Page 33 of Mile High With the Bikers
“Soda? Fuck that! Three margaritas, please!” Opal slides onto the stool next to me. “What is it they say? The best way to get over something is to get under something else?”
“That’s about men,” Cherry says as she joins us on my other side.
Opal shrugs. “Yeah, well, most problems are caused by men, right? I think it still works. Time to get under the influence of tequila!”
“Limes and salt too, please.” Cherry cuts me off before I get a chance to object. “Don't worry, we're taking her under our wing tonight.”
“No, but I’m supposed to find—” I try again.
“You took one for the team so we could get out of sight.” Opal pulls me into a hug so tight, I'm sucking for air. “We owe you one.”
“Exactly. And now that you’re going to stay for a little while we can make good on it!” As soon as Opal lets go, Cherry pulls me in.
Chef walks by with a couple of beers. “You know we have cameras in here, right?” he says in passing. “Nobody’s gonna rat you out for a couple sandwiches. Grow up.” The three of us blink at each other. I'm not sure who laughs first, but once we get going, it’s hard to stop.
Jewel puts the drinks down in front of us with a smile.
“Here's to sandwiches.” Cherry holds her glass up, the salt on the rim catching the light and reflecting it.
“Sandwiches hooray!” Opal adds, and then they both look at me expectantly.
Maybe this is exactly what I need. A distraction with fun people who have no idea about my issues whatsoever. And as someone who's rarely had the chance to make real friends, there’s no way I’m turning down a girls’ night. I raise my glass to clink it with theirs. “To sandwiches!”
“That's the dumbest fucking toast I've ever heard,” Chef notes as he passes by, but it only makes us laugh harder.
Before I know it, we're on a second round, talking about absolutely nothing and having a great time doing it, and by the time that round is done with, I'm already woozy. I'm not used to drinking alcohol. Not that I can't, but my father doesn’t drink at all, and I left boarding school when I was just starting to hear about the cool parties. It’s only the second time I’ve tried margaritas. They go down so easy that you can hardly tell they're alcoholic.
Opal's all ready for a third, but Cherry stops her. “Want to go over to the Roost? There's more room to dance, and if I'm lucky, Beast is working tonight.” She grins, her big blue eyes sparking with hope.
In the background, Jasmine lets out a moan so loud that a cheer goes up in response. Biker life is wild.
They've got me off the stool before I remember I'm not supposed to leave the clubhouse. “I shouldn't?—”
“It’s fine! The Roost is just across the street and it’s still club property. We'll have fun!”
In my alcohol-addled mind, that sounds reasonable enough, since I could definitely do with more fun today. “Okay.” I'm safe with Opal and Cherry. I'm sure the guys won't care.
No one stops us as we slip out the front door. It's still early in the night, just starting to get dark, and the summer heat hasn't let go yet. Even lightly dressed, we're fine as we dart out the gate past a couple of bikers I don't recognize. They wave. “Meet up later?” the taller one calls.
Opal giggles. “If you’re good!”
“Depends on who's working,” Cherry calls over her shoulder as we're already walking towards the bar that the guys brought me through my first night.
The twins are guarding the door tonight too. Lightning and Thunder? Kinda cheesy, but I dare anyone to say it to their faces. “Hey girls,” says one of them—I have no idea which is which. “Don't break too many hearts tonight.”
Opal blows him a kiss.
“Twins, huh?” I say when we get in, wiggling my eyebrows. “Have you ever…”
Cherry laughs. “Don’t get any ideas, they’re taken. Harper got to them first.”
“Both of them?” Why that surprises me I’m not sure.
“AND Shadow and Outlaw,” Opal says. “Four is just greedy if you ask me, but I wouldn’t turn it down, you know?”
What kind of woman is amazing enough to end up with four guys? But when I think about Diesel, Shrapnel and Bull, if someone asked me to pick one, I’m not sure I could. They seem like a matched set in my head, even if that doesn’t make sense.
Just like last time, the bar is thick with the scents of leather, sweat and beer. We have to shout over the music to hear each other, but we're laughing while we press through the crowd. Opal is briefly side-tracked by a burly guy with more hair on his face than his head. He swoops her into his lap while copping a feel, just to get an elbow to the gut. He's so surprised he drops her, and when his face twists in anger and he makes to get up, his buddies pull him right back into his seat. I think they just apologized for their friend, but the music's too loud to know for sure.
