Six-Gun, page 5
“It’s a paycheck. Manages to keep me fed, clothed, and a roof over my head.”
I nodded. “Good.”
“Most of the girls are really nice, too. I’ve only had a problem with a couple of the girls.”
“Which ones?” I asked.
She twirled her straw in her glass. “No one.”
“Keeping that a secret?” I laughed.
“I’m not looking to get anyone in trouble.”
I chuckled. “As if I have any power at the club. The most I do is security at the door. The hiring and firing is all up to Mitzy and Barracuda. Well, now, Monk.”
Most of the time, I didn’t even know what was going on at Skinz. It really was basically run by Mitzy, and the Bastards just turned a profit.
“Rain. She sort of thinks her shit don’t stink. She isn’t the nicest person. At least, to me.” Memphis sighed. “Please don’t tell Rebel or Tank that. I know they like her.”
“You mean they did like her. Rebel said he hadn’t seen her in two months.”
“But I saw her leave with Tank last night.”
“I guess her and Tank are still hitting it.”
She wrinkled her nose. “Well, at least Rebel came to his senses, right?”
“What did she do to you?” I asked. If it was anything bad, you could bet your ass I was going to do something about it.
Memphis shrugged. “Nothing horrendous, just little things. Making comments about my weight. Glaring at me whenever she sees me. The girls on stage make a whole hell of a lot more than I do, so she thinks that makes her better than me.” She tipped her head to the side. “I mean, she does make more money than me, but that sure doesn’t make her nicer or better than me.”
“That might be why Rebel gave her up. Well, that and the whole freaking him the fuck out when she told him she was pregnant with his baby.”
Memphis laughed. “I’m pretty sure that would terrify any guy. I think she tried that ploy on Tank for a minute, too, but he didn’t fall for it. Something makes me feel like things aren’t so sunny and peachy for Rain anymore.”
“You hear about that?” I asked. I still thought it was fucking crazy that Rain was hooking up with both Rebel and Tank, but it wasn’t any of my business. If that was me, there was no way in hell I would be hooking up with a chick that I knew was also nailing my brother from the club.
She nodded. “Oh yeah. I work in a club full of women. Gossip spreads like wildfire there.”
“I can imagine.”
The waitress dropped off our food and headed back to the kitchen.
“How is it?” I asked.
Memphis dipped a cheese stick in marinara and smiled. “Delicious. Skinny waists and flat stomachs don’t taste like this.” She took a bite. “I don’t want anything to do with that life.”
We ate in silence while we watched one of the nearby TVs.
Memphis ate half of her food and pushed her plate toward me. “You can have some if you want. I think my eyes were bigger than my stomach.”
I grabbed a cheese stick and popped it into my mouth. “She gave you a shit-ton of food. I’m impressed with how much you actually ate.”
I finished my food and also Memphis’. Next time, I was going to order the same thing she had and just enjoy it.
“You really didn’t have anything to talk to me about?” she asked.
I wiped my mouth with a napkin. “Nope.”
“I’m so confused why you asked to talk to me then.”
I shrugged and pulled out my wallet. “Just wanted you to know that I’m here for you. Even if you just want to eat appetizers and bad mouth Rain.”
I paid the check, even though Memphis insisted she would pay for her own food, and then we headed back to the bike.
“You wanna go for a ride?” I asked.
She tipped her head to the side. “To where?”
“Nowhere, particular. Just take the long way back to the clubhouse.” Even just five more minutes with Memphis I craved.
“Long way?”
I nodded and threw my leg over the bike. “How about we drive, and you tell me where to go and when to stop.”
“I don’t know where to go,” she laughed. “How am I supposed to guide?”
“Right-tap on my shoulder means turn right. The same goes for the left shoulder. When you’re ready to head back to the clubhouse, tap my leg, and we head back.”
“What if we get lost?” she asked.
“Sometimes, you need to get lost to find your way home.” I cranked up the bike and held out my hand to Memphis. “What do you say?”
Chapter Six
Numb butt...
Memphis
I had lost track of how many times I had tapped his shoulder left or right. We were in the middle of nowhere, driving down a dark, two-lane road.
An hour ago, I had climbed on the back of Six-Gun’s bike with no destination other than to just ride.
I reached down and tapped his leg.
“Turn around?” he called.
“Yes,” I shouted over the roar of the bike.
Six-Gun slowed to a crawl and pulled over on the shoulder.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“You tell me, doll.” He twisted in his seat and looked at me. “Butt numb?” he laughed.
I couldn’t help but laugh. “Well, yeah. I’m not exactly used to riding on your bike for more than ten minutes.”
Six-Gun smiled. “Just make sure I’m near when you try to stand up. Your legs are going to be like Jell-O once we get back to the clubhouse.”
“Something to look forward to.” I shifted on the seat and grimaced. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure I’ll need you to carry me in.”
“Whatever you need, doll.” He turned back in his seat. “I’m here for you.”
By the time we made it back to the clubhouse, my whole lower body was numb, and I was ready to fall asleep.
Six-Gun parked by the front door and turned off the bike. I normally was the first one to get off the bike, but that wasn’t about to happen.
Six-Gun managed to get off and offered his hand to me. “Let’s get you to bed, doll. You might be sore tomorrow from the ride.”
Oh, great. Something to look forward to. I placed my hand in Six-Gun’s, and he helped me off the bike. I tried to stand, but my legs gave out, and I gripped his shoulders to keep from landing on my butt.
“Easy there, Memphis,” he said softly. His hands landed on my waist, and he held me steady. “You think you can walk?”
This was so dumb. I couldn’t believe I couldn’t walk after a couple-hour ride. I apparently wasn’t made for the biker life. “I think I should be able to walk. Just don’t leave me.”
“Never.”
The word sounded in my head.
That was a big word.
Six-Gun helped me into the clubhouse where a couple of the guys were watching TV. I could tell their interest was piqued by the fact Six-Gun was basically carrying me into the clubhouse, but I took Mitzy’s advice and decided not to care. I managed to get some feeling back in my legs by the time we made it to my door and walked a little bit straighter.
“This is me,” I chirped lamely, as if he didn’t know which room was mine.
Six-Gun opened the door and reached in to turn on the light. He helped me through the door, and I plopped down on the edge of the bed.
“Please tell me I’m not that big of a wuss, and you’ve had this happen before.” Seriously, this was crazy.
He chuckled and nodded. “Been there before, doll. It’s more like after an eight-hour ride I can’t stand or walk, but I know what you’re going through.”
I lifted my foot. “Well, since you know what I’m feeling, then please take pity on me and take off these shoes. I’ll ignore the fact it takes eight hours for you to feel like this, and I started to go numb, not even an hour into our ride.” If he didn’t take my shoes off, then I was going to be sleeping in them tonight.
He chuckled and pulled off my tennis shoe. “You did good, doll.” He dropped the shoe on the floor and tugged off the other one. “You want to get changed?”
I wiggled my toes. “Yeah.” I looked at the bathroom door. “But it’s so far away.” I was being a baby, but seriously, my butt was numb.
Six-Gun moved to my dresser and pulled open the top drawer. “Tell me what you want.”
“Well, probably more than panties and a bra,” I laughed. “Try the next drawer down. There should be a pajama set in there.”
Six-Gun shut the drawer and opened the next one. He held up a pair of plaid shorts and a matching shirt. “This?”
I nodded, gingerly stood, held out my arms for balance, and managed to not fall on my butt. “You bikers must have butts made of steel.” I slowly walked over to Six-Gun and grabbed my clothes. “I think I can take it from here.”
“I’ll hang out just in case you hit the floor.” He moved over to the door and leaned against the wall.
“Suit yourself.” I shuffled into the bathroom and shut the door behind me. Once securely inside, I dropped the clothes on the sink and leaned against the vanity. My eyes took in the woman in the mirror who was staring back at me. My hair was windblown and a rat's nest. My cheeks were flushed pink, and my eyes shone brightly.
I guess a two-hour motorcycle ride suited me.
I quickly washed my face and changed clothes. The tingle of the numbness had almost faded, and I could feel my legs and butt again.
Six-Gun stood straight when I walked out of the bathroom and looked me up and down. “That was quick.”
“I just put my pajamas on and washed my face, Six-Gun.” I dropped my dirty clothes in the hamper and opened the mini-fridge next to my bed. “You want something to drink?”
I didn’t mind staying at the clubhouse, but I wasn’t exactly a fan of having to go out into the common room every time I needed a drink or wanted a snack. I ordered the mini-fridge off the internet and remembered the shocked look on Six-Gun’s face when it was delivered. I guess they didn’t get deliveries like that too often.
“Nah, I’m good, doll.”
I grabbed a bottle of water and set it on the nightstand.
“I’ll let you get to sleep. I just wanted to make sure you didn’t fall over or anything.”
I laughed and sat on the edge of the bed. “I think I’m good now. It was touch and go for a second there.”
Six-Gun nodded and reached for the door handle.
“Thank you,” I called. “For well, everything. It was nice just to drive tonight. And talk.” It wasn’t like we had talked about anything important, but I guess I needed that. I always felt pressure to say more than I wanted to. Six-Gun didn’t make me feel that way.
Six-Gun nodded. “Anytime.” He slipped out of my room and closed the door behind him.
I grabbed the bottle of water and twisted off the top. That was not how I had seen the night ending. He didn’t hit on me. He didn’t make me feel like I was less. He just let me be.
I took a drink and set down the bottle, then turned on the small TV and flipped off the lights. I crawled under the covers and pulled them up to my chin. My eyes were heavy as I watched a late-night talk show and zoned out. Most of the time, I laid in bed for at least an hour, trying to find sleep.
Tonight, I wasn’t having that problem.
I fell asleep within minutes and dreamt of motorcycle rides and men who treated me right.
Chapter Seven
Another ride?
Six-Gun
“Are you going to act like you didn’t walk in last night with Memphis all over you?”
I scoffed and dropped into the chair next to Playboy. “She wasn’t all over me.”
“Well, maybe not in the normal sense of the word, but compared to the way you two normally are, I would say things were definitely different between you two.”
“Um, what?” Raelyn asked, shocked. “You didn’t tell me anything about this.”
“Because you were passed out when I came to bed last night.” Playboy put his arm around Raelyn’s shoulders. “And then you were grumpy as fuck this morning before you had your coffee.”
“I was not grumpy,” Raelyn pouted.
“Right,” Playboy drawled. “Just keep drinking your happy juice, baby. I’m gonna need to put a coffee pot next to the bed so you can start drinking before you even get out of bed.”
“We’ll discuss that later.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I want to hear more about Memphis and Six-Gun.”
“Nothing to tell.” I reached for the box of cereal in the middle of the table and poured a little into my hand. “We went for a ride after work, and then, her butt was numb.”
Raelyn twirled her finger in the air. “Hold up; you need to explain to me how those two relate to each other.”
“Damn,” Playboy laughed. “How long of a ride did you guys go on?”
“A little over two hours.”
Playboy cringed. “And I’m going to assume she hadn’t been on a bike for longer than about fifteen minutes at a time.”
Raelyn raised her hand. “Hello,” she called. “Confused girlfriend here.”
“Your butt and basically the whole bottom half of your body starts to go numb if you go for a long ride and you’re not used to it,” Playboy explained.
“Yeah, maybe I should have turned us around a lot sooner, but it was up to Memphis how long we rode.” I popped the cereal into my mouth. “She about fell on her butt when we got back to the clubhouse.”
“At least it would have been a numb butt,” Raelyn laughed.
“Things better between the two of you?” Playboy asked.
I shrugged. “Not really sure. I’m letting her call the shots. I’m up for whatever she wants.”
“Aw,” Raelyn sighed. “You’re such a sweetheart, Six-Gun.”
“Right,” Playboy drawled. “Sweetheart to the core.”
“Well, maybe not when it comes to you guys, but with Memphis, I hope he is.” Raelyn patted Playboy’s arm. “You’re a lot sweeter with me than you are with any of the guys.”
I walked into the kitchen area and grabbed a bowl and spoon. “Pretty sure if I was sweet to Tank or Jet, they’d punch me in the face and ask what the hell is wrong with me.” I filled my bowl with cereal and topped it with milk.
“So, what now?” Raelyn asked.
I shrugged and shoveled a spoonful into my mouth. “Just gonna do the same thing. This is all up to Memphis. Hell, she may tell me to fuck off today. Ya never know.”
Playboy chuckled. “I doubt that will happen.”
“I need to run over to Woodland today. I was going to see if she wanted to take the ride with me.”
“You really think she’ll be up for that after the ride you gave her last night?” Playboy asked.
Raelyn laughed. “That sounded much dirtier than it actually was.”
“Gotta strike when the iron is hot. If I wait too long, she might shrink back into her shell, and I’ll lose any chance of breaking down her walls.” We were going to do this on her terms, but that didn’t mean I had to stop giving her opportunities to be with me.
“This is like one of those Hallmark movies.” Raelyn sighed. “I get to watch it in real-time.”
I shook my head. “Hardly. Last I checked, those movies are full of pussy ass men who don’t have an alpha bone in their body.”
“Well, you would be right on that one. They aren’t men like the Royal Bastards in those movies.” Raelyn smiled wide. “You guys can be like Jax and Tara from Sons of Anarchy!”
Playboy choked on his coffee. “Baby, both of them die.”
Raelyn waved her hand at Playboy. “Details,” she muttered.
“That’s a pretty big detail,” I laughed. “Hopefully, Memphis and I don’t have that same outcome.”
I finished my breakfast while Raelyn and Playboy bickered back and forth about what movie couple Memphis and I could be.
I headed down the hallway when Raelyn suggested Romeo and Juliet. Playboy was sputtering, trying to tell her how crazy she was.
With my coffee cup in hand, I knocked on Memphis’ door.
I heard a muffled call but couldn’t make out what she said. The door swung open, and she stood there with a toothbrush in her mouth. Spit dribbled down her chin, and she was still in the pajamas I had given her last night.
“Morning.”
She smiled and pulled the toothbrush out of her mouth. “Uh, hey.”
“Sleep okay?”
Memphis nodded and wiped her chin with the back of her hand. “Surprisingly, yes.”
I nodded and took a sip of my coffee.
She looked side to side. “Uh, how about you?”
“Good as can be.”
She cleared her throat. “Was there anything else you needed?”
Jesus. I was just so glad she had opened the door to me that I completely forgot the reason I had knocked on the door. “Oh, yeah. I’ve gotta take a ride over to Woodland later. Did you want to come with me? That is, if you aren’t too sore from last night.”
Memphis laughed and patted her butt. “Just a little sore, but not too bad. I guess I’m not that big of a wuss.”
“That means you want to come with?” I asked, hopefully.
“I’m supposed to work tonight. Will we be back in time?”
“Yeah. It’s not that far away. I just gotta talk to a guy, and then, we’ll head back.” Monk had found a guy in Woodland who might have some info on who killed Leona. I tried to talk to him on the phone yesterday, but he refused to say anything. He had thankfully agreed to meet me today when he was working. I was hoping he had some good information since he didn’t want to talk on the phone.
“I guess so.”
“We could stop for lunch on the way back if you want.”
“Maybe I should start with having breakfast,” she laughed. “I was going to come and grab something once I was dressed.”
“You want me to grab you something? There’s a bunch of cereals laid out this morning, but I’m sure I can find something else.”
