Hi guys! Here is the next part. Not much to say, it had been a rough week. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and please review, yeah?
Tess chewed on her lower lip anxiously as she stood surveying the scene of chaos laid out before her. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest, but that did little to calm her and help her figure out what she should do. Not that there was much to be done. Her room was a complete disaster, every piece of clothing she owned was strewn across her bed, she had surveyed each and every option she had, but Tess still didn't have a damned clue about what she should wear tonight.
Lex had called earlier, to see how her morning with Gemma had gone, and she was touched that he had remembered her panic from the night before. She had begged and pleaded and even whined a little bit, but he had refused to tell her where he was taking her for dinner tonight. He had given her the very basic and impossible suggestion to "wear something pretty". What the fuck did that even mean? Pretty was certainly not much to go on, which had lead her to her current state of distress, standing in a tiny tank top and shorts, staring at her clothing in absolute dismay.
A loud groan escaped her mouth, but was just as quickly cut off when a knock sounded on her door. Tess must have jumped a foot in the air, but as soon as she recovered, she immediately started to panic. He wasn't supposed to pick her up until 8! He had said 8, and that meant that she was supposed to have at least two more hours to fret over clothes and put on makeup and change her clothes and redo her makeup and remember last minute to fix her hair. Him showing up at barely six was definitely NOT part of the plan.
She didn't have time to panic, because the knock sounded again. Tess cursed under her breath and grabbed her ugly pink robe from a hook near the door. Pink robes were definitely NOT a part of her fashion palette, but her mom had bought her the pink silk garment, and if Tess knew anything about her mother, it had likely cost more than a month's rent, so she couldn't just throw it away. At the very least, it served its purpose in keeping her relatively covered.
When she finally got to the door, Tess stopped for a moment. She inhaled deeply in an attempt to calm herself and did a quick breath check before adjusting her clothes to make sure she was not going to accidentally flash her visitor. She managed a smile before reaching towards the door and pulling it open. On the other side, she found...Lila.
"Hey," the blonde spoke up, moving past Tess into the house. "What took so long?"
"Hey," Tess replied, kind of surprised to see Lila here. "I was in the bedroom trying to find clothes to wear. What're you doing here?"
Lila rolled her eyes. "I told you I would come by and check on you today. You were kind of puking and crying last night, remember? I just wanted to make sure you're okay."
Tess couldn't help but smile. She had to admire Lila, a woman who barely knew her and had zero reasons to care about how she was, coming to check on her, simply because she said she would. "I am alright," Tess laughed. "Actually, I am good. A lot has happened since last night. Do you want something to drink?"
Lila's eyebrows raised, eager to hear any gossip that did not revolve around elementary school. "Yeah, thanks," she said quickly. "What kind of stuff?"
Tess headed towards the fridge to grab some waters. She considered for half a minute whether she should actually tell Lila, who would most definitely tell Opie, which would cause her personal life to become MUCH less personal. It didn't take long to decide that she really didn't care.
"I met a boy," Tess said with a wicked smile, handing a bottle to Lila.
"Shut up!" Lila exclaimed, looking completely scandalized and more than a little in awe. "It hasn't even been a day since I left you on your doorstep! How did you meet a guy?!"
Tess giggled at her friend's reaction and headed towards the bedroom as she explained. "After you guys left, I decided that I needed some ice cream. I walked to the store to get some and there was a guy," she shrugged. "We ended up getting coffee and we are going to dinner tonight."
"Girl, you work fast," Lila laughed, and Tess couldn't help but giggle right along with her. "What's he like?"
"He's…" Tess started and then exhaled slowly. "Really cute."
Lila grinned. "Cuter than…"
Her voice trailed off, and Tess knew that she was going to mention Kozik. She decided to save her the trouble. "Different," she decided on, after thinking for a moment. "But still….really, really cute."
They arrived back in the bedroom and Lila stopped in her tracks. "What the hell happened in here?" Lila asked. "It looks worse than Ellie's room."
Tess groaned, "I have nothing to wear! Literally nothing!"
"Luckily, you have me," Lila grinned as she headed towards the bed. Tess was a bit skeptical as she eyed Lila's own tiny, frayed jean shorts and bustier. Lila noticed and rolled her eyes. "Relax, I was at work, I won't dress you like this."
Tess smiled a little and did her best to look embarrassed. "I wasn't…"
"Yeah you were," Lila cut her off. "It's okay. I am kind of used to it. Not everybody is cool with my kind of work."
"Does it…" Tess started off, wondering whether or not she was crossing a line. "Does it bother you?"
Lila's face darkened as she sighed. "Not usually. Tara and Gemma and all them...they used to see me as a threat. Most women do, especially those who have never had to suck cock to pay for daycare. But they came around. I don't much care about what anybody thinks," she shrugged, before adding, almost as an after thought, "Except Opie."
"Opie?" Tess asked as she watched Lila shuffled through clothes. "Opie loves you. He is marrying you."
"Yeah," Lila agreed as she held a blush colored sleeveless top up to Tess, before shaking her head and tossing it back on the bed. "Opie does want to marry me. He doesn't want to marry a porn star, though. He is having a hard time putting the two together."
"I can see that," Tess nodded. "Do you think he wants you to quit?"
"I am sure he does. Can't do that though. I need to earn my own way," Lila sighed, weeding out a purple dress from the bottom of the pile on the bed. "Try this on."
Tess waited a minute to see f Lila planned on turning around. When it became obvious she wasn't, Tess turned around herself. She stripped off the robe and her tank, pulling the dress on and straightening it as she thought about what to say. She finally got the dress on and looked at herself in the mirror. It was...perfect.
"Wow," she said, still looking at herself. She never would have chosen this dress to even try on, but now that she was wearing it and could actually see it on herself, it was perfect.
"Wow is right," Lila smiled. She brought over a floral scarf and wrapped it over her shoulders. "You're amazing."
Tess couldn't help herself. She turned around and hugged Lila. "YOU are amazing," she said. "I mean that. Porn star or not, if Opie can't see that, then he is an idiot."
"Thanks," Lila said, a blush decorating the apples of her cheeks. "Now come on. Let's check out what you've got in the way of makeup. Let's see if we can get you laid tonight, girl!"
It was not even 8:00 PM, and Kozik was already seven beers deep at the Clubhouse. Half drunk barely after dark with no decent pussy in sight was not how he wanted to be spending his evening, but with Chibs and Piney keeping an eye on him, he didn't really have much of a choice. Besides, with most of the Crow Eaters gone and Tess still angry at him and Bambi turning into a total fucking disaster, he really didn't have anywhere better to be.
"Kozik!" Chibs shouted from across the room. "Come play. Piney doesn't have any more money to lose."
Kozik heard Piney laugh and mutter something about being too cocky. Looking back towards Chucky, who was wiping down glasses behind the bar, he opened his hand, ready for another beer. It only took a few seconds for one to appear in his hand, almost as if the little fingerless buffoon was magic. "Thanks Chucky," he muttered as he slid off the stool, ready to do what he could with his overly confident Scottish brother.
"There he is! Come on, brother. Let's rack 'em and play!" Chibs grinned as Piney sat on a nearby stool, not paying a bit of attention as he yelled for another drink, which Chucky brought over immediately.
Kozik lit a cigarette as Chibs prepped the table. Today had been a hard day. After last night's insanity, he was on edge but not able to suss out why. He knew without question that the source of his restlessness landed on Tess and making things right with her. The problem was, he had no idea how to do that. He had royally fucked up where she was concerned, and he wasn't sure there was any way to fix it.
"You want to break?" Chibs asked, pulling him from his thoughts. "Or are you going to glare at your own shoes all night?"
"Nah, you break," Kozik said, doing his best to force a grin. "I want to give you a fair shot at winning."
Chibs rolled his eyes, but moved back and prepared his shot. Kozik managed to retain his cocky look for a moment, until Chibs managed to sink three balls in his first shot.
"Shit," Kozik muttered as Piney loudly guffawed. "Are you serious?"
"Always," Chibs smirked. "How much money do we have do this game?"
"Two bucks?" Kozik suggested, even though he was well aware that the standard was $50.
"Nice try, brother," Chibs said, as he sank two more balls before finally allowing Kozik even a single shot.
Within ten minutes, the game was over and Chibs was collecting his money as Kozik swore repeatedly under his breath. "Fun game, brother," the Scotsman quipped as he pocketed the cash. "Wanna play again?"
"No, but I kind of want to punch you in the face," Kozik muttered, well aware that Chibs could hear him.
"What's got your panties in a twist, Blondie?" Piney asked, pouring himself another drink. "Women troubles?"
"Something like that, old man," Kozik admitted, collapsing on the couch.
"That's nothing new," Piney told him matter of factly. "I don't see what you're all whiney and pissy for. Pussy exists to cause trouble. Why don't you grow a pair and deal with it?"
"You're so understanding and helpful, Piney," Chibs spoke up as he came back with four beers in his hands, handing one to Kozik and opening one himself. "I don't see why we don't come to you more often for help and advice."
"I just tell it like it is, brother," Piney laughed behind his sun glasses.
"Right," Chibs rolled his eyes, before turning to Kozik. "I take it you haven't solved your problems with our shop girl?"
Kozik shrugged. "Nah. She's avoiding me."
"No she isn't," Chibs told him flat out. "She put on her big girl pants and showed up to work and handled her shit today. It seems more like you are avoiding her."
Kozik sighed. Last night had been a bigger headache than he could have ever anticipated. He had managed to fuck up his relationship with Tess, cause a spectacle at Gemma's, and push even more stress on his brothers. Coming into work this morning was not exactly in anybody's best interest. He had needed to be away, blow off some steam, but he had just ended up making himself more agitated.
"Yeah, you're probably right," Kozik agreed, scrubbing his hands over his face. "I can't figure out how to get in front of that situation and make it right."
"I will agree with Piney on this one," Chibs nodded at the old man who grinned. "Grow a pair and own up to it. Figure it out brother, so we can all stop walking on eggshells around the damned shop."
"Yeah, but-" Kozik started, wanting to explain all the reasons why he couldn't just say sorry and get past it. All of the reasons were bullshit, and they all knew it.
"But nothing, brother," Chibs interrupted him. It wasn't that he was unsympathetic, but this shit needed to be fixed. Kozik didn't need to be coddled right now. He needed some tough love, so that's exactly what he would get. "Tess seems to be doing a lot better than she was yesterday. You need to do the same. Say you're sorry and get past this. She's not going anywhere and neither are you. The sooner you say sorry, the sooner it all gets fixed. You will be fine."
"Yeah," Kozik agreed, only half sure himself. He only wished that he had the same confidence that Chibs had. "Yeah, I will. I'll talk to her tomorrow. It'll be fine."
"Good on you, brother," Chibs said, slapping his brother on the back.
"Growing a pair," Piney chuckled. "I'll drink to that!"
Chibs laughed along with his brothers, until he was interrupted by his phone ringing. He pulled it out of his pocket as he walked toward the door, smiling once he saw the number on the screen.
"Fi," he said, as he flipped the phone open.
"Filip," came his wife's voice from the other end of the phone. "How're you doing, Love?"
"As good as I can be with you an ocean away from me," Chibs said, sitting on the picnic table and lighting a smoke. "What're you doing awake? It's what, 4:30 there?"
"Not quite, but close," Fi replied, and Chibs could hear the smile in her voice. "Couldn't sleep."
"There's a lot of that going around," he agreed. He hadn't gotten a solid eight hours of sleep since he got back a couple of weeks ago, and it was wearing on him more than he liked. "I can't get a good night's sleep to save my damned life."
"I know the feeling, Love," she agreed with a sigh. "But it won't be much longer and we will be there. Maybe then, we'll both sleep a wee bit better."
"I'm counting on it," Chibs said, smiling. "How is our girl?" he asked, knowing that it was far too early for Kerrianne to be awake.
"She's a damn sight better than I am," Fiona laughed. "She hasn't stopped talking about the visit, Filip. She's so excited about it."
"She's not the only one," Chibs told her. "It'll do all of us some good, I think."
"I think you're right," she agreed. "Things have been a bit tense here. Our favorite old teacher came to visit yesterday, asked after you. I think there is some sort of unrest happening in the Army."
"What kind of unrest?" he asked, concern coloring his tone. If Fiona and Kerrianne were feeling any sort of IRA pressure, that was something that needed to be handled swiftly.
"Relax, Love," she assured him as best as she could. "I think there is just some trouble from some of Jimmy's old boys."
"Jesus," he muttered, instantly worried. "Have they come after you, Fi? Or Kerrianne?"
"No," she told him firmly. "And they won't. Between Seamus Ryan and Mr. McCormick, there is somebody keeping an eye on us all the time."
"Good," he breathed. He knew that SAMBEL and his former teacher wouldn't allow the girls to be hurt on their watch.
"You be careful, too," she practically begged. "If they are looking for revenge, it will be you they are after, I know it."
"Yeah," he agreed, not all that concerned about his own safety. "I'll be alright. I won't feel better about this shit until you're here."
"Soon, Filip," she told him, her voice as tender as it had ever been.
"Not soon enough for my tastes," he argued, knowing it would do no good. They would be here soon, and he would be worried every moment until they arrived.
"Nor mine, but try not to worry so much," she told him. "I didn't call to upset you. Just needed to hear your voice."
"I know, Darlin," he soothed. "And I am glad you called."
"I should probably go," she said with a yawn. "I think I have enough time for a hot bath before I have to wake Kerrianne for school."
Just like that, his mind was inundated with images of his wife in a bathtub. "A hot bath, huh? Are you sure that you don't want to stay on the phone during that? I wouldn't mind."
"Oh, I'm sure you wouldn't," she said, as her laugh echoed into the phone. It was a sound that he cherished always. "It won't be that kind of a bath, my boy. This bath will revolve more around trying to stay awake and shaving my legs."
"That's too bad," he told her, still not quite ready to let go of the pictures in his mind.
"I'll make it up to you, soon," she teased him from a couple thousand miles away.
"I am gonna hold you to that," he told her, not kidding at all.
"I am looking forward to it," she promised. "Get some rest tonight Filip. I love you."
"I love you too, Fi," he said, his voice becoming instantly serious. "You be careful, and give my love to Kerrianne."
"I will," she vowed. "We will call you after school today."
"Until then," he said, as he hung up the phone, only to open it immediately and dial the SAMBEL President's number, not even giving a single care as to what time it was He needed to be sure his girls were safe.
It was nearly eleven when Lex pulled his sleek, black Audi up in front of her building, and Tess was not ready for the evening to be over. He had picked her up at six, exactly on time, and driven her to a small, fantastic steak house near Oakland. Tess had no idea how he could have guessed her intense love for a good steak, but she was glad that he had. Dinner had been utterly fantastic, but it paled in comparison to the company she shared it with.
Lex had been completely charming during dinner, regaling her with tales of growing up down south in San Diego before moving to Stanford for college. He settled in outside of Oakland, where he was a partner in a graphic design firm. Apparently, he was successful, well adjusted, and had a decently healthy, if not slightly distant, relationship with his family. Tess couldn't get over how...normal he seemed.
The best part was, Lex hadn't talked about himself all night. Over dessert and coffee, he had asked her questions about her own life. He seemed to instinctively understand that, while she loved her family, it wasn't a topic she relished discussing, so he backed off rather than push her. He asked about her work and her hobbies and her plans for the future. He asked about her friends and didn't even clam up or get too nosey when she told him that she worked for what seemed to be a biker gang. The fact that he listened to her and seemed genuinely interested in her kind of make Tess weak in the knees.
He had told her that she looked beautiful when he first arrived to pick her up, and she had done a little dance on the inside and silently thanked Lila. He had held her hand on the way back to the car, and he hadn't let go as he drove them back towards her apartment. He had even allowed her to pick the music, and she had tested him by choosing an eighties station that she adored. Instead of complaining, which an unnamed blonde man had done constantly and loudly with each song that played, Lex sang along with every song.
When he parked the car in front of her building, he came around and opened the door for her, helping her out of the car. She had been raised in very proper, upright society, but even she wasn't used to this sort of chivalry. But really, I could get used to it pretty easily, she thought as she gathered her handbag and scarf. Lex slid his hand down from where it rested on her arm and interlocked their fingers as he walked her to her doorstep.
"I really had an amazing time tonight," she told him, as they approached the doorstep.
"Did you?" he asked, and without waiting for an answer, he continued. "I really hope it was good. I wanted to impress you."
She bit her lip as she blushed. "Well, you most definitely did."
"I'm glad," he admitted, giving her a dazzling smile and he leaned in and kissed her softly, before leaning back. "You are a wonderful woman, and you deserve a wonderful night. Thank you for letting me spend it with you."
The kiss was sweet and unexpected, and his words nearly melted into her brain. She blamed her next question on that fact. "Do you want to come in? Have a drink, maybe?"
Her question seemed to surprise him, almost as much as it did her. He didn't let it show for long, though. "If that's what you want, I would really, really love to come in for a drink."
"It is what I want," she told him firmly, because even though she was nervous as hell, she also really wanted him to come inside.
"Okay," he agreed easily. "Do you mind if I stay outside for just a moment? I have to make a quick business phone call, and then, I am all yours."
"Good," Tess flirted with a smile, glad that she would have a few moments to herself to shove all of her clothes back into her closet. "Make your phone call, I'll be inside."
As she walked inside and closed the door, he took the burner phone from his pocket where it had remained hidden all night. He quickly pressed the first speed dial entry. The phone only rang once before his contact picked up.
"It's me," Lex said after exchanging a greeting with the man on the other end. "I wanted to let you know that I am staying in Charming tonight."
"Ah, I take it tonight went well," the other man laughed, without a trace of humor in his voice.
"Yes, she had a great time and she has invited me in. I, of course, accepted," Lex reported quickly, knowing that he didn't have much time before Tess would become suspicious.
"Good job, my son," said the man. "Things are going exactly according to plan."
"And you're sure that this plan is right? You're sure that it will work?" Lex asked, wishing he was as certain as the ones in charge.
"I am certain," the other man agreed. "We have watched her; watched them all. Be charming, be sweet. It is what she will be craving after her run in with the biker. Be everything she wants you to be. Make her fall in love with you, Alexei. With love will come trust, and once she trusts you, her secrets will start pouring out, and with her secrets will come their secrets, and at last, we will have SAMCRO exactly where we want them. Do you trust me, my boy?"
"I do," Lex vowed. "I will do this. SAMCRO deserves it for what they have done to us. I won't let you down."
"I know you won't. I am proud of your Alexei," the man said and he hung up the phone.
Lex closed his phone, and tucked it back into his pocket. He rearranged his facial features into the pleasant, easy smile Tess was used to. Once he did that, he turned and opened the door, ready to make her love him.