Vars shrugged. “Maybe he needed an excuse to tell the new guy he’s not straight,” he said, but his mind pulled him back to this one odd thing Jake had said. That he only fucked the MC members. Was this about hierarchy for him? A turn-on he didn’t want to openly admit to?
Vars had longed for a challenge, and it seemed he would be getting just that.
Gray’s face relaxed. “Might be. Come on, I’ll show you to your room.”
Vars had only taken necessities, with the intention of emptying his Manhattan apartment when things with his ex cooled off, so he only had a backpack and a duffel bag.
They walked through the garage and up a narrow staircase, which led to a hallway with a high ceiling and band posters on the walls. It seemed that everything about the clubhouse was extra-large, because the corridor stretched so far it seemed to have no end.
“Mr. Magpie has vouched for you, and on account of our long-standing and undisturbed partnership, we decided you won’t have to wait for your patch for too long. We’re short on members, so fresh blood is more than needed. But there’s Jake, who’s been a prospect for over two years now, so we can’t just patch you in next week.”
Vars nodded. “Two years? Is that normal at your club?”
Gray scowled. “Not really. I guess he is still very young, and that’s why it’s taking so long. But I think he’s earned that patch. Beast wants to make you full members at the same time.”
A part of Vars instantly protested. He wanted to have some time with Jake prospecting for him. Gray didn’t give him much opportunity to think it over. He wasn’t a big man, but there was an authoritative confidence about him, which Vars automatically respected.
“You will be sharing a room. For Jake’s sake, this is part of your ‘hazing’. He can’t think you’re getting unearned privileges after he’s worked so hard.”
Vars stifled the groan pushing at his mouth. At thirty-nine, he was far too old to share a room with another man, as if they were at summer camp. But he was new here, and he didn’t want to stir up trouble for no reason, so he accepted that piece of information with a nod.
Gray led the way through an open doorway and up yet another flight of stairs, which brought them to a much less impressive hallway. This one had a covering of fresh paint and a wooden floor that looked like it had been recently oiled. If Vars hadn’t known where he was, he might have believed this was a dorm.
“But almost three years? Really?”
Gray sighed and pushed open one of the many doors, leading Vars into a medium-sized bedroom with a black statement wall on one side and a double bed with its headboard pushed against it. It was very tidy, with plants on the window sill and some framed photos for decoration. It smelled nice too, of Jake’s cologne, which still clung to Vars like an open invitation.
Vars put his bags on the floor, frowning at the only bed. Were they expected to sleep under one comforter too? That was pushing things too far.
Gray stretched. “Only members know of all the weird shit that’s happening in this place, so keep quiet about that. Jake will need to find out once he’s patched in. I think everyone’s dragging their feet, because there’s no telling how he’ll react.” He then walked out of the room and asked Vars to help him get another bed.
At least that was of comfort. A bed’s worth of personal space. Then again, Vars wouldn’t mind Jake crawling into it and sleeping between his legs like a good pup.
“Mr. Magpie assured us that not only is that not an issue for you, but that you know about some of it, so we can fast-track you to a patch. Our prez wants to find out what you know anyway, and he will get you up to speed once our business with Mr. Magpie is done.”
They found a decent bed two rooms away and carried it back to Jake’s place, which from now on would also be Vars’s. He smiled at Gray, instantly at ease. Since Vars had found out about the strange forces creeping into the human world, his life hadn’t been the same, so it was a relief to be around people who understood, who didn’t have to be constantly lied to.
He would feel right at home here.
Chapter 3 - Jake
“Thanks, Jake! You’re the sweetest,” Nao said once Jake put the last box of popcorn in the cinema room she was getting ready for evening guests. Smiling from ear to ear, she was now dotting the small tables and even the floor with jars full of condoms and lube, so that they would be at hand when needed. Her pink dress revealed her underwear every time she bent over, and Jake guessed she liked working with him because he wouldn’t be causing delays on the job. Nao loved sex and admiration, but she liked them most when everything else was in order.