Beautiful Outlaw by Emily Minton
Making Friends
Shay
“I know you’re nervous, but this isn’t gonna be like the party at the clubhouse,” Bowie says as he looks at all the food lining the counter and kitchen table.
Some of the guys from the club are coming over tonight. I’m not exactly sure what’s up, but I know it’s not just a visit. There is something going on at the club. That was easy to see last night. I think Bowie is using tonight’s little party as a cover to talk about it. I only know that much because I overheard him and Tin talking. Didn’t hear a lot, but enough to know that neither of them is happy with the way their dad is running things.
“I hope not,” I reply with a glare. It took him hours to get me to talk to him after we came home from the clubhouse last night. I’m still not sure I’ve forgiven him for the way he spoke to me, but my anger is slowly fading. His mouth between my legs after we got home from the clubhouse helped to cool my temper. Still, I don’t want him to think I’ve forgiven him for being an ass.
“I don’t know why you’re doing all this shit. We could’ve just ordered pizza,” Bowie says for the third time, ignoring my attitude as he grabs one of the mini-cheesecakes from the plate on the counter.
I pull out another tray of sausage balls from the stove and look at Bowie. “I just wanted to make something special. I’ve never met any of their wives, so I want to make a good first impression.”
I’m worried about getting to know everyone. Marcus never allowed me to socialize. We threw tons of parties and went to even more, but I was always glued to his side. I met a lot of people, but I was never friends with any of them. The few times a person would try to do more than give me a polite greeting, Marcus would monopolize the conversation in a way that let them know I was not to be spoken to.
He walks to me and pulls me into his arms. “The Old Ladies ain’t gonna give a shit if you order pizza. They’ll see the ink on your arm, and they’ll know your one of them.”
After he says this, his fingers run over his name that is now proudly displayed on my right bicep. He took me to get it two days after he moved me into his house. I have to admit, I wasn’t too hip on the idea. I’m happy with Bowie, but I’m not sure how long it’s going to last. I can’t see a man like him spending his life tied to one woman. I know there will probably come a time that he has had his fill of me, and I will be stuck wearing a permanent reminder of him. Still, I got it, remembering the words that Cash spoke that day at the club. I would rather have Bowie’s name tattooed on my forehead than be anywhere near that man.
“Well, they may be okay with pizza, but I’m not. I like to cook, and I haven’t had much of a chance to do it.” Mom taught me to cook when I was just a little girl. By her side, I learned how to make everything from lasagna to banana cream pie. When I married Marcus, I wasn’t allowed anywhere near the kitchen. The majority of our meals were eaten at swanky restaurants, and the rest were prepared by his live-in cook.
He pulls me impossibly closer, plastering my front to his. “Do what you want, baby.”
With that, he leans down and places a soft kiss on my lips. It grows heated in seconds, but is cut short by the sound of a knock at the front door. Pulling back, he shoots me a wink. “Okay, babe, it’s time to meet the boys.”
****
“This is amazing,” Lila says as she dips another chip into my homemade artichoke dip, proving that Bowie was wrong. The Old Ladies do care about the food.
I smile at her. “Thank you.”
I can already tell that Lila and I are going to be friends. She is sweet as can be and has a wicked sense of humor. She’s nothing like I thought a biker’s woman would be. She is pretty, in a natural sort of way, and dresses conservatively, showing as little skin as possible. Her bright red hair is pulled into a messy ponytail, and her face is makeup free. She is also round with her and Red’s third child that is due any day. They’ve been together since high school, and they already have two little girls and are hoping this one is a boy. She told me earlier that it doesn’t matter if it’s another girl. Either way, this is their last baby.
“I can’t believe he claimed an Old Lady. I thought for sure he was gonna spend the rest of his life fuckin’ club whores.” This comes from a very pretty but very tactless lady named Stacy.
She is married, or claimed, as she puts it, to a large man named Rusty. He introduced her to me by saying, “This one’s mine,” and walking away. She is everything I thought a biker’s woman would be- beautiful but in a trashy way, low cut blouse, short skirt, dangerously long red nails, and heels I’m sure every stripper in the state would die for.
“Shut it. You’re a big mouth,” Melissa, another Old Lady says. She’s the oldest of the group, married to a man named Topper, and I can already tell she likes to play mom. She looks at me and shakes her head. “Ignore Stacy. She doesn’t think before she speaks.”
“It’s true though,” Stacy says, defending herself. “Bowie is a dog. He’s always knee deep in pussy.”
Melissa’s eyes narrow in on her, and all the sweet I saw before disappears. “Shut up.”
Oddly, Stacy does exactly what she says and goes back to munching on one of the mini-cheesecakes. Yep, Melissa is the mom, and Stacy knows better than to piss her off.
“How did you and Bowie meet?” Lila asks, still munching away.
I’m not sure how much of my story these girls know, so I go as vaguely as possible with my answer. “He was in the military with my brother.”
Stacy raises her overly sculpted brow. “That’s all? Nothing hot? I figured he probably saw you somewhere and took you off to fuck.”
“I told you to shut up,” Melissa hisses at her before turning to me. “So your brother introduced you two?”
I nod, even though it’s not exactly true. We met because of him, but he didn’t introduce us. “Yeah, he did.”
Lila wiggles in her seat, excitement coming off her in waves. “I know I shouldn’t ask, but I’ve gotta know. What’s Bowie like.”
“What?” It takes a minute for me to grasp her meaning, but when Stacy snorts, it all becomes clear. I can feel heat hit my cheeks, and I shake my head. “I don’t know.”
Melissa grabs my hand and smiles. “It’s okay. You can tell us. I’ve known that boy for years, and I’ve always wondered if he’s as good as he looks.”
I notice Stacy straightening in her seat, staring at me intently. “He’s gotta be wild in bed.”
Wild? Yeah, that’s a good word to describe him, but he can also be sweet. Over the last few days, he’s given me both- wild and crazy in nearly every room of the house, then sweet and gentle in our bed at night.
“He’s wonderful, but I’m not sure I know how to explain it.” Even if I could find the right words, I don’t really think I should be telling people about mine and Bowie’s sex life.
“Try,” Lila orders on a laugh.
I look around the room to the ladies that I will probably be spending a lot of time with and nod. Leaning forward, I start to give the juicy details when I hear boots stomping into the room. I look up just as Bowie steps into sight. He’s staring at the other ladies. “She’s not telling you shit.”
I can feel my cheeks blush when he looks to me. His face is hard, but I can see laughter dancing in his eyes. I shake my head and lie right to his face. “I wasn’t going to tell them anything.”
“They shouldn’t have fuckin’ asked,” Rusty says, walking past Bowie and drawing my attention. When he reaches Stacy, he grabs her by the arm and pulls her up. “I’m gonna have to punish you when we get home.”
By the way she plasters herself to the front of his body, she likes that idea. When she shoves her tongue down his throat, I know I’m right. I look away from them and back to Bowie, to see him still staring down at me. His hand reaches down, pulling me from my seat. He wraps his arms around my shoulder and starts talking to his friends that have now filled the room.
It takes a few minutes, but slowly everyone starts to file out the door. Lila grabs my hand just before her and Red leave. “I’ll stop by in a few days and let you meet the girls.”
“I would love that.” Just the thought of having a real friend has me feeling warm inside.
She starts to say something else, but Red grabs her hand and pulls her out the door. I can hear her telling him that he’s rude as they walk away. He responds by slapping her on the ass.
I don’t try to stifle my laugh when I look up to Bowie. “I like your friends.”
He doesn’t say anything, just smiles at me and pulls me to the kitchen where Tin and Rollo are sitting at the table. Bowie gives me a little squeeze and says, “Head on to bed, babe.”
I nod, realizing they want to talk alone. Before I can even take a step, he pulls me back to him. He leans down and whispers in my ear, “I want you naked when I get there.”