Cole, p.7
Cole, page 7
"Are you going to bite my head off and warn me to stay away from one of the men, too?" I joked, pouring myself a cup of coffee.
She laughed. "That had to be Tamara." She reached around me for the sugar. "She's so predictable. She thinks Cole is hers, but she should know better." She gave me a genuine smile. "We're not all like her. Just ignore her."
First impressions were everything, and I found that I liked Lulu instantly. She seemed like a genuinely nice person, and she was friendly. "How long have you been here?" I opened the fridge and grabbed a yogurt that promised an abundance of fruit at the bottom.
"About a year." She reached in for a yogurt, too. "Long enough to know my place. The guys are good to us, they take care of us, and once they accept you into their fold, you're family for life. But the quickest way to be shown the door is to try to sink your hooks into one of them for old lady status." She opened a drawer and grabbed two spoons, handing me one.
"I'm not sure I understand," I admitted, stirring my yogurt.
She leaned against the counter, eating hers. "We're here for the members in any capacity they want. If they want us to cook, we cook; dance naked, we dance naked; screw them, we screw them—sometimes more than one at the same time. Some of these guys are kinky as hell." She laughed. "But no man wants to have an old lady who's fucked all his brothers."
I could certainly understand that. I took a bite. "And you're okay with this?"
Lulu nodded. "Yeah. I'm not looking to be tied down yet, and I like the sex. In return I have a roof over my head, protection, basically whatever I need."
She was young. I wondered how she would feel about all this when she was older and she had nothing to show for it. "How many girls are here?" I thought Holly had said that there were four, but I didn't trust my memory. I finished my yogurt and tossed the container into the trash can.
"Just four who live at the club. You've met Tamara and me, there's also Mitzi and Cherry." I assumed that they were the other girls who I’d seen sitting at the table on my way in to the kitchen. "Bobbie left about a month ago. She used to help out at the bar and cleaned around the place."
I'll be doing that, I thought to myself.
"She also slept with the guys."
I wouldn't be doing that. I sipped at my coffee.
"Good morning!" Holly entered the kitchen, smiling. "Oh my God, look at all this food. I can tell the guys haven't been in yet." She went directly to the coffee maker.
"I saw them stumbling into church earlier." Lulu reached for a piece of toast.
Holly laughed as she fixed her coffee. "Sunday mornings are always rough." She turned around to face us. "How did you sleep last night?"
"The drinks I had before bed did the trick," I replied. I wasn't usually a hard drinker. I sometimes had a glass of wine or a beer, but Holly had talked me into doing a couple of tequila shots. She’d said they would help me sleep after spending the day riding. She’d been right. "Do you live here at the clubhouse?"
She shook her head. "No, we have an apartment in Boulder City, but Sax has a room here that we use occasionally. The only time you'll see me here is when there's a party, a cookout, or we're on lockdown."
Hmm. Boulder City must be fairly close, then. It might be an option if things here didn't work out for me. I was still up in the air about whether I should stay or leave.
"There isn't much around here besides desert. Most everyone lives or works around Boulder City," Lulu explained. “The single members and club girls are the only ones who make the clubhouse their home." She set her empty coffee cup in the sink. "Well, I'm going to get a shower and then collapse in my own bed."
"I like her," I said to Holly, once she had left the room. I looked at Holly, hoping that she didn't warn me that Lulu was really a back stabbing viper.
"Yeah, Lulu is a sweetheart. You already know about Tamara. Cherry is okay, a little ditsy, but she means well. Mitzi is a follower. If she's with someone who likes you, then she likes you. Watch out when she's hanging around Tamara. For some reason she looks up to her."
A snort escaped me before I could prevent it. "What a role model."
"I know, right?" She laughed. Suddenly, we heard a noise coming from the bar area, and it was clear that some of the men had entered the room. "If there's anything you want to eat, you better get it now. Once the men get here, the food and coffee will disappear fast."
I noticed Holly top off her mug of coffee. I decided to do the same, since mine had cooled considerably. She grabbed a couple of pieces of bacon, and I decided to go for a piece of toast. As the men began to plow through the doorway and into the room, we both moved out of the way. Mumbled “good mornings” were directed our way, but neither of us acknowledged any of them with more than a quiet smile.
"I see what you mean." They were like ravenous dogs, attacking the food over each other and piling their plates high. Even though there were low grumblings among them, I could tell it was all done good naturedly.
I was surprised that Cole wasn't with them. I was even more surprised to realize that I was disappointed that he wasn't.
Holly and I remained out of the way, watching with amusement. The guys were so focused on the food they barely acknowledged that we were there, until Sax filled his plate and walked over to us.
"Morning, baby." He leaned in and gave Holly a hard kiss.
It wasn't the first time that I’d noted how handsome Sax was. In fact, most of the men I'd seen so far weren't bad on the eyes. Granted, they were hard-core bikers personified in their scruffy appearances, which were as different as they were alike. Leather cuts, jeans, and boots weren't the only thing that identified who or what they were. Tattoos, long hair, and the rough, all-around sexiness of their tight jaws and steely eyes sucked a woman in to try to find out what they were like.
In the sex department, that is.
They were big, tall, muscular men who could have easily appeared in a sexy calendar, and Cole was at the top of the list. Maybe it was because he'd been the first one I'd seen that I'd become slightly infatuated with him. Once I'd looked into those ice-blue eyes, I'd felt something flare in my core. The incident that had occurred between us in bed that morning had only strengthened my attraction for him. Just thinking about his mouth on my nipples made them harden, and my sex clench.
"Well, good morning, honey."
Pulling my eyes from Holly and Sax, I followed the friendly tone to one of the men that I hadn’t yet met. He'd spotted me and was walking toward me, carrying a plate of food.
"Good morning," I returned, finding his easy smile contagious.
"Name's Bull." He held out his hand. "Wasn't here to meet you last night."
"That's okay." His hand swallowed mine. "I forgive you."
Like most men he towered over me, his bulk huge and easily threatening in the right circumstances. There was friendliness in his brown eyes, though, which were barely visible through the messy strands of his blonde hair. A ragged scar ran down the length of his left cheek, half-covered by a close-cut beard. The scar didn't take away from his rugged attractiveness.
"Bull!"
We both turned to where Cole had paused in the doorway. I gave him my brightest smile, showing him that I forgave him for what had happened that morning.
Cole gave a sharp nod before turning around and leaving again.
The asshole had totally ignored me!
"Guess I better see what he wants." Bull’s grin revealed a row of even, white teeth. "See you later."
I watched him leave, finishing my toast and coffee.
Chapter 8
Cole
"I DON'T TRUST HER."
Demon's brows shot up. "Fuck, brother, get right to the point.” He leaned back in his chair. "Why's that?"
I shrugged. "My gut tells me that she's hiding something. The real reason she's here."
"Fuck, you think she's a mole?" His expression hardened with anger.
"Fuck, no. I just think there's more to her story. I'm not buying the whole fucking obsessed boyfriend shit."
He stared at me for a minute as he thought it over. "Your gut?"
I nodded.
Demon knew that I was good at reading people. He knew that I was good at my job. I didn't want to think that there might be something more sinister going on with Raven, something that could put the MC in jeopardy, but instinct was telling me that it was a possibility. As enforcer I questioned things until I was satisfied. My club and my brothers’ safety were priority, above anything else I might want as a man.
And I wanted Raven, every fucking inch of her. After the sample I'd gotten that morning, I was hooked. Maybe that was the fucking problem, and why I was so determined to believe that she was hiding something. I wanted an excuse to keep her at arms’ length.
"You know what to do then."
I nodded. "Already asked Oz to check her out. I'm going to put Bull on her ass until I know for sure that she's not trouble." I ignored Demon’s smirk. He was fucking good at reading people, too. If he sensed my attraction to Raven, he was keeping it to himself. "In the meantime, she'll start cleaning the place up."
"You think that's wise? Letting her have access to the brothers’ rooms?"
I shrugged. "Figure it will take her some time to get the public areas cleaned, she can begin in the bar." I had no intention of letting her into our private rooms until I knew her story. I didn't think that she was a plant, but women were deceptive and good actresses, and it wouldn't be the first time a woman had infiltrated the club to snoop around.
"I'll leave you to handle it." He rose to his feet. "Keep me informed."
I got up with Demon and we left the room. Demon took a left toward his room, I took a right toward the bar. He'd just gotten in before church, looking worn and scruffy after a night spent at Crystal's Palace, sampling the product. For as long as I'd known Demon, he'd been a man whore, even when he’d been married to Julia. She'd been just as unfaithful to him, so it had been an equal match. When she’d asked for a divorce it had been sudden and unexpected, but Demon hadn't cared one way or another.
I entered the bar to see the club bitches sitting together at one of the tables, eating breakfast. They all looked tired and used up, and I knew that they'd had a rough night. Not that they complained. They loved the rowdy parties and the sex just as much as my brothers did. It was a way of having some harmless fun and letting off steam after a week of work and stressful shit. They lived full-time at the clubhouse, in an apartment at the back of the building. If I hadn’t thought that it might cause trouble, I would have set Raven up there with them.
Tamara shot me an air kiss when she noticed me walk into the room. I smirked, but didn't encourage her. She was becoming a real problem, and strangely enough, since Raven had come on the scene, I wasn't as eager for her specialties. I laughed internally at that. The woman liked giving head and preferred taking it up the ass. As much as I’d enjoyed her talent in the past few months, it had probably been a mistake to single her out.
LD, Tooly, and Reid were just coming out of the kitchen with their plates of food when I reached the doorway. I paused for a second, my gaze searching for and finding Raven at the back of the room with Holly, Sax, and Bull. It looked as if she and Bull was getting friendly, and something in me didn't like that. I’d been ready to assign him to keep eyes on her and follow her if she left the clubhouse, but seeing them together and how easily they interacted with each other caused me to re-think that decision.
She was wearing another tee, this one white with a low neckline and cutouts at the shoulders, revealing her smooth, tanned skin. The material clung to her full tits like a glove, revealing cleavage that I wanted to stick my tongue in, and I found myself grinding my teeth as I recalled our earlier interaction in my bed. She had the sweetest nipples I'd ever tasted, big and as hard as diamonds.
My gaze continued downward, appreciating the flare of her hips in her jeans and the way that the material clung to her thighs. I wanted to see what her ass looked like in those jeans, and then without them. I imaged what those legs would feel like wrapped tight around my waist while I fucked her, my hands clenching into the globes of her butt to hold her closer. Shit. I was getting a hard-on just looking at her, watching her like a fucking stalker.
"Bull!" I barked, loud enough for my voice to carry across the room.
I got the attention of both him and Raven. The smile that she shot my way caused my gut to clench at the innocent beauty of her. Ignoring her was harder than I’d thought it would be, but I convinced myself that it was a survival tactic that had to be done in the event that I would later have to do something I didn't want to. I motioned for Bull and stepped back inside the bar to wait for him.
Once again, Tamara caught my eye, her look clearly revealing that she was eager and available. I thought about taking her into the restroom and letting her suck me off to relieve the tension that was thrumming through me. Hell, I could get her to do it right here, but it would only be a temporary relief, and a poor substitute for what I really wanted.
"Yeah, brother?" Bull questioned as he followed me to the bar.
"Got a job for you."
He placed his plate on the bar as we sat, turning to me expectantly.
"I want you on Raven." His big grin told me that he'd taken my request literally. "Not like that, asshole," I sneered. "From here on out she's your sister, you got that?" I didn't want to have to worry about them fucking.
He released an unhappy sigh, knowing what that meant. "Got it."
"Think of it as protection detail. Wherever she goes, you go. Until I find out more about her, we treat her with suspicion." Bull's look turned serious. Good. He knew this was important, and I knew that I could trust him. "There's an empty room next to yours, set her up in there." I'd just made that decision, realizing that I needed to keep my distance from Raven. Having her in my room and my bed had been a big fucking mistake.
"Where is she staying now?" he asked around a mouthful.
"She slept in my room last night."
His expression turned thoughtful and inquisitive. I wasn't about to elaborate further, it was none of his fucking business.
"She makes no phone calls out of ear shot." Fuck, I was slipping. I realized that I hadn't even asked if she had a phone on her.
"Is she free to move around?"
I thought for a moment. If I had my way, I would lock her up until I was sure we could trust her, but I didn't want her questioning our actions when she was just supposed to be a working guest here. "Yeah." I had a feeling that a trip into Boulder City was on the radar, if what Sax had said about the conversation Raven had had with Holly about going there was true. "Your job is to provide protection if she asks for it."
Bull acknowledged with a nod, chewing on a strip of bacon.
"She's on cleaning duty, five hours a day. She can start out here in the bar."
"You going to tell her what's going on?" He slurped his coffee as if he were a little kid.
"Nope." I don’t want anything to do with her, I lied to myself. "She's all yours, brother."
Bull stared at me, his brown eyes searching for something I didn't want him to see. I could tell that he had something on his mind. It was killing him to remain silent. "Say it."
He snorted. "Only if you promise not to deck me."
"Go ahead. What are you dying to know?"
He took a breath. "What happens if we realize we’re both into each other? Not saying it will happen, but we are both free adults. Shit happens."
I glared at him. "You've done protective detail before."
"Yeah, but that was usually on someone that someone else wanted. I knew enough not to overstep my bounds." He shrugged with a grin.
I knew what he was asking, I could tell that he was pleased with himself for putting me into a position in which I would have to commit one way or another. I continued to glare at him, hoping that he drew his own conclusion and made the smart decision to back the fuck off. I was suddenly glad that I hadn't promised not to deck him, because that was exactly what I felt like doing. Only he wasn't backing off. I growled and ran a hand through my hair.
"You watch her, you protect her, and you keep your fucking hands off her."
That was the only thing I was going to say on the subject.
RAVEN
OH MY GOD, I WAS EXHAUSTED! Five hours of scrubbing and polishing every surface in the bar, sweeping and mopping the floors—twice—had been a disgusting chore. I didn't care if the place reeked of bleach and cleaning products, it was better than the stale beer, vomit, and whatever other bodily fluids that had stained the stone, dirt-colored floor before I’d scrubbed it away. I was thankful that I hadn’t had to get down on my hands and knees, but once I'd started stirring up the filth, the smells had become nauseating. I'd seen some of the sexual activity that had gone on the night before, most of which had consisted of the club girls on their knees. Yuck!
By the end of my shift it felt as if the distasteful wince on my face was permanent. I looked around the room, realizing that I still had a lot to do before it would be clean enough for me. The windows were filmy with nicotine, as had been just about everything else that I'd cleaned so far. The mirror that covered one entire wall behind the bar and the bottles of booze also needed to be cleaned, but at least I'd finished the main things like the tables, chairs, and floors. I'd also polished the chrome foot bar along the bottom of the bar, the only thing that actually spoke to the work that I'd done now that it was shiny again.
I wondered how long that would last.
As I’d worked, I'd been aware that I had an audience. Bull had informed me earlier that he’d been assigned to watch over me. He'd said that it was for protection, but I wondered if that was the truth. I was there to get the club’s protection, but surely they didn't expect my so-called ex-boyfriend to hunt me down and try anything while I was in the clubhouse. Bull took his job seriously though, and followed me everywhere but into the restroom.
