SEVENTEEN
Kennedy
"Are we being invaded?" Benny asked, freezing, staring out the door.
We had had a busy morning, both of us booked from opening until about twenty minutes before, and we were both hoping to give our poor arms a small break before we had to have our early evening clients. But there was nothing you could do about walk-ins. They came and we had to take them.
Being that we were expanding, we needed to still be pretty careful with money. True, I wouldn't have rent next month thanks to being an actual bonafide real estate owner, but supplies cost a lot of money for a salon if you wanted to make sure you made the correct purchase the first time so you wouldn't have to replace anything six months down the line.
After way too much champagne on a weeknight, Benny springing for an expensive bottle, and both of us drinking ourselves giddy, we had set to work on the actual plans.
Because while The Henchmen were making things safe and usable, we still had a lot we needed to do.
We needed a real waiting area, with comfortable seating, a single serve coffee machine, and a coffee table. We needed a computer that didn't come straight out of 2000. We needed two more haircutting stations, one more nail station, and two more pedicure stations.
Then, once we were taken on a walk-through of the construction area, with actual construction hats on because Reeve had insisted, we learned that the other side of the building had another bathroom, storage space, and another huge back room that was likely meant to be a break room, but we decided could be cut in half so we had a nice break room, but also a private room where we could maybe, once the cash flow was healthy, hire an esthetician to do waxing. It would be a pretty full-service salon which wasn't available anywhere else in Navesink Bank. You would normally have to go to one spot for your hair, another for your nails, and a third to get a wax. Being able to offer all three would put us leaps and bounds above the competition.
The sky was truly the limit for me/us for the first time maybe ever.
Thanks, almost entirely, to Pagan.
After I had shopped at Home Depot with Benny, then had too much champagne, Pagan had brought me back to the compound where we had gone at it for hours until both our bodies were too exhausted for another round.
He had passed out and I had snuck off into the bathroom, curling up in a warm bath, unable to hold it in anymore, and having a good, long, cry. Not a sad one, one that was full of a relief like I had never known, gratitude, and a happiness that felt like it was bursting out of my pores.
"Ugh, it kind of seems like it," I said, pushing aside my salad and rolling my neck.
There outside our front doors and windows was a huge crowd of women. I mean, there were at least ten of them. What would even possess them to all try to come to my little salon all at once? I was pretty sure it was obvious from the outside that we wouldn't be able to handle them all at once. But maybe they were okay with taking turns, in which case, there was a nice chunk of money to be made from a group that big.
So I pushed my frustration and exhaustion aside and gave Benny a shrug. "Money, money, money..."
"Mon-eeee," Benny sang back.
"Wait," I said, pausing. "Is that Maze?" I asked, the distinctive purple catching my eye as she whipped her hair somewhere in the front of the group by the street.
"Looks like it. That's my handiwork right there," Benny said proudly, puffing up a bit.
"Wait," I said, giving the group another look. "If that is Maze, then that means that they are the girls club."
"What the hell is the girls club?"
"They are all the old ladies to the bikers, plus a few of the women who belong to the friends of The Henchmen."
"Should we be worried?" Benny asked, looking confused.
"I have no idea."
It was true, I didn't.
Because while I had been at the compound pretty regularly since I started getting serious with Pagan, the wives generally seemed to stay at their respective houses with their kids, leaving the compound to mostly the slightly older puppies and the brand spanking new ones.
The only one of them I had ever really had a conversation with was Bethany, who was Laz's girl. And that was because Laz had joined the MC around the same time as Cyrus, Reeve, Edison, and Pagan, so he had a tight bond with them.
I had to admit, it was nice to have another girl around.
There were so many men, and there were only so many dirty jokes and messes one could clean up before you started really craving the company of a fellow female.
Bethany was pretty laid-back, down-to-earth, and sweet. She was also the only person who could truly understand how I felt about Pagan's fights at Hex because Laz had been fighting there for almost as long, though he spent most of his time as a guard.
Just as I thought her name, I saw her turn, her short, dark hair catching the light. With them was one redhead, three blondes, Maze with her purple, then four brunettes.
"Take a deep breath," Benny said, coming up behind me, putting his hands on my shoulders. "It's like... meeting the parents. Times five. No biggie."
Then, just as the (dis)comfort of that sank in, Maze reached for the door, and they were filing in.
"You couldn't avoid it forever," Bethany said with an understanding smile. "Once they realized Pagan was the kind of serious that said he was willing to drop damn near a million dollars on you, they all got to talking, which led to them deciding to ambush you so you couldn't run away."
"I, ah, I wouldn't have run away!" I insisted. It was a lie. Faced with ten women who I knew to be various levels of badass, yeah, I was pretty sure I was chickenshit enough to run away.
Don't ask me why that was my reaction since I had faced up ten of the actual Henchmen without feeling that way, but it was what my instincts were telling me to do.
"You still get to keep the token redhead title," one of the brunettes said, tall and lean, all legs with hair that brushed her shoulders, dark eyes, and perfect porcelain skin. She was speaking to the, of course, redhead, who I knew was Reign's woman. Summer.
"That's Alex," Bethany offered. "Let's get this part out of the way. Next to Alex is Janie AKA Jstorm, she is a bomb expert, hacker, and all-around badass." She looked like one too with her long black hair, colorful tattoos, and keen light eyes. "Beside her is Summer who was mentioned already. She likes guns. Too much, if you ask Reign. Next to her, we have Mina who is a profiler up at Hailstorm.Then there is Penny who is just a normal girl like you and me. As is Amelia, who is a drug counselor, but she is married to a sniper. And Elsie who does some job that makes her rake it in. She is married to Paine who is a tattoo artist and ex-gang leader. Then, ah, where am I..."
"That'd be me," one of the blondes piped in. She was gorgeous, a bit older than the others, but tall, lean, and with an epic rack. "I'm Lo. Cash has told me a lot about you. Including how that Roderick guy got you to wear Pagan's name on your back."
"That was pretty slick, I have to admit," Janie piped in, smiling. "He knew he wouldn't have gotten away with that with anyone else."
"So, that's the girls club," Bethany concluded, exhaling like it took a lot of effort to explain it all, then moving past me to drop down into one of the chairs.
"We didn't mean to ambush you," Mina said, giving me an understanding smile, like she was picking up on my discomfort. Being a profiler, I guess that made sense. "We were just all curious. And once one or two of us get something in our heads, we all kind of just tag along too. Though I did tell them to call you ahead of time and let you know," she said, giving Janie a look.
"What? It totally just slipped my mind."
"Yeah, sure it did," Maze said, rolling her eyes. "So, we hear you are expanding, and that this place is going to be friggen amazing in just a couple months. I think you will have to get used to all of us gracing your chairs from time to time. Except Janie," she added before said woman could interrupt, "who abhors all things girly and dies her own hair from a box."
"It's not a cheap thing," Janie insisted. "It's a 'I don't have the time to sit in a chair and be fawned over' thing."
"Okay, I have to ask," the pretty, petite, blonde who had been introduced as Penny, one of the normal girls, asked, "Pagan? How... I mean, seriously, how? He seemed, next to Cy, the least likely to ever settle down."
"I honestly don't even know," I admitted, shaking my head. "And we actually haven't even, um, discussed how 'serious' we are or anything yet."
"Not to air dirty laundry," Lo said, giving me a smile. "But I don't think it is any secret, least of all to you, that Pagan has enjoyed a, well, variety of women."
"And quite a number of them," I agreed, feeling nothing about that because it meant nothing.
"Let's forget this building for a minute. Him bringing you to his house, flaunting you around his brothers... that shows how serious he is, whether even he realized it right at first or not. We wouldn't be here if we didn't think he was serious. We are a pretty exclusive club," he said with a warm smile. "We don't let just any random fuck-buddy in."
Somehow, that felt good to hear. I knew enough of the girls club to know that they were a pretty big force to be reckoned with. They were all smart and capable and strong in their own ways. So they weren't the type to throw things around unless they meant it, to welcome me into their fold unless they were sure about me.
"So this girls club. Is this a cis-ters only thing, or can a sister join up too?" Benny asked, making me turn a little guiltily for not introducing him already.
"Ladies, this is Benny. He is amazing," I said, as I always did when I introduced him.
Then, well, it was a whirlwind of conversation as I tried really hard (and mostly succeeded) in keeping everyone and their significant other straight.
An apt Benny and I were told all the various stories about how each woman came to be with each man, each story just as sweet (and at turns, tragic) as the last.
Almost all of them came from such tragedy, overcame so many obstacles, had to endure so much before they finally stood on their own feet, took their lives back, built themselves from the shambles.
Suddenly, I felt almost obnoxiously unworthy even to be considered a member of the girls club.
"Deep breaths," Elsie, the tall, blonde, insanely attractive woman who apparently made a lot of money said, coming up beside me as Janie and Alex seemed to get into a debate over some thing or another, which they apparently did often, being best friends and all. "I think I have a pretty good idea how you are feeling now. It's so easy to feel like an outsider when this club has a leader of a paramilitary organization, a bomb expert, a profiler, and a hacker, and that all the others have extensive self-defense training in some form or another. I mean, I was like you when they pulled me into the fold. I was just... normal."
"Was?" I asked, picking up on something.
"Yeah, well, you can't be a member of the girls club without learning how to take down a man twice your size. Apparently that is some part of the deal when you sign up- you have to learn Krav Maga and LINE."
"Krav Maga and LINE?" I repeated, already feeling lost.
"Israeli military fighting and the stuff they teach in the Marines."
"You do Israeli military fighting?" I asked, looking at her, seeing nothing but a softness and incredible fashion sense.
"Twice a week, every week. Janie will be knocking down my door if I don't show."
A vision flashed across my eyes of Ethan grabbing at me, overpowering me, and I decided maybe some Krav Maga and LINE would be a good thing. Sure, I had Pagan. But we weren't attached at the hip. He couldn't protect me all the time. I needed to learn to take care of myself. Though, I was pretty sure the threat of a woman belonging to a member of The Henchmen MC was enough of a reason for many to stay away from me in the first place. It would just be nice for my peace of mind.
And, I had to admit, the idea of maybe expanding my circle, making some female friends finally, really intrigued me. I had just never had time to make friends in the past, being so busy with work.
The fact that they were all part of The Henchmen circle made it even easier to forge deep bonds, seeing as I spent so much time at the compound to begin with.
"So," Elsie said, looking back at me. "These highlights of mine are costing me seven-hundred a month..."
I smiled at her. "I think I can fit you in for a friends and family discount. And it's already about two-hundred cheaper anyway. Whoever is doing your hair is gouging you."
"A box of dye is ten bucks," Janie cut in, giving us a smile. "And you can work on your gun-assembling skills while it sets."
"Right, because that's something I totally do every month- assemble guns," Elsie shot back.
"So," Maze said, moving toward us. "Word has gotten around that Pagan has a sweet house right on the beach."
"He does," I agreed, smiling. "He took me there right after that first fight at Hex. Has a pool and a hot tub and water views from the whole front. Oh, and two balconies facing the water."
"Why aren't you staying there instead of the compound?"
"We spent time there occasionally, on weekend nights or if my first clients were scheduled late the next morning. It would be less of an issue if I could just take off and let him sleep in, the night owl he is. But I'm still carless. Once we had all the equipment in for the salon, I will start looking for a used one."
"Repo will go with you," Maze said casually, like I should have known Repo would go with me, like he wouldn't even hesitate. "He can make sure everything is working right and do any necessary tune-ups. Free labor, I might add. That's one major perk to having a mechanic in the family."
Family.
I realized right then that that was exactly what it was too. It wasn't just an MC club. It wasn't just a brotherhood. It went deeper than that. In fact, it seemed even to go deeper than many actual blood bonds often did. Maybe it had to do with the lifestyle, the risk, the worry involved, that made them all bond so much deeper.
And for me, to go from having a mom who only made time for me on holidays, to having a group of a dozen women and even more men who had my back, who I could lean on, who would be there for me if I needed anything... that was such a strange and wonderful feeling that I actually had to blink the sting of tears out of my eyes as I stood there.
"Just saying," I caught Benny saying right then, "I can pull off leather and growl at people like all those yummy men do. Though, the riding on a bike thing might not be my style. Who would put a helmet over hair this good?"
"Oh," Alex, the hacker, said suddenly. "Yeah, I forgot to tell you that we're not supposed to tell you..."
"Alex!" Penny said, big-eyeing her.
"What? If he didn't want me to tell her, he shouldn't have told me. Everyone knows I don't keep shit from my girls. Anyway, you're not supposed to be told, though I don't know how he thought he would pull this off since you two always see each other after work, that Pagan isn't going to be around tonight."
There was a sinking then in my stomach that I tried not to name, but absolutely knew immediately as disappointment. Which was silly, really. I knew that. We hadn't been together that long. There was no way I should have been disappointed about one night away from him. That was just a bit too co-dependent for my liking. Besides, I hadn't been back to my room in so long, I was worried there might be someone else moved into it.
"Oh, alright. Thanks for letting me know so I didn't wait around for him like an idiot."
"See?" Alex said, raising a brow at her friends. "I told you she would appreciate knowing."
"You're still welcome to crash at the compound," Summer invited and, I guess since she was married to the president, that really was her place to say. "Actually, Pagan would probably insist on it since he isn't going to be around."
"He's a little paranoid. I mean, I haven't even seen Ethan since..." I trailed off, seeing each and every set of eyes fall on me, sensing a heaviness there, a knowledge that I wasn't privy to. "What?" I directed that mostly to Alex seeing as she was the one who seemed more inclined to be forthcoming with information. Maybe that had to do with being a hacker, seeing everyone's dirty little secrets all the time, and likely knowing that the world would be a better place if people didn't keep quite so many of them.
She shook her head though, looking away for a minute. "This is one that is going to need to come from your man, I'm afraid."
"Should I be worried?"
"I think this is a more of a 'prepare yourself for some news' kind of thing," Benny said, watching the women with drawn-together brows, seeming like he was able to read more into them than I was.
"Okay, that's enough of all this heaviness," Lo declared, clapping her hands. "How about you show us the new space? I've been bugging them to let me in, but Reeve is being all 'it's a construction zone and not safe' on me. You know, because what I do for a living is all fluffy puppies and hot chocolate."
"He made Benny and I wear helmets. Like the roof was going to fall on our heads or something."
"I still can't get a read on that one," Mina declared, sounding irritated about it. And, being that her job was being able to read people, I guess that made sense.
"Let's just say that he has reasons to be so secretive. And protective," Bethany said a little cryptically, making it clear that while Reeve was an enigma to all the rest of us, he must have opened up to her at some point.
After a couple more minutes of bullshit, we went and checked out the progress next door. Which, thanks to the aforementioned over-protectiveness of Reeve, I hadn't seen myself in two days. But it was really coming along. Actually, it looked like they had already painted the ceiling and the trim. So they would likely be getting to my walls pretty soon.
I really needed to order my supplies.
After that, Benny reminding me that we still had some evening clients, the girls shuffled off with promises to drag me along the next time they went training up at Hailstorm or hit She's Bean Around for some coffee.
Benny and I went to work, and by the time we were finished cleaning up for the day, there was a chime behind me. And my immediate reaction? Hope. That it was Pagan. That he got back from wherever he was early. That he would take me back to the compound and we could get hot and sweaty for an hour before we had a meal and, well, a good long talk about whatever the girls were being so secretive about.
And while I did turn to find a biker, it wasn't Pagan.
"Hey, mami," Roderick said, giving me one of his trademark charming, dimple-laden smiles, all white teeth and infectiousness.
"Hey there, Mr. Tall, Dark, and Spanish," Benny crooned at him, giving him a lazy grin.
"'Sup, Benny?" he asked, giving him a smile the same wattage as the one he gave me.
"What are you doing here, Roderick?" I asked, drying my hands with paper towels.
"I am under strict orders to pick your pretty little ass up and deliver you to the compound. I am also to feed you. I think he might have also said something about giving you a nice massage that might lead to more..."
"Think you might have fantasized that part," I said with a laugh. Roderick, while his flirtation was borderline inappropriate, didn't mean a word of it, which was maybe where most of his charm came from. He just did it to get a rise out of you, to make you smile, to make you laugh. Harmless, really.
Though I bet he got loads of tail on the nights when Cyrus would take all the other probates out on the town with him since I 'neutered the best wingman he ever had.'
"Don't get me wrong, I love my man," Benny said, grabbing his bag of stuff to take home with him. "But he doesn't offer me a backup man to take care of my needs when he's out of town. Does she get foot massages too? Wait, don't tell me. I'm jealous enough. Goodnight, Kenny. I'll see you in the morning," he said, giving me a one-armed hug, then heading out the door.
"You about done, or you need some help finishing up?"
Seriously, I really did hit the jackpot.
I went from being all but alone in the world and stressed out every waking (and let's be real, every sleeping) moment, to being surrounded by awesome people, with a business that was soon to be thriving.
I wasn't down in that hole anymore, praying to some day see the light again. I was back on solid ground with the sun shining down on me all the time.
"Nope, we're all set," I said, giving him a smile as I grabbed my stuff. "So, will you tell me where Pagan went today?"
"Sorry, mami, I don't think it's a good idea to get on the bad side of any of the patched members right now."
"So I guess you're also not going to tell me what this big secret is that everyone else seems to be in on but me?"
"You're going to have to ask your man that one."
"When he gets back from who-knows-where doing God-knows-what?"
"See?" he asked, dimple on display again. "Now you're getting it."