Chapter Six
A couple of weeks later
“I know there’s been a lot of talk lately about Adele, and what she means to me.” Rock paused and looked at all of his men. He’d made sure that Adele came to the clubhouse as much as possible. It hadn’t been all that long for their relationship to flourish, but he wasn’t a guy who took his time to make a decision. From the moment he first saw Adele, he knew he wanted her, and to hell with anyone who tried to stop him. “She’s going to be my old lady. Now, if some of you have a problem with that, then speak up.”
“She’s the cleaner,” Nails said.
“I love her.” He made sure to stare at each man in turn. “Not once has she ever judged you.”
“She’s not part of our club,” another said.
“I’ve got no problem with her. Since she’s been doing the cleaning and laundry I no longer got itchy balls.” This made a few of the men laugh.
“She’ll belong to me. I’m letting you guys know because I intend for her to be in my life for the rest of it. I love her, and I love my club. I’m not letting either of them go.”
“Make sure she’s ready for the claws from the women,” Nails said.
“Adele will handle them, and any other problem, I’ll deal with.” When no one voiced their concerns, he slammed down the gavel.
All of his men, apart from Nails, left.
Tapping his knuckles on the desk, he waited until they were alone before looking at his man. “What is it?”
“It’s not like you to come to the club first. Did you expect to be voted out, or us to complain about your choice of woman?” Nails asked.
“You pointed out that she’s the cleaner.”
“The guys were looking confused. They’re not used to learning women’s names.” Nails smirked as he spoke. “She’s not been with anyone else in the club.”
“I know.” Rock liked that he was the only one she’d been with.
Adele belonged to him.
Glancing across at the clock, he saw it was time to go and meet her.
“I’m going to head out to see her. Call me if you need me.” They’d not long been on a gun run, so he doubted he’d be needed by the club. Getting to his feet, he made his way outside and paused.
There, leaning against his bike, was Pam. She was a club whore. He’d not been with her in a long time, and he wasn’t interested in getting into anything with her.
“Hey, handsome,” she said. “I thought you’d like some company.”
“Not interested.” He went to his bike and straddled his machine.
She reached out, touching his arm. “Come on. You must remember how much I love to suck your cock.”
He tore her hand away from him. “Not going to happen, so don’t for a second think there was anything between us. There never was, and never will be.”
“Wow, you’re really going to pick a cleaner over me?”
Rock rolled his eyes. “I’d never have picked you, Pam.”
He started up his bike and made his way toward Adele’s place. She was pulling into her drive as he came in behind her.
By the time she climbed out of her car, he was already pulling her in for a kiss.
“I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.” She laughed. “Not that I’m complaining.”
She kissed him back, and then headed toward her home. He followed behind her, waiting in her sitting room as she finished with her business for the day.
Within ten minutes she was back, a bottle of beer in her hand and a smile on her face. “What’s going on?”
“I had church today.”
“You didn’t strike me as a religious man.”
He burst out laughing. “It’s not an actual church. A club meeting.”
“Oh. I must sound so stupid to you.”
“Not stupid, not at all.” He reached out, pushing some of her hair off her shoulder.
“What was your meeting about?” she asked.
“You.”
“Me?”
“Yep. There’s something I want to ask you, and I want you to think about it.”
“O-kay. I’m kind of nervous now.” She sipped at her beer, and he watched her.
“I want you to be my old lady.” Silence met his words, and he looked over at her. She was biting her lip. “You do remember what an old lady is?”
“I remember. She’s like a wife, right? Does that mean you’re proposing to me?” she asked.
“Not yet. I want you to be my old lady, but that also means that I do want you to be my wife. Some day. To the club it means that you’re my woman. It’s like us being married. They’ll consider you my woman, and will lay their lives down for yours.”
Her mouth was open, and she looked shocked.
“I had no idea. You had to ask your guys if you could?” she asked.
“I wanted them to know that was what I was going to do. This means something to me.”
“I—you’re going to have to tell me about everything. I don’t want to be in the dark.” She leaned back on the sofa, resting her head in her hand, watching him.
“You don’t need to do that,” he said.
“I want to do that. I want to know everything about you, and how everything works, Rock. Go out with me Saturday. You can teach me everything.”
“You’re asking me out on a date?” he asked.
“Yes.”
“What about my question?”
“About the old lady thing?”
He nodded.
“Yes. I want to know everything about you, Rock. I’ll be your old lady, but you can’t let me screw this up. All of your guys will be laughing at me if I mess up. I need to know all the lingo.” He groaned, which served to raise another chuckle out of her. “This is going to be a lot of fun.”
“I want to put all my cards on the table.”
“Go on.”
“I fucked a couple of the women at the club.”
“I know.”
“I’ve not touched them since you began working for me. I’m not going to.”
“You want to be exclusive?” she asked.
“Yes.”
“Damn, I’m going to have to phone all of my boyfriends now. They’re going to be so disappointed.”
“You’re a tease,” he said, reaching out to cup the back of her neck, drawing her close to him.
“You love it.”
He did.
He loved her.
****
Being Rock’s old lady was … different. Adele stared at the jacket he had specially designed for her that told the world she belonged to Rock. She stood in front of the mirror and twirled, trying to check out the name.
“I think you look sexy,” Rock said.
She turned suddenly, having not heard him come in. “You scared me.”
He leaned against the door frame, his impressive arms folded as he watched her. “Sorry. I did call out when I came in. I thought you were in the shower, and I wanted to come and join you.”
Just thinking about their last time in the shower had Adele going wet.
Turning toward him, she held her arms out. “Do you think this suits me?”
“I think you look so sexy.” He moved from the door toward her, pulling her into his arms. Rock grabbed her ass, squeezing. “I love your ass.”
“You keep saying that.”
She pulled away and held him at arm’s length.
“You’re nervous?”
“Yeah, I’m nervous. I don’t have to wear this jacket any other time, and yet now I am, and other bikers are coming. There’s this whole big thing, and it’s out of town. I’m scared.”
Rock chuckled.
He’d come to her earlier in the week with the jacket, telling her about a big biker party out of town. Being his “old lady” she didn’t really have much of a choice. Now, being with him at his clubhouse was fine. She loved his men and the club. The women were not so great, but she liked the other old ladies she’d had the pleasure of meeting.
This wasn’t a small get-together.
From what Rock had told her, this was a big kind of rally where bikers raced each other. There was a lot of money at stake, and he wanted his woman by his side. It wasn’t good if his woman wasn’t there.
“There’s no need to be scared. You’re my woman. The club won’t let you out of their sight.”
“And if they do?”
“Then don’t leave our side, Adele. No one’s going to hurt you.”
She wrapped her arms around the back of his neck and sighed. “I’m being a stick in the mud.”
“No, you’re being you.”
He claimed a kiss. Her eyes closed, and she released a little moan. How did he do that? How did he make her feel all of these things, and then some more?
In such a short time, he’d gotten underneath her skin, made her think about him every single moment while working. She couldn’t not think of him. He was everywhere.
Being his old lady, she didn’t care about the title. All she wanted was to see him happy.
“Let’s get this show on the road. Huh?”
“Can I tempt you to stay in?” She ran her hands down his body, and he caught her wrist with a groan.
“Every other day you can tempt me to stay here with the offer of your sweet thighs.”
“Not today?”
“Nope, not today. Even if I was ill, puking my guts up, I’ve got to go. Being the Prez of my club, I’ve got no choice but to be there for my men. It’s a strength thing.”
“Even if you were puking your guts up?”
“It would show that no matter what, no one is ever taking my club or my town.”
The seriousness of his answer startled her.
“I don’t want you to be afraid.”
“You’re under threat every single day?”
“Yes. There are those clubs that seek to take every single town, other turfs. It can’t be helped. This is the life I chose.”
“I don’t recall there ever being trouble here,” she said.
“I don’t let it touch the town. Everything I do is out of town.”
Adele had never thought about the seriousness of what he did, and now she was freaking terrified. Claire had warned her that as her job being an old lady, she had to show a united front with Rock. These kinds of get-togethers were few and far between, but the fact of the matter was, it happened.
He cupped her cheek. “You’ve got nothing to be afraid of. I promise.”
She took hold of his wrist. “You know, I was thinking I should wear this jacket to some of the jobs I work at. I think it would cause quite a stir.”
He laughed. “Anyone causing you any problems?”
“Nah, they don’t mess with me. I’d sue their ass.” She stepped away from him. “Let’s get this party on the road.”
Rock took her hand, and led her outside. She noticed several of the neighbors were out, looking down the road.
Following their gaze, her own eyes could have dropped out. The club was on bikes, waiting for their Prez.
“They couldn’t go on ahead?” she asked.
“Nope. I’m their leader. They won’t go anywhere without me.” Rock climbed onto his machine. “Come on, baby, let’s get this show on the road.”
Biting her lip, she really didn’t know what to say. The club looked … menacing.
Straight away she spotted Claire, who gave her a wave.
Adele felt very weak, giving a nervous wave back.
I’m fine.
Everything is fine.
Climbing onto the back of Rock’s bike, she wrapped her arms around him.
Some of the kids were waving and screaming.
You can do this, Adele.
Rock started his bike, and then they were moving, heading toward the front of the men. Several of the bikers nodded at Rock. Claire gave her a big smile. Pam, the woman who had fucked Rock for some time, just glared at her. Adele was used to the other woman’s animosity. In all fairness, she’d come out of nowhere and taken Rock. She wasn’t even part of the lifestyle.
He was in her bed every single night, and if they weren’t at her place, they were at the club.
She had fallen in love with the man she’d come to know.
The Prez was just one side of him. She got every single part. When he was with his boys, he didn’t play or tease. There was a seriousness to him.
But the moment she got him alone, that was when the man he saved for her came out.