“I guess you’re wanting to have a look around and find out what we’ve got going?”
“Yeah, if you don’t mind. I want to get up to speed. See what I can help you out with. I know Bull told you I’m the club’s manager for the bakery, but I’m not here to take over. I’d like to know what’s going on and make some decisions. But things like who to hire, what to make and such are totally up to you. I also want to be sure you have my number in case you need to get a hold of me.”
“Sounds good. Come on, I can show you the setup in the back and what the books look like so far.” I got up and followed her. I hadn’t gotten to see the final remodel before I left. They had done an impressive job. I knew nothing about what a bakery needed, but this sure looked like it was top of the line and had everything one would need. After showing me the kitchen, she took me to the office. She sat me down in the chair behind the desk and brought up the profit-and-loss statement. She was leaning close as she did it, and her scent was driving me crazy. It was something light and floral, with just a hint of musk. I could feel myself getting hard. I concentrated on thinking of other things to battle that feeling away. I had no business getting hard for my brother's woman. Joker would kill me if he knew.
It took an hour for us to go through everything. The entire time, I had to battle not to touch her, kiss her, or lay her across the desk and fuck her until we both couldn’t move. When we finished, I made sure she had my number, and I had hers. Then I beat a hasty retreat. I didn’t want to talk to the guys, so I got on my bike and took a ride. I needed to clear my head. Fuck! What was I going to do? I needed to find someone to fuck these thoughts out of my head. No way would I be the one to come between a brother and his woman. That went against everything the brotherhood stood for.
The rest of the week sped by. I got up to date on everyone and what I’d missed. I was happy to see Devyn and Jocelyn were doing well. No one could look at Bull and Ace and not know how happy they were. A part of me was a little jealous, if I was honest. I’d never thought of settling down, but since they had found their ladies, I’d wondered. Seeing Madisen had only made it worse. I did my best not to think about her. I avoided Joker, since I didn’t want to hear him talk about her. I especially didn’t want to hear him say anything about fucking her. I didn’t think I’d be able to control myself.
This morning we were having church, then we’d laze around until this evening, when it sounded like everyone was going to The Dark Angel to have some fun and relax. I’d considered not going, but knew that would raise suspicions if I didn’t. I’d just have to grit my teeth and get through the night. Bull called the meeting to order. We gave a brief rundown on the performance of each business. All seemed to be performing well in the black. After that, he brought up the confrontation at the bakery.
“So, Joker told me about what went down at the bakery the other day. He assured me that Madisen now knows to tell us if she or any of the staff have any issues like this asshole Chris. Outlaw, I’d like you to see what you can find out about him. Things have been very quiet the last couple of days, but I want to be prepared in case he shows his face again. I want to know everything this asshole does, including what he eats for breakfast.” Outlaw nodded.
Joker laughed. “He’s lucky she didn’t do more than yell at him, the dumbass. She told me she wanted to shoot his ass or beat it. Maybe both. Abusive pricks are a trigger for her. I told her to call us, anyway. If nothing else, we can watch her in action.” A couple of my other brothers chuckled. Bull gave a ruthful grin and shook his head. I didn’t smile. I didn’t want her to confront anyone, but it wasn’t my place to say anything about how Joker handled his woman.
I knew he was gone every night this week. I had to imagine he was staying all night with her. I’d spent every night in the common room having a drink and trying to kill my boredom. I’d tried to get my mind off her, but the one attempt I’d made to get something going with one of the bunnies had left me cold and unable to even get hard.
I came back to the present as Bull dismissed us. I stood and headed out to the common room. I planned to work on my bike a little today. It needed a tune-up. After that lengthy ride to and from Michigan, it needed it. I headed out to the personal garage we had on the compound. This is where most of the guys worked on their own bikes and vehicles. I was maybe an hour into the tune-up when Ace came over to me. I sat back and grinned at him.
“So, how’s life treating you, Daddy?” I asked him. He smiled.
“It’s fucking amazing. I can’t wait until Devyn marries me next month. Our house is coming along. We hope to find out soon what the baby is so we can buy shit and decorate.” I could hear the excitement and happiness in his voice. They may not have intended to get pregnant almost as soon as they started seeing each other, but it had happened and they couldn’t be happier about it.
“How’s it living with Bull and Jocelyn?” He was living with Devyn at Bull’s house. I knew it had to be uncomfortable. Bull wasn’t only his president, but for all intents and purposes, his future father-in-law. Even though Devyn wasn’t Bull’s actual daughter, he treated her like she was. Ace grinned.
“Not too bad. Much better than I had expected. I didn’t want her to be living in the clubhouse. Too much noise and shit. She needs to rest and study. This way I have Jocelyn and Bull helping to keep an eye on her. She overdoes things if she’s not watched.”
“I can see that. She’s a lot like her mom, though I would think having sex in his house would be weird.”
“Well, not any more than us hearing him with Jocelyn. That has happened a few times. All I can say, his age hasn’t slowed his ass down. He’s all over that woman.” I laughed.
“Like you’re any damn different with Dev,” a voice growled. We looked over to see Bull. Shit! He came over to us. He shoulder-checked Ace.
“You barely leave Devyn alone either, you jackass. How do you think we feel hearing you guys go at it? I can’t help my woman can’t get enough of me. And I sure as hell can’t get enough of her. Now, no more talk about my woman, or I’ll have to beat your ass.” We both laughed. Ace threw his hands up in surrender. Bull came to look at my bike. “What’re you doing?”
“Just a tune-up and general check after that long haul. Do you need something, Pres?”
“Naw, just checking in. We haven’t had a chance to talk much since you got back. What did you think of the bakery and Madisen?” I bit my tongue so I wouldn’t tell him what I really thought of her.
“The bakery is kickass. They are doing a shitload of work. I think another person needs to be added soon. Madisen not only bakes but works the front too. We don’t want her to get rundown. The first month looks good. Her shit sure tastes fantastic. The only thing is that Chris shithead. I’m not happy she didn’t tell us what the hell was going on. He struck me as someone who won’t give up.”
“From what Joker and Ajax said, I agree. She knows now to tell us. Madisen is a very independent woman, much like Jocelyn. She’s had to be with her life. From what I understand, it was crap before she moved here three years ago.”
His remarks made me curious. What did he mean by crap? What had made her move here? Where was her family? Friends? I could tell Bull either didn’t know more or wouldn’t tell me. I’d have to see what I could find out on my own. Why I was obsessing, I didn’t know. This was Joker’s problem, not mine. Maybe if I told myself that enough times, it would sink the hell in.
We chatted for a while longer as I worked on my bike. After he left, I finished up, then headed out for a quick ride. Getting back later in the day, I hung out with a few of my brothers in the common room, and we shot some pool. Before I knew it, it was time to get ready to head to The Dark Angel. I made sure I showered and dressed in clean clothes. Maybe tonight I’d see someone who would pique my interest. I needed to get laid.
When I left the compound, most of the guys and the women had already left. Slash was the only one who hadn’t. He rode with me. We pulled into the packed parking lot of the bar. It had not only our bikes, but a crap load of other cars, trucks and a few other riders’ bikes. While it was a club-owned bar, it was open to other riders and even clubs as long as they behaved themselves.
Striding inside, we headed to the back where the club had our reserved tables. The guys were laughing and drinking. I looked around for the ladies. Not seeing them, I looked toward the dance floor. The band was playing and people were dancing all over the place. It took a moment to find them. Up there were Devyn, Jocelyn, Madisen, and Serena. They were laughing and dancing with abandon.
I took a seat. A waitress came over to get our order. She was making eyes at both of us. I left Slash to flirt with her. She didn’t interest me. I glued my eyes to the ass of the woman on the dance floor who was fast becoming my obsession. I watched as Madisen shook her ass. She had rhythm and knew how to dance. Her wild abandon made me hard. I chugged down my beer, trying to cool my ardor, and raised my hand for another. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea after all.
Maverick got my attention. We talked about a car that had come into the garage. He was telling a funny story about the owner. I was laughing when I heard one of the guys hiss. Looking up, I saw Demon looking toward the dance floor. I swung around. That’s when I saw it. Two guys had come up to Serena and Madisen. They were trying to rub up against them. Serena looked freaked out, and Madisen looked pissed. Luckily, no one was bothering Devyn and Jocelyn, probably because of their property cuts.
I looked over at Joker. He was watching and half standing up, but he wasn’t heading over to them. What the hell? I looked back to see Madisen say something to the one guy and shake her head. He smirked and grabbed her hips again. That was it, I was going to fucking put a stop to this. I thrust back my chair and came to my feet. I took two, maybe three steps before I saw Madisen draw back her fist and punch the guy in the mouth.
His head flew back, and he grabbed his mouth. His eyes narrowed at her and he stepped toward her aggressively. I hurried toward them with my brothers hot on my heels. As I reached them, I heard what she was saying.