“But other than knowing what he has planned, we’re no closer to really changing anything,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter,” Dog said.
“It does. I don’t want anything bad to happen to the club. I can do this. What I need to know, Forge, is what information can I give them? I’m not going to incriminate the club unless you sign off on it.” She groaned. “That sounded weird.”
Forge laughed. “I’ll call you in the morning with the details you can release. We’ll fuck with his head a bit. Can I go to bed now?”
Dog smiled. “You’re not going to kick my ass?”
“Oh, it’s going to be kicked. Believe me. I won’t let this one slide.”
Forge hung up and Dog pocketed his cell phone.
“You came and waited for me. You were worried about me?”
“Is that so hard to believe?” he asked.
She shook her head. “It has been a very long night.”
“Then all I’m going to do is hold you.”
Sable frowned. “You will?”
“All night long. I’ll do whatever you need me to do.”
“I need you to stay. I know it’s against his wishes, but I really need it.”
“Forge knows I’m here and he’s going to beat the crap out of me. I may as well make it worth it.”
****
The following day, Sable couldn’t stop smiling. All night she was in Dog’s arms. His skin was warm and smelled like his cologne. This had been her dream for a long time. It was kind of corny for her. All she’d ever wanted to be was Dog’s. His woman. His everything. The irony wasn’t lost on her that the way she’d gotten close to him was by pretending to leave the club. By actually putting herself at risk from being hurt or even killed.
Pushing those thoughts to one side, she grabbed the pencil out of her hair and took some orders. The diner was fast filling up.
She enjoyed working at the diner. Watching people come and go. Of course, she hated the difficult clients who liked to complain about their food even though they’d eaten all of it. Every day couldn’t be a good day.
After filling up her coffee pot, she turned around in time to see Grass and Hank enter the diner. It wasn’t a usual sight. She tensed up. This was the first time she’d seen Grass around here. The diner seemed beneath him, for some reason.
Hank came to see her regularly.
Spinning back to the coffee, she closed her eyes and quickly tried to calm her breathing. She could do this. All of this was for the club.
With the coffee ready, she started to offer to fill up everyone’s cups. That was what she was told her first day on the job. The coffee was damn good, and she had to keep everyone supplied. They only ever paid for one cup, but it was a perk to keep coming back for more.
Hank and Grass both sat in her section.
Great.
Just think about Dog. His arms. His everything.
Forcing a smile to her lips, she approached their table. “Hello, gentlemen. What can I get you?” They had already picked up the cups near the door. Again, another feature of the diner. Pick your cup, it will be filled. Pay once, have it filled many times.
Glancing at Hank, she put the coffee jug on the table, took out her notepad, and removed the pencil.
“You look so beautiful,” Grass said. “You’re a lucky man, Hank.”
“I know I am. She’s special.”
“You two are making me blush. What can I get you?”
“I’m having a little get-together this weekend,” Grass said. “Just a few people. You two should come along. It’ll be a lot of fun.”
Something in his invitation unnerved her. Everything about Grass unnerved her.
“Shoot, I can’t this weekend,” Hank said. “I’ve got the seminar I need to attend. The one you asked me to put my name down for. It will look good on my résumé.”
“Ah, yes, the one about street crime and gangs,” Grass said.
“I also have to study,” she said. “I’m taking a couple of classes at the local college. I study as much as I can, but the weekends are when I can write up my assignments.”
Forge was paying for all of her college courses. A little token of his appreciation for what she was doing.
Again, another forced smile to her lips.
“I get it. Another time.”
She nodded, took their order, and headed back to the main counter. That was when she noticed Forge, Dog, a couple of club members, her mother, and her sister all enter the diner.
Fuck me!
This couldn’t get any worse. Of course, it could. Once again, they sat in her section.
Heart racing, she finished serving up and realized she’d left the coffee jug at Grass and Hank’s table. All this stress was messing with her head.
If she pulled this off again in front of these men, she should be nominated for some kind of award. She never thought of herself as an actress, far from it.