Chapter 6
Madame Ecstasy
"I will be along shortly. I have lodge business to discuss with Nero. You should pick up the boys on the way home. Feed them if Gemma hasn't already and give them their baths."
A confused look crossed Jax's face. This was going to be a big change for him. He wasn't used to having any responsibility for his family and doing whatever he wanted when he wanted. Gemma was right; I done everything while Jax done nothing in return for his family.
"It felt good didn't it Tara?" Nero waited until Jax left before he said it.
"Oh yeah. Do you know how many times I've heard; I have club business to handle? If I had a dollar for every time, I would be a millionaire."
"Well, how are we gonna do this partner?" I felt at ease with Nero. He already addressed me as his partner. It was too bad my husband never done it in anything.
"You need to stop pimping pussy and start selling discretion. Men will pay five to ten times more money to keep their secrets safe."
"Five..five to ten times more? How?" Nero seemed eager to hear what I had to say. Again, it was something else I longed for from my husband, for him to listen to what I had to say.
"I just happen to know someone who uses the lodge as their escape. He makes around three hundred thousand dollars a year. He pays five hundred dollars for a fuck. He will pay twenty five hundred to five thousand at a time to know his little indiscretions will be kept quiet so his wife doesn't find out and take everything."
"Okay, Hedi Fleiss, let say he does. That's only one guy though." Skepticism was in Nero's voice. I hoped to turn it around to a reality at some point. Sure, I'd have to prove it to him, prove it I would.
"It is one guy who has a lot of powerful, rich and elite friends. We will no longer sell it only to the common John. If the girls have regulars they want to keep, then they can work out something. But why would they want to take it up the ass for a small amount of money when they can do the same for a bigger score?"
"This all sounds real good Tara. But, how are we gonna get these clients in here?"
"You leave it to me. It's how I will earn my money, my portion of the profits. Some of the girls will have to go though. They are just strung out whores. I'll let you choose the list of who stays."
"Well, let's bring Lyla in on this conversation." While Nero went to get her, I took in a couple of deep breaths. This had to work out for me and my boys' sake.
Lyla was quiet but listened to what I had to say. Then she gave her input. "Men are here for pussy Tara and nothing else."
"You're wrong, most of them have a woman at home. They are buying the fantasy, so lets give them the best damn fantasy a lot of cash can buy."
Nero was leery about the plan. "We have to put on a good front here. To cover our licenses and not get busted by the cops."
"You do massages. So, we call the jungle fantasy room, a therapeutic spring massage. All the while the girls fuck them as they make their jungle fantasy come true." This was where being with Jax taught me. If you could scheme a way to get around it; you would probably get away with it.
"How much is all of this going to cost?" Nero's other concern.
"We will split the money, partner." I smiled when I said it too. "Lyla, are you on board?"
"Sure. When are we doing this?"
"I'll meet you here tomorrow morning and we will start making decisions then."
Lyla left and I was getting ready to go home when Nero stopped me. "Are you positive this is what you want?"
"Yes."
"Why are you doing it? You make good money being a doctor?" I appreciated Nero's concern for me or maybe his worries he had too.
"Look at my hand, I may never operate again. I was suspended for helping out Todd's family from the hospital and I could lose my licenses permanently. I am looking to make a bunch of quick cash to get the hell out of this poisonous town before it kills me or my family."
"Does Jax know? Tara, I can't be doing shaky shit behind his back. I'm hooked up with Gemma and it all affects me."
"You said we need total disclosure between us. I need to know I can trust you too Nero."
"You can trust me Mama, but you didn't answer my question."
"I will answer it when I know for sure I can trust you as well. I'll see you in the morning."
The toughest part of all this was still left for me to face, Jax. The lights were still on and I knew he was up. When I went inside he was sitting on the couch smoking.
"Did you put the boys to bed?"
"Yeah, I did. Sit down Tara, we need to talk."
Jax was so good at convincing you he was doing you a favor while fucking you over. The saddest part was he done it right in your face before you realized it. The double talk of how he was concerned for my well being. He took the I love you and only I can protect you approach. Well, it wasn't working on me this time.
"I appreciate your concerns and giving me permission to be a stay at home mom with our boys. But, I am following through on what I planned with Nero. We have no money, you're broke, the club is broke. I have no way to earn a living right now. I'm doing this."
"How long do you think the Lodge will last without the club's protection? You're in over your head Tara." Jax switched gears on me. This was to scare me into doing what he wanted. But, it wasn't working either.
"I'm going to check on the boys. Then take a shower." So many times when I wanted to talk to Jax, this was his excuse to leave the room and to end the conversation between us. Only this time, I used it before he could.
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It wasn't a huge surprise Jax was already gone when I got up. He left the boys in bed and never even gave me a kiss goodbye because he was pissed off. He'd get over it though, I've had to many times in our relationship.
The boys ate their breakfast as I made my list of things I needed to do. First thing, was get some money to invest in the Lodge and hope for a huge return of profit. I couldn't use what little I had in reserve, we needed it for bills and food.
"Kyle, this is Tara. I am wondering if you are still going to buy my dad's house and when you would have the down payment available? Great. Then I will stop by your new shop this morning with the paper work. I know exactly where it is in Charming." It was a relief, he already had money for me and was willing to sign the real estate contract.
One more call to make before we took off. " Lowen, can you do me a favor, I need a sales contract drawn up?" I was batting a thousand this morning. If the rest of the day went as smoothly, I had it made.
Scooping up all the boys stuff, we took off. Gemma was helping out with them until I could make arrangements for day care. She was a crazy bitch but I knew she loved the boys and wouldn't let anything happen to them. Well, not on purpose anyway. Sometimes, shit just followed if you were to close to the club.
"Thanks for watching them."
"What are doing today?" With the smirk on Gemma's face I assumed she already knew.
"I guess, Jax told you already."
"Jackson, doesn't tell me shit. Nero did." I envied the closeness she shared with Nero. When he was away from Gemma, she was all he talked about. I wondered if Jax even thought of me through out the day the way I done him.
The fleeting thought of him wasn't wasted. When I pulled up to Kyle's shop, three bikes were parked on the street. I seen Jax inside the plate glass window talking to Kyle. I hadn't done anything wrong or stepped over the line, I remembered who I was married to and the vows we took. Yet, I felt uneasy to see my husband talking to him though.
Pacing the street until they came out. "Hey." It was all I could come up with to say to him. Before Jax responded, Kyle was out on the street and up in Jax's face.
"Is the biker harassing you?" Kyle showed no fear of him. As he pushed me behind him like he needed to protect me from Jax. Which was surprising and dangerous at the same time.
"The best thing you can do is; get your ass back inside and stop touching my old lady." Jax meant what he said to Kyle. It was react with violence then ask questions later on with him.
"Old lady? Sorry, I thought there was a problem. I gave Tara a tattoo and I don't want to see anything happen to her." Now, Kyle looked at me the same way everyone else did. He backed away from me like I had the plague.
"You're mistaken, Tara didn't get a tattoo.."
"Actually, I did Jax. A couple of days ago. You just didn't notice it." It wasn't a uncommon thing either. He spent so much of his time away from us, he never bothered to notice what happened around him or with us.
Jax was shocked, I pushed my shirt down so he could see my shoulder. His fingers lightly grazed over my tattoo. "I love it and you. You're a really good mom to my sons."
The softer side of my husband was showing through. Not many times did he let it with others around, especially the club. He felt it portrayed him as weak and venerable. I thought it made him a caring man. So I would take it as a small victory none the less.
With a couple of kisses from Jax, he went riding off with the others. To my amazement, he never asked me what I was doing here or nothing about Kyle. Which he was watching out the store front window. Although, I hoped it hadn't changed his mind on buying the house. There wasn't but one way to find out, go inside and take it head on.
"So, does the house price include the protection money your husband wants from me or is it a separate transaction?" Kyle was snide with me as soon as I walked in the door.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Come on Tara, he came in here and shook me down. If I don't pay them, he intends on ruining my business. I sank a lot of money already into this place. I won't be pushed around with fear by anyone. Did he send you to sell me the house and get a tattoo in my shop? Is this the game you run together? " Kyle done exactly what everyone else did, he associated me with the club and their bullshit.
"I have nothing to do with what SAMCRO does. Jax always keeps me on the outside of it. I hate the fact my husband is in the club and we are still here in this shitty town. My apologizes for what he did to you. Believe me, I spend more of my time trying to justify their actions than I do approving of them. I am just trying to scrape money together to take care of my children. Because the club has ruined my life and the only way I have to earn money."
There was no need to continue the conversation. Kyle formed his opinion and I wouldn't insult myself trying to change it. Before I got the car door opened he was there. "Is it why you live in fear and seem so guarded all the time?"
"Yes." It came out at above a whisper. The emotions I felt saying it out loud were taking over. I never had anywhere or anyone to turn to. Kyle wrapped his large arms around me as I cried until I couldn't cry anymore.
"I'm sorry." I tried to wipe my tears off his shirt.
"I'll let you make it up to me, girl." This was more like the guy I met the other night. Rather than the angered man from earlier.
"How's that?"
"You can buy me a house warming present for my new home. Nothing extravagant or anything." Kyle made me feel better some how. He signed the contract and gave me a check for the down payment.
Holding money in one hand and it getting ready to leave quickly when I pulled up to the Lodge.
"Good morning, Tara."
"Hey, Lyla. Are you ready to get started?"
"This is your party darlin, I'm just the party favor."
We came to an agreement on the theme of every room but one. "Seriously? I'm not into the whole little Bo Peep does the sheep thing Tara. It's not my style."
"Would you rather have Little Red Riding Hood gets ate by the bad wolf theme?" We both had a good laugh at my joke. We left the room open for whatever we came up with later.
Nero seemed pleased with our ideas. He had some contractors he used in the past. He was making calls to get pricing. Tonight would be the last time Diosa was an open establishment. From now on it would be by invitation only. An expensive invitation to get.
It was my next stop to get it set in motion. Mr. Price, our wonderful hospital president, was like clock work. From around eleven to one, he disappeared for lunch. I followed him off of the hospital property. Only to find out he was keeping more than his weekly visits of the Lodge from his wife.
The girl who welcomed him inside, was younger than me. He was old enough to be my dad. I waited patiently for him to come out to his car. After his hour tryst, he finally did.
"Mr. Price, are you visiting your daughter by chance?" I knew he only had two boys in his family. Of course I was being snide anyway.
"You are starting to piss me off Dr. Knowles. I put my recommendation in to the board already. So there is no need to make any further threats towards me."
"Yeah, about that. I need one more favor from you. It's just one night, one time of all your rich friends coming to Diosa. Afterwards, you will never hear from me again."
He balked at my request of him bringing in some high end clientele for the Lodge."It's ridiculous, I will not participate in this charade any longer."
"Then by tomorrow, this disc will be in the hands of your wife. She will have evidence of your extra actives and take your ass to the cleaners for every dime you have." It was Abel's, Thomas the Tank disc, I held in my hand. But Mr. Price didn't know it when he agreed to go along with the plan.
When I got into the car, I cursed myself for what I done. I was ashamed I pushed the envelope so far as to use him for my gain. This involved my children's well being, nothing would stop me from succeeding.
They were on my mind as I drove to the garage to pick them up. Abel came running when he seen me. "Mommy."
"Hey, baby. What do you want to do today?"
"Can we eat at the park?"
"Sure we can. Me, you and Thomas will have a picnic."
Abel rambled on as we went through the drive thru to pickup some food. Thomas was baby rambling along with him and didn't make any sense. But I loved every moment I spent with them and all the noise they made.
After Abel finished his burger, he went to play. I put Thomas in his carrier when he fell a sleep. I got my list out to check off what I accomplished today. Before long, I had visitors. The crows were gathering in the tree above where I sat on the park bench. I didn't enjoy their jabbering sounds at all.
"Crows call to awaken you to your true souls purpose. To remind you to follow your heart." The old man startled me who sat down on the bench.
"That's an interesting observation, I guess."
"It's a fact actually. They are beautiful creatures aren't they, Tara?"
"How do you know my name?" I bent down to pick up my purse setting by Thomas's carrier. It was my gun I wanted. I could never be to careful with those around me.
The old man stood up and stretched as though he were stiff from setting to long. "I can assure you, it isn't necessary. I mean you no harm."
At a snails pace he walked casually toward the edge of the park where it met up with a wooded area. He literally disappeared before my eyes into the mist of the thick trees.
Thomas was the first thing I grabbed, my gun went down the back of my pants. "Abel, come on baby." I got the boys strapped in quickly.
After I started the car, I hesitated. My head told me to hit the gas and drive like hell away. But my gut said I needed to know more. I clicked the lock button on the door so no one could get in. I drove along the edge of the grass until I seen it. The same crow with the white patch across it's face, came flying out of the woods swiftly in the direction of the car. At the last second, it lifted up towards the sky and flew past us.
"What's wrong Mommy?" Abel was to observant for his age.
"Nothing, honey. Mommy is just a little crazy. How about we stop for some ice cream on the way home?" I found the easiest way to not explain something to Abel was to change the subject. It wouldn't work as he got older but it did for now.
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"Are you ready, partner? One more time as Diosa, then on to bigger and better money."
"Sure." I said it but I didn't truly mean it. This was no longer me playing the role of a greeter to the men who came in. This was my livelihood and my world depended on it.
Quickly I stepped in the kitchen to catch my breath way from them all. I leaned on the wooden island to hold myself up. "I can't do this. Jax is right."
"I suggest you figure it out or fake it well. You go out there and strut your shit like you own the place. Or you go crawling home to Jax and admit you were wrong. He will own you then. You will never be your own person again." Gemma was trying to cheer me on or to scare the hell out of me. Actually, she was doing a good job at doing both.
"Everything okay in here? Something going on I need to know about?" You could find Nero wherever Gemma was. I didn't even notice he was in here with us.
"We're fine baby, thinking about painting the kitchen in earth tones. Ain't that right, Doc?" Gemma wrapped her arms around Nero's neck. Then I realized she just done to him what I done to Abel. She didn't want to explain it, so she changed the subject. There was still so much I could learn from her.
"Yeah, I think earth tones will look great in here." I gave my best smile when I said it too.
"I gotta get out front." Nero kissed Gemma before he disappeared.
"Tara, you own your shit and place tonight. No one will doubt you can do it, especially yourself. I gotta go relieve Ninta with the boys. If you need me, call me." Gemma went out the back door when she gave her advise.
Deep inhaled breaths was what I took in. I ran my hands down the front of my dress to make sure it was straight. I flipped my hair over my shoulders and went to pimp some pussy. It was time for me to suck it up and make it work. There was no turning back now.
The lounge filled up quickly, wall to wall horny men. I done my best to blend in with the crowd. Until Nero startled me. "If anyone bothers you, let me know and I will handle it."
"I don't think you need to worry Nero, I can't even compare to these girls."
"You're right, you don't, most of them don't have half the class you do. Don't get me wrong, I love the girls but they don't compare to your beauty either." The heat came to my face. This was kind and great for my ego.
Our conversation was interrupted by a phone call Nero took. "I gotta run out for a minute, my crew needs me. Can you handle this until I get back?"
"Sure." It was my standard answer for most questions tonight. Perhaps if I said it enough, I would start believing it myself.
Most of the evening went well. I kept a tally on the number of men who came in. On a good night, they made around ten to fifteen grand before all the girls got paid. My goal was to make a hundred grand every night. If I pulled this off, a month or two and I was out.
Tonight went to smoothly for me. When we heard screams and a loud crash coming from the back. It made sense what Jax warned me about. Nero was gone. I had to step up and handle business.
One of the guys was roughing up my girl. He was slapping her around when I barged in the room. "Hey, get the fuck out."
"I paid for pussy and I'm getting what I paid for. This little bitch bit me." He went back to knocking her around.
On a general bases, I thought shit through. I went out of my way to not put myself in danger. This wasn't one of those times. I picked up the large vase from the table and hit him over the head with it. Anything to make him stop hurting her.
Since Nero was gone and we weren't sure how to handle it, we improvised the best we could. I called him to get back here quickly.
Lyla helped me secure the guy to keep shit quiet. We couldn't call the cops and I sure as the fuck wasn't going to call Jax. It would just prove his point of I couldn't handle it.
Nero seemed amused at our work. "So, which one of you came up with using the sex swing to tie this guy up with? Nice red sequence panties as a gag too. But did you really need to duct tape them in his mouth?"
"He hurt one of my girls, I used what you had available. We didn't know what else to do with him."
Lyla smiled and hugged me. "You just called us your girls." She reached out to me, as much as I wanted to, I couldn't make a total connection with her yet.
"We'll take care of this, mama. You did good tonight. I think you'll do just fine Tara." Nero had his crew carry the guy out the back. I felt it was best not to ask how they would handle it. I broke enough laws for one day.
"Lets get you patched up." I took the girl to the empty room we hadn't made a decision on yet.
He busted her skin open above her eye and around her mouth. Other than that, it was fear she was feeling. "How old are you?"
"Old enough." She might be tough on the exterior but on the inside she was falling apart.
"There are better ways to earn a living than laying on your back."
"Not for me, my mom kicked me out and I got no place to go. This is better than sleeping on the streets."
This was her first official hooking night and she freaked out. As far as I was concerned, it was her last one too. "You can sleep here tonight. We will talk in the morning. Put this cream on your cuts when you wake up. It will help with scaring."
"Why are you doing this for me?"
"I remember a girl they thought would never amount to much either. But I believed in myself enough to at least try. You should too." Not to mention, I knew what it felt like to get hit by a man. To live in fear of what he would end up doing to you in the long run.
No matter how much of an asshole Jax was, he never physically abused me. He would kill anyone who lifted a hand to ever hurt me. In my heart, I knew it was true. I took out my cell and fiddle around with the numbers until I dialed him.
"Hey, Jax. I just wanted to tell you I love you." I reached his voicemail but he would know I was thinking of him.
There was a lot more to running the Lodge than I had originally anticipated. At the end of the night, money had to be counted, then split up accordingly. A lot of work went into closing it up. Around one in the morning, I was yawning.
"Go on home Tara, we got this." Nero made the offer and I took him up on it. Lyla had this down to a fine art as she ran around taking care of everything.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow."
I felt drowsy on the way home. I rolled down the window to get some air blowing on my face to help keep me awake. But I was wide awake when I seen him standing on the streets of Charming.
Under the street lamp on the corner stood the old man I seen in the park. He had on a sweater vest, trousers and a patty cap sported on the top of his head. A cane was propped in front of him. I didn't recall him having it before.
Maybe it wasn't the best decision call I made, but I still made it anyway. I flipped a u-turn in the middle of the street about the same time he rounded the corner. For being so elderly, he made good time down the street.
It was almost as though he wanted me to see where he went to. Because he waited at the front door before he entered inside of the retirement home. I tried to push the door open to follow him in but it wouldn't budge. I seen a guard walking by, so I knocked on the glass doors.
"Can I help you?" He finally let me in.
"I am wondering if you can tell me the name of the man who just came inside?"
"We are closed. No one came in here."
"But I seen him go through these door just a couple of minutes ago."
"Ma'am, these doors lock automatically at nine o'clock at night. No one comes in or goes out until around six in the morning when the nurses does a shift change. You'll have to come back tomorrow."
Now, I was sure I lost my mind or it was well on it's way there. All the way home, I tried to rationalize what took place tonight, I came up with nothing.
Once I made it inside the house, I was to tired to think anymore. Jax had Abel in bed with him. They looked so comfortable and peaceful. I wouldn't wake them. I check on Thomas and covered him up. I threw a blanket on the couch and crashed for the night.
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"Thanks, for everything Tara. I appreciate you letting me move in early too. Are you sure you don't want the furniture or money for it?"
"There is nothing here I want. You're saving me from cleaning it out actually. So, thank you, Kyle." Everything in the my dad's house was tied to a bad memory of some sort. From my childhood to the present.
"I don't have much in the small apartment I rent. This will help out a lot." Kyle continued to unload boxes from his truck. One of them was a box of books, it immediately caught my attention. The one laying on top. It was called; The Land of the Dead. With a large black crow on the cover.
"Do you like mythology?" Kyle waved his hand in front of my face. "Tara, are you in there, girl?"
"Um.. yeah, sorry. I am taking it, you like mythology."
"Well, I do have a degree in it." The look on my face at his statement must have said it all because I didn't say anything before he responded to it. "Don't judge me based on my burly size, the lack of proper English when I speak, my body art and piercings."
"Piercings? I don't see any." He had no earrings or nothing sticking out of his face.
Kyle grabbed the button on his jeans. "If you really wanna see girl, I'll show you."
"No, that's okay. I should go. Here are the keys." My face felt flushed with the heat setting my cheeks.
"You should drop by later. Nicole is bringing Cody. I'm cooking tonight."
"I'll have my boys."
"Bring them, your sons can play with Cody." Kyle was genuine as far as I could tell.
"Thanks, for the invitation. But I probably won't."
"Here, you seem interested in it." He handed me the book I flipped through earlier. Later on, I would make time to read it.
"Thanks. See ya." I kept my exist simple and direct. He was giving me mixed signals. I didn't want to lead him on or pretend like he was in to me. Men never paid me much attention in that manner.
After I picked the boys up, I went home to get dinner ready. It wasn't long until Jax called. "Hey, babe. I've got a late one tonight. Just wanted to give you a heads up as you asked me to do."
"Thanks, for letting me know. What's going on?"
Jax was beating around about where he was going and what he was really doing. So I answered it for him. "A patch over party at Collette's place, maybe?"
Lyla told me about it three days ago. Which meant, Jax knew longer than that. He waited until the last second to tell me because he wanted to pass it off as nothing.
"Tara, you know it's just business. I don't even wanna go."
"Then don't go. Come home to your family." I threw it out there on the table for Jax to choose. I waited patiently for this moment too, since Lyla told me. I would not make demands upon him, this one would be his call.
"I love you, I'll be late tonight." Jax made his choice. I hung up thinking about all the things they do at those parties. I had to get myself under control.
Not trusting ruins a relationship. It took me a long time to get it, if Jax loved me, he would remain faithful to me. If he doesn't, no amount of my bitching at him, demanding his love, would make him love me enough.
The book laid on the table with the crow on it. I ran my good hand over the slick cover. Jax used my emotions against me to keep me in line. Well, not this time. He wouldn't get as much as a raised eyebrow from me when he came home. But, I would not be the good supportive wife sitting alone sulking in my sorrows until then either.
"I love you Jax, but I will be late getting home. Abel, get your stuff picked up honey. We're going out tonight."
The boys and I stopped off at the store. I bought a couple of different deserts to take along. With a bottle of wine, assorted alcohol, a welcome to my home mat and blender to make mixed drinks in my cart. We were ready to go.
Kyle seemed surprised we showed up at his door step. "Well, come on in."
"I hope it's okay we came. I probably should have called first."
"Don't be silly. Make yourself at home, Nicole is in the kitchen."
Abel made a friend quickly with Cody. They sat on the floor watching a video and giggling. It was the first fun I seen my son have in a while. It made me smile watching him have a good time.
I offered to help out but Nicole wouldn't hear of it. She took hamburger out of the frig and made them into patties. The place didn't look the same anymore. He already moved out a ton of stuff. It was amazing how one perceived what a home really meant or the way it should be.
"Want a beer?" Kyle held up a bottle.
"Thanks."
From the window I watched Kyle with the boys. They were kicking around a soccer ball in the backyard. He would pretend to chase them while they ran and laughed. Looking from the inside, they appeared as a happy family enjoying each others company. It wasn't something I could say I experienced in this house with my family once.
"Kyle loves kids." Nicole was watching them play too.
"He's still young. He will find the right girl someday."
"Only if he gets over her before he dies."
Nicole gave me some insight to her brother. While he served overseas in the military. His wife was serving his best friend in a real friendly manner. By the time he came home for good, she was gone and took their little boy with her. She ended up marrying his best friend and their son calls him daddy now.
We all have one love we never got past or got over. I understood where Kyle was coming from all to well. For me, it was Jackson Teller. No one ever sized up to him in my mind or heart and definitely not in my bed. They could be the worst possible person in world for you to be with and never truly loved you. Yet, they were all you craved.
"I'll help you finish up dinner Nicole." I was getting better at switching the subject when I didn't want to discuss something or think about it anymore.
After we spent the evening with them, I felt better. It was laid back without any problems or anything going wrong. We talked about normal everyday life stuff. I didn't have much adult interaction other than at work. I actually enjoyed it.
"Cody is tired, I'm going home. It was great to see you again Tara."
"You too, Nicole."
While Kyle walked them out, I gathered up the boys stuff so we could go home and I could put them to bed.
"The movie is almost over. Please, Mommy, I want to see it." No one reached me faster than my children.
"Okay, Abel. Ten more minutes. Then we have to go."
Only more like an hour or so passed by. Kyle and I just talked. He knew everything about crows I thought was possible to know.
"Crows feast on death. People once believed that when someone dies, a crow carries their soul to the land of the dead. When something so bad happens that a terrible sadness is carried with it and the soul can't rest. Sometimes, just sometimes, the crow can bring that soul back to put the wrong things right. It's not a resurrection of the dead, just their soul returns back here."
It was fascinating what I learned about them from him. No one would believe me if I said I spent hours with this man talking about damn crows. But it was the truth.
"Come over tomorrow night, I will show you thesis papers I wrote about crows in college."
"I can't."
"Why not, do you got a hot date or something?"
"Kyle, are you interested in making some extra money?"
We reached an agreement. Maybe it was another bad decision I made but I made it and I would see it through.
"Goodnight."
The boys were out on the drive home. I checked my watch twice when I pulled up and seen Jax's bike parked in our driveway. He got home really early tonight.
He was sitting out on the porch steps having a smoke. The glow from the inhale of his cigarette was all I could see in the dark.
"Where the fuck have you been?" Jax didn't give me a sweet greeting. But then again, I wasn't expecting one from him.
"Out. I didn't think you would be home until later. Remember, you had more important things to do."
He reluctantly helped me get the boys inside and to bed. It sort of made me happy he now knew what it felt like to the one at home alone. Worrying about where they were, who they were with and what the hell they were out doing all night. I've spent years doing the exact same thing he had done for only a couple of hours tonight.
Jax just kept making remarks while he followed me around. He wanted to fight with me so, I wouldn't give him one.
"Do you want to fight or fuck?" It took him back a little. For once I was the aggressor in the relationship.
The way Jax took me was rough and hard, I begged and yearned for more of it. It was an angry, raw, and passionate sex. Something we hadn't experienced together since Thomas was born.
There were times, maybe I was too hard on him. While we laid in the dark together. Nothing but the sounds of our hearts beating as one, I knew where I belonged. I rolled over to look at the clock. It was already three in the morning. Once daily light came, this would all end. So, I held on to the moment and hoped it would be enough to get me to the next one we had.
SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA
"You shouldn't be mingling with the girls. Make everyone come to you. Give me a second." Kyle was now my right hand. He was here to protect me, who I really was, the girls and to handle anyone who got out of control.
The transition of a common whorehouse to the escape of sexual glitz and glamour wasn't an easy thing. It wouldn't happen overnight either. I couldn't see Nero's crew just hanging out in here casually to keep the peace. Their presence set a mood which high end, rich men couldn't relate to.
Kyle, however, seemed to blend in well. He was big enough to intimate you when necessary and gentle enough not to scare you away. Nero was getting used to the idea of having him around too. They hit it off pretty well. I agreed to pay Kyle's salary out of my share of the profits so there wouldn't be that problem to deal with.
Lyla dressed me in a tight, short red dress. The gold attachments woven in it beamed the light off of them when I moved just right. The bold makeup and with large gold bangle bracelets for my arms. I felt ridiculous but she insisted. No other girl had red on but me. She basically told me the same as Kyle, don't act or look like the other girls. You are in control so do your thing.
This was my night and the one shot I had to get the word spread among the elite. Judges, politicians and surgeons were here to experience and sample the pleasures the Lodge had to offer. It was a smorgasbord of wild pussy fantasies.
They were carrying the white day couch in from Nero's office and placed it by the window.
"What's it for?"
Nero just smirked at my question. "It's your boy here, Kyle came up with it."
Kyle patted it for me to set down. "Your throne my lady." I actually didn't mind putting my feet up for a bit. It was rough walking around in the four inch heels Lyla gave me, worse trying to stand still on them. The girls had the advantage over me, their clothes and shoes didn't stay on long enough to bother them.
The night went quickly by. The men came, then cum hard with the girls and threw cash around like it meant nothing to them. Expensive Champagne flowed between their lips as water. Most of the girls were used to being treated badly, tonight most were treated like a queen after they gave them a fuck to remember. But what had been a pleasant evening, took a turn when the Jax and the Sons walked in.
Kyle made sure to flex his muscles a bit. I didn't stop to see how dedicated to the cause he really was. "Nobody gets close to Madame Ecstasy unless she wants to see you." His nickname for me made me smile.
"Yeah, you might wanna rethink who the hell you're talking to." It was a treatment Jax wasn't used to getting. He expressed his disapproval of it quickly.
When Jax went to walk past Kyle as he ignored him, he put his hand on Jax's chest. "You might wanna think about who owns this business establishment now."
Jax shoved him and Kyle shoved Jax right back. "Kyle, it's okay." It was time for me to intervene between them.
"Another time bro." Jax would never back down from a fight.
"I'm counting on it." But to my amazement, Kyle didn't either.
"We need to talk." Jax was pissed because his authority was challenged. Which, no one ever done with him. SImply because of you he was.
Nero's door was open to his office. "Can we use your office for a minute?"
"Mama, with this kinda cash flow, you can use anything your heart desires. We pulled in eighty two thousand dollars tonight." I didn't make my goal but it was close enough I would run with Nero's numbers.
"Bullshit." Jax seemed to disagree.
"For real man, Tara here, has a real good head for business. Give me some, mama." Nero held out his fist and we bumped them before he left.
"How the fuck did you make that kinda cash?"
"You're selling pussy to earn a little money with Collette. I'm selling the fantasy to earn a big score."
He didn't believe me until I took him into the jungle room. The sounds of the water splashing around in the rock hot tub. Jungle type trees placed around with leaves and vines covering the wall. A swing from high above. Hell, I wasn't even sure what they done with it, but they all loved it.
"I'll be damned."
"You know, Mr. Teller, I might be able to work you in for a therapeutic session tonight with Madame Ecstasy, if you would like?"
"Really."
"Oh yeah, I got moves baby, you ain't seen yet." If the girls could figure out how to use the swing, so could I.
Once I slowly took off my clothes, I climbed the platform up to it. I would have to admit, having your pussy licked and taken while hanging upside down from a swing was a new and pleasurable experience for me too.
SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA~SOA
A couple of days had passed since the Lodge opened to our new clientele. It was also a few days of Jax paying me attention and complements like he never had before. The sex was incredible. If you could believe it, he actually played hooky from the club one afternoon. We spent hours in bed pleasing each other and not stressing or worrying about anything but our next orgasm.
He had to go when Chibs kept calling him. We lingered at his bike kissing before he took off. When I went to leave, the damn same crow was sat on the hood of my car.
I thought it would fly away once I started driving but it didn't. "I've had it with you crow." I push down hard on the accelerator. Then slammed on the brake. The thing set perfectly still on my hood. The term maniac wouldn't describe the way I was driving to shake this thing off my car. I even swerved a couple of times. By the time I pulled off the side of the road, the damn thing flew off on it's on.
But I should have known better than to think it was over with it. The sky went dark as the night and it was day time. The lighting flashed around and the storm was coming for me. It brought back it's friends. There were a hundred crows covering the ground and my car now. I closed my eyes with the thought when I opened them, it would all go away and be gone. It didn't work either.
"This is not real, it's just a dream."
They made a path for me when I got out of the car. The black iron gate slammed shut after I went through it just like in my dream before.
The same walk down the path of crows seemed longer this time. Maybe, it was because I knew where the path led and how the story ended. The fog was rose slowly from the ground. It swirled around my legs as I stepped through it. When I would stop to think about turning around to go back, more crows would caw behind me to urge me forward. It wasn't a threatening sound this time, more of an encouragement.
Whatever they planned for me to see was going to happen one way or another. So I rolled with it and continued on. Several of them were flying in unison in a circle above me with the white faced crow hoovering in the middle. I should be scared but I wasn't.
Until I seen him perched up on the tombstone then, fear struck me. "It can't be. This isn't real." It's what I kept telling myself hoping to wake up soon from the nightmare. "Who the hell are you and what do you want from me?"
The old man took his time to get down off the headstone. "Tara, you are a smart girl. You already know who I am, you summonsed me here. Begged me, to come and save him."
A honk behind me brought me out of it and back to reality. The light at the intersection had changed to green and the car was getting impatient for me to go. The white faced crow was still perched on my hood, staring at me through the windshield with his cold black eyes.
"Son of bitch, I am a wake and seeing it now."
I hope you enjoyed reading me!
I promised I was going somewhere with the crows and I am ; ) If it confused you about them in this chapter, I made a video for this story and it will help clear it up. It's on YouTube, Circling the Crow by Peters Girl. The link to it is on my profile page. If you watch it, please let me know what you think.
In the 2016 BIT AWARDS, there are several of my favorite Sons of Anarchy authors nominated; Samantha Renk, elbeewoods, Lady Romona and girl-at-home13 . Make sure to check out their stories and vote for your favorites.
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