Page 16 of Property of Baffle
The old man was lucky he wasn’t digging his teeth out of his asshole, but I held back on throwing any punches because I didn’t want to ruin Bigfoot and Sammy’s moment.
“There’s nothing to explain, old man.Roxy and I were never dating, let alone in a serious relationship.”
“You telling me my daughter wasn’t your fuck buddy?”
“I’m telling you that I drunkenly slept with her one fucking time three years ago.Other than that, we’ve only ever been good friends.The best of friends at times.I don’t know how she got this fantasy of marrying me stuck in her head,” I explained, though that was a lie.We all knew who put that idea in her head and it started with our mothers.Punchy already brought my father’s name into shit, and I wouldn’t even whisper Mom’s name.
“That shit is Roxy’s problem, not mine, and I won’t have you disrespecting my wife like this.I brought her home to meet my club family and so far she’s been left feeling like an unwelcome mistake.I won’t fucking have it, not in my own home!”
So much for keeping the drama low.My voice carried across the clubhouse as I made that last statement because the hold I had on my temper had reached max capacity.Crutch made his way over to us and grabbed ahold of Punchy.“Let’s go,” he ordered quietly.
“This isn’t over,” Punchy insisted.
I shook my head and turned to see Nell watching everything with worry in her eyes.I did not mean to add to her fucking basket of bullshit she had to deal with.I pulled her over to the corner of the room, out of the way, and sat her down on one of the comfier chairs.“I need to go deal with this bullshit before it gets out of hand.”
“Rick, was she-” Nell started to ask and I shook my head.
“No.We were never more than friends.”
“But-”
“Never,” I reiterated as I cut her off again.“I need to go handle this.I’ll be right back, okay?”Nell nodded.It wasn’t until later that I realized my wife looked a bit shell-shocked and a whole lot like a fish out of water.What I should have done was stuck by her side.Instead, I chose to deal with my anger and went in search of the woman at the heart of my wife’s discomfort.
9On to the Next
Nell
My stomach dropped somewherebelow the floor as I watched Rick walk away and leave me there in a room full of strangers by myself.He still hadn’t introduced me to anyone besides the groom who had already disappeared with his brand new wife.I couldn’t help but feel like everyone in the room was judging me.Most avoided even glancing in my direction, but I wasn’t blind.I saw the way they side-eyed me and turned away.A few had sneers on their face as they did it - the women mostly.The men clad in leather looked more curious than anything.Still none of them approached.
I sat there and stared at the door my husband had gone through moments ago.It was the same place they’d taken that woman - Roxy - when she had her little meltdown.Rick had told me about sleeping with her once before, so at least that part hadn’t been a surprise, but I never anticipated walking into a place where everyone thought there was more going on between them.Never mind the whole horrible idea that the woman herself had it in her head that she was meant to marry my husband.I shook that thought off and ended up with a full-body shiver as if my body knew there was evil intent in the air and tried to protect me from it.
Two older women made their way to my corner.At first, I smiled up at them, thankful someone was finally going to speak to me.Then I realized one of them looked a lot like an older version of Roxy.She had dark, almost black locks that curled down to her shoulders.Her dark eyes slitted with hostility as she snapped into a spot directly in front of me with hands on her hips.Then she leaned in and kept her voice low without missing a bit of the ominous tone she meant to serve as a warning to me.
“Don’t get comfortable here,” she announced.
Part of me wanted to laugh because I was the furthest from comfortable as could be.The only thing less comfortable was the night when I had to fend off my roommate’s fiancé who tried to rape me.If that wasn’t a sad commentary on the turn my life had taken over the past week or so, I didn’t know what was.
“The club doesn’t want you and once the new and shiny wears off, Baffle won’t want you either.”The woman, who I assumed was Roxy’s mother, cackled as that last jab slid off her poison tongue.
The other woman, who stood beside her with arms crossed over her chest, bobbed her head in agreement.Her blonde hair was pulled back in an updo that allowed her leather cut to show off that she was someone’s property.Both women wore them.Rick had told me enough about club life on the way here that I knew it meant they were married to, or claimed by, a club member.
“You don’t fit,” the blonde said.
On that, we were in total agreement, but I didn’t bother to respond.Both women were older.It was obvious that the first one was Roxy’s mom, but I wondered who the other was.She seemed to have an air of authority about her.
“Baffle already knows that.It’s why Roxy is his priority and you’re left tucked in the corner like the trash he forgot about.You should just pack up and get gone before it gets more embarrassing for you.”
“Hey!”A man who stood not too far off called out.“I can’t believe you just said that.”
The blonde turned and snapped up straight to face him.“Who are you to call me out, Brady?You’re not even a club member here.”
“I’m your new daughter-in-law’s uncle.If Sammy heard you speak to another woman that way, especially Baffle’s brand new wife, she would have dragged you in front of your son and demanded justice and you know it.Fuck, I’m not even a member and I know, as the former top lady around this place, you’re supposed to do better.She’s the VP’s ol’ lady.”
“They’re only married -supposedly.”She glared back over her shoulder at me as she dropped that last word off like she didn’t believe the claim her precious Baffle had made about our status.
“That doesn’t mean she’s been claimed.Do you see a property patch on her anywhere?”The first woman snapped.I noted the blonde didn’t talk back to Brady again.Her face had taken on an ashen pallor as other people started to tune in to what was happening in the corner.While they were all still occupied with the man who came to my rescue and the two women, I quietly slid out of the corner as they hashed out biker-lady etiquette.
“My daughter is meant to be his wife!”I heard the darker-haired woman shriek at someone.“They’ve been written in the stars since Roxy was born.”
