Sophie sat at the bar, appreciating everything that was Bella. Who it turned out was Diesel’s cousin. Real cousin. She was a beautiful woman, but there was something haunting behind her dark brown eyes.

Bella wore a loose black top with such a wide neck that it fell off one of her shoulders, which clearly had a large, colorful tattoo over the shoulder cap. Sophie wondered what it was and where it ended. But she didn’t feel brave enough to ask. The part she was most curious about was the statement on the front of the top in large white letters reading “Property of No One.”

Now there was an independent woman, not putting up with any of the caveman bullshit which was clearly the norm around the club.

The Tequila Sunrise that Bella mixed for her was the bomb and Sophie couldn’t put it down. Though she tried to savor it by taking small sips.

“You have to stay behind there all night?” Sophie asked her.

She wiped the bar down with a small towel, making slow circles like it was habit. “No. Just prefer it that way.”

“Why not go out and enjoy the fun?”

Bella rose a single brow and stopped wiping. “Not interested in the so-called fun.”

“Then why be here at all?” It wasn’t like anyone had to pay for drinks, the private bar was a free-for-all to any of the members and their so-called “bitches.” And even women who weren’t their bitches. Or their ol’ ladies.

Bella lifted her bare, tattooed shoulder. “I don’t mind helping out. I’m used to it. It’s family.”

“Diesel being your cousin and all?”

“All the patched members are my brothers. But Hawk is my blood cousin, too. Dex is my real brother. Ivy my sister. Did you meet her yet?”

Did she ever.

“Yes… She have a thing for Zak?” Sophie asked before she could stop herself. She winced and Bella laughed.

“Yeah. Why? What’d she do?”

“Nothing. Just curious.”

“Sure you are. Let me tell you something. Ivy’s had a crush on Zak since we were all kids. It isn’t anything. It won’t ever be anything. Don’t worry.”

“Not worried. No reason to care.”

“Right,” Bella answered, throwing the towel somewhere under the bar.

“She’s dragging some guy named Adam around,” Sophie mentioned.

“Flavor of the month.”

Interesting. “Zak said she’s Jag’s.”

“He would.”

Even more interesting. “Is that true?”

“Did you see Jag dragging Ivy around?”

“Nope.” Not that she knew what Jag looked like.

“Then for now, it’s not true.”

“For now,” Sophie repeated.

Bella shrugged. “Ivy does what Ivy wants. Despite what she needs.”

“She need Jag?”

“She needs something. Not sure if it’s Jag.”

Sophie couldn’t wait to meet this Jag.

“Speak of the devil,” the other woman murmured.

Sophie followed Bella’s gaze to where a couple was coming through the side door. It was a brother, obvious by his patched vest, and what appeared to be a stripper hanging all over him. She was weaving and so was he. But they weren’t synchronized, so their hips kept bouncing off one another’s as they wandered through the large room.

“That Jag?”

“Yep,” Bella said, her eyes dark.

“Who’s that with him?”

“Flavor of the minute.”

Ah.

Sophie watched in fascination as Jag dropped onto one of the worn couches that lined the perimeter walls, dragging the heavily made-up woman on top of him. She immediately straddled his lap and started to sway with the music, which was now Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones. Not quite lap dance music, but she seemed to make it work. And Jag didn’t seem to mind if her rhythm didn’t quite match the song. Suddenly the woman’s skimpy top did a disappearing act, and her denim mini-skirt became pushed up around her waist as she continued to grind against the man’s lap.

No one else in the room batted an eye at the woman’s overly large, very obviously fake, bare breasts swinging in Jag’s face.

“Is that normal?” she asked Bella, having a hard time ripping her gaze away.

“Yep. When Dawg brings his crew.”

Her head spun to the woman behind the bar. Again noting there was something behind her eyes that made her older than her years. “Crew?”

“His girls.”

Sophie shook her head.

“Heaven’s Angels,” she said, like Sophie should know what that meant. “Dawg manages the club’s strip joint.”

“The club owns a strip joint,” Sophie repeated slowly.

“Yep. One of many of our businesses.”

Businesses. Plural. So not just The Iron Horse Roadhouse.

“How did you become a part of the club? I figured you’d have to have balls hanging between your legs.”

Bella laughed. “Damn. I like you. You might be perfect for Z.”

Sophie ignored the last part. But she liked Bella, too, so far. She wasn’t a skank like she had originally thought all the women would be hanging out at the party. She wasn’t one of Dawg’s strippers, either. And her shirt made it clear she was no one’s ol’ lady.

“My grandfather, Doc, is one of the two founding members. Which is why my uncle Ace, Dex, and my cousins are all a part of the club. It’s engrained in our blood. Ivy’s, too. We were raised here.”

“He here tonight?”

“Doc? No. He’s doing life at Greene.”

“What’s Greene?”

“A max security prison.”

“Oh.” Sophie spun her ass around on the bar stool, finally able to ignore the show behind her. She wanted to hear more about this Doc from Bella and it might take a while. “What’s he in for?”

“Murder.”

Sophie’s jaw dropped open, then she snapped it shut. “Wow.”

“Shocked?”

“I don’t know.”

“There’s a lot of skeletons in the club’s closet.”

“I’m getting that.”

“Nah. You haven’t been around long enough to get it.”

Sophie couldn’t argue that point so decided to change the subject. “What other businesses does the club run besides the strip club and The Iron Horse out front?”

“Quite a few actually.” She tilted her head toward a guy sitting down at the other end of the bar. “Crow runs In the Shadows Ink, a tattoo shop.” Her eyes slid over to Diesel, who was now sitting with this Crow, his recent restroom conquest nowhere in sight. Though she couldn’t get a good look at Crow since Diesel’s massive body blocked her view. “D is the club’s enforcer, plus runs all the security and protection, like the bouncers, for example. Takes care of any of the heavy hitting if you get my meaning.”

Sophie’s gaze landed on the good-looking, but huge man Bella had indicated. The one with the stupendous ass. And hip movement if she had to admit it.

“Ace, my uncle, runs the pawn shop. Pierce, our club prez, runs the gun shop and range. We’ve got a body shop and towing company, too.”

“Quite an enterprise.”

“Yeah, we all work hard. And because we do, we all live good, too. It works.” Bella slid another drink in front of Sophie, taking her now empty glass away.

When had she finished the first one? They went down so smoothly and Bella’s information was fascinating so she must have been distracted.

Bella continued, “Outside it may not seem like a good life, but inside... inside it is. Nothing like it.”

Sophie sipped carefully at her second Tequila Sunrise. She wasn’t a big drinker. Because of that, she was considered a lightweight, so she knew her limits. And she didn’t think it was smart to get drunk tonight. From what she saw outside, and even inside, there were too many others doing that. She needed to keep her senses if things got out of control.

However, Bella had some skills as a mixologist. “You make great drinks.”

“You make great cake.”

“Thanks.”

Bella tilted her head and studied her. “Maybe you can teach me to bake.”

Sophie’s brows rose before she could stop them. “You want to learn?”

“Yeah. I want to be good at something other than slinging drinks.”

“Mixing the perfect cocktail takes skill, too.” Sophie lifted her glass. “Especially drinks like this.”

“Not at The Iron Horse. No one’s asking for fancy martinis. A beer. A shot. Things are kept simple. I don’t get to practice my skill too often. But I’m a pro at keeping the head low on a draft.”

Whatever that meant.

“So, how’d you hook up with Z?”

Sophie took another sip, then shook her head. “I didn’t.”

“Right. He’s only been home three days and from what I heard, he’s been with you all three.”

Damn. Word got around this place.

Bella laughed at her expression. “Yeah, nothing is sacred around here. Especially when you’re getting it on upstairs.”

“Wasn’t my choice. It was a case of mistaken identity.”

“Right.”

“No, it’s true. I certainly don’t need a biker in my life. No matter what you say about the life.”

“I hear you,” Bella replied, then looked over Sophie’s shoulder and shook her head, a smile curling the corner of her mouth. “It’s not a life for just anyone.”

“Too late. You got one,” came from behind her.

She spun around to face Zak. “Well, I don’t want one.”

“Okay,” he answered, shrugging. His gaze bouncing from her to Bella and back.

She hesitated. That was too easy. It was a trick.

He was tricking her.

“You took too long,” Zak muttered.

“We were talking,” Bella answered before Sophie could.

“See that.” His head spun toward where Jag was now fucking the woman on his lap. The stripper still wore her mini-skirt high on her hips, but it was obvious that their grinding had become more than a lap dance. Jag’s head was thrown back against the couch and the woman was giving a show to anyone who watched. Grabbing her tits, pinching her own nipples, crying out as if on cue.

Fake.

But still, they had an audience. Didn’t seem that Jag minded, or Sophie would have guessed they would have moved it upstairs.

“Fuckin’ Jag,” Zak muttered, his eyes turning back to Bella. “Sorry.”

“He’s just trying to get under Ivy’s skin,” Bella said, not seeming to take offense that Zak’s cousin was trying to get Bella’s sister jealous. “He’s just going about it the wrong way,” she added.

“Damn straight.”

Just when Sophie was about to point out that Ivy wouldn’t know about it anyway, the woman in question walked in, Adam still in tow. Immediately, Ivy’s gaze landed on the couch and Jag. And somehow, Jag’s eye just seemed to open at the right time and direct his gaze to Ivy, then shoot her a wide smile.

Ivy’s whole body jerked as if she’d been slapped. After a second, she rolled to her tiptoes to say something into Adam’s ear that made him smile, and then tugged him across the room and out the back door to the private parking lot.

And the whole time Jag’s gaze followed them with a sudden frown, ignoring the stripper riding his pole.

Seemed to Sophie that Jag wouldn’t ever own Ivy. Ivy already owned Jag.

“Fuckin’ Ivy,” Zak muttered, then shook his head. Zak’s gaze landed on Sophie, then he said, “Finish your drink.”

“Why?”

“’Cause you left me outside too long without you. Now, we need to go make up for that lost time.”

Oh.

Bella’s eyes found hers and the other woman pinned her lips together, trying to control her amusement. “See why I wear this shirt?”

“Don’t give her any ideas, Izzy,” Zak warned.

Izzy?

Bella frowned at the name, but ignored him. “You need help at the bakery? Like I said, I’d love to learn some baking techniques.”

“I can’t afford to pay you,” Sophie said, regrettably.

“Understood. I wouldn’t ask it. I’ll be glad just to have a good teacher.”

“Any time you want to stop by while I’m baking, do so. It’s usually very early in the morning.”

“I work The Iron Horse at night, so maybe I could come in early, then sleep in the afternoon before my shift.”

Sophie nodded and smiled. “I’d like that.” It was true, she really would. Not to mention, an extra pair of hands would be awesome. She couldn’t afford to pay even a baker’s helper right now. “I’m open Tuesday through Saturday.”

“Babe,” Zak murmured, suddenly nuzzling her ear.

Her hand automatically went up to cup his face. “What?” When she saw Bella’s gaze looking at them with a knowing smile, she dropped it.

“We need to go upstairs.”

“Why?”

“Need to get what Jag’s gettin’, but just not in front of everyone.”

Oh. Her pussy clenched at the thought of giving Zak a naked lap dance.

“So, finish your drink.”

“I don’t need to finish it.”

“You anxious to go upstairs then?”

She looked from him to the half full drink sitting in front of her. She could finish the drink and get a little more loose, lose a little more of her inhibitions before he had his way with her. Or... she could skip the rest and then he’d think she couldn’t resist him.

She could never win with him. She decided to go with the drink, raising it to down the remainder in a couple swallows. Once it was empty, she slapped the glass on the bar top and blew out a breath to bolster herself.

“Ready?” he asked, his lips twitching.

“Do I have a choice?”

“No.”

“Then, yes, I’m ready.”

The crinkling of his eyes joined his twitching lips. “Good.”

“Good,” she repeated with a single nod of her head. She looked at Bella and announced, “I’m going to go get laid.”

Bella pressed her lips together for a moment, as she removed the empty glass, before saying, “That you are. Have fun.”

As Zak escorted Sophie across the common area, they couldn’t help but pass close to Jag, who was now tucking his dick back in his pants. At the same time, the stripper was balancing on her platform shoes, tugging down her skirt.

“Classy,” Sophie shot at him and gave Jag an exaggerated wink.

Jag’s answer was a frown which made Zak chuckle and give his cousin a helpless shrug.

“You ever do that kind of shit?” Sophie asked, slowly following behind him.

Zak tightened his grip on her hand. “No.”

“Well, that’s good.”

“No reason to.”

“But if you had a reason to, you would?”

Zak winced when her tone of voice rose to a high pitch. “I said no reason to.” As they reached the foot of the stairs, he turned to her. “Need me to carry you? Seems like it doesn’t take much booze to get you wrecked.”

“I’m a lightweight. I hardly ever drink.”

“Apparently.”

“But I’m not drunk.”

“Good. Don’t want you to be.”

“And it’s all about what you want, right?”

Zak frowned. His amusement with her was quickly dissipating. “If you say so.”

“So.”

Fucking hell.

“Babe,” he warned.

“Babe,” she echoed in a falsely deep voice.

“Someone needs a spankin’.”

Sophie’s eyes widened as she gasped, then lowered a second later, color rising into her cheeks. “Who needs a spanking?” she asked in a breathless whisper.

His amusement quickly returned. “I’m lookin’ at her.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you, babe. Now, you need me to carry you up? Or can you make it on your own?”

“I want to go home.”

“I can take you home, babe, but you’re not gettin’ out of my hand on your ass.”

Her mouth parted and her breathing shallowed. She blinked at him. “I... uh...”

“Here or home?”

Her throat contracted as she swallowed. Hard.

He couldn’t wait to sink his teeth into her neck as he was coming inside her. “Don’t make me ask you again.”

When she pursed her lips together, it took everything he had not to toss her over his shoulder and run up the steps. He was already as hard as a rock from watching Jag busting a nut in Goldie on the couch, so his patience was wearing thin as he waited for her answer.

“But I don’t want to be spanked,” she whined softly, eyes wide again.

Damn, she may not want it, but she was getting it. He’d make sure she liked it. Begged for it.

“Then walk upstairs with me on your own two feet,” he finally said, stepping back and lifting an arm towards the stairs. “Go.”

When she started trudging upstairs, he watched her ass rocking back and forth as she did so, though she bitched at him under her breath with each step.

He smiled. That ass would definitely feel his hand tonight.