Page 16 of Georgie (Sons of Hell MC #10)

Josie

The town of Rosewood was abuzz, and for once, the gossip mill had nothing to do with me.

Well, not directly anyway. You see, the last time the town was this riled up, it was because George had carried me out of Beth’s coffee shop after I left him stranded in his own bed alone.

Let’s just say he didn’t like that one bit and then proceeded to show me exactly how he felt.

After that, the good folks of Rosewood hadn’t let me live it down.

But now, they had a new source of entertainment: the awakening of Calvin ‘Trip’ Hall from his coma.

I’d admit, I was curious about this Trip character.

I’d never met him, but the tales I’d heard made him out to be quite the character.

Apparently, he was known for his larger-than-life personality and his penchant for trouble.

But despite my intrigue, I had no desire to be the center of attention, so I kept myself busy with the ski lodge and the upcoming wedding of my dad and LeeAnn.

Not that I was really doing anything to help with that matter. LeeAnn had that fiasco well in hand and barring any last-minute interruptions, the wedding was still a go.

So, while everyone enjoyed the merriment, I kept myself busy with the daily running of the ski lodge and making sure I was out of sight. Mainly, I was sitting on my ass and pining about my own romantic blunder.

Yes. I knew I’d messed up when I told George we should stay friends.

Was that what I really wanted?

Nope.

In a moment of post-orgasmic haze, I had suggested we just be friends.

Friends!

What was I thinking?

It was clear as day that I wanted more, but how could I take it back now?

I couldn’t exactly blame my sudden change of heart on brain fry from too much pleasure.

It wasn’t like I could walk up to George and say, ‘my bad! The orgasms overloaded my circuits and fried my brain. I didn’t know what I was saying. ’

Or could I?

Shaking off the thought, I tried to concentrate on the pile of invoices before me when my office door slammed open.

“You stupid bitch!”

Blinking, I stuttered as Devlyn marched her ass into my office, along with Morgan and Bailey, who plopped her ass in a chair and glared at me.

“Excuse me?” I gulped, looking at the women before me.

“And after everything we’ve been through.” Bailey grinned, shaking her head. Her eyes glittering with mischief as she hinted at the incident that was strictly never to be mentioned again.

Before I could respond, Devlyn snarked, “Josie. What the hell were you thinking? You finally get a real guy and you let him slip through your fingers?”

“Seriously, Jo,” Morgan groaned, sitting on the edge of my desk. “You’ve been dreaming of Dr. Feelgood for months. What the hell happened?”

I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, feeling my face flush under their scrutiny.

“It’s not like that—” I started, but Devlyn cut me off.

“Then what is it like, Josie? You’ve been pining after George for ages, and now you’ve friend-zoned him? Again! What gives?”

I bit my lip, unsure how to explain my mixed-up feelings. “I just... I don’t know, I panicked.”

Devlyn rolled her eyes and groaned, “She panicked.”

“Told ya it was something stupid.” Bailey chuckled.

The women weren’t wrong. I had been a fool to friend-zone him again, but the words had tumbled out of my mouth before I could stop them. Now, I was left with the aftermath—my friends’ disappointment and my own confusing desires.

“I don’t know,” I mumbled, feeling my face grow hotter. “I just freaked out, I guess. With everything going on, then Freddie showing up, it was all too much.”

Devlyn sighed, rolling her eyes again. “Josie, you need to swallow that dick and fix this. Go talk to him; explain what you really want.”

“But what if he doesn’t feel the same?” I asked, my heart sinking at the thought.

Bailey waved my concerns away. “Please. He’s a man. Throw on something sexy. He’ll forgive you, especially if you apologize with a little hot monkey sex, which I know you two are more than capable of.”

“What the hell is she talking about?” Morgan asked, looking from Bailey to me.

“Nothing!” I blurted out, narrowing my eyes at the evil woman who smiled innocently.

“The club is throwing a barbeque tonight. George is required to be there. Why don’t you stop by, have a few beers and explain to Dr. Feelgood that you want a do-over.”

I sighed, knowing they were right. I had to face George eventually, and the barbeque provided the perfect opportunity.

“Fine,” I conceded. “I’ll go to the clubhouse tonight and talk to him.”

Dev and Morgan whooped and high-fived each other, already planning my outfit and speech.

I couldn’t help but smile at their enthusiasm.

“But I’m not wearing something sexy,” I added, causing their celebrations to halt momentarily. “I’ll wear something casual, and as for the speech, I’ll wing it.”

They groaned.

As evening descended, I found myself standing in front of my closet, pondering over my outfit choice.

Casual could mean so many things, from jeans and a tee to a sundress.

I decided on a simple, yet flattering blouse paired with comfortable jeans—an ensemble that said, “ I’m here to talk ,” without screaming, “ I wanna ride your cock off into the sunset .”

Thinking better of it, I unbuttoned the top two buttons of my blouse. After checking my hair and makeup for the umpteenth time, I left my room only to hear my dad and Romeo whistle.

“Someone’s got a hot date!” Rome smirked, wiggling his eyebrows.

My dad winked and said, “Go get ‘em, tiger.”

Blinking, I looked up at the man and snarked, “That’s it? Go get ‘em, tiger? What about... he breaks my heart and you’ll avenge me?”

Dad shrugged, slapping Rome on the back. “I’m getting married in two weeks. Not risking a black eye ’cause you chickened out. Besides, if he breaks your heart, tell Rome. He will take care of it.”

Rolling my eyes, I grabbed my coat and muttered, “Some dad you are.”

The ride up Rosewood Mountain was beautiful at night.

The stars shined brightly, and the moon glowed.

While it looked to be a perfect night for a barbeque, my nerves were at an all-time high.

I’d never been to the Sons of Hell clubhouse, and while the club had been a staple in Rosewood since the early fifties, I was going to my first ever biker celebration.

I’d read plenty of stories of how bikers partied, and while I would never begrudge anyone their fun, I was a little leery.

Still, I figured how bad could it be if George was part of the club.

It wasn’t like there were constant fights and drama, right?

As I pulled up to the clubhouse, my heart was pounding in my chest. The place was buzzing with activity, the sound of music and laughter spilling out into the night.

I took a deep breath and made my way toward the noise, immediately feeling out of place.

Everywhere I looked tall, tattooed men and women in leather, along with some men dressed in finely tailored suits, laughed and enjoyed the crisp cool night, and I suddenly wished I’d taken Bailey’s advice and worn something sexier.

I spotted George across the yard, deep in conversation with a group of guys.

My stomach did a flip, and I felt a rush of nerves.

What if he didn’t want to talk to me?

What if he was still angry about what happened?

As I wove my way through the crowd, George looked up, and our eyes met. For a moment, I saw a flash of something in his eyes—anger, hurt?—before it was quickly replaced with a neutral expression.

“Josie,” he said, his voice carefully even. “What the hell are you doing here?”

The guys he was talking to looked at me with interest, and I felt my face flush.

“I, um, I wanted to talk to you,” I stammered.

George raised an eyebrow as a loud scream permeated the air. “GEORGIE!”

Instantly, the music died and everyone turned.

Running toward us was a sobbing young girl, no older than sixteen, possibly seventeen. Racing toward her, George growled, “Fiona, what happened?”

Before the young girl could say a word, I heard Bailey growl, “Oh fuck, yes. Tonight is going to be lit!” as several women got to their feet.

“Cupcake,” King groaned, and Bailey held up her hand, silencing him as she walked past.

“Fuck, you can’t be this stupid, Marlene,” Bailey sneered while she stood in front of Georgie and the young girl, glaring at the scantily dressed woman before her.

Never in my life had I ever seen a woman dressed so provocatively. I mean, the woman barely had on any clothes. Her boobs were damn near busting out of her top and if she bent over, I could see right up her main street!

Wasn’t she cold?

“That little bitch hit my car, then took off. She’s gonna pay for damages if I have to beat it out of her.”

“That right, Fiona?” Bailey asked. “You hit Marlene’s piece-of-shit car?”

“No, Bailey, I swear it wasn’t me.”

“Bitch is lying,” the woman seethed. “Got it all on camera. She hit my car and fled the scene.”

“Call her a bitch one more time,” a pretty blonde woman clapped back. “And see what happens next.”

“You tell her, Sis.” Jessica smirked as she punched her palm with her other hand while the rest of the woman surrounded the three newcomers.

“Fuck you. You think I’m stupid to come here alone?” the woman snarked as five more scantily dressed women walked up to stand behind her. “I brought friends this time, whore.”

I didn’t know what was happening, as Dr. Claudia James walked over to stand beside me. “You picked a good night to visit the clubhouse, Josephine.”

“I’m not so sure,” I muttered, just as one of the newcomers winked and blew a kiss. “Remember me, whore? It’s payback time.”

Now that apparently pissed off one of the other women because, within a split second, she tackled the woman to the ground and started beating the hell out of her.

I stood there in shock watching the fight, and that was when I saw the knife.

I gasped.

The next thing I knew, a man in a suit knocked the woman with the knife away and knelt beside the injured woman.

“Shit!” I clearly heard George yell as he scanned the area. Finding me again, he shouted, “Josie! Get my sister out of here!”

Shoving the teenager my way, I rushed over to her, wrapping my arms around the frightened girl, when I heard Claudia yell, “Someone go get my medical bag!”

As total chaos ensued, I rushed Fiona toward my car when Frank, George’s brother, stopped me. “Josie. Get my sister out of here. Don’t leave her sight.”

“I won’t,” I muttered just as someone shouted, “LOCK DOWN THE CLUBHOUSE!”