I’m sure the look on my face was as if I had just seen a ghost. I could actually feel my skin pale at the thought of those women there hanging all over Luke as if he was a prized possession, which he was, but he was mine.
“They’re not for me, babe. They are for the guys from out of town and the ones who don’t have ol’ ladies,” Luke said, one of his eyebrows raised in amusement. I still had not said anything to him. Hell, what was there to say? They were going to be there whether I liked it or not. I would just have to deal with it.
“That’s fine. I can be cordial,” I said, trying to convince myself as well as him. I turned back to my kitchen duties, trying to do anything to keep the thought of them women off my mind.
“Cordial?” Luke asked. I could hear the laughter in his voice as he said it, but I refused to look at him.
“Yes, cordial. I can be nice to anyone, as long as they keep their hands and eyes off of you.” The dishes I scrubbed just a little too hard and the cabinets I slammed did not deserve the mistreatment I was showing them, but the frustration seemed to subside each time I did it.
“Babe,” Luke said, coming up behind me. “I really need you to keep your attitude in check today. Don’t embarrass me in front of my club.” Luke’s voice was gentle, but his eyes let me know that he was serious. My heart seemed to stop at the thought of him being embarrassed by me.
“I would never embarrass you,” I said, my voice shaky and barely audible. How could he ever think that?
“I meant, by defying me, darlin’. Refusing to do as I ask. I can’t stress to you how much I need you to not ask any questions and just do as you’re told. A lot of women will be there today. All of them will respect you and look to you for guidance. You are with me and that says a lot.” I nodded my head in agreement. My heart was still bruised, but I would prove to Luke that I was here for him, and that I could do this.
“Go get dressed. I need to make some calls.” Luke bent his head and his lips hesitated right above mine. I pursed my lips and stretched, closing the few inches that were between us. The kiss was chaste and soft, but any kiss from Luke left me swaying. It took me a minute, but I got my shit together and sucked in a deep breath. “This is what you want,” I chanted to myself. I knew that not all parts of the club life would be enjoyable, but I didn’t think I would be faced with them this soon. I was nervous that this would be too much for me to handle.
My cell phone rang and I dashed to the bedroom to get it and found the screen flashing “Red Calling.”
“Hello,” I said breathlessly into the phone. Damn, I was out of shape.
“You fucking?” Red asked, and I couldn’t help but smile at her crass statement.
“Red, I’m freaking a little.” What the fuck? Really, Dallas? My diarrhea of the mouth was making me look like a real pansy. Oddly, she knew what I was talking about without me having to tell her.
“Don’t freak. I know what you’re thinking and don’t. Those bitches are actually kinda cool and I promise none of them will fuck with Luke.”
I shook my head at her weird ability to know what I was talking about. “How can I be nice to people like that? I mean, don’t they have any self-worth?” I asked, not sure why I was being such a bitch, but I had to know.
“These girls are here to keep the club happy. Don’t degrade them or put them down in any way just because they don’t live up to your standards,” Red said, clearly pissed off.
“Red I-“
“No, I know what you mean. Some of these girls were not handed a life on a silver platter like you were. They have dads that they’ve never met and moms they visit every other weekend through a glass box, or visit on a street corner. They have found that they can use their bodies to make a life much better than the one they were given, so before you start judging people from your high fucking pedestal, maybe you should take a walk in their shoes.” Red was super pissed. I tried to tell myself that I didn’t really mean it like that, but I did.
I came from a privileged back ground, and often wondered why people were the way they were. My assumptions were that everyone had the same opportunities as I had growing up, but Red had a way of bringing you back down to size.
“And when we get there, these women are going to practically worship you, because to them, you are some-fucking-body. I don’t give a shit if you have a property patch on or not, these women will respect you because you are with LLC. So, when we get there, you better have your shit in check, because if not, I will gladly take an ass chewing from the guys for beating your ass.” I tried to respond in time to tell her I was sorry, but she had already disconnected.