I was rushing between the bar and the tables after doing an extended show on stage. Delilah had called out with some stomach bug and the bachelor party ended up being larger than we had originally expected. I was slinging my hips and drinks faster than I had in a few months. My glitter had long sense faded away and my skin glistened with a thin layer of sweat as the night finally started to wind down. On the bright side, my rent was taken care of and then some.

"What can I do about this?" Barbie asked, turning her inner thigh towards me. I snarled at the reddened friction rash on her delicately white skin and shook my head.

"That's gnarly, girl. I suggest using less skin on the pole. Try using your heels more." I offered as she nodded and started lathering some ointment on her skin. Pearl stormed through the dressing room door and glared at me. We never really saw eye to eye, but we usually just avoided one another.

"Next time I have to give that vodka soaked prick a free lap dance, I'm taking the fee from your tips." She said as she walked up to me. I could smell the man's cologne on her body and almost felt bad for her. Had she not confronted me with such hostility, I may have forked over some cash to her. Instead, I just brushed by her to grab my stuff and head home.

"I'm not in the mood to deal with you." I called out to the biker from Tuesday night. He was parked next to my car and watching me as I crossed the lot. I couldn't deny the stirring I felt in my stomach at the sight of him, but I was too worn out to argue with him.

"Patrova isn't your biggest fan. Just here to see you home." He said with a shrug as he tossed his cigarette away. I twisted my mouth and shook my head as I lowered myself into the car and slammed the door. He smirked a little as he got on his bike and started it up.

True to his word, he didn't even get off the bike or make an effort to approach me when I parked my car in the driveway. He just planted his boots on the pavement and followed me with his eyes until the door was closed between us. I listened as the roar of the engine filled the air and then slowly faded away into the night.

I woke up to someone pounding on my front door. I groaned and slid out of bed with a yawn. The clock read 10:07 am, but I felt like I'd only been asleep for an hour instead of seven. I pulled on a silk robe and padded to the door slowly. The arches of my feet ached from the extended time on heels the past few days.

"Morning." I grumbled as Barbie smiled at me brightly. She was wearing a pair of orange shorts and a navy blue, lace top and flat sandals. I stepped aside to let her inside and yawned again. She laughed and sat down on my white, leather couch.

"Do you always sleep your off days away?" She asked as I walked across the room to my wardrobe. Living in a studio apartment had it's advantages, like not having to delay getting dressed to have early morning conversations with overly cheery visitors.

"It's not even noon, doll. What are you up to?" I asked, pulling a black and white printed tunic over my head. She started flipping through one of the magazines on my coffee table, obviously still too modest to deal with me getting dressed in front of her.

"I was planning on going shopping and thought you might want to come along." She said with a smile in her voice. I fastened my shorts and stepped into a pair of Sperry Top Siders before ducking in the bathroom to brush my teeth. She was still looking at the same magazine after I finished getting ready.

"Yeah, I'll tag along. Where are we going?" I asked as I offered her some of my morning smoothie. She shook her head and tossed the magazine back on the table.

"There's a new store down in Stockton. They're supposed to have really cute shoes and I need some new ones for work." She explained, standing up and heading towards the door. I nodded and grabbed my bag and keys.

"We can take my car." I suggested while locking the deadbolt. She shrugged and headed to the passenger side. I didn't have anything against her Altima but riding with other drivers made me anxious. It was a control thing. She sat quietly in the car for the first half of the drive.

"I wanted to thank you for standing up for me Tuesday." I glanced over at her, surprised that she finally broke the silence. I nodded and made a right turn per her phone's directions.

"You don't have to thank me, Meredith. I was new once too. There was a dancer, Candy, who used to look out for me. Once she hung up her heels, I kind of took on the roll of caretaker." I explained while looking around for a parking spot. She gave me a half smile and unbuckled her seatbelt.

"I actually prefer Barbie now." She said with a little laugh. I nodded with a laugh and turned the car off. Two hours and three hundred dollars later, we walked out of the store with multiple shopping bags. Barbie had found a couple pairs of stilettos, jeans and a few crop tops. I got three new pairs of sky-high boots, a lace and stud bra top and a leather jacket. We were laughing and smiling as we got back in the car.

"Son of a bitch." I grumbled as my car started making a gurgling noise just outside of town. Barbie twisted her mouth with a loss of words as I pulled the car off the road and killed the engine. I hopped out and headed to the engine bay. "Go ahead and call a wrecker, doll."

Barbie nodded and started searching for the closest wrecker company on her phone as I stared at a large hole in my radiator. I sighed and slammed the hood as she walked around to me.

"They said it'll be about fifteen minutes. What's wrong with it?" She asked quietly. I shook my head and gestured towards the hood I was leaning on.

"Radiator busted. I don't really know how but there's a hole in it." I shrugged and gave her a weak smile. We stood in silence for a few minutes before she laughed nervously and shook her head.

"I really have no idea what you're talking about but holes don't sound good. I like this car though." I rolled my eyes, amused at her lack of understanding as the wrecker pulled up. The first man out of the truck looked familiar, but I couldn't place where I'd seen him before. The second man had a nice tan, a mohawk and tribal tattoos down either side of strip of short black hair. I thought Barbie was going to fall over herself as she gave him a dorky smile.

"It's the radiator. Can we get a ride to the shop with y'all? I can get a friend to pick us up from there." I said, tossing the keys to the man with sunglasses and salt and pepper hair. When he smiled, I noticed the scars on his face that had my mind racing with places I may have seen him before.

"Aye, we can manage tha. Ya can hop in. Get outta tha sun." He gestured his thumb towards the cab of the truck as the younger man just smiled and nodded. I gave Barbie a little shove and snickered as she reluctantly looked away from the man.

"You can ogle him on the ride back. I'm hot." I teased as she followed me into the truck. I assumed they wouldn't switch who was driving, so I let Barbie sit on the passenger side where the mohawked guy would be. She blushed a little and nodded.

"He's gorgeous! Did you see his arms?" She made a purring noise and I almost lost it. Her eyes were as big as saucers and I could see the little hairs on her arms standing up straight.

"I couldn't really see past the hair and head tattoos. So, he's your type?" I glanced up in the rearview mirror to watch the men hooking my car up to the wench. Barbie turned around in her seat and nodded.

"It is now." She giggled and I felt like we'd turned a new chapter in our friendship. Ruby and Delilah were always fun to hang out with at work, but Barbie was the first girl I'd spent time with outside of the club. She had an aggressive style of friendship, but I needed that in a friend.

"Ya may want ta squeeze together, lasses." I caught a glimpse of the man's name on his shirt, Fillip, but it didn't help me place him. Barbie hopped up in my lap and smiled before kissing my forehead. I laughed and shook my head hopelessly.

"Orange or Grape?" Barbie asked as the other man got in the passenger side. I cocked an eyebrow and looked up at her. She pointed at the tan guy who was smiling and shaking his head.

"Just Juice. You two from around here?" He asked casually. I hesitated to answer, a product of my childhood as Barbie hitched a shoulder.

"Lodi. We were just in Stockton to go shopping." She piped up cheerfully. I turned my focus to the road, feeling my anxiety start kicking in as Fillip changed lanes. It was even worse since my car was trailing behind us with no one to protect it.

"Juice will lead ya to tha office." Fillip said after backing into the garage's lot. I was in the middle of nodding when my eyes fell on a large reaper symbol on the wall to my left. My eyes started studying everything quickly. The large building in front of the truck and the line of motorcycles to the right slammed all the pieces in place. I'd seen the driver at the club on Tuesday. He was with the other leather-vested men with the Russians.

"I'll get the bags out while you talk to Gemma." Juice said as he motioned towards the woman standing in front of what looked to be a small office. I groaned inwardly and nodded as Barbie and I made our way up to the woman. She gave off a don't-fuck-with-me vibe with her biker chic outfit and dark hair.

"Who owns the car?" She asked with no attempt to greet us. I inclined my head and lengthened my stride to move slightly in front of Barbie. Gemma nodded and stepped into the office. I filled out the papers quickly and got Barbie to call Ruby to come pick us up.

"Buick's done." I reflexively rolled my eyes at the raspy voice I couldn't keep from recognizing. I kept my eyes on the paper I was already done with, hoping if I didn't see him, he wouldn't see me. Unfortunately, I had shit luck.

"What are you doing here?" He growled. I gritted my teeth and stood up, placing the clipboard on the desk in front of Gemma. His arms were covered in black oil that was just about the same color as his eyes. I brought my eyes up to his face and smiled sarcastically.

"Grocery shopping, obviously." I snapped. Barbie snickered until he shot her a look. I narrowed my eyes at him and planted my hands on my hips. He pointed out towards the lot and waited for me to follow his directive. I made a point to swing my hips as I walked ahead of him.

"What's wrong with the beamer?" He asked, glancing back at my car that Juice and Fillip were pushing into an open bay. I sighed and shook my head.

"It's got a hole in the radiator. You mind looking to see what made it?" I asked, giving up on my attitude towards him. He searched my eyes with his own before nodding.

"Yeah, I will. You and the kid need a ride to Lodi?" I shook my head and gave him a thank you in the form of a small smile. He nodded and glanced at something or someone behind me. "Work tonight?"

"No, I'm off." He nodded and wiped his hands on his jeans. I felt the familiar butterflies in my stomach as I watched him stretch his neck.

"I'll be by later." I didn't get a chance to object before he turned away and headed towards my car. Barbie walked out of the office as Juice walked over with an arm full of bags. The tattooed biker watched him carry the bags over to us before glancing at me. His face didn't reveal what was going on in that mind of his before he turned away and focused on my car again.

"Isn't that the guy from the club?" Ruby asked as we got in her car. I nodded and glanced at him one more time. He was shaking his head and undoing the bolts that were holding my bumper in place. Without his vest on, the muscles in his back and arms were even easier to see.

"He's super hot in a scary kind of way. Juice is like the best of both worlds. He's a biker but super sweet at the same time." Barbie said dreamily. I laughed and turned back to look at her. She was twisting her blonde hair around her fingers and smiling goofily.

I shook my head and leaned back in the seat, ready to get back home and figure out a way to get him to leave later. Like Barbie said, he was hot as hell but I just couldn't get past the fact that he was an asshole. A hot asshole, but an asshole none the less.

A/N: Please read and review so I know whether or not I should continue posting chapters for this story. I have written several chapters ahead and plan to be more regular on updates on this as I finish out my other stories. A special thank you to RhondaL for encouraging me! Thank You!