Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 75833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75833 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
“You can have all that public service stuff,” Lexi teased. “I’ll gladly die from bleach fumes in the laundry than deal with all the people.”
“Oh yeah, because we have them beating down the doors to stay here,” Lyric joked.
Everyone was at ease together. Was this what real female friendships were supposed to be? Coming from our background, trust among women was hard to find.
“I wish there was eyeball bleach,” I chimed in.
Lexi laughed, “Hey, I helped you that morning.”
“Don’t be holding out on us,” Trinity added, “spill it? What did you see?”
I shook my head. “It was gross.”
Lexi leaned in, “y’all Mel here goes to clean this room. There isn’t a do not disturb tag. She uses the master key to go in. Calls out ‘housekeeping’ and no reply. She gets in the room. No lie, had the beds stripped, went to the bathroom to get towels and found the man.”
I felt my cheeks flush.
“She embarrass easy?” Tamra asked.
“Who me?” I asked looking at my cousin who was nodding.
Tamra’s face softened. “Not a bad thing, Mel. Just you seem—”
I cut her off, “Embarrassed, no. Guarded?”
She nodded. “It’s like you have to constantly look over your shoulder. You both do it. Whatever you’re runnin’ from it’s okay. You have support here with us. We all got skeletons in our closets.”
“I just don’t have a lot of experience.” I explained feeling like these women might misunderstand my hesitation in friendship. “I went in the bathroom and this man was passed out on the toilet. Naked. Just wearing cowboy boots.”
Lexi beamed, “motherfucker was hung.”
They all laughed and I gasped.
“Relax,” Lyric leaned in and whispered.
I couldn’t manage to do that. In fact, I sat stiff on the edge of the bench while they all chatted around me. Inevitably the conversation turned to the bikers.
“Hacksaw said he wanted to take me out, for real,” Lexi boasted changing the subject and I was grateful. “He’s gonna take me for a ride and to dinner.”
“I bet he’s gonna take you for a ride,” this remark was from Tamara.
“What’s it like?” Lyric asked and I swear I wanted to crawl right under the table. This wasn’t how things went where we were from.
While I had to admit I was curious, it didn’t mean I needed to share this with the others. There wasn’t a man that had come into the hotel to supervise, work security, or do maintenance that wasn’t hot in their own way. The eye candy definitely did not disappoint. I considered it a perk of the job, but I wasn’t about to tell the others.
“Hacksaw?” Lexi asked.
“Yeah or just all of it. Where we are from, men are in charge, sure. But the Kings seem to carry themselves differently.” Lyric explained and she was not wrong.
These men all carried this danger and edge to them that was both alluring and scary.
They all let out a small chuckle. “It’s the best you’ll ever have and the biggest heartbreak if you don’t keep your feelings out of it.”
“What does that mean?” I asked unable to stop the question from tumbling out.
“We’re not ol’ ladies. We aren’t gonna get that title or respect.”
“Well, none of you are old.” Lyric stated the obvious.
Tamra gave her shoulder a squeeze. “You are so sweet. Honey, old lady is a term of endearment. It means you’re claimed.”
“Claimed?”
Trinity beamed, “yeah, you belong to them. Property of a King.”
Instantly this fierceness washed through me. “Nope. I’m not claimed. I’m not owned and I don’t want to be. Why would anyone want to give up their freedom to a man?”
The ladies all laughed.
“Babe, learn this quick. Being tied to the club isn’t a bad thing. They take care of their girls, from the bunnies to the old ladies.”
“Bunny?” Lyric asked.
“You two really were sheltered,” this came from Trinity. “We’re the club bunnies. We hang around and provide the men with the release, companionship, bar tending duties, cleaning, or whatever else may come up. In return we have a safe place to stay, protection if we decide to work the street, and now this job to make legitimate money.”
Quickly, I read between the lines. “You sleep with all of them?”
Tamra nodded, “the ones who are looking for that, yes. Some of them no. Sweeper is one. He’s tied to his old lady, Faye, and does not stray, ever.”
I didn’t know what to think or say.
“They keep us out of the problems we left in our pasts and we don’t get dragged into any new messes.”
“Where we come from, women aren’t protected from anyone,” Lyric explained somberly.
There was a long, thick silence.
“We all come from somewhere,” Lexi shared. “No matter what sits in your past, as long as you do right by the Kings, they’ll do right by you.”
“I can understand that,” I muttered more to myself than anyone.