all along.
I let them do it as I finished making my coffee and snagged a pastry from the box.
Annette had gotten hers and gestured to show she was leaving.
I took a seat at the table nearby. When Jauhnna and Diablo finished kissing, he shooed her to sit with me.
“Sorry, he makes me forget my name sometimes. Now I’m being as rude as he was.”
“No, you’re not. It’s nice to see and know people work together to raise their families, and that it can be done.”
She and I chatted for a few minutes until Diablo had made coffee and put a pastry on a napkin for each of them, then he sat at the table with us. As we drank and ate, Diablo filled me in on the day’s agenda.
“Jauhnna will take you through the paperwork and get you set up in our system for things such as payroll and all that fun stuff. You have to review some policies. Later, there will be a tour, and you’ll be turned over to Annette to have her show you what she does.
It’s in case you have to fill in while she’s on a break.
We all take turns doing it. The biggest challenge for me was learning to put calls on hold and then transferring them without hanging up on the person.
I pissed off more than a couple of people when I hung up on them,” he admitted, then he chuckled.
“After you’re through with Annette, depending on what time it is, you’ll spend some time back with me, and that will get us through the day. Not bad for a first day, I hope. Yes, the paperwork is boring, but it’s a requirement.” Jauhnna sighed.
“I’m ready to work and do anything you point me at. Will I be working with you again tomorrow?” I asked her. We were rising and cleaning up our mess.
“No, I’ll be at Furever Caring, and Diablo will be back at his main business, Wrath’s Prep & Restore.
They perform various tasks, including preparing homes and businesses for hurricanes and repairing them afterward.
They do other things, but those two seem to keep them busy the majority of the time.
You’ll be with Swerve tomorrow,” Jauhnna informed me.
My heart jumped. I tried to pretend I wasn’t waiting to see him, but I was. “Oh, is he here today? He should get a pastry,” I remarked casually.
“He’s not in today, so Jauhnna and I are covering. He’ll be here tomorrow. He’s working on a big project with his other job,” Diablo told me.
Pushing away my disappointment, I got started with my day. The faster I learned, the sooner they could spend time elsewhere, and I could get myself embedded in the business.
???
My first day had been boring, just as Jauhnna had warned, but when I was with her and Diablo, they kept things light and fun.
Annette was quieter, so working with her had dragged.
Some people dropped in to say hello and introduce themselves.
They had an on-call maintenance man, Harv, whom they could call for emergency repairs.
If it weren’t an emergency, usually one of the Horsemen would do the work.
They had a lawn service they used for all their businesses.
If I saw something that needed to be done on their next trip, I was given their number, where I could call and leave a message.
If they didn’t do it, I was to let Swerve or another member know.
Jauhnna said she doubted I’d have to do it.
The company got paid well and would hate to lose the Horsemen’s business.
Multiple people came and went. They taught a variety of classes to the residents of Recovery.
Those classes focused on skills that would help them become independent and manage their finances and lives effectively.
Some had never been allowed to do anything at all.
I was shocked when Jauhnna shared her past with me and how her former husband had been abusive to her for years.
She had planned for a long time before she escaped, and eventually fate led her to the Horsemen.
After she did, things progressed until she was with Diablo.
She had no idea where her ex-husband was and didn’t want to know.
The final person I was introduced to was Echo. She was a woman in her early forties who came to Recovery three times a week for sessions with various residents. She was a psychologist and worked as their mental health counselor. If someone was in crisis, she came more frequently.
I asked what would happen if someone needed to be placed on the weekend. Jauhnna told me that they would have someone come in to process them. If that weren’t possible for some reason, they would put them up somewhere else, depending on where they were, until the club could get them here.
All that was yesterday. Today, I’d be with Swerve. My official work hours were from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. I got an hour for lunch.
I worked last night and this morning on my anxiety to avoid getting overly anxious about working with Swerve today.
I had to get used to it. We were partners, and the way Diablo and Jauhnna described it, I’d almost be attached at the hip with him.
I hoped they were exaggerating. At least I knew that I had my own office space.
It was next to Swerve’s, but it was all mine.
When I arrived this morning, I met Annette at the door.
She was opening the office for the day. I’d been told my key would be given to me after orientation was complete.
I didn’t blame them for waiting. There was no point in going to the effort if someone didn’t end up passing their orientation.
She was juggling her purse, keys, and a small box.
“Here, let me hold something, or give me the key and I’ll open the door,” I offered, holding out a hand.
“Thank you. I’ll get the door, because I have to silence the alarm. Hold this box, but please be careful with it.”
“I will,” I assured her.
As she fiddled with the door and alarm, I looked at the box. It reminded me of a white bakery box, similar to the one I had brought yesterday, but smaller in size.
“Did you bring yourself a special treat?” I asked once we were inside and behind the counter.
Annette shook her head. I caught the faint blush that stole over her cheeks. “No, it’s not for me. I bring Dozer treats from this bakery that caters to pets and their owners. He loves them, so I try to bring him one when I know they’re gonna be here.”
“That’s so sweet of you, and I bet Dozer loves it.
He’s such a sweet dog, though, looking at him, you’d think he was a vicious killer.
People don’t get to know people or animals.
Most animals won’t hurt you as long as you don’t hurt them.
More people should take a page out of animal books,” I stated dryly.