27
Lexi
I had no idea what to expect Wednesday. The night before, he’d told me a lot of people would be at the clubhouse later for kind of a mini party. “Jeans and a black shirt for this.”
“I don’t own a black shirt.”
He’d looked at me in shock. “Red, then.”
“I don’t own a red shirt, either. It would clash with my hair.”
I almost laughed at his expression, because he looked at me as if I was an alien from another planet, with green antenna and bug eyes.
He’d gone to my part of his closet, looked through my clothes, and pulled out an eggplant shirt. “This, and jeans. Your sexy ones that barely cover your asscrack, and please god tell me you have a black belt.”
I laughed. “Yeah. You’ve never cared what I wore before. What’s up?”
“You got a problem with this outfit?”
I shook my head no, and he said, “Good. Whatever shoes you want. We’ll eat late, probably around seven. It’s catered from the barbecue place down the street.”
I went to the bike shop after school like he’d told me, and he sat me in the office with orders to do my homework so I wouldn’t have to mess with it later. I put my headphones on and got to work, and finished about thirty minutes before he was due to get off work, but he’d told me to come get him when I finished, so I did.
He wiped his hands, put a few things away, and then finally washed his hands. “Follow me to the compound. Park in the ol’lady section.”
I stared. Dumbfounded. “Are you sure?”
“Positive, Half-pint.”
I backed my car into a parking space, right next to Gen’s super-fancy Lexus. I’d been given strict instructions to use the visitor area before. What had changed? Bubbles seemed to take offense at my asking him if he was sure, though, so I didn’t ask anything else. He wouldn’t steer me wrong with his club. This kind of stuff was way more important to them than I thought it should be, but I’d learned to just accept it.
He was silent while we walked back to his room, and then he opened my bag and handed me my makeup. “I’ve learned your different makeup styles. You have one I call soft-and-sexy-biker-chick, with lots of that charcoal smoky stuff around your eyes, and purple lipstick, and more dark shit on your cheeks.”
He’d never told me how to dress or do my makeup before, even when I’d asked. It was always, “I’m sure whatever you pick will be fine.” I wanted to bitch, but I was also glad he knew what was required for whatever was going to happen. I just wished I knew more about what was going to happen.
The entire club seemed to be in the clubhouse. They’d brought extra folding chairs in, but people still stood around the edges. All eyes were on us when we walked in, and Bubbles took me to four large packages on a table in the center. They were wrapped in leather, with ribbon that looked like a huge zipper tied in beautiful bows.
It took me a few minutes to realize the biggest package was an expertly decorated cake, and the other three were presents.
“Open the square ones first, then the rectangular one,” said Bubbles.
“What have you done?”
He lifted an eyebrow and grinned. “Open them and see.”
The first box was black riding boots, and he sat me down, put them on my feet, and laced them for me. I walked around on the hard floor and was amazed. I’d expected them to be horribly uncomfortable, but they were perfect.
“Took your favorite workout shoes to the boot place, and they used the length, width, and arch height to tell me which boots to buy.”
“Thank you! I love them!”
I went to hug him, but he handed me the larger square box. This one was a fancy helmet — lightweight like the one Bash had let me wear when I rode with him, and it was in a dozen shades of pink and purple — close to my hair color.
“We’ll figure out the lettering in the coming weeks, and I’ll have it added.”
He let me hug him this time, but then he stood me in front of him and put his hands on my shoulders. He looked so serious, my heart sank into my stomach.
“The boots and helmet are yours, no matter what. If you don’t want this next present — if you can’t accept it for everything it means, you shouldn’t let me put it on you.”
“You’re worrying me, Adam.”
“No need to be worried. I wouldn’t offer it if I didn’t think it was time, I just needed to say the extra. It’s important.”
I’d discovered with the boots, the packages were wrapped in paper that looked like leather, but not actually leather. I was careful to tear this one so I’d have some of the paper to keep. It was really nice paper, and the ribbons kicked ass, too.
My heart stopped beating when I lifted the lid of the box and saw PROPERTY OF arched across the top, and then BUBBLES at the bottom. The center was the same as the emblem on the other ol’ladies vests, and I suddenly understood why he’d told me not to let him put it on if I couldn’t accept everything it meant.
With tears threatening to spill over my lower lashes and destroy my over-the-top eye makeup, I held the vest towards Bubbles and asked, “Will you please put it on me?”
I didn’t expect the clapping and cheers from everyone in the room, much less the feet stomping and table beating, but it seemed right. This made it official.
I was Bubbles’ ol’lady.
The cheering lasted several minutes, and didn’t stop until Duke jumped up on a table, and then it slowly died down, but didn’t completely stop until he began speaking.
“Lexi has privileges in the back of the clubhouse now, and she can bring her pepper spray in.” He looked at me. “If you start carrying another kind of weapon, Bubbles can let us know during church. It’ll probably be okay, but we’ll need to give the okay officially.” He looked around the room again, and his gaze seemed to land on someone. “I usually do this next part, but Matty asked for the floor, so…”
“Asked for it hell,” said Dawg. “The fucker begged for it.”
The room laughed, but went silent again when Matty jumped up on a different table. “Lexi needs a name, and Bubbles has informed me she’s his half-pint, so we need something else. Since Harmony is already Buttercup, I hereby name Lexi Blossom, and that gives us the entire Power—”
“Boy!” Razor’s voice boomed loud, and Matty stopped talking. “You call Bubbles a girl, I might let him belt your ass a dozen strikes before I finish you off.”
Duke raised his beer and met my gaze. “To Blossom. With your hair and personality, the name more than fits. You’re good for Bubbles and we’re glad you’re here.”
The entire room repeated, “To Blossom!”
Bubbles stuck a beer in my hand, and I drank with them.
We ate, and then we cut the cake, and we all drank — a lot. Etta had told me shapeshifters don’t get drunk unless they do a lot of shots one after another, and I watched to try to figure out which ol’ladies were shapeshifters and which were human. Harmony had to be something, because she drank at least a dozen Long Island iced teas and wasn’t the least bit sloppy.
I had two beers before and during dinner, and then another one after. A fourth one would’ve been too much with school the next day, so I switched to lemonade. At nine-thirty, Duke jumped on a table again, and the room quieted.
“Lexi and Bubbles are going to go into the conference room with everyone wearing a cut. Some of the brothers will be taking their ol’ladies in, but not all. We’ll all be back out shortly. Enjoy the food and what’s left of the cake!”
I had no idea what was about to happen, and I was a little worried, but I shouldn’t have been. It turns out, this was when I found out what everyone was. Duke sent the wolves to one end of the room, and then the others gathered in little groups and told me what they were.
Gabby is a bunny rabbit, and Horse is a fucking grizzly bear. I was speechless over that one. Nix was with the wolves, but he told me, “Tabby gave me permission to tell you she’s a deer, and to explain that’s why she isn’t often in the clubhouse when everyone’s there. It’s overwhelming for her.”
And then there were the humans — Gen, Bethany, Nickie, Matty.
Bubbles had stood me on the conference room table so I could see everyone, and now he lifted me off and put his arm around me. “Everyone still in the main room either doesn’t know about shapeshifters, or only knows what a few of us are, but not all. Your binding will stop you from talking about stuff in front of them, but you should try to keep it from having to.”
I nodded, and then was overwhelmed when every person in the room formed a line and hugged me before walking out.
It felt like a wedding line or something, and when I considered what the vest meant — that I was part of Bubbles’ family now — it kinda was.
Texas and Sparkie were the last to leave. I’d met them and talked to them while we ate, but now it seemed more personal.
“Even more than the MC family, you’re one of mine now,” said Sparkie. “We’ll see you at the run this weekend, but Bubbles needs to bring you to Atlanta for a weekend, and soon, so you can be a guest in our home. I know you have a sister here, and I hope we get to meet her.” At my look, she answered the question in my head. “Yes, I know who and what she is, and if she can get off for a weekend, she’ll be welcome to come with ya’ll and be a guest in my home as well. Your family is my family.”
“You haven’t met my mother.”
She laughed. “Maybe so, and it’s possible I won’t like her, but she’s still family.”
“I don’t see my foster family anymore. I mean, they were great while I was there, but then it’s like…I don’t know. They help a lot of kids, but I think we’re just all on our own once we age out.”
“That’s too bad, and I’m sorry. We only help the occasional kid, the ones brought in who’re shapeshifters, and we’ve never had two at a time. Most shapeshifter families are tight, and someone is there to pick up the strays.” She reached up and brushed her fingers through Bubbles’ hair. “I’m thankful Bubbles came into our life. I’m proud of the man he’s become.” She met my gaze. “He went to prison because he did the right thing. Too bad society couldn’t see that.”
When she saw I didn’t know what she was talking about, she glared at Bubbles. “She don’t know the story when you bring her to me, I’ll tell her.”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, ma’am.”
My mouth dropped open and Texas guffawed.
“I like you already, little lady. Bubbles tells us you have a bedtime on school nights and he’s not givin’ you a pass tonight, but you’re gonna do the Texas two-step with me before he takes you off to bed.”
“I don’t know how to do that.”
“It ain’t hard. We’ll learn you. Bubbles and Sparkie’ll dance beside us and demonstrate.”
I looked up at Bubbles. “You can dance?”
He sighed, and I laughed and told Texas, “I clearly need to spend more time with ya’ll if I want to get to know him better.”
Texas ordered a slow country song and walked me through the steps, which were super easy, but then Sparkie started showing me how to add turns and shit, and suddenly the music changed to something faster and Texas was twirling me around the floor. I’d never experienced anything like it, and before long Bud and Nickie, Bubbles and Sparkie, Brain and Harmony, and Dozer with one of the sweetbutts were dancing with us, all doing the Texas two-step with their own flare while the room clapped and stomped.
When it was over, Bubbles hugged me hard, settled me on his hip, and told the room, “She has school tomorrow and needs her sleep.” He looked at me. “Say goodbye, Half-pint.”
I said goodbye, and the room said, “Sweet dreams, Blossom!”
I had no idea who’d put them up to it, but I was still laughing when Bubbles carried me out the back of the clubhouse and to his room.
Sex was short and sweet but with lots of fingers in my ass, and his thinned down cock in my bottom just long enough to give me an explosive orgasm… but he was serious about me bein’ asleep before eleven, so the lights were off and we were all cleaned up by quarter till.