Tease: A Kings of Korruption MC Novel (20 page)

“It’s Charlotte,” she giggles.

“Oh!
 
Hi, Charlotte!
 
Nice to see you again!”
 
I gesture to our table.
 
“Please.
 
Have a seat.”

“Oh.
 
I can’t.
 
I do have to get to work.
 
I was just surprised to see Tease here, and well … I’m kind of nosey.”
 
I can hear the smile in her voice and decide instantly that I like this woman.
 
“But hey, I would love to hang out with you sometime.”

“That would be great.”
 
A smile crawls across my face.
 
I haven’t had a girlfriend since my accident.
 
And never one as nice as Charlotte seems to be.

“Fuck me,” Travis mutters again.

Charlotte ignores him.
 
“I’ll talk to Ryker.
 
Him and Tease can figure something out!”

“Fuck that.”

“Travis!”
 
Honestly.
 
Sometimes he can be the rudest man alive.
 
“You do that, honey.
 
I look forward to it.”

“Great!
 
I gotta go.
 
Talk to you later, Laynie.”
 
I can hear her footsteps moving away slowly.
 
“Bye, Tease.”

“Bye, Charlotte,” I call out.
 
Travis says nothing.

I narrow my eyes in his direction and declare, “I want to go.”

“Jesus.”

Smiling, I finish what’s left of my coffee.
 
This is going to be fun.

I’M IN THE GARAGE at the clubhouse with Jase and Mouse working on my bike, when Ryker walks in.
 
One look at him, and I fucking know what he’s here to say.

“Hear you saw Charlie yesterday.”
 
I glare at him and turn back to the bike.
 
“She wants to go on a double date.”

I whip my head in his direction.
 
“Not fuckin’ happenin’.”

He grins.
 
“She said you’d say that.”
 
Jase and Mouse stop their work and are watching the two of us like we’re in a goddamned tennis match.
 
“What’s the big deal, man?
 
Let’s just take ‘em out, get ‘em loaded, then go home and fuck the shit out of ‘em.”

I hesitate, thinking that actually doesn’t sound too bad.
 
“Where?”

“We could go to the Hard Rock Café.”

“Fuck no.”
 
I hate places like that.

“OK …”
 
Ryker crosses his arms and leans against the grease-covered tool bench.
 
“Where do
you
want to go?”

“Nowhere.”
 
I know I’m being an ass, but I don’t go on fucking dates.
 
And I certainly don’t go on
double
fucking dates.

Jase laughs, the sound echoing throughout the large garage.
 
“You’re not gonna get this son-of-a-bitch to go anywhere.”

Ryker chuckles and steps away from the bench.
 
“Come on, Tease.
 
It won’t be so bad.”

Narrowing my eyes, I turn back to the bike once more.
 
“Why don’t we all go?” Mouse asks.
 
Grabbing a small set of pliers, I whip them in his direction.
 
They soar past his head as he ducks, hand going up in the air.
 
“Seriously.
 
I can bring Sarah.”

Jase chokes out a laugh.
 
“Who the fuck is Sarah?”

Mouse straightens, shoulders square and jaw tight.
 
“Sarah is my old lady.
 
She’s carrying my baby.”
 
He looks more serious than I’ve ever seen him look when he stares each one of us in the eye.
 
“I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

Jase’s eyebrows are raised in surprise.
 
“Fuck, Mouse.
 
That’s awesome.
 
Congratulations, buddy.”

Mouse nods.
 
“Thank you.”

“It’s settled then.
 
Tomorrow night.
 
Everybody’s going.”
 
I stare at Ryker, eyes wide at his declaration.
 
“We’ll just move the party from the clubhouse to the bar.
 
It’ll be fun.”
 
He smirks, walking out of the garage.

Watching him go, I feel anxiety creeping into my mind.
 
A date means she’s going to expect romance and shit.
 
I don’t know how to be fucking romantic.
 
This is bullshit.
 
If it were anyone else but Ryker, I’d tell them to go fuck themselves, but I owe Ryker my life.

Over a year ago, back when he’d found me in that bar, I was angrier than I am now.
 
My life had been hard and there was no sign of it ever getting any better.
 
When I turned eighteen, I was released from juvie on probation and sent off into the world with no family and no support.
 
I spent the next eight years doing any job I could get my hands on just to keep myself fed.
 
I worked in a grocery store, and a farm, security at a mall, and fought in every underground fight I could get in on.
 
Most of my money came from bouncing, though.

Being a bouncer at a bar when you’re not social fucking sucks.
 
Everyone either wants to be your new best friend or wants to fucking fight you.
 
I was tired of that job, tired of living that life – of not belonging anywhere.
 
When Ryker told me about the Kings, it gave me something I hadn’t experienced in a long fucking time.
 
Hope
.
 
Hope for a future.
 
Hope for a family.
 
Hope for finally finding where I was supposed to be.

Now, watching his back as he stalks across the parking lot, I lose that hope.
 
He knows I hate this shit.
 
That motherfucker is selling me out for pussy.

Jase and Mouse laugh again.
 
“Fuck, Tease.
 
It’s not the end of the fucking world.”
 
Jase wipes the tears that are streaming down his face.
 
“Your girl is fuckin’ hot!
 
Show her off!”
 
He makes an attempt to look serious.
 
“It’ll be fun!
 
I won’t be bringing anyone, but I’ll be there.”

Mouse cocks his head to the side.
 
“Why won’t you bring someone?”

Jase wags his eyebrows.
 
“Keepin’ my options open.”

Smiling, Mouse shakes his head.
 
“Well, Sarah and I will be there.
 
I’ve been wanting to introduce her to everyone anyways.”
 
Outnumbered and annoyed, I pick up a wrench and start working on putting a new part on the motor.
 
Not knowing when to shut the fuck up, Mouse keeps talking.
 
“I’m glad you worked shit out with Laynie.”
 
Jesus
.
 
The man is asking for a fist in the face.
 
“I think she’s good for you.”

Standing from my crouch on the floor, I stalk over to Mouse, gathering his t-shirt in my fist as I pull him off his feet.
 
“You gonna put your fuckin’ pussy away and come fix this bike or what?”

Eyes wide, he nods.

“Good.”
 
I drop him, walking back to the bike, the sound of Jase’s laughter rings through the garage.
 
Bastard.

My pulse is racing as we walk up to the entrance to The Pig’s Ear.
 
I’ve never been to a bar before, but I’ve been looking forward to tonight all week.
 
Stopping, I ask Travis for the third time, “How do I look?”

He growls and comes to a stop, pulling my body into his.
 
“For the third fuckin’ time, you look sexy as hell.
 
Relax.”

I smile widely, bouncing on the tips of my toes.
 
“I can’t!
 
I’m excited!”

“Fuckin’ nut,” he mutters as he brushes his lips against mine.
 
He sighs.
 
“Let’s do this.”

Grinning, I follow Travis, our hands clasped tightly together as we walk into the bar.
 
It’s a little nerve-wracking being out in public without Dexter, but I can tell that it means a lot to Travis that I trust him to guide me.
 
Dexter deserves the night off anyway.

The noise of the people and the music hits me as soon as the door opens.
 
The place is packed.
 
Together, we maneuver through the crowd.
 
The combined smells of alcohol and perfume make my nose twitch.

“Laynie!
 
Tease!
 
Over here!”
 
Charlotte.
 
My heart warms, hearing her sound just as excited as I feel.

Travis slows and places my hand on the back of a tall chair, a clear indication for me to sit.
 
I climb up on the stool and smooth down my short skirt just as a pair of arms wrap themselves around me.