Shade didn’t hesitate. “Of course.”
Viper’s forehead furrowed. “Exactly how much have you had to drink tonight?”
“That’s not why I need the time off.” Jewell made an exasperated face at Viper. “Have I ever needed a day off after getting drunk?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the problem with me asking for a week off?”
“What do you need the time off for? I have shit for Shade to do.”
“Do I stick my nose in your personal life? I need the time off. Maybe more. I won’t know for a couple of days. If you can’t spare Shade, then Train or Rider are capable of running the factory.”
“Whatever you need to do is important?”
“If it weren’t, I wouldn’t have asked.”
“Take all the time you need,” Viper conceded.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” After slurring her words, Jewell wound an arm around Rory’s neck. Rory thought it was to keep herself upright.
“Catch you later, alligators,” she joked before righting herself.
Worried she would fall down the basement stairs, Rory started to rise, only to be pushed back down by a heavy hand on his shoulder.
“Nickel, help Jewell to bed.”
“I can see myself to bed … I’ve been doing it for years.”
Concerned at the break in her voice, Rory wanted to follow her. Was the alcohol she’d consumed responsible for the sorrow-filled way she was speaking, or had something happened that he was unaware of?
Making the decision to let Jewell sleep off the effects of her night out, Rory let her leave, relieved to see Nickel was tagging after her. As much as it stuck in his gut not to be the one making sure she made it safely to bed, he felt the undercurrent swirling around the room.
He wasn’t ready to leave Jewell and head back to Queen City. He hadn’t put up with Sex Piston and her crew of friends for a motorcycle, regardless if it was a motherfucking sick machine. He hadn’t been ready to say goodbye to Jewell. Until he was able to convince her to take a chance and move to Queen City with him, he was stuck here at the club, at The Last Riders’ mercy.
Waiting until the door to the kitchen swung closed behind Jewell, he confronted Viper’s hostility toward him. “Something you want to talk about?”
Viper set his glass down with a hard thud. “Earlier today, did you give our wives a lap dance?”
“I lap-danced for Jewell. Your wives watched,” Rory corrected.
“Don’t play fucking semantics with me,” Viper snarled.
“I’m not. The way you said it was like I gave each of your wives a personal lap dance, which isn’t what went down.”
“Nothing should have gone down in front of our wives.”
“Are you serious? You all are concerned I wiggled my hips in front of your wives for five minutes when each time any of your wives come to the club, they get an eyeful of at least twelve to fifteen unattached women hanging around the club who are putting out more than lap dances.”
“Those women you’re talking about are Last Riders, and those of us who have an issue with you giving the lap dance don’t take lap dances or anything they’re giving out.”
“Then we shouldn’t have an issue, should we? All they did is watch … I don’t know why you’re giving me such a hard time …” A light dawned on him. “Who was the one who told on me? They swore they wouldn’t.”
Viper’s expression went blank. “You swore our wives into keeping secrets from us?”
Rory wasn’t fooled for a hot second.
“Winter asked for a lap dance?” he guessed.
Shade pulled Viper back mid-lunge.
“You all go to bed and let me handle this,” Shade suggested.
Rory started to ask if Viper wanted some lessons, then concluded to wait until he was in a better mood.
The brothers disbanded, muttering amongst themselves as they left.
“It’s not wise to poke Viper where Winter is concerned.” Shade leveled a stare on him when the room was empty.
“I wasn’t trying to provoke him,” Rory denied. “I was trying to save my ass.”
“Then you went about it the wrong way.”
“Maybe so,” Rory conceded.
“King threw your ass to the curb for doing less than giving a lap dance; why did you think we’d let you get away with giving lap dances?”
“Your women were having a good time, that’s all there was to it. If Winter wanted Viper to know about the lap dance, it wasn’t because she enjoyed watching me give one; she wanted the connection I was sharing with Jewell. It’s understandable with Viper having to spend so much time on club business, and with helping Arin sort out her mess, that Winter is feeling left out of the equation.”
Shade picked up the bottle of whiskey to pour himself more then placed another glass in front of him, pouring him some. “What if it wasn’t Winter?”
“I wouldn’t make any assumptions about Lily and your relationship.”