Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 38439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38439 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 192(@200wpm)___ 154(@250wpm)___ 128(@300wpm)
“Did you bring anything with you, sweetheart?” Jezebel asked the question gently. I had the feeling she saw more than I wanted her to see.
“Yeah.” I indicated my large bag. “Everything I own is in here. I came expecting to stay with Maximilian… er, Warlock. And I didn’t really like the place I was staying at.” I shuddered slightly. “It gets scary at night.”
Jezebel pursed her lips. “That won’t do at all. Esther, I think we need to go shopping.”
Esther grinned. “I’ll get the club credit card. Girls’ day out?”
“Of course! Get the other ol’ ladies together. We’ll leave in an hour.”
“What’s happening?” I got the feeling I was being stiff-armed into doing what these women wanted, but they were being so nice, I didn’t want to seem ungrateful.
“We’re all going shopping!” Esther clapped her hands. “You’ll absolutely love the other women here.” She checked her watch. “It’s early. We can still have a spa day. See if you can get El Diablo to contact the Royal and have them stay open a little late for us. He knows the shops we like. We can go to the spa there, so we won’t be too late.”
“Great idea! Hope, unpack your things and freshen up if you want. I’ll round up the other women, and we’ll call the girls at Salvation’s Bane, too.” Jezebel looked so excited by the prospect of a girls’ day out, I hated to disappoint her.
“Guys, I can’t go shopping.”
“Why not? We got this covered, honey.” Esther was as excited as Jezebel.
“This is embarrassing, but I don’t have money for shopping. I don’t mind tagging along, but I’m on a very limited budget.”
“Pfft.” Jezebel waved me off. “None of us pay for anything around here. That’s why we have a club card.”
“I can’t let you do that. I don’t want to feel like I’m taking advantage of your kindness.”
Both women laughed. “Honey, you’re not taking advantage of anything. Besides, you can’t stop us. Even if you decide not to enjoy the day with us, we’re still bringing you back a whole bunch of stuff. At least if you go with us, you know you’ll love what we buy.”
“I coldcocked a member of the club. Why isn’t anyone angry over that?”
Jezebel shrugged. “He deserved it. Besides, Warlock has had it coming since he got here. Liam -- er -- El Diablo says he’s going to be a fantastic asset for Black Reign, but he’s an arrogant asshole. We had a running bet on who would slug him first.”
“Uh-huh.” Esther picked up the narrative. “Shotgun thought it would be Noelle. Lottie said Samson was betting on himself.”
“I’d forgotten about that! He’s gonna be bummed.” Jezebel grinned.
“I still think I should leave. It’d be better for all concerned.”
“Not for us. We haven’t had the chance to get to know you.” Esther smiled warmly at me. “And not for you. Give us a chance to convince you to stay. Please?”
How could anyone say no to these women? I had learned to read when people were disingenuous and only trying to appease me until they could get me out of their hair. I didn’t detect that here.
I was glad I went with them. It was the best time I’d ever had. The trip was supposed to be a shopping trip for everyone. There were a dozen women from two clubs and at least twice that many men. It was like a show of solidarity. And maybe that was exactly what it was. The bikers and their women didn’t try to hide who they were. The women all wore vests with the words, “Property of” and the name of their man with their club emblem in the center. The men had similar vests with their club name and city they hailed from as well as the club emblem. They all wore them proudly. I was the only one in the group who didn’t look like they belonged. Story of my life.
They took me to a day spa and hair and nail salon. The stylist chastised me for trying to cover us such a “gorgeous” natural color. Flaming orange wasn’t what I’d call flattering, but the man worked some magic and managed to bleach out the black, or something, and match up my natural color. I had to admit, I liked looking in the mirror and seeing the correct reflection looking back at me. I’d dyed my hair in an effort to blend in. It hadn’t worked.
Noelle, a woman who I’d found out had trained to be an MMA fighter, had hair a lighter shade than mine. When the stylist was done with me, she high-fived me and declared us “sisters from another mister.”
When we returned to the clubhouse, I was all smiles but completely exhausted. As far as I could tell, the only clothing anyone had bought had been for me. Oh, the women made a fuss out of trying stuff on, but when it came to purchasing items, the stuff they’d helped me pick out seemed to be the only things leaving the stores in bags.