Chapter 10

10

NEVADA

"You want me to do what?" Bronco stares at me like I've got two heads.

"Well you need practice if you're gonna progress as an ink slinger." I shrug.

"And customers are gonna ask for weird shit."

"Weird?" he balks. "You want me to tattoo your dick. I'm not touchin' that thing."

"You have to. I can't get in with Chris for a few weeks and you keep blowin' me off to finish the piece on my back." Chris is a friend of mine who also runs a tattoo shop, but he's always busy. I need to do this today. Bronco has only been doing this on the side, but he's an amazing artist. I can draw, but he has true talent. And I've been telling him for years he needs to start his own business and set up a shop.

"I don't have to do shit."

"It won't take long, it's just a name."

He shakes his head. Okay, it may not be the brightest idea I've ever had, but I live in the moment. "You're insane. You mean to tell me you want me to tattoo some chick's name on your dick?"

"Well I sure as shit ain't gonna put yours on there, bro."

He looks utterly disgusted, but homeboy better get used to it because this is what he wants to do, and he's good at it. "I'm not goin' anywhere near that fuckin' thing."

"I'll give you a thousand dollars."

He blinks. "I don't…" He scratches his chin. " Fuck ."

I smile. "If it helps, I'll hold it for you."

"I think I just threw up in my mouth." He shakes his head as I push my way into his room. He's still in one of the rooms above church until he finds an apartment, but he's house-sitting for a friend. Rentals these days are nuts, and if I didn't have my mom living with me, I'd offer to let him move in. The guy is decent and not a slob like some of the other guys in the club. "I really think you should reconsider tattooing a chick's name right there. I mean, it's permanent. You clearly haven't thought this through, bro. Who is this chick anyway?"

"Do I ever think things through? And her name's Star. You don't know her."

"Not that chick everyone's been talkin' about from the wedding? The one who kicked your butt."

"The very one."

"Fuck. You gettin' caught over some wet pussy you barely know?"

I pat him on the shoulder and squeeze it hard until he winces. "Don't talk about the woman I'm in love with like that."

He guffaws. "What the fuck? When did this happen?"

I shrug as we walk past the kitchen and I help myself to the fridge. Bronco always has good snacks. "Few weeks ago. Love at first sight."

He snickers. "Does she know?"

I glance at him at the same time I reach for the chocolate milk. "She…" How do I make this not sound creepy? "She doesn't know yet, and I'm gonna keep it that way for a little longer."

He makes baby sounds with his bottom lip and his finger. "Poor little Nevada grew up and just like Peter Pan, he can't find anywhere to land."

"Fuck off." I take a swig of the chocolate milk from the carton and then pull out a tub of some unappetizing looking gunge. "What's this?" I open the lid and sniff it. It smells weird.

"Hummus. Smashed chickpeas. It's good for you."

I shove the lid back on and slide it back on the shelf. "Where's all the good snacks you usually have in here?"

"I'm on a health kick."

I frown. "Since when?"

Bronco's fit, like a lot of the guys in the MC. We take training and working out seriously. Bronco can eat like nobody I've ever seen, and he's lean as fuck. "Since Payden…"

"Woah woah." I slam the fridge closed and open the cupboard where all the dry snacks live. Eureka. I snag a bag of popcorn and rip it open. "Payden?"

She's Luna's best friend. Plus she's a lawyer, so I don't know when the fuck this all happened.

"Will you let me finish the story, asshole?"

I shovel popcorn into my mouth, nodding as I bring the bag with me. "Go on."

"Payden's been comin' to the gym I go to, and since I wanna try and buy it as a sideline, she's been lookin' at the paperwork for me."

I cock a brow. "Right, ‘cause you need a lawyer to do that."

Payden is cute as fuck. She comes to the club a little bit here and there, and she now handles any legal matters for the club when we need it, but I had no idea her and Bronco were hooking up.

"We got talkin' at the gym one day and she got me onto this new protein powder that helped her with a skin condition. Doin' wonders for my eczema. Then I kinda started lookin' at ingredients and shit in food. Did you know there's like over a dozen toxic chemicals in somethin' as simple as ketchup?"

"What's Payden, an anti-ketchup crusader? You tappin' that, bro?"

He shakes his head. "The point bein', I've never had an actual real conversation with a woman before, not like this."

"About protein powder and eczema? Sounds really romantic." I shovel another handful of popcorn in my mouth then turn the bag around. "Wait, can I eat this without dyin' of food poisonin' from all the toxic chemicals?"

"You can laugh now, but you'll regret it in ten years' time."

"You didn't answer my question about Payden."

He shrugs. "She's cute."

"So are you in or are you out?"

"We're just friends."

I stare at him with my mouth open. " Friends ?"

"Yeah, you know. We talk and shit."

"Talk?"

"Yeah, it's when two people get together and flap their gums." He punches me on the arm really hard. "If you wanna keep your new girl happy, you're gonna have to do more than just tattoo your dick, bro. Just sayin'."

"I don't know, I think she'll appreciate the effort. And since when were you the Dr. Phil of relationships?"

"Know more than you do."

"Doubt that."

Bronco gives me a chin lift. "You should just get an actual star, like the constellation. That way when you fuck this up, you won't have a reminder on your dick for the rest of your life."

"That's not a bad idea." In fact, it's a great idea. "So you'll do it?"

"For a thousand dollars, but you're payin' for my therapy. And don't be tellin' the brothers I did this, got me?"

I smirk. "My lips are sealed."

He shudders. "Jesus, I must be fuckin' insane."

"I think my dedication will win me some brownie points. This girl is a little hard to win over."

He snorts. "Or she'll realize what a weirdo you are and drop you like a ton of bricks."

"That's just bein' negative," I say. My phone buzzes in my back pocket, but when I fish it out, there's that no called ID again. I keep getting these weird hang-up calls. It doesn't happen all the time, but I've had three in the last few days. I reject it and put my cell back in my pocket.

"Uh, huh. Let's take a bet right now. A hundred bucks says when the woman you just met — who doesn't know you're in love with her, nor does she probably care — finds out that you tattooed your dick in her honor? I'm gonna say she heads for the hills faster than the speed of light."

We shake hands. "Easiest hundred bucks I'll ever make."

"We should get this show on the road. You got my money?"

"I'll wire it."

He gives me a look. I pull my phone back out. "Fine. I'll do it right now."

"Venmo me."

"What's your username?"

"Bronco Ink."

I glance up. "For real?"

"Yup. Figure I gotta get a shop name."

"Shoulda done this years ago, bro. Tellin' you."

"Yeah, yeah," he mutters.

I send him the money, then I get an idea and click onto the Google app.

"So you gonna get an actual star, her name or what?" He rubs his eyes with his palms. It is early, but I had to come do this before I go find my girl. I texted her last night to make sure she was home safe, then I drove by her place and saw her car in the private parking lot. She lives in a nice part of town and that makes me feel better about leaving her alone. Okay, maybe I am getting a little possessive, but now I've had a taste of her, I can't seem to let go. And I had to be sure she hadn't left town.

"Had an idea."

"Jesus, the last time you did that, we were all eatin' vodka watermelons for weeks."

"Hey, it was a party," I remind him. I point at my screen. "Alpha Mensae."

"What the fuck is that?"

I grin. "It's my girl's birthday star."

"Isn't that like her birth sign, what month is she?"

"October. She's a Scorpio which I guess explains the sting in her tail... But that's a zodiac sign, it's too general. This is the constellation that was orbiting at the time of her birth, or whose light left it around that same time, that's what this website says anyway."

He looks over my shoulder at the screen. "You wanna be sure about that. I think a scorpion would look cool."

"Good job I'm not payin' you to think of ideas, bro."

"I'm already thinkin' of ways to bleach my brain."

I grin. She's gonna think I'm nuts, but I never said I was completely sane. This may not make her mine, but there's only one girl I want and I'm gonna show her what she means to me. By tattooing my dick. For her.

If she doesn't appreciate it, I have a pretty looking constellation there for the rest of time. If I can withstand a reverse deep shaft Prince Albert through my dick, I can survive this.

At least, I hope so.

Needless to say it hurt like fuck.

Bronco was a good sport about it, even if he never stopped complaining. He vowed to take it to the grave, though, I know once he gets a few drinks down him, I'll be the laughingstock of the MC. I don't care. They can all eat shit.

I've never given a shit what others think of me. I couldn't care less.

And it looks pretty as fuck. I got Bronco to tattoo right down the end near the base, that way I can still use it halfway, rather than waiting for the damn thing to heal for two weeks. No way am I gonna go without sex with Star for that long.

I iced it up for a little bit, now I've just got the usual healing cream and I've got to keep it clean and dry for at least five days. It stings, but goddamn was it worth it.

Still, I'd still like to have her name tattooed all the way down, but maybe I'll see if she likes this one first.

I look down at my phone, waiting for a reply from my girl.

Me:

Morning beautiful. You at home or the office?

Every second that passes by makes me even more agitated.

I came back home and threw some stuff in a duffel bag. Just in case. If Star has already left New Orleans, I'm gonna be so pissed.

"You okay, honey?" Mom asks as I look up from my phone. "You look a little pale."

Obviously, I'm not gonna tell my mom what I've been doing over at Bronco's. I'd rather keep the fact he touched my dick to myself for as long as possible.

I wiggle the coffee mug in the air. "I'm fine, Mom. Just didn't sleep well. You want the usual?"

She yawns. "That'd be great. Say, whatever happened to that girl you were manhandling at the wedding a few weeks back?"

"Manhandling? The woman has a death wish." I turn my back to make Mom's coffee. It's not like I'm gonna tell her I just got the constellation of my girl's birthday tattooed on my dick. Maybe the tattoo isn't exactly a good topic to start the day off with, or any time, but especially not with my mother.

"I don't know, she might be good for you. Keep you in line."

I look up from the coffee machine. "Keepin' me in line isn't exactly what a man looks for in a relationship."

"How would you know? Your longest girlfriend was two weeks."

"Three," I correct. "And she wasn't exactly the kind of girl I'd bring home to meet you."

"Maybe you should stop hooking up with random women and think about settling down, Ash. I mean, I'm not telling you how to live your life."

I admit, one of the reasons I haven't brought a girl home is because my mom's living with me. That was before Star. Everything I did was pre-Star.

"I am feelin'... stuff for her."

She can't help her smile. "Well, that's a good thing. Just don't jerk her around."

"Thanks, Mom. Wise words of advice from a woman who's been with one man her entire life. Speakin' of which, how's Hustler?"

"Why can't you call him by his real name? I like West much better."

I smile to myself, waiting for the coffee to pour. "Uh, huh. Maybe because we're bikers?"

"So, Asher is much nicer than Nevada, it's why I chose it when I was in labor with you for two whole days, young man."

I got my name because I took Nevada. Literally. I won big at the roulette table on a boys' trip and the name just stuck ever since. That's how I was able to buy my business and start things up three years ago.

"You can call me Asher all day long, Mom. I don't mind."

She rolls her eyes. "Anyway, West is fine." She pulls her robe together at the nape as I frown. Is she… blushing ? "He's actually a real gentleman, not like?—"

"My father?"

Her eyes meet mine. "I was going to say other men. I really don't think you young people understand how hard it is to date when you're my age."

I laugh. "You're forty-five, that ain't old. And since when were you datin'?"

She gives me an unimpressed look. "Forty-five may as well be ninety-five these days."

"You're a fox, Mom. In fact, I think I should screen all your potential dates."

She sits at the kitchen island, a soft smile on her lips. I feel for her. She always wanted more kids but they were never blessed with any more. Sometimes I think my parents only got married because Mom was pregnant at eighteen. Maybe that's why they stayed together as long as they did. I mean, they loved each other, but they just grew apart. My dad has always been married to his job, so it was always me and my mom doing stuff when I was a kid.

"Potential dates, as in plural? I don't think so. I'm fine being by myself."

"Ma, it's been two years. It's time to spread your wings. You just have coffee in a well-lit place during the day and don't give him any details. Then if that goes well, you progress to lunch, then dinner and so on."

She shrugs. "Dating isn't as easy as you make it out to be. Things have changed since I was younger." I add some half and half and then pass Mom her coffee. She takes it gratefully. "Thanks, honey."

"So what's up with West?"

She blows into her mug, taking a sip before she places it back down.

"Nothing's up. We're friends."

I snort. I know from what Bronco just told me about his friend that that's just a cover.

"You don't like him?"

"Sure, he's… nice."

"Nice?"

"He's very charming, but I'm not really sure I'm his type." She puts a hand over her eyes momentarily, a soft blush covering her cheeks. "I'm not sure I should be discussing this with my son."

"Why not? I might be able to help. By the way, I told him to treat you right."

"He told me."

I frown. "He told you?" So much for ‘bro code.'

"Well, I sort of pried it out of him."

"Wait a minute, when did you see West?"

She tucks her hair behind her ears and avoids my gaze. "We, uh, we met for coffee."

I blink in surprise, a slow smile creeping on my face. I know he likes her, but I'm not sure my warning was enough. I don't want to think about my mom in compromising positions, much less having her heart broken. West might be a standup guy, but I really don't know him all that well. I make a mental note to talk to Priest about this. A background check might come in handy. I think about hiring Star to do my dirty work for me and that makes me chuckle.

Mom narrows her eyes. "Asher?"

I wave a hand. "Sorry, I wasn't laughin' at you. I'm just wonderin' why you kept it a secret."

"It's not a secret." There's that blush again. She really likes him. "We ran into one another and then he asked if he could buy my coffee and I said yes. It wasn't a date or anything."

"But you've been texting him?"

"Y—yes."

"And he's asked to see you again?"

She fiddles with the handle of the mug, trying to avoid me again. That sneaky bastard.

"Asher, this isn't a conversation I feel comfortable having."

"Ma, if he's sweet talkin' you, I need to know."

"Oh, my God. Kill me now." She puts her head in her hands and shakes it repeatedly.

"I'm just sayin', you gotta be safe…"

"Asher!"

"What? You've slept with one man your entire life, sex is… it's a natural thing… But you gotta make him work for it…"

She proceeds to bang her head against the island. Her voice is muffled when she repeats, "How did I let myself get into this conversation?"

"Don't be embarrassed. Ma, you can talk to me about this stuff. I mean, I don't wanna hear any details or nothin', just makin' sure he's bein' respectful and not just thinkin' he can get it for free."

She pinches the bridge of her nose. "I'm going to go die now in the basement."

It sounds rough, but my basement is like a hotel. I doubt Mom will ever want to leave. She never worked much when she was married to my dad because he didn't like that. But I've suggested she get a hobby or look for something casual because she likes to be helpful.

"What did I say?"

"Asher, I appreciate your concern, but nobody is getting anything for free. It was coffee, okay? Nothing is happening." Her face is beet red.

"But you like him? I mean, he's got that whole sexy, silver fox thing goin' on. He's in pretty good shape."

"I'm leaving now." She turns and swipes her coffee mug off the island before walking away.

"Oh, Ma, I might be gone for a few days, got some work that's takin' me to Ridgehaven, Mississippi. I'll text you when I'll be back, okay?"

She waves behind her back and I scratch my head. What did I say?

I mean, I'm just making sure she knows that men can say and do anything to get what they want. I should know. I just want my mom to be safe, is that a crime? I don't know why she's getting all kinds of crazy; it's my job to look out for her.

I glance down at my phone on the counter just as a message pops up. My heart rate accelerates. It's Star.

Mama:

How do I get the feeling you already know the answer to where I am?

I smile. Not even giving it a few seconds before I reply.

Me:

I'm nothing if not resourceful. I'm heading there in five. Don't even think about going anywhere till I get there

Mama:

Who died and made you boss?

Me:

Missed me bad, huh?

Mama:

????

I laugh out loud. This is gonna be an interesting day after all, and all I have is a sore dick to show for it.