Bishop

 

Bishop Blaine left the clubhouse with a feeling of contentment and several of his men behind him. It had been five years since the Cobra Kings had ridden into Rolling Hills. It had been just a sleepy little town where nothing ever happened, which was just the sort of place the club was looking for. They liked to shake things up a little, and this was the perfect place to do it.

 

Still young, and not yet a prominent member of the MC, Bishop had been excited about forming a new life in a new place. He’d left behind the dirty city streets he’d grown up on, and the town of Rolling Hills seemed to always have the sun shining on it. He, along with the other members, fully expected the constabulary to chase their dark influence away as soon as possible.

 

But the people of Rolling Hills had embraced the newcomers. They stayed out of the bikers’ way, but most of them seemed to realize that the Cobra Kings had put them on the map. The members were hired out occasionally to work security, and people came from other towns just so they could say they drank in a bar next to a real biker.

 

Pulling up to The Dive—a very aptly named bar—Bishop stepped off his bike and swaggered to the door. Now that he had worked his way up to president of the club, he might as well have owned the place. He was never charged for drinks, and there was always something happening. He charged in the door with a grin, expecting the bartender to greet him as usual.

 

But everyone inside was focused on the back corner. Bishop paused, frowning, as he took in the scene. The Dive was crowded with bikers and those who wanted to be bikers, but the vast majority of the crowd appeared to be young men and women. They pushed and shoved at each other as they tried to get to the very back booth, holding their phones up and taking random pictures of the wall as they targeted whatever was back there. The ruckus was so loud that even the old jukebox in the corner couldn’t compete with it.

 

Bishop strode up to the bar where Jimmy Stevens was absentmindedly wiping down a beer mug as he stared at the circle of chaos. “Hey!” Bishop shouted. “What’s going on?”

 

The bartender jumped at the president’s voice, instantly setting down the towel and filling the mug with Bishop’s favorite beer. “Sorry! I didn’t even see you come in! You’re never going to believe it. Lola Lennox is here! Right here in my bar!” There were stars in his eyes as he passed over the foamy drink.

 

Taking a long, slow sip without breaking his gaze from the bartender, Bishop asked, “Who?”

 

Sluice, the vice president of the Cobra Kings and Bishop’s right-hand man, elbowed him. “You know, that popstar chick. The one who sings all those sexy songs.”

 

Bishop shot him a quizzical look. “How the hell would you know?”

 

His dark eyes darting to the floor, Sluice shrugged. “Hey, sometimes the radio is just on, man.”

 

“Well, what’s some celebrity doing in a place like this?” There weren’t very many interesting places to go in Rolling Hills, but The Dive seemed like the least likely one for a young singer to visit. The crowd parted slightly, giving him a glimpse of waves of blonde hair that rested gracefully against a beautiful face. Someone moved, and the image was gone.

 

Jimmy shook his head, his neck still craned around to stay focused on the crowd. He was clearly just as fascinated as everyone else in the crowd. “Beats me. She just showed up with her bodyguards on either side of her and ordered a drink. I didn’t quite put two and two together until all these young kids started piling in here. They aren’t even ordering anything, and I don’t care. This is going to be big business. Maybe I can get an autographed picture of her to put on the wall, you know, like some of the big city restaurants do.” His green eyes glittered with the thought of more profit.

 

At the mention of bodyguards, Bishop’s eyes sorted through the crowd until they landed on two broad-shouldered men in black T-shirts and jeans. They stood between the singer’s booth and the crowd, their arms folded and their backs straight, staring straight out into space as though they didn’t see the hordes of people around them. One man was bald, a permanent frown etched on his face from years of protecting snotty celebs. The other was much younger, with a full head of dark hair and eyes to match. There was a hint of pride in his face, as though he felt the throng was there to see him.

 

“That one looks like a cocky ass,” Bishop remarked.

 

Jimmy nodded and picked up another mug to dry. “You should have seen him swagger in here like he owned the place. But hell, I’d be pretty stuck-up too if I got to spend all my time with a babe like that.”

 

Just then, the crowd erupted with even louder cheers and whoops as the girl stood up. She swung her long hair over her shoulder as she got out of the booth and headed for the restroom. The bodyguards did their part, holding out their strong arms to keep the crowd at bay as they escorted her partway across the bar. They then took up their usual stance on either side of the restroom door.

 

Bishop couldn’t help but notice just how hot this chick was. That blonde hair was natural; he could tell. Her big blue eyes had remained fixed on her destination instead of looking at any of her fans, but Bishop had still been able to see the deep cerulean of her irises. With her plump, pink lips and the slight upturn at the tip of her nose, she was gorgeous.

 

And that wasn’t even taking into account her body. Slim and athletic, she had graced it with a wide-shouldered crop top in black and jean shorts. She could have been anybody, just a girl next door, but everyone was going crazy over her.

 

“What did you say her name was again?” Bishop asked, taking another sip of beer. He was feeling a buzz come on, but it wasn’t from the alcohol.

 

“Lola Lennox,” Jimmy repeated. “Every chick in Rolling Hills is going to want to come piss in my restroom now. I’m going to have to get a bouncer just to check IDs at the door, cause you know they’re not all going to be 21. Fuck, I’m sure some of the ones in here right now aren’t. You got a guy who needs a part-time job?” He finally turned away from the crowd to look at Bishop.

 

“I’m sure we do.” Bishop could arrange it easily, but that wasn’t the strategy that was on his mind. He’d already had every girl in this town. Well, every girl that was worth having. He was getting bored with trying to find someone new, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to settle down anytime soon. He hadn’t missed the way her shorts hugged her hips and her taut ass, or the way her generous breasts jiggled as she strutted across the room. She’d held her sharp little chin high in the air, as though she was above everyone else, but Bishop was sure he could put her underneath him. Maybe an out-of-town celebrity was just the thing he needed to satisfy his craving. “How long is she going to be here?”

 

“I dunno. She can stay as long as she likes, though. She’ll be good for every business in town.”

 

Bishop looked to Sluice. “It’s been a while since we started any trouble.”