Shut Your Mouth

If “go with the flow” was her motto for tonight’s festivities, she was certainly well on the way of rowing her boat gently down the stream. A couple of shots with Happy and Rat had loosened her up, and she was freely walking around the compound at this stage, a bottle of beer hanging from her left as she inhaled heavy blue smoke from a cigarette she had bummed off someone a few moments ago.
Looking at the patches present so far, she realized that not all the guests were members of the same club. No one had mentioned what the occasion for this party was, but it didn’t seem like anyone needed an excuse to drink and laugh. Sitting down on the edge of the boxing ring, Violet downright enjoyed the company she was in. Her life had always evolved around work and she couldn’t even remember the last time she had taken time out of her busy work life to just mingle with friends. Thinking of that, she smiled to herself: she didn’t have any friends; she had always been around work people!
She wondered how her old colleagues were doing back in Stockton. Had her boss given them the lowdown as to why she had suddenly disappeared? That she was working at Cara Cara? Playing both sides?

Feeling eyes on her, she noticed a couple of men checking her out and she slowly raised her bottle to them in a silent salute, which they reciprocated. Just as they turned to make their way over to her, she could see Hap cut them off and exchange some word with them. Only seeing his back, Violet had to judge by the faces of them what was being said, one of them looking over Hap’s shoulder her way with some sort of regret on his face. What the hell was he doing?
She wasn’t given much time to ponder as Juice appeared next to her from out of nowhere, holding a fresh bottle of beer out to her with one of his brilliant smiles.

“Thought you might need a fresh one?”

He plopped down next to her and lit a cigarette himself, leaning back against the ropes with a deep sigh.

“You finding your way alright? Everything ok?”

He turned to face her as she was still eying Happy, who by now had turned his head over his shoulder to look back at her and her newly found company. Why did she feel like he was cutting anyone she didn’t know off from meeting her?

“Yeah, all is good! What’s the occasion anyways, I’ve noticed that there are not only Sons present, thought this was somewhat of a chapter party maybe.”

Clinking her fresh bottle against his in a salute, she welcomed the chilled beverage.

“It is, pleasure mixed with business I guess. But we don’t have big meets like this often, so you’re definitely in for a treat. Looks like Hap has taken it upon himself to keep guys away from you, it’s quite funny to see.”

He grinned as she raised her brows at him, wanting to hear more.

“There have been a few guys asking around who you were as they’ve never seen you before and he pretty much gave them the evil eye and sent them running. I know he has been protective of some of the girls before, but this…is definitely a new level. What’d ya do to him Vi, you sleeping with him?”

The gulp of beer she had just taken came straight back out of her mouth after Juice’s question.

“The fuck?! Are you serious?”

She stood up and looked him straight in the eye, seeing regret plastered all over his features.

“You listen here Juice: I don’t need anyone’s protection and I sure as hell didn’t ask for Happy to go around obviously claiming his stake. If he’s interested in me, I sure as hell can say that I didn’t do anything to feed that fire, so you better be careful what kind of wild accusations you’re throwing around.”

She turned and stomped away, the frame of Happy on the other side of the yard very much in her focus. This was bullshit; she didn’t need people to think she was untouchable because rumors were going around. Coming to a stop next to Hap, she gave a tight smile to the men he was with before looking up at him.

“We need to talk.”

He raised a hand to signal her to hang on, but she grabbed the same hand and ground her teeth.

“Now Hap!”

His hold on her hand changed into an iron clasp as he all but dragged her behind him, pushing her into a corner next to the closed shutters of the Teller Morrow garage.

“You cannot tell me what to do girl, better watch your attitude!”

He growled dangerously low, but she wasn’t just taking his shit. She was furious.

“Well apparently people think we’re fucking, so I just thought I’d come over and ask you what the fuck was up with that!”

Violet spat out angrily and she pushed him by the shoulder, not having the desired effect, as he didn’t even move an inch. All it did in turn was have him look livid, staring into her eyes.

“I didn’t tell people shit, only that you’re not some piece of ass but a friend of the club, that they can’t fuck with. If you’ve heard anything else, maybe you should take your beef up with them.”

He looked so angry and sexy at the same time; she wasn’t sure what to think anymore. She could feel multiple eyes on them, making her feel like a fucking idiot for causing a scene. It was obvious that women played but a small role in their daily life, so having pulled him away like that must have looked rather out of order.

“If you wanna stake a claim, fucking do it. But at least let the girl in question know what’s going on, so I don’t look like a complete ass when someone comes at me with this kinda shit.”

She patted her skirt pocket for smokes, but realized that she didn’t have any on her, a frustrated noise rumbling in her chest. She felt his hand on her chin as he raised it so that she had to look up at him.

“You have no idea what it mans if one of us stakes a claim on a girl, you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

His eyes had visibly softened, but he was searching hers nonetheless.

“Well if that kiss earlier was anything to go by, I believe you should enlighten me Hap. Cause either you’ll treat me like any other person here and allow me to make new friends, or you grow a pair and ask me if I maybe, just maybe, consider testing the waters with you.”

Looking up into his eyes, she actually thought she’d get a response from him, but she didn’t get anything. Smacking her lips together, she clicked her tongue and rounded the man in front of him, not looking back.

She may be new to biker circles, but no matter what: any man would not just let a girl walk away with a challenge like this. She could hear his footsteps approaching behind her, and she smirked to herself, slowing down to allow him to side with her. As he did so, he put a heavy arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer.

“Maybe it’s time for you to go up on that stage, so we can introduce you properly to the crowd you’re so eager to meet. I’ll expect you to be up there in 15.”

He smacked her ass before rejoining the group of people he had left earlier, not paying her another look. Her body literally bubbled over in anger and embarrassment, as her feet took her straight back into the clubhouse, pushing her way through the ever-growing crowd, rushing towards his room.

“Vi! Violet! Hang on a minute, Jesus!”

Tig’s voice rang out loudly behind her as she all but ran down the hallway; she was in no mood to listen to his questions. Quickly slipping into the room she tried to shut the door behind herself, but he was too quick to push his boot in between.

“Fuck off Tig, I don’t have time for this! I was told to get changed to entertain, so get your foot away so I can do just that.”

She could hear a string of choice words before he forcefully pushed the door open, seeing her stumble halfway through the room. Violet pushed herself against the wall opposite the door, fear clearly written all over her face.

“What he hell has gotten into you baby girl, one minute you’re all happy days and the next you’re storming through here like a woman scorned! Has anyone touched you? I’ll get Hap to…”

“Don’t you fucking dare calling this prick in here!”

His icy blue eyes widened before he rubbed both his hands over his face. She hadn’t been here for more than 6 hours and already shit went south.

“Trust me Violet, the fastest way to little Happy boy’s heart is by showing him what he could have and then flaunting it to the world. A little jealousy goes a long way when it comes to a hot-blooded guy like him.”

She looked up at him and his warm smile, his eyes steady and honest. It made sense: he had told off any guy even looking at her earlier in the evening, so jealousy might have well been a factor.

“You really think so?”

Tig knelt down and shuffled though her bag, handing her a pair of black, lacey boy shorts and a barely-there bra with a big smirk on his face.

“Trust me, he would hate nothing more than seeing other men stare at your undressed tits and ass. I am more than willing to lend a hand, too if need be. I mean, it wouldn’t be the worst for someone to give him some actual competition compared to all those drunk fucks out there.”

Violet looked from the clothes in her hand back into his eyes. She couldn’t stand him, he freaked her out half of the time and the other times she thought he was a simple pervert. Hap did say that he was crazy, maybe a little encouragement to keep the ‘crazy guy’ away from the ‘new girl’ wouldn’t be the worst that could happen.

“Don’t get any crazy ideas old men, I ain’t giving you a free ride if that’s what you’re after.”

He raised his hands in an innocent fashion and moved back towards the middle of the room.

“Wouldn’t even dream of it baby girl. I’ll make sure Hap’s around when you take that stage. Show ‘em what you got, the more rowdy that crowd gets, the more his blood gets pumping.”

Before he left, he gave her his custom elevator look again, shaking his head in disbelief.

“That lucky prick.”