Chapter 6

Chapter Six

T wo weeks later …

“So, all the girls are going to be here tonight. Gabriel is making us dinner. Bear is going to make us popcorn and hot chocolate. He makes the best hot chocolate in the world.” Eden groaned. “You’re still going to stay and join us, right?”

Addie had her back to the desk as she faced her friend. This tended to happen a lot since she’d started working here. She’d gradually met all of the women who were girlfriends and Littles to several of the club members, and they had a tendency to pop through the door at her back and talk to her throughout the day.

Remi was behind Eden, grinning. “You have to stay. It’s going to be so much fun.”

Addie was smart. She knew by now that “fun” was a codeword for, We intend to get into all kinds of trouble so that we end up getting spanked.

It was the most bizarre world. Grown women who lived as Littles to the most gorgeous, giant, overprotective men on earth. Before Addie had taken this job, she’d known very little about motorcycle clubs. She’d always pictured something more along the lines of crime and drugs and loose women hanging around hoping to get laid.

Addie couldn’t speak for any other motorcycle club, but the Shadowridge Guardians were nothing like what her wild imagination had conjured up. Sure, these men were large and assuming. Most of them had a lot of tattoos. Most had beards. However much they might look ominous, they were the nicest, most genuine people she’d ever met.

In the past two weeks, nearly all of them had stopped in to introduce themselves at some point or another. Everyone had been polite, welcoming, and kind. Even though she didn’t have a boyfriend in the club, they treated her like she was one of them. They inquired about her car, making sure it was running well. They fretted over her safety, ensuring she carried pepper spray from her car to her apartment when she went home. They offered help with her algebra class if she needed it. They were truly the best people.

The women had asked her to join them after work nearly every day. Did she want to stay for dinner? Watch a movie with them? Play games? Do homework? So far, she’d turned them down.

The truth was she felt like a bit of an outsider. She didn’t have a boyfriend in the club, which made her feel strange. She was, however, intrigued. She’d spent a lot of time on the internet researching real people who lived as Littles.

It seemed most of these women had jobs where they had to “adult” during the day, but when they got back to the clubhouse, they shed that side of themselves. Most of them seemed to have entire wardrobes filled with clothes appropriate for much younger girls. She’d caught glimpses of them with stuffed animals clutched in their arms. She was pretty sure she’d even seen a pacifier or two.

As the days went by, she’d found herself feeling kind of jealous. She’d also found it impossible not to fantasize about the one man who stood out in her mind when she crawled into bed. She’d tried reading to keep from thinking about him, but her mind always strayed to Bear.

Since that first day, she’d only seen him in passing. It was obvious he was avoiding her, and she had no idea why. She’d gotten self-conscious about it. Had she said something wrong or done something to displease him?

Addie hadn’t had the guts to ask Eden if she knew anything because she’d been afraid of the answer. If she joined the women tonight, would Bear make himself scarce and hide in his apartment?

She had learned that most club members had their own small apartments in the clubhouse. Some of them had houses in town, too. But some of them lived in the clubhouse full-time. She knew Bear lived here full-time, which made it all the more obvious he was avoiding her like she had a communicable disease.

The most mysterious component of this lifestyle was this seemingly endless desire to get spanked. All the women intentionally did naughty things in order to get their butts swatted.

So far, no one had gotten spanked in front of Addie, but she suspected if she were to join them tonight, she would witness an entire host of new experiences, spanking included.

And how did that make her feel? She wasn’t sure. She wasn’t sure how she felt about anything regarding age play yet. Could she let someone order her around? Reading about it was hot. Doing it? Yeah, that made her cringe. But spanking? That was an entirely different level of intensity. The thought of being taken over a man’s knees and letting him swat her butt…

“Addie?”

She jerked out of her musing to find that Elizabeth had joined Eden and Remi. The three of them were leaning through the door, waiting for her to respond.

Elizabeth, Talon’s girlfriend, was a lawyer, Remi was an artist, and Eden was a student. There were three other girlfriends, and Addie thought she had them all straight. Ivy was a bank manager. Her boyfriend was the club’s president, Steele. Carlee worked at the library. Her boyfriend was the club’s treasurer, Atlas. And Harper was a cake decorator. Her boyfriend was their doctor, who went by Doc.

“Okay, sure. I’ll stay.”

The three of them jumped up and down. “Yay!”

Addie giggled. She so badly wanted to be a part of their fun. After all, she didn’t have other friends in town yet. Eden had been the first person she’d developed a relationship with, and the other women she’d met at the MC were the only other friends she had, even if their relationships were a bit peripheral.

The sad thing was that she felt closer to all six of them than she had any other supposed friend in recent years. Hell, she was so pitiful that she hadn’t even known the women who’d been her intended bridesmaids.

“I’m so excited,” Eden exclaimed. “We’re going to have so much fun.”

The tinkling of the bell over the door to the reception area jingled, indicating someone had entered the shop, but Kade and two other employees were currently standing on the other side of the desk discussing a particular paint job, so it wasn’t surprising that Kade greeted the newcomer.

“Good afternoon. What can we do for you?”

The voice that responded caused Addie’s blood to run cold. For a moment, she stood there frozen, unable to move a single muscle. Surely, she was mistaken.

“I’ve got an old bike that belonged to my father. It’s been in storage for many years. Decades really. I was wondering if someone could take a look at it and see if it’s worth salvaging.”

At some point in the middle of that speech, Addie had instinctively dropped down behind the counter. She sat on her butt, plastered against the back of the tall reception desk, and pulled her knees up to her chest.

This could not be happening.

When she glanced at the three women, she found them with wide eyes and sober faces. They nodded as they backed out of the doorway. Eden held up a finger before the door closed, indicating she was going to get help.

Addie’s heart raced. Had Joseph found her? Was he here to torment her for leaving him at the altar? Or was it a coincidence?

It made no sense. She was three states away from her old life. What was her fiancé doing in this town, asking about an old bike? She found it super unlikely he owned a bike or that his father ever had either. It wasn’t possible to picture Joseph Bulgari, Senior or Junior, on a motorcycle.

Kade was talking to him, but she couldn’t focus on what they were saying. All she could do was pray no one saw her or called out her name.

Please, God … She started rocking back and forth as panic seeped in.

Suddenly, the door in front of her opened again. This time, Bear stepped inside. She was shocked, but she should have realized that’s who Eden would go to for help. The man seemed to always be in the clubhouse. All the Littles adored him and went to him.

His brow was furrowed with concern as he glanced at her without lingering. He stepped up to the desk next to her and set his palm gently on the top of her head before letting it slide around to cup her cheek reassuringly.

“Hey, Kade,” he began, “I forgot to tell you the receptionist, Debra, had to leave early today. I told her I’d keep an eye on things. Do you need me for anything?”

Addie held her breath. Bless him.

Kade didn’t miss a beat. “Nope. It’s all good. I was just about to close up for the day anyway. This man has a bike he’d like us to look at. I told him he could leave it, and we’d check it out and see if it’s salvageable.”

Bear nodded. “Cool. You from around here? I haven’t seen you before.”

“Nope. I flew out here to pick up the bike. It was in storage. I figured I wouldn’t bother having it transported back home if it isn’t worth anything. I’ll hang around town and wait to see what you think. When do you think you can look at it?”

“We’ll get to it first thing tomorrow, Mr. Bulgari. Not a problem,” Kade said.

“Please, Joe is fine.”

Addie held her breath. Joe ? Since when did anyone call him Joe? He was far too pretentious to use a nickname.

“Sounds good then, Joe,” Kade continued. “You added your number to the paperwork, right?”

“Sure did.”

“I’ll be in touch sometime tomorrow then.”

“Thank you. Appreciate it.”

The bell above the door rang again, and the room went dead silent. For a moment, no one moved, not even Bear. He remained right where he was, his hand on Addie’s cheek, soothing her as best he could.

She figured he was watching and waiting for Joseph to completely disappear. Finally, Kade was the first to speak. “What the fuck just happened?” His tone wasn’t angry, just curious.

Bear dropped down to squat in front of Addie, taking her face in both hands. “Deep breaths. You’re okay. Who was that, Little one?”