“He’s done.” I watch as Ox exits the office, his face flushed. Lindsey says something to him as she walks toward the dressing rooms.
Derrick eyes me. “You okay?”
“Lot of shit happening lately,” I yell.
He pulls out a bottle of Macallan Fine Oak and pours me a full glass.
“It’s hard to be king.”
I grin. “That it is.” Taking the glass, I head back up to the VIP area, which is now packed with bikers. The three poles are being used by different strippers.
My phone vibrates.
Edge: She’s not happy
Me: I don’t care
I shove my phone back in my pocket as I look down, slumping back into the booth with Axel. Ryder is sitting next to him, a shot in his hand.
“Everything okay?” Ryder’s brown eyes sweep my face.
“Yes,” I snap.
“I heard about what happened with Dozer. He’s getting old and mean in his old age.” Ryder smiles at Roxy who slithers up to us.
“Who’s gonna be my lucky guy tonight?” She licks her glossy red lips for effect.
“Well, that depends on what you’re feeling like, baby.” Ryder grins as he scoots his six-foot-six frame out of the booth.
Axel takes a sip of his beer. His passive-aggressive quiet disapproval is getting on my nerves.
“What?”
He sighs. “Blade, when you became president, you knew that having a wife or kids was not in the cards. Look at your dad and mom. Look at everyone who has a wife. You know they will use it against you.”
I laugh. “I think you’re jumping the gun.”
“Am I?”
“I’m not marrying Eve, and she can’t have kids so it’s perfect,” I growl and shake my head. “Ryder told you his dream?”
“No. I’m not blind, man. This one is different. You look at her different.” He picks at the label on his beer.
“Just be careful. You’re putting a big X on her and she doesn’t know the game.”
I close my eyes. He’s right. I know he’s right. I take a huge gulp of the Macallan. “God that’s good whiskey. I need to ride, get out of town. Plan on Hemet tomorrow.” Women are everywhere. I often wonder what attracts them to us. Most of the guys treat them like shit.
“I’m restless. I should take Daisy in the office.”
He smirks. “Just be sure and get her name right when you come.”
“You’re making too big a deal of Eve. She has a tight pussy and that’s it. Don’t get confused.” I sneer into my glass. The numbing effects of the booze make me aggressive.
“Hey Ryder.” I motion with my fingers. “Tell Daisy to meet me in the office.”
He looks over, his eyebrow raised then he mimes that he can’t hear me. Then back to fondling Roxy.
“Dick,” I yell.
He gives me a thumbs-up. “Doing it for your future, Prez.”
“Whatever. I’m satisfied with my whiskey.” My eyes drift down to the stage in time to see Crystal dance. As I watch her strip, I feel nothing. Her glittered body moves gracefully, but all I see is Eve swooping down in my black towel picking up my T-shirt. Her long, silky legs glisten with small drops of water. I’ve never been someone who noticed movements in a woman. Maybe it’s because when I was a kid, my dad was dragging me and my brother Chuck to strip clubs. But with Eve, she has a walk, a way she moves that reminds me of a ballerina.
“Prez. Hey man, you okay?” I’m jolted back to Lana Del Rey’s sultry voice. Crystal slinks around the pole to “West Coast” and I have to blink to get rid of my visions of long honey-blond hair instead of harlot red.
Axel shakes his head at me. “Maybe you should slow down if you’re gonna be in any condition to ride tomorrow.” I look up at the lasers and deep red moving spotlights and grin at him.
“I’m fucked, Axel.”
He frowns and nods, bringing his beer to his lips. The music and booze take over my mind and I lean my head back. This time I don’t fight it. Letting my eyes close, I see her swaying in front of me, her head thrown back as she laughs and dances only for me.“Blade, brother? You want to take off? Or you want to sleep off the hangover with your woman?” I crack my eyes open to Axel and Ryder standing over me. I sit up and rub my hair and scalp before I focus on where we are.
“Derrick told me to tell you to fuck off and make sure we tip the cleaning crew.” Axel grins as he twists the top off a beer.
Leaning back on Derrick’s deep leather couch, I look at my guys. They both look a hell of a lot better than I feel. Maybe I should go back to the compound and crawl into bed with Eve. My cock likes the idea.