CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
*Lace*
“Ibelieve the Chaplain here needs a couple new patches.” I toss his jacket at Chaz.
Chaz catches the leather bundle one-handed, hangs it over the chair next to him, and gives me a salute, while his opposite hand holds a glass of ice against the bruise Coty gave him. “Father Zane will get his patches when we return to Georgia — if he passes the vote and continues to behave.”
“I don’t think the Chaplain could properly misbehave if he tried. How about removing that prospect patch at least? Be useful.” I take Zane’s hand and sit him down in one of the stage chairs, making sure he is as close to the edge as his long frame can get. Then, I hold up a finger and alternate between the eyes of anyone paying attention. “Hold that thought; I will be right back. Then we can talk about the fundraiser.”
Zane remains still and wordless, staring awkwardly at the stage. Chaz puts down the glass, flips the jacket over, takes out a pocket knife, and begins carefully plucking the threads of the prospect patch, one at a time. Brodi, eyes wide, scans the room, knee incessantly bouncing and hands spread against his thighs.
I pass Vee on the way to the office. His dark, wavy hair covers any feeling in his eyes, and his elbows are propped on his thighs. The stunning tattoos on his hand and fingers obscure any expressive-tells on his face as he looks down at the floor, hands cupped at his mouth.
This quiet, detached behavior is concerning. During previous rallies, I noticed he gets this way sometimes. More so with the last couple of rallies than the first few. My guess would be that it happens right before he has an important responsibility to take care of. Like with all the members, though, aside from his initiation, I am not permitted to help.
I tried once, with Vee in fact, for this very reason. Coty put his foot down and kept Vee away from me the rest of the weekend so neither of us would slip and “break the rules.” Rules I still don’t fully comprehend the reason behind.
Next in my path are Jess and Kio. I pat Jess on the knee and give Kio a quick wink. Then, I disappear into the hallway and enter the office only to come to a dead halt with a major case of déjà vu playing out in full color right before me; spiked platforms peek out from beneath the desk. This time, instead of Stoney, Kal is slack-jawed with his head tossed back and knuckles gripping the armrests.
The same girl who stayed late with Foster last night is straddling another HFL member on the couch. It takes a bit of effort and the process of elimination to determine who. A condensation-covered, old-fashioned lowball glass on the side table and light-copper hair clashing against the girl’s mousy brown locks are what ultimately give Baylor’s identity away.
I plop down onto the couch next to them. Baylor pats her on the thigh, and she gets up and leaves. He then leans over and gives me a kiss on the cheek, bathing me in the zesty and sweet scent of his gin and tonic. “Hey, Lace,” he says, lifting his arm and gesturing for me to snuggle.
“Hey, Bae.” I flash a cheesy, toothy grin and wiggle against him for a heartbeat. And another. And another. The brief moment of stillness against his warm and leather-clad body while we cuddle to the cacophony of slurping and moans brings an unfair reminder that with every passing second my needs amplify.
His bottom lip catches between his teeth, and he pops it free with a smile. In an intimate tone, lest we interrupt the slobber fest going on mere feet away, Baylor reveals, “I love how every time my nickname rolls off your tongue, it sounds like B-A-E instead of B-A-Y. Makes me feel all tingly inside.”
“They sound exactly the same,” I point out, chuckling quietly.
“Not when you say it,” he mutters. “Plus, I refuse to believe my club brothers are calling me their bae. Hard nope right there.”
Dropping my voice even lower, I whisper: “Spoiler alert, I am totally saying B-A-E. Better make sure Coty is none the wiser, though.”
Bae squeezes me tighter with a rumbly groan and rubs his hand up and down my arm. “Your deep, dark secret is safe with me.”
Grinning silly, I dramatically wipe my brow before floating my gaze over to Kal. “Well, lookie there. Like father, like son,” I coo, raising my voice enough to penetrate through his sex haze.
His emerald gaze opens slowly, and he pins me with a glare, tendrils of deep-golden hair hanging over his eyes. “I’m nothing like Stoney.”
I raise a brow, flick my attention to the girl on her knees and back up again. “Not three hours ago that girl was Jess, and she was deep throating your pop. Tell me how different that is.”
Kal raises a hand, slinks his fingers through her hair, and he crunches down so his head is closer to her ear. “You can stop if you want, Josie.”
Oh, first names. Fancy that.
Josie goes harder.
Kal’s lips quirk up to the side, he lifts his arms and clasps his hands behind his head, settling into the blow job. “See? Worlds different.”
I stand up and walk over to his side of the desk, eyes locked on him the entire time. Unlike Stoney, his dick gets softer with my approach, rather than spurred on by the idea of me possibly joining. Pressing the side of my ass against the desk, opposite foot planted on the floor for support, I lean over and pick up the vintage rotary phone to make an important call — the actual reason for coming in here to begin with.
After overexaggerating each dialed number, I place the receiver up to my ear, still never once letting my eyes off Kal. A CSR from the pizza place next door answers. While placing a sizable order, I spread open his jacket, wiggle my fingers into the interior pocket, pluck out his wallet, and borrow his credit card. By the time I’m done, Kal is as soft as a baby’s bum, and a red-hot anger flares across his cheeks. He adjusts, and Josie pulls away, looking up at him, eyebrows curved inward. “D-did I do something wrong?” she asks.
Giving her a solid confidence boost, Kal bumps her under the chin with his knuckle and smiles. “No” — his thumb brushes across her mouth — “it’s me, not you.”
Baylor chuckles.
Usually, that statement lends to lies. But with Kal, it’s the honest truth. In my humble opinion.