“Almost,” Stormy yelled back. “Give us two more minutes.”
Ryder waited patiently outside the door until the girls emerged followed by a cloud of hairspray and perfume and walked out towards the door. Zander was leaning against the kitchen island texting on his phone when he heard the girls’ heels clicking on the concrete floors. He looked up, then back down on his phone. Within a half second he looked up again and stared at Brooklyn.
Brooklyn, in true Brooklyn fashion, completely snubbed him and pretended not to care that he was checking her out. Stormy couldn’t wipe the smirk on her face off fast enough. She had a feeling she was going to win the bet that night with Ryder.
“Brooklyn,” Ryder said. “This is Zander. Zander this is Brooklyn.”
Zander seemed mesmerized by Brooklyn’s long, slender physique and platinum blonde hair. Her lips were slicked with glossy red lip gloss and her long eyelashes were full and curled. She wore a slinky black dress and nude pumps and looked like she stepped of the pages of a tabloid magazine. Brooklyn was LA, whether or not she’d ever admit it.
“Shall we go?” Ryder said, interrupting the silence.
The three of them followed Ryder down the hall, towards the elevator, and down to the parking garage where the bikes were waiting. Stormy climbed on behind Ryder, and Brooklyn reluctantly climbed on behind Zander. They held on tight as the men rode across town to the Crow’s Nest, their bar of choice.
They walked into the bar and all eyes were on them. They found a corner booth and Zander took a seat directly across from Brooklyn. She rolled her eyes at Stormy every time she caught Zander stealing a glance at her.
“I’ve never seen Zander this quiet before,” Ryder said to Stormy as they walked to the bar to order drinks.
“I think that means you’re losing our little wager,” Stormy said back.
They came back carrying four beers. The moment the drinks were on the table, everyone got busy sipping and slurping away, and the conversation picked up a little.
“Excuse me ma’am,” a server said to Brooklyn as he checked on the table. “I’m supposed to ask if you are on a date this evening.”
Brooklyn flashed her mega-watt, blindingly white smile. “Why, no, I’m not.”
He sat down a pink, fruity looking drink in front of her.
“This is from that gentleman at the bar,” he nodded towards the bar on the other side of the room where a balding, middle-aged guy who was dressed in tight rock star jeans and a logoed t-shirt, like something a cheesy high school kid would wear, waved and winked at her. He looked grossly out of place at that biker bar, and was more than likely not a local.
Never one to turn down a free drink, especially when they were fifteen bucks a pop, Brooklyn winked and smiled back and mouthed “thank you”.
She raised the glass to her lips when all of a sudden Zander reached out and grabbed it away from her.
“What was that all about?!” she exclaimed. “What are you doing?”
“You don’t know that guy,” he said. “Have you ever heard of roofies?”
“Yes, I’ve heard of roofies,” Brooklyn snorted. She grabbed the glass back from him and went to take a sip again, and again he reached for it and jerked it away from her.
“Trust me,” he said. “You’re better off not drinking it. If you want another drink, I’ll buy it for you. What do you want?”
“You don’t have to buy me a drink,” she huffed.
Stormy and Ryder watched in awe at their interaction. They were both bullheaded, and it was cheap entertainment.
Zander said nothing and got up from the table to go to the bar. They all watched as he said something to the balding, middle aged man who raised his hands up as if to apologize. Zander came back with a fresh, new fruity pink drink and sat it in front of her.
“Freaking dumb ass girls,” he said to Ryder as he rolled his eyes and then turned back to Brooklyn. “You’ll thank me someday.”
Brooklyn looked at Zander in a whole different light after that.
“Thanks,” she said as she took a slow sip of her drink. “So, Zander, how long have you been living with Ryder?”
“I don’t keep track,” he said with a shrug. “A long time.”
“About eight years,” Ryder responded.
Brooklyn nonchalantly scooted her chair a little closer to Zander and leaned into him. “Stormy told me you’re the secretary of the Hellfire club?”
“Yeah,” he replied.
“Best damn secretary a club could want,” Ryder responded. “My right hand man.”
Stormy nudged Ryder. “Let him speak for himself. How will they ever get to know each other with Chatty Cathy over here?”