LOGINRunning down the stairs, I could smell the coffee. My nose led me right to it and straight to the oversized mugs and the flavored creamers and the hefty canister of sugar. I made myself a massive cup and sat down at the kitchen table, waiting for my mother to appear so the bonding could commence.“Wow. You actually came down,” my mother said.“That’s what happens when you make me coffee, Martha.”“Do you really have to call me by my first name? I am your mother, you know.”“Then start acting like it,” I said.“Fine. I will. Mothers ask their daughters about their love lives, right?They get curious about their daughter’s lives, right?”“Just get to the point, Mom.”“I just want to know how my daughter is. What’s wrong with that?”she asked and I sighed and brought my coffee to my lips as she sat down across from me.“You want to know how my love life is?” I asked.“Of course. Fill me in, we’ve hardly talked in weeks.”“Months,” I said.“Tomato, toh-mah-to,” she said. “So. Who’s got yo
My run in with Nico stayed on my mind well into the weekend. I hadn’t seen them since Saturday night at the bar, and it made me worried for their safety but what did Nico mean by “club stuff”? The concerned look on his face as he read his phone was stuck in my memory. He peeled away from the curb pretty quickly on his bike as well was that why the brothers hadn’t been showing up at the bar recently?Growing up around the clubs like I had made me know that club business could be both monotonous, and extremely dangerous, depending on what sort of activities the club was into.The bikers brothers’ club being newer in town, I wasn’t quite sure what it was they were about. Drugs? Guns? Gambling? Protection? I tried to figure out what it could be by what I knew about the brothers so far.My mind was stuck on a skipping turntable as I tried to fill in the missing blanks. I wasn’t sure what was going on, but I hoped everyone was all right.As I lay there in bed at three in the afternoon, I tr
“So, this is the place you put an offer in on?” he asked and I slowly looked over at him, eyeing him up and down as he grinned at me.“What? You think all we talk about is sex and beer?” he asked. “I’m not sure what to think anymore,” I said, giggling. “But yes, this is the place I put an offer in on.”“How much?” he asked.“Two hundred thousand dollars, twenty grand below their asking price and the realtor thinks he’ll gratefully accept our offer. It’s been up for sale for four years, and the taxes are draining him,” I said. “So, what do you see for it?” he asked.“I see everything. All the walls decorated with posters and antique motorcycle parts, rooms dedicated to individual pieces of clothing and prices people can afford and the ability to order custom-made pieces. Leather patchwork and tailoring services and being able to order what you want when you want it and have it at the drop of a hat.”I could hear the excitement growing in my voice, but I couldn't help it. My ideas tumb
It was so nice to have the weekend off after a stressful week. I woke up on an air mattress on Jane bedroom floor, my limbs were aching and my hair all knotted up. Her studio apartment was barely big enough for her, but she was always willing to open it up to me if I needed a place to stay. We closed the bar last night then cleaned until almost seven in the morning, so immediately we got back to her place, we were both ready to crash. Now, the birds were singing, and the sun was already streaming through her bedroom window as the wall clock told me it was already one in the afternoon.Good thing was that on Sundays and Mondays the bar was usually closed because my schedule was going to be fucked up.Jane was still sleeping, and I didn't have the heart to wake her up. I made some coffee in her coffee pot, then kept some on warm for her to have when she finally woke up for the day. I needed a way to clear my head and to forget all about the bullshit my mother pulled on a regular basis
I was on my last shift before the weekend, and none of the guys had come in that night. I searched for them the moment we opened at nine, but none of them stepped into the bar. Of course, my mother was there. She was being intentional, drinking all our alcohol for free, and calling all over the young guys she thought she could take home. “Another one,” my mother said.“You can’t even talk straight. I’m cutting you off,” I said. “I said I want another.”“No.”“Just one more,” she said. “There’s this hot guy in the back who loves beer. One shot of it on my breath, and he’s mine.”“Haven’t slept with all the guys in town yet, I see.”When my mother didn't give me a reply, I looked up into her eyes and was shocked to find that she was surprised at my comment. She tilted her head off to the side like she was studying an injured animal or trying to learn a new subject and her brow furrowed deeply as her eyes scanned my body, and I braced myself for whatever she was going to say next.“What
The twins watched as the bouncer dragged the guy in the red leather jacket out the door. People were calling out all sorts of drinks for me to make, and I was thankful for the distraction. I was turning them out as fast as I could go as sweat beads gathered at the base of my neck.The bartender that was supposed to work alongside me that night didn't show, so I was drenched in sweat by the time one in the morning rolled around. I tried to get my manager to call in Jane so I could have some help, but part of me was glad he didn't. Being the only bartender meant I got one hundred percent of the tips and with being so close to having my own place to move into, I was going to need all the money I could get to furnish it.“The two of you are much quieter than your brothers,” I said. “Hard to get a word in edgewise with those three,” Nico said.“Well, would the two of you like another drink?” I asked. “What do you recommend?” Michael asked.“I make a kick-ass but, I’ll warn you, it’s fuckin







