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This is the first Friday the saloon will be open since my dad’s death. We had the wake there, but I didn’t stay. I had to go for a ride, and I found myself in the one place I shouldn’t have gone.
Our place.
The place where Thad first kissed me. The place we made out at. Where we did it in our cars after our first time when he took my virginity at the hotel where his prom was held. So many memories I have of that small pull-off on Ballaine Road. As I was driving up, I noticed a large Dodge pickup pulling out. I’m glad they left before I got there, I didn’t need anyone observing my breakdown. I cried for my dad and for the loss of Thad too. What could have been if Thad didn’t break my heart.
After I dry off, I step into my large closet and start grabbing clothes. I’m not riding, so I can wear heels and lighter leather. I’m glad I have my cut in the heavy leather and a second in the softer leather for nights like this. I slip the black thong up my legs and then my skintight leather pants with lace cutouts. The red bustier is next. I don’t need a bra since my top has built-in cups and cinches tightly, keeping my full B cup breasts in place. I was a small A cup before I had Sky. I lean over to pull the girls up so they show a perfect amount of cleavage. Standing in front of my full-length mirror, I take myself in. I need to finish my hair and makeup, but I’m looking pretty fuckable in the red and black look. I love that the bustier has an overlay of black lace and black ribbons and allows just the right amount of skin to show.
Okay, so I’m going to see if I can get a good wall fuck tonight out of this outfit. I don’t care if he finds out. He made his choices a long time ago.
I step back into the bathroom. Since moving here, I met a new hairdresser and changed my look. I cut off all my long hair for a short, funky style. Because my face is wider at the cheeks and forehead, I have to be careful how I style my hair so it doesn’t look fuller. My new hairdresser talked me into a shaggy bob. I also have long sideswept bangs. I style it the way she showed me, completely in love with the style. It fits my cut from the past. Stepping forward into my future without all the baggage of my youth. I darken my eyes with thick liner and give myself the perfect cupid’s bow red lips.
“Hey, Riddler, you in here?” I hear River’s voice and look at her in the mirror. “Damn, girl, you trying to get fucked tonight?” She moves next to me, and I take in her outfit.
“Look who’s talking.” I wave my hand at her outfit. She’s dressed like me but in all black. Because she’s taller than me by several inches, her heels bring her height up to over six feet. Her facial piercings sparkle in the light. “Going to forget your past too?” She and I have no secrets from each other.
“No comment. But damn, girl, I love the red.” She moves out to the bedroom. “You should see this.” I join her and look out my bedroom window to the parking lot below us. The saloon just opened, and it’s already packed with a line.
“Shit, we are going to be busy tonight.”
“No, you hired Stormy as your manager for a reason. She can handle this. You are going to go to the office and then out to listen to the music. Got it?” She points at me.
It’s true. I hired Stormy, Thad’s sister, as my manager because the other one didn’t want to continue after my father’s murder. Stormy is perfect. She’s hired several new girls that will fit our new aesthetic of borderline biker bar-girls’ night out club. Keys set up new security cameras and a better system of checking and verifying IDs. Ginger worked with the bouncers, teaching them better techniques.
The last two weeks have been busy. I can’t believe we’ve gotten this much accomplished in such a short time.
I grab my boots and move out of the room, my nerves already climbing. I need a shot and some food. In my large kitchen with industrial appliances, I grab a sandwich my mom dropped off for me earlier when she picked up Sky. I take a big bite of it as I hear the clink of glasses. River knew what I needed.
River and I have been best friends since elementary school. Not many friends make it that long, but she and I have. We’ve never doubted that we would be here together when we were teenagers. We never fought over a boy. Well, not because we wanted to date the same one. We fought over her going after Thad when he broke my heart. Then we fought over the man who broke her heart. But she was there with me when I delivered Skyler. I secretly flew back up here to be with her when her parents died. She flew back with me afterward, and we’ve been together ever since. Some idiots thought we were a couple a few times, but that was just us playing around with them and how close we are.
I grab the rocks glass with two fingers of JD in it and take a big gulp.
“How’d you know?” I laugh at her.
“I can practically see your body trembling. We got this.”
“Hey, Prez,” is hollered from the stairwell. All the girls have the ability to come up here. Each has their thumbprint set in the system for all the locations. The only places without unilateral access is my office in the clubhouse and each of our rooms there.
“Hey, Ginger, Frenchie, and Keys.” They move up the stairs, each dressed in leather and in their styles. Keys is always low-key in leather with low heel boots and a black band T-shirt. Ginger is in black jeans with no heel boots and a tight half shirt. Frenchie is in a bustier similar to mine and River’s; she’s always followed our style. More tumblers hit the countertop and more bourbon is poured. I smile when I see my aunt stepping from behind them. She’s in a sexy tank top and leather pants. What can I say, we like our leather. Each of them has their cuts on, and I slip mine on before I hold up my glass. They each take one and hold it up.
“I want to thank each of you for taking a chance on me and being willing to move somewhere you’ve never been before. Well, most of you.” I tip my glass to my aunt. She’d come to Alaska before but only for visits. “Thank you for helping make tonight a success and helping me with my family.” I lift my glass, ready to take the shot.
“Before we do that, I have a toast,” my aunt says and holds her glass as she takes me in. “We are not only club members but family. We go where you go. We’ll fight whoever we need to for you. Let’s do this.”
They all say, “Hear! Hear!” And we take the shots.
After I get my boots on, we all head downstairs. I make sure both the doors to the apartment access and the shop are secured before we leave. We don’t know if the person who shot my father is coming back, so we have to protect ourselves and our businesses. We move toward the fence line that separates the shop and clubhouse from the other businesses. As we walk through the gate, I tip my head at the girl manning this entrance for the night. We just prospected her into the club.
The parking lot is completely full and spilling into the diner’s lot. We enter the saloon from the side entrance and head down the hallway to my office. Jinx and I stay there while the rest of the girls make their way to the main floor. I flip on all the monitors and watch the flow. The door staff, bartenders, and waitstaff are working hard. Stormy is at the bar, leading and helping where needed. The kitchen is bustling with food going out and empty plates coming back.
“Are you ready for tomorrow night?” Jinx says from her chair across from my desk.
“Yeah, I’m more ready for that than I am tonight. We’ll have church in the morning to go over a plan.”
“Stormy wants to prospect; she has a friend that wants too also.”
“We can talk about that tomorrow.”
I watch the monitors, not ready to go out there and be around everyone else. It’s something I’ve come to understand about myself. I don’t like to be in crowds. It gives me anxiety. I know where it all stems from.
