CHAPTER SEVEN
MASON
My feet have worn out the linoleum flooring of her kitchen by the time there’s a knock at her door. Straightening my shoulders, I follow her into the living room and stand there, waiting to greet Hydro and Ella. Mane escorts them into the room and we all take a seat. I’m not sure how to begin this conversation so I wait for Hydro to lead.
“Is this about what we discussed this morning, Mason?” Hydro asks, his full attention on me.
“In a way, it is. There are things about me that I think you should know. There are reasons I didn’t give you an immediate answer,” I admit.
“Outside of wanting to discuss it with your future old lady?” Hydro questions, his brows drawn in.
“I did want to do that,” I point out, not wanting him to think I lied to him in any fashion. “What I do concerns her since we’re building a future together.” Mane has a twinkle in her eyes when I tell Hydro that.
It’s the damn truth.
Anything that concerns me is her business and she should have a say in it. She and I are a team, I’m not the sort of man who believes that a woman should follow her man’s law and does as he says without any questions. We’re in this together, everything is split equally—fifty-fifty.
“That’s admirable and I respect that. Talk to me, I can’t help you muddle through without knowing what the issue is,” Hydro requests.
“I grew up in a religious family,” I begin. “Not quite fanatical, but there are certain things I believe in that clash with the club lifestyle.”
It’s important to me that they don’t think I’m judging any of them for the lifestyle they’re used to. I just need Hydro to understand who I am, as a man and a prospective brother. There’s absolutely no way I could ever engage in public sex with a strange woman. Even without my upbringing, that’s not who I am as a person.
“I think I see the problem,” Ella interjects. “It’s the women and the free show they give, right?”
Mane snorts and adds, “I think they search out shit online so they can ‘impress’ the single brothers. I’m never gonna judge what someone else does, but they act like they have zero respect for themselves, much less anyone else, you know?”
“These girls need something, and for some damn reason, the brothers provide that for them,” Hydro excuses.
“It’s a problem for me,” I confess. “I wanted to scrub my skin raw last night after I walked Mane to her car and came into the clubhouse. It was a free for all, and it made me feel… uneasy.”
“I can see where you’re coming from,” Hydro states. “It took some getting used to for me the first time I ever visited. After a while, it’s background, and eventually, you won’t even notice.”
“That’s something I’m not sure I want to get used to, Hydro.” I feel the need to be honest here. “It goes against everything I stand for. It’s why I don’t think I’ll be a good fit as a brother.”
“What could we do to make that go away?” Hydro asks. The fact that he’s willing to help me figure out a way to feel easier says a lot about him as a man and a leader.
“I’m not sure there’s anything you could do,” I honestly answer.
“I think there is,” Ella professes. “What if we do what the other club did?”
“What did they do?” I ask, my interest piqued.
“They put a double wide at the back of the property and anything sexual always takes place there. That way, we’re not insinuating they can’t live the life they signed up for, but it’s not in your face.” Ella’s suggestion has some merit, but again, I feel like there are going to be some hard feelings toward that change.
“The men wouldn’t be happy about changing things up so I could fit in,” I say, sighing in frustration.
“Actually,” Hydro says, sitting up straighter. “I’ve been doing something like that. There’s too much drama happening in the clubhouse and most of it centers around the bunnies. I’d love to go to the kitchen for a cup of coffee without seeing one of my brothers receiving a blowjob.”
“If you’ve been thinking about doing that, why hasn’t it been brought up during church?” Ella asks her old man.
“Because I’ve been taking a mental poll about how the votes would swing. I’ve been approaching the brothers individually to get their take on it,” Hydro justifies.
“And what’s the consensus?” Mane asks, suddenly enraptured with what his answer will be.
“I’m thinking it’d pass. We aren’t the only ones growing tired of the shit. Some of the brothers are looking to settle down and find old ladies of their own,” Hydro tells us. “Which means eventually, there’ll be kids running around. While I’m all about education, not feeling it about having to explain to my own child why their Uncle Bruiser had someone sucking on him while he was trying to eat his Cheerios.”
He’s right about the ‘education’ portion of his statement. Health class is one thing but sex ed is on a spectrum all of its own.
Both Mane and Ella burst out laughing, while I chuckle at the visual Hydro’s just given all of us. “So, you think it might pass?” I ask, now hopeful that I can become part of the brotherhood after all.
“Yeah, I do,” Hydro replies. “I’ll bring it up at our next church. I’m sure you’ll know pretty quickly how the vote went, too, because the bunnies are always vocal about shit.”
“Maybe they need a reminder about their place in the club,” Ella states. “They’re getting room and board, as well as spending money to be available to the brothers. They’re also supposed to be keeping the common room and kitchen clean, but that’s not happening, Hydro. You know with us living there it’s my home too and I shouldn’t have to wash dishes just to be able to pour a damn cup of coffee. Something’s gotta give.”
“What if you hired a cleaning crew? They’d have to be vetted of course, but maybe it would show the bunnies what things should look like. I know y’all have prospects, but they normally run the bar, which is spotless by the way, clean y’all’s bikes, and do alcohol runs,” Mane adds.
“I’ll advise that we do a weekly check of their accommodations. There’s also something else that’s fixing to happen that I’m afraid you’re going to have an issue with Mason. I need to know how to get around that so you don’t run for the hills,” Hydro states, looking a tad uncomfortable.
“Shit,” Ella mumbles. “He’s gonna freak.”
“Just tell me,” I sigh. “If we could come up with a way around the bunnies being active in the clubhouse, surely we could figure out something about whatever it is that has you both freaking out.”
“Initiation,” Mane squeaks out. “Damn, I forgot about that. It makes my skin crawl so I know it’ll do the same with Mason.”
“Initiation? Why does that word give me the chills?” I ask, all types of scenarios running through my mind then, as if a switch was turned on, I understand what they’re implying. “Like hookers!”
“Kinda,” Ella says, waving her hand from side to side. “They try out for the part, and if they get so many votes, they’re in.”
“Try out?” I sputter, appalled. “This isn’t a cheerleader trying to make the team. For fuck’s sake, who comes up with that sort of thing?”
“It’s been passed down since the beginning,” Mane explains, her face turning pale. “It’s disgusting.”
“It’s gross,” Ella adds.
“It’s tradition,” Hydro validates. “When I took on the role of president, there were some things that are in the bylaws that I couldn’t change, and that’s one of them.”
“Pops needs a swift kick in his ass for approving that when they made the bylaws,” Mane spits out. “What was he thinking? I’m sure Ma didn’t approve of that.”
“I bet there was a war in their house when she found that out. I bet Ma put Pops on the couch after she learned that,” Ella laughs.
“So, because it’s in the club bylaws it can’t be changed,” I muse out loud. “Ever? Like, I’m sure there are things that have evolved over the years, so they’re no longer done the way they always were, right? Why can’t bylaws be amended?”
Hydro stares at me as if a lightbulb has suddenly gone off in his head. “The bylaws are from the original chapter,” he slowly says as if he’s thinking out loud, “and we’re a completely different location, so I’m going to go back over the books to see if I missed something that’d let me make changes. With us being the next generation, why can’t we switch shit up? The same issues that were present back when Pops started the club aren’t there any longer.”
“It’s a start,” Mane mulls. “And since you not only adopted the DreamCatchers but also the organization, I’m sure there are things you can amend. If you need any help, Hydro, let me know.”
“Nothing is going to happen overnight,” Hydro warns. “But I’m going to start putting some feelers out and get suggestions from my officers. They’re the main ones who have concerns with things they don’t approve of being brought into the fold. They want change and this would be my opportunity to shake things up.”
“Who’s to say that some of our dads and uncles aren’t waiting for us to make these changes? Move away from the obvious misogyny that the club was founded on? Most of them were single when the club was formed, so of course they’d want access to easy pussy,” Ella states.
I feel myself cringing at what she says, because for her, growing up in this lifestyle, it just is what it is, but for me, it’s too blasé, and I know that unless changes can be made, I won’t be a part of the club. Sure, I’ll work at Kings, and with Ella being a club princess to the original chapter, we’ll be at the clubhouse for family events, but the brotherhood I crave won’t be available to me.
Then I ask a question I wish I never did because the answer is unfathomable to me.
Clearing my throat, I query, “Why do we need to have this initiation anyhow?”