The Club

Luka pushed open the doors of the bar and smiled at the man behind the bar as his boys followed behind him. The bartender and owner, Alonso, paled visibly as they piled in.

"Luka! I told you I will have it by the weekend!"

"I am aware, Alonso. How many weeks have you been saying that? What is it, Stavo? Four? Five?"

"Six now, Luka," Stavo smirked, leaning over the bar and twirling one of his ever present hand knives.

"Six! Six weeks you have been promising what you owe. Putting me off. It is well known I am not a man to be kept waiting, Alonso," Luka taunted, stopping to look at an obviously photoshopped picture of Alonso and Obama shaking hands. "When you borrowed all of that money, I lent it in good faith! You swore on your mothers life you would pay it back in two weeks, it was a sure thing. And yet here we are. Come to find out your mother is ten years in the grave. What am I to make of that, Alonso?"

"Luka, I promise you, I..."

"I make several things of it. First, you are not very smart. Second, you never intended to pay me back. Third, you think I am a fool."

"No! Luka, I swear, it was a sure thing, it was!"

"And yet here we are."

"Luka?" Amelia called, coming out of the stock room. "We are off four whole cases of vodka, two of the..."

"Amelia! Not now, go back and finish inventory!" Alonso yelled quickly, making her look up from her clipboard.

She looked at the dozen men in biker vests, all looking at her. One was tall and slender and he stood out ridiculously from the rest of them. For one, he was younger than most of them, for another, he was stunningly beautiful in a way that would make most girls trip over themselves just to get him to look their way. He was also the most pure native american she had ever seen. His long black hair flowing down his back like a silken waterfall, his dark eyes large and intense. Under his vest, he wore a native american chest piece made of bone. It didn't look odd on him at all, even with his jeans and cowboy boots.

"What is this then, Alonso?" the tall man asked, cocking his head and stepping closer to her.

"No one! She is new, she knows nothing and she isn't one of my normal girls! She isn't a waitress or a Lay.""

"No? She looks like a bit of sweet meat to me, Alonso," he smirked, backing her to the wall and leaning over her as he put a hand on the wall next to her head.

She stared up at him fearfully. He may be stunning, but he was a predator and he terrified her.

"She isn't! She isn't part of this! She is deaf! I will have your money with interest this weekend!"

"She seems important to you, Alonso. Why do you care so much? What does she mean to you?"

"Nothing! Nothing, she is just a girl who asked for a job, but she isn't like the others. She wants a real job."

"Maybe I need a little collateral. I think I will hold on to this little piece of ass for a few days. What do you think, boys? We came for a few fingers, but I will take this little... bookworm instead. Am I right, little Cherry? You a little number crunching bookworm? You have a name?" he asked as he tilted her head side to side to look at her hearing aids.

"Amelia," she whispered, trembling. "I... just want to go home. Today is my first day, I am just here to work and I..."

"Hush now, little Cherry," he whispered, smirking.

"She doesn't know what that means! She isn't from around here!" Alonso said quickly. "Look, take what's in my register! Take what you want from the stockroom!"

"Oh, we will," Stavo laughed, motioning to a few of the boys who took off to the back room.

"You have until Saturday, Alonso," Luka smiled, taking her arm and pulling her across the room. "After that, I get to keep this little Cherry and two of your fingers. Stavo," he nodded, pulling the girl outside with him as three of his boys followed. He turned, looking down at her. "You give me trouble, little Cherry, and I give you trouble, you understand?"

She nodded, trembling. There were unshed tears in her huge doe eyes.

"You will ride with me, hold on, and don't move around, you understand?"

She nodded again, looking at the bikes wide eyed. "Please," she whispered. "I'm afraid."

"I can see that," he grinned. "It's fucking thrilling," he laughed. He got on his bike, then grabbed her arm and pulled her up and on behind him. "Hold on!" he yelled as he started it.

She squealed and gripped him, hiding her face in his back.

He laughed again as he took off, his boys behind him.

She clung to him and didn't move a muscle until he was pulling into the clubhouse. She finally moved her face from his back when he killed the engine.

He pulled her inside behind him and as he and the others walked in, several girls hurried to greet them, kissing and smiling and rubbing on all of them but the tall one.

"Luka!" one of the girls smiled. "You brought us a new friend?"

"No, Val, not this one. Girl. See that blue chair there by that door? Go sit in it and don't get up, you hear me?"

She nodded and he let her go.

"She's a fresh baby," Val smirked, watching her.

"She ain't here for that."

"She wouldn't make it a day. Look at her. She looks like a kindergarten teacher or something."

Luka laughed and watched Amelia curl up in the blue chair and look around fearfully. "Just make sure the other girls leave her alone!"

He glanced at her again, hugging her knees and hiding her face. She was such a frightened little mouse.

He went to the bar as the more of his boys piled in with more alcohol and quickly forgot about the girl until late in the evening when more of the crew came in. Those who had day jobs outside of the club.

He sat at the end of the bar with Jay, one of the new patches, to give him a rundown on who he would be collecting from that night.

Amelia watched Luka sit down not ten feet from her at the end of the bar and turned in the seat to watch him warily as he talked to the young man. A giant walked in the front doors, a huge man. As tall as Luka easily and twice as wide. He was much older and had long white hair with a ruddy complexion under his black bandana he wore like a skull cap. There were shouts and greetings and more than one of the girls who seemed to live in this place hurried to him as he laughed loudly and shouted hello's. He was the sort of man who commanded the attention of the whole room. He had her attention.

He started to the back and his eyes fell on her. He looked her over with an amused sort of smirk. "Well, what have we here?" he asked, leaning over her, a hand on each side of the chair.

She leaned away hard and turned away from him.

"Don't be shy now, little Cherry, let's have a look at the goods!" he laughed, then ripped her v-neck sweater wide open down the front. She grasped at it, trying to shut it, but his hands were huge and strong as he pushed them aside and shoved her bra down to pull her breast out. She let out a whimper and tried to wriggle down to the floor, but he held her, chuckling as he pulled her other breast out. "Very nice," he purred, massaging the one he had just pulled out.

"Please stop!" she wailed.

Luke spun to her, then jumped up, jerking Lee back. "Lee! What the hell? Do you see where she is sitting?!?"

"Course I see where she is sitting! What fucker here outranks me enough to care if I have a look and sample the goods?"

"This fucker," Luka snarled.

Lee stook up straight, looking Luke in the eye. He stepped back, both his hands up. "My bad, boss. Never occured to me a little Cherry like that might be yours. You've never..."

"I don't care what I have never done before! You know that seat means she is reserved and that means hands off for ANYONE but the man who put her there! I don't care if it is Jay who put her there. That chair means hands off. This shouldn't be something I have to repeat to anyone, let alone you!"

"Easy, Luka, the girl is fine. I didn't know and I didn't think anyone would mind if I had a look. This gonna be an issue?"

"Only if you make it one, Lee. That Cherry is mine."

"Understood. What's on the fucking agenda tonight?" he asked, his face red with fury he couldn't unleash. He would change the subject instead.

"Nothing. Jay is about to go on collections along with Apex and Juda. That's it tonight. No sit down till Friday."

"Then I'll be back tomorrow," Lee growled.

He turned and left and Luka looked Amelia over. She was huddled into the chair, facing the wall and hugging herself. "Val!" Luke yelled across the room.

"Yeah boss?" she asked happily, coming over to him quickly.

"Take her back to my room. Find her a t-shirt or something. Girl. Go with Val. Stay in my room and don't touch my shit. Understood?"

She nodded, shaking from head to toe as Val helped her up and led her to the back.

Luka sat back down, his mood soured now. "Go on, Jay. Go find Juda," he said, downing the rest of his beer.

"Were you serious, Luka? About me havin' an old lady I could bring in and no one could touch her?"

"We ain't cave men, Jay. We have rules. You have a sweetie?"

"I just wanted to know," he blushed, standing up. "Thanks boss," he said genuinely, then hurried away.

Luka considered getting one of the girls to come suck his cock before he went to bed, then decided against it. It would probably send that little Cherry into fits.

He said goodnight to a few of the boys, had another beer, then went back. The girl was curled up in an old chair in the corner that was only ever used to pile clean laundry on. The laundry was folded and sitting in a neat stack on his dresser. She was completely enveloped in his t-shirt, her knees tucked in, her arms pulled in. Her red curls had escaped the bun she'd had them trapped in and her face was hidden behind her hair.

"He hurt you?" he asked her, pulling off his chest piece off and hanging it on a rack.

"Just scared me," she barely whispered.

He went to the window unit and cranked it all the way up, then kicked his boots off.

"I'm bout to go to bed. You are going to lay down and be still and be quiet. Sleep. Do NOT fucking wake me up, you understand?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Get in bed."

"I will sleep here..."

"I told you to do something, you better god damn move!"

She jumped up and scrambled up onto the bed as he shucked his pants. Her eyes widened in fear as he came to the bed with no clothes on. When he paused to smirk at her, she turned away quickly, her cheeks going red with shame.

He got into bed and she let out a terrified whine. "Please don't!"

"Don't what?" he demanded, leaning on an elbow to face her, still amused.

"Don't... do anything."

"You assume I want to fuck you? I sleep like this every night. Take them pants off, you don't sleep in pants."

"I'm cold and..."

"What did I just fucking tell you?" he demanded.

She wriggled her pants off and dropped them over the edge of the bed, hiding herself under the t-shirt.

"Where you from, little Cherry?"

"Here. Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"I was born here, lived with my GiGi until I was about 12, then I went to live with my Aunt Ella up in Jasper. Just moved back here."

"How old are you?"

"Eighteen?"

"Tiny little thing. Why'd you come back to this shithole?"

"It isn't! I... I loved growing up here. GiGi died when I was 16. She left me her little trailer. I came back as soon as I could after I graduated. As soon as I turned 18."

"Those hearing aids. You all the way deaf or mostly?"

"Mostly."

"All your life, or...?"

"Since I was three. I... had an ear infection. My dad was high and I wouldn't quit crying, had a high fever. He reasoned that boiling water would cure an ear infection."

"Jesus fuck," he breathed.

"Neighbor finally called the police when I wouldn't quit screaming. They found him passed out and me with my ears all burned. They called GiGi and I never saw him again."

"Your ma?"

She shrugged and looked away, her face red.

"So you've been deaf since then?"

"Not right away, I had about a 30% loss, then gradually it got worse and worse and worse. Now I am at about 90/75, favoring my right ear."

He reached over and turned her face slightly, then traced a finger over the edge of her ear softly and down to her jaw before turning her back to him. "Why don't you come over here," he asked, patting the bed right next to him.

She shook her head. "N-no thanks."

"I'll keep you warm. Show you why girls always want to come back to my bed."

"No! No thank you... please, I just want to go home!"

"Easy, little Cherry. Calm down. Come over here a little closer," he whispered, pulling her against him. "Better, yeah? You don't want to fuck, how about you suck my cock?"

"No!"

"No?" he asked, leaning close and sliding a hand into her curls. "What, you don't think I'm hot enough?"

"It's nothing like that! I don't want to! I don't even know you and..."

"And?"

"I've never been with a man."

He laughed, biting her jaw gently. "Sure you haven't, Cherry. All the chicks who come on here claim that. Some claim it the second and third times they come in."

"I'm not lying!"

"Right. Come suck my cock, Cherry," he purred, his lips against her earlobe.

"No! I... I've never done that either."

"I'll teach you, come on."

"No!"

"I don't like no, Cherry. Come on, I need a good fuck," he groaned, moving over her and shoving his knee between her legs to part them.

She cried out and broke down in tears. "Please! Please don't! I'm saving myself!"

"Right baby. Enough with that shit, I fucking hate liars."

"I'm not lying!"

He moved back, anger dancing in his eyes as the hand in her hair made a fist. "Then how about this, Cherry," he said angrily. "I will fucking check. If you're not lying, I will turn over and leave you alone the rest of the night. If you ARE lying, you will lick my cock clean after I am done fucking you in the ass," he snarled, his hand moving down to jerk his shirt up out of the way.

He shoved her legs wider with his knee as he slid his fingers into her panties and pressed his head to hers as he watched her angrily, working his finger down and in as she trembled and cried.

He went still, then laughed low in his throat as he pulled his hand away. He moved back, still looking down at her, his eyes hooded. He slid his finger into his mouth and sucked on it, staring her in the eye as he did. After, he leaned down and kissed her on the lips.

He turned over with another chuckle and turned off the lamp, then moved his pillow to go to sleep.

She slipped her hearing aids off and set them on the shelf before curling up on the other side of the bed to sleep.

He woke her up in the morning, rolling her to face him as he smirked down at her. He grabbed her face and kissed her and she pulled back. He laughed and took hold of her hair, holding her in place as he kissed her again, forcing her mouth open as he moved closer and ground his hard cock into her leg.

She cried out and shook her head. "Please! You promised!" she wailed, struggling feebly away from him.

He bit her earlobe gently. "That was yesterday. I said I would leave you alone and not fuck you last night. I made no promises about today," he laughed, then let her go as she struggled to reach her hearing aids.

She put them in hurriedly, tears in her eyes as he leaned on an elbow and held on to her thigh to keep her from getting up.

"I said that was only last night, little Cherry," he repeated. "Today is a new day and a new deal. Get up. I have plans."

She sat up and looked him over fearfully. "Why are you so horrible and mean? Why do you all do what you do? Doesn't it bother you that you are hurting people and stealing from them?"

"Stealing?" he laughed. "Nah, Cherry, you have it wrong. We offer protection to businesses. We don't shake down, they come to us. We do favors for people, once again, they come to us. We offer loans and they come to us. They know what they are getting into when they sign the dotted line."

"But you hurt people! You kidnapped me!"

"Eh, there you might actually have me. Never once have I ever run into someone who was truly an innocent, not like you. Always there was something. I never brought an innocent bystander in before. But look at you, Cherry, how could I resist? And the way Alonso was so protective of you. Didn't know he had that in him, he usually doesn't give a fuck about his girls."

"He told me his first daughter was born deaf before she died of leukemia," she answered softly.

"For what it's worth," he grinned. "I don't plan on hurting you."

He pulled her down to the restroom, then told Gail, one of the live-ins to find her some clean clothes for after her shower.

She was returned to him, red faced, with a little sundress that had been pinned at the straps so it wouldn't hang on her so badly. It was still too big.

"Val!" he yelled, bangin on her door.

"Yeah?"

"Find my Cherry some clothes today! Make sure they fit her!"

"On it!" she yelled back.

He pulled her out to the clubhouse and stopped at the bar where one of the other girls was serving out breakfast.

"Hey boss!" she said quickly, her eyes bright and dreamy as she looked up at him.

"Hey Molly, you are looking exceptionally cute this morning."

"Thank you!" she breathed, leaning across the bar so he could see down her shirt.

Not that there was anything at all left to the imagination, Amelia thought.

"Got your eye on one of my boys?"

"Maybe!" she blushed with a coy smile.

"He's a lucky bastard. Thanks for the eggs, babe. See you later. C'mon, Cherry."

As soon as he had her outside, she looked up at him. "What's a Cherry?"

He smirked. "A girl who wasn't born into this, who doesn't know anything about us that we plan on busting wide open. Make her one of us or make her run."

"I thought I was a hostage," she said as he mounted his bike and pulled her on behind him.

"Yeah. Doesn't mean I'm not gonna bust your cherry," he laughed as he made the double entendre and started his bike.

She grabbed him tight and hid her face again and he grinned as he pulled away.

Finally, about twenty minutes into the ride on the smooth highway, she moved enough to peek out. He reached his free hand back and put it on her bare thigh. He took her up on an old trail, all the way up to a high overlook, then parked his bike and killed it.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Wanted to show you something," he told her, grabbing her hand and pulling her out to the edge of the huge cliff.

She pulled back, afraid of letting him pull her closer.

"Come on," he coaxed, tugging.

"I will, let me go."

He laughed and let her hand go, going to the edge to look down.

She stood a moment, watching him and appreciating the view as the wind caught his hair and whipped it around him. He looked like something out of a music video, or a poster girls put on their walls. He was beautiful.

She moved closer and looked down into the canyon.

He sat down and patted the ground next to him. "See all those old burned out trailers?"

"Yeah?"

"Decade ago they weren't all burnt out and meth labs like they are now. I lived down there. They were still shitty, broke down places, but me, my family, a group of us, we all lived down there. I hated it. We were piss poor, I had nothing at all. No toys, no school, no books, no TV, no nothing. Just an old man who was always drunk and a mom who was never home. Worked two jobs and still hardly brought home enough food to keep all of us from starving. All I had to do all day was run and climb. So I climbed. I climbed more and more every day until every day I would be sitting right here in this spot, looking down. I vowed at 13 that I would never stop climbing, I would climb my way out of that hellhole and never look back and I would climb until I was on top. I took off. Started running for the club. Errands, little things. Learned to fix bikes, learned everything. Per took me in like a son. Taught me everything. By fifteen, I was patched even though I couldn't ride legal. I kept climbing. I made council by 18. I kept climbing. VP by 22 and when Per had to stop riding, I took over. Youngest to ever lead a club at 24. Now we're sitting on more income than we've ever had before and I am still not done climbing."