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She winks. “It also helps that they are all to die for, doesn’t it?” she quips, but there is a worried look to her.
“Gloria, I’m really sorry that I brought this trouble to your doorstep. If you prefer, I will leave. I know this isn’t your problem, and it’s unfair that I have placed you in this predicament.” Gloria is shaking her head emphatically by the time I finish talking.
“Don’t be silly. Do you think I would miss this for the world? It’s the most exciting thing that has happened in this town.” I know that she’s only trying to make me feel fine, but the thought that Jason could somehow harm Gloria because of me has me regretting the decision I made about coming to work.
“This was a mistake; I should never have placed you in this danger.” I’m about to make my way out of the salon, when Gloria comes to stand before me.
“Listen to me, my father was an abusive son of a bitch, and I promised myself when I was young that I would never let any man ever do that to me or to anyone I knew. So, when I say that I want to help you, I mean it. I want you to continue working here, Dakota, because believe me when I say that if that asshole shows his face around here, I will beat it into a pulp.” At my smile, she shakes her head. “I’m not joking. I took self-defence so I could learn not to be a victim.”
I’m so overwhelmed by her support when she hardly knows me that my eyes fill with tears and a knot forms in my throat. “Thank you,” I murmur, which has her placing her arms around me and hugging me close.
“No thank you needed. Now come on, don’t think I’ve forgotten about my initial question. The women in this town have all been dying to know what it’s like to be surrounded by all those hunks, and you, doll, were the lucky one this whole weekend.” She turns me around and starts pushing me to the back as she continues talking. I know she’s just trying to distract me, and I thank her for it. “Wait until the women find out. There will be a queue of them standing outside the salon just to know what it’s like.” Before we reach the back, the main door opens, which has both of us snapping around, only to find an elderly lady walking in.
“I didn’t know I looked that dead yet!” the woman quips as she sees our surprised faces.
“Oh, dear, you gave us a fright,” Gloria says as she lets go of me and turns to go attend to the client. “Go get ready, Dakota. We have a busy day today.” Without any further ado, I hurry to get ready and back outside to start the day. I decided a while ago that I was going to live my life and stop being scared of my own shadow. Well, it’s easier said than done when you know that the man you have been running from for years is as close as Jason is, but now I have the support of a wonderful man and, as he says, all his brothers. I also have a strong, independent woman behind me who believes in my strength and is prepared to face him with me.
If she can do it, so can I. I will stand my ground and trust in the support that I have, but more importantly, I will trust in my own strength and know that I can do it.
“I’m telling you she did,” Gloria is saying as I walk out again, dressed in my work clothes.
“Is it true, sweetheart?”
“What is that?” I ask in confusion.
“I was just telling Mrs. Jackson here that you have been staying at the MC this whole weekend.”
I look at her in surprise. Is she serious? I thought she was joking when she said that the clients would be queuing to know about Hunter and the other guys.
“You must be careful, dear. You know that bikers can’t be trusted,” Mrs. Jackson says, a concerned look on her face. “They’re all criminals.” It’s clear that she believes completely in what she’s saying. It’s so sad how people judge others just by what they see.
“They’re actually good men,” I say, and immediately Mrs. Jackson starts to shake her head.
“Just be careful, dear. You seem like a good girl. Don’t let them turn you into one of those skanky girls they have up there.” Thankfully another client interrupts our conversation, and from there onward, we are too busy to continue with the topic. When finally we have a lag in clients, I walk to the back to make us a cup of coffee. In one way, I feel relieved that we are this busy, as I’m able to keep the thought of Jason at bay, but in another, I’m scared that he will come for me and hurt those around me. Every time the door opened today, I jumped in fright, but besides that, I have been holding my own.
When the coffee is ready, I make my way back towards the front of the salon to find Gloria on the phone. Placing her mug before her, I walk towards one of the chairs and take a seat. A few minutes later, she ends the call. “Whew, what a morning. We should have about half an hour before our next customer. I’m glad Jenny is back tomorrow.” With those words, she picks up her mug and makes her way to the chair next to mine. Just as she sits down, we hear a roar of bikes and then Hunter and Hawk pull up in front of the salon.
When I see Hunter, my heart starts to race, and I can feel my cheeks start to bloom with colour. This morning, Hunter woke me up by making sweet love to me. It still amazes me how such a dangerous man can be so gentle and caring. He goes out of his way to make me feel cared for, to make me feel safe, to know that I’m his, but not in a controlling and violent way like Jason did, but in a caring and understanding way.
I know that Hunter can be forceful if needed, that he can be violent. After all, it’s in their DNA, but I also know that he won’t be that way with me. With everything that happened to me before, I should be wary, especially when surrounded by dangerous men like I am, but the more time I spend around them, the more assurance I have that these men will not hesitate to hurt someone, but that someone will not be me or anyone who isn’t dangerous.
“Damn, these men are fine,” Gloria says as both men make their way towards the salon door. Now that I know what they are, I can see the difference between them and other men. There is no comparison. These men exert an aura of danger. Their virality is animalistic, which has the women unknowingly attracted to them. They wield respect with little effort, as they draw every eye when they’re close.
When Hunter walks through the door, everything around me stills. His eyes travel over my body, which makes goosebumps rise down my back in reaction.
“Well, hello, boys,” Gloria greets.
“Gloria,” Hawk grunts in greeting, and Hunter simply nods at her without taking his eyes off me.
“Everything okay here?” he asks as he approaches.
“All good.” I know that they are staking this place out to make sure that I’m protected; therefore, Hunter knows that there have been no problems. He stops before me and then stretches out his hand to stoke my cheek.
“How are you holding up, babe?” he asks.
“I’m okay. We have been so busy until a few minutes ago that it has kept my mind off other stuff.” I can’t help leaning my cheek into his palm, feeling his warmth soothing my nervousness. When Hunter is near, I feel like everything will be okay. He brings me an internal peace that I didn’t even realize was missing.
“Do you guys know where he is?” Gloria asks as she leans back in her chair.
