Chapter 15 – Presley
PRESLEY
Ihurried to my bedroom to get ready, and Ariel did the same.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about what to wear.
She’d asked me about the self-defense class a few weeks before.
Since I knew I was going to be in content viewed by far more people than had ever viewed anything of mine collectively, I immediately started shopping for an outfit.
But my mother was right. It was going to take me more than a few minutes to get ready because I had to take a shower and wash my hair.
I had oily hair that needed to be washed every day.
While the extra oil kept my hair looking healthy, the daily shampooing and maintenance were a pain in the ass.
When I got out of the shower, I cracked my bedroom door open and asked, “Mom, do I have time to dry my hair?”
“Yes! You've got plenty of time. Ink’s friends won’t be here until noon. He said to tell you he’d see you at the clubhouse. He went home to take a shower and get some things ready for the class.”
“Okay. Do you want to order something for breakfast while I finish in here?”
“Already taken care of. Ink placed an order with Irene’s Diner for delivery. He said it would take twenty to thirty minutes.”
“If I’m not out when it gets here, go ahead and start without me,” I said and returned to my bathroom. Since I had some extra time, I got back in the shower and shaved everything that needed shaving. Then I got dressed and dried my hair.
By the time we were loaded up and headed to the Blackwings clubhouse, my nerves were in high gear. I’d had time to think about learning self-defense techniques from Ink and his friends while being watched in real time by my mother’s followers.
“Are you sure you want to do this?” my mom asked. “We can say you became ill after breakfast and had to stay home.”
“Yes, I do. I guess I’m a little nervous. I’ve only done a handful of live streams with you, and you’ve grown substantially since the last one.” And the man I’m starting to develop feelings for will be watching me potentially make a fool of myself.
“I think it has more to do with a different audience,” my mom laughed. “What do you have to be nervous about anyway? He’s already spending the night.”
“What?” I asked in surprise. “Wait. Yes, he spent the night last night, but he slept on the couch. How did you know that?”
“I’m a mother. A shirtless man is standing in your living room with his protective pants on at o’dark thirty. It wasn’t hard to put together.”
“The pillow and blankets helped, too,” my dad said from the driver’s seat. “I’m more interested in why he had his protective pants on.”
I sighed and told my parents about the events of the previous day. “I honestly haven’t had a chance to call and tell you about the detective. I didn’t mention it at your doctor’s appointment because I was still trying to convince myself I was being paranoid.”
“I’m glad Ink was there with you, but I want you to call me the next time some asshole is giving you a hard time. I don’t care who he is or what time it is. You call me,” my dad said.
“I will,” I promised. “I was going to call you, and I would have if Ink wasn’t available, but he sort of volunteered himself.”
“Because he has his protective pants on,” my mom practically squealed.
“Why is Nana so happy about these protective pants?” Ariel asked my dad.
“Because she thinks you’re finally gonna have a real dad,” my dad said comically.
“Okay,” I said and straightened in my seat.
“We’re almost at the clubhouse. Can we save the new daddy and protective pants chatter for after the class, when Ink isn’t around?
” I asked, though it wasn’t a question. I didn’t think I could handle my parents’ light-hearted teasing and well-meaning intentions along with all the other unique stressors.
“We’ll be on our best behavior,” my mom promised.
My mother’s promise to behave vanished into the ether when she walked into the gym at the clubhouse and saw our instructors.
“Oh, Presley,” Mom said quietly. “You deserve a finder’s fee for this. Pick a number. One through twenty.”
“Seventeen?” I said, unsure of what she was doing.
“Seventeen percent.”
“What?”
“You get seventeen percent of whatever I earn from this live stream,” she said simply.
“Mom. No—”
“Yes,” she interrupted. “Since you won’t let me just give you money, I have to find creative ways to do it,” she said and waved her hand dismissively. “We can discuss it after class.”
After Ink introduced everyone, Bronze gave us an overview of what to expect and asked if we had any questions.
“I do,” my mom said. Of course she did.
“We’re going to live stream with a handheld device, but we also have two stationary cameras. Where can I set those up to be in a good position yet out of the way?”
“I can help you with that,” Byte said as he joined us in the gym. “Sorry, I’m late. One of the chickens was missing.”
“Did you find her?” I asked.
“Yes. And a huge pile of eggs. We thought she stopped laying, but it looks like she’s been sneaking off and laying her eggs elsewhere. So, if anyone needs fresh eggs, we have plenty.”
“No, please, no,” my dad mumbled.
“Eugene, I think it’s time to revisit the chicken discussion,” my mom said.
“Why?” he whispered. “Whhhyyy?”
“I’m Eugene Calloway,” my dad said and held out his hand. “You said you could help with the cameras?”
“Yes,” Byte said and shook my dad’s hand. “I’m Byte. Flint and I handle all the tech stuff around here. Let me show you where I think you’ll get the best angles,” Byte said and motioned for my dad to follow him. “Would you like to use our Wi-Fi for streaming?”
We stretched and warmed up while Dad and Byte set up the equipment.
When we were ready to begin, Bronze divided us into pairs—me with Ink, Ariel with Jake, and Mom with Dad.
I almost gasped when Jake appeared out of nowhere to partner with Ariel, but my surprise was quickly forgotten as I tried not to laugh at Mom’s disappointment when Byte offered to record so my dad could be her partner instead of Batta.
“You guys did a great job!” Bronze said proudly. “Bathrooms are through that door and to the right. We have a table over there with drinks and snacks. Is fifteen minutes enough time for everyone?”
“There’s more?” I asked quietly. Or so I thought.
Savior chuckled. “We can stop whenever you like, but this is usually a four-hour class.”
“Hey, Mom. That finder’s fee. My guilt has suddenly vanished. I look forward to your deposit.”
“Finder’s fee?” Ink asked.
I laughed. “Mom insisted on giving me a finder’s fee when she saw our instructors since they will definitely increase her views.”
“I feel like there’s a pimp joke in there somewhere,” Ink said.
Byte walked over and asked if he should keep recording during the break.
“I’ll take it,” Mom said. “You deserve a break, too.” Mom gasped when Byte handed her the phone. “Is this right? This can’t be right.”
“What is it?” Dad asked.
“These numbers. They’re much higher than usual.”
Dad retrieved his phone from his gym bag. “Miles has been calling and texting. I didn’t think about him not being able to contact us when I handed the phone to Byte.”
“We should have since we did the same thing this morning,” Mom said.
“I’ll call him,” Dad said and stepped away from the group.
“Mom, how’s your leg?” I asked and was completely ignored. After the third Mom, I said, “Yo Alice!”
“Sorry, dear,” she said distractedly. “These comments … I’m … This isn’t my usual audience. I’m afraid I may have brought some unwanted attention to the Blackwings. A lot of it.”
“What do you mean by unwanted attention?” Ink asked, sounding concerned.
“Holy shit, Alice!” Dad said excitedly as he returned to the group. “The numbers are crazy!”
“But the comments,” Mom said dejectedly. “Yes, I knew having handsome shirtless men would boost my views, but some of these folks are feral. I feel a bit like a madam, and I don’t think it’s the leadership role for me.”
“Yes, Miles and I thought that might be your reaction. He suggested continuing the live stream and donating the remainder of today’s earnings to help victims of domestic violence. After obtaining consent from our instructors, of course.”
Bronze, Batta, and Savior were more than happy to continue with the live stream, particularly Batta, whose mother was murdered trying to protect her friend from an abusive husband.
“We’re going to extend the break for another fifteen minutes to allow some others to join us,” Bronze announced.
“What is he talking about?” I asked Ink.
“What makes you think I know? I’ve been here with you.”
“Because you bikers seem to know everything without actually talking to each other.”
“It’s because we know each other almost as well as we know ourselves,” he said simply. “But if I had to guess, I’d say some texts were sent and more brothers are on their way over to help boost the views.”
“Are you serious?” I asked.
Ink nodded. “Batta isn’t the only one this touches personally. Jake’s mom, Keegan, was badly beaten by her abusive stepfather before she was with Shaker. Byte’s mother was killed by his abusive stepfather. Evie’s father and brother beat the hell out of her before they tried to kill her, twice.”
“Can I ask what happened to the abusers?”
“I think they’re all dead now,” I said, unable to recall if Keegan’s stepfather was still around. Seems like he died in prison.
“Presley, look!” my mom said excitedly.
I followed the direction she was looking to see Phoenix, Badger, Dash, Duke, Carbon, and Shaker entering the gym.
“The officers have arrived,” Bronze announced. “Are we ready to resume class?”
“Yes, but if it’s not too much trouble, could the officers arrive again so we can get it on camera?” Mom asked. “I think that’s the—”
“Thumbnail image!” I blurted. “Yes, I agree. Let’s do that. Okay, who’s ready?”
“What was that?” Ink asked.
“She was going to say money shot,” I whispered. “She refuses to believe it means what it means.”
“It is defined as a pivotal or climactic moment,” Mom huffed. We’d had this discussion several times before.
“With semen,” I said. “That’s the climactic moment—the ejaculation.”
“Bleck,” Mom gagged. “Such a nursey explanation.”
I shrugged. “Nursey or not, I’m right.”
Our discussion was interrupted when the officers re-entered the gym, and they put on a show for the cameras. I nearly doubled over when Jake groaned in embarrassment as his dad ripped his T-shirt from his chest and twirled it over his head.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Jake mumbled.
“How do you think I feel?” Ariel asked. “I’m in the middle of my grandma’s thirst trap. With my mom.”
“At least we can suffer together,” Jake said dramatically.
“Well, I’m in the middle of my mom’s thirst trap with my daughter,” I parroted.
“All right,” Bronze said loudly. “Separate into pairs so we can get started.”
“Isn’t he going to introduce the officers?” I asked Ink.
“He already did,” he laughed. “When you three were whining.”
“Oh, just wait. Your time will come. Sooner or later, the Glam Gram and her channel will get you.”
“I got inkblots tattooed on my ass cheeks because I lost a bet. I don’t embarrass easy.”
“How is that embarrassing?”
“I had to prove I went through with it,” he said.
“Don’t act like you didn’t enjoy it,” Phoenix said. “You showed your ass, literally, every chance you got.”
“Because I don’t get embarrassed easily,” Ink laughed.
“You say that now,” I trailed off and moved to our previous spot on the mat where I worked my ass off for the next three hours.
By the end of class, I was exhausted and covered in sweat, but it was worth it. We learned various self-defense techniques, which made me feel more confident in my ability to keep me and my daughter safe. I could tell the class boosted Ariel’s confidence as well.
“If you don’t have dinner plans, you’re welcome to join us. I’m not sure what we’re having, but it’ll probably be some variation of steak and chicken,” Phoenix said.
“Thank you,” Mom said. “But we have to get back to Cedar Valley. I have a meeting scheduled at eight, and I need a little time beforehand to prepare for it. Speaking of, Ariel, are you still coming home with me and Papa?”
“How long is your meeting?” Ariel asked, sounding disappointed.
“I blocked two hours for it.”
“The season finale is tonight. I thought we were watching it together.”
Mom laughed awkwardly. “We are, but I felt a little silly saying I needed to get home because of a TV show.”
“We get it,” Duke said. “Most of the Old Ladies have plans to watch that show tonight.”
“I can’t thank you all enough for today,” Mom said and continued gushing over members for several minutes.
“Alice, we need to get going if we’re going to get home in time for your ‘meeting,’” Dad said.
“Okay, I’m coming,” she said.
“What are your plans for the evening?” Ink asked as we left the gym.
“I guess I don’t have any,” I said.
“Let’s make some,” he said. “I need to eat, and so do you.”
“I need to go home and shower first,” I said.
“Yeah, me too,” he said. “What time do you want me to pick you up?”
“Just come over after you shower.”
With that, we said our goodbyes, and Dad drove us back to my house.