I grinned as I stepped from the car and took in the sight in front of me. I admired the perfectly positioned bikes like a line of soldiers standing at attention.
“Let’s go, girl. I need a drink,” Chelsea said, pulling my hand toward the doors that opened onto the patio. One bike, in particular, caught my eye. It had the Brothers by Blood symbol on its tank—two hands reaching toward each other and gripping the opposite hands’ wrist. It was beautifully done, the pinstriping completely unflawed. While all the men were required to get the club symbol and name tattooed on their bodies when they were officially patched in, having the symbol on a man’s bike was reserved for the club presidents only.
I knew this wasn’t Optimus’ bike, so I gathered it belonged to the new Troy chapter president. I tried to slow Chelsea’s determined pull, taking a moment to scan the beautiful beast. I didn’t know much about bikes, the men had attempted to teach us some things, but it just wasn’t my forté. What I did know was that this machine was sexy, smooth, and incredibly beautiful. I could only hope the man reflected his bike.
The main room was entirely void of men except for Caleb, who was standing in his regular position behind the bar. The girls all crowded around, flirting and giggling with him while he filled each of their orders. Caleb was a gorgeous-looking boy. He had a baby face that caused all the girls to melt, and his hair was long and fell around his face sort of like an old-school Justin Bieber style. At only nineteen, he was tall, and his body was already becoming well-defined. All the brothers were expected to keep in shape. The clubhouse had its own gym which included a lot of boxing gear, a ring, a couple of treadmills, and a few other machines that I wouldn’t have a clue how to use. With Leo, a previous underground fighter, as his sponsor, Caleb was being taught by the best of the best, and it was no wonder he was looking so good.
When I had a beer, I took a seat on the edge of the stage. I watched Lucy and a few of her girls practice their moves at the pole. They were sexy and sultry, and their movements were fluid like water.
“Harmony, come have a try,” Kat called with a come-on gesture. Kat wasn’t just a stripper, she was the stripper – X-Rated’s headliner. She was a sweet girl, stripping to get through college and support her two-year-old little boy. Chelsea gave me a little shove, and I sighed, walking around and up the side steps to the stage.
“Are you girls looking to embarrass me?” I groaned.
“I know you know how to do this, Harm. Don’t act all innocent!” Lucy laughed. I shot a glare at her. She and Chelsea were the only ones I’d confided in that I had taken pole dancing lessons during my last year of high school when I thought I was getting a little pudgy. I’d done them for fitness and to lose weight. It was an amazing workout, and it was no wonder the girls from X-Rated all had kick-ass figures.
“You know how to dance?” Kat inquired, her smile slowly growing wider.
I shrugged. “A little, I guess.”
“Throw on ‘Every Breath You Take’ by Chase Holfelder,” Lucy called to one of the girls who was controlling the iPod plugged into the stereo. I kicked off my heels. I’d never done this in anything other than flats, and I wasn’t willing to risk a broken ankle tonight.
The music started. It was one of my favorite songs, but a dark and haunting version of it. My body felt the slow beat, and my hips began to sway as I gripped the pole with both hands. I held on tightly as I twirled around it, my feet not yet leaving the floor. As the beat became more prominent, I began to dramatize my movements, flicking my head back and dropping to the ground. I blocked out the other noise in the room, trying to smother the butterflies that turned in my stomach.
As the rise of the chorus began to beat deeply, I swung around the pole, lifting both my legs and trapping the pole between my thighs. My body continued to circle it, and I curled my body in on itself as I slipped closer to the ground. Placing my feet under my body at the last minute, I swayed my way back up the pole seductively.
I had no amazing upside-down splits or anything, but I managed to perform the few small moves that I knew without failing miserably. My body stayed smooth, moving in perfect time with the music which was incredibly sexy with its minor chords and slow rhythm.
By the time the music stopped, the room was completely silent. I blushed and looked up, only to be met with the deepest, darkest blue eyes I’d ever seen.
They reminded me of the color the sky went just before a storm struck.
That should have been my first warning.
They watched me with wonder and curiosity beneath a very stern brow. Electricity shot through me, and my limbs began to tingle and shiver under the man’s studying gaze. I took a step back from the pole, letting myself breathe in deeply, my lungs constricting from the physical strain I’d placed on my body. The room burst into applause and catcalls, and I was now very aware of the fifteen to twenty brothers crowding the space.
I blushed furiously, reluctantly averting my eyes from the beautiful man who stood front and center at the foot of the stage. I didn’t know who he was, but I could feel him still watching me as I collected my shoes. I took a moment, sculling my beer and keeping my back turned. Soon, the room was filled with chatter again, and I took it as safe to move.
When I risked a quick glance over my shoulder, the room was bustling with activity and music. The stunning blue eyes were gone.
Chapter Six
HARMONY
Chelsea came up beside me as I walked down the stairs. I scanned the room seeing several men I didn’t recognize but no soul-searching eyes.
“Optimus wants to see us before shit gets crazy,” she said. ‘I told you so’ very much present in her tone.
I laughed. “Lead the way.”
We walked down the slim hallway. The small rooms down this end of the building had been offices reserved for the hotel managers and head staff. There was even a large safe located in Optimus’ office.
Chelsea knocked on the door. I could hear deep voices coming from behind it, and I wondered who Optimus might have in there with him.
“Come in,” he called, his voiced echoed loudly.
Chelsea pushed the door open, and I followed in close behind her. Optimus reclined in his large leather office chair. He had his hands linked behind his head in a relaxed manner, but his signature scowl was ever-present on his face. It was when I moved next to Chelsea that my eyes found the man propped up against the front of the desk, his arms folded across his chest. His biceps stretched mouth-wateringly against his white shirt, and his eyes once again were studying me like I was a puzzle piece that didn’t quite fit.
“Girls, this is Kit. Troy’s new chapter President.”
Chelsea and I both dipped our heads in a nod toward him which is a respectful way to acknowledge someone important in the biker world. He gave a small chin lift in acknowledgment, but his eyes remained focused on me, not even blinking in Chelsea’s direction.
Optimus leaned forward and tapped his knuckles on the wooden desk. “Harmony. I couldn’t get a hold of you after I ripped the guy on the phone another asshole.”
I screwed up my nose. “Yeah. The douchebag completely totaled my phone.”
His eyebrow raised curiously. “Really?”
“Mm-hmm. He hung up on you by slamming it face-first onto the table we were sitting at. Then, if that wasn’t dramatic enough, he threw it at the fucking wall,” Chelsea explained. I tried to keep my eyes focused on Optimus, but they continued to drift toward Kit.