Page 51 of Silver Fox Daddies

“Dis-fucking-respectful.”

“Get her out.”

“Silence!” Grizzly’s shout settles the chaos, the room falling silent.

I don’t know what to do. Where to put my hands. Where to look. He’s gonna kick me out, I’m sure of it.

“Everybody, get back to what you were doing,” Grizzly snaps. “And boys.” He turns to the three of us, and it’s the most pissed off I’ve ever seen him. “Get her out of here. Now.”

The whispers continue after Grizzly stops shouting.

“Out this way,” Diesel says through gritted teeth. “We’re not passing them.”

“You’re the whore!” screams a woman, her voice slicing the room in half.

I can’t help but turn around. It’s one of the clubhouse whores. She’s hyperventilating, shaking her head in disbelief as she flicks her eyes between Bishop and Melissa. “I hate you, I hate you, I hate you!” She squeezes her hands into fists and shakes her head, letting out this noise that sounds half human half animal. “Ladies, take note—do not listen to a word that Bishop tells you. He’s a liar.” Tears stream down her face, but she’s not crying—she’s furious. “And you—” She points one of her dagger-like fingernails Melissa’s way. “Watch your step, bitch. You think you’re special now. Wait until he’s fucked you. He won’t speak two fucking words to you then.”

Bishop’s jaw hardens. “Okay.” He turns to Melissa, voice calm. “Let’s get you out of here.”

We all take the exit from the ammo room that leads straight into the corridor, exiting out the back in single file. The desert heat is making everything worse.

What the fuck just happened? I’ve never been so horny and then ashamed in my entire life.

I catch my breath, heart pounding a thousand miles an hour from the public humiliation. The sun beats down, increasing my body temperature even more. I land on the ground, wiping sweat away from my brow, and see Melissa staring at the bonfire we lit to incinerate the bodies from this morning.

The smell of burning flesh still lingers in the atmosphere.

“Hey, Melissa, come away from there.”

“Don’t you bury them?”

“Hey!” Diesel grabs her arm but she shoulders him off. Deciding to leave her with her thoughts for a moment, he spins around and grimaces at Bishop. “What the hell was that all about with Gigi?”

“You know how it is with her. Can’t stand to see me with a woman that isn’t her. I don’t know what she’s still doing here working as a whore if she can’t handle seeing me with other?—”

“What the hell amIstill doing here?” Melissa asks herself, eyes still watching what’s left of the smoking fire.

“Hey, look—Melissa, don’t for one second think you’re just a number. It’s different with you.” Diesel tries again with her arm. “We only?—”

“Because I’m a virgin?” Melissa whips around, tears staining her face. “Is that it?” Her chest heaves, breaths coming in short, staccato rhythms. More tears proceed to fall down her face, swelling her eyes. She still looks beautiful. This girl couldn’t be ugly, even if she tried.

“No!” I shoot up and grab her hand. “You already know how we feel about you. It’s your choice if you want to believe us.” I sigh. “But I get it if you don’t trust us.”

To be honest, it probably makes it easier for all of us if she doesn’t.

I shield my eyes from the sun to see her face better. Her lower lip wobbles, eyes darting between all of us. It’s been an eventful morning, and Melissa isn’t going to be forgetting it any time soon, but as I stare into her eyes, I’m certain of one thing—she doesn’twantto forget it.

I saw regret every day, in the eyes of my co-workers. They chose to work in IT for the stable paychecks and free dental—nobody actually enjoys doing it. I see them staring at their monitors. Blue light is the brightest their days get. They have this hollowness to their eyes. They look tired and defeated.

Despite everything, Melissa doesn’t look this way. She’s had a setback, but she doesn’t look ready to give up and go back to her old life.

It’s like she’s had a moment of realization, but I can’t quite pinpoint what exactly it is she realized.

All I sense is that she doesn’t regret meeting us.

She doesn’t regret coming back here to the clubhouse, despite everything. It becomes more obvious with the curious way she keeps looking at us. So many forces are going against us—Grizzly, Reaper Sons…now one of Bishop’s old flings, Gigi. But Melissa continues to look at us like this isn’t the end.

Bishop extends his hand. “Melissa, let’s?—”

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