"You can't fight him. You're a prospect and likely to stay one for quite a while," Clive said. "However, after Marly has been made a member, you can fight Sarge here, and if you win, then you can have membership. If you lose then you're out of this club for good. Now maybe you'll shut up when I'm talking."
Digby shut up and in fact looked a little green around the gills. Trent didn't have a problem fighting the man. Hell, he longed for the opportunity to scrag someone and Digby would do just fine as an appetizer. He felt Marly smother a chuckle beside him, and his tension eased that his mate could find something amusing in what was a tense situation.
"One last thing, before we get the fights underway. I already know Marly will win," Clive said. "He's proved his worth and I am going through this farce of a formality because it's club rules and because you all need to see that a gay man isn't weak. But I promise you this. When Marly is a member, he will be treated with the same fucking respect I expect out of all of you. And while we're on the subject of respect, all random bashings, of gays, blacks or anyone else you don't like, will stop immediately."
Clive looked around as if to gage the emotion in the room and Trent did the same. Most of the men, and the few women present, were quiet and they showed no animosity on their faces.
"This club," Clive said in a quieter tone. "It's been my fucking life for more than twenty years, and I've been President for ten of those years. I've let things slide, but no more. Our deals are getting bigger, our security jobs more frequent and the money we make is increasing all the time. I am not going to allow the shit opinions of a few haters to bring the law down on this club, or cause a rift in this town. We've got things real good here. And I promise each and every one of you that if any of you goes against what I have said here this evening then I will beat you out of this club myself. Is that clear?"
A muted chorus of "yes Boss," waved around the room and while Clive didn't look satisfied, Trent could see that they would both have to accept the situation the way it was for now.
"Right then," Clive said, with a smile this time. "Now it's time for Marly to fight for club membership. Marly can you step forward and point out the men you have already fought with and bested? No point in doing them twice and their total will go towards your membership even though it wasn't a sanctioned fight."
Trent could see what Clive was doing. The way things were looking, Marly wouldn't have to fight at all because of the attack on him in the alley. Marly stepped forward and pointed out Bob, Digby, another prospect Thompson, Morgan and Jones who both still had casts on their legs, and three others, one of whom was a prospect as well.
"Awesome, so you've already beaten five members, and three prospects. So under club rules you only have to get the better of one other member, and you're in." Clive seemed happy and Trent felt a bit easier. He figured he could keep his wolf under control long enough for Marly to fight one other person, no matter who it was in the club.
"Er, actually Boss, Pretty Boy here has already done that too," Saul spoke up from the edge of the room. "Me and Levi had a quick rumble with him before we came here. I'll vouch he bested me. I couldn't lay a hand on him till Levi grabbed him from behind and even then he got out of it, and put both of us down."
Clive looked at Trent. "You let Saul and Levi have a go at your partner?"
"It was more of a getting to know you type of spat," Marly said. "Nothing serious so if you still need me to fight someone, then I would pick … " he broke off and searched the room and then grinned. "I'd pick my mate Bob. He went down like a pussy last time. I'm sure he could do better in front of his club mates."
"What about it Bob," Clive yelled out. "Want another go at Pretty Boy?"
"Na, I'm good," Bob said rubbing his jaw. "Don't got nothing to prove to him."
Clive shrugged then smiled at Marly. "It's official then. Consider yourself a member of the Epitaph's."
‘That's it?" Marly said, his big blue eyes tracking Clive and Trent. Trent felt all of the tension leave his body. He didn't have to leave the club. Marly didn't have to fight. Most of the club members seemed okay with the situation for now, although whether that stayed the same when they'd had a few drinks remained to be seen. Marly even seemed to have picked up his own nickname.
"That's it," Trent said, grinning for the first time since he walked into the clubrooms.
"Great," and Marly smiled back. "So can I get a drink? All this standing around chatting makes me parched."
Still sporting a stupid grin on his face, Trent led Marly over to the bar, getting them both a beer. Marly wrinkled his cute little nose as he took his first sniff of the beer and Trent remembered his man was more of a cocktails type of drinker.
"No frou-frou stuff here," he muttered quietly.
"No, just dog's piss. Lord, the things I do for you," Marly snapped back just loud enough for Trent to hear.
Chapter Twenty
A month later
Marly forced a smile on his face when Cat walked into Cody's Corner at the end of his shift. He was feeling edgy, moody and he knew there was something wrong in his mating with Trent but he couldn't put his finger on it. Trent had been as attentive as ever, even though they didn't get to go on their trip together. Trent was too busy with the Epitaphs. They had started running together in wolf form once a week, something Marly adored. Trent's huge black wolf form was gorgeous, and surprisingly playful and Marly came to love their time together in that way. Trent even took him on the rides that the Epitaph's went on every so often. He still cooked, they shared chores and the sex was wickedly hot.
One of the biggest problems, that Marly could see, was that Trent never wanted to go anywhere else with him. Sure, Trent invited him to the Epitaph's nearly all the time, especially when he was working late. Marly never felt one hundred percent comfortable there, but he was accepted by most of the men, and all of the women, and the few slurs he did hear, he just ignored.
But when Marly invited him to go to lunch, or dinner, or if he suggested that they go to a nightclub or bar, Trent always had an excuse. He was tired, he was busy, or he just started kissing Marly like his life depended on it, and Marly forgot what he was trying to ask. Marly thought that Trent had gotten over his whole not keen on being an out gay man issue, especially after what happened at the Epitaphs. However, further thinking had Marly realizing that while Trent was friendly with him at the MC, he was never affectionate and apart from when Marly was on the back of the bike, Trent never touched him outside of the apartment.
Marly could live with the club situation. The Epitaphs were a bunch of basically straight, hard men, who lived by a certain code and who probably only tolerated Marly, because Trent was too big to fight. One growl from his mate, when someone made an inappropriate comment, and most of the club members backed off. So no, Marly wasn't unreasonable enough to think Trent would express affection there. But fuck it all, there were other places. His wretched mate hadn't even taken him on a date.
"Marly sweetheart, you are not your usual happy self. Trouble in paradise?" Cat crooned as he and Marly hugged and shared air kisses. Marly raised a flat palm and wiggled it. He didn't want to talk about his problems at work.
"So what's the plan? Is your hunk joining us tonight?"
"I wouldn't think so," Marly said as he closed down the till and the two men headed to the door. "I haven't told him I'm going out yet."
"Oh, it's not like you to be so naughty." Cat grinned. "Are you going to tell him?"
"Of course," Marly smiled back as he held up his phone. "That's what these were invented for." Tapping quickly he showed the text message to Cat.
Felt like being my true self for a change. Heading out for dinner and then a club with friends. See you at home. Later.
Cat raised an eyebrow. "Home? You two live together?"
"Yes, my friend, we do," Marly said as he tucked his arm in Cat's and they started walking towards their favorite restaurant.
"Okay," Cat said. "Well you'd better tell me all about it over dinner."
Two hours later the men were feeling no pain. They had a gorgeous dinner, where Marly filled Cat in on his relationship with Trent – well, the human friendly version.