Tanner’s was a glittering beacon in the dull sand of the desert. It stood tall and proud, rising out of the ground on the side of the highway in all of its silvered, steel glory. As Jenny pulled into the parking lot, she looked up at the neon of the dancing girl on the side of the building and felt a familiar pang of nostalgia. Something about the place always felt like home whenever she approached it. She had worked there for only about six months, but she had already immersed herself in it so much she felt like part of the furniture.

She stopped the car and got out of the driver’s side and walked around. It was early and their parking lot was quiet. She knew that it wouldn’t be until much later when the night truckers started to filter through and pull in for the night that her shift would truly begin. She locked the door with her keys and crunched across the gravelly sand toward the back door. From the inside, she could already hear the thump of the music and she knew then that Star must be working, because she was literally the only person who loved the place to be bouncing with loud music at all times.

She pushed the back door open and stepped inside and was instantly hit with the sweet smell of perfume. The girls always kept the place smelling so nice, it was intoxicating. It was no wonder the men of Slate Springs and the truckers kept coming back for more.

She threw her purse into the changing room, which was empty, and then she walked down the long darkened hallway toward the main swinging doors that led into the body of the club.

She approached slowly and peered through the small windows at the top of the door, and she smiled as she saw Star sitting there with her long legs dangling over the side of the bar as she sipped a bottle of Pepsi.

“Hey,” Jenny smiled as she stepped inside and Star looked up at her with a confused look on her face.

“Holy hell,” Star gasped. “Jenny?”

Jenny held out her hands and did a little twirl on the spot.

“No fucking way,” Star laughed as she clapped her hands together. “You look incredible!”

“Well, I decided it was time to stop hiding,” she said shyly as she brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. She could feel herself blushing and she was glad of the darkness in there.

“Well, I’m glad,” Star said as she reached out and held onto her by the shoulders and studied her fully. “Whoever would have guessed? You’re like a chameleon.”

“Well, I suppose if I’m going to look like this it may as well be here, right?”

“Right,” Star beamed and clapped her hands together with giddy excitement. “You’re one of us, hurrah!”

“Oh, I don’t think I’ll ever have the nerve to go that far,” she said. “But a girl can dream, hey…”

Star smiled and hugged her and then she went back to gazing off into the distance and dancing slowly to the music by tapping her leg against the bar.

The room was deserted apart from the pair of them, and Star was pretty well clothed considering she took them off for a living. She sucked the Pepsi through a straw and twirled a strand of hair around her finger. Jenny was glad it was her that was there. She had been slightly nervous on the drive over about her new look, even considering all of her bravado at home.

Star had worked at the club for about the same amount of time that Jenny had, and they had become friends in the process. Star, along with Britney, had been one of the people who was always trying to convince Jen to let her hair down and come out of her shell, rather than shying away.

Jenny looked out across the room and at the smattering of red and blue lights lighting up the stage at the top end. It always felt so weird when there was no one around, but in a way, she liked it better this way. It felt like she had a secret.

“What inspired you then?” Star asked as she looked up at her. “I’ve been trying to convince you to ditch the scraped back hair and glasses for months, what changed?”

Jenny shrugged and smiled.

“I don’t know, maybe I just finally listened,” she said cockily as she walked behind the bar and opened up one of the refrigerators. Inside was row upon row of beers and mixers, but this time, she reached for a beer and popped the cap on it before she raised it to her lips and winked.

“Fuck me!” Star gasped with a wide grin. “Now, I like this Jen much better than the old one. I hope she sticks around!”

“Oh, she will,” she laughed. “She is most certainly here to stay.”

Star looked down at her Pepsi bottled and threw it down into the sink with a clatter as she climbed over the top of the bar and jumped down next to Jenny. She bent down and went into the refrigerator too and pulled out a matching bottle of beer, took off the cap and chinked the neck of hers against Jenny’s.

“A toast to us,” she said. “For being so damned gorgeous!”

“To us!” Jen laughed as she took a swig of her beer and just hoped that none of the bikers were watching them on the cameras back at their club house or over at The Bleeding Bullet, the other bar that they owned on the other side of town.

“Tonight’s going to be busy,” Star said as she took another swig and sighed. “Apparently, quite a few of the Forsaken Riders are coming in for a big meeting.” She said it ominously.

“Really?” Jenny asked with intrigue. “Any idea what about?”

Star shook her head and walked back out the side of the bar and made her way toward the swinging doors that led to the changing rooms.

“No clue,” she said. “But if they have to do it here, I can only assume it isn’t going to be good…”

Star walked backward through the doors and into the corridor behind her and Jenny felt a knot of anxiety form in the pit of her stomach. For weeks, she had heard whispers of troubles coming to Slate Springs, and she just hoped that nothing really bad was about to happen.

Britney’s words and their conversation came flooding back to her from that morning…

We need something big to happen…

Be careful what you wish for, big can sometimes mean bad…

She shuddered. Even though she knew nothing of what the bikers could be hiding or be worrying about, she didn’t like the thought of anything sinister coming to her doorstep.

Since she had started working for The Forsaken Riders, Jenny had been amazed at how tight knit they were and how hushed they kept all of their affairs. She had managed to catch snippets of conversation on the odd occasion, but for the majority of their time, the bikers would never discuss serious matters on site at Tanners after a tragedy had struck there several years before. The bikers, it seemed, were also superstitious, in a way she never would have expected, and after one of their own had been killed there, they seemed to think of it as bad luck, even if they still held it close to their heart.

Jenny had never been over to The Bleeding Bullet or the club house, but she had heard various stories about both places from some of the girls who partied there or had shared a night of wild passion with one of the outlaws themselves and had been lucky enough to be taken back home with them.

The thought of it made Jenny blush. She couldn’t imagine being so uninhibited and confident to ever do something like that. She craved it and yet, it terrified her. She was trapped in a vicious cycle of lust and terror.

As she started to restock the refrigerators, she also began to feel excited for the night ahead. Seeing as the bikers came in less frequently than they used to, there were many that she hadn’t met or seen yet, and if there was about to be a big meeting she was sure to get a good look at all of The Forsaken Riders, or as many in one place as she would ever see.

She giggled a bit with excitement.

I know you like the thought of a bad boy, Jen, she thought. But seriously, don’t you think that would be taking it a tad too far?

She sipped her beer again and grinned.

“Well, maybe it’s your turn to be a bad girl,” she whispered as she drained the rest of the bottle and debated going back for another.

If it hadn’t been so early and only the beginning of her shift maybe she would have done, but the last thing she wanted was for the bikers to go in there stressed and for her to be there only half sober and reeking of booze. So instead, she reached for a sparkling water and sipped it slowly before chewing some gum to bring her back into the present and out of her hazy, soft daydream. She was at work after all, and she had to act like it or she would end up getting herself fired.

Behind her, she heard the creak of the door coming open and a blaze of sunlight streaked across the black tiled floor.

“You open?” A trucker peered in from under his cap and she internally rolled her eyes.

“Sure, hun,” she said cheerily, even though she really wanted the place to herself for a little longer. “Come on in and grab yourself a drink.”

The trucker smiled and edged in nervously.

First time, she thought with a wry smile. Probably has a wife and kids at home and feels terribly guilty. But don’t they all…?

He sat up at one of the high stools in front of the bar and fidgeted a little before Jenny walked over and motioned to the refrigerator behind them.

“What can I get you?” she asked and she watched how he looked up at her, his mouth slightly open and his eyes taking in every inch as if he couldn’t believe the sight in front of him.

It should have made her feel uncomfortable, but it didn’t. Jenny couldn’t remember the last time, if ever, a man had stared at her like that. It was almost like her dream hunk had looked at her, but a lot less appealing.

“Erm,” he stammered. “Just a beer,” he said as he looked down at the empty bottle on the side.

“Okay,” she said cheerily, “No problem.”

And then she returned to grab him one before placing it down and buzzing through to the changing room for Star.

“We have company,” she said into the telecom, knowing that the loud music would drown out her words before he had a chance to hear them.

After the slow start, the club did begin to pick up as the night rolled in and more and more truckers edged into the desert. Star was no longer working the room alone and all of the girls twirled and thrust at the front of the stage, while the others worked the crowd. Jenny watched them and how their confidence shined out and she made mental notes of everything they did. She didn’t want to strip for a living, but those girls sure knew how to speak to men, and they knew how to make the most of their incredible bodies. Jen was sure that if she had half of their guts then she could go far. She didn’t need anything fake to enhance her beauty, and she was so strange and exotic looking with her tanned skin, blue eyes and blonde hair she already stood out in a crowd now that she had finally removed everything that she used to keep herself hidden with. She admired the girls for enhancing themselves, and she loved the way that they looked. Each time a new girl started, or one of the other’s came in with a new set of lips or boobs, Jenny couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. They really did look fantastic, but she knew that she would never have the nerve or the need. She could do just fine on her own just as long as she let herself shine through.

Star had come over to check on her and asked if any of the bikers had arrived, but Jenny had sadly shook her head and told her no. It was a strange curiosity of her to have, but since she had gotten it in her head, she couldn’t stop thinking about what may be happening, and how many exactly would be tumbling through the doors should they still go ahead and have their meeting there at Tanners.

Almost as if her mind had been read, about five minutes later, she heard the roar of motorcycles cut over everything. It was so loud it was almost like thunder and she was sure the ground was vibrating in different ways. She clutched the edge of the bar and steadied herself, as the rest of the people in the room, all of the dancers, truckers and drinkers, all stopped and looked toward the doorway. The sounds kept raging outside and it wasn’t long before the engines shut off and the only sound inside the club was the beat of the music, before the door burst open and a swarm of leather, smoke and stubble entered.

Jenny’s stomach tightened, as did the sweet spot between her legs.

They had arrived.

The Forsaken Riders were in the club.

Jenny brushed her hair behind her ears and waited for them to approach the bar or swoop toward the set of doors at the other side of the stage and disappear down into the depths of the office. Her skin was practically prickling with anticipation, and she could barely keep a thought straight in her head. She could feel their eyes on her but she didn’t dare raise her own to meet them. Her heart was thumping away in her chest and she started to regret her decision to wear such skimpy cl0thes.

She was too shy to do something like that, what the hell was she thinking?

Just be cool, Jen, she coached herself. The ones you know have all seen you a million times and none of them have ever shown any interest… Why would tonight be any different?

She paused for a moment and closed her eyes.

Because you know it’s different, you fool. You know what you want, you’re just too afraid to admit it.

If she could, she would have slapped herself silly and demand that she pull herself together. But there was no time. The bikers had approached the bar and they were all waiting to be served.

“Evening, Jen,” Hunter, one of them called to her from down the other end. “How’s it going?”

She smiled and hurried over to him, glad of a familiar face amongst the sea of leather and testosterone.

“All good,” she smiled. “What can I get you?”

“Well, you’re certainly looking well,” he said as he furrowed his brow, trying to figure her out. “You ditched the glasses?”

She nodded sheepishly and bit her lip.

“Whiskey, straight up.” He grinned as he reached for a packet of smokes and clamped one between his teeth and sucked in on it as if his life depended on it.

It was suddenly so hectic, and so many of them were barking orders at her over the bar, she started to feel overwhelmed. Every single pair of eyes seemed to be on her and she couldn’t move fast enough.

“Hurry up, bar girl!” one of the bikers she didn’t know called over to her. “We’ve got to get into the office.”

“Yeah come on, hurry up,” another chipped in. “Fuck, can’t they hire more than one of you to keep things moving quickly around here.”

She held up her hands and started to dash from one side of the bar to the other, not wanting to disappoint any of them, but also wanting to prove her worth.

“Come on, bar girl!” another one of the bikers she didn’t know shouted and when she looked around, she actually wasn’t sure if they were even Forsaken Riders at all. The patches on the back of their jackets were different, instead of the skull and cross bones she was used to seeing, they were wearing a big IR surrounded by flames,  and she found herself becoming even more confused and worked up.

“Give it a rest!” a voice broke in above the din as the owner of it came pushing his way to the front of the crowd and back behind the bar and against Jenny’s side.

“She’s doing her best, can’t you fuckers see that?” he said angrily.

When she looked up at him, she almost couldn’t believe what she was seeing. A tall, dark, handsome man, bulky with muscle and almost a carbon copy of the one she had dreamt about the previous evening. Except he was right there in front of her, and he was certainly no surfer dude. He was a hot as hell angry biker with a smattering of stubble and tattoos, clutching a cigarette and helping her move to the side as he reached down into the refrigerators and pulled out as many beers as he could carry.

“I’ll settle the tab later,” he said with a cheeky wink as he grinned at her and stepped back toward the spirits where he pulled down a bottle of whiskey and jammed it forcefully into the back pocket of his jeans.

Jenny stood there completely stunned, but totally in awe. Whoever this guy was, he had just stood up for her and saved her ass in front of a group of angry bikers. And now she couldn’t stop her heart from fluttering away madly in her chest.

“Come on, get into the office!” her savior barked at them all as he pointed toward the back doors and slowly but surely all of them started to retreat.

“Sorry,” he said. “Tense times…” He clenched his teeth and then he sucked in on his cigarette. “Don’t worry, I’ll get them sorted.”

And then he turned and was gone as quickly as he had come.

“What the…” Jenny found herself whispering as she watched him disappear into the back corridor of the club and his Forsaken Riders jacket vanished from view.

She had never seen him before, and she had no clue as to what had just happened, but she knew one thing… She had to know more about him… And fast.