MASE

I heard the bass halfway down the street. The traffic of cars came from both sides. Saturday night at the club was always the same, but tonight would be different for me.

I’d be partying with my brothers for the last time.

Before sunrise, I would be out of here. It’s been a long time coming and nothing was going to stand in my way of getting out of this fucked up life.

The club.

I’d been in it since I could walk. When your father was the president you had no choice but be involved. I had no choice, until now.

My plan was to get out, my goal was stay gone forever.

I weaved through the cars and pulled through the gates. I parked my bike in the same place I always parked it. Removed my gloves and my helmet.

“Hey Mess,” I looked over my shoulder.

“Late to your own fucking party.” Red said. All brothers had nicknames. Red, with his fire engine red hair, was the most obvious. My nickname, Mess. I guess it's pretty self explanatory, too.

“Yeah. Yeah.” I shook my head as I climbed off my bike. “How’s this night of debauchery different than any other?”

“We’ll do it with some gusto.” He held out his hand.

I shook it and pulled him in for a hug.

“In your honor.” He said in my ear and chuckled.

I laughed and let him go.

We walked into the clubhouse together. Wall-to-wall people crammed into the main hall. I recognized most of them.

My dad and the older guys of our crew sat in a roped off area to the left playing poker. Tiny stood at the entrance like a bouncer summoning prospects and hot girls depending on what was requested.

I nodded.

He nodded back.

Tiny was a mean motherfucker. He stood six foot six inches and weighed somewhere around three twenty. If his size didn’t intimidate you, the constant snarl on his face would.

“Finally,” I heard my brother's voice, but couldn’t spot him. The dance floor parted like the Red Sea and he walked toward me with two shots in his hand.

Mathieson, or Mattie as we called him, had the same goofy look on his face he had since we were kids. He was my mini me. We could have been identical twins, same dark brown hair, and same deep-set eyes. While I wore my hair closely cropped, his was tousled all over his head. The definition of shaggy bedhead.

He handed me a shot and hugged me to him.

“Last chance to change your mind.” He said in my ear.

I placed a hand on his chest and glared.

“I know. I know.” He held the shot glass in front of him. “You have to do this.”

We clinked glasses and took the shot.

The clear liquid coated the back of my throat. I coughed.

“What the fuck was that?” I looked in the glass for a clue. Judging by the molten hot burning sensation working its way to my gut, it could have been gasoline for all I knew.

“Just a little moonshine Old man Jax cooked up for the special occasion.” Mattie coughed. His eyes watered.

“Fuck.” I blew out a hot breath. If a spark were anywhere close, I’d have set the place on fire. “Don’t fucking give me anything that old coot makes.”

Mattie giggled like a schoolgirl.

He stumbled as he walked backwards. Perhaps he'd imbibed more than his fair share of Jax's brew already.

I followed him further into the clubhouse. I nodded greetings to people as I passed and headed toward the bar near the back.

“Hey Mess.” Dollie, a regular scag to the club, stood behind the bar tending to the other partygoers.

I reached behind the bar and grabbed a bottle of water. I downed half of it to cool my throat. She slid into my arms and nuzzled my neck.

“Come find me later and I’ll give you your going away present.” She whispered in my ear.

I’d fucked her once. She’d been trying to get another piece, ever since. I didn’t do repeats. She knew it, still didn’t stop her from trying though.

Mattie pulled on my arm. I scooted out of Dollie's embrace and put the bar between us.

I grabbed two beers out of the fridge and handed one to Mattie.

I leaned back on the bar and scanned the crowd. I didn't see her, but I felt her.

The second she walked in, my chest tightened. The air quality changed, my mood changed, fuck the world changed when she was near me.

Mattie nudged my arm.

“Dude,” he sipped a beer. “Gracie looks hot tonight.”

I rolled my eyes at him. Grace always looked hot.

“I’m actually kind of glad you're leaving.” Mattie kept his eyes on Grace as she leaned over to whisper in one of her girl’s ears. She made her way over to the roped off area. She pulled something akin to a smile out of Tiny as she slid behind the ropes and gave my father a kiss on the cheek.

He had taken Grace in when she was thirteen, but we’d known her all her life. Her father was a founding member of the club, our tail gunner for years. He got killed in a bike accident. Grace’s mother left her after she was born, so all she had was the club. We treated her like a little sister. As she grew up we were relieved she wasn’t.

The dirty fucking thoughts I had alone would have put me in jail. It wasn’t my fault she grew into her ass and added the most perfect set of tits ever created on a female.

I pulled my eyes away and turned towards Mattie.

“You ready to get out of my shadow.” I grinned.

He frowned.

I guessed right.

“Naw.” He pointed toward Grace. “Now I have her all to myself.”

“You’ve always had her.”

“We both know that’s a lie.” He shook his head. “You leaving. It’s breakin her heart.”

I turned away and took a long drag off my beer. It broke my heart too, but not enough to change my mind. Not enough to stay.

Mattie looked up at me. His creepy grin spread across his face. He was done being serious.

“But, you know what?” He gripped my arm and squeezed. “I’ll be here to comfort that tight little ass.” He wiggled his eyebrow. “By morning, she’ll be saying, Mase who?”

He giggled as he grabbed my pecs.

I pushed him off of me.

“You’re an animal.” I laughed. Mattie could be an asshole, but he loved Grace like I did. She was one of us and we protect out own.

Mattie sniffed the area.

“Brother,” he said. “It smells like party time.”

I shook my head and followed him into the lounge.

Grace sat perched on the edge of a couch, talking to another brother’s old lady. When I walked in, she stopped and stared at me. I waited for it, the smile she reserved for me. It was like sunshine streaming through storm clouds on a rainy day. It warmed me in ways I'd never admit. She attempted it, but it didn’t quite make it before the sadness overtook her face again.

It didn’t subtract from her beauty. Her smooth brown skin set off the little pink dress she wore. She had the longest, sexiest legs and on top of those legs sat the most epic ass I had ever seen.

She grew into those tits at about sixteen. A sassy little attitude came out through those luscious lips about the same time; she was every teenage boy’s wet dream and mine to have if I wanted her. I did want her, badly, but I loved her too much to be with her knowing first chance I got, I would leave.

She tilted a bottle of water in my direction.

I saluted her the same way. Our eyes remained locked as we took a sip. She licked her lips and turned back to her conversation.

I adjusted the bulge in my pants and went to join Mattie and the guys.

“Mess.” My friends all sang in unison as I approached. It was the younger coalition of the club, J Dub (Joseph), Snatch (Thomas), YoYo (Jamie), Red (Michael) and D (Derrick). Although Mattie was technically a prospect, he was also the President's son. These jokers would take over the SouthEast Dragons some day. We all grew up together.

Some of their fathers were members, which gave them a certain legacy status, but we all had to come up in the ranks, we all were prospects at one time, now all lieutenants, except for Mattie. He would earn his cut soon enough. I was almost sorry I’d miss it.

I flopped on the coach and rested my foot on the coffee table.

A group of girls sauntered by wearing next to nothing and projecting easy pickings.

“Why you’d want to leave easy pussy is beyond me?” J Dub leered at the girls and cackled.

I smirked.

“Some of us don’t have issues getting laid in the real world, J Dub,” Snatch hit him on the arm. “Just you.”

"You should wait a week, you're going to miss the conference." YoYo said. The other guys laughed.

My father's brilliant idea to invite some of the other clubs in the area for a meet and greet had been in the works for months.

The kicker, some of the clubs, weren't like us. People throw labels around like outlaw gangs or one percenters. We were an organization. We had rules, a hierarchy, and bylaws. We had a hand in legit and not so legit enterprises.

"He invited the Legions of Guardians from Fairfax and Alexandria, but I heard their National President was riding down, too." J Dub nodded.

"I heard their ladies have their own club." YoYo stood up and sat down.

I shook my head and sipped my beer.

My father thought of himself as a leader among leaders, but he thought he could strong arm people into following him.

I'd heard about the Guardians. They had a reputation and some clout, but they weren't on our level.

Dollie sauntered over to us with a tray of shots in her hand. She leaned over the coffee table. We all leaned in as her tits dangled in front of us.

Our tongues hung out like horny twelve-year-old boys. They were tits, what did she expect?

I grabbed my shot and smelled it first.

Tequila.

I stood.

“Let me get this out before it get’s really crazy in here.” The guys forgot the chicks and forgot Dollie and her tits. They gave me their attention and their respect and I appreciated it more than they knew. It was part of the reason I had the strength to leave. Our connection went beyond the club.

Don’t tell my dad, thought.

I looked at each one of them. Mattie with his goofy schoolboy grin, J Dub with the baseball hat he took off. Snatch who should be modeling on some fucking runaway instead of stealing shit. I was at a loss for words. There was nothing I could say they didn’t already know.

“Thank you guys.” I said and nodded.

They all nodded back and downed their shot. I did the same.

“That’s it?” Derrick said with fake disgust on his face.

I laughed.

“Yeah, I though we were going to get a Oscar-worthy speech.” J Dub chimed in.

“Yeah, something like, I love you guys.” YoYo stood up and dramatically clutched his chest. “More than you'll ever know.”

“You are the wind beneath my wings.” Mattie sang as he draped himself on me.

“Shut the fuck up.” I pushed him back on the couch.

I cracked up along with the guys.

I grabbed my beer, but stopped mid sip when I spotted Grace moving around the perimeter of the room. She watched me intently.

While Matt tried every chance he got to get in her pants.

She always turned him down.

I never tried. Not because I didn’t want her. I did, I was afraid of her. Afraid of what she could do to my heart.

As it is she had a starring role in every one of my jerk off fantasies. I may have called a conquest or two by her name, but only when I was drunk.

I chuckled at myself.

She leaned against the wall and waited.

I took a drag of my beer and met her gaze.

She wanted to look away, but couldn’t. She squirmed as if I was holding her in place. I imagined her panties getting moist as she took me in. When I didn’t approach, she pouted, turned and headed toward the back stairs.

Grace was one of the few women who had free rein of the clubhouse. She had all the guys’ protection. Besides, if anyone laid a finger on her, they would lose the finger, along with the hand, and I’d rip their cock off and let them bleed out in the middle of the floor for days as an example for the others.

Don’t believe me. Try me.

“We ready to get stupid gentleman?” Mattie said as he took another shot.

“Matt," I pulled on his shirt. “Sit down for a second, I want to talk to you.”

“That’s our cue.” Derrick said.

“Listen, to him.” Red chuckled as he thumped his chest with his fist. “Brotherly advice straight from the heart.”

I flipped him off.

He walked over and planted himself in the middle of the bevy of young beauties.

I put an arm around Matt.

“You drunk?” I asked.

“Not quite.” He grinned.

“I need you to listen to me for a minute.” I said. I grabbed his knee and squeezed the tendons on the side. I used to do it all the time when we were kids and I wanted to annoy him. With Grace, I used to pinch her bicep and make it jump. Shit hurt like hell.

“Stop man.” He pushed my hand away. “I’m listening.”

“Be smart.” I pointed a finger in his face. “I won’t be around to bail you out any more. Promise me you’ll take care of yourself.”

Matt rolled his eyes.

“I’m serious, you little shit.” I reached for his knee again.

He flinched.

“I know. I get it.”

“Do you?” I tilted my head. “You don’t have to blindly follow everything Dad says. If you have a question or a bad feeling about something ask it, express it. Follow your gut.” I punched him in the gut. “You have a brain, use it. You have to show him that —”

“That I can execute, I know.” He waved his hand.

I grabbed his hand.

“No, he needs to know that you have the balls to stand up to him if he’s wrong.” I pointed at the crowd, “They want to see it too. You have their respect. Now be worthy of it.”

He scanned the crowd full of men mostly from our crew, a couple friendlies from other crews, their wives, girlfriends, and hangarounds.

“I believe in you, if this is what you want, you know I’ll always support you.” I placed a hand on his shoulder. “If you need anything call and I’ll come right back, okay.”

He nodded slowly, blinked his eyes, and turned away.

He wiped his face and flipped his floppy hair back on top of his head and there it was.

The goofy grin I knew and loved.

It was the last time I would see my little brother for a while. My chest tightened. Before it got any more awkward and we started crying like a couple of pussies, I stood up.

He stood, too.

“Now go, get drunk, get laid.” I ushered him out into the party.

He gave me quick hug. “I love you Mase.” He let go and disappeared in the crowd.

I headed for the back stairs.

I had one more goodbye to survive and then I was out of here.