Chapter Nineteen

Cash

WEDNESDAY NIGHT, CHURCH had been called as an all-hands and everyone that was a patched member piled into the conference room. It was a tight squeeze with officers and senior members seated, and the rest of us standing around the perimeter.

Hatch banged the gavel and called the meeting to order, then stood. "Thanks for takin' the time, brothers. We have a couple of things to discuss. The first is expansion. As you can see"—he waved his hand around the room—"we are bursting at the seams and have officially grown out of Big Ernie's."

Voices murmured their agreement.

"The club still owns those hundred acres, give or take, out in Ridgefield and I've been informed there's another twenty acres just south of it that's opened up that has a home on it coming up for sale. We need to vote on if we want to buy it, add it to the existing and expand our interests. It's close to the grow operations, so it's a no-brainer in my opinion, but as always, nothin' gets done without a vote."

"What about those of us who live here?" Razor asked.

"You can still live here," Hatch said. "Nothing changes if you don't want it to. Half of us live and work here, half of us live up there as it is, so some of us would move, some of us would stay, but the clubhouse would move up there, because we can build something three times the size up there. I think we can build it in less than a year, if I do it with my brothers, and if any of you with experience wanna help, you can earn while you build."

"What about the rest of the land?" I asked.

"We like what the Howlers' have done out in Colorado," Hawk said. "Main clubhouse with individual family cabins surrounding it. If we need to lockdown or just want to stay overnight, we can do that."

"New business. Biker bed and breakfast," Harm retorted, and the room laughed.

"Is this gonna be a business?" I asked. "Or just club?"

"Another vote," Hatch said. "The land's zoned for both commercial and residential, so we can decide on if we want to open another auto shop or somethin' else?"

"Dispensary?" Buzz asked.

"Too many kids, brother," Hatch said. "Need to keep that separate. But with our reputation, another auto shop would clean up."

"Right, vote," Ace said. "All in favor to buy the land?"

Hands went up around the room.

"Nays?" Dad asked.

No one raised their hand, so Hatch banged the gavel and said, "We'll call the realtor tomorrow."

"When do we need to figure out the business side of it?" I asked.

"Once we get plans in place, we gotta pull permits," Hatch said. "I'm thinkin' we got about a month to make our final call, then go from there."

"Are you leaning a certain way?"

"I always like to earn," Hatch said. "So, I'm leanin' toward business and personal. If we get the new land, it's on a main stretch, so it would be a good place for a shop, close to a gas station, not another station for a while. If tourists break down or wreck, we could help get 'em on their way. We could expand into towing, buy a couple of used tow trucks. If locals break down or wreck, our new location doesn't have a whole lotta competition around there."

"I vote business and pleasure," I said.

The room nodded in agreement.

"We could just vote now," Dad said. "Everyone's here."

"Right," Hatch said. "Vote now?"

The room murmured with agreement.

"All in favor to use the land for commercial and residential?" Ace called out.

Hands went up around the room.

"Nays?" Dad asked.

Again, no one raised their hand, so Hatch banged the gavel and grinned. "I'll get Cade on pulling permits once we buy the land. Thanks, everyone. Dismissed. Officers, stay."

I headed out with the rest of the men and found Teagan in the kitchen, pulling a pint of ice cream from the freezer. "Hey."

"Hey yourself." She grinned. "That was quick."

"Yeah."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, I wish every vote were that easy." I smiled. "You gonna share that?"

"Only if you wanna lick it off me," she sassed.

"Get your ass upstairs," I growled, and she grinned before making a run for the stairs.

I followed, closing us into our bedroom and locking the door. Teagan was already halfway naked by the time I did that, and I was rock hard.

"I want you to tie me to the bed," she said.

"Ice cream or kink, baby?"

"Why can't it be both?" she challenged.

"We'll start with the ice cream," I said. "Then I'll tie you down."

Her whole body shuddered, and she bit her lip. "Okay."

"Finish getting naked, baby, then on the bed, on your back."

She did exactly what I asked in record time, and I grinned as I kicked off my boots and took a little longer to do the same.

By the time I was completely naked, I wasn't sure how much longer I'd last, considering her body was fuckin' gorgeous and it did me in almost every time I saw her pussy bare and waiting for me.

I knelt between her legs and kissed my way down one thigh then ran my tongue between her folds before sucking gently on her clit and sliding two fingers inside. With a quiet mew, she arched into my mouth, and I licked and sucked my way around her pussy until she slid her leg over my shoulder, and I could feel her getting close. I pulled my fingers out and she cried out in frustration.

"Patience, beautiful," I said, and grabbed the ice cream.

"You could have let me have one," she groaned.

"Do you want me to tie you down or not?"

"What does giving me an orgasm have to do with tying me down?"

"You'll come harder if you wait for it."

"What a load of—ah," she squeaked as the cold of the ice cream hit a nipple.

"You okay?" I asked.

"God, yes."

I swirled my tongue around her nipple, licking the treat from her tit and she whimpered with need as I leaned down and sucked gently. I focused on her other breast, and she was into it, but when I dribbled ice cream on her pussy, then licked it off, she lost her mind.

"Cash, don't make me wait, honey, please."

"So greedy." I spooned out more of the treat and dropped it between her breasts, licking it off, and she arched into me with a frustrated groan.

"Cash," she hissed.

I set the tub aside and guided my cock to her entrance. "You want this, Turtle?"

"Yes," she growled in frustration.

I slid in deep, but slow, knowing I was torturing her. It got her squirming beneath me, doing wondrous things to my dick and I continued to press deeper until I could no longer keep up with the pace. I settled my palms on either side of her and moved, faster and faster, harder and harder, burying deep as she whimpered and mewed her hands squeezing my arms, her legs wrapped around my hips as she met me with each thrust.

"Now, honey," she begged.

I stilled, letting myself go, feeling her pussy contract around me, and falling gently on her, making sure I didn't crush her as I rolled us to our sides.

I grinned. "You and mint chocolate chip are almost too much to take."

"Next time, I'll try it on your dick."

"Not sure I want anything cold near my dick, Turtle."

She squeezed my chin. "Don't knock it 'til you try it, big man."

I chuckled. "You doin' okay? Did I hurt you?"

"No. Are you gonna tie me up now?"

"We're gonna give it a minute."

She wrinkled her nose. "Fine."

"Insatiable."

"Your fault," she retorted.

"Oh, I know." I kissed her nose. "I take full responsibility."

"What happened in the meeting?"

"We're expanding," I said. "Into Ridgefield. Building the new clubhouse out there to accommodate all of us."

"That makes sense. Half of the club lives out that way."

"Yes. Begs the question, though."

"Which question?"

"Buy close to the new club or the old?"

She sighed. "That's true."

"We don't have to decide now."

"I want to be close to my family."

"I get that."

"But you're my family. The club's also my family." She bit her lip and met my eyes. "And my parents aren't going anywhere."

"True," I said. "Again, we don't have to decide now."

"What do you want to do?"

"I go where you go, baby."

"Cash, this is more than just us."

"It's not, Turtle. It's just you and me."

"Then, I go where you go."

I grinned. "God, I love you."

"I love you, too." She settled her chin on my chest. "But that love's conditional."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah."

"How so?"

"It's gonna end if you don't fuckin' tie me to the bed and fuck me dirty."

I laughed. "I better get my ass in gear then."

"Yeah, you better," she sassed, sitting up.

I got my ass in gear, tying her to the bed and fucking her dirty.

* * *

Hatch

"As you all know by now, the Spiders have requested a sit down. I've asked you all here to discuss strategy with me."

"What do we know so far?" Hawk asked.

"It's a four-on-four sit down in a public place of our choosing. Old School. We know that Warlock has been promoted to President, which is bad news for everyone."

"Why would the Spiders vote a fuckin' psychopath like that into office?" Mack asked.

"Maybe there wasn't a vote," I replied. "After Char was killed and Wolf went away, the Spiders were weak and vulnerable. Trunk was Wolf's VP and should have been his successor, but apparently Warlock had other plans."

"Who gives a shit who's in charge? The Spiders are all worthless slime," Mack said.

"True, but if I had my druthers, I'd prefer to deal with Trunk over Warlock any day. Trunk's got a family and a shred of respect for the old code. The terms of the meeting were probably his idea. Warlock is a cold-blooded killer. Money and power are the only two things that matter to him. Trust me, I know. We have history from way back."

"How do we know it's really a meeting they want and not an ambush?" Flea asked. "I mean, why isn't each club holding a hostage as insurance?"

"A four-on-four means the President and his highest-ranking officers from both sides sit down across from each other. Any kind of aggressive move from either side of the table would end in a blood bath for everyone."

Flea shook his head. "I don't like the idea of not having coverage."

"No weapons. No tricks. We play this one straight."

Booker leaned closer to me. "I dunno, Prez. Maybe Flea's right. If we get to choose the venue, why not have some insurance perched up on a roof top? You heard about what he did to Daryl's family. Do you really believe this guy is playing by the rules?"

"We don't have much of a choice. If I don't go to the meeting, he'll retaliate against one of our families. Hell, maybe all of them. For now, Warlock didn't come to us the same way he came at Daryl. That, along with letting us choose the venue, shows enough good faith that all he wants to do is talk."

"You mean threaten," Mack said.

I nodded. "Most likely. And he's welcome to do it, too. What the fuck do I care?"

Mack scowled. "What do you mean?"

"Look. If Warlock feels he needs to rattle his saber in order to keep us out of his way, fine. I don't want our club anywhere near the Spiders any more than he does."

"But what about fucking with our parts suppliers and the other shit?" Ace bit out.

"That's what I do care about. But again, some of that could be him trying to intimidate us. If he feels like we've gotten the message, he should leave us the fuck alone. However, if he thinks we're gonna cause trouble, then we will definitely be in his crosshairs."

"So, what are you thinking, brother?" Booker asked.

"You, me, Mack and Flea will meet with Warlock and his guys at the Zoo. There's a picnic area near the entrance we can use. We'll see what Warlock has to say and take it from there. We'll make sure every member and our families are on lock down either at the club or in their homes during the meeting."

"The Zoo?" Flea asked.

"It's a public place on neutral ground, and tactically there's no way they could arrange any type of ambush. Besides, Tenley lost the stuffed giraffe I gave her on her birthday. It was her favorite, so I need to swing by the gift shop and get her another one while we're there."

Booker sighed. "Has anyone ever told you that for a biker, you're awfully soft?"

"I'll tell you this. If Warlock agrees to play nice and leave the Dogs out of whatever criminal bullshit he's planning on doing, then I'll be a sweet old grandpa and hand out stuffed giraffes to everyone. But if he thinks he's gonna hold a knife up to my granddaughter's neck, I'll cut his fucking heart out and eat it in front of him. This meeting is the least of my concerns, but we need to be prepared for what may come after it. I need to know right now, who of you is prepared to defend the family members of this club with your lives. Because, if Warlock and the Spiders end up re-igniting a war between the Portland clubs, there's gonna be blood on the streets and I don't want any of it to be ours."

I watched my brothers mumble in agreement.

"Anything else?" I asked.

No one said a goddamn thing, so I nodded. "Class dismissed."

The room emptied, but I stayed put for a minute. I needed that time to gather my thoughts and that's when my woman walked in.

"Are you alright, darling?"

I looked up and smiled. Jesus, she was beautiful. My sunshine in a sometimes dark world. I held my hand out to her. "Come here, beautiful."

She maneuvered her way around the chairs and headed my way. I pulled her onto my lap the second she was close. She let out a quiet giggle and tugged on my beard. "The chair's not going to hold us both, love."

"'Course it will," I countered, kissing her gently.

"You look like the world's on your shoulders." She looped her arms around my neck. "What's going on?"

"Spiders are fuckin' with our shit, Sunshine, but we're gonna fix it."

She sighed. "Right, well, I've got your back, so you just let me know what you need me to do."

"No freak out?"

She smiled. "I've been your old lady long enough to know you're gonna figure it out and you'll move heaven and earth to protect me and the children."

"Jesus, woman, I love you."

"Love you back," she said, stroking the back of my neck. "You still worried about Cash and Teagan?"

"Only if they're on the radar of the Spiders."

"Sounds like we all are."

"For now, we're gettin' ready for a lock down to be safe. I want you to gather the women, get our house ready, and get lists together for the prospects to pick up. Okay?"

"Okay, love. Just make sure I'm not stuck somewhere without you."

"Never, Sunshine." He cocked his head. "Poppy and Devon have that trip planned to London to see your family next month?"

Maisie nodded.

"I'm thinking we move that up and extend it. Flash, Tate, and kids also go, so does Jamie."

"Is it that serious?"

"I think it is, baby."

"Okay, I'll get Beckett to send the big plane."

What a lot of people didn't know was that Maisie might have sold her company back in the day for millions, but her brother Beckett was loaded. A billionaire who owned several planes. Their sister Kenna wasn't as well-off, but she was comfortable. Maisie had come from money, married into money, and all that money hadn't been able to save her first husband from cancer. We'd had some tension about her wealth at the beginning of our relationship because I'd felt like she was slummin' it for me, but I soon came to realize that underneath her millions, she was as salt of the earth as they came, and she loved me like crazy, so I got over myself pretty fuckin' quickly.

She smiled again, leaning down to kiss me. "Come on, the girls and I have cooked up a storm and it's ready."

"No time for a quickie, huh?"

Maisie laughed. "I will always make time for you, darling."

I grabbed her hand and tugged her out of the conference room and upstairs. We took a hell of a lot longer than a ‘quickie,' but luckily, no one came looking for us.