Ho Ho Hennessy

Arin jumped when a beer bottle fell to the floor.

“Hell no, she isn’t.”

Her jaw dropped at Hennessy’s furious expression. She started to yell at him, but Jewell gave a warning shake of her head.

“It’s not up to you, Hennessy; you’re not a Last Rider.”

Arin shivered at Viper’s hardened expression. The man was scary as hell when he was asserting his authority over everyone in the room.

“Then I accept the job at the factory. Do I get to vote now?”

“No. But if you want to join in the game, you’re welcome. With the numbers uneven, I was going to ask if anyone wanted to sit out or ask any of the brothers if they want two Santas. You’ll solve the problem.”

“I’m not playing any fucking game!”

“Then sit down and shut up.”

Hennessy sat, but his anger was palpable in the room.

“Core, you interested?” Viper asked the man who sat beside Hennessy.

Damn, she had forgotten about him, too.

“Is Core an éclair or a truffle?” Arin whispered.

Exasperated, Jewell raised her hands in an I-don’t-know gesture.

“Hell no.”

Arin was disappointed in Core’s answer. She would have liked to have learned her answer firsthand. She might not be as done with men as she had assumed.

“No other objections about Arin joining that count?” Viper waited for a brief second.

“I have a question.”

Arin blushed when she saw it was Moon talking, and he was staring at her.

“What’s the question?” Viper asked.

“She does know that whoever’s name she draws will be expecting sex, and I mean a lot of sex, right? I don’t mean to be a jerk, but if I’m not allowed to fuck anyone for the next twelve days, and she draws my name, then she can play the reindeer games with the wives.”

“I talked to Arin. She knows the game involves a lot of sex, especially if she draws your name, Moon.”

The whole room laughed, except for her and Hennessy. She didn’t laugh because all the men were looking at her like she was a rib roast and they were starving to death, which she knew from the last four nights in the clubhouse that that was the furthest thing from the truth. The only thing that relieved her embarrassment was that Hennessy looked like he was about to spit nails. He was glaring at the men so hard that the diamonds in his ears were catching the light as his head went back and forth to stare the men down.

Arin became worried that one of The Last Riders would give in to his threatening glare and voice their objections to her playing.

“You don’t have to worry about my game, Moon. If I pull your name, just worry about if you can keep up with me as your naughty Santa. I’ve heard you’ve been a bad boy this year.”

Stori giggled. “He has. I can vouch for that.”

She gave Moon a sensuous smile that she had seen Jewell give Nickel the night before as the other women laughingly vouched for her. It took Viper raising his hand to quieten room.

“Are there any objections?” Viper asked again. “Good. Now, which brother wants his name placed in the bag twice?”

All the men raised a hand in the air.

“Fuck.”

Viper’s lips tightened. “You have something to say, Hennessy?”

“No.”

Viper glared. “Then shut the fuck up. I want to get to bed sometime tonight.”

“Pick me!” Moon yelled out. “I’ve been the naughtiest this year.”

“Who gets to pick the name that goes in twice?” Jewell spoke out.

“I was going to.”

“Nothing personal, Viper,” Jewell spoke up, “but I think a woman should pick. Some of the men can’t keep one woman satisfied, much less two.”

“Then you choose,” Viper offered.

Unobtrusively, Arin poked Jewell in the ribs. “Moon,” she whispered out of the corner of her mouth.

“Nickel,” Jewell called out.

“Traitor.”

“His éclair is bigger than Moon’s long john.”

“Oh … Then good choice.”

Arin blushed when she caught the wink that Moon gave her, seeing that she was upset that Jewell hadn’t chosen him.

“Okay …” Viper began, reaching for a pen that Stori eagerly gave him.

“Dammit, I’ll play.”

“You say something, Hennessy?”

“I fucking said I’d play!”

“It’s too late,” Moon protested.

“You want me to work at the factory, Viper? Then I get to play the game.”

Viper sighed in aggravation. “You can play. Do I need to go over the rules again?”

“No. I fucking got them the first time. Just make damn sure my name is in there.”

“You do know that the men don’t get to pick, right?”

“I think I fucking figured that shit out,” Hennessy snarled.

“Hennessy …”

He raised his hands, forestalling Viper’s reprimand. “I’ll shut the fuck up.”

“Thank God.”

Arin watched as Viper wrote on one piece of paper then wadded it tightly closed before placing it into the red bag. Then, walking to each of the members around the room, he let the women draw out slips of paper. Each one kept their faces carefully blank.