Page 36 of Redemption

“You know old ladies don’t get to dictate what happens in the club. Yeah, we’re a little more progressive than we were before, but if Heidi went to Jennings to say you couldn’t go out of town anymore, he’d nicely tell her to go fuck herself.”

“Heidi isn’t you.”

Chuckling, she turns to rest her cheek on her knees. “I’m a strong advocate for those around me, but I’ve never been good at doing it for myself. It feels selfish. Probably a product of my childhood. But at the end of the day, I know I will never come before this club with anyone. Whether it’s right or wrong, I didn’t feel like I could come to the club. Not after VP and Psycho let me down. But more than that, Colt let me down. No, it was more than that. He destroyed me.”

“I don’t like hearing that.”

Heidi pulls into the driveway, and she steps out holding a garment bag. “Hey, baby.”

“Hey, hot stuff,” Lex says with a wink, making Shep chuckle.

Her sleek brown hair hangs down her back, and Lex can’t help the jealousy of her excitement and love. She wants it back so much it makes the ache in her chest pound even harder.

“What do you have there?” she asks, eyeing the bag suspiciously.

She holds it up and unzips the bag to reveal a deep blue bridesmaid dress. “What do you think? Is it maid of honor worthy?”

“You’re asking me to be your maid of honor?” she asks with a laugh. “Seriously?”

Nodding, she smiles. “You’ve been there for me since the beginning. Never judged me for my past, and you have always been there for Taylor. Hell, you gave me your last name.”

“Are you sure it’s a good idea considering the current state of my marriage? I might be bad luck for you.”

“Hey, it’s either this or standing on my side with jeans and leather as my best man,” Shep says. “I already asked Psycho, but I’ll kick his ass to the curb.”

“Not Ty?”

He rolls his eyes. “That guy… Ty has a fear of public speaking. Even though we don’t do speeches, and I’ve tried to tell him that, you know how he gets.”

“Well, as tempting as it sounds to swap Psycho and me to see him in that dress right there, I think I’ll pull it off better. Maybe. Besides, the only leather I have won’t ever get worn again.”

Slapping himself on the side of the head, he cringes. “Shit, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking when I said that.”

“It’s okay. The property kuttes aren’t as big as they used to be, and I rarely ever wore mine. In public, anyway. It’s easy to forget,” she says and looks at Heidi. “As for you, I’d be honored to be your maid of honor. But I refuse to plan the wedding in a week. Been there, done that. Never again.”

Chapter 14

Griffin’s Beach

Heidi

Heidi wears a skin-tight, strapless, white dress that barely covers her ass. The cleavage she achieves with the tight bodice turns even her on, and she can’t wait to go home to Taylor later and get his reaction. Chances are, this dress will be a one-time wear.

“Where are we going?” she asks Lex, who wears a little black dress and matches all the other guests. There was apparently a dress code she wasn’t aware of, but she likes it. She pops.

They ride in a party bus, drinking and dancing on stripper poles. This couldn’t be more perfect.

“Somewhere you’re very familiar with, don’t worry,” Lex says as they pull into the Puffy Taco parking lot.

“You brought me to work?” as Ashley and Melanie chuckle beside her in the party bus they sit in.

“Didn’t you know? You’re going to dance for us,” Melanie says, her own cleavage rivaling Heidi’s.

“I never got to see you on the pole, but I heard you were fantastic,” Ashley adds, downing her bottle of sparkling water. She may not be drinking alcohol, but she still seems like a good time.

“Oh, she was,” Lex and Melanie say at the same time.

“Seriously, what are we doing here?” she asks.

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