Page 66 of Crush's Fall

He chuckled, and his eyes dropped to the pendant hanging from around her neck. He gave a nod. “Good for you. Now, why’d you want to meet?”

Crush ran through what Lucifer learned from the employees and which employees were assigned where. When she was done, she met his gaze and announced, “The Claws have voted. We’ll be taking a more hands-on role in the club from now on.”

Axle’s brows lifted. “In what way?”

This was it. He would either be all for it, or he would fight her on it. “We think the building needs to be bigger, and we want to add another venue to the other side that is more geared toward women and patrons who don’t necessarily want to see strippers.”

The sigh that came from Axle annoyed Crush, but she waited for him to speak. “And where is the money coming from to fund this venture?”

Crush glared at him. “We are equal partners, Axle. Half of the insurance payout belongs to the Claws, so I’d be really careful how you approach this conversation.”

“Heat is a proven moneymaker, Crush. What you’re talking about is something brand new.”

She shrugged. “It’s been voted on. If we need to reevaluate ownership, I’m sure the Claws would be willing to pool their money and buy a percentage from you to make this happen.”

“Now wait a damn minute.” It was Axle’s turn to glare. “I’m not turning down your idea. I’m just trying to figure out how we could manage it.”

Crush gave him a humorless smile. “That’s the problem, Axle. You think you have a right to turn down a demand from the Claws in a business where we’re equal partners. You. Do. Not.”

Axle rolled his eyes and huffed out a sigh, but he threw up his hands in surrender. “Okay. Fine. We’ll expand the building and designate a space for the Claws to do with what they will. However, a budget is going to have to be laid out for the insurance funds and approved by both clubs. We can’t be at odds over this, and we can’t just go at this with a fuck it attitude.”

“Well, no shit, Sherlock,” Crush replied. “I’ll put together a group of three members to work with three of your members to decide a budget and work on the plans. Deal?”

“Fine. Deal,” Axle grumbled, obviously pissed, but Crush didn’t give a damn.

It was time the Howlers learned that they weren’t in charge around there.

As she left the office, she thought about who could keep their cool when going head-to-head with the Howlers. She decided Ginger and Kitty would be the best options. With a grin, she mentally added Kisy to the list, for shits and giggles.

Two days later, Crush and Pinky stood in the hall outside of the room in the tattoo parlor while Kisy laid on her stomach on the table without a shirt on. She took a deep breath and slowly exhaled and looked over at Ginger sitting on the other side of the table from the door.

Ginger gave her an understanding smile and asked, “Full-back?”

“How about half that size and on the top half… like in the middle?”

Ginger gave a nod. “Okay. I’ll make the stencil and put it on you. Then you can tell me if it works for you. Deal?”

“Yeah.”

Ginger placed a hand on her shoulder. “If it’s the pain you’re worried about, this won’t be as bad as the inner thigh. If it’s the permanence of the club colors, you already accepted that. This is just a visual representation of your commitment. You have to get the club colors, but the size and the location is up to you. We can make it smaller and put it in a different place if you don’t like the stencil.”

Kisy nodded and took another deep breath. While Ginger went about doing what she needed to do down the hall, Crush watched as a variety of emotions crossed Kisy’s face, but it ended with a private smile.

“Seems our Kisy just worked through the nervousness,” Pinky commented as she and Crush walked into the room.

“Ginger, she’s good,” Crush called down the hall. “Smiling like a loon in here.”

Kisy’s smile turned to a grin. “Just thinking about Dragon’s pierced cock and how well he can use it.”

Pinky whistled as Crush chuckled and uttered, “Yeah… she’s fine.”

As they watched Kisy get her tattoo, Crush thought about the conversation she had with Lucifer about getting his name inked into her. She made a note to schedule an appointment with Ginger before she left.

Hours later, and appointment scheduled, Crush headed across the street to the clubhouse to have celebratory drinks with Kisy and the rest of the girls.

Lucifer

Watching Crush celebrate with her sisters, Lucifer sat at the bar and sipped his beer. It warmed his heart that she had such a great support system in them. Crush wouldn’t ask them for help, but they knew her well enough to identify when she needed them. Hell, they were there whether she needed them to be or not. That was the sisterhood every woman needed.

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