And today, I decided I was going to make some Halloween treats for everyone at the club, just like I used to when I was younger and less distracted by school and ballet. I baked some Autumn cookies and decided on S’more style ones I’d found online, and spent the better part of Saturday morning baking and then carefully packing them all up. Mum was home, but she was sleeping off last night’s booze-fest, so I worked as quietly as I could so I wouldn’t wake her and piss her off.
I was feeling pretty good about how my experimental recipe turned out. I tried one, just to make sure I wasn’t going to be feeding the guys something they’d gag on, and ended up stealing one more, silently patting myself on the back for a job well done. It melted in my mouth with the perfect mixture of chocolate and marshmallow. Oh yeah, the guys were going to love these!
So, I carefully piled them onto a plate, covered them in plastic wrap, and got ready to head out to the club. It was a chilly day, the cool air brisk and thick with the damp aroma of fallen leaves, cider, and a sort of spice in the wind that screamed Autumn. I dressed warm in a pair of skinny, dark jeans, a hoodie, and tied my hair up in my favourite style, a ballerina bun. I shoved my feet into a warm pair of boots, slipped into my black leather coat and a beanie, and then called James’ cell to let him know I was on my way. It rang until voicemail picked up, but I decided not to leave a message. He always liked it when I asked to come by and rarely told me no. So, I decided to surprise everyone today.
I would have taken my bicycle to get there faster, but I knew that I wouldn’t be able to balance the plate at the same time. It was a nice enough day, despite the cooler air, and the sun was out, so I decided to walk. The leaves on the trees that shrouded over the road were turning different shades of oranges, reds, and yellows. I shivered as a cool gust buffeted me while I strolled down Maple Drive, which led past the town and down a private, gravel road that was owned by the Celtic Beasts. Their plot of land was huge, surrounded by a chain-link fence that was locked and had a special passcode to get in. Beyond that, was their security office, set just outside their warehouse. They had cameras everywhere, too, so I didn’t think my stepping onto the property was going to go unnoticed. But it would be a surprise nonetheless.
James was head of security at the clubhouse. That’s what he told me anyway, so he was responsible for changing the passcode every few days or so. Lucky me, I was sitting in the office at the club with him, doing my homework as I curiously peeked over while he changed it, the numbers being my mother’s birthday. I grinned at the memory and punched in the key-code, the lock unsnapping with a clank. I swung open the high gate and locked it behind me before trudging up the road to the warehouse and security office. I thought I could make out Cody through the side window and was about to call out when his head tilted back and he let out a long, deep moan. I furrowed my brow… was he sick? I was about to step closer when the profile of one of the club girls rose up before him and she licked his neck.
Ewwww… I thought and scrunched my nose. Kissing, okay, but seriously? Licking? And with Cody, no less. I blushed and averted my gaze, easily making it past him as he was kinda distracted by his new girl… which was definitely not Olivia.
I stepped inside the club, glad to be out of the cold air. I’m sure my cheeks and nose were probably bright red, right now, as they stung slightly. The hallway lights had been replaced after Shay had smashed them, and lit the way as I strolled in, my giddy anticipation at surprising the guys making me grin like an idiot. I felt like I was ten again.
I could hear the music blaring from the lounge… some darker, rock songs I didn’t recognize, and as I stepped closer, a pungent smell hit my nose. There was the usual trace of cigarettes and booze, but there was something else, like sweat. A scent I recognized from the locker rooms at school. But there was another unfamiliar odor I didn’t recognize at all, and it immediately put me on edge. What the hell was that? I stopped in my tracks, staring at the opening to the lounge. I could hear the sounds of people… like they were crying or something. Holy shit… what was happening?
I stepped forward, curious and baffled, and stepped inside, getting my first peek of the semi-repaired lounge and literally felt my eyes pop out of my head and my mouth drop as I took in the scene before me.
The room was filled with the Beasts… them and the girls that I often saw hanging around the club, sweetbutts, they were called. But instead of sitting around, eating and playing cards, or watching a sports game, they were… well…
I stared in shock as Uncle Marty held what looked like a straw to his nose and sniffed in some white powder that was arranged in long strips on one of the badly repaired coffee tables. One that I often sat at to colour when I was a kid. Those same pictures were still hanging up behind the bar and in James’ office. My eyes drifted to the side where, at one of the circular dining tables, a naked woman was sitting with her legs spread wide and Uncle Shawn’s head was pressed between them, right to her privates. She was moaning and thrashing her head back, her fingers clawing through his greying hair. I held back the bile in my throat as I slowly took in the scene before me.
All of these men, men I’d known since I was seven, were somewhat engaged with the women, or were snorting and sniffing something, or smoking on strange looking pipes. Billy and a guy named Mask were both with a girl who looked half their age. She was sitting in Billy’s naked lap facing him, and Mask was behind her, his bare ass exposed as he and Billy both thrust their hips into her. Aron and Leif were doing something similar to another girl by one of the pool tables. What the hell was going on?!
And then, I saw James…
James was sitting near the back, leaning against the wall, his hand on the back of a girl’s head as she bobbed her face forward and back into his crotch. His eyes were shut, his head tilted back, and lazily drank from a bottle of hard liquor as the girl… oh God, I’m going to be sick...
I could feel the blood draining from my face as I took this all in, everything moving so slowly, I felt like I was trapped underwater. And yet, only a few seconds had passed since I walked in here.
Averting my gaze away from James, to the opposite side of the room, I saw Shay.
He had a girl up against the wall, was shirtless, his pants undone, and his hips battered into her again and again in a rough, frantic way. She was completely naked, and her large, fake-looking boobs were pressed against him. He was running his tongue over her neck and his hands gripped her bottom, holding her up, while her legs dangled limply in the air.
The plate slipped from my fingers as a numbing sensation trickled over me. When it crashed to the floor, pieces of cookie and ceramic china broke and scattered everywhere. Though the music was blaring, enough of the Beasts still heard it fall, including my stepfather. James’ eyes flickered open, his gaze snapping in my direction. The lazy air about him instantly vanished, and his mouth dropped in shock as he straightened up. “Mina!” he shouted and shoved the young girl away. I burned red as he tucked his junk back into his jeans. I stood there frozen, staring like an idiot, unable to think of anything to say that could make the situation less awkward, embarrassing, and shocking.
“Mina,” Shay’s hoarse voice cried out from the other side of the room. I turned my attention to him and saw that he, too, had stopped what he was doing now that he finally noticed I was here. He dropped the girl to the floor in a heap, causing her to cry out in anger and surprise, and zipped up his pants as he turned to me.