Jax's Dilemma:Insurgents Motorcycle Club (Insurgents MC Romance Book 2) (30 page)

As he stared blankly at the stage, a warm, soft pair of arms clung around his neck. At first, he thought it was Cherri, but her lavender scent was missing and a cheap, overpowering floral smell invaded his nose. Turning his head sideways, he noticed Peaches as she planted a hard kiss on his cheek.

“What the fuck are you doing, Peaches? I told you to stop doing this shit.” Jax untangled her arms and shoved her away from him.

“I came by to say hi. What’s your problem?”

“You don’t understand. We’re finished. You gotta stop throwing yourself at me all the time. It’s pathetic as fuck.”

Peaches blinked rapidly as she watched him. “You got some nerve. I was okay to fuck when Miss Bitch was too frigid to take your cock, but now that she’s turned into a horny cunt and you’ve taken your dick to her pussy, I’m history?”

Bristling, Jax clenched his hands into fists. “Stop before I throw your ass outta Dream House for good. And yeah, I decide whose pussy I wanna fuck. You got no say. If you didn’t like it, you didn’t have to give it up so easily, bitch. Go on, get outta here before I do somethin’ I’ll regret.”

Darkness shrouded Peaches’ face as she gazed at Jax. Leaning in close, she said in his ear, “I’ve something very special to tell you about your favorite stripper.”

“I said I’m done with this shit.”

“Oh, I think you’ll want to hear about your precious fuck.”

“You’re drunk, Peaches. Go sober up. Don’t you dance tonight?”

“I’m tipsy, but what I have to say will come outta my sober mouth.”

“I don’t do gossip.”

“This isn’t gossip. What I’m gonna share with you is fact. You know, right from the source.”

“Not interested. Move on, Peaches; you’ve become a pain in my ass.”

“Okay, but before I leave, I have one question. Did Cherri tell you who the father of her daughter is?”

His stone face masked the wrestling match his insides were having: tell the slut to fuck off, or find out who fathered Paisley. A thick veil of gloom crept over him, adding to the bad feeling he had about Peaches’ information. He should tell the slut he didn’t care because it made no difference to him then walk away… but he didn’t. “Who is it?”

“Our very own councilman, Patrick McFahey, is the proud daddy.”

The words hit Jax full-on in the face like an ice cold bottle of beer. “
Who
the fuck did you say? McFahey? No way. You got some wrong information there, bitch.” Jax averted his eyes back to the stage.

“Oh, my information is solid,” she said in Jax’s ear. “I’m sure you know your
precious
Cherri was McFahey’s private whore for six months before she got knocked up. And now he wants her back, you know, to pick up where they left off, and she’s more than willing to do it
if
the price is right.”

Yanking her arm, his thumb pressed down hard on her skin. Jax growled, “I don’t believe any of the shit you just told me. Are you that desperate to trump Cherri you’d resort to spewing this fuckin’ bullshit?”

Wincing in pain as Jax’s thumb pushed harder against her skin, she said, “I only have your best interests at heart, baby. I love you, and I know the cold bitch has kept the truth from you. If you decide to keep her, then that’s fine, but you need to know the truth. Why would I make this up? How the hell would I know about McFahey or that Cherri has a daughter in Dexter? You don’t think she’d share with me, do you? I bumped into her when she was with McFahey a few days ago, at an out-of-the-way restaurant. They were in a cozy booth acting very lovey-dovey. I heard her tell him she’d get back with him if he put her up in a nice place and gave her a generous stipend. If you don’t believe me, ask Cherri if she was at Le Crystal Restaurant. Ask her if McFahey’s the father of her daughter. I think you need to know this, baby.” Peaches ran her hand up and down Jax’s arm.

He swatted her hand away, his face a distorted mask of hate, anger, and hurt. “Get the fuck away from me.”

She brushed a lock of hair from his forehead and said, “Baby, don’t be mad at me. I didn’t do anything except tell you the truth. You deserve to know the truth.”

Through clenched teeth, Jax replied, “Get. The. Fuck. Away. From. Me.” Eyes rimmed in sparks of rage and betrayal made his face gruesome. Peaches backed away from Jax stiffly as her knees locked. Leaping out of his chair, Jax loomed over her as she continued backing away from him. He bent down and hissed in her ear, “You disgust me,” then stormed away.

Images of McFahey—the fucking, greasy pig—touching Cherri made his stomach lurch as every nerve in his body jumped. He had an edgy, twitchy feeling, and he wanted to break something or punch someone real hard. His muscles and veins strained against his skin. Cherri and McFahey? His mind couldn’t process it. Why the fuck didn’t Cherri tell him about it?

Standing by the bar, trying to assimilate the information Peaches gave him, he noticed Cherri making her way toward him. An overwhelming urge to dominate overcame him, and he pointed down the hallway where the private lap rooms were. Appearing confused, she shook her head and gestured to the dancers. Rushing up to her, he jerked her arm and dragged her behind him to one of the rooms.

Inside the dimly-lit, mirrored room, the pervasive smell of patchouli filled the space. Shoving Cherri inside, Jax slammed the door. Cherri, tripping over the plush carpet, landed on the velveteen purple couch. Rubbing her elbow, she said, “What’s going on?”

“That’s what I’d like to know,” he said in a low, hard voice.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Cherri gathered her hair in her hand to make a quasi-ponytail.

“Did you meet McFahey at Le Crystal a few days ago?” His words came out in short, staccato clips.

Cherri froze, and but for her eyes widening, her face was devoid of emotion.

“Is McFahey Paisley’s dad?” He hoped she’d deny it, but she answered his question with silence. “Were you McFahey’s paid whore in Denver? Are you going back to him?”

Cherri sat mutely on the couch, not moving a muscle since his questions started. Taking her silence as affirmations, he clenched his fists as his mouth went dry. Her lies and betrayals were like a sword to his gut, cutting him in two and taking all his blood, passion, and feelings.

“Get your whore ass up. I want a lap dance.” Throwing five one hundred dollar bills at her feet, he stood in front of her, glaring.

Staring at the money, Cherri’s eyes glistened as she covered her face with shaky hands. She shook her head and said in a barely audible voice, “Please, I don’t want to.”

In an icy voice, Jax said, “I’m not fuckin’ askin’ you. I’m fuckin’ telling you to get your slut-ass shakin’. Now.”

Cherri shrunk against the back of the couch, tears rolling down her face. Yanking her to her feet, Jax jerked her toward him and rubbed his cock against her. “Put the music on and grind your ass, bitch.”

While she ground her butt into his crotch, his hands on her thighs, and her tits rubbing against his chest, he swallowed hard as a painful tightness grew in his throat. His thoughts spun and focused inward, and he had a sense of time stopping. Images of Cherri and him with Paisley in the park, eating ice cream, of him and Cherri at the lake making love, filled his brain as the shock and depth of her betrayal rocked his mind.

The music ended long before he even noticed it. Cherri’s small voice broke through the haze of memories. “Yes, McFahey is Paisley’s father. He wanted me to get rid of her, but I wanted her so bad. He gave me money for the abortion, and I took it and split. A friend of mine helped me through my pregnancy, and she hooked me up with Sarah in Dexter. I had to leave Denver—McFahey was looking for me. I should have told you, but I wanted to pretend none of it happened. I didn’t want McFahey spoiling my idea of who I am.”

“You were his whore?” Jax’s voice had a steel edge.

“I guess I was. I mean, he paid for my apartment, gave me presents, and a monthly allowance. What was I going to do? I had all the shit from my stepfather, I ran away from home, lied about my age so I could strip, and when McFahey offered me the arrangement, I thought I’d hit the lottery. My choice was him, or the streets. Patrick’s proposition was a no-brainer.” Her voice was flat, and she stared at the lamp on the corner table.

Jax winced when she called McFahey by his first name and a fire burned inside him, making him seethe. “Did you meet with him at Le Crystal a few days ago?”

“Yes.”

“Are you going back to him?”

“He wants me to. He made me a very generous offer, and I told him I’d think about it so he’d let me leave, but I didn’t agree to it even though I need the money to get out of here. I need to give Paisley a better life than what I had.”

Gritting his teeth, Jax said, “I told you I’d help you. Fuck. Fuck!”

“With you, it’s different. I have feelings for you. I sure as fuck don’t care about McFahey.”

Snorting, Jax said, “You have feelings for me? You have a fucked-up way of showing me. You have the goddamned nerve to tell
me
not to fuck other women, and you’re entering into a paid whore arrangement? Fuck you, bitch!” The back of his eyes pricked and he trembled inside
Fuck! What the hell is wrong with me? Why is this bitch getting to me? We had some good fucks—move on. Shit!

“I didn’t agree to it, and I’m not gonna do it, but if I
had
agreed to it, it wouldn’t mean anything to me. No feelings, no emotions, nothing. Anyway, like I said, I didn’t say I was going to do it.”

“And what the fuck am I supposed to do when that asshole is sticking his cock in you? Go for a ride around the town?”

“I told you I didn’t tell him I’d do it. I’m going to tell him no when he contacts me.”

“But you fuckin’ considered it!”

“No, I didn’t.”

“Liar! Go on, get out, be a whore! I never should’ve touched you in the first place.” He opened the door, stood aside, and gestured Cherri to leave.

“Jax, please. You don’t understand. I have nothing with McFahey. That was a long time ago. I’m with you. What you and I have is real. I care for you. I lo—”

“Correction, bitch—what we
had
seemed
real. You’re worse than any club whore. Get your ass outta here. I’m done with you.”

As Jax saw Cherri’s face crumple and her shoulders slump, he wanted to grab her, press her close to him, and stroke her hair. When she looked at him with hurt and disappointment stamped on her face, he returned her gaze with hardness even though his insides were all twisted up. Placing her hand over her mouth as wet streaks painted her face, she ran past Jax; he watched her exit the back door.

From the distance, he spotted Peaches in her skimpy sequined bikini, adjusting her thong before she took the stage. As he looked at her satisfied, smug face, he fought the urge to go over to her, put his hands around her neck, and snap it like a twig. Looking at him, she flashed him a warm smile. The bitch didn’t even know he hated the sight of her and despised her for busting open the cocoon he shared with his warm and precious Cherri.

C
herri stumbled out
into the parking lot, looking for Emma’s car. She had to get away from Dream House, from Jax’s hurt eyes and angry face. How the hell did he find out about McFahey? Was that fucking prick that callous to have told Jax about their past? As the tears blurred her vision, she realized it didn’t matter because whatever she and Jax had been building was torn down in a matter of a couple of hours. If she could go back in time, she would’ve trusted Jax and told him the truth about her connection with McFahey, but it was too late, and she had to live with the fact she lost Jax. She lost the first man who made her feel something. She’d never been in love before, but her feelings for Jax were deep, and it felt like love to her. Wanting to share her and Paisley’s life with him told her she loved him. He never gave her a chance to tell him because he was so damn angry, hurt, and disappointed. His disappointment in her crushed her the most.

Unable to find Emma’s car, Cherri ran to the bus stop as the Number Fifteen came into view. Boarding the bus, she found a seat. Resting her hot forehead against the cool window, she stared at the trees and houses while they blurred by. How had everything gone so wrong in such a short time? The previous day, she and Jax made incredible love and spent a wonderful morning together, and twenty-four hours later, her life went to shit and he threw her out, making her feel broken inside.

At the curb, in front of her place, Cherri noticed a parked black sedan with tinted windows as she walked up the street. The sourness in her stomach rose into her throat, and she clutched her middle.

She approached her home with heavy footsteps and a bitter taste in her mouth, wishing she could disappear. As she passed the car and fumbled with her keys, a short man with black hair, brown eyes, and a nasty scar from his left temple down to his cheek jumped out from the front seat and blocked her way.

“Someone wants to talk to you,” he said.

Before she could answer, the back door opened, and Cherri saw McFahey sitting in the shadows. “Come over here, honey. I want to talk to you.”

Cherri supported her weight with both hands on the roof of the car and bent down. “What do you want?”

Patting the empty space next to him, the councilman said, “Come sit by me so I can see you better.”

“I’m not getting in. I’ve had a long day. I’m tired. What do you want?”

“It’s fine, honey. I’m not unreasonable. I’ll talk to you like this, but next time, I won’t indulge you. Where’s the kid?”

“What kid?” Cherri stared at him with defiance glowing in her eyes.

“The one you were supposed to have taken care of. I gave you money for that. You lied to me, you bitch. You took my money and took off. Now you want to blackmail me?” He grabbed her arm, tugging her halfway into the sedan. He dug his nails into her skin, making her wince in pain.

“Stop it, you’re hurting me. I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t wanna blackmail you. If I wanted to do that, I would’ve contacted you by now. Please, I just want to go away and start a new life.”