Page 28 of Haze's Jewel
My brother thought the same as me, until he met Trix and fell for her hook, line, and sinker, and now they were gonna be a family. I hadn’t told Anna about that, as Vapor had told me in strictest confidence. The baby was a surprise and Trix didn’t want to announce anything until she’d had the three-month scan. My sister-in-law was also terrified she was gonna have a multiple pregnancy, which was why Anna’s comments about twins running in families freaked her the hell out.
But seeing Vapor so happy, had gotten me thinking, maybe settling down wasn’t such a bad thing?
Anna’s all wide-eyed when we get inside the restaurant. “This is a really nice place. I never knew it was here.” Glancing nervously at me, she adds, “Guess I’m not used to places like this. When my parents were married, I was too young for fancy restaurants, and after they divorced, my stepmother refused to allow me to go out with them, and my mom and I couldn’t really afford to frequent places like this.”
I slip my arm around her and murmur, “You deserve all the best things in life, Anna.”
Her expression turns bashful. “I like an occasional treat as much as the next girl, but I prefer when it’s just the two of us, sharing pizza from a box.”
Something about her lighthearted disclosure endears her to me. It might be because I’m a little out of my element at places like this as well. I lean over and give her a kiss on the side of her head, tugging her close.
Just then the hostess shows up to seat us. Of course, it’s someone I had a fling with at Rigs’ wedding a couple of years ago.
Ignoring Anna, she gushes, “Haze, it’s so nice to see you again.”
My grip on Anna tightens. “Stephanie, it’s nice to see you again too.” Getting right down to business, I add, “We need a table for two, preferably somewhere with a view of the ocean.”
She barely spares Anna a glance as she responds, “Of course. Anything for my favorite club brother.” I cringe inwardly when she says that and hope that Anna doesn’t pick up on her tone. Stephanie and I are history, that’s if we were even an item—which from my recollection we weren’t.
I follow her, never taking my hands off Anna. I don’t know why I’m being so handsy, but I can’t seem to stop. I realize that I’m engaging in guarding behavior when a memory resurfaces of Stephanie getting into a knock down drag out fight at the clubhouse one night, over being cut off from drinking. Mel wiped the floor with her in under a minute. Hopefully, she’s cleaned up her act now.
Once we’re seated with a drink, I try think of a way to jumpstart the conversation.
Anna beats me to it. “So, the woman who seated us, is she a former girlfriend?”
“I wouldn’t describe her as a girlfriend. She’s just someone who used to hang around our clubhouse. We sometimes have a problem with unstable women being drawn to club life. Stephanie was one of them. She eventually got banned and is always trying to ingratiate herself to me and my club brothers in order to get the ban lifted. I guess she feels like she has a chance of sweet-talking me because we had a weekend fling.”
“You don’t sound like you’re that close anymore.”
“We were never close,” I clarify. “She was one of many.”
The moment the words leave my mouth, I regret saying them because her expression shuts down and she sits back in her chair. Anna looks every inch the beautiful queen, wearing the lovely gown I picked out for her. It bothers me that my crass background and words have converged to make her feel like perhaps she is just one of many as well. I scramble to explain it in the most non offensive way I can manage.
“I need to explain club life to you, darlin’.”
She gestures with one hand for me to continue, her expression blank.
“Motorcycle clubs have some longstanding traditions. One of them is the club girls. The first time you came to interview for the bartending position, you got a bird’s eye view of the kind of women who hang around our club. Most of them are not interested in long term relationships with one man. They like the kind of thrill that variety has to offer.”
“That’s a bold statement. How do you know what they like? Do you ask them before you get with them to make sure?”
“No. I’d be lying if I said I clarified with each woman every single time. I’m invested in you liking and respecting me, but I won’t deceive you to get what I want. I ain’t gonna sugarcoat it, I’ve got a past.”
Her expression softens. “Just tell it to me straight. I’m an adult. I can handle the truth.”
“The truth is that both me and my brother swore an oath to remain bachelors for life. We were attracted to club life because we wanted to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We saw them as protectors of our community and looked up to them for years growing up. And I’m not gonna lie, we were wowed by the endless stream of beautiful club girls throwing themselves at us. It was part of the mystique and made us feel strong, attractive, and desirable. When I was young, nothing gave me the kind of high that being pursued by beautiful women did. It was proof that I wasn’t some lame ass nobody. I was a member of the Savage Legion, envied by men and adored by women.”
Anna unexpectedly bursts out laughing. That should offend me, but somehow it doesn’t. I quickly realize it’s because my immature train of thought as a teen was so over the top as to actually be hilarious.
“Yeah, I guess I was a bit of dumbass back then.”
“It’s actually kind of adorable that you hero-worshiped the brothers and joined up for what sounds like fortune and glory.”
My right hand comes up to tug at the collar of my dress shirt. For some reason, the room is getting hot. At first, I think it might be the suit jacket I’m wearing, or that my tie is restricting the blood flow to my head. I quickly realize it’s because I’m blushing.
“Yeah, my brother and I both have huge hero complexes. The glamor of a different club girl in my bed every week wore off fast, but the idea of keeping our town safe and rescuing damsels in distress never got old for me.”
Anna’s expression melts and she leans close again. “I thank God for your hero complex. If not for that, I don’t think I would have made it out of my wrecked jeep in one piece. Coma or not, I’m only alive because you rescued me.”