Honey Whiskey (A Bastards MC Novel) (22 page)

There was a stretch Lincoln Navigator parked
in front of our building and my three companions were standing on
the sidewalk, chatting with the driver as I walked down the stone
steps. I knew my face must reflect my shock at such an obtrusive
vehicle, but Rocker ignored it as he walked to me and offered me
his arm once more, leading me to the car. He stepped into the limo
in front of me and then turned back, offering me his hand, and
pulled me up.

I paused once I was inside,
surprised by how big the car really was. There was a long, curvy
black bench seat down the left side of the vehicle that curled into
a cozy love seat at the back. On the right side, across from the
seat, a bar. Rob sat in the first seat and tugged me down next to
him. The seat was soft, subtle leather, and I sighed as I sank into
luxury. Hawk helped his date climb up into the cabin, laughing and
joking as they took seats. We’d barely pulled out onto the road
before Hawk moved towards the bottles, grabbing one and filling a
glass. He took a single sip before holding it out to me. I shook my
head. Alcohol was the last thing I needed.

Hawk didn't pull it away, but
arched an eyebrow instead. "Trust me, L.K. you'ah gonna need it to
get through tonight."

Chapter 21

Jo

Hawk had been right. I had needed
a drink to calm my nerves. We got stuck in a long line of limos and
waited almost half an hour for our turn to be dropped off. The time
gave me a chance to watch Hawk and his date Tabby. They looked so
comfortable together that it made me miss Matty. Hawk surprised me
at every turn—tonight he was attentive, cuddly, and looked at Tabby
with eyes full of love.

The term chubby subby seemed even
more obnoxious now. Yes, she was chubby; but no bigger than I’d
been a few years ago, so she maybe wore a sixteen. She looked
exquisite in a black mermaid style gown that clung to the top half
of her body, showing off an incredible hourglass figure, and then
flared out into gorgeous skirts. It was the subby part I was having
trouble buying, because she was the furthest thing from submissive.
In fact, the way Hawk fawned over her, one would think he’d be the
sub.

Our car finally dropped us in
front of a group of men with cameras. Rob just shrugged when I
asked about them, but Tabby, Hawk’s date, laughed and told me that
they were always outside events like this, hoping to catch a
celebrity in the mix. They took our pictures as we walked in,
talking to Rob and asking about me, but he only smiled before
guiding me into the building.

I couldn’t begin to remember all
the faces and names of people I was introduced to. While I was
chatting with a very sweet woman in her sixties, I saw a man in
dress blues grab Hawk and yank him into a hug. I turned to Rob,
eyebrows raised. He leaned in, close enough so no one else could
hear him, and explained, “Hawk’s dad, the Superintendent-in-Chief
of Boston’s finest.” I watched them closely, surprised to see how
happy he looked to see Hawk, and how he genuinely seemed like a
proud papa. So, Hawk’s dad was a cop? Not at all what I
expected.

The surprises kept coming. For an hour before
dinner, we mingled over cocktails and chatted with the other
hundred guests. When Jessie had told me it was exclusive, I hadn’t
realized that meant small and private. I’d just come back from the
bathroom and was scanning the small crowd for my friends when an
older gentleman stepped up beside me.

“
You look absolutely bored, my
dear.”

“
Not at all,” I smiled up at him.
“I don’t know that many people here, but I am most definitely not
bored.”

He held out a hand and gave me a mischievous
smile. “Henry Butler.” As I put my fingers in his palm, he pulled
my hand to his mouth, giving it a quick peck. He didn’t let go. “My
friends call me Hal.”

“
Hal? Not Hank?” I asked, trying
politely to get my hand back.

He wrinkled his nose,
aristocratically. “No.” He dismissed my question as if I was a
silly little girl. “Hank isn’t any good for politics. Would you
vote for a Hank Butler?” He chuckled. "Maybe if we lived down
south."

“
Oh? You’re a
politician?”

He shrugged, still smiling.
“Something like that.” He finally let go of my hand, but only to
grab a glass of champagne off a waiter’s tray and offer it to me. I
took it, happy to have my hands filled with something other than
his. “And you? Who can I tell people it was that kept me
entertained this evening?”

“Look who I found walking around
like a lost puppy.” A voice I never thought I’d hear again purred,
and I stiffened as I watched Taylor put her hand on Hal’s shoulder
and reach up to give him a peck on the cheek. “Hi, Daddy. Sorry I
was late.” She was out of breath, as if she’d just run across the
venue.

Before I could react, a familiar hand found
the small of my back and Rob’s voice filled my ears. “Senator, I’d
like to introduce my date, Josephine Walker.”

Senator? Internally I rolled my
eyes. I knew that Taylor came from what Matty called ‘Boston
royalty,’ which in reality meant ‘old Boston money,’ but I hadn’t
known her father was a senator. I looked from father to daughter,
realizing again how beautiful she really was, and noticing that
Taylor got both her height and striking features from Hal. Too bad
she didn’t inherit his charm.

Dressed in a form fitting, sparkly
black gown that showed off her perfect hourglass figure, she oozed
sophistication. Her platinum blonde hair was pulled back in a knot
and she’d chosen to forgo jewelry, leaving her long neck bare. The
look would have been plain on anyone else, but on her it looked
elegant. Her makeup brought attention to her large purple eyes, the
only indication she wore contacts, and her perfect heart shape
mouth. Not for the first time, Helen of Troy crossed my mind as my
eyes moved over her. Taylor had a face that would make men fight
battles for her, and a rare beauty that would launch a thousand
ships. She was simply stunning.

Taylor moved around her dad and
offered me a sincere smile. “Jo! How nice to see you.” I almost
forgot why I hated her. Almost. Then she stepped towards me,
putting hands on my shoulders, and kissed each cheek. I could have
sworn I heard her hiss the word "Please" but I was too distracted.
The move made the giant engagement ring on her finger reflect the
light. I hadn't seen that ring in a few months, but there was no
denying it was the same one she'd shown me last July. Before I
could react, she’d stepped back and was looking back to her father.
“Jo is a close friend of Matt’s, Daddy. But, I hadn’t realized that
the two of you were dating.”

She turned her gaze back to Rob,
whose hand was gripping my back, fingernails digging into my flesh.
He turned to me, face sober. “A woman like Jo is a rare find.” Gray
eyes met mine. “She has the ability to make a man forget every
other woman he’s ever been with. She understands that not
everything is how it may seem, and waits to make judgment until she
has all the facts, because she knows that when a man loves her, he
would do anything to keep her safe.” I raised an
eyebrow.

Considering that didn’t sound a
thing like me, and I was none of the things he had just rattled
off, I got his message loud and clear—there was more to this than
what met the eye. I didn’t know why Matty’s ring was still on
Taylor’s finger, but I knew he would explain later.

His hand drifted up to my face and
he cupped my cheek. “We aren’t dating. But, Jo has moved in with
me.” Conveniently leaving out the fact that we had a strictly
platonic relationship, he continued, “I’ll gladly take every bit of
her I can get.” Right now, he had a part to play. Apparently, I
did, too.

“I never thought I’d see the day
Robert Doyle would settle down!” Hal’s voice was full of humor.
“Darling, I think you may be rubbing off on him!” He turned from
his daughter to me. “So, you and my son-in-law are friends? I’m
sorry to say I don’t remember meeting you.”

“Future son-in-law, Daddy,” Taylor
corrected, looping her arm through her his. “And Jo is always
invited to our parties, but has had some difficulties over the past
few years.”

His features wrinkled, and I could
tell he was skeptical. I glanced towards Taylor, seeing the worry
that she was trying hard to mask. I was missing something, that was
obvious, but she seemed worried that I was going to ruin their
charade. I stepped closer, hoping to ease his curiosity.

“I’ve been going
through a nasty divorce.” I waved my hand at Taylor and Rob. “They
like to try to protect me. To be honest, I haven’t been up for
parties.”

Hal seemed to accept my
explanation and offered his condolences before moving on to lighter
topics. But, I didn’t miss the look of relief that passed between
Taylor and Rob, or the way that Rob stole me away from Hal as soon
as he could. As we walked to our table, he leaned in, grinding out
just one word. “Later.”

*****

Jonathan Greenwood was not at all
what I expected. He didn’t look like how I thought a lawyer would,
even though he was clearly more comfortable in his tux than the
rest of the men at my table. He had accented his with a gray
homburg hat and matching wool scarf, making him stand out from the
rest of the black and white clad men. He was a solid six feet tall
with wide shoulders, a thick chest, large arms that proved he
worked out, and was shaved bald. If I didn’t know better, I would
say he was hiding some serious ink under his formal wear and liked
to ride a Harley on the weekend.

Thankfully, we hit it off
immediately. He laughed at my jokes that no one else seemed to
understand, and winked at me when he told me he was also fluid in
sarcasm. His quick smile calmed my nerves. We chatted easily all
through dinner, and I almost forgot that we were at a table filled
with other people. During the speeches and the start of the silent
auction, he slid his chair closer to mine and kept me entertained
by pointing out guests and gossiping about each one
conspiratorially. By the time the last plate had been cleared away,
I felt like we’d been friends for years.

He held out a hand as he stood. “Would you do
me the honor?”

I smiled and walked with him to
the floor, nervous. “I can’t dance very well. No
rhythm.”

“
I don’t believe that for a
second!” He pulled me closer to him. “There’s this little village
in the south of France…” I was so engrossed in the story of how he
learned to dance that I completely spaced everything else,
including my nerves and my awkwardness.

Well into our third song, he moved
his mouth to my ear, voice low. “So, which one do you belong
to?”

I pulled my cheek off his chest and found him
peering down at me. “I’m sorry?”

He smiled but it didn’t touch his
eyes. “Which Bastard do you belong to?” I felt my eyebrows rise.
“There are many things I am, but naïve is not one of them,” he
scolded, eyes gleaming with something I didn’t recognize. “I always
do my homework, Ms. Walker. The Bastards have been trying to snag
my attention for months, and I have no doubt that you, as
absolutely delightful as you are, are another attempt to plead
their case.”

I didn’t argue. There was no
reason to when he had hit the nail right on the head. He gave me a
small smile and continued, “I know you aren’t a club whore—you’ve
too much education and class to reduce yourself to that.” I wasn’t
sure if I should thank him or be offended, but he continued
thinking aloud before I could interrupt. “You’re here with Rob, but
I can’t imagine he’d let me monopolize all your time if you were
his. Even if he wants you to get close to me, the Bastards are a
jealous lot. He’d rather die before he’d let me hold you like this.
So, if you’re not Rob’s, and you definitely aren’t Jeremy’s type, I
can’t help wonder which one has claimed you.”

“I don’t belong to anyone. No one
has claimed me.” I shook my head when I thought he’d argue. “It’s
complicated.”

He chuckled. “It always is, isn’t
it?”

I sighed, watching the other
couples dance around us. “I fell in love with one of them before I
knew he was part of the club.” I lifted a shoulder, deciding to
stay with the truth as much as possible. “Then, my life fell apart,
and I needed to start over, so I came down here to go to school.
Rob’s been a great friend.”

“And the one you love?”

I hesitated, not sure how much to
say. “Is taken.” Without meaning to, my eyes found Taylor, who was
twirling around the floor with Rob, both looking serious as they
had a quiet conversation.

Jon, as he insisted I call him,
followed my eyes. “Ahh.” After a few minutes of silence, he
shifted, moving my head back to his chest. The song ended and
another began before he spoke again. “I’ve met Matt a few times.” I
stiffened. If there was a connection between Matt and Jon already,
why in the hell was I here? Mistaking my reaction, he apologized.
“I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“
You didn’t.” I forced a smile,
but the look he gave me told me he knew it was fake. As the music
stopped, I pulled away.

His hand found the small of my
back and he leaned toward my ear once again. “If it makes you feel
any better, I won’t be going to the engagement party.” He stood,
looking towards my date. “I’ve suddenly realized that something
will come up that day, a schedule conflict.” His eyes twinkled as
they looked back at me. “I would love for us to have dinner that
evening, maybe show you around the city.”