Chapter Ten
Naya stood in front of the kitchen sink and stared outside, not really seeing anything.
Her thoughts turned to the way her life had turned out.
She had been with the group for two weeks, and in that time, she’d blended in better than she ever expected.
She felt safe and happy for the first time in .
.. she couldn’t remember. She’d felt safe with Dutch, but besides seeing him at the garage and that last night together, she didn’t really know the man.
But how could she miss him as much as she did then?
She jumped when someone bumped her hips. She glanced up to see Tara with a grin on her face.
“You were a million miles away, girl.”
Naya reached for a towel and wiped her hands. “Kind of. Did you need me?”
Tara chuckled. “Yes, we’re having a girls’ night.”
“What’s that?” Naya asked.
“We women, minus the sluts, get together in our room and get high and drunk.”
Naya was shocked. She never would have guessed these women could party like that. “I’ve never done that.”
“Which one?”
“Both. I’ve never had time to let loose,” Naya told her.
“Now you do. Grab the pan of brownies and follow me,” Tara said as she pulled a big pitcher of what looked like lemonade from the fridge and walked out of the room.
Naya grabbed the pan and hurried after her. Chelsea closed the door behind them. Everyone was there, and it looked like a few were already stoned as they danced around singing to a song she barely heard over the voices.
“Oh, I’ll take that,” Jada said and grabbed the pan out of her hands.
Two of the women arranged the two huge sofas in a V so everyone was facing the TV. Everyone started to sit down, some on the floor, leaning against the front of the couch. Naya’s attention was on the movie, and she was shocked to see it was a romance, and the main guy was a biker.
“Here,” someone said as they handed her a glass.
Naya took a sip. “Mmm, this is good. What is it?”
“A margarita,” Amelia said. “Lindsey makes them.”
Naya glanced at Lindsey. “This are wonderful. Thank you.”
“I’m glad you like them. If you’ve never had alcohol before, be careful.”
Naya nodded but didn’t really hear her as the movie got hotter. Naya was confused when she realized her glass was empty. “Can I have some more?”
Lindsey snorted. “Girl, I’d wait for a bit. The alcohol hasn’t hit you yet. Here, take the joint and try that.”
Someone grabbed her glass as she reached for the pot. She studied it for a moment. “How do I do this?”
Lina, who sat beside her, took it from her. “Like this.” She showed her how to inhale, hold it, and then blow the smoke out. She handed it back.
Naya pressed it to her lips and inhaled like she saw Lina do. Right away, she started coughing, and her eyes started to water. It took a few minutes for her to steady her breathing and relax.
Tara grinned. “That always happens the first time. Try it again, but take a smaller puff.”
Naya tried it again, and this time she barely inhaled, but it was enough that she felt her lungs expand. She blew it out and smiled. She tried another time, and it got easier.
Someone called her name, and she turned her head. Right away, she felt dizzy and couldn’t focus. Instead of being scared, she giggled. She pressed a hand to her mouth in shock. When she looked at the other women, they all started laughing, which set her off again.
They finally settled down, and the joint was passed around again.
“We want to know about your biker, Naya?” Tara asked.
“Oh my God. He’s ... perfect.” Naya started to giggle. “He’s so strong and handsome.” She frowned. “But he’s not mine and will never be mine.”
“Why?” Lina asked.
“Because I could never face him again, even if he wanted to have anything to do with me.”
“What’s his name?” Lindsey asked.
“Dutch.”
“Where are you from?” Lina asked.
“Baton Rouge, Louisiana,” Naya said.
“Do you miss it?” Tara asked.
Naya thought about it a moment and then shook her head. “No. I miss a few people, but not the place. If I had family there, I’d want to be there.”
“Did you have a family?” Harley asked.
“Yes, my mother.”
“Where is she?” Amelia asked.
“I woke up one morning several months ago to a note she left. She took off with a guy she’d just met and told me it was time to grow up.”
“What a bitch,” Amelia growled, making everyone laugh.
“Where is she now?” Lindsey asked.
“I have no idea. I haven’t seen her since she left,” Naya said. The others were quiet and looking at her with pity and compassion, making tears prick her eyes.
“Where are the brownies?” Naya asked, suddenly starving and wanting to distract everyone. Someone handed her a napkin with a large brownie on it. She had never eaten anything so fast in her life. It was like she hadn’t eaten for a week instead of a few hours.
“Can I...?” Naya said and stopped.
“Can you what?” Tara asked.
Naya looked at her in confusion. “I can’t remember.” She started laughing until her cheeks hurt. “Oh, wait, I want another glass of that ambrosia.”
That set off the girls again.
Lindsey shook her head. “I think you’ve had enough, girl. You’ll thank me in the morning. You could take a few more puffs, though.”
“Okay, I’ll take it.”
Naya reached for the pot and took another slow draw. She coughed a few times and handed it off.
“Oh, for fuck’s sake,” a gruff male voice said behind them.
Every woman turned, and they started laughing hysterically. Naya didn’t know what was going on, but when Chelsea fell off the sofa and got tangled up with Tara, she couldn’t hold back her laughter.
At one point, she thought she might pee her pants because she was laughing so hard. She couldn’t remember ever feeling that way. Naya watched as several men came into the room. They each picked up their woman, cursing at them as they walked out of the room.
Fury, Amelia, and she were the only ones left.
“Fury, we have to help her to her room,” Amelia said as she struggled in Fury’s arms.
“Jesus Christ, woman. Settle down. I’ll have Bear carry her up.” Fury whistled and called out for the other man.
“Wait, I can do it on my own,” Naya said and struggled to stand. She got to her feet, swayed, and went down, making her and Amelia start laughing again.
“Bear, take Naya to her room and make sure the doors are locked when you leave.”
“You got it, Boss,” Bear said.
Naya screamed when Bear lifted her. He was one of the biggest men in the club, and he acted like she didn’t weigh anything. He was also one of the nicer men in the club. Naya didn’t feel as nervous around him as the others.
Bear lay her on her bed. “Do you need help with anything?”
Naya closed her eyes and hummed. “No. Thank you.”
“You got it,” Bear said as he locked the door and walked out, closing it behind him.
Naya cracked open her eyes and groaned when the room started spinning. “Oh God.” She slammed her eyes shut, then gripped the blanket beneath her, hoping it would help with the sensation.
After a minute, things settled, but every time she moved or opened her eyes, she had to go through it all over again. She finally decided she was comfortable enough in all her clothes and promptly fell asleep.