CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Saturday was one of the best days T-Bear had in a long time.
He woke with Manda in his arms, which meant the first thing he did was smile. The second thing was slide his hand under his tee, the one she now wore to sleep in, and palm her warm, silky ass. The third was to pull her up over him, warm and sleepy, and introduce her to his morning wood.
Turned out she liked being woke up with his fingers between her legs. He rolled her onto her back and fucked her nice and slow and sweet. She liked that even better, and so did he.
After that, he headed off to work. JJ's wasn't open but one Saturday a month, but this was that day.
On his bike, because even early on this March morning, the weather was fine, sunny and smelling of dirt and growing things. Little puffy clouds in a blue sky overhead, the sun just peeking over the Idaho mountains to the east. It felt real good to be riding with the wind in his beard.
At JJ's, a Caddy with Seattle plates was parked in front of the shop, and the lights were on inside. Since he recognized the car, T didn't suspect a burglary in progress or anything, but he was plenty worried. He parked his bike, Moke pulled in beside him. They exchanged a look, and without a word, walked into JJ's office.
JJ's daughter Lateesha sat in the office chair, wearing one of her fancy suits, this one pale pink. Her black hair was braided and rolled up on her head, and she wore full makeup. As they came in, she stood, her face stern.
T's heart nearly stopped. "What?" he demanded without a greeting. Moke stood silently beside him. “He gonna be okay?”
She looked from T to Moke, and back again. Then she smiled slowly. "You really care about him, don't you?"
"Fuck, yeah," Moke said, and T nodded. "JJ's... he's special."
Her smile grew, white teeth gleaming, eyes sparkling. Then she lifted her hands in the air. "Then you'll appreciate the news. Dad's going to be fine."
"No shit?" T blew out a long breath, feelings swirling. "What's wrong with him?"
"Well, it's not cancer," she said. "He has hyperthyroidism, which means his thyroid gland is overactive . Symptoms are irritability, headaches, weight loss, and extreme fatigue."
Both T and Moke were nodding at this list. All symptoms they’d watched JJ suffer. "Treatable, though, right?" Moke asked.
"Very," she agreed. "Dad will begin taking the meds right away. But, he's also been prescribed lots of rest. At his age... the doctors will be monitoring him carefully. So he won't be in to work for a while."
She eyed them with brows raised in challenge. "Think you can handle the place?"
"'Course we can," T said. "We got this. Long as he needs to rest, you tell him not to worry."
She smiled softly, and a little sadly. "What I’ll be telling him is that it's time for him to let this place go, and retire. Take in more car shows, go fishing, that kind of thing. Enjoy life. I don't want to alarm you, but I would expect that by summer, this place will be up for sale."
"We might have somethin' to say about that," Moke said. "Appreciate if you give us first notice, before you put it on the market. If that's the way things go."
Her brows went up again, this time in surprise. "Really? Well, that is good news. I know Dad would hate to see this place closed down."
"Yeah, we don't need another fuckin' chain outfit in town," T said. "JJ's is a local institution."
She smiled again, this time broadly. "I'll tell him you said so."
T snorted. "Might wanna hold on that. Likely just piss him off."
"Yes, now it probably would," she agreed, grabbing her purse from the desk. "I am looking forward to the meds kicking in, and lifting his moods—hopefully a great deal."
"Only way for his mood to go is up," Moke pointed out dryly.
The three of them shared a chuckle. Then Lateesha held out her hand to each of them, shook, and walked briskly out to her car. They watched her drive away, and then they got to work, to keep the place running for JJ.
Saturday night, T was ready to party.
He called Manda and told her to order up a couple of extra-large pizzas. She asked if they could have salad with that, and he told her to order whatever, he and Moke were buying.
The weekends always brought a crowd to the Flyers' clubhouse. With the fine week he'd had, a woman in his bed and JJ feeling better, T-Bear was glad to see every one of his brothers and their women, and the various friends of the club who wandered in.
Pete and Rocker were there, and both brought their ladies. Manda was a little shy with the sisters, but T was pleased to see they took her right into their circle.
Moke was there, alone as usual, but he had his eye on a new gal with long black hair in a red dress.
Keys Younger rolled in, laid back as always with his silver hair in a braid and his pretty redhead Kit Weeks on his arm. She somehow managed to look both sexy and weird in a low-cut purple flowered top, her tight jeans tucked into bright yellow cowgirl boots. She was wearing a necklace that looked sort of like one of them slave collars.
T didn't care about the jewelry and shit women liked to hang on themselves but seeing Kit did make him wonder if Manda liked jewelry. She never wore any, but then maybe her ex-hole had taken that too.
That was okay, T would buy her some new stuff. He'd take her shopping after he got his next paycheck, and get her a pretty necklace to wear. One that he could look at and know he gave her that.
"Idaho's here," someone called to the newcomers. "Part of 'em, anyway."
"Hey, Keys.” Rocker lifted an arm in greeting. "Good to see you, brother. Gotta tell you though, Kit's so pretty these days she makes you look ugly."
"Nah," Keys returned with a smile. "She makes me look smart as hell to catch her."
Kit gave him a kiss and moved off to greet her bestie, Sara, Stick's woman.
Keys grabbed a beer and pulled out a chair. "Where's Moran?" Pete asked.
"Probably still at Stingers," Keys said. "Then he'll be home for the night. Got a baby on the way, and all Lindi wants to do after work at her BeeHive cafe is sleep."
"Whoa," Pete said. "Just opened the new supper club, and now they’re gonna have a kid too? I remember when the twins were little. They're gonna forget what sleep feels like."
"Nah, 'cause they have Remington as manager. He knows the restaurant biz inside and out." He said this with quiet pride, which T got, as Remi Redhawk was the third member of Keys'... what, triple? Trio? Whatever, it worked for them, so it was fine with T and the rest of the brothers.
"How's your business goin'?" T asked. "Doing any good rebuilds now?"
"Yeah, a '69 'Cuda." Keys told them about the car and the owner's plans for it.
Talk moved on to motorcycles, and kinda downhill from there as the beer, whiskey and tequila flowed, and a few joints were passed around.
"See you got a new woman?" Keys asked T, with a friendly smile for Manda, who helped Streak serve up a couple of fresh pitchers of Pete's beer, and stopped to let T give her a kiss.
She went off with the ladies again, which he liked 'cause he knew she was happy and safe from anyone hitting on her.
"Yep," T said happily. "My honey girl. She's somethin'."
"Only one question," Rocker said, shaking his head sadly. "What the fuck does she see in you, Bear?"
The others all laughed uproariously. T flipped them off, and then slammed his fist on the table, making the glassware jump. "She's hot for me. Why, just this mornin', she told me I got sexy armpits."
There was a second of silence at their table as his brothers digested this.
Then Pete, scowling like Thor in battle, leapt out of his chair. "The hell?" the big blond biker demanded, and ripped open his western shirt, hauling it off along with his cut. "This, this is what sexy armpits look like."
He flexed his muscular arms, and feminine catcalls were heard from the ladies' table. T laughed so hard he snorted beer up his nose.
Pete turned to face the women. "Yeah? Yeah? Now that's what sexy looks like, ain't it, ladies?"
"Rocker, show 'em, lover!" Billie shrieked.
Rocker shook his head, and T-Bear and Moke began pounding the table. "Rocker, Rocker."
With a sigh, the dark-haired biker climbed to his feet, dispensed with his cut, and then his long sleeved tee. He was leaner than Pete, but no less cut, with dark hair curling on his chest.
"T-Bear, get up!" Manda called. "Show these guys who's the boss."
"The pit boss!" Lesa yelled. Billie high-fived her, and all the women dissolved in laughter.
"Well, if you're gonna do this, do it right," Keys said, pointing at the open area near the old ladies' table. "Get over there. You get sixty seconds to flex, then they gotta vote."
"Here we come, baby," T hollered to Manda. He followed Rocker and Pete over to the open area.
Pete struck a dramatic pose that had the women giggling like teenagers.
Rocker took another stance.
T moved forward to clasp his hands behind his head, suck in his abs and wink at Manda. She fanned herself dramatically with her hands, her brown eyes eating him up. Which meant his biceps weren't the only part of him flexing.
By now everyone in the big room was watching, other men calling insults, women whistling and applauding. There were a few smart phones out too, flashes going off.
"Put 'em down!" Bouncer roared. "Stinkin' the whole club up."
"That's you, Bounce," Rocker called back. "I smell sexy as fuck!"
The women shrieked their approval of this.
Keys moved to flank the three bikers, hands out for quiet. "Okay, vote!" he hollered. "Pete."
Lesa shot her hands in the air, and made a kissy face at Pete, giggling. A couple of unattached women raised their hands in the crowd, but Keys ignored them
"Rocker."
Billie shot to her feet, waving both hands, giving Rocker a look that would melt steel.
"T-Bear!"
Manda climbed onto her chair, both hands in the air. Her soft brown eyes were alight with heat and laughter, and she gave T-Bear a special little smile that said they both knew how much she liked what he was showing her.
"We need a tie-breaker" Keys called. "Who we got? Has to be an old lady of the club."
He looked to Darlene and Velvet at a table with their men. Snake gave Darlene a glare that had her shaking her head quickly.
Velvet just laughed and waved her smart-phone. "I can't vote, I'm busy recording this for club history," she announced.
"Great idea," Lesa called back. "I want copies!"
T was ready to grab Manda and another beer, but Billie, Manda and Lesa were adamant. They wanted a winner.
"Sara!" They decided. The first old lady, who'd been relaxing with a drink, laughing at the three guys, looked horrified.
"No, I can't vote!" she protested.
"You have to," Kit told her. "You're the first old lady, shit like this is your job."
Sara gave her a dirty look. Then she smiled craftily, and stood, holding up her hands for quiet. "Okay, here's my vote. Pete, one-third of a point. Rocker and T-Bear, each receive one-third of my vote too."
"Boo!" Lesa called loudly.
"Stick!" Kit called as the Flyers' president strolled into the room. "You break the tie."
Stick merely gave her a look of incredulous disgust and shook his head. Then he grabbed a bottle from a table, Sara's hand in the other, and pulled her to her feet. "I got better things to do. Like my woman."
Snake and a few other brothers whistled and stomped at this.
"Rocker, you can still win!" Billie called. "Show 'em your ass, handsome."
The Flyers' vice-president gave her a slow grin. "Baby, I can only do that if you want 'em all to see my cock, 'cause your sexy, drunk cheerleader routine's got me ready to go. C'mere, an' we'll go find someplace where I can show my appreciation."
Her eyes widened, and she turned a pretty shade of dusky rose, but she shot out of her chair and went to him.
"Now there's an idea," Pete said, eying his woman. "I feel like a winner." Lesa blushed just like her sister, but she crooked her finger, beckoning him to her.
"Me too," T agreed, and headed for Manda, who was still standing on her chair. He forgot his shirt where he'd dropped it, but then so did Rocker and Pete.
T was interrupted in his progress when a slim redhead inserted herself in his path. Tossing her hair back, she gave him a sultry look and put her hand on his groin. Whoa. "Hey, big guy. That was hot. Want me to show you how hot?"
He recognized her. Misti was a friend of Krystelle's. The two of them had put on a strip show here at the club one memorable night. Didn't matter, he wasn't interested.
"Nope." He pulled her hand off of his junk. Manda was scowling at the other woman's back, looking ready to leap off her chair and take the redhead down—which he wouldn't mind seeing, but not right now. "Got a woman, and even if I didn't, don't like bitches who hang out with lyin', thievin' bitches."
Her face turned red and she shoved away through the crowd.
He didn't watch her go. He made his way to Manda, and put his hands on her waist, soft and firm. "Jump on, honey girl," he invited.
She did, her arms around his neck, her thighs clasping his hips, and her eyes full of heat and laughter.
"You should've won," she told him.
"Where I'm standing, I did," he replied, and started walking, carrying her through the crowd of Flyers and friends like they weren't even there. And it was true, especially when he got her into his bedroom.
Then, it was winner take all.