No one ever told me that I was worth the risk. I never believed I would get the chance to be a part of something like the Royal Bastards MC. All I’d known for most of my life was cruelty, rejection, and abuse.
Before today, all I saw were my flaws.
After today, I would only notice my strengths.
“HEY, YOU MUST BE THEnew prospect.”
I lifted my head, focusing my gaze from the engine of the Mustang I’d been working on over the last two days to the blond dude in front of me. We must be close in age. He didn’t look a day over twenty.
“Yeah, I’m Shadow.” Wiping grease from my fingers, I extended a hand, and he shook it briefly.
“Toad,” he croaked, and I wondered briefly if this was a joke. His voice was ragged and almost raw, the tone creaky and ready to crack at any moment. He narrowed his eyes as if waiting for some kind of sarcastic remark, and I shrugged.
“This club must like their freaks,” I joked, moving away from the car as I hobbled slightly, not the least bit surprised that my leg was stiff with all the standing I’d done today.
Toad noticed the movement and his shoulders relaxed. “Guess we both earned a spot on the wheel of fortune.”
Smirking at his comment, I couldn’t help agreeing. “Rael already warned me the shit show was beginning. They let me work, though. None of the prospect bitch duties happen until I’m off the clock.”
Toad chuckled. “I guess I’m unlucky then. I don’t work in the shop, so it’s open season on me.” He didn’t seem too bothered by that knowledge. “Diablo is my sponsor.”
“He’s the other guy that likes his face paint.”
“Yeah, he does. Black and red every day like a goddamn devil.”
“We have the craziest ones, I think.”
“Maybe,” Toad agreed. “You ready for tonight?”
“The party?” I asked, grabbing a soda from the fridge that was always kept stocked and handing one to Toad.
“Yep.”
“My first one. Should I be worried?”
Toad’s lips lifted into a wide grin. “Hell yeah. There’s gonna be so much tits and ass on display that you’re gonna wish you had blinders on. Try not to get caught staring. Grim will have your ass on a platter.”
I couldn’t help laughing at his warning. “I’ll manage.”
“The club girls made sure there’s plenty of beer and liquor. It’ll be our job to maintain the clubhouse, help with security, and keepin’ the brothers happy. Not so hard when you think about it.”
“Things usually get out of hand?” I asked, taking a few gulps of Cherry Coke.
“Never been to a party yet that hasn’t.”
“I’ll be ready,” I promised before tilting my head back and draining the rest of the liquid. A loud belch followed.
Toad slammed the rest of his drink back and then tossed the can into the recycler. “See you tonight, Shadow.”
Exactly three hours later, I stood at the perimeter of the room, dripping sweat after I finished cleaning the bathrooms and restocking ice behind the bar. I’d already filled drinks, emptied trash, hauled a drunken member to his bedroom, and swept up glass from a few broken bottles on the hardwood floors. My shoulders felt tense, and I rolled them back, cracking my neck side to side.
The party had definitely gotten wilder as the night wore on, and I caught Toad’s expression across the room as he shook his head, ticking his chin toward the bar. Rael and Patriot were sitting on stools next to Mammoth (the V.P.), Grim, and Diablo. Every single one of them was plastered. Their words slurred as they joked loudly with one another. A few of the club girls watched from the pool tables, staking claims on who they’d end up taking to bed.
A cool breeze swept inside as a couple of strangers entered. A sexy brunette waltzed in with another member, his arm wrapped around her shoulders. My gaze swept over them and then to their companion and froze. The couple was quickly dismissed as I focused on the hottest girl that I’d ever laid eyes on.
She had legs a mile long, shapely and thick, just the way I liked. The girl smiled at a joke I couldn’t hear. Big, expressive pale blue eyes were framed by the longest lashes I’d ever seen. Rosy pink dotted the height of her cheekbones as my gaze traveled to her ruby red lips. Full, pouty, and kissable.
Black boots ended mid-calf as I drank in her beauty like I’d been dying of thirst since birth. Tight denim clung to her curves, caressed her hips and thighs, and stopped as a tight black leather corset hugged her torso. Spiderweb black fabric wrapped her arms all the way from her upper arms to her knuckles, but the gloves were fingerless. A few silver rings and black nail polish finished off the gothic look. Her slender shoulders exposed smooth, flawless creamy skin from her throat to her breasts. Enough cleavage exposed to be tempting but not too revealing.