Chapter 67 Club girls again
Lia
The voice from the other side of the door was deep and sexy, the kind of sound that felt like it traveled right through you. I heard it when Owen answered the knock. I got curious, so I walked over and pulled the door open a little more to see.
The way Owen’s playful smile just died made my stomach do a small flip. I knew it was not Liam. Liam had no idea where I was.
“Owen, who is it?” I asked, opening the door all the way.
“Hello, Angel.”
Oh my God. It was him. The man from the grocery store. The walking daydream. How in the world did he find me?
I know my mouth fell open. I could feel it happen. My eyes probably looked like they were about to fall right out of my head. I grabbed Owen’s arm and pulled him back, using my body to block the doorway a little. I needed a second to not look at the most attractive man I had ever seen in my life.
“That is him,” I whispered, my voice tight.
“Him who?”
“The guy from the store. The one I told you about. The god,” I hissed, trying to keep my voice down.
“The one you said that ‘Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy’ song was written for? Sweetie, that is a biker. Not a cowboy.”
I groaned because I heard a low chuckle from the hallway. He could hear us. I prayed for the floor to open up and swallow me whole right then.
“Yes, him!”
“Oh, honey. He is here for you. Maybe you should go fix your crazy hair and put a bra on. I can see everything.”
The man in the hall laughed out loud this time.
I let out a frustrated sound and turned around, rushing to my room and leaving Owen alone with the sex-on-legs stranger.
I could hear the low rumble of their talking as I tore through my dresser. I found a bra and put it on, swapping it with my old sleep shirt. I pulled on a white top that tied under my chest and had loose, see-through sleeves. Then I found some faded jean shorts and stepped into them. I piled all my blonde hair into a messy knot on top of my head. I ran to the bathroom, brushed my teeth fast, and put on some lip balm. I looked at myself in the mirror. My blue eyes looked excited and scared at the same time. I checked my clothes. It was the best I could do right now. Barefoot, with red polish on my toes, I walked back into the living room.
Owen was firing questions at the man like he was conducting an interview.
“And why should I let my best friend go to your little hangout spot?”
“Little hangout spot?” The man’s mouth curved into a smirk. “You can come too, if you are worried about her. I have a friend who would like your style.”
“And what style is that, tough guy?” Owen said, laying on a fake southern drawl.
The man laughed, a rich, warm sound that seemed to fill the room. I smiled without meaning to. His laugh was like something you could feel.
“The spicy kind. The kind that knows how to show a man a real good time.”
“Hmm, you are smooth. Okay, we will go. But on one condition. I want your phone number. I want your picture. And I want a picture of your motorcycle, with the license plate clear. I am sending all of that to a friend of mine. For safety.”
“Deal.”
“Um, hello?” I cut in. “Do I get a choice here? I do not even know your name. You do not know mine.”
“Baby, this mountain of a man is Beast. Beast, this gorgeous creature right here is Lia,” Owen said, standing up from his chair.
“Lia.” The man, Beast, said my name like he was tasting it. “That is a very pretty name for a very pretty woman.”
He stood up from the couch and walked over to me. He held out his hand. When I took it, my hand disappeared inside his. He had to be over six feet tall. I am not short, but next to him I felt small. Owen is tall too, and Beast was even taller. I could feel a faint tremble start in my legs, but I tried to stand still.
He was giving me a soft smile, but his eyes moved over me, from my head down to my bare feet. I felt myself want to fidget under his look, but he was still holding my hand. I have strong legs and a round backside from years of playing softball. I have an athlete’s body, which Liam was always complaining about. He wanted me skinny. Owen has been feeding me good food, and I have put back on the weight Liam made me lose, the weight that made me look ill. My breasts are a normal size. The Queens tell me my arms and shoulders are sexy, even if you can not really see them well through these sleeves.
“A very pretty woman,” he said again.
My face got hot. His smile grew wider. I looked at Owen, my eyes wide and a little panicked. My confidence has been slow to come back, but Owen and his friends are helping. They tell me every day that I am beautiful and strong. Hearing it for months now is starting to work. But I still get nervous.
“Beast wants to take us to his motorcycle club,” Owen explained. “His boss wants to thank you for what you did at the store. Apparently, they have some computer whiz who found my address from the license plate on my truck.”
“Well, Catalina is a genius. A very smart woman,” Beast said. “We were hoping since you were the one driving, and the plate led to him, he would know you.”
I pulled my hand back then. I remembered. Catalina. That was the name of the pregnant woman he had picked up and kissed on the head. Right. So he was taken.
“Oh, yes. The pregnant woman. I hope she is okay,” I said, trying to sound normal.
“Yeah, that is Catalina. She is fine. She is married to my best friend, Viper. She is one of my best friends, too. They named their baby boy after me.”
“They named their little boy Beast?” I asked before I could stop myself. I was not judging, exactly, but… that would be a lot for a kid.
Beast laughed. “No. Beast is what they call me in the club. My real name is Cameron. They named him Cameron. Cameron Leonardo Michaelson.”
“Oh. That is a good, strong name,” I said.
He nodded. Then we all just stood there. No one knew what to say next.
Owen finally broke the quiet. “So when do you want to go to this clubhouse of yours?”
“How about I come get you at six tonight? Catalina and her sister, Jenna, are teaching a self-defense class later, but they will be at the clubhouse for dinner first. We all eat together a few times a week.”
“Who is ‘we all’?” I asked. I felt a stupid little jump of happiness knowing Catalina was not his girlfriend. But that did not mean he did not have one. I did not want to cause problems. Not that he would want me anyway. God, why am I even thinking that? Why do I care? I do not even want to be with a man. You can not trust them. Well, except for Owen.
“My club brothers. There are about seventy of us. Some have Old Ladies—that is like a wife. Some are actually married, like Jenna, Catalina, and Carrie. Then some brothers have girlfriends who are not Old Ladies yet, but they are not club girls either. And the club girls will be there, because they live at the clubhouse. So maybe one hundred people,” he said, all in one breath.
I was lost. Old Ladies? Club girls? Club brothers? One hundred people, multiple times a week?
“That is… a lot of information,” I managed to say. “So you have brothers with girlfriends and wives and sort-of wives… and then club girls. What are club girls?”
Beast looked at Owen for help, then back at me. Was his face getting red?
“Um, they are women who… take care of the brothers at the club.”
“You mean, they do laundry? Clean? Cook?” I asked, honestly not getting it.
“That. And other things,” he said, clearing his throat.
“Okaaay,” I said slowly, wondering what the ‘other things’ were. I looked at Owen. He just lifted his shoulders.
“What should we wear? Is this a fancy thing?” Owen asked.
Beast smiled, seeming relieved. “It is casual. We will be cooking on the grill. That is what we do for family nights, and for our regular dinners.”
“I am confused,” I said. “What is the difference? Between family night and a regular dinner?”
“Oh, no club girls on family night. That is every Sunday. Just the important club members, their girlfriends, and their families. The other brothers can come if they want. Usually they do. But it is mostly for the guys with families.”
“Club girls again,” I mumbled, still not understanding.
“Well, I will bring a big car and pick you up. See you tonight,” Beast said. Then he did something that made my brain stop. He took my hand, brought it to his mouth, and kissed the back of it. I just stared at him. He smiled and winked. Then he turned, shook Owen’s hand, and left.
Owen shut the door and looked at me. “Well, babe. Guess we are going to a biker party tonight. Let us go see what we have to wear.” He walked over and took my hand. I was still standing there, frozen, thinking about the feel of that man’s lips on my skin.