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Top ran his fingers through his curly hair and decided it was time for a trim. It wasn’t what he would consider too long yet, but it was getting pretty damn close. At his age, he should probably just cut it off.
It was a couple months past his forty-second birthday, and the curls probably made him look like an older man trying to look younger. Making a mental note to ask one of the UP chapter members of the Howlers MC where he could get a cut the next day, Top followed his club brothers into the local club.
He and the five brothers and one prospect with him were members of the original Howlers MC, out of Warden’s Pass, Michigan. They were in the upper peninsula to patch over the former UpRiders MC and to help them grow their numbers while also teaching them the ways of the Howlers. There would be no drug running or arms deals. They didn’t deal in flesh, not the nonconsensual kind. The mission of the Howlers was to help those who were not in a position to help themselves, and they took that shit seriously. If this club wanted to wear the Howlers colors, they needed to as well.
From what he had seen from the last month of being in the UP, the new president and vice president were good people and had things under control. He and his chapter would still keep their eyes on the new chapter, though.
The night wasn’t about that, though. No, the night was about Arbor’s upcoming nuptials. It wasn’t really a bachelor party, but you could call it that. Fun was the matter at hand.
The small town they were in didn’t have a strip club, but the UP chapter owned a bar that had burlesque performers. In Top’s mind, that shit was sexier. He liked the mystique of burlesque. The mystery of what they were teasing you with got your mind working, bringing your imagination into the game. To turn him on now that he’d matured, he needed more than a hot body. He needed to be stimulated mentally long before his cock was really in it.
Sure, he could occasionally just hook up, but it never left him satisfied. In those moments, his ex-wife, who was also one of his closest friends, was always down to help each other scratch an itch. Even then, they had a bond and understood each other, so he still got the mental stimulation.
Top wasn’t going into the club with the intention of getting laid, but he wouldn’t turn it down, either. He was a single man, and he was long past due for a night of fun.
As they entered the club, Top leaned close to Emerson, their prospect, and said, “Are you sure this won’t be too much temptation for you?”
Emerson scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I’m not out of control.”
“No, not now, but you were. And I don’t want to see you head back down that fucking road. I can order you to watch the damn bikes if you can’t promise me that this won’t be too much for you.”
Glaring, Emerson replied, “Don’t worry, Top. Your promise to my dead wife won’t be broken. You’ve done your duty. I won’t fucking drink.” Then, the widower stomped to the VIP section on the side of the dance floor and plopped down on the end of one of the couches.
Taking a deep breath and reminding himself that beating sense into Emerson was not the way to go, Top went to the VIP section and sat on the couch opposite the prospect who was asking for an attitude adjustment.
Top tried to be understanding. Emerson had watched his new wife get blown up right in front of his eyes and was unable to stop it from happening. Witnessing something like that was bound to change a person. He deserved some time to be an asshole if that was how he got through each day, but it wasn’t the easiest of things to deal with. Having made a promise to watch out for him, Top felt a responsibility for the young wolf shifter and wouldn’t cut him loose, no matter how hard Emerson was pushing for it.
When the waitress came by in her sequin-covered outfit and feathered and pearled headdress, Top ordered a tall whiskey and gave her a large tip to keep them coming. He’d walk back to the compound if he had to, but he needed to get loose.
She returned a few minutes later with his drink. Thanking her, he took the glass and downed half of it, ignoring the way that Skull was looking at him. Their vice president was picking up on his mood, and Top was sure he was going to get a talking to soon.
As the lights dimmed in the general area of the club and the stage lights came on, the music began to play, and a voluptuous woman sashayed onto the stage from the side. In the middle of the stage, she turned her back to the crowd and Top almost swallowed his tongue. From the red-bottomed black stilettos on her feet, his gaze followed the line up the back of her black stockings to the lace garters around her thighs. He wanted to nibble on the supple flesh just above the garters on the inside of her thighs, before he worked his way up to those silk panties.
The woman was fucking gorgeous in her black leather and lace bustier, with that red feather boa wrapped around her, covering the cleavage he suspected was behind it.Fuck, he wanted to storm onto that stage and–
She turned around and gave the crowd a saucy smile. Her lips were a dark red to match the boa, and her hair was silver and pulled back into a tight bun that he desperately wanted to undo. The choker around her neck was black velvet, and it brought to mind all of the things he would like to do to that column of soft skin while he made her feel better than she ever had before.
Yes, Top was attracted to her, but when she scanned the crowd with her gaze and it landed on him, his wolf stood up and took notice.
Mine.
When her blue-gray eyes locked with his, the breath whooshed out him, and every muscle in his body tightened. The beauty on the stage was his mate.
