Chasing Down Changes (Moroad Motorcycle Club) (21 page)

"Oh." She moistened her lips. "Where would you take me?"

"Upstairs."

She laughed. "Here I thought you'd take me somewhere else."

"Is that what you want?"

"Maybe." She ran her hands down the back of his vest, under his T-shirt, until she found bare, warm skin. "We've never gone out since you came back, and going to meetings at the motel doesn't count."

"I'll take you out soon." He kissed her. "Tonight, I want you to stay in this room. Don't go back with the girls during the different sets and stay in my view."

"I have to go back with them." The warmth of knowing there would be a future date on the town with Jeremy fizzled. "I always help Shari, so she can stay out front and run the show."

"Not anymore." Jeremy cupped the side of her neck, tilted her face, and stroked her cheek. "I've asked Lola to come over and help out in the back for a while."

"She is
not
working for me." Tiff pulled away from Jeremy.

He tugged her back and held on tight. "No, she's working for me."

"Why?" Her stomach soured, and she pressed her hand against her chest.

She hated the fact that one woman ruined her whole mood. To have Jeremy rely on Lola to do Tiff's job only ate away at her and became impossible to ignore. His decision, one he never consulted her about, was solely responsible for the doubts she had about him. When would he realize how much easier their life would be if Lola had nothing to do with them?

"I meant to tell you about the changes earlier, and you distracted me." He looked up and scanned the hallway. "I'll fill you in after you close the building for the night."

"Just answer me one thing. Why Lola?" She grabbed his vest, stopping him from moving away.

He opened his mouth, and Shari clapped her hands getting everyone's attention. That was Tiff's signal to open for business.

She glared at Jeremy as if he had everyone working against her. "I have to open the doors."

He stepped out of her way. She walked past him, strung tight and in no mood to watch the crowd for the next five hours. Lola better stay out of her sight, because if she had to deal with the woman in her current bad mood, someone was going to get hurt and it wasn't going to be her.

She was done letting Lola push her around.

The faces of eager men coming to spend their time watching the dancers greeted her. She toed the door stopper and stood at the entrance smiling, saying hi to those she knew, and welcoming those who were new to Silver Girls.

After fifteen minutes, she closed the door and caught Shari's attention. She nodded, giving the signal to dim the lights. The closer they stuck to the schedule for the night, the more organized and relaxed the men stayed. If they waited too long, customers tended to wander which put the women upstairs at risk, even with the door and alarm set.

The lights dimmed, the music came on, and Tiff worked her way along the back wall to stand in her usual spot with a view of the whole room. Johnson and Merk flanked her. She gazed up at them both and then spotted Jacko by the front door. All the Moroad members wore their signature jean vests.

"It appears the rule about taking off your vest inside the building doesn't apply to Moroad members anymore," she said, knowing Jeremy had something to do with the changes.

Johnson leaned toward her. "It's good to have you back with the club, sweetheart."

She glared at Johnson. "I belong to Jeremy, not the club. Never have, never will."

"Take it for what it is, Tiff. You livened things up back in the day." Johnson crossed his arms. "We've never turned away from you."

"You're full of shit," she whispered loud enough for him to hear her over the music. "You and all the others don't say a word to me in fifteen-fucking-years of visiting Silver Girls every week, and you act as if you've had my back the entire time. Maybe Jeremy believes you, but I don't. I lived without Moroad."

"Why don't you two shut up." Merk motioned with his chin. "See the badge over in the corner? The dark haired asshole?"

She scanned the faces on the other side of the room and found the man. "Is that the new deputy?"

"Yeah." Merk's eye twitched. "Let him do his job and stay away from him. If he speaks to you, I want you to look at one of the Moroad members, and one of us will take you away. Do not leave this room, not even with one of the women."

"Jeremy already told me." She half turned and faced Merk. "What's wrong with him?"

"That's for Jeremy to tell you about." Merk's gaze stayed on the stage.

She studied Jeremy's uncle. The years had been kind to him. Still handsome, still strong. Obviously, Desiree's love for him only benefitted his life. Merk was one of the few members that stayed out of prison after claiming a woman.

"Do you plan on being an uncle to Jeremy?" she asked.

Merk rolled his lips over his teeth. She waited because after all these years she had no idea if Jeremy opened himself up and got to know his uncle. Last she witnessed, Jeremy avoided Merk, and his uncle was a hard, unforgiving felon.

"I think it's a little late for me to take him on a fishing trip." Merk turned, and his gaze softened. "We have a relationship. The only kind we both know. Now he's my president."

She pursed her lips. Merk gave her nothing, and she knew better than to push for answers.

The music stopped. The women waiting in the hallway came out and replaced those on the stage. At the start of the next song, Katie motioned for all the men to stand as she paraded back and forth.

For a second, pandemonium broke out. Highly aware of the crowd, Tiff pressed her back against the wall. Unable to see the women, she was confident that Shari watched the customers from the front.

The Silver Girls dancers worked the front of the stage within an arm-length away from the men, giving them an up-close and personal view of their bodies. House rules, along with the presence of bikers, enforced a strict 'no touching' rule toward the dancers. The skimpy sequined top, thong, and high heels sufficient enough to excite everyone in attendance.

The three women who served drinks and delivered them to the tables continuously moved around the room making sure everyone had what they wished.

A whistle shrilled the room from her right. She turned and caught Sawyer's flirtatious smile. She grinned and shook her head. One of the friendlier Bantorus Motorcycle Club members, Sawyer hung out weekly at the club and made sure the Bantorus women made it home safely. She'd grown to enjoy talking to him while they waited after closing. His interest ranged from midwifery to restoring classic cars, a mix she found adorable. She was surprised one of the ladies hadn't tied him down yet.

Despite her misgivings of the hours slowly ticking by, the night flew right along as she enjoyed the music, the routines, and the rowdy customers obviously enjoying their drinks and the entertainment. Her phone vibrated in her hand, and she looked down at the screen, surprised to find that it was time for the last routine. She gazed around looking for Jeremy and couldn't find him.

Suddenly tired, the ache in her toes from her shoes showed up. She moved forward, excusing herself through the crowd, knowing exactly where she'd find Jeremy. All night, she hadn't seen Lola and suspected Jeremy kept her in the back room out of her sight.

"Excuse me." She patted Gene's arm and scooted in front of him, ducking to stay out of his view of the girls.

She made a straight shot to the hallway, ducked around the corner, and practically walked right into Lola. Her shoulders went back. Lola was alone.

"You're not supposed to be back here," said Lola.

Tiff crossed her arms. "You have a habit of telling me where I should and shouldn't go. Considering I own this building, I think it'd be best to keep your attention to whatever job Jeremy hired you for and away from me. I don't need an excuse to kick your skinny ass out of here."

Lola inhaled deeply. "Listen, Tiff. I'm only—"

"Save it." Tiff feigned boredom. "I'm not here to get into anything with you. I'm looking for Jeremy. It's almost time to close."

"He left a few minutes ago out the back." Lola touched Tiff's arm and pulled back when she jolted. "Please, go back to the main room."

Unlike the Moroad men, Lola, at least, seemed to talk more. There were only a few minutes left and she'd need to go open the door and see people out.

"All of this extra precaution because there's a new deputy here tonight." Tiff shook her head. "Maybe it's not me everyone should be worried about, seeing as how I don't have a criminal record as long as my arm."

"You're Moroad and a female." Lola lowered her voice. "Sometimes that's enough to receive extra protection."

Tiff harshly laughed. "Never needed protection. I can take care of myself."

Her phone vibrated. Finished slinging words with Lola, she left the hallway and walked through the crowd as the music stopped. Jostled by a chair, she stumbled and reached out to catch her balance.

Two hands grabbed her waist, and she let go of the arm she'd grabbed. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

The new deputy smiled at her. He had nice teeth. His hair, cut short in a military style, fit his square face. Friendly enough, she wondered if the deputy's newness to Federal made Jeremy leery because the cop seemed normal to her.

"Not a problem." He let go of her. "We haven't met yet. I'm Deputy Jay Williams."

"I'm Tiff, the owner of Silver Girls. It's nice to meet you." She nodded, walking backward toward the door. "I'm sorry again about bumping into you, but I need to open the doors before everyone gets the urge to leave at the same time."

"I understand." Deputy Williams lowered his chin. "Nice show you offer your customers."

"Thank you." She escaped and opened both glass doors, letting in the cool air.

Men, pumped up on testosterone, started walking out to the sidewalk. More than likely each man would go home to their wife or girlfriend and reenact what they saw tonight in their head while having sex in the missionary position.

By the time the last customer walked out the door, goosebumps covered her arms. She rubbed warmth back into her skin, locked up, and found Johnson, Merk, Jacko, and Jeremy waiting for her.

She walked into their conversation, waited for a lull, and said, "Are the women gone already?"

"Get upstairs." Jeremy lifted his chin. "Merk will walk you up."

"Uh, why can't you walk me up?" She glanced around at the serious faces. "What's going on?"

"You snuck out of the room. You fucking talked to Deputy Williams in a standing crowd where my men couldn't get to you fast enough if something happened. You went against what I ordered." He stalked toward her. "Merk will take you upstairs, because if I take you, I'm going to beat your ass until you can't sit for the rest of the week. Now, get the fuck out of my sight and go upstairs."

She backed away from him, skirting the others. Not waiting for Merk or anyone to help her, she hurried up the stairs. Unlocking the door, she scrambled inside, re-locked the door, and hurried to the suite.

Marci peeked her head out of her room. "Good show?"

She nodded and opened her mouth, but the rant on the tip of her tongue refused to come out.

Marci stepped out into the hallway, barefooted with a short nightgown on, and pushed back her loose hair. "What's wrong?"

She shook her head. "Nothing."

"Don't give me that. You look freaked out. Did something happen downstairs? Was there a fight?" Marci rubbed Tiff's arms. "You're freezing."

"I can't do this." She clamped her lips together.

Marci hummed in sympathy. "Do what, honey?"

She blinked back the tears. There was a fine line between employee-employer-friend. She never crossed over and relied on Marci for anything but work related tasks. For how much she wanted a sympathetic ear, she couldn't share club business or how Jeremy had embarrassed and humiliated her in front of his MC brothers.

She'd had enough of Jeremy's orders. He expected her to stand back while he pushed Lola toward her, ordered the overbearing Moroad members to protect her when they hadn't supported her for the last fifteen years, and she was expected to bend over backward and be happy with the changes.

"I'm going to bed." She turned and opened the door to the suite. "I'll see you in the morning."

"Hey, Tiff." Marci lowered her voice. "If I can't help you, can I find Jeremy for you and have him come up and be with you?"

"No." She stood straighter. "I don't need him."

She slipped into the suite, shut the door, and sat on the sofa. For the first time since buying the Sterling Building and opening the upstairs to prostitution, she had serious thoughts of quitting.

Moroad and the sheriff's department would always be in each other's business. Lola was Jeremy's baggage he took everywhere. She swiped the tear rolling down her cheek. In such a short time, the freedom of running her own business was wiped away with one gruff order.

A
n empty whiskey bottle rocked on the table. Jeremy stopped tapping his foot on the floor and straightened in the chair. After sending Tiff to the suite, he had no desire to go upstairs and talk to her.

Apparently, Merk, Johnson, and Jacko were in no hurry to leave, because they passed him the whiskey and sat down in the Sterling Building. Their change of plans probably saved him from chewing out Tiff over the shit that went down tonight.

She had to understand the danger surrounding her were real. He'd given her strict instructions. Instructions anyone could follow, and she'd gone behind his back and put herself at risk. Not once, but twice.

He crossed his arms. "How the hell did Tiff keep the Red Light business away from Bantorus when they're here all the fucking time with the dancers?"

"Close as we can figure, she bided her time. Hell, she cleaned the upstairs rooms for Risa since she was in high school and Risa let the dancers rent the rooms. She became friends with everyone, studied the ins and outs on how Bantorus worked, how Moroad worked and was able to devise a plan to keep everyone's nose out of her business. It wasn't until six months ago that we suspected something else going on when Pack ran into one of the women coming out of the doctor's office up the street and played twenty questions while putting the moves on her." Merk exhaled. "All of Cam's investigation afterward still didn't clue us in on what Tiff was doing."