Xavier

 

Xavier Flynn was enjoying the wind in his red hair as they flew down the back road to the old bar, but he didn’t mind pulling over. The Reaper’s Hearts were out to celebrate, and he could use a cold one. The bar was a shabby place on the edge of town that was only frequented by those who lived on the edge of society, and it was the perfect place to relax and forget about the world for a while. He shut off the engine and turned to his friends. “All your drinks are on me tonight, Chrome!”

 

“I hope you brought a lot of money with you,” Chrome replied, his shining silver teeth glinting in the last rays of the sun as it sank behind the building. He got off his bike stiffly and stretched. “You don’t know how long I’ve waited for this.”

 

“Sure, I do. Exactly eighteen months, and that was only because of good behavior. Which is what I don’t expect out of you tonight! You’re free, and you damn well better enjoy it!” Xavier slapped his fellow MC member on the back as he ushered him through the door. Chrome was one of their best men, and it had been a shame that he had taken the fall for a bad deal and landed himself in jail. Xavier and Asphalt, the president of the Reaper’s Hearts, had worked with their attorney and done their best, but the most they could get was a reduced sentence. Still, it could have been worse, and it was all over now.

 

Xavier didn’t wait for his eyes to adjust as he walked into the dimly lit bar. This joint was the same as any other one like it: a loud jukebox in the corner with outdated songs, battered wooden tables that never sat straight, and tired waitresses in skintight outfits who were willing to work hard for their tip money. He led the way to a large table that would accommodate them, eyeing the other patrons and trying to determine if there would be a fight tonight. They were celebrating Chrome’s freedom, but that didn’t mean a few punches weren’t in order.

 

One of the waitresses sidled right up to their table as soon as they seated themselves. “Well, hello, boys,” she purred. “You look like you’ve had a rough day. You ready for some beers?” She flung her blonde hair behind her shoulder and displayed her ample cleavage, shimmying her hips slightly to make sure they got the hint. She wanted them or she wanted their money, but the guys didn’t care either way.

 

“Give us a round and keep them coming,” Xavier ordered. He watched her ass as she walked away and elbowed Chrome. “Did you see that?”

 

“Couldn’t have missed it if I was blind,” Chrome assured him, his dark eyes glowing in the light from the neon signs on the wall. He continued to watch the girl as she went behind the bar to fill their drink order. “Do you know how long it’s been since I’ve seen a woman?”

 

“All right, we’ll let you have her,” Throttle said, smacking Chrome so hard that he nearly fell out of his seat. He laughed and stroked his bushy beard. He was a big man with a good sense of humor. “But only because we know you need it more than we do, and only if you’re good enough to get her. If you walk out of here tonight without that sweet little blonde on your arm, then I get her all to myself.” He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows.

 

“Mess with that all you want,” commented Crocodile, who was busy punching away at the screen on his phone. He leaned back in his chair and stretched his booted feet out on the wooden floor. “I don’t want a woman I have to work for. I want her to work for me.”

 

“You’re gonna spend all your money on hookers,” Throttle warned. “Don’t come crying to me when you can’t pay your tab.”

 

“It’s money well spent. You shoulda seen the sweet little piece of ass I had last week.” Crocodile gave a low whistle and slicked back his oily hair with one hand. “I’ve had my eye on her for a while, but she’s almost always booked. I tell ya, boys, there is nothing better than a woman who does exactly what you want and then leaves.”

 

The blonde returned with their drinks, bending down to set them on the table and letting the guys get a good look. If she bent over any further, she was going to pop right out of her top. “Let me know if you need anything else.”

 

“Oh, we will,” Chrome promised.

 

“What are you going to do tonight?” Throttle asked Xavier, raising a thick eyebrow. “I know you’ve gotta have something planned.”

 

“Not just yet.” The truth was that Xavier hadn’t had a chance to think that far ahead. He’d been busy with club business all day, which was the price he paid for being the vice president of the Reaper’s Hearts. There was always something that needed to be dealt with, whether he was checking out new candidates for membership or going over the club’s finances. Asphalt was out of town, and everything fell on Xavier’s shoulders. Still, he was proud that he’d been able to climb the ranks, and he knew his father would be pleased if he’d been alive to see it. He liked having women in his bed, but not in his life, and so he always chose carefully when it was time to have a little fun. “You’re not completely wrong, Croc,” he said, as he realized the work day really was over and it was time to enjoy himself. “But sluts are cheaper than whores.”

 

He glanced around the bar. There were a few female customers, but this wasn’t the sort of bar where women went to hit on men. They were usually already with their men for the night, either by marriage or some other sort of financial arrangement. The blonde waitress was cute, and it was clear that she was horny, but he wasn’t about to snipe her away from Chrome. The poor guy needed to get laid worse than any of them.

 

Just then the door to the kitchen swung open. A different waitress stepped out onto the floor with a heavily laden tray and an angry look on her face. She paused to tuck her order pad back into the apron she wore over her short skirt. She whisked across the dining floor to distribute the food on the tray at a table in the corner. Unlike the blonde, she didn’t bend over any more than was required to set the items on the table. Xavier couldn’t hear their conversation over the blaring jukebox, but he had a good feeling she wasn’t offering to meet their every need. A man at the table with curly black hair reached behind her and pinched her ass as she set down a tray of nachos. The waitress instantly swung back and slapped him, her eyes glittering fiercely. The man laughed, but he didn’t try it again.

 

“How about that one?” Throttle said, keeping his voice low. All the men at their table had been watching her. “She looks feisty.”

 

Xavier let his eyes rove down the slim musculature of her legs and studied the curves of her hips and breasts as she breezed back to the kitchen. She did look feisty, and she was also incredibly hot. He could easily imagine those long legs on either side of his hips while he thrust into her. She could take her anger toward men out on him all she wanted to. “Looks good to me.”

 

Crocodile set his beer mug down with a thump and wiped the foam from his mouth with the back of his hand. “No way you’ll get her. She looks like a bitch.”

 

“Oh, you heard him! That sounded like a challenge to me!” Chrome hooted.

 

“One that I’ll gladly accept. The bitchy ones are always good in bed.” Xavier leaned back in his seat and sipped his beer, ready to play the long game on this one. Well, long enough that he could watch her while he enjoyed his drink so he could see what she was like. If everything went the way he thought it would—and it always did—he’d have her in his bed in no time.