I’m worried about getting to know everyone. Marcus never allowed me to socialize. We threw tons of parties and went to even more, but I was always glued to his side. I met a lot of people, but I was never friends with any of them. The few times a person would try to do more than give me a polite greeting, Marcus would monopolize the conversation in a way that let them know I was not to be spoken to.
He walks to me and pulls me into his arms. “The Old Ladies ain’t gonna give a shit if you order pizza. They’ll see the ink on your arm, and they’ll know your one of them.”
After he says this, his fingers run over his name that is now proudly displayed on my right bicep. He took me to get it two days after he moved me into his house. I have to admit, I wasn’t too hip on the idea. I’m happy with Bowie, but I’m not sure how long it’s going to last. I can’t see a man like him spending his life tied to one woman. I know there will probably come a time that he has had his fill of me, and I will be stuck wearing a permanent reminder of him. Still, I got it remembering the words that Cash spoke that day at the club. I would rather have Bowie’s name tattooed on my forehead than be anywhere near that man.
“Well, they may be okay with pizza, but I’m not. I like to cook, and I haven’t had much of a chance to do it.” Mom taught me to cook when I was just a little girl. By her side, I learned how to make everything from lasagna to banana cream pie. When I married Marcus, I wasn’t allowed anywhere near the kitchen. The majority of our meals were eaten at swanky restaurants, and the rest were prepared by his live-in cook.
He pulls me impossibly closer, plastering my front to his. “Do what you want, baby.”
With that, he leans down and places a soft kiss on my lips. It grows heated in seconds, but is cut short by the sound of a knock at the front door. Pulling back, he shoots me a wink. “Okay, babe. It’s time to meet the boys.”
****
“This is amazing.” Lila says as she dips another chip into my homemade artichoke dip, proving that Bowie was wrong. The Old Ladies did care about the food.
I smile at her. “Thank you.”
I can already tell that Lila and I are going to be friends. She is sweet as can be and has a wicked sense of humor. She is nothing like I thought a biker’s woman would be. She is pretty, in a natural sort of way. She dresses conservatively, showing as little skin as possible. Her bright red hair is pulled into a messy ponytail and her face is makeup free. She is also rounded with her and Red’s third child that is due any day. They have been together since high school, and they already have two little girls, and are hoping this one is a boy. She told me earlier that it didn’t matter if it was another girl. Either way, this was their last baby.
“I can’t believe he claimed an Old Lady. I thought for sure he was gonna spend the rest of his life fuckin’ club whores.” This comes from a very pretty but very tactless lady named Stacy.
She is married, or claimed as she puts it, to a large man named Rusty. He introduced her to me by saying, this one’s mine and walking away. She is everything I thought a biker’s woman would be. Beautiful, but in a trashy way. Low cut blouse, short skirt, dangerously long red nails, and heels I’m sure every stripper in the state would die for.
“Shut it, you’re a big mouth.” Melissa, another Old Lady says. She’s the oldest of the group, married to a man named Topper, and I can already tell she likes to play mom. She looks at me and shakes her head. “Ignore Stacy. She doesn’t think before she speaks.”
“It’s true though.” Stacy says defending herself. “Bowie is a dog. He’s always knee deep in pussy.”
Melissa’s eyes narrow in on her and all the sweet I saw before disappears. “Shut up.”
Oddly, Stacy does exactly what she says and goes back to munching on one of the mini-cheesecakes. Yep, Melissa is the mom and Stacy knows better than to piss her off.
“How did you and Bowie meet?” Lila asks, still munching away.
I’m not sure how much of my story these girls know, so I go as vague as possible with my answer. “He was in the military with my brother.”
Stacy raises her overly sculpted brow. “That’s all? Nothing hot? I figured he probably saw you somewhere and took you off to fuck.”
“I told you to shut up.” Melissa hisses at her, before turning to me. “So your brother introduced you two?”
I nod, even though it’s not exactly true. We met because of him, but he didn’t introduce us. “Yeah, he did.”
Lila wiggles in her seat, excitement coming off her is waves. “I know I shouldn’t ask, but I’ve gotta know. What’s Bowie like.”