Another re-written chapter. Hope you enjoy
The party is already raging full force when I pull my old Monte Carlo back into the parking lot at TM. All the bikes are lined up and I recognize some of the other cars. My thigh-high boots echo across the pavement as I make my way toward the clubhouse. The warm air keeps a chill away from my exposed arms. Chibs and Jax are sitting on the picnic table when I walk up.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, excuse me miss. You must be in the wrong place." Jax teases me. "We don't let pretty girls dressed like that mix with the degenerates in that place. You wouldn't want to get hurt, now would ya?" he laughs at his own joke.
"I dare one of those 'degenerates' to try something; see I have a long line of big brothers that would kick anyone's ass for even looking at me the wrong way. Besides, I'm just pouring drinks tonight boys. Leave the nasty thoughts to Tig. He's the sick and twisted one." I toss over my shoulder before making my way into the crowded clubhouse. My dad is sitting at the bar, obviously drunk already. I give him a quick kiss on the cheek as I head behind the bar.
Jax's POV
"Damn, there's trouble." I tell Chibs as I take a long drink of my beer. He follows my gaze across the lot, watching the angel walk toward us. Thankfully, Aubrey avoided growing up to look like either of her parents. Her long flame-red hair fell to her ass, smooth and soft and her emerald green eyes stood out even in the dark night. Her body had filled out into these amazing curves. Beautiful, feminine tattoos covered her arms and shoulders. She was dressed to kill tonight too. Her white halter top and tight jeans were innocent enough but the leather boots that went practically to heaven gave her the edge she needed to fit in here.
Filip stares, open-mouthed at Opie's sister as she walks confidently across the parking lot. He's mesmerized by her every step. I've never seen him look at anyone like that. She stops to say hi before heading in.
"You see that Chibs?" I ask him trying not to laugh at the expression on his face.
"Aye, think Op's gonna have somethin to say bout that?" Chibs asks, still staring at the doorway
"I'm sure he will but knowing Aubrey, she'll have somethin to say back. Let's head in and enjoy the party brother." I stand up and walk toward the door with Filip behind me.
Opie's sitting at the bar, talking to Bobby when I finally find him. A look of annoyance dances across his face. He's peeling the label from his beer as he watches Tig shamelessly hit on Aubrey. Piney's too wasted to care that his daughter is being man-handled right in front of him; although Aubrey's never had an issue handling Tig. He's been hitting on her since she reached puberty. She presented some kind of challenge to him; a taste of the forbidden fruit.
She's finally able to shake him off and she moves with grace behind the bar; laughing at the perverted old men she's known since birth. Her smile never leaves her face and she's obviously at ease in an environment that would make a weaker woman nauseous.
"Hey brother! Welcome home." I greet my best friend with a hug. He's still nervously watching his sister.
"Thanks man. It feels good to be back." He says without conviction.
"You need another drink?" he nods and I head to the end of the bar, where Aubrey is again trying to get rid of Tig.
". . . come on Baby Bree, let me take you for a ride." Tig's almost pleading with the girl.
"No way Tig. Who knows what I'll catch straddling your bike. No thank you. Those two girls over there look like they need a dirty old man to chase away their daddy issues. Isn't that your specialty?" She winks at him and he turns toward the two skanks smiling at him. I shake my head.
"Whatcha need Jaxson?" She asks, casually leaning on the bar. I shake my head at her and head to the cooler myself.
"I got this, you can finish getting those shots lined up for Chibs and your brother." she gives me a thankful smile and heads over to her brother. He leans over the bar to whisper something in her ear. She rolls her eyes as she pours him a shot. Opie forgets that his sister is an adult. They are only a year apart but in his mind, she's still the 10 year old tomboy with the skinned knees. I watch as she takes a shot with the men, tilting her head back and pouring the whiskey down her throat. I'm not the only one watching; Chibs can't take his eyes off of the girl. I open the two bottles of beer and head back over to them.
"There's a shot for you too Jax." She calls to me before turning to grab a couple of beers for the prospects that sit down next to Piney's slumped body. Chibs is hypnotized by her fluid movements behind the bar.
Filip's POV
I watch Aubrey finish cleaning up behind the bar. Her angelic, raspy voice carries across the bar as she works; the words are haunting and familiar. I make my way to the cherry bar top, leaning over it as I watch her work.
"That's beautiful sweetheart." I tell her, making her jump. "One of my favorites"
"I thought you left Filip." She gives me a soft smile.
"Nah, I thought you could use an escort to your car." My words slur slightly.
"Or, you're too drunk to drive so you came up with that lame excuse so I would drive your ass home safe and sound." She has no problem calling me on my bullshit.
"Aye, you caught me." I say throwing my hands up in defeat
"All you have to do is ask. Let me just tell Jax I'm leaving." She says brightly. She crosses over to the young man who is just about passed out on the couch.
"Have a good night Jaxson. You should go pass out in the apartment. You wouldn't wanna wake up with one of Tig's nasties all over you." She points to the man passed out on the floor covered by two crow-eaters. She has a valid point. He gives her a kiss on the cheek and we head to her car where Piney is already passed out in the back seat.
"Let's get him home first and then I can take you home. I'll probably go crash at Clay and Gemma's." she tells me before I slide in beside her. I drown in her scent that fills the car; a gentle mix of weed and her perfume.
"Or you can use my couch." He tells her.
"Yeah? That would be great. I don't want to clean up after him tonight." Her smile melts me in the seat. My sweet Aubrey had me wrapped around her finger from the first day I rescued her Black Beauty from hitting the junkyard. She loved this car and almost cried when she thought of it being done. It was a quick fix and when I told her, she kissed me. The kiss stirred a feeling deep inside, something I hadn't felt since I was a younger man. I hadn't stopped thinking about those lips since that day.
By the time we pull into her driveway to unload her drunken father, my imagination has lead to a raging hard on. As I stand up out of the car, I have to re-adjust so she doesn't notice. Getting the old man out of the backseat and into the house is no easy task. As she goes through the routine of taking of his boots and kutte, her eyes are hard and sad. She deserves better than all of this. I wait for her in the narrow hallway. As she walks out of his room, we stand facing each other. My hand twitches, wanting to reach out and touch her, kiss her. She looks up at me from her heavy lids with those stunning green eyes and searches my face for something. She leans forward slightly and I slide my hands in my pockets. It takes every ounce of my willpower not to slam her against the wall and fuck her right there.
"I just have to grab a bag real quick." She whispers. "I start at TM tomorrow and I can't be doing the walk of shame on my first day." Her laugh is low and sexy. She lingers a moment longer in the hallway before slipping into her tiny bedroom. I head outside and allow the cool night air to clear my head. A few deep breaths later, my self-control is steadily returning. I lean against her car and light a cigarette, the rush of intake doing wonders to keep my desire at bay. By the time she bounces out of the house, bag slung across her back, I've tucked my craving for her away.
Aubrey's POV
It takes me a moment to realize where I am the next morning. Filip's old couch is comfortable and warm. The apartment is fairly clean for a bachelor pad. Filip's kutte hangs loose on the back of the chair at the small wooden table and his boots are casually strewn down the hall way leading to his room. I push myself to sit-up, blinking as my eyes adjust to the light. The apartment always smells like a combination of leather, tobacco and his cologne. It's a safe smell. Something I've known all my life. It's oddly comforting. Something stirs inside me, something unrecognizable and new. I shake it off, dismissing it as a side-effect of my slight hang-over.
I jump up off the couch, on a caffeine mission. After straightening my tank top, I pull my hair into a messy bun before heading into the kitchen in search of coffee. Trying to be quiet, I manage to find the coffee and filters quickly. I tap my fingers against the counter in anticipation. Filip rounds the corner and heads down the hallway.
"I'm sorry, didn't mean to wake you. I just needed some caffeine." I smile weakly at him.
"Nah, I had to get up anyway." He dismisses my apology and grabs two mugs out of the cabinet. We take our coffee to the small table and sit down. I groan as my tell-tale hangover headache hits me.
"No more shots." I tell him seriously, he laughs at me and shakes his head.
"You sure yer a Winston there girlie?" he jokes. I laugh quietly. He makes a point.
"Ok, no more shots today. We'll talk about tomorrow later. Mind if I take a quick shower?" I ask and he nods as he sips the rest of his coffee. I push myself away from the table, grab my bag and stroll down the hallway to the small bathroom. The door to Filip's bedroom is open slightly; his giant bed is unkempt and somewhat inviting. The odd feeling from earlier returns. I push through the door to the bathroom, desperate for a hot shower.
The steaming water does wonders for my morning hangover. I let the water wash over me, the heat working into my muscles, relaxing and releasing the tension. A heavy fog fills the room, swallowing me up. By the time I turn the water off and wrap the soft towel around me, I feel a hundred times better, almost human even. I throw my TM shirt on with a pair of comfortable jeans and pull my hair into a tight pony tail. It's nice to be able to wear this instead of feeling half-naked. By the time I emerge from the bathroom, Filip is ready.
We pull into the garage before almost everyone else. Gemma is coming out of the clubhouse, two full garbage bags in her hands. Filip jogs over to help her while I get out of the car.
"Hey there baby. How are you this morning?" she asks, joining me at the back of my car.
"Better than when I woke up." I tell her with a half-smile. She pulls me to the garage and gets me started on inventory. I concentrate on my work for a few hours and when I look up from the computer, I notice most of the guys have arrived. Jax saunters over to the counter and leans over. The new prospect, Kip, the one they call Half-Sack stands next to him, arms crossed over his chest and a childish grin across his face.
"Hey baby Bree." Jax teases me. He knows I hate the nickname. I stick my tongue out at him. "Whatcha doin?"
"Working, Jaxson. Something you may wanna consider once in a while." I love our playful banter
"Oh, working with my mom for less than a day and you already sound like her." He laughs at me before turning on the charm. "Can I ask you a huge favor?"
"Oh, God. Now what?" I ask.
"I need you to pull the jealous girlfriend act for me." He blinks his amazing eyes at me and his best award-winning smile.
"AGAIN? Do you have a magic dick? You always end up with these clingy skanks? Which one this time?" I shake my head at him. We've had to pull this routine several times in the past year alone. He always ended up finding the one girl who thought she could change him.
"One of the Cara Cara girls I ended up with the other night at the bar. She just pulled in and is waiting for me by her car. Please, I'll make it up to you." He is practically begging. She must be really bad. I roll my eyes as I stand up and head for the clubhouse with him. As we pass the bimbo leaning against her little red convertible, she smiles and saunters over to Jax. Where does Luanne find these girls?
"Hey there sweetie, you've been MIA the last few days." She purrs as she kisses his cheek. He looks down at his feet, trying to look guilty but I know he's fighting a laugh. He's seen me in action.
"Who's this?" I ask, trying to pour anger into my voice as I cross my arms.
"Uh. . . "he runs his hand through his hair, playing along. "Babe, I can explain."
"Sure, explain. Right. I'm getting really sick of this Jaxson. You bring home these whores and then I gotta deal with it later. Do you really believe I'm not gonna find out?" my voice is rising, some of the guys turn to watch our little game. They usually enjoy our routine. I figure I might as well give them a good show.
"Uh, excuse me, whore?" the blond asks. Apparently she can't take a hint.
"Yeah, sweetie. The skanky barflies that follow my fiancé home whenever we have a fight. None of you ever get him off, so the next day he brings his ass home and begs a real woman to take him back." I inch closer to her. She's too dumb to be insulted.
"Jax, maybe we should talk in private." She grabs his arm and pulls him toward her car. I step in, put my arm around her and walk with her to her car. I pull some money out of my back pocket.
"That won't be necessary, here's $100 and I'm sure you think you were worth more but this is generous hunny." I tell her as I turn to walk back toward a laughing Jax who has now been joined by Tig and Chibs. All of sudden, the skank grabs a handful of my hair and pulls. As I turn to face her, she slaps me hard. She really should have just gotten in her car and left.
I grab her wrist, and twist her arm behind her back, using a move usually reserved for the drunk assholes that get too hands on. I push her toward her car and she kicks me. Apparently she doesn't learn. I tangle my hand into some of her hair and slam her heavily made up face into the trunk of her car. Blood erupts from her nose and mouth. She screams as I release her arm and start throwing punches; each one connecting with a satisfying thud. The guys don't let it go too far. Jax lifts me over his shoulder and walks back to the garage, laughing the entire way. They know what I'm capable of.
Kip ushers the sobbing girl to her car and she speeds away. The group that had gathered to watch breaks into hysterical laughter as Jax finally sets me back down and releases me. My hand is throbbing slightly and my face stings slightly from the one hit she was able to get in. Jax hands me the money I tried to offer her. I straighten my clothes out and turn on Jax and the guys, who are struggling to control themselves.
"Damnit Jaxson, you could at least try to find one with some kind of intelligence." I tell him as he hands me a bottle of cold water.
"The ones with brains don't suck dick." He jokes
"Or maybe they're just too smart to suck your dick." I wink at him as I head back to the garage. The boys all hoot and holler. Gemma meets me before I reach the counter.
"What'd I miss?" she asks when she sees that both my cheek and my hand are already turning a violent shade of red.
"I was just explaining to one of Jax's many admirers why there won't be a round two in her future." I shrug. "This one was stupid enough to fight for him. Don't worry; she won't make that mistake again."
A wicked smile spreads over her face. "I've taught you well sweetheart. Let's go take care of those." She points to my hand and face. We walk together toward the clubhouse. The guys trickle back to work. We're followed by fast approaching footsteps as we reach the door. Jax and Filip follow us inside.
"That was insane!" Jax tells me as he grabs a beer from the cooler. "I owe you."
"I'll remember that." I tell him, grabbing it from him and taking a long sip before handing it back.
"How's the hand slugger?" Filip chuckles as he sits down next to me at the bar. Gemma hands me an ice pack.
"Better than her face." I smile at him.
"That's my girl." He places a quick kiss on my cheek before Gemma shoos them both back to work.