“Charm? Ain’t she a hooker?” Now she shoves me away, an angry look on her face.

  “She’s my best friend. I need to get out of here,” she snaps, anger in her gaze. She turns and storms toward the door when I whistle at the prospect now standing there. His eyes find mine, and I shake my head, nodding at Reese. He gets the point, and as soon as she tries to leave, he blocks her path. I can see the fire in her from here. She’s arguing with him when he nods toward me. Reese turns around and follows his line of sight directly to me. Her nostrils flare, and before long, she storms back through the room. Her hands come up, beating against my chest as she roars.

  “What is wrong with you?” she snaps when I grab her wrists. Without much thought, I walk her through the room and slam her body against the wall.

  “You shouldn’t touch a man like that!” I growl at her. I don’t like it and never have. Reese is pushing my goddamn limits.

  “Then don’t keep me held hostage in here!”

  “I don’t like anyone touchin’ me, darlin’. That includes you,” I hiss in her ear. Shoving her fists into her chest, I step back and turn to walk away when I decide against it. Grabbing her hand instead, I drag her through the clubhouse and down the hallway to the bedrooms. When we reach mine, I shove her inside and slam the door closed. Reese watches me with fear in her eyes and wraps her arms around her stomach. Something happened out there, and I want to know what the fuck it was.

  “You touched me,” I growl low in my throat.

  “Yeah, sorry. I won’t do it again. Look, I need the job.”

  “No one touches me,” I remind her.

  “Again, sorry. Please don’t fire me,” she begs. I can see the look in her eyes. She’s truly afraid I’m going to fire her, but that’s not what this is. She touched me, and it didn’t hurt. I didn’t feel the sting or the burn. I didn’t feel the disgust I usually feel when someone aside from my brothers touches me.

  “It’s not that. It’s just … I didn’t feel it.” Confusion is new to me. I’m never this confused, and this girl just took my world by storm. I don’t know if I want her to stop now that she started. Not even the club whores touch me because it feels wrong.

  “You didn’t feel it? Well, I didn’t hit you that hard so …”

  “It’s not that. Just … fuck it. Get outta here,” I tell her. I watch her arms drop to her sides before she walks past me and out of the room. I run my hand through my hair and the memories that always haunt me flash behind my eyes. Them. Him. The things they’d allow. The way they would come into the room. Vomit rises, my throat constricts, and I can’t think straight. My hands are balled at my sides, and sweat drips down my temples. I can see them, clear as day, the smiles and looks. How they would come closer, and I had nowhere to go, trapped by them.

  “Fuck!” I roar before pulling my cut off and tossing it on the bed. I strip out of my shirt and the rest of my clothes quickly before stepping into the bathroom and starting the shower. My hands tremble, and my body aches. This is so fucked up. I can’t keep doing this, feeling this.

  Standing under the cold water, I let it spray me until my body slowly begins to calm down. The horror I lived through is eating away at my insides, and there is nothing I can do to stop it.

  This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it breaks me down. It ruins me.

  My long hair sticks to my face as the water pounds against my flesh. I lower my head and let the water pour over me until it washes away all pain. Then I slowly come back to life, a life that’s kicked my ass from day one. A life where my innocence was stolen.

  Washing quickly, I climb out and dry off, getting dressed once more. I need to be out there, and part of this party, or what kind of fucked up VP would that make me?

  4

  Reese

  His words were strange, but I ignore them anyway as I stand in the corner nursing a beer and eating the cheeseburger offered to me. I haven’t seen him come back out of his room yet, but that doesn’t bother me. The less I see of him, the better.

  “You havin’ a good time?” I look up when I hear someone talk to me. I nod my head when I see it’s Tattz and Burn. I know both of them from upstairs at the bar.

  “It’s wild, that’s for sure,” I add.

  “They always are. You should come and hang out more often,” Tattz says. Burn smirks before Tia walks up.

  “What the hell are you all smiles about?”

  “Tattz tryin’ to flirt with Outlaw’s girl.”

  “Oh, I’m not his girl,” I state.

  “Is that right? Seems he’s eyein’ you like you are, and Tattz better take a step back,” Burn adds, nodding toward the hallway. I follow his gaze and see Outlaw standing there, wet blond hair hanging around his shoulders. He’s hot as fuck already, but damn he had to go and do that too? I swallow my mouthful of burger and take a long pull from my beer as we all watch him. Then he turns and grabs the first girl he finds, which happens to be Jinny, and kisses her as if his life depends on it. She doesn’t touch him, just like he said, and I suddenly feel like the air in the room has thickened.

  “I’m going to go. Thanks for letting me hang out, Burn. I’ll see you at the bar.” Before anyone has the chance to stop me, I grab what’s left of my burger and head for the door. I’m up the stairs and out the second door into the night. Stopping to take a breath, I sigh and wrap my burger up in the foil. I’ll save it for later.

  I start walking down the block when I hear someone behind me.

  “You’re leavin’?”

  “There’s no reason for me to stay.”

  “Wasn’t I reason enough?”

  “I don’t understand. You told me to leave,” I reply, and when I spin around, Outlaw close to me. Too close for my liking. He’s right there! Damn near nose to nose.

  “I didn’t mean to leave the party. You should stay and have fun. That’s the purpose of the party,” he explains, keeping his voice calm and controlled.

  “I think I’ve had all the fun I can manage for one day. Thanks, though,” I turn to head back toward the alley. That’s when Outlaw’s hand slips around my waist. His warm palm lands on my stomach, causing me to suck in a breath.

  “How about we go hang out at the pool?”

  “What pool? I don’t have anything to swim in,” I tell him.

  “Don’t need anything. Come on.” Instead of protesting as I planned, I let him drag me toward the clubhouse again. About a block down, he pulls a gate open and ushers me inside. I walk in and see the pool I didn’t even know was there.

  “Does this belong to the club?” I ask, looking up at him while he locks the gate. He nods his head before looking back at me.

  “We had it built a few years back for the girls to enjoy. Occasionally we’ll have a party or two up here. Come on,” he says, pulling his cut off and laying it on one of the chairs. I look down at my crop top and shorts before shrugging. What the hell? It’s only swimming.

  I pull my clothes off and move to step into the warm water when his hot breath dances over my shoulder.

  “You look sexy as fuck in a bra and panties, darlin’.”

  “Doesn’t every woman?” Before he can respond, I dive under the water and swim to the other side. When I resurface, he’s standing in the water, chuckling.

  “No, not every woman looks good. You’ve seen some of those crack whores,” he adds, causing pain to shoot into my chest. Charm is one of those girls, but she’s also my best friend. Sure she’s on the skinny side from all the drugs, but she’s still an amazing person.

  “Do you know Charm?”

  “The one you came with. Met her, yeah.”

  “She’s my best friend. She’s also addicted to drugs. Not her own doing, to begin with. Her dad got her started at an early age, and now she sells her body for what she needs. Doesn’t make her any less of a human,” I snap before swimming back over and trying to climb out of the pool. Outlaw’s hand is back on my stomach, keeping in.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean anything by that,” he says.

  “Yes, you did, and I get it. You wouldn’t understand what it’s like to grow up and have people hate you.”

  “You don’t think so?”

  “No, I don’t.”

  “You wanna know why I don’t like anyone touchin’ me?”

  “It’s not my business. Let me go.” He refuses, shaking his head. Shoving me back into the water, I cross my arms over my chest only to earn a groan from him. When I look down, I see I’m pushing my tits right up into his face. With the roll of my eyes, I drop my arms back into the water, and he smirks.

  “I was molested when I was little. Every fuckin’ touch reminds me of what they did.” I gasp at his admission. I can’t believe he just told me that.

  “How old were you?”

  “Hard to say when it started, but from what I remember, I was five. I remember it all. The abuse, the pain. What they did.”

  “My god, I had no idea.”

  “What happened to you?” he asks, and my stomach lurches. I don’t like telling people my secrets, but he just told me his.

  “I wasn’t molested, but my real dad liked to use me as a punching bag. My mom tried to stop it until it became too much for her. I ran away and have been on my own since I was fourteen.”

  “That had to be hard. Livin’ on your own like that,” Outlaw muses as he runs his hands through the water.

  “It wasn’t, to begin with. I had friends, but they have all moved on. They moved away, and I stayed. Then it got too much, and I need something, someone. I had a boyfriend, but he was a pimp. It made me sick to my stomach, but that’s how I met Charm, and I wouldn’t change that for the world,” I admit to him. I’ve never told anyone that aside from Charm. No one has deserved to know.

  “And now you’re best friends.”

  “Just like that,” I tell him with a smile.

  “Just like that. And just like that, I want to kiss you, Reese,” he says, moving toward me. I hesitate for a second before he’s right in front of me. Then his hand comes up and caresses my cheek, and everything else fades. My lips are on his before he has the chance to react, and I’m kissing the man with so much enthusiasm I can barely stand on my two feet. His lips caress mine before he shoves his tongue into my mouth. Outlaw has me backed against the edge of the pool in no time, his kiss heated, and his hands all over my body. I want to touch him, feel him, but I restrain myself from doing it. I don’t want him to be upset. I just want to drink him in the way he is me.

  “There you are!” I hear Charm’s voice. Outlaw pulls back and glances over his shoulder at her before smiling and looking back at me.

  “Saved by the best friend, darlin’. Next time I’m keepin’ you all night,” he whispers. I shudder, and he chuckles before moving to climb out of the pool. I watch him sit in a lounge chair, his legs spread wide. He lights a cigarette and blows smoke into the night air as I climb out. I can feel his eyes on my body, and it makes my hands tremble as I grab my shorts and pull them up my body. My crop top is on next, but I opt not to put my boots back on. Grabbing them, I carry them toward the gate.

  “Slut. What were you doing?” Charm giggles.

  “Just swimming.”

  “Is that why he’s looking at you like you’re his next meal? You were only swimming?” Some days I hate her, and now is one of those times. I smirk and shake my head before she opens the gate and ushers me out.

  “If you’re looking for my girl, check over off Palm Bay!” I slap at her until she laughs and walks faster to get ahead of me.

  “You just told him where we live!”

  “Not really. Just the general area. Besides, I doubt he’ll even show up over there. They are busy, I’m sure.”

  “Yeah, you’re right. Not like he’d find us anyway.” We both laugh as we walk down the sidewalk.

  “Did you at least have a little fun aside from making out with the hot guy?”

  “I did. Thanks for that.”

  “That’s what friends are for.”

  5

  Outlaw

  The fair is packed tonight as I stroll around, taking it all in. I’ve had to remove a few little shits for smoking weed just to go back to the camper and do the same damn thing. It’s not that I care if they smoke, but we have to keep this place family-friendly.

  “You havin’ a good time?” I ask a few girls as I make my rounds. It’s my weekend in the damn camper, and I hate it. Being up here annoys the shit out of me, and Burn knows it. I think that’s why the fucker sends me over.

  “Yeah. Love the dome!” I nod my head and keep walking.

  I remember when I was a kid and always wondered about the fair. I came once. One night the bastards were high as hell and decided to take me out. I had so much fun playing with my friends and riding all the rides. I remember getting in the Ferris wheel and wondering what it would be like to jump. To just free fall through the air and never have to feel pain again. In the end, I got off and went home with the man who beat the shit out of me. He beat me that night too. Told me I'd cost him too much money to play a bunch of bullshit games. I didn’t know that. I saw the chance just enjoy being a kid, and I took it. I played games, and I had fun. I was a kid, a kid with no fear.

  There are days I still look back on my life and wonder what would’ve become of me if I hadn’t found the club. I made myself a place here, and I've thrived ever since.

  Burn has been the leader I needed. This club is the solace I craved. However, being at the fair is driving me insane. Memories slam into me, all the things I like to keep at bay surface at the worst times.

  “What are you lookin’ so pissy for?” Burn asks when I stroll over near the dome.

  “Nothin’. Sick of bein’ here. Can't you put a prospect on this shit? I'd rather be in the garage gettin' my hands dirty. Or at least beatin’ a motherfucker bloody.” Burn laughs and slaps a hand on my shoulder when Tia saunters her sexy ass toward me.

  “What are you crying about?” she asks.

  “Not a damn thing. Sick of bein’ here. You tired yet, nun?”

  “I’ve been tired of being here. Your boy here wants to try and get a new girl in the dome with him. I shot that shit down. So here I am.” She smiles, a glint of anger in her eye. I shake my head and run my hand through my hair, wondering how Burn puts up with her ass.

  “I’m gettin’ too old anyway. Thought about turnin’ this shit over to one of the younger guys,” Burn says, shocking the shit out of me. Since when does he not love this shit? He’s done it for years.

  “No one else has ever done it, and they love watchin’ you, brother. Why the change?” I ask, curious now.

  “Just gettin’ older brother. It’s time for a change. We make good legit money here, but we also clean money here. I think my focus needs to be on that instead of this,” he explains. Nodding my head, I understand that part

  Business has been good lately, and we need to focus on that.

  “Heard the feds were sniffin’ around lately.” He adds.

  “No shit? Why?”

  “Don’t know. Put a call into Dustin. Just waitin’ on him to get back to me with information.” Dustin is our contact with the police department. He gets paid good money to do what we need to be done.

  “Heard that. We need to buckle down on the illegal shit for a while,” I add.

  “Yeah. Figured we'd bring that up at church and roll with it.”

  “Sounds like a good plan.”

  “So why do I always see you eyeing our bartender?” Tia asks with her hands on her hips. Here she goes opening that damn mouth of hers once again.

  “I ain’t eyein’ no one. What the hell are you talkin’ about?”

  “Please. We all see you when she’s around. I saw her at the party last week too.”

  “And your point would be?” I ask, narrowing my eyes. She doesn’t know what the hell she’s talking about. Or maybe she does. I have been watching that girl, but I can’t help myself. I like looking at her.

  “I don’t have one. Just stating facts is all. I think she’s cute,” she says, and Burn’s head whips in her direction. He eyes her for a long second before a sick smirk crosses his face.

  “You got a thing for girls, darlin’?”

  “Not a chance in hell. Good try, though,” she responds quickly, making me chuckle.

  “She shot that shit down quick as fuck, brother.”

  “Fuck off, Outlaw. Don’t you have a girl to watch or, better yet, a fair to run?” I chuckle as I stroll out of the tent behind the dome and get back to work.

  6

  Reese

  I can feel his hot gaze on my back. These last few weeks, I've lived to pull his gaze. I’ve gotten used to the weight of his stare, but it seems he's fighting some internal demons when it comes to coming near me again. I’m not complaining, considering I don’t know what the hell is going on with my life as it is.

  Outlaw’s eyes are like molten lava on mine as he moves around the bar. I find it hard to pull away from his gaze, and I discover I like it more than I’d like to admit. A couple of weeks ago, Outlaw had a prospect upstairs behind the bar and one of the patched guys at the door, keeping an eye on everything. I know one of them is watching me, except I’m not sure why. I catch the glances and stares when they think I don’t notice.

  Charm has been in a lot lately, but she mostly hangs out with Jinny and the other girls downstairs. It doesn’t bother me since they seem to be good to her.

  “You’re spillin’ the vodka,” his deep voice startles me. I glance down and see the shot I was filling is now running all over the counter. Grabbing the rag, I quickly clean up my mess and pour a new shot, sliding it across the counter to the waiting customer.

  “What has you distracted?”

  I can’t tell him it’s him or those damn dazzling blue eyes. I can’t say I was staring him down as he walked through the room because that would make me look like a lunatic.

 

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