Reaper: Lotus MC Motorcycle Romance, page 20
I’m sitting at the bar with headphones I found in Reaper’s room on and listening to music as I work on my project for the sweetbutts.
I fucking hate calling them that, but they don’t seem to mind.
Someone comes up behind me and places their hands on my shoulders catching me off guard.
“Ah!” I scream.
I whip off the headphones and toss them on the bar as I turn around.
Evelyn is bent over, laughing with tears running down her cheeks.
“That was fucking fantastic! Oh, I needed that laugh.”
I look around the room and see several of the guys shaking their heads at us.
“You should know better than to sneak up on someone,” I scold with no heat.
Evelyn dries her cheeks as she rolls her eyes. “Oh come on, even you have to admit that was pretty funny. What are you up to?”
“Oh I was doing some research on different female doctors.”
Evelyn’s eyebrows fly up. “Are you pregnant?”
“What, no!” I hiss as I look around. “Keep your voice down. I was looking because one, it’s good to know, and two, I’m trying to find a doctor who’s willing to take on all of the sweetbutts.”
“You know a doctor…that you could ask…”
Evelyn leans against the bar next to me.
“I didn’t want to bother you and just because you’re a doctor doesn’t mean you know every doctor in the city.”
Evelyn hums as she picks up my notes, looking them over. “I know all the OBGYNs who deliver at Methodist, which is where you should be looking, it’s the closest hospital.”
I frown. “I hadn’t thought of that. I was just combing their bios and stalking them on social media.”
“Really?”
“I wanted to make sure they weren’t judgy before I reached out. Not everyone would understand this lifestyle,” I say as I snatch the paper back.
“I would go with Christenson. He’s gay, so he won’t hit on the girls and if the guys end up in the room, he won’t cave under their glares.”
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” She claps her hands. “Now go put your stuff away and grab a jacket. I’ve had one hell of a week, and I could use a little firepit and drink therapy.”
I look outside and see that the time must have gotten away from me. I hadn’t even realized the sun had set.
“Are you sure we can light a fire?”
Evelyn scoffs. “Please, I’ve been lighting shit on fire without permission since I was ten. Harrison won’t mind, promise. Now shoo.”
“I’m going. I’m going,” I mutter as I scoop everything off the counter and head back to our room.
Our room.
It’s so weird to think of it as that, but that’s what the room is, ours. I don’t know when but Reaper moved back in one night and hasn’t left since. Not that I mind. I fall asleep easier at night when he’s with me, and I love seeing his things mixed with what little I have.
After dropping everything on the desk, I head to the closet and take a peek inside. I don’t spot a hoodie or a jacket, so I grab a blanket off the corner of the bed. Reaper brought it home for me one day, totally surprising me. It will smell like smoke, but I can always wash it.
Blanket in hand, I leave the room, locking the door behind me.
“She’s already out there,” Jacob calls from behind the bar. “Take these with you.”
“What did you make?” I ask as I grab them. The cups are warm in my hands.
“Spiked apple cider.” He makes a weird face. “I don’t know how she can drink it, but that’s what she asked for.”
I look down at the cup and frown. “Oh, I’m not big on drinking.”
“Natalie,” he says, making me look back up at him. “You don’t have to try it if you don’t want to. I’ll make you something else. But if you want a drink, have one. It won’t hurt a thing, and Pres won’t be upset. It’s your call.”
I bite my lip as I stare back down at the cups. “I’ll try it but if I don’t like it you’ll make me something else?”
“Without a peep. Your call, boss lady.”
“Alright.” I smile as I step back. “Thanks, Jacob.”
“You’re welcome,” he calls out as I head outside.
Instantly I spot Evelyn next to a small fire.
“That was fast,” I say as I approach.
“It’s small for now, but it will grow. I see that Jacob sent out our drinks with you.”
“He did,” I say as I set them both down on a little table that’s situated between two chairs.
“I think you’ll like it,” she says as she brushes off her hands and moves to sit.
I wrap the blanket around my shoulders and sit down.
“So tell me how your week has been.”
Evelyn groans after taking a sip. “This is what heaven in a cup tastes like.”
I raise the glass and take a small taste. The best way I can describe it is it tastes like apple juice warmed up with cinnamon, but more. It makes you feel warm and tingly inside, and I can see how it would be perfect on a cold fall night.
Maybe while following kids around a neighborhood while they trick or treat. A voice whispers in the back of my head.
I clear my throat, leaving that thought where it lay. “You never answered my question.”
“Work is work. Saved some lives, lost some, the usual.”
I frown at how blasé she sounds but how tense her body seems.
“I couldn’t do what you do.”
“You get used to it. Birth and death it’s the circle of life. Does it suck? Yeah, but at least I can say I tried.” She brings her glass up to her lips and takes a big drink.
“Hey, what are you guys doing?”
Both Evelyn and I turn, looking over our shoulders and see Tara approaching.
“Just enjoying a drink and the fire. Take a seat,” Evelyn tells her.
“Are you sure?”
I give her an encouraging smile. “Of course.”
“So what were you ladies talking about?” Tara asks as she sits.
“Not much because Nat here was holding out on me. What have I missed this week?”
“Oh…did you hear that Reaper surprised her with sushi the other night?” Tara teases.
Evelyn gasps, placing her hand on her chest. “He ordered her sushi?”
I roll my eyes and lie. “It was nothing.”
It was everything.
“She told him when they were out that she loved sushi, so when they got back, he had a crazy amount waiting for her. There was so much she had to give some of it away.”
“There was no way I could eat it all, and it would have gone bad!” I protest weakly.
“Hmm…sounds like someone’s in love…” Evelyn sings out.
“I think what we should really be talking about is how Wrath has taken Tara under his wing,” I say, tossing my friend under the bus.
“I like what you did there.” Tara mock glares.
“I need more. Tell me everything,” Evelyn begs.
As they chat back and forth, I can’t help but smile. I’ve never had girlfriends like this and I can’t help but hope that they stay in my life, even when this is all over.
twenty-two
Pinky, Twitch, Midnight, Twinkie, Colt, Trigger, and Wrath take their spots around the table. I look at Colt on my right then turn toward Wrath on my left.
“Let’s get started,” I tell them. “Who would like to start?”
Twitch rests his forearms on the table. “I need help at the shop. Admin shit.” He cringes. “The office is worse than usual, and no one wants to deal with it. I would, but I’m in the middle of a project that’s taking up all my time.”
“The ‘65 Lincoln Continental restoration project, right?” I ask.
“It’s going to be a beaut when I’m done, but right now, it’s being a cunt.” He shakes his head. “I’ll stop now. Otherwise, I’ll start ranting about it,” he says, making everyone laugh.
“I’ll stop by this week. I need to apologize, I haven’t spent as much time there lately.”
“You’ve been busy,” Midnight says.
“How’s the tattoo shop?” I ask him.
“Good. In the next few months though, I’m going to need to hire another artist.”
“Just give me the resumes and I’ll run checks on them before they even come in,” Trigger offers.
Midnight dips his chin toward Trigger as Pinky speaks.
“Sunny is becoming suspicious why I haven’t brought her around lately. I tried to tell her it was because of a safety concern but…”
“Why don’t you just bring her around?” Colt asks.
“I’d rather not until I know it’s safe. We have a baby at home and things are just different now, you know?”
My jaw tics. I hate that I’m causing issues in his marriage, even if it’s not me directly.
“Let’s plan something.” I look around the table and make eye contact with each man. “Speaking of women, Natalie brought some concerns to me.”
Midnight frowns. “What’s up?”
“Did she see something?” Wrath asks.
I shake my head and look at my friend. “Not in the way you’re thinking,” I address the rest of the table. “She came to me concerned about the sweetbutts.”
Twinkie opens his mouth to cut in but holds himself back when I raise my hand, cutting him off.
“After everything that happened with Tara, she had concerns. She doesn’t think they should go or anything like that but she wants to help them.”
Trigger leans back in his chair and steeples his hands. “What does she have in mind?”
“Well, apparently we failed to think about getting them all on birth control.”
Each man cringes as I continue. “We’ve just always assumed they would handle that, but she thinks the club should foot the bill where they service the club.”
“Makes sense. Hell, I’m surprised we haven’t had any little surprises as it is,” Wrath says.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Colt flinch.
“You good?” I ask him.
“Yeah, sorry. I tweaked my shoulder the other day and now it’s angry if I move just right,” he tells me.
“Get that checked out.” I turn back to everyone else. “Along with the whole birth control thing, she wants to come to some sort of agreement between us and the sweetbutts. She doesn’t like that they feel obligated to sleep with us when they don’t want to in fear of us kicking them out.”
“I’ve always thought we should treat them better,” Wrath mumbles.
“Not all of us have an iron will and avoid them,” Midnight teases before looking at me. “Does she have a plan outlined?”
“She’s working on it. Once it’s complete, I’ll bring it to all of you. I just wanted to give you a heads-up.”
“We won’t take it to a vote?” Twinkie asks.
I raise a brow and look at him. “You want to take treating women decently to a vote? Imagine how your mother or sister would react if they just heard that come out of your mouth.”
He looks away, looking ashamed. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I think it is.” I sigh. “Look, the problem isn’t in this room. I know that those of you who hook up with the sweetbutts treat them with some level of respect. It’s the men like Jug out there that think pussy is owed to them.”
“Fuck, just the thought of one of them not saying no because they feel like I’d retaliate makes me feel dirty. It’s like some fucked up form of rape.” Trigger frowns.
“Exactly.” I point at him.
“It has my vote. I know Sunny will appreciate it,” Pinky says.
Twitch laughs. “Sunny fucking hates the sweetbutts.”
Pinky rolls his eyes. “She doesn’t hate them necessarily. She just hates that some of them have no respect and try and come onto me from time to time.”
“Alright, next order of business,” I say, cutting them off before they can start going back and forth. “Colt, where are we on our next shipment from Medina Cartel?”
“They don’t want to schedule anything until they meet with us and discuss the issues we’ve been having.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, the room tenses.
“Okay, that’s fine. Get it scheduled and tell me when and where. We can ease their concerns,” I tell him as my gut churns.
“Running for the cartel brings us in a lot of money, and getting on the bad side of the cartel is something you never want. Especially when you’re like all of us and know too much.”
“What about Danworth?” I ask, changing the subject.
“It’s too soon to say if anything came out of taking Natalie to the races. Neither he nor the Renegades showed up, but I know he knows that you're taking her out. Keep taking her out. Let her be seen in controlled situations. Eventually he will snap and make his move,” Trigger tells me.
“He’s playing it cool right now and acting like her being here isn’t bothering him when we all know he hates it,” Wrath adds.
Midnight nods. “No one likes it when their woman moves on.”
“Are we going to patch the prospect in?” Twitch asks, changing the subject.
“What do you guys think?” I look around the table.
“I like him.”
“He’d be good.”
The guys give their approval.
“If it’s alright, I want to wait until all this shit is taken care of. Give him his moment without the cloud of all this bullshit hanging over us,” I tell them.
“Sounds good, Pres,” Twinkie says and the others murmur their agreement.
“Alright, does anyone have anything else to add?”
Everyone shakes their heads. “Then let’s wrap this up. Meeting adjourned,” I say as I slap the table.
I pull off my helmet and look up at the building in front of me. It looks like your typical garage but new and well-kept.
Lotus Auto.
The signage is big and stands out.
Sounds filter out from the garage, letting us know that guys are hard at work.
“Come on. Let me show you around,” Harrison says as he helps me off the bike.
Hand in hand, he shows me around. First he shows me the garage itself. None of it makes sense to me, but I nod along. I smile and wave when I see a familiar face but don’t approach any of them since they are busy.
It’s nice though. Everything is as clean as a garage can be, and the tools seem to be organized. No one is digging around for anything.
“This is the lobby, but no one really uses it. They usually go and eat across the street at the diner,” he says, pointing out the window.
“This is nice.”
The lobby has several uncomfortable-looking chairs, two vending machines, one with snacks and the other with drinks, and last, a counter with a computer where they check people out.
“Just remember you said that.” He chuckles as he opens a door.
Harrison starts to pull me inside, but I freeze, my feet unable to move.
“Harrison, we can’t go in there,” I hiss, pulling on his arm.
He looks back at me and frowns. “Why not.”
I wave my hand at the room. “You were clearly robbed!”
Harrison busts out laughing, head tossed back.
I pull my hand from his and place my hands on my hips. “I’m so glad you think this is funny. Now come on, you have to report this! Who knows what they took. Do you think it was William?”
Harrison calms down and rests his hands on my shoulders. “Queen bee, I can promise you, we weren’t robbed.”
“That’s it. Give me your phone.” I hold out my hand.
“Why?”
“Because clearly I need to find you an eye doctor to get your eyes checked. This place is fucking wrecked.”
“Hey, is everything okay?”
I turn and look over my shoulder and see Twitch hovering in the doorway between the garage and the lobby.
“No, everything is not okay. Reaper thinks it’s okay that you guys were robbed and won’t call the cops.”
Twitch frowns as he steps forward. “We were robbed?”
I motion with my hand telling him to take a look. He peeks into the office. The corner of his mouth twitches as he looks at Reaper before they both start laughing again.
“This isn’t funny!”
“Babe, this is just how the office looks,” Harrison says between gasps.
“Wait, you mean you leave it like this!”
“I told you we needed help and that you were going to regret volunteering.” He shrugs.
“Good luck and thank you.” Twitch taps my shoulder as he walks by.
I step into the room and look around. There are parts lying all over the place with papers scattered around. I can already feel the impending headache coming on.
“You so owe me for this.” I start rubbing my temples.
“I’ll pay you in sexual favors.” Harrison winks.
“Is it really payment though when you get just as much out of it as I do?”
He pulls me into him, his hands going to my ass and squeezing as he kisses me. “Touché. Will you be good in here on your own?”
“I’m good.” Standing up on my tiptoes, I kiss him one more time before pulling out of his hold.
As Harrison walks past me, he slaps my ass, making me yelp. I turn back toward the office and sigh. This is going to take me weeks to organize.
I have no idea how long I’ve been working, but the next thing I know, my back is hurting and I swear I can’t smell anything over the mustiness of the papers that have possibly been in here longer than I’ve been alive. This place is a wreck.
Or at least it was before I took a hammer at it and started fixing it up. It’s starting to look decent now.
I grunt as I drag a bag of trash and place it next to the door. Standing straight, I groan as I look around the room. You can’t even tell that I’ve done much despite filling two bags of trash. I swear these men don’t know what an office is and thinks this is just a junk room.
I look over at the couch and cringe. I’ve placed all the parts I’ve found so far on it and in front of it. Some of them in boxes and some loose. I don’t know if they are broken or what but I figured it was best to save them all and let the guys go through them.
