Page 19

As much as I tried not to sweat whether the family would drop the lawsuit and rescind the restraining orders, it was all for nothing. They pushed it to today, their due date, but when the paperwork was delivered showing that both had been handled, I’d been so relieved. I dropped by the diner to let Annie and Gareth know. Then, I went to the office of Iron’s Rehab to tell Tinker the news. I knew a text would probably suffice, but I wanted to see him.

Llora greeted me warmly and told me to go back to his office. As I made my way there, I inhaled the smell of fresh wood in the main work area. I loved the scent. It reminded me of Tinker. It was a faint smell that clung to him even after a shower. When I reached his door, I saw it was open. Peeking around the corner, in case he was on the phone or not alone, although I didn’t hear him talking, I saw him with his head down, staring at his computer. I knocked lightly. His head came up, and his frown changed to a smile.

“Hello, babe, this is a surprise. Come in. What brings you here? Not that I don’t love seeing you,” he said as he stood up. He came to meet me. I watched him reach out and snag the door, pushing it shut before he took me in his arms and kissed me. I enthusiastically kissed him back. He let a growl rumble out when I broke it.

“Come back here,” he grumbled.

“Hey, it’s the middle of your workday, and we can’t be having sex in your office. I came to tell you the good news.”

“Your good news better be you’re kidding about no sex in the office.”

I laughed as I patted his chest. “Well, it’s not. I came to let you know that my family did what they promised. I received the paperwork showing they dropped the suit and the orders. We’re in the clear.”

“About goddamn time. They waited until the last minute to do it. I’ll let Spawn know to gather anything new he found and compile it, and then he can release it to whoever will ensure justice. He’ll know which ones are cronies of your uncle and aunt. We don’t want them to get their hands on it and hide it.”

“I’ll leave that up to you. Mind if I ask if everything is okay?”

“Why do you ask? Why wouldn’t it be?”

“You were frowning when I came in. I won’t keep you. I know you have a lot to do.” I tried to step away from him, but he held me fast.

“I don’t want to get rid of you. It was those damn spreadsheets. I’m double-checking the accounts and making sure they’re accurate before church next week. It’ll be time to report off on the finances of the businesses.”

“I thought you liked being treasurer?”

“I do, and I love investing for the club and individuals, but I’m always worried. What if I overlook something? Hence, the double-check.”

“If it’s not strictly club business, I’d be willing to be your second set of eyes. I can’t help you make investing decisions, but I can see if the numbers total accurately or not.”

“Are you sure? I’d love someone to check over them. Reaper does, but I want to make sure it goes to him clean so he doesn’t have to do more than scan and be done. He has more than enough on his plate. He has his hands full between running the club as a whole and overseeing Punishers’ Lager. Maniac helps, but still.”

“But Maniac oversees the car wash. That’s a lot for him to deal with, too. I can’t really do anything until the studio is done. I’ve ordered all I can. I’d be happy to do it, and even after the studio is up and running, I’ll help if you want. I thought you’d have Lash assist you.”

“He does when it comes to here, but not the other businesses.”

“How did you end up becoming the treasurer?” I asked as he led me to his seat and pushed me down in front of his computer.

“It all started when Reaper asked if anyone was good with numbers and spreadsheets. I raised my hand. The next thing I knew, after he asked some questions, was that I was being voted on to be the treasurer. Our old one had retired and left the club. He couldn’t ride anymore. Once I was named treasurer, I began to study the investing part and found I had a knack for it and liked doing it. Fast forward, and here we are. Thank you for doing this, baby.”

“You’re welcome. I can sit somewhere else if you need to work on your computer.”

“Nope, you stay there. I’ll have a seat over here. I’ve got my laptop. I can work from it.”

The afternoon flew by. Occasionally, we’d say something, or I’d have to clarify details with him. I was impressed with the amount the club was making in the various businesses. All of them did very well, but there was one that outperformed the others. I shouldn’t be surprised. It was the strip club. I hadn’t heard it talked about other than the brief mention by Tinker when his dad was here, and I admit, I was curious.

“Honey, can I ask you about Punisher’s Eden?” I asked.

“You can. What about it?”

“I see that it does extremely well. I guess sex sells. What made you guys decide to start that particular business? Or did you buy it since you guys were there so much?” I winked at him as I said it.

He chuckled. “We did go there. I won’t lie. We’re men and like to see naked women. Those of us with old ladies won’t go to see them dance, but I will be there at times. I want you to know it’ll be purely for work purposes, not to check out the dancers.”

“Why would you need to do that?”

“They might require us to take turns providing security. We have hired help to do it, but if they call off or there’s an issue and they need extra hands, we take turns doing it. Mayhem oversees it for the club, and Ratchet, Sandman, and Riot work there, but they can’t always be the only ones. Is that going to be an issue for you? I swear, you’re the only woman I want.”

“No, it won’t be an issue. It’s part of your responsibility to the club. However, I do have a question.”

“Shoot.”

“Would it be possible for me to go and see what it’s like? I’ve always been curious to see a strip club. I’d never be able to do what those women do, but I’d like to see them once. Do the other old ladies go?”

He gave me a surprised, though pleased look. “I’ve heard that they’ve all been there at least once with their men. I have no problem taking you. While you may not see yourself doing it, most of the women are nice, and many do it to take care of their families or pay for school. There are some who simply love to dance and flaunt their bodies. I’ll warn you that there are those who think we offer more than stripping. Since we’re an MC, they think the women also provide sex. I’m here to say that’s not true and never has been. We acquired the strip club when the previous owner was trying to force the dancers to become prostitutes for him. When we heard about it, we showed him the error of his ways and sent him packing. We didn’t want someone else to come along and try the same thing, so we bought it. We pride ourselves on providing a clean and safe place for them to dance and make a living. They know they can come to us if they have a problem.”

His explanation made me even prouder of him and the club. They might be rough around the edges and not always do everything within the confines of the law, but they had reasons when they didn’t. I got up and went over to him. He scooted his chair away from the table so I could sit on his lap.

“I’d love to see it. Maybe I could get the other old ladies to come with me, and we’d make it a ladies’ night out.”

“Ask them. I’m sure they’d love to go. And I know if you ask Annie, she will, too.”

Thrilled with the idea of going, I couldn’t wait to get home and have a talk with the women. We’d most likely be at the clubhouse tonight while the men were in church. I’d ask them then. I kissed him before I got back to work.

I was right. All the ladies were at the clubhouse. We gathered together to chat and cuddle the babies. Arya, Lily, and Flynn were more interested in playing than cuddling, so we let them have their fun. Devlin was at the bar, and Dravin kept coming in and out. They were restocking it.

After Alisse shared her story about a patient she had to deal with at work, I told them the good news about my family. What we were doing to them wasn’t a secret from the women. Knowing there was no better time, I asked about the strip club.

“I have a question. And if you’re not interested, please don’t be afraid to say so.” I paused.

“Okay, well, out with it. What’s your question? You should know by now. We speak our minds,” Kimera said. The others all grinned and nodded.

“I want to go to Punisher’s Eden. I’ve never been to a strip club, and I’m curious. I wondered if any of you would like to go along, and we’d make it a ladies’ night. I know you’ve probably been there, so if you don’t want to go, that’s fine.”

The squeals of excitement and chatter were almost deafening. From their looks and sounds of them, all five of the women were on board with the idea. I waited for them to calm down before continuing.

“Tinker told me how the club acquired it. I think that’s sweet. I’d like to see what happens there.”

“It was sweet of them. They don’t like women or kids being harmed. I’ve gone once. I’ll warn you: while most of the dancers seem nice, there are a few who would do anything to get their hands on a biker. It’s probably a good idea to remind them which guys are taken. Tinker is newly claimed, so I doubt they know he’s hands off,” Alisse stated.

“More women to warn away. Maybe I should tattoo my name on his forehead,” I muttered.

My muttering caused them to laugh harder. We talked about what they’d seen there for the next twenty minutes and when we should go. By the time the guys came out of church, it was settled. We’d go in two weeks on Saturday night. That would give them time to get Becca to babysit the kids and all of us to shop for new outfits if desired. I could barely contain my excitement when the guys joined us, and we told them the plan.

The intervening days until our girls’ night out passed in a flash. I was busy with the studio getting close to being done, putting it together, and planning our wedding. Tinker was all for us getting everything arranged so we could get married as soon as possible. At the rate we were going, we’d be married well before the January deadline he gave me. We had the venue, DJ, florist, and caterer locked in. No shock that Gareth and Annie insisted on catering it. The biggest part, my dress, would be next week. I was going shopping with Annie for my gown. She’d found a shop in Asheville, North Carolina, that she was positive would have the dress of my dreams.

As I finished dressing for our night at the strip club, I wondered what Tinker would think of my outfit. Each of us ended up buying a new ensemble. Men wouldn’t understand our need, but we did. As much as we knew that our men loved us and appreciated our bodies, going up against strippers had us wanting to look and feel our sexiest. It was a woman thing.

In my case, I’d chosen a form-fitting scoop-necked dress with short sleeves. The dress was an emerald green, which made my red hair pop. It came down to mid-thigh, and you could see the tops of my breasts. In the back, it was cut into a V. Many would pair it with sexy high heels. In my case, I chose a pair of black, four-inch heeled boots that came up over my knees. They molded my legs and allowed about five inches of bare upper leg to show.

I’d curled my hair and left it down in large, voluminous curls. The barest hint of color to my cheeks offset the bold eye makeup and glossy red lipstick I applied. The lipstick was one that wouldn’t smudge or transfer and would last all night. I loved lipstick but hated to have to keep reapplying it all the time. The finishing touches were an emerald and rhinestone choker necklace and chandelier earrings.

Tinker had left me to get ready alone. I told him I wanted to surprise him. He showered and dressed in the guest bedroom. The men had decided to accompany us. They swore they wouldn’t interfere with our fun but refused to allow us to go there without them. They said they didn’t want us to cause a riot. Cheyenne said what we all knew. They didn’t want anyone touching or bothering us, even though they knew the club had security and we could take care of ourselves.

The six of us were to be driven by one of the prospects in a large SUV with seating for seven. The guys were riding their bikes. Annie and Gareth said they’d drive themselves. The men knew we wouldn’t want our hair blown to bits and couldn’t ride in dresses. Plus, it would allow us to drink and not worry about being sober enough to be on their bikes.

We were all meeting at the clubhouse and leaving together. A knock on the bedroom door made me startle. “Haven, are you ready? It’s about time to head over and meet the others,” Tinker called through the door.

Taking a deep breath, I called out. “Come in. I’m ready.”

The door swung open, and Tinker came striding in. When he saw me, he froze. I nervously waited for him to say something. His gaze scanned me from head to toe. He was moving his eyes back up my body when I burst out, “Well, how do I look? Is this okay?”

When his eyes met mine, I gulped. I was used to him desiring me, but I swear, the fire in them this time was more than ever. “You can’t wear that,” he said gruffly.

I was taken aback. “Why not?”

“I won’t get a minute of peace tonight. I’ll have to stand guard with my gun out all night to keep the horny fuckers away. Do you want me to kill someone?”

I chuckled. “You had me going there for a minute. I thought I’d have to find something else to wear. If that’s it, I’m ready.” I picked up the small purse I was taking with me. In a blink, he was to me with his arms around me. He pressed his rapidly growing erection into me.

“I wasn’t joking. Fuck, if I have to do this, I need a kiss. Please tell me you can get that lipstick off my mouth before we go.”

“It’s smudge and transfer safe. Your mouth will be fine.” I barely assured him before he was hungrily kissing me. He was careful not to touch my hair. When he finally let go, I was gasping. He smirked.

“That’s better. Let’s get our cuts on, and then we can go. Make sure you never go anywhere alone. I don’t want anyone to bother you.”

“I remember the rules. I need to check my makeup first.”

A quick look in the mirror showed that all was good. I took his arm. He led me to the door, where our cuts hung. I knew the rule. When outside the compound, even dressed for a night out, the ladies were to wear their property cuts. He explained it was for our protection. I had no problem with it.

Tinker had taken his bike to the clubhouse and parked it out front earlier. He wanted to drive me over, but I assured him I was able to walk that far. Even though my boots had heels, they were comfortable. As we made our way there, I grew excited to see how the others would look. No one was outside when we arrived and opened the door. Walking inside into a boisterous group of voices made me smile.

Whistles burst forth from the guys. I was greeted and told how great I looked. Based on the other women’s smiles, they’d been told the same. The men gave us a few minutes to admire each other and say how good each of us looked before we were rounded up and hustled out to the SUV. The kids were already with Becca in their playroom. Their parents had already said goodbye. Dravin came driving up in the SUV. That meant Devlin was the one remaining behind in case Becca or the kids needed anything. Our men helped us in before getting on their bikes and starting them. The loud roar of pipes was deafening yet made me shiver.

The strip club was on the outskirts of Bristol. It didn’t take long to get there. Even though it wasn’t fully dark, the parking lot was rather full. I guess I thought the customers wouldn’t come until after dark, which was silly. Tinker had told me they opened at five o’clock. Why open that early if people didn’t come? It was eight in the evening. As we pulled into the parking lot, I noted there was a large area reserved for bikes. Next to it was a spot marked reserved as well. They were off to one side of the entrance. Dravin parked there.

We waited for the guys to park their bikes and come to open our doors. To do otherwise would upset them. Each of us exited the vehicle on the arm of our man. A few of the single guys went ahead of us while the rest brought up the rear. Entering the club, the first thing we saw was a large bouncer. He nodded his head and greeted the men. When his gaze landed on us, he groaned.

“Damn, you’re going to make me work for my pay tonight. Just keep the bloodshed to a minimum. The boss hates it when it stains the floor.” As he said it, he winked at a grinning Mayhem. “Ladies, welcome to Eden. I’m Joaquín,” he went on to say.

“Don’t get any ideas about flirting. You can be the source of the blood,” Mayhem joked.

Our guys took a minute to introduce us to Joaquín. I was all into Tinker, but I’d bet the dancers and female patrons undoubtedly flirted with the bouncer. Joaquín was a tall, fit Hispanic male in his early thirties. Tinker had told me that quite a few women enjoyed coming to the club. He had to be a reason.

We were escorted further into the club as soon as the introductions were done. The lighting was low. Music was playing, although no one was on the stage. Most of the tables and booths were full. A bar was off to one side, and I saw waitresses walking back and forth, placing or picking up drink orders. They were dressed in sexy outfits, but all the important bits were covered.

There was so much to see that I didn’t know where to look first. We were guided through the tables, which garnered our group a lot of looks. When we got past them, I saw we were headed for a table close to the stage. Gareth and Annie were sitting there, waiting for us. She jumped up and ran over to us. We hugged and complimented her on her outfit while she did the same. My uncle spoke to the guys. After pulling out chairs and getting us seated, the men left us to enjoy ourselves. They took up spots along the walls and at a couple of booths not too far away.

Annie giggled. “How long do you think they’ll be able to stay that far away? I bet less than an hour. As soon as they catch other men checking you out, they’ll be over here staking a claim to you, even though anyone with eyes knows it. Their names are on your backs,” she teased.

“True, but you know how they are. I say half an hour,” Cheyenne stated.

This got each of us to place our bets. The buy-in was twenty bucks. We barely got that finalized when a waitress came sashaying up to us.

“Hello, ladies. I’m Rebeka. I’ll be your waitress tonight. What can I get you to drink?” She patiently waited while we debated our selections and gave them to her. As she went to place the order, each of us took money out of our purses for her tip. Earlier today, Tinker had insisted on giving me cash for tips for this very reason. The club didn’t pay for drinks, but they made sure the staff was taken care of.

It wasn’t long before we had our drinks in hand and were laughing and talking away until the first act was introduced. When that occurred, we quieted down and paid attention. I had to admit each woman who came out was different. They were different shapes, sizes, and heights. Their costumes were bright and sexy. The music they chose was unique to each dancer. I found myself really enjoying them. And I found myself wanting to learn to move the way they did. I thought it would be hot to come up with a dance routine that I could perform for Tinker at home.

What surprised me was not every dancer took everything off. They all kept on a G-string, but while many bared their chest, a couple didn’t. It didn’t seem to upset the customers or affect their tips. When I mentioned it, Annie explained that some of them weren’t comfortable doing it, and the guys didn’t make them.

In no time, we’d been there for two hours. Tinker or one of the husbands came over a couple of times to make sure we didn’t need anything, but other than that, they let us have a good time. I’d had a few drinks and was feeling the urge to go to the bathroom. Remembering Tinker’s rule not to go alone, I asked if anyone else needed to go.

“I need to,” Troian said.

Excusing ourselves, we got up, and she showed me to the restrooms. They were nicely decorated and not a bit dirty, like you might expect. Taking care of business, we came out of the stalls to find two women waiting. We got out of their way. Moving over to wash our hands, we checked our appearances in the mirror when we were done before heading back out. I patted my face with a paper towel. Even though the air conditioning was on, I was sweaty. It was the alcohol making me feel warm. While I was doing that, the bathroom door opened, and three more women entered. I didn’t pay them any mind until I heard someone speak. Her words, then her face, got my attention.

“There’s that bitch who took Tinker. Bet she’s not so tough without the men standing around to defend her,” one snapped. When I glanced at her, recognition was instantaneous. It was the woman I’d gotten into it with at the clubhouse, Rhea. Troian caught my eye when she raised her eyebrow and mouthed, is she serious?

The two women with Rhea were strangers to me. I didn’t see them if they’d been at the clubhouse that night. They were sneering and agreeing with her. Swinging around, I faced them.

“If you want to go another round, all you have to do is say so. I beat your ass last time, and I can do it again. I don’t need the Punishers backing me,” I told her. Usually, I might bite my tongue for a bit, but the alcohol had loosened it.

“Bitch, I can take you,” Rhea declared.

The stall doors opened, and the two women in them stepped out. One gave us a frightened look before hurrying out without washing her hands, while the other went to the sink to wash hers. I noted her watching us in the mirror.

“I highly doubt it unless you took fighting lessons since the last time I saw you,” I told Rhea.

“Don’t push me. I don’t understand why you bitches have to horn in on our men. Tinker was mine, and then you come along. What do you have that I don’t?” she whined.

“Class, brains, and looks,” Troian popped in to say. I giggled.

“Stay out of this,” one of Rhea’s friends said.

“Make me,” was Troian’s response.

“Why don’t you and your friends just leave? Tinker is mine, and there’s no changing that. In fact, he’s more mine than he ever was,” I taunted. I held up my hand so she could see my ring. Fury overtook her expression.

And just like that, the fight was on. Rhea flew at me while the friend who mouthed off to Troian went for her. I wasn’t concerned that I couldn’t handle Rhea. However, when the third woman came charging toward me, I knew I might not be able to handle two at once. I prepared myself to take a punch as I shoved Rhea away from me, but it never landed. The unknown woman washing her hands came to my rescue.

“Oh, hell no. There won’t be any two-on-one bullshit. Fuck that,” she muttered before latching a hold of the third woman.

The din of shouting and screeching was deafening in the small bathroom. The noise was coming from the three of them. Troian, my defender, and I were busy smacking the hell out of them. Suddenly, the door flew open, and a worried Tinker, Lash, and Mayhem charged inside. I saw more of the Punishers in the small hallway outside the door. Lash, Mayhem, and Tinker’s worry morphed into fury as they grabbed the three women and hauled them away from us.

“What the fuck is going on in here!?” Mayhem shouted.

“They started it!” Troian’s sparring partner whined.

“Like hell they did. It was you three bitches, running your mouths about her man,” my unknown ally said as she pointed to me.

“You’re coming with us. We’re going to the office,” Mayhem growled. When the woman who defended me went to skate out the door, he shook his head and said, “You, too.”

She appeared less than thrilled, but she didn’t argue. The three guys held on to the culprits and marched them out the door. The rest of us followed. A path opened up, and we were led down the hall through a door marked private and then down another short hall to another door. Mayhem took out a key and unlocked it. He gently thrust his captive inside. The other two were handled the same, and then Troian, my rescuer, and I were waved inside. The guys brought up the rear and closed the door.

“Sit,” Lash ordered the three instigators. They hastily sat. Each guy pulled out a chair and gestured for us to sit. I saw the stranger studying Mayhem as she took a seat. She held herself stiffly, and there was a wariness on her face.

Wanting to put her at ease, knowing that even if they were angry at us, they’d never harm us, I leaned over and whispered in her ear, “Relax. They won’t hurt us. They just want to get to the bottom of what happened. Thank you, by the way. I don’t know if I could’ve taken on both of them at once.”

She gave me a tentative smile and whispered back, “You’re welcome. There was no way I’d let them gang up on you. I was happy to help. Do you think we’ll be in here long? I have someone waiting for me. They’ll be worried if I’m not back soon.”

I patted her hand. “Hopefully, not too long.”

As I straightened, I found Tinker intently watching me. He had a frown on his face. Surely, he wasn’t mad at me for defending myself. What else was I supposed to do?