CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

-:- JO -:-

I woke up this morning so excited I had to do immediate research with Knuckles. Twice! He grumbled a bit when I first woke him, it was five am though. His mood soon improved when he realized what I was doing to wake him.

It is book signing day today, and I love meeting my readers. Well, most of them. There always seems to be one that comes along to complain about my book… They think my heroine was too weak… They think my hero wasn’t suited to the love interest I created… They think the storyline was too far-fetched, who inherits that kind of money?

I’d like to tell them what I think. I think they should write their own darn book and see how they get on. See how they like it when someone doesn’t just critique their book, which is fine, but tries to tell the author their opinion of how the book should have been written. Luckily, they are in the minority and most readers enjoy the books for what they are… Fiction. They are not documentaries on real life or biographies.

Today’s book signing is a tad different from my normal ones. My ‘security detail’ have been photographed by Paisley as topless models. I’m hoping that ‘sex sells’ as they say, and that more women will come to see the guys and buy a book while they’re here. Well, that’s the idea behind it.

Grabbing breakfast, I see the guys are already up and eating before me. Getting some pancakes and syrup, I join them at their table.

“You guys all set for a busy day?” I beam at them and they look at me suspiciously.

“Why are we going to be busy?” Chisel asks. “You expecting trouble?”

Chaos smirks at Chisel. “Jo’s not expecting trouble, but you should be. What do you think is going to happen when all those depraved, sex-starved housewives see those posters and cardboard cut-outs of topless hunks, and then realize that it’s us? We’ll be fighting them off as well as looking out for Miss Goody Two-Shoes here.”

“My readers are not depraved, sex-starved housewives, thank you very much,” I state indignantly.

“I’m hoping at least some of them are,” says Brag. “What’s the point of displaying all this good man flesh if we don’t get something out of it?”

“Hi everyone. All set?” Kenzie calls to us as she enters the kitchen with Jig.

“They were just insulting my readers. I may have to withhold payment for their services,” I give all four of my ‘studs’ the evil eye.

Chaos quickly chips in, “We’re getting paid for this? Axel told us we had to volunteer. Bonus.”

“Payment is food at lunchtime,” I quickly state, “and whatever else, you can get out of it.”

“Jo!” Kenzie looks at me in shock, and Jig nods his head appreciatively. “You can stop that nodding, Evan .” She gives him a stink eye as he realizes he’s got himself in trouble.

“The food, I was thinking of the food at lunchtime,” Jig tries to redeem himself, but Kenzie’s having none of it.

“If you think you’re being shortchanged in the sex department, maybe you should try staying awake at night?” Laughing at his blushing, Kenzie dropped that neatly back into his lap.

Taking charge, Kenzie tells us she is heading over to the bookshop so she can make sure it’s set up to its best potential. As soon as they’ve left, I get everyone else out of the kitchen and into the two SUVs we’re taking.

Arriving only a few minutes behind Kenzie, I see a flurry of activity as we pull up. There are bodies everywhere. Stepping over to Kenzie, I ask what’s happening.

“It’s what hadn’t happened, Jo. Nothing was set-up except a table and chair at the back of the store in a dingy corner by the reference books. No books out ready for you to sign, no posters up advertising you being here. Have you been here during the week to make sure they were pushing your book signing?”

“Well, no, I haven’t. These things usually run themselves. The bookstore manages it because they get such an upsurge in sales and media coverage. This store has done it before, so I didn’t expect any issues.” Looking around the store at all the people working to get everything done before the store opens, I see readers starting to queue outside and watch the proceedings through the windows.

“Where’s the store manager?” I storm off to find out what’s gone so wrong this time, Kenzie on my heels. Grabbing one of the store assistants, I ask them and they sheepishly tell me he is in the back office. “He? Last time it was a she?”

“We had a new manager last month. He was the assistant manager, but he pushed the manager to her limit and the owners wouldn’t back her to get rid of him, so she quit.” The store assistant does not look happy conveying this information.

“Chaos, with us,” I shout and we head to the office to find out what’s going on. Finding the door closed, I knock and enter. The manager is sitting back in his chair with his feet on the desk.

“Why aren’t you out there organizing the book signing for today? It’s a shit show and we’re open in fifteen minutes,” I stay outwardly calm at this point, but inside, I’m seething.

“And who might you be? I don’t know you and I certainly don’t answer to you.” He slowly takes his feet off the desk and stands to look at me. With me not being very tall, and him being probably five foot ten or so, he looks down at me. Obviously, this is his attempt at being superior. Before I get the chance to reply, Kenzie steps up to bat for me.

“Jo, let me handle this, please,” I give her the nod and she steps up to him, nose to nose and almost the exact same height.

“This lady is the author, and I’m her manager for these events. Why hasn’t it been prepared as per the contract with the store owners?”

“I’m not aware of any such contract. Also, if I was, I don’t do your work for you. It’s not my book, or the owner's book, for that matter.”

“You need to give me the contact details for the owners. I need to speak to them immediately.” Kenzie is behaving far calmer than I’m feeling right now.

“I’m sorry, I don’t need to do any such thing. You are her employee, nothing to do with the owners.” He snarls this at Kenzie, but she steps aside and speaks to Chaos.

“Chaos, would you get the contact details from this gentleman, please? You are authorized to use any force necessary. Isn’t that what they say?” She tips her head to the manager.

“Actually, it’s the use of deadly force, but I know what you mean.” Chaos grins at her, then the manager. “Give me the number. Now. I won’t ask a second time.”

As the manager looks as though he’s about to argue, Chaos grips both collars in one hand and lifts him off the floor.

“I’m fairly certain you were going to give me the wrong answer, so think before you utter your next words.” As the manager is turning blue, Chaos lowers him back to his feet. Pointing to a business card on his desk, Kenzie picks it up, studies it a moment and then, as sweetly as you can imagine, says ‘Thank you.’

“Jo, can you get Knuckles down here to join us, please?” Kenzie asks me with a stressed tone.

Taking my cell, I call Knuckles and give him the short version as to why I need him. “He’ll be here in five,” I say after the call.

Watching Kenzie take up the phone from the desk, she rings the number for the owners. Once they pick up, she explains the situation at the store, the manager's poor attitude, and how helpful the store assistants have been. While she’s doing this, the manager calls her several unsavory names.

“Oh, and if you didn’t hear your manager just then, he’s making comments about my sexual preferences, and also querying my parentage. I strongly suggest you get rid of him, as I have witnesses, and you may want to approach the last manager to see if she’d like her job back. She was far more professional than this dirtbag.” I can’t help but grin to myself at how Kenzie is enjoying her manager position.

Putting the phone down after listening to their response, she tells us that one of the owners will be here shortly. When Knuckles arrives at the office moments later, he scoops me up and gives me a kiss before asking if I’m okay.

“I’m okay, Kenzie wanted you here. She hasn’t explained why, though.” Knuckles gives Kenzie a questioning look.

“We need the four guys out front, but I don’t want dirtbag here to leave the office before the owner gets here. I couldn’t think of anyone more suitable to encourage him to stay than the author’s partner.” As she says this and realization dawns on the manager that the man mountain in front of him is Jo’s man, the color drains from his face, and he slumps back into his chair.

“I’ll encourage him so much he won’t be able to walk out of the office, even if he wanted to,” Knuckles grins and I don’t know how the guy doesn’t soil his lovely executive chair.

Rushing back out to the store, we see that they are just opening the doors. Throwing myself onto the seat at the table, I greet my readers as they begin to queue. Kenzie is everywhere. Greeting at the doors, talking to those queuing outside, restocking the table with books. She even places a bottle of water next to me.

When the owner arrives, Kenzie escorts them back to the office. She is only gone a few minutes and returns with Knuckles. Both are grinning like naughty schoolchildren. I find out that, as the owner wasn’t going to step up and fire the manager, Kenzie made it clear that if they didn’t take action this time, she would take my book signings elsewhere and advertise why I had done so.

Watching the manager leave the store wasn’t exactly the way I had pictured the day starting, but the look on the store assistants' faces told its own story. The owner stayed and took charge of the store.

Almost two hours into the day and there doesn’t seem to be an end to the waiting readers. A surprising number of them have traveled from out of state to be here, and I feel honored that they would travel just to see me and get a signed copy of a book. Knuckles has found himself a chair away from my table but where he can watch me. Every time I look up, I see him smiling and he keeps giving me a wink. I make a mental note to see if I can incorporate some of these Britishisms of Star’s into my books.

Just as I’m thinking about calling for a short recess for lunch, a group of five middle-aged women push through the door. They are loud and look unsteady on their feet. What looks like their leader stops and has a good look around the store.

“There he is,” she shouts, and they all make a dash across the store.

Chisel looks like a deer caught in headlights as he looks around to see what they are talking about. Before he knows what’s happened, he’s on the floor under the women. Chaos, the nearest to him, just stands and laughs.

It’s like watching a pack of wild dogs fighting over a bone. Only these dogs want a different type of bone. Hearing cries of ‘Get off me’, ‘Leave me alone’ and ‘Don’t do that’ from Chisel, mingling with ‘He’s mine’, ‘Look at that thing’ and ‘I would if you’d get your head out of the way’ coming from the women.

Chaos is so busy laughing, he doesn’t notice how some of the other women start to look at him, too. Breaking from the queue, two women grab his tee and literally rip it apart. Beer and Brag step over to take the initiative and try to stop things going too far, when the rest of those queuing in the store rush to grab them, too.

Knuckles quietly gets up, throws me over his shoulder and takes me to the manager's office. Seeing the owner in there, Knuckles suggests that they go and save their store from the rampaging women. As soon as he vacates the office, my man locks the door behind him and thoroughly researches me across the desk. I love it.

-:- MACKENZIE -:-

Walking from the back of the store, I see a group of women thrashing around on the floor. I’m only just taking this in when two more assault Chaos. I don’t know how else to describe it. Suddenly, all the women in the store go berserk. It’s as though someone has released some sort of pheromone into the air and they all go mad for male flesh.

Snatching my phone from my pocket, I ring Jig. “You’d best get more brothers and get your asses here pronto. All hell’s broken loose,” I don’t hang onto the phone, closing the call fast as I rush to the front door. I grab a couple of store assistants who are standing with their mouths hanging open, and slam the doors closed for now. Leaving one of them at the door with strict instructions not to let anyone in the store, unless they are wearing one of the leather vests, I try to make sense of where to start.

Glancing at Chisel, I guess he needs help the most as he’s nearly naked by now, and there are five women who are fighting each other to get at him. Grabbing an arm each, the other store assistant and I start to drag Chisel to safety. As soon as he can stand, he covers his groin and dashes for the rear of the store. Well, more like ‘hobbles quickly’ as his jeans and underwear are around his ankles.

When one of the women realizes he’s gone, she squeals in what sounds like feral frustration and dives into the melee that is now Chaos, Beer and Brag. Knowing there are too many for me and my store buddy to cope with, I look around for Knuckles. Seeing the owner appear from the back of the store, I wave him over.

“Any suggestions on how we deal with this?” I ask him, and by the totally blank look I get, I figure I’m on my own as far as decision making goes.

Looking around for inspiration, I see a fire extinguisher on one wall. Having a light bulb moment I start over there, but then come to my senses. It’s a bookstore, Kenzie. Foam and books are not going to make good bedfellows.

Hearing banging on the doors, I see Jig and some of the brothers trying to get in. There is no sign of the store assistant I left there, so I let them in.

“Can you get those women out of here, Jig? Before they give those guys something nasty.”

Watching Jig and several brothers grab several women and throw them outside, I take a deep breath and start to calm down. Throwing my arms around him, as the last one is cast out, and the doors closed, I kiss him hard.

“My hero. I don’t know what started it, but it went south damn quick.”

Chaos is looking around the store. “Where’s Chisel? He was the first to go down, and after that, it was every man for himself.”

“I got him out from under a pack of cougars and he dived in the back to do damage control on his man parts. I think he was worried they may no longer be there.” Looking at Chaos with his tee shirt in tatters beneath his kutte, I see blood on his neck. “You need to get checked out, too, by the looks of the blood on your neck.”

“What?” He wipes his neck, and he has bite marks and scratches that are not more than scrapes but still broken skin. “Damn, I’ll get Stitch on that right away.”

“You don’t need stitches, you big girl.” I laugh at how dramatic he seems. Stitches.

“Not ‘stitches’ … Stitch. He’s our club medical guy. He’s better than most doctors you get these days.”

“Oh, I see. I thought you were being a bit over the top,” I say, and I give him a crooked smile.

Jig looks at Chaos, then around the store before asking, “Where’s the woman that you’re supposed to be protecting?”

“Oh, she’s safe enough. I saw Knuckles taking her out of harm's way as I went down. If there’d been any doubt, I would have slugged the women to save Jo. I don’t think any of us wanted to hurt anyone. It would have been easy enough to have slapped a few and quieted the riot, but it wouldn’t have looked good with women leaving here with black eyes. Present company excepted, Kenzie.” Chaos grins, and I look to Jig for his support.

“I think it shows character. Winter can give you a black eye anytime,” Jig says while smirking.

“It was a cabinet.” No one has believed us, just as Winter said they wouldn’t.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, don’t be so bothered, it was your first lesson.” Jig, just like the rest of them, won’t accept the truth.

“Well, if she hadn’t insisted we wrestle naked in Jello, it might not have happened.” I walk away to find Jo and leave them standing there, mouths open, and drooling like a pair of slobbering Rottweilers.

Approaching the back of the store, I see Jo and Knuckles walking towards me. I’d know that look on a woman's face anywhere.

“Ready to go back to work now, are we? I can’t believe you two. It’s true what they say, isn’t it? You’re worse than rabbits.” I have to laugh at their opportunism, though.

Getting back to the book signing, those who witnessed the ruckus believe that it was all a publicity stunt. Speaking to Jo, I’ve asked her to play along with it and to write it into her next book. Better to have positive feedback than a scandalous review of the event.

The afternoon quiets down and becomes a steady trickle of people and only an occasional queue. Jig and the brothers are ready to head back to the clubhouse, and I’ve told the security detail that anymore issues, they deal with them as required to prevent any more problems, even if they have to slap someone.

Before they go, I ask Jig if he’d mind staying so that Chaos can get his neck checked over. I’m sure this Stitch will clean him up accordingly.

Watching the guys head back to the clubhouse, Jig and I return to the bookstore. Hearing a squeal like a child, we stop and look around. Walking towards us is a man with a dog. I don’t know what sort of dog, but it’s huge. The sort of thing that wouldn’t look out of place walking beside Knuckles. As we watch, the man stumbles and trips over his own feet. I don’t know if he’s drunk, doped or just can’t walk straight, but he gets up and hits the dog. Not getting a reaction from the dog, he stands on one of its feet, making it squeal. “How do you like it, you stupid mutt? Goddamn tripping me all the freakin’ time. I should just shoot you and have done with you.”

As we walk back into the store, he sees me watching and hits the dog again. Jig doesn’t see this and carries on, but I stop and stare at him.

“What’s your problem, lady? It’s my mutt, I’ll do what I like to him.” The man doesn’t look like he lives on the streets, but he doesn’t look like he takes care of himself either. The dog looks like it could do with a few good meals, too.

Thinking it best to keep my mouth shut for a change, I just give him a look up and down, as though he’s something I just trod on. A few of Jo’s readers have formed a small queue outside again and are giving him an audience to play to.

“Think you’re better than me, don’t you? Think you're something special, huh?” Why do scruffy low-lifes like this asshole, and the woman from outside the veterinary services yesterday, always say the same crap? Shaking my head, I start to turn away to enter the bookstore when I hear the dog growl. Spinning back around, I see that the asshole had raised his hand as though to hit me when I wasn’t looking. The dog growls again, but he’s not growling at me. He’s growling at the man.

“Oh, yeah. I’ll teach you to growl at the hand that feeds you. You won’t growl at no one ever again.” Slipping his hand into his coat pocket, he pulls out a knife. As he raises it, looking like he’s going to kill his dog, I don’t stop to think.

Kicking out with my right foot as hard as I can, I send his crown jewels from between his legs to the back of his throat. As he doubles over, I send my knee crashing into his nose, and he shoots back upright, then I lash out with the flat of my palm and hit him in the nose again. He falls over backwards, unconscious, before he hits the floor.

A wave of loud clapping echoes from the queue of women and I look around, stunned at what just happened. Jo comes running out and hugs me. “Oh, Kenzie, you saved that dog. That was the most selfless thing I think I’ve ever seen in my whole life. I can’t wait to tell everyone how brave you are.”

Jig takes my hand and looks me in the eye. “I don’t have a ring on me right now, but…” He gets down on one knee in front of me, not just me but everybody there, “Kenzie Howard, will you marry me?”

I look at him with my head spinning. Jo gives me a nudge. “Answer the guy, woman. Don’t leave him there til he gets arthritis, for heaven’s sake.”

“Yes, of course I’ll marry you.” The street erupts with cheering and clapping.

Jo leaps into Knuckles' arms, squealing with delight, and kisses the shit out of him. “I am so going to tell the world about that,” she states, looking at Jig and I as we kiss.