Skin

“Alexis!”

It seemed strange for someone to use my full name in such a perky, excited tone. It was generally reserved for when I was in trouble. I tried not to wince at the usage of it now.

“Madison,” I greeted the tiny redhead as I entered the Cara Cara studio. “What brings you to Charming?”

“Your suggestion, of course!” she squealed. Behind her, Luann looked thoroughly unimpressed. Her hands were on her slim hips, and there was a scowl on her lips. I knew that in that moment, if she had chosen to use my full name, it definitely would have been because I was in trouble.

“Yeah, about that,” I clasped my hands together in front of me. “Remember when I found out you weren’t a prostitute and I said that you could do other things besides porn? What happened to that idea?”

Madison shrugged, still grinning like an idiot. “I think I’d be good at this.”

I sighed. “Okay, you get why this is nuts, right? You just took life advice from someone you met in prison. And not even from the alcoholic or the woman who chased her husband with a knife, but from the one who was in there for murder charges. Even you can’t be this stupid.”

“No, this makes total sense. I mean, it’s safe, and I know I’m good at sex, so what’s the problem?”

I looked back and forth between Mom and Luann. “Would either of you ladies care to jump in here?”

Mom took a step forward, looking as though she were only helping me because I was very clearly drowning and she couldn’t stand to watch the struggle anymore. “Okay, look, kid. Lexi is my daughter, but even I can admit that she’s an idiot. And you’re just as stupid for taking advice from someone you met in jail. How could that seem like a good idea? You just packed up everything and left your whole life behind for this? Seems like a pretty shitty way to live, if you ask me.”

Madison’s smile finally cracked. She looked uncertain for the first time, glancing back at me with an almost sad air about her. “Well, the thing is, I don’t really have anything else. I don’t have any family in California, and Alexis pointed out how destructive my relationship was. I’m not leaving anything at all behind.”

Mom shot me another frustrated look, and I felt my defenses building up.

“Look,” I said to Mom and Luann. “I stand by what I said about her boyfriend. He was going to get her killed or sent to jail for real next time. I feel like I know what I’m talking about when it comes to shitty relationships, okay? Can we help her or not?”

Luann rounded on Madison, taking on her most authoritative tone. “I run a clean, legal business here. You haven’t even shown me evidence that you’re of legal age. I don’t do kiddie porn, got it?”

“Oh,” Madison began digging in the bag that was balanced on her shoulder. “I’ve got a driver’s license and a passport, if that helps.”

“You’ll need to get tested,” Luann continued, rambling off more prerequisites before Madison had even had time to find her ID. “I’ll need the evidence that you don’t have any diseases; I need to keep my employees safe. And you need to get a criminal record check.”

Madison nodded her understanding, but she still looked uncertain. “So, do I have a job here?”

Luann grimaced, clearly pained by what she was about to have to say. “Get those things that I’ve asked for, and then we’ll talk. But you’ve got a good look. I could probably use you. And Lexi,” she turned to me, a silent threat in her eyes. “Never again.”

“Understood,” I told her. “Madison, do you have anywhere to stay?”

She shook her head, looking embarrassed at the thought. “I’ve got a bit of money, though. I could probably afford to go to a hotel.”

“You’ll need that money for your STD screen and your record check.” I chewed thoughtfully on the inside of my cheek. I could have just let her stay in my old apartment, since all of my furniture was still there, but I found that I didn’t really trust her not to rob me blind. I needed her to be somewhere that I could keep an eye on her. “Get in the car, you’re coming with me.”

“Alexis,” Mom began, looking a little worried.

“Mom,” I stopped her. “If she comes to Juice’s, she can stay in the guest bedroom. And I can keep close and make sure she doesn’t steal from him or anything. And I really doubt that she’s dumb enough to try anything when he’s home. Who in their right mind would steal from a biker when he’s down the hall?”

Mom looked as if she still weren’t sure about my reasoning, but eventually she was forced to admit that I had a point. “Okay, let’s get you home. I’m sorry about all of this, Luann.”

Luann waved us off, still looking irritated, as she disappeared back into her office. Mom and I got into the front seats of the car while Madison clambered into the back, hauling all of her bags with her. Her smile had returned. When we got to Juice’s, I led her to the spare room. Now was as good a time as any to get my shit out of there, since it would now be in her way. I gathered up all of my clothes that were hanging in the closet, making space for Madison to get settled.

“Why are your clothes in here? Do you really have so many that they can’t fit in your other closet?” she asked, looking awed by the notion.

“No. It’s a long story. Basically, I was sleeping with Juice when I wasn’t supposed to be. And I do mean sleeping,” I clarified, though I wasn’t sure why I felt that the addition was necessary. “I’m not sure what time he’ll be home tonight, but it’ll probably be easier for me to explain everything if you’re in here when he gets back. I don’t think he’ll have a problem with it, but still. And if anything goes missing, I’m blaming you and sending the guys after you, got it?”

She nodded feverishly, then paused, intrigued. “What guys?”

“Juice is in a motorcycle club.”

“That’s so hot,” she gushed.

“Trust me when I say that the reality isn’t. Unless he says otherwise, I’m giving you a week here. I don’t know if Luann will give you an advance, but she might make an exception just this once. You’ve got to get that figured out; I’ve done more than my share already.” I left her to get settled. I dug through the kitchen drawers until I found Juice’s pot stash. I sat at the table and rolled myself a joint, glancing up at the clock. It was later than I’d thought. Hopefully he’d be coming home soon.

I leaned back in my chair and lit the joint. I inhaled deeply. “Ugh,” I spat. I put out the joint and pouted. “Where the fuck did he get this shit?” I grumbled to myself.

When Juice finally came home, I was still sitting in the same chair. Wordlessly, he sat down across from me. “Okay, let’s hear it,” he said, letting out a weary breath.

“Okay, I have a couple of things to discuss with you. A lot has changed since we last saw each other,” I began dramatically. “First and foremost: where did you get your weed stash?”

“The colonic shop,” he answered, looking confused by my question.

“Don’t you need a prescription to get stuff from there?”

He shrugged, rubbing his eyes tiredly. “Since we’ve been having to eat healthy, I’ve been looking into their cleanses and shit. I told them that I was thinking about buying shares in the company. They’re bending the rules to try and get me on board.”

“Well if you become part owner, you need to get their sources sorted out. This is skunk weed. It’s nasty. I’m going to get you some good stuff from Mom, okay? I can’t smoke this. Second order of business: please don’t get made at me.”

Juice’s hands fell away from his eyes. He gave me a narrow stare. “What did you do?”

I gave him a quick rundown of the situation at hand. He listened patiently, then yawned when I finished speaking.

“That’s fine. Stick to that one week deadline though, okay? And she’s your problem. Can we smoke this skunk weed and go to bed now?”

“No. You can smoke the skunk weed. And while you’re at it, you can tell me why all the other presidents were here today. Does this have anything to do with the Mayans and the Nords?” I pressed.

Juice lit the joint that I’d rolled hours earlier, puffing on it slowly. “I was hoping you’d forgotten about that. I should have known better. Yes, that’s why they’re here. We decided that we were going to make a deal with them, and we brought in the other presidents for backup. So now you’re up to speed.”

“What kind of a deal?” I continued. Now that he was opening up to me, I was taking full advantage of it.

“Lex, it’s not a big deal. It’s all under control.”

I frowned. Maybe he wasn’t ready to totally open up about everything just yet. I could deal with that. I could take baby steps until he was able to let me in on everything. He was probably just trying to protect me.

“Alright,” I conceded. “I’m going to bed. I’ve got to help Madison get her documents in order tomorrow so that she can get the hell out of your spare bedroom.”

“Wait,” Juice put out the roach in the ashtray before following after me. “Is all of your stuff still in there? Do you really trust someone you met in prison with all of your clothes?”

“She was in there for possession. I’m sure it would be fine. But no, my stuff isn’t in there. I kind of took over your closet,” I gave him an apologetic smile. The addition of my clothing to the room really shouldn’t have disturbed him much. All he had were a few pairs of jeans, some tee shirts, and a couple of hoodies. It was easy for me to fit all of my stuff alongside his.

“Good. Keep it there. It makes more sense, anyways.”

I smiled at him. “Okay.”

Juice had the next day off, so we stayed in bed for longer than usual. When I inevitably heard movement out in the kitchen, I momentarily forgot we had a guest. If she could have been called that. I leapt out from between the blankets, and I’d already pulled my gun from my purse when I remembered that it was probably Madison. I dropped the weapon back into bag in mild embarrassment.

“That might have been an overreaction,” I mused, keeping my voice low so that she wouldn’t be able to hear me.

“You think?” Though his words were teasing, his face was serious. He was alarmed by my reaction.

“I’m fine,” I said. I wasn’t very reassuring when my voice came out harsh and defensive. “I’m going to make sure she’s not rifling through all your shit.”

“Lex,” he called out, hoping to stop me. I knew that he wanted to talk about what I’d just done, but I wasn’t in the mood to face whatever issues he now thought I had.

I walked into the kitchen just as Madison turned on the coffee pot. She turned to me with an uncertain smile, looking as if she’d been caught doing something she wasn’t allowed to do. I immediately became suspicious.

“I’m sorry, I went into the cupboards to find the coffee and filters,” she said. She was wearing a skin-tight tank top and her underwear.

“You look guilty as fuck,” I told her. “It’s fine that you made coffee, I actually appreciate it. But put some pants on, okay? I hate them as much as the next person, but if you don’t wear them when my boyfriend is here, I might stab you.”

“She’s kidding,” Juice said as he came into the room. He paused to press his lips to my temple before he opened the fridge and got out a carton of juice.

“I’m not kidding,” I shook my head to contradict him. “The only girl I want to see in her panties in your kitchen is me. And even I’m wearing pants today,” I reminded him, pointing down at my legs to show that I was wearing a pair of grey plaid pajama pants. When I turned back to tell Madison to go find something to wear, I found that she was already gone. “Well that solves that.”

“Lex, calm down. And maybe don’t utter threats to the person you almost pulled a gun on ten minutes ago.”

“Who’s going to turn me in?” I challenged with a smile. “Wait, no really, please don’t turn me in. I can’t go back to the slammer. You’ll never take me alive!”

“Whoa, easy there, Alcatraz,” he chuckled, drinking straight from the juice carton before putting it back in the refrigerator. “I’ve got to head out. See you tonight.”

I paused, mid-reach for a mug in the cupboard. “Wait, what? You don’t work today.”

“Club stuff,” he replied shortly. He was being a little too dismissive of my curiosity for my liking.

“So I’ll come by the clubhouse later?”

“Not today. I shouldn’t be late.”

“I hate this,” I informed him, pouring my coffee. “Only knowing half the story is worse than knowing nothing at all.”

Juice’s eyes perked up suddenly. “Is that future advice?”

“You know I’ll find out somehow,” I continued, ignoring his joke. “I happen to work with almost everyone involved, and they all really love me.”

“Yeah, sometimes I think that our weakness for you is going to be the death of all of us.”

I chose not to focus on the blatant dark side to his words. “I’m going to stop by Mom’s later and get some pot. After I’m done with Madison for the day, I mean. I feel like the less Mom sees of her, the better. Her and Luann are really pissed at me for being the one to tell her about Cara Cara.”

Juice pulled his cut on over his shoulders. “Well you go and have your girl’s day, and I’ll see you tonight. I’ll call if I’m going to be late.”

“What part of that sounded like a girl’s day to you?”

He shrugged, heading for the front door. “The part where you aren’t going to be around the club until I tell you it’s okay? Be safe, Lex.”

I frowned as he disappeared into the late morning sunlight and closed the door behind him. “You be safe,” I muttered. I knew that the guys would all look out for one another, but the fact that they’d brought in backup made me incredibly stressed about the whole thing.

“Where did your boyfriend go?” Madison came back into the kitchen. Her ass was covered by a pair of spandex shorts, which honestly didn’t make me feel much better than the underwear had.

“Business,” I answered dully. “Look, I’ve got to shower and all that stuff before we head out for the day. There are towels in the hall closet if you want to have one, too. Other than that, have some coffee and if you can find anything in the fridge, knock yourself out.”

She nodded enthusiastically. “Hey, Alexis?” she asked as I began to walk away, still clutching my coffee.

“Yeah?” I looked back.

She was biting her lip timidly. “Thanks. It really means a lot that you’re helping me.”

I didn’t know what response was appropriate. I could have told her that it was no big deal, or that it was the least I could do, but those were both lies. After a few beats of silence, I settled on a shrug. “I usually go by Lexi, so call me that, okay?”