Chapter Nine
Naya started to choke when two women dropped into the other side of the booth. She swallowed and took a sip of her juice. “Um, hi.”
“Hi. I’m Amelia, and this is Tara.”
“Oh, hi. I’m Naya.”
Tara smiled. “Yeah, Barb told us.”
“She told you what?”
“That you’re new in town, need a job, are from the south, and were a biker’s woman,” Amelia said.
Naya’s eyes widened. “No. I was never his woman. He just helped me out when I was ... in a situation.”
Tara and Amelia glanced at each other and then back at her.
“From the blush on your face, this has got to be good,” Tara said and grinned.
Naya could feel her face get even hotter. “Oh, well. It’s a long story.”
“Now, we have to know the story,” Tara said.
“I can’t. It’s embarrassing.”
Naya jumped when a huge shadow fell over them. She glanced up and then some more to see one of the bikers frowning down at the women. The thought of the women getting in trouble upset her.
“Hey, mister, they didn’t do anything wrong. They were just being nice,” Naya said. She swallowed when his attention centered on her. She’d never been so terrified in her life.
“Fury, knock it off. You’re scaring her,” Amelia said.
Naya’s mouth fell open. “No, Amelia, don’t say that. It’s okay. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.”
Amelia chuckled and then looked at the man. “I want her.”
Fury sighed dramatically. “Babe...”
“Fury...” Amelia said.
The two went back and forth until Amelia clapped and grinned.
“What just happened?” Naya asked.
They all laughed.
“My old lady wants you so she’s going to get you,” Fury said.
It took a moment for Naya to understand. “Wait, what?”
Amelia reached across the table and took her hand. “You’re coming home with us.”
“No! I can’t do that.”
“Listen,” Tara said. “Barb said you are looking for a job.”
Naya nodded.
“Well, we have several businesses, and there might be an opening in one.”
Naya sat back. On the one hand, it would be great if they had a job for her, but on the other hand, she didn’t know if she could be around a bunch of bikers without thinking about Dutch.
“Please,” Amelia pleaded.
Tara snorted. “You might as well say yes because she won’t stop until she gets her way.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” Fury grumbled.
Amelia scowled at him. “We will discuss this later.”
Fury grinned. “I look forward to it.”
“Where is your stuff?” Tara asked.
“In the motel down the road,” Naya said. “But I still think—”
“Don’t think. It just gets you women in trouble,” Fury said.
All three women gasped.
Fury rolled his eyes. “Let’s go. I have work to do.”
“Are you done with your food?” Amelia asked.
Naya glanced down at her plate and nodded. She’d eaten more than she thought she would.
Fury stepped back after dropping a twenty on the table.
“I can pay,” Naya said.
“It’s done,” Fury said. “Let’s get your stuff.”
Barb came over and hugged her. “I’m glad they’re taking you home with them.”
Naya hugged her back. “I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do.”
“Yes, it is,” Amelia said behind her.
Barb grinned. “Amelia usually gets what she wants.”
“I do not,” Amelia exclaimed.
“Yes, you do,” everyone around them said.
Naya couldn’t help but laugh.
Tara looped her arm through hers and started moving her toward the door. Naya looked back once and waved. “Thank you, Barb.”
“You’re welcome, hun.”
When they got outside, Naya froze. “I can’t get on one of those,” she said and pointed at the bikes. She winced when several of them started theirs, and the roar was loud enough to shake the ground under her.
“Sure, you can,” Fury said and pointed to one of the guys waiting. “You’ll ride with Pokey back to the compound after you give me the key to your room.”
“I can get it.”
Amelia shook her head. “Let him take care of this. They’ll be careful with your stuff.”
Pokey tossed his head. “Let’s go.”
Naya walked to him and let him help her on the back of the bike. The vibration startled her when he started his engine.
“You’d better hold on,” Pokey said.
Naya bit back a scream when he started to move, and she grabbed onto his waist. She closed her eyes as the world rushed by. She had no idea how long they drove before the bike slowed down and he turned into a driveway.
He parked and turned off the engine. “We’re here. You can let go now.”
“Thank you.” Naya could hear the laughter in his tone as she pulled her arms from around his waist. She started to slide off the seat, but when she stood beside the bike, her legs gave out, and she landed on her ass.
Several of the men started laughing, and she felt herself blush.
Tara came over and helped her to her feet.
Naya wiped the dirt off her ass. “Thank you.”
“I guess that was the first time you’d been on a bike?”
Naya nodded. “Yeah.”
Tara grabbed her hand. “It gets easier. Come on. We want you to meet the others.”
“Other what?” Naya said, trying to keep her footing as Tara dragged her.
“Other women like Amelia and me.”
They walked into the back door, into a kitchen, and Naya saw three other women making something.
“Hey, guys, this is Naya,” Tara called out. “She’s going to be living here.”
Naya’s mouth dropped open. “What! I can’t just move in. I don’t even know you guys, and you don’t know me. What if I’m a bad person?”
The women laughed, and even a few of the guys standing around grinned.
“Fury would have never let you come here if he didn’t know the type of person you were,” Amelia said. “He can read a person within five minutes, and he’s always right.”
Tara nodded. “Meet Lindsey, Harley, and Zoe.”
Naya smiled but could feel her lips twitch. “Hi.”
“You’ll get used to us,” Zoe said. “I was a little overwhelmed at the beginning, too.”
Naya just nodded.
“We’re starting lunch,” Harley said. “Do you want to help?”
“Sure,” Naya said and walked to the sink to wash her hands.
The rest of the day slid by quickly, and Naya couldn’t believe how much fun she had and how comfortable she was around all the bikers.
Lindsey showed her to her room later that night. It was a good-sized room with a king-size bed and a dresser with a flat-screen TV. Naya looked to her right and saw two doors. One she assumed was the bathroom and the other the closet. The place was a million times better than her apartment at home.
“This is yours for however long you want it.”
“Thank you,” Naya said and hugged the other woman.
“I’ll see you in the morning.” Lindsey waved and walked down the hallway.
Naya shut and locked her bedroom door behind her, and the first thing she saw was her bags on the bed. She rummaged through her things, putting some away in the closet, and took a smaller bag into the bathroom.
Within thirty minutes, she was showered, in her sweats, and lying on the bed. She thought she’d have trouble falling asleep because she was in a new place, but she was out between one breath and the next.