I turn to face him, my nerves on edge. “Yes, like I haven’t felt in years.”
Fox grins so fucking wide, his pride is bursting out of him. “Then, my boy, I call that a win. And if anyone deserves a fucking win… it’s you!”
I lean back against the bar, taking in a deep breath. “What if it doesn’t work out? What about the kids? They’re already attached. I don’t want them losing anyone else.”
“That’s horseshit!” I widen my eyes. “They were so young when Em died, Kevlar, they don’t even remember. It’s not traumatic for them like it is for us. If it all falls to shit, so fucking what? You pull up your frilly panties and move the hell on. You’ve done it before. You can do it again. And you know what? Kids… they’re surprisingly adaptable. If Jovie left after a year, hell, after twenty, sure they’d be sad, but they’d deal. They’re strong. They have a huge fucking family of biker uncles who are there to support them as well as blood family. They will be fine.”
“Will I be fine?”
Fox widens his eyes. “You really like her?”
Exhaling, I scrub over my face with my hands. “This all feels too fast.”
“Sometimes, when you know, you just fucking know.”
Savanah rushes past at the same time, her ears pricking up. “What do you know? Have you heard any news?”
“No, nothing. Actually, have you heard from Rush?”
“No. I doubt I will. We were pretty clear it was a ‘what happens in N’awlins stays in N’awlins’ type thing.”
“I’m sorry.”
She snorts, waving her hand through the air. “I’m not. I am actually totally fine with it. Can you imagine being the girl of a rock star, having all that fame attached to you? I mean I like the limelight sure but not the spotlight.”
“How are you settling in?”
“Have you seen what the guys look like here?”
Fox and I both peer around the room at our scruffy, brawny, muscular brothers. I don’t get that statement. But if I found my brothers attractive, it could be a whole different story. “So, you’re enjoying yourself?”
She giggles, probably a little too eagerly. “Immensely.”
“Sav, you wanna come help out in the kitchen?” Nessie calls out.
“On it! Maybe I should become a club girl? That would really piss my father off!” She snickers as she rushes off with a pep in her step.
Seems like everyone is finding their stride here in Houston.
The only thing is, when things run this smoothly, it generally means there’s a storm brewing.
And I’m not sure if I’m ready to batten down the hatches just yet.
JOVIE
I’ve never really considered myself as overly maternal, but hanging out with Sadie and Lucas has me all kinds of protective over them. I’ve spent most of the day just playing and hanging out which has been great, but if I’m going to be staying at the clubhouse, I’m going to need a few necessities. So while Lucas and Sadie are soundly napping, I make my way downstairs to find Cherry. Seeing as she’s the main lady around here, she might be able to help me.
I spot her sitting on Zero’s lap in the main room. It’s a little awkward walking up to them, but I’m hoping that going to her right now is the right thing to do. As I approach, Cherry spots me.
“I’m sorry, Cherry, for interrupting.”
“No, don’t be silly. What can I help you with?” Cherry’s tone is calm and happy.
I twiddle my thumbs together nervously.
Zero watches my every move as I try to assert myself.
“I can’t really go out shopping while I’m here because of the Slavers being after me, but I would love some new clothes if I’m going to stay.”
Cherry jumps up off Zero’s lap, reaching for my hand. “Follow me.” I widen my eyes at her energy, trying to keep up with her pace.
She leads me over to another Old Lady. “Jovie, I’m not sure if you and Siren have been properly introduced. Siren here has access to everything you will need.”
“I do… nice to properly meet you, Jovie. What is it exactly that we need to access?”
Cherry grins cheekily. “The closet.”
A slow smile spreads across Siren’s face. “Okay, right this way.”
And we’re off again.
We make our way into the kitchen, which completely throws me.
Why would there be a closet in the kitchen?
Then we move to a small door at the back. It’s so bland that if you didn’t look hard enough, you wouldn’t even know the door was here. Siren pulls it open, and we step through into a whole other room. It’s like a dream closet you’d see on Sex and the City, but with a hardcore escort undertone. Racks of clothing line one side, the middle section is open with white plush fluffy stools for sitting on, neon lights line the ceiling in pinks giving the room a vibrant electric feel, and the wall is lined with a tufted velvet wall paneling making it appear high-class stripper.
One of the walls is set up with makeup mirrors like I imagine they’d have backstage at a club for the dancers to get ready. Around the mirrors are bright lights to help plaster on the perfect face. A crystal chandelier dangles effortlessly from the center of the room sending mirrored shards of light over the entire space like a disco ball.
This whole scenario screams sex club, and my eyes widen when we walk in, closing the door behind us.
“This is generally where the club girls get ready before they spend the night with one of our brothers,” Siren informs me.
I gasp. “You have all this just to get ready for sex?”
Siren chortles. “As a club girl, sex is not just sex. It has to be extraordinary… and to the brother’s liking. So, this is where we get into the character they want.”
I walk past a filing cabinet scrunching my brows. “What’s this for?”
“To keep records of the things they like, so each girl knows what to do if they’re called upon.”
“This might be my attorney training kicking in, but isn’t it dangerous having files on the guys, though? If any of this got out…”
“That’s why each brother has a code name. No rank, name, or physically defining features are ever mentioned.”
Cherry snorts. “I never want to look in the cabinet, I would spend hours trying to decipher the code names.”
I narrow my eyes on Siren. “Does Kevlar have a file?”
Siren tries to hide her smirk. “Every brother has a file.”
My eyes focus on the filing cabinet, I hesitate, but my curiosity wins out. “Can I see it?”
“You’re not a club girl, so no. And wouldn’t that take all the fun away from learning what he likes?”
I tilt my head to the side with a laugh. “True. Honestly, though, maybe I should become a club girl, just so I can see what kind of freaky shit these guys are into.”
Siren and Cherry both laugh.
“Pretty sure Kevlar would have something to say about that.” Siren walks over, pulling the clothes rack toward me. “Okay, these are our everyday outfits. You know… the more casual ones.”
“You guys have a closet full of everyday club girl clothing?”