Riff and Raff nodded and headed to one of the tables on the edge of the room. A couple had been headed to the same table but had veered off when they caught sight of Riff and Raff headed in the same direction. Seeing twins in matching MC cuts could be a bit intimidating. Riff and Raff used it to their advantage most of the time.
Buck handed me a beer and a shot of whiskey.
“We’re already starting this?” I chuckled. I tossed back the shot and chased it with a sip of beer.
“You think all of this sparkle and shine is going to make us act any different?” he growled. Buck reached back to the bar and grabbed a shot for himself. He drank it down and reached for my empty glass. “I already told the bartender to keep the shots coming.”
Of course, he did.
Once everyone had enough drinks, Mercury motioned for us to head to our tables and let other people have a chance at the open bar.
While most people had dressed up, a majority didn’t shy away from us. Three-quarters of the room was just good ol’ blue-collar workers. These were either workers for Mitcham or construction and supply companies that bought from Mitcham Metals.
Riff and Raff had snagged two tables and pushed them together. I sat down with my face to the stage, and Mercury sat down next to Rooster and me on the other side of him.
“You see the Ice Queen?” Rooster asked.
I shook my head and set my beer down. “No, but I figure she’s hanging out by the ice sculpture to keep it cold.”
Mercury chuckled and sat back in his chair. “No doubt.”
Everyone around the ballroom moved to tables and sat down as the dinner service started.
“I hope they give actual servings and not little drips and bites of shit,” Moore grumbled. “I’m fucking hungry.”
“I already got pizza on delivery for eleven.”
Moore glanced at Mercury. “For here?”
Mercury nodded. “Yup. Figure everyone will be too far gone to care.”
“And that is why you are prez.” Moore slapped Mercury on the back and smiled wide. “Fucking genius.”
The waiters started bringing out the food, and of course, the first plate was rabbit food.
Rooster groaned and reached for the boat filled with ranch dressing. “At least I can douse the fucking thing with flavor.” He dumped almost half of the dressing on his salad and used his finger to wipe off the drip on the spout.
I grabbed it from him and had a bit more restraint.
No one was too thrilled with the salad, but it’s did its job of holding off our hunger until the next course came out.
“You think they have like a suggestion box? I think we all need to suggest that next year they should just do a buffet of wings, fries, and chocolate cake.”
North pushed his plate away from him and pointed his fork at Moore. “Now that is a good idea. Hell, they should just ask us to plan this shindig, and you know everyone will be well fed and have a good time.”
The main course arrived next, and the disappointment continued.
I lifted my floppy and pale piece of chicken. “You gotta be kidding me, man. You don’t think they could have added some damn flavor?”
Mercury scoffed and pushed his plate away. “I’m good until the pizza gets here, later.”
Moore reached for the piece of chicken on Mercury’s plate. “You can’t let this go to waste even if it’s like rubber.”
Mercury held up his hands. “Have at it, brother. I know how you are.”
Moore never left anything go to waste. He grew up dirt poor, learned to make the best of everything, and knew that you should eat now because you never know where your next meal was coming from.
Dessert wasn’t much better, though Mercury did at least eat most of that.
“Who serves pudding for dessert at a ritzy party?” Raff complained.
“It’s crème Brulee,” the waiter corrected him.
“Oh man, mines hard as a rock,” Rooster grumbled. He smacked his spoon on the top of the pudding, and it didn’t budge.
I grabbed my spoon and tipped it on its side. “Use the edge.” I smacked the hard sugar on top and cracked it.
“Oh, fancy,” Rooster laughed. “Did you learn that when you visited your rich mom?” he asked.
I flipped him off and scooped some of the dessert. “Don’t be fucking jealous, brother. I can’t help it that my mom managed to land herself a sugar daddy.” My real dad had never been in the picture, and it had been only me and my mom growing up. She did everything she could to give me a good life, and I figured she deserved a little happiness now that she was older. If marrying Brett Jones, who owned the local law firm, was what she wanted, I was fine with it. Sure, it was weird as hell that the guy was in his seventies, and my mom had just turned sixty, but whatever. I wasn’t here to judge. She was happy, so that meant I was happy.
“If only we could all marry rich when we’re sixty,” Riggs laughed. “I might have to call up your mom and see if she has any cougar friends who would be interested in me.”
“Gonna have to make sure they are blind,” Raff laughed.
“Glaucoma,” Riff agreed. “The less they can see of your ugly mug, the better off you are going to be.”
“I really appreciate how supportive all of you guys are. Really warms my heart,” Riggs drawled.
I ate my dessert in three bites and wiped my mouth with my napkin. “I’m gonna hit the head before the Ice Queen takes the stage.”
Mercury nodded. “Grab another round of beers on your way back.”
“Got it.” I wound my way around the tables and out the door to the main hallway.
I turned the corner into the men’s bathroom and walked right into a curvy redhead. “Whoa there,” I called. I wrapped my arms around her and held her to my chest to keep her from hitting the floor.
“Oh, fiddlesticks,” the woman gasped. She grabbed my biceps, and her head fell back. Her emerald, green eyes connected with mine, and she blinked rapidly. “You’re not supposed to be here.”
Her words confused me. “Uh, you mean at the ball?”
She shook her head. “No, I mean here.”
“Uh, walking into the men’s room?” This chick was hot, but maybe she was on something.
She nodded. “Yes.”
“Well, unless you got something going on under that dress that I can’t see, I think you are the one who is not supposed to be here. You just walked out of the men’s restroom, babe.”
“I know that. I just mean you weren’t supposed to be here to see me. No one is.” She sighed and leaned back from me. “The line to the women’s bathroom was long, and there are literally only two stalls.”
“So you hopped into the men’s room where there wasn’t anyone.”
She nodded and smiled. “Now you see why you aren’t supposed to be here.”
“But I am,” I drawled.
“You are,” she whispered. Her eyes moved from mine and down my body. She stopped on the patch on my left. “You’re in a biker gang?” she whispered.
“Club, darling. I’m in a biker club.” I tapped the vice president patch above my name. “Vice president.”
Her eyes drifted over my patches. “Ice.”