Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77904 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“Damn, brother.” Torch motioned his head over to Maggie and the other girls. “You did good.”
“Yeah, I know.”
“She seems to be fittin’ right in.”
“Seems so.” I glanced over my shoulder, and I couldn’t help but feel a sense of pride as I watched Maggie laugh at something one of the ol’ ladies had said. “I can’t say I’m surprised. She has a way with folks.”
“So, what’s her story?”
“Not much to tell. She’s divorced, has two kids, and works at a salon on the square.”
“And you met at the movies?”
“Yeah, something like that.”
Savage said something, but I didn’t hear him. My focus was still on Maggie. Her face was overly animated, and I let out a chuckle when I realized she was telling Londyn and Jules about Samantha and the burnt marshmallows. I continued to enjoy the show even after I heard Savage tease, “Ah, man. He’s got it bad.”
He was right.
I did have it bad, and I was working hard to get to her the way she’d gotten to me. I was doing pretty well until Beckett walked in with Addison and Michele, and as usual, they were both scantily dressed and looking for a good time. They trailed behind Beckett as he meandered over to the counter and sat down next to Torch.
For the first night in days, he seemed to be doing okay. I’d hoped the girls would stick with him, but Addison had other plans. Her eyes locked on mine, and I knew she was about to head my way. Before I could stop her, she was by my side and had her arm around my neck. “Hey, Roost. How’s it going?”
“It’d be going better if you’d go back over and hang with Beck.”
“But I thought we could...”
“Not interested, Addy.” I kept my voice low and stern. “Just go.”
“Okay, suit yourself.”
Disappointment marked her face as she turned and headed back over to Beckett. When I was certain that she’d gotten the point, I glanced over at Maggie and found her glaring at me with a look of heartbreak in her eyes. Damn. I’d tried to put the fire out, but the damage had already been done.
Maggie
Ronin told me all about his brothers and what to expect at the club, but the second I walked through the front door, I forgot everything he’d said. Nothing was like I’d imagined it would be, and I was a bit overwhelmed. And then, I met a couple of the guys and quickly realized I had no reason to be so nervous. Things got even better when Londyn and Jules came over and asked me to have a drink with them.
They were wonderful. We hit it off right from the start. They told me all about their first time at the club, and I told them about how Ronin and I had met and our weekend at his place. It was all going so well until I saw that woman pawing all over Ronin. The casual banter between Ronin and the other woman was brief, but it was enough to leave me with a knot in my stomach.
He sent her away, but there was something about her that didn’t sit well with me. I leaned over to Jules and whispered, “Who’s the girl at the bar?”
“Oh, that’s just Addison,” she answered nonchalantly. “She’s one of the hang-arounds.”
“A hang-around?”
“Rooster didn’t tell you about them?”
“Afraid not.”
“Well, they’re relatively harmless. They just hang around the club and help out with parties and stuff.”
“And stuff?”
“They ah... They take up the slack whenever needed,” Londyn answered.
“So, they hook up with the guys.”
“From time to time, but that stops when an ol’ lady comes into play.” Jules glanced over at the girls as she added, “They respect our boundaries, and we respect theirs.”
“You do that knowing they’ve been with your guys.”
“That was before us.”
I understood what they were saying. It made sense and all that, but it did little to help the growing knot in my stomach. Ronin must’ve noticed that something was up because he was watching me like a hawk. I needed a breath of air, so I stood and asked, “Where are the restrooms?”
“Right around the corner.”
“Thanks.”
I quickly skirted around the table and made my way to the bathroom. I went in and looked at myself in the mirror, then fussed at myself for getting so worked up. I tried to convince myself that it was nothing, but I’d been in this situation before. Chad’s indiscretions destroyed us, destroyed me, and I wasn’t going to let it happen again. I couldn’t.
With a newfound resolve, I stepped out of the bathroom and plowed right into Ronin’s chest. Concern marked his face as he asked, “You okay?”
“Hang arounds?”
“I thought you might be upset about that.” He grimaced. “I should’ve told you about them earlier.”
“Yes, you should have.” I felt a mix of hurt and frustration as I said, “I thought we had an understanding.”