Page 4 of Bastard

Girl had no idea what she was messing with. Aces did a good job of making sure the girls who worked our legitimate businesses weren’t naive, but I made a mental note to ask him about this one. Last thing we needed was a girl with fantasies of big bad bikers fucking her in the bathroom. No problem with that scenario except when she cried foul when the big bad biker turned out to be an actual big bad biker.

Riddick went straight to the two tables of White Nights. “Hey George, how’ya doin’?” The men clapped hands and shook.

I nodded at the men around the tables. A few smiled at me, the rest were scared shitless. My phone buzzed in my pocket. I let out a little sigh of relief to see it was from Sam.

Buttercup: I’m all settled in. This house is a mansion. I’m never leaving. Give Georgia my regards.

Dombrowski said it was a sweet property with a great view. Apparently the man had good taste in houses. I was just about to tap out a reply when Storm texted.

Storm: House is secure. Your girl is happy. We’ll babysit outside until you get back.

Giving Sam her privacy. My brothers really took to private security. It suited them. I flipped back and replied to Sam.

Me: Relax. Enjoy the house. I’ll be home later.

She replied instantly.

Buttercup: Oh I’m relaxed. Naked. In the pool.

Then she sent me a selfie of her slicked back hair, light reflecting off the pool behind her, just the trace of her bare ass. The instant hard-on hurt.

Me: That’s a breach of security protocol, Ms. Stroman. As your head of security I’ll have to punish you for such lude behavior.

Buttercup: As long as you punish me with your giant cock…

Jesus. I had to adjust before I could reply.

Me: Be prepared, Ms. Stroman. Be prepared.

“Hey Red. We gotta get a move on.” Riddick nudged my elbow. “And stop texting Sam in public.”

We moved toward the backroom. “How do you know I was texting Sam?” Was my dick that obvious?

“You’re smiling. The only time your ugly ass smiles is when it’s Sam. And while I personally think it’s hilarious how goofy you look, it’s not what Red needs to be putting out right now.”

I didn’t care if White Nights saw me smile. They weren’t a threat. “Whatever.”

Riddick used his keycard to unlock the back room. A couple of curious business bros watched, but then the door slammed shut and locked behind us. On any given night—or day—this room hosted drinks, dinner, poker, and general partying. The rest of the time it was empty. On the opposite side of the room was a set of stairs with direct access to the clubhouse. We each keyed through the security protocols and then we were home.

The new clubhouse was nothing like the old garage that gave birth to Devil’s Wrath on Calusa Key. The old clubhouse was a derelict piece of shit one weak hurricane away from falling over. The dirt, grease, and slime were probably what kept it up as long as it had. Todd hated moving to the city, but he couldn’t argue with my plan. It gave us easy access to all our businesses and a commanding presence over the other clubs. The security that came with the location and building was necessary as we grew. It was impossible to gain access without a member of Devil’s Wrath. When we partied, we partied in the back room. Only family saw the inside of the clubhouse.

“The Bastard finally came home!” one of the Chubbies yelled out. Sounded like Spades but it could have been Murder. As usual the Chubbies were drinking at the bar, playing pool or darts, and had porn on the television.

“Gentlemen.” I saluted the group and kept moving. My guys were in the next room playing cards and watching baseball. Rocket’s old lady, Anya, danced in the corner with her best friend while some of the guys watched. Her younger sister had a tray of drinks.

“Oh hey, Red! Can I get you boys anything?” Lyla was twenty-three, finishing up college, and for some reason, liked hanging with us. I was pretty sure she had an on-and-off thing with Dani and Colin.

“I’ll take a whiskey. Whatever you got.”

Riddick nodded at the pitcher of beer. “I’ll just grab a glass.”

“I can do that!”

“Naw, sweetheart. You’ve got your hands full.” Riddick winked as he moved toward the barware.

I followed. “Are you banging Lyla now?”

He laughed. “Naw. But it’s fun to mess with the boys, ya know?”

---