Bit of a longer chapter guys! Hopefully it isn't too dreadful and you can enjoy it. I would love to hear what you guys think! Hope you all manage to enjoy it!
The doorbell rang and Opie ran his hands over his face, knowing that this was absolutely the last of this he could take. He looked over at Gemma, who sat draped over her easy chair, looking for all the world like a queen on her throne.
"Gem, please, be nice," he said, nearly begging. "Just give this one a shot. For me."
She shot him her very best 'eat me' look before responding, "If these bitches can't handle me here and now, how do you think they will handle irate customers and bikers?"
She had a point, but right now, they really just needed to hire somebody. They had met with four girls so far today about filling in for Gemma at the garage, and Gemma had summarily dismissed each and every one of them. Mallory was 'dumb as a box of rocks', Tiffany had actually offered to suck his dick in exchange for the job, Cynthia had asked about health insurance, which made her 'too uppity', and Lauren's eyes pointed in two different directions. He didn't necessarily disagree with Gemma's assessment of the women who had been in so far, but he really hoped that the fifth one was the charm. They were kind of desperate at this point.
"I know, but we need somebody Gem," he explained as gently as possible. "Chibs is leaving in the morning, and he has been handling a lot of the shit that you usually do. It doesn't have to be perfect and it's not a permanent thing. It's just until we can get you back in there or figure something else out. Just…try not to scare the shit out of this one?"
He stood up and moved the door as Gemma nodded. Once he was out of hearing range, she muttered, "I still don't see why Chibs has to go"
When they returned to the living room, the girl accompanying Opie was not at all what Gemma had expected. They had had a little bit of everything walk through this door today, but she could tell immediately that this girl was about as far from the others as they came. While most of the other job candidates had come to the interview doing their very best impression of a slutty librarian, this girl was dressed in dark wash jeans and a green and white striped shirt with three quarter sleeves. The sandals on her feet look comfortable enough to be called practical, but attractive enough to be impressive. There was nothing exceptional about her hair, it was a light brown in color and it hung loose around her face and down her back, curling at the ends. Unlike the other girls, she wore almost no makeup. Her skin had that enviable peaches and cream complexion that most women would kill for. Other than some simple lip gloss and a touch of eye liner to frame her hazel eyes, her oval shaped face was completely unadorned. She wasn't what anybody would call beautiful, but there was something about the girl that captured and held Gemma's attention.
"Hi," the girl said evenly, shooting Gemma a half smile. "I'm Tess. You must be Gemma."
"Tess," Gemma replied, annoyed that Op had forewarned the girl. She was trying to size her up. Her voice was calm and even, but had a soothing quality to it. Gemma had to admit, it would be a good voice to answer the phone with. "Don't hear that name very often."
"The same could probably be said about Gemma," Tess pointed out without a hint of fear. That made Gemma sit up straighter and pay a bit more attention.
"True enough," she replied. "So, Tess. Tell me what makes you want to come work in our little auto repair shop."
"Well Gemma," the girl said. "If I'm being honest, and I always am, I want to come work in your little auto repair shop because it's a job that pays decent and doesn't involve turning tricks or serving food to anybody. I'm not really a fan of either."
That bit of honesty was enough to make Gemma laugh out loud, but she stopped pretty quickly. She wouldn't want this girl to think that she actually liked her and get her hopes up. Time for the next question. "You aren't from around here, are you Tess?"
"No ma'am, I'm not," Tess sighed. "I'm from Garden Grove."
"Garden Grove?" Gemma asked, surprised. "That's what, a couple hours away? You planning a move to Charming?"
"If I get this job, yeah," Tess replied, very matter of factly. "If I don't, then I will move wherever I do get a job."
"You know that this position isn't permanent? You might want to think about that fact real hard before planning a big move," Gemma was quick to point out.
"I don't need permanent," Tess replied firmly. "I just need a job."
"No, Sweetie," Gemma came back smartly. "What you need is to tell me why you are trying so hard to leave Garden Grove. You have trouble following you?"
Tess gave the older woman a shrewd look before responding. "No, no trouble. I have lived in Garden Grove my whole life. I just need…a change. Just something a little different for a while. Charming is close enough to not be considered 'abandoning' my family, but far enough away that they won't come visit."
That was definitely something that Gemma could understand. Damn it, she was beginning to like this girl.
"Do you know anything about auto repair," Opie spoke up, and Gemma jumped a bit, because she had almost forgotten that he was there.
"I know how to pump gas and change a tire," Tess replied. "But outside of that, no. What I do know is book keeping and customer service and scheduling. Computers, too."
"Good," Opie said, nodding. "That's good. We can fix the cars, if you can handle the rest of the crap."
"What's your opinion on the law?" Gemma surprised herself by blurting out. She hadn't intended on informing the new hire of any Club business at all, but she just couldn't resist the opportunity to see how the girl reacted to the question.
"The law?" Tess answered, clearly thrown for a loop. "I guess it's good in theory, but not always great in practice? You're going to have to ask more specific questions if you want more specific answers."
Opie shot Gemma a look, which she blatantly ignored. "We aren't exactly the typical employers, Darlin," Gemma told her, watching the girl closely to gauge her response.
"I gathered that from the motorcycles and leather vests with pictures of death on them," Tess said dryly. "Look, if you plan on hiring me, and I really hope you are, I plan on coming to work, doing my job, and leaving. I know how to do what I am told, and as long as you pay me, I am not planning on causing trouble or asking questions."
Gemma's expression didn't change as she stared the girl down and weighed their options. This girl intrigued her. Tess reminded her a bit of…somebody. She couldn't quite put her finger on who. She looked over at Opie, who was literally begging her with his eyes to just hire the girl and get it done. Gemma sighed heavily and rolled her eyes. She didn't know if this girl was right for the job. Really, she wasn't sure if this girl was right for the lifestyle that went with the job. Opie was right though; with Chibs leaving tomorrow for God knew how long, they didn't have much of a choice.
"Alright," Gemma spoke up. "Tell you what; there is a party tonight. A mild party. Head to the garage after closing and meet everybody. If you can survive the party, and if the guys there say it's okay, the job is yours."
Tess let out a breath that she didn't know she had been holding and nodded eagerly. "Is coming to parties and impressing guys going to be a regular part of my job?"
She was surprised when Gemma and Opie both laughed. She hadn't meant it to be a funny question. She looked over at Gemma, who was smiling at her.
"Honey," the older woman said. "You have no idea."
By nine that night, the party was in full swing. It wasn't exactly a traditional SAMCRO party, because with the majority of SAMCRO behind bars, a real party was out of the question. The hang arounds and friends and most of the mechanics from the garage, plus the Prospects and a group of incoming Nomads made for a pretty good time, even without the rest of the guys. The drinks were flowing and poker was being played and food was being eaten and the music was loud, so all in all, everybody seemed to be having a good time.
The party was intended to be a sendoff for Chibs, who was off to spend three weeks in Ireland, as well as a welcome party for the Nomads who were coming to help out with Club business in his absence. It was also a pseudo-going away party for a lot of the Crow Eaters, who would be heading to other charters for the duration of the guys' prison stay. The absence of the other guys was definitely noticed, especially by the Crow Eaters who were longing for Tig or Bobby or Juice, or really anybody else that would show them a good time.
The guys were having a good time and were focused on anything but their missing brothers. There was a really good game of poker going. Chibs, Opie, Piney, Chuckie and a new Prospect ominously called Filthy Phil were gathered around the card table. This was not at all unusual for any of them. What was unusual was the fact that Lila and Tara were both there as well. Gemma was all too happy to have Abel for the night, allowing Tara a bit of time to herself. It had, surprisingly, been Lila who convinced her to come tonight. Tara had resisted at first, wanting to spend some time out with friends, but she had been kind of shocked to realize that, apart from these porn stars and bikers, she really didn't have any friends. There was a time when that might have made her sad, but right now, she was pretty damned grateful for these people.
"Chibs, come on!" Lila groaned. "Can't you just let us win? Just once?"
Everybody laughed, but Lila was serious. She was already out a good two hundred bucks, and her luck didn't look at be changing anytime soon. Of course, the fact that she was losing money to Chibs didn't matter in the least to her, because Opie was sitting next to her, his hand on her knee, and he was smiling and laughing and looking like he was having a good time. It had been awhile since she had seen him like this, and that was worth any amount of lost money.
"I'm sorry, Lila," Chibs shrugged. "I just can't. It's not in my blood!"
"Really?" Tara asked with a raised eyebrow. "Does it even bother you at all that you are taking money from a pregnant woman whose husband is in prison? How am I going to feed my baby?"
Chibs grinned in response. "Maybe once the wee thing is born, I'll let you win," he said. "But for now, I am betting that my baby is more expensive than yours."
That got a laugh out of everybody, and Lila was quick to agree with him.
"He's right Tara," she offered, quite seriously. "You know how teenage girls are about clothes and shoes."
Tara nodded in agreement, which made Chibs fret for just a moment. Was Lila right? He hadn't, in the week he had spent with her or their daily phone calls since, noticed a particular predilection for shoes in Kerrianne, and her clothes just seemed like…clothes. When he really thought about it, he had absolutely no idea at all how much the upkeep of a teenage girl might cost and what all she might need. He added another thing to the mental list of things he wanted to ask Fi about, figuring that she would have much more information on this topic.
The conversation and laughter stopped when the Club house door opened and a new, unfamiliar woman walked through the door. Most of them had never seen her before and were instantly on guard over the new person who had just arrived.
"Who the hell is that?" Chibs was quick to voice everybody's question.
"That's Tess," Opie replied quickly. "The girl Gem and I hired to fill in in the office for a while. I better go intercept her before the mechanics catch a whiff. You guys can meet her."
With those words, he was gone. They all watched him as he went and greeted the brunette. The women were already trying to figure out how to mark their territory and let her know that their men were off limits. The men at the table ranged from curious to horny as hell. The mood was tense as they all took in the girl approaching. She was pretty in her own way, with brown hair and bright hazel eyes and a nice smile.
Her outfit would have been perfectly normal anyplace else, but here at the Club house, she stuck out like a sore thumb. Her dark wash jeans fit her well and she was wearing a tight gray t-shirt with a chicken emblazoned across the front of it. Her feet were comfortable in a pair of ankle high boots that would not have looked out of place in a combat situation. Her makeup was light and understated and she was about as far from a Crow eater as they came.
"Everybody, this is Tess," Opie said as he and the new woman stopped in front of the table. "Tess, this is everybody."
They all nodded and muttered stiff hellos. The exchange was headed quickly towards awkward before Chibs spoke up and broke the silence.
"Everybody that's not in prison, anyway," he not so tactfully added on. "Name's Chibs."
The look of alarm on the girl's face was enough to break the ice. She wasn't sure if they were kidding or not, and she really wanted to ask, but part of the deal was that she wouldn't ask questions, and she wasn't about to start now.
"Oh," she said nervously. "Um, I see. Okay. Hi."
Now that tensions had eased, they all took turns introducing themselves around the table and Opie was glad to see that things were going well. They would all likely be spending quite a bit of time together over the next few months, and that would go much better if they all got along.
"You want a drink or something?" Opie offered, wanting to make her comfortable.
"Yeah, a drink would be great," she replied shooting him a grateful look.
"Allow me to escort you to the bar, Madame!" Chuckie said, jumping to his feet.
"Oh God," she said, fully taking him in. Everybody immediately laughed, and Tess felt incredibly guilty when she saw the fingerless man deflate a bit. It was enough for her to change her tune. "Um, that would be great, actually."
He rushed and linked arms with her before leading her away from the table and towards the bar, where she asked a prospect for some tequila and Chuckie asked for a glass of chocolate milk.
"You and I are probably going to be working together a lot," he told her, a somewhat proud tone in his voice, as he took a sip of his milk.
"Is that right?" she asked, not quite ready for the shit of tequila just yet. "So what exactly do you do around here, Chuckie?"
"I do what I'm told!" he said, his tone in no way indicating that he was kidding.
"And right now, you are being told to go check the back and see if we have any more vodka. The Crow Eaters need something to mix with their cranberry juice and cocaine," a new voice said from right behind her. Tess turned and came face to face with a new man. This one was tall and tan, his blonde hair sticking out at all angles. She was stricken for a moment by how incredibly handsome he was and she tried not to let it show. "Go on, Chuckie. I will keep your friend company."
"I accept that," Chuckie replied, strolling off, chocolate milk in hand.
He turned to look at her then, and when his bright blue eyes met hers, Tess knew she was in a shitload of trouble. "Hey," he said with a lazy smile. "I'm Kozik. Who are you?"
"Uh," she stuttered before quickly catching herself. She quickly collected herself, not willing to let this situation get away from her. "Tess. I'm Tess. Why did you send Chuckie away?"
"Tess, it's nice to know you," he said smoothly, shaking her hand and not letting it go. "And I sent him away because I saw him monopolizing a pretty girl that I wanted to talk to."
"A pretty girl?" she asked skeptically, knowing where this conversation was likely headed, but enjoying it a little bit anyway.
"Yeah, a really pretty girl," he responded, his eyes sincere. "So, Pretty Girl. I haven't seen you around here before."
"Yeah," she replied, sliding her hand out of his, barely containing laughter. "I am new. They hired me to work in the office for a few months."
"Ah, so we'll see each other a lot," he said, not at all put off by the fact that her hand was no longer in his. "That's good."
"Is it?" she asked, finding his slick talk a bit comical at this point. She could tell that he was half way drunk and really just wanted to get her into bed, which would not happen, ever.
"I think it is," he nodded, never losing the smile. "So Tessie, what's with the chicken?"
"It's Tess," she came back immediately, ignoring his completely random question.
"Tess, Tessie, what's the difference?" he asked nonchalantly.
"Well, how would you like it if I called you…Clarence?" she asked, trying to make a point.
"I'm not Clarence, I'm Kozik," he said, slowly as if talking to a small child. "Mechanic here, member of the MC, man of your dreams…"
Upon hearing that, Tess's eyebrows shot so far up, they nearly flew off. "Wow," she said slowly, drawing the word out. "That was just…"
"Just what?" he cut her off, a grin still decorating his face. "Incredible? Awesome? Just what you have been waiting to hear me say?"
"Bad," she finished emphatically. "Just really bad. Where did you even learn a line like that? Does that actually work on some girls?"
"Well, yeah," he stammered, a little surprised that she wasn't falling into his arms yet.. "I mean…it's just…it works!"
"Maybe it works on some of these other women I see around here," Tess said, the picture of false sympathy clear across her face. "Maybe you should go talk to one of them. Try that line again."
"It really didn't work?" he asked, not quite believing that this new girl was turning him down. Women around here would do anything to bag a Son, for a night or for life, and yet this girl was saying no.
"It really, really, really didn't work," Tess insisted with a friendly grin. "Better luck next time."
He was still dumbfounded, but he buried that. He just casually shrugged as he hopped off the bar stool and turned to walk away. "Whatever. I am not a big fan of chicken anyway."
She shook her head and laughed at him. "Yes you are," she said. "But see, you're out of luck again. It's not a chicken."
That had him turned around rather quickly. "What do you mean it's not a chicken?" he asked, confused. "I am looking right at your shirt, and that sure as shit is a chicken on the front of it."
"Maybe at first glance," Tess agree. "But really not at all."
"Fine," he said with a self-satisfied smirk, knowing that there was no way he could be wrong. "What is it then?"
"It's my huge cock," she told him before throwing back the shot in front of her and walking towards the back bathroom, leaving him in her wake, his mouth hanging wide open.
Once she was out of his sight, she let out a bit of nervous, hysterical laughter. She couldn't believe how perfectly that conversation had played out, how well her false confidence had held up. She couldn't have planned it better if she had tried. Wherever this Kozik was now, whoever he went home with tonight, she knew that she would be on his mind for a while. That thought made her far happier that it should have. She should feel guilty, but she was on cloud nine right now, which was why she jumped about thirty feet in the air when she felt a hand fall to her shoulder.
"Easy there, lass," a friendly, muddled voice came from right next to her. "I'm not here to hurt you. Op sent me to rescue you from Kozik, but I heard you handle that on your own."
"Yeah, I did," she nodded with a smile, glad to know that she wasn't about to be murdered. "Chibs, right?"
"The one and only" he replied with a warm smile. "I will admit that I am a bit disappointed that I came all the way over here, only to find you fending for yourself."
"Sorry," she said with a mostly straight face. "I will try to be a bit ore damsel next time."
"No reason to," Chibs said. "Now that we know you can handle yourself, we will leave you to your own devices. You and your huge cock."
"So you heard that bit, then," she asked, shooting him a tight, slightly embarrassed smile.
"Oh, I definitely did," he assured her. "You know, I am almost a bit sad to be heading to Ireland tomorrow. I think that seeing Kozik have to face you again is going to be pretty damned entertaining."
"Oh, don't be," she rushed to say. "Ireland will be way better. I won't hang it over his head too much."
"That's too bad," he said as he turned to walk away. "I think I like you. You are going to do fine here."
With those kind words, he was gone, and Tess couldn't help but feel a little bit flattered and relieved that she had managed to impress at least one person here.