“Where the hell haveyou been, prospect?” Grim roared as I walked through the front door of the Crossroads, my head in the goddamn clouds as I thought about Stefanie and our date at sunrise.
“Prospect!” he yelled, and I jumped, realizing I’d walked up to the bar where he was seated and didn’t know how I’d gotten here.
“Huh?”
Rael blurted out a loud laugh, clasping my shoulder with a drunken curse because he nearly tripped over his feet. “Pussy, pres. The kid is lost to pussy.”
That comment earned a few chuckles around the room from everyone but Grim.
“The fuck?” He sized me up, narrowing his eyes. “You got a thing for Stefanie?”
“I’d have to know her better to call it a thing,” I replied carefully, knowing damn well that was almost a lie.
“Two fucking hours you been gone. No text or check-in. Just cruising out there with my Trish’s niece. You fuck her in that SUV?”
Well, shit. First, I didn’t like him thinking I’d do that. Second, I was pissed off that he did. Third, he was talking about her like she was some club whore. Stefanie was a good girl.
“I would never, ever disrespect Stefanie like that,” I growled, clenching my fists as anger swelled up inside. “You just talked about her like she’s some hooker off the strip. That’s bullshit.”
Eyebrows raised around the room, and I knew I’d overstepped the line. No one had to tell me that a prospect didn’t treat his pres or other club members with hostility.
“Give me whatever punishment you see fit. But I’m gonna say one more thing. Don’t talk about her like that around me again because I’ll lose my shit, and I won’t be sorry how I respond.”
Rael whistled low and then tugged me away from Grim. Grim’s expression was murderous. Several boots scuffed the floor as members vacated the stools in front of the bar and backed up in case Grim wanted to kick my ass. I deserved it, no doubt about it.
“Kid,” he rasped, his voice low, “You got balls the size of Texas.”
A few of the members tried to hide their laughter.
“But, you need to learn your place. We don’t disrespect women or ol’ ladies and never members. Prospects? That’s fair fucking game. You just earned an unusual punishment. Go open the hall closet and pull out the black bag.”
Snickers erupted around the room, and Rael doubled over, laughing so hard that I wanted to kick him. The bag in the closet was heavy as fuck when I picked it up, hefting it back out into the common room. It was nearly two in the morning, and every single member of the club was still awake, chasing pussy or liquor.
“Place it on the table and open the zipper,” Grim ordered.
I obeyed, muttering under my breath when I saw the girly French maid outfit and all the bottles of cleaning products within. “Shit,” I whispered.
“Shit is right, kid,” Rael murmured, shaking his head.
“Go put it on,” Grim bellowed, leaning against the bar.
Fuck. My. Life.
Next time, I would shut the hell up and learn that the pres was testing me before making a fool of myself. Snatching up the costume, I entered the bathroom and opened the package, placing the apron around my waist and tying it off, along with the frilly kerchief on my head. There was a black ribbon choker for my neck and a feather duster. Underneath all of that was a pair of sexy black high heels.
No fucking way.
I held my head high as I exited the bathroom and the entire common room exploded in laughter and sexy catcalls. Shit was said that I couldn’t entertain because my cheeks were too damn red with embarrassment, and I heard ringing in my ears.
“You forgot some of it,” Grim observed, ticking his head toward the costume bag.
Damn. He wasn’t fucking around.
I yanked up my jeans and pulled off my boots, replacing them with the heels on my feet. There was no fucking way I could make it two steps before I landed on my ass.
Rael was laughing so hard that tears streamed down his face. Asshole. Not a single Royal Bastard wasn’t laughing or trying to breathe through the hilarity. I would never live this down.
“Well, prospect, you got shitters to clean and a common room to dust. I want both rooms so goddamn spotless I could eat off the floors. Don’t think about removing the costume or heels until it’s done. I’ve got cameras all over the Crossroads.”