17. Chapter 17
Rox
“So, you’re staying?” I heard Fang say from behind me. Turning on the barstool, I smiled up at one of my oldest friends. He tried to keep a stern look to his face but I knew better. He was happy.
“I am.”
“Good. I’d hate to go down to that Sheraton and drag you back, kicking and screaming.”
“Aww come on, Levi. We both know if you did anything to make me scream and kick, Adrian would be on your ass faster than a fly at a picnic in summer.”
Fang rolled his eyes. “Well you certainly got your pep back.”
“And we both know you’ve already visited Beck at the Sheraton,” I said. “I hope you were nice about it, at least.”
Fang smirked. “I’m pretty sure he shit his pants when he saw me, Menace and Destroyer rock up in his fancy ass hotel.”
I shook my head, picturing it. I felt so bad that I had sent Beck a text telling him I wouldn’t be returning to the hotel with him, but I couldn’t fathom being apart from Adrian and I knew, somehow, he would find a way to convince me to return to London.
Somehow, Beck knew exactly how to make me feel bad enough to trust him.
I don’t know where I lost my spine along the way, but I knew I didn’t need to be proper here.
I could be me. The woman Adrian fell in love with and that excited me in a way I didn’t quite understand, yet.
“Who’s the girl that keeps death-glaring me?” I asked, keeping my eyes on Fang who moved behind the bar. He carefully looked over at the girls sitting in the corner and sighed.
“Berry.”
“Wait, what?” I almost laughed, but caught myself. “Did her mother hate her?”
Fang laughed. “It’s not her real name, it’s just her club name—well, if I’m being exact, it’s her stripper name.”
“Of course she’s a stripper.”
Fang rolled his eyes. “Judgy.”
“Let me guess…she and Adrian.”
“Oh fuck no,” Fang laughed. “That’s the reason for the devil eyes, Roxy baby. Prez has never fucked one of the club girls, no matter how hard they tried.”
“What? Come on. It’s okay, we’ve been apart for fifteen years, I’m okay with him spreading his wings.”
“Rox…I’m being dead serious. He has never fucked a club girl in all that time. He may have whipped his dick out for one on occasion for a good ol’ blowie, but never actually bedded one.”
“You’re trying to convince me that Adrian, the most insatiable man I’ve ever met, hasn’t fucked a woman in fifteen years?”
Fang rolled his eyes. “I didn’t say that. I said he’s never fucked a club girl.”
“Levi Harper,” I said, with an edge to my voice.
“It’s not my history to tell, sweetheart,” he replied. “If you want to know, you ask Myth.”
I nodded. He was right. I didn’t even really think I wanted to know, to be honest, but it did make me wonder. How would I be treated now that I had decided to stay? Would they welcome me or would it be like before, where I was clamouring with glamorous women who wanted to ride my husband?
Fear sloshed around in my head, doubt creeping in, despite how Myth made me feel whenever I was with him.
“You good?”
I looked up at the new voice, noticing Fang was gone and in his place was the woman from before. The one who was always behind the bar.
“Sorry, yeah.”
I looked back over at the girls, and saw a few of them were looking over at me as if I were the outsider. Hell, I was. It didn’t matter that I’d been here first. I was an outsider.
“Don’t let them get to you, sweetie,” she said. “If they give you crap, you come to me, yeah?”
Turning back to her, I looked down at her shirt where it had the name Missy embroidered into it.
“Are you the head girl around here?”
“Not anymore, love,” she smiled over at me. “That would be you.”
“What?”
“You’re the Prez’s ol’ lady. This is your clubhouse to rule over. Those girls over there answer to you, babe.”
Fuck.
I didn’t know that.
“Do they know that?”
“Of course they do,” Missy said with a smirk. “I mean, a show of power wouldn’t hurt either.”
“How so?”
“See the one with a busted lip?”
I looked over at the group of girls again. The one in question looked familiar. She was the one trying to get Myth’s attention that night when he had me cornered.
“Yeah. I recognise her.”
“Belle,” she answered my unasked question. “Thinks she runs the joint.”
“And the cut lip?”
“She needed a little reminding of who was boss.”
Missy smirked and I instantly knew we were going to be the best of friends.
“So you’re the boss around here then.”
“Not anymore, babe, and believe me, I am more than happy to hand that title over.”
“Which biker is yours?” I asked her.
“Oh god, none of them,” she said on a laugh. “No man will ever hold me down, babe. I just work here.”
“How’d you find the Royal Bastards?” I asked her as she handed me a drink from the fridge behind her. I cracked the can open and took a sip.
“The age old my brother was a Bastard,” she said with a chuckle. “You knew him, actually.”
I looked at her, really looked at her, and I saw it. I saw what I should have seen when I first saw her.
Cam’s eyes.
“Oh god, Cam.”
She nodded, sadly. “Yeah, babe. He spoke so highly of you, I feel like I already know you.”
“I’m so sorry.”
She shrugged her shoulders, but I could see the inner pain on her face. “He knew the risks. They all do.”
“I didn’t know you…how is that even possible? He never told me he had a sister.”
“I’m his half-sister, we only found out about each other about seven years ago. That’s when I came here. They gave me a place to stay, a job when no one else would and the best damn lifestyle I could ask for. This is my home.”
I knew that feeling. Fuck didn’t I know that feeling.
“Do you need to stay behind the bar?”
She shook her head. “No, the prospects can tend bar for me. Why? You need me for something?”
“In fact, I need someone to keep me company while I get some things.”
Missy smiled. “You got it. Let me grab Fang to accompany us.”
“Why?”
“Babe, you really think Myth is going to let his ol’ lady walk around with no one to watch us?” Missy asked, and I knew immediately he would shoot whoever let us leave without a guard.
“Fine,” I grumbled. “Meet me out the front in five.”
Missy headed into the clubhouse main room and I stepped outside. It was a bright and sunny day, which didn’t help my needing to be outside nature. London was so dreary all the time. I’d missed the nice summery days like today where I could go around with no jumper on.
A van pulled into the compound and I saw Myth coming over to intercept it. He looked a little smug as it pulled up and the men jumped out to open the back up.
“I didn’t think you accepted your supplies here,” I said. He wheeled around to face me, a look of childish guilt on his face. “What is it? You look like you’re up to no good.”
The roller door opened on the back of the truck and packing boxes that looked a little worse for wear were starting to be pulled out.
When I saw my name on the side of the box, I knew what I was looking at.
“When did you do this?” I asked him. I’d only just decided I wasn’t going to go back a few days ago. How the hell could this be here already? “Fuck, Adrian. How did you know what was mine?”
“Don’t worry about that.”
His head turned to see Missy coming up behind me.
“I see you made a friend.”
“Damn right she did,” Missy said, hooking her arm into mine. “We’re off to do girly shit.”
“Wait—”
“Relax, and push your hulk back down,” Missy said, exasperatedly. “We’re bringing Fang with us.”
Myth turned to see Fang clambering out of the clubhouse, looking less than impressed. “You can send a prospect with them.”
“Fuck that. That’s your ol’ lady and we already know how much trouble Missy can get into. You can’t trust a prospect with that shit.”
“Fuck you!” Missy called out and I couldn’t help but laugh at the banter between her and Fang. Surely, there was something there. The sexual tension was off the charts.
“Behave, baby,” Myth said to me as he leaned down and kissed me hard.
“What could go wrong with me and the spider as her protection?” Missy asked. I stifled a chuckle as I heard Fang growl behind us.
“Fang,” he glowered at her.
“Jesus, the two of you put your petty shit away for an hour and look after my ol’ lady, would ya?”
“Aye, aye, cap’n,” Missy fake saluted him and led me toward a car parked by the gates. Fang ran forward, snatching the keys off Missy as she pulled them from her pocket.
“Ain’t no way I’m riding in the back with you two in front.”
Missy went to argue but it died when I noticed her checking Fang’s ass out in his jeans. Oh yeah, we were definitely going to unpack that later.
“What you need first, babe?” Missy asked once we were out of the compound.
“First things first,” I started. “I need to get my hair back to the way it was before.”
“Fuck…how long is this going to take?” Fang moaned from the front seat. Missy and I were in the back.
“All fucking day, errand boy, now zip your lip before I split your pretty face open like I did Belle’s.”
I stifled a laugh but soon the two of us realised we were both giggling and it turned into full bellied laughter. I hadn’t laughed like this, or felt close to anyone in years. It was nice.
And yet, I couldn’t help but think it was only brief. Something was going to ruin this.
It always did.