Hunter picked up the beer. “Let’s start with something you probably aren’t going to like.”

  “Maybe I’ll surprise you.”

  She picked up her own bottle of beer, and staring him in the eye, took a large sip. Bitterness hit her tongue and she scrunched up her nose and replaced the beer bottle.

  “Nope, you were right. I don’t like this.”

  He grinned.

  “Next, shot glasses with the three most common alcohols,” he said, pointing. “Rum, whiskey, and tequila.”

  “Which one should go first?”

  He picked up the glass that had whiskey and placed it in front of her. “Might as well continue with the drinks you probably aren’t going to like.”

  “There’s a sterling recommendation if I ever heard one.” She picked up the glass and waited for him. “Count of three?”

  “Sure,” he said and picked up his own shot glass. “One, two, three.”

  At the same time, they both downed their drinks. Hunter replaced the glass with a sharp click. Adira started coughing, unable to catch her breath.

  “Oh, God. That was awful,” she gasped.

  “Want to quit?” he asked.

  She shook her head. “Nope. I don’t want to stop until all manner of debauchery has been experienced.”

  He chuckled. “Okay. Pick up the clear one. That’s tequila.”

  “Is this the one with the worm in it?”

  “No. Just ordinary tequila.” He leaned over and grabbed a salt shaker and some lime slices. “For this one, put some salt on the back of your hand, between the thumb and index finger. Lick the salt, then knock back the drink and finally suck on the lime.”

  She did as instructed and her eyes watered as she started coughing. “Nope,” she managed to choke out. “It just keeps getting worse.”

  Hunter laughed. “Let me get you a soda.”

  He hopped off once more to walk around the bar. He opened the fridge and grabbed a can of cola. Holding it out to her, she took a big drink to wipe out the awful taste. “I’m not sure if I’m going to like any of this.”

  Just then, an arm slid around her shoulders, and she jerked her head around to see Ares.

  “Started without me, I see.”

  “We’re getting shit-faced together.”

  “I see that.” He grinned at Hunter. “Am I supposed to be the voice of reason tonight?”

  “Do you want to get drunk with me and then we can do freaky stuff?” She tilted her head, grinning.

  “I see the alcohol is starting to take effect.”

  She clapped her hands together. “Next!”

  Ares slid on the stool on the other side of her. “What do you have there?” He picked up the next shot glass and sniffed. “Ah. Rum. Hold on, let me get some as well. If we’re all going to get freaky later, we must be on the same bad decision page.”

  She giggled as he hurried to get a bottle of rum and a glass. He poured himself a generous amount and held it.

  “To the beautiful Adira,” he said.

  “I’ll drink to that,” Hunter said.

  Adira tossed back her drink. A warmth spread through her chest. “I liked that one.”

  “Rum is yum,” Ares said and poured himself another shot.

  “This one is a cocktail,” Hunter announced handing her another glass. “A dry martini.”

  “You said cock,” Adira said, another little giggle escaping.

  “I’ll stick with the rum,” Ares said. “Drink up, sweetheart.”

  She took a sip and wrinkled her nose. “I don’t think I like this one either.”

  Hunter smiled. “You don’t have to finish. I’ll drink it. Okay, only one more to go. This one is a mixed drink. Only two ingredients, vodka and cranberry.”

  “We had cranberry juice here?” Ares asked.

  “I know. Shocked me too. I was also surprised we had orange bitters. Who’s ordering the alcohol around here?”

  “I think Chase took it over.”

  “Oh. That explains it.”

  “I like this one!” she exclaimed, slurping it up. When she was finished, she licked her lips. “Any more?”

  Hunter took the glass from her. “Nope. Now we’re gonna dance, baby girl. After that, you’ll drink a lot of water. Then we’ll figure out the rest of the night.”

  He held out his hand and Adira grabbed it. He led her into another room where people were grinding against each other. Hunter pulled her in close, one hand gripping her ass. The room spun a little, but she felt pleasantly numb. The other side effect of alcohol, she discovered, was being horny as hell. She wound her arms around Hunter’s neck and pressed closer to him.

  “How do you feel, baby girl?”

  “Mm. I feel free.”

  “Free?”

  “I’m finally breaking the good girl shell.” She kissed his jaw. “Do you want to fuck me?”

  “Yes, I do.”

  “Good. I think I’d like that. Ares showed me how to give a blowjob, you know. I liked that as well. I’m liking everything that involves sex.”

  “I’m going to kiss you now,” he whispered in her ear. “Is that okay?”

  “Yes,” she answered.

  The next moment, his lips landed on hers. His taste, his scent, the power in his arms … it wrapped around every one of her senses and pulsed with arousal. Running his palms down her side, he gripped her ass and lifted her until she wrapped her legs around his waist. Immediately, Ares came up behind her and slid his hand in her hair, pulling it until she bent her head back. He kissed her, sliding his tongue into her mouth while Hunter trailed kisses down her neck.

  Everyone around them disappeared. The alcohol swimming in her blood erased any inhibition. Finally, she understood what the hubbub was about, and she liked it. She floated away on a tide of sensuality, craving both men.

  Chapter Eleven

  Adira’s eyes felt dry as they cracked open. Sunlight pierced through her brain and she moaned. Her stomach rolled, nausea rising, and she sucked in great gulps of air to settle everything back down.

  “Morning, beautiful.”

  Ares’s voice boomed in the quiet room, causing a sledgehammer to tap out a staccato beat through her skull. Even turning her head sent pain ricocheting along every nerve ending. She moaned, not wanting to move ever again.

  “What’s your first impression of a hangover?”

  “Shut up,” she whispered, her own voice causing a thousand shards of pain to pierce her brain. Her mouth tasted like she had licked the inside of a dirty ashtray.

  “I brought you some aspirin,” Hunter said as he walked into the room. He placed two round tablets and a glass of water on the nightstand before sitting on the edge of the bed. “Can you sit up?”

  “I’m dying!” she cried.

  He moved some hair off her face. “You’re not dying.”

  “Is it always like this?”

  “Pretty much,” Ares said. “It gets easier with time.”

  “I’m never drinking again.”

  Hunter chuckled. “Everybody vows that. Until you forget and then you drink again.”

  “Can you be quiet, please?” she asked.

  “You need to sit up, baby girl, and drink some water before taking a nap.”

  “I don’t think I can move.”

  “Ares, help her up.”

  Gentle hands took hold of her under her armpits and lifted. Every cell in her body protested the jarring motion. Once more, nausea rolled through her.

  “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  She was lifted and carried quickly to the bathroom, and just in the nick of time. Ares held her hair as she leaned over the toilet and spewed anything that was left in her stomach. Over and over she dry-heaved until she was spent.

  When she sat back, she looked up at the two men who watched her with sympathetic looks.

  “It’s so gross throwing up in a toilet,” she said. “I think an animal crawled in my mouth and died. I think I might want to join it.”

  “Come here, wild thing,” Hunter said as he walked over and picked her up. “Let’s get your teeth brushed and disinfected with mouthwash.”

  Ares squeezed some paste on a toothbrush and handed it over. She took her sweet time making sure she cleaned the hell out of her mouth. After rinsing, she swished mouthwash around and spat it out. Then Ares helped her back to the bed.

  Adira finally looked around. “Where am I?”

  “My room,” Ares replied.

  “We played rock, paper, scissors on whose bed you’d sleep in, and this fucker cheated,” Hunter said, thumbing in Ares’s direction.

  Ares leaned over to whisper in her ear. “I didn’t cheat. He never wins.”

  She smiled.

  “Here,” Hunter said, holding out the pills once more. She opened her palm and he placed them on it and then handed over the glass of water. “Alcohol dehydrates you. Make sure you drink it all.”

  She put the aspirin on her tongue and swallowed. Never had water ever tasted so good before. When she was done, Hunter took the glass and Ares helped her slide under the comforter. He kissed her on the forehead.

  “Get some rest, sweetheart. You’ll feel better when you wake up.”

  “Okay,” she mumbled, closing her eyes. A moment later, she passed out once more.

  ****

  “She’s sleeping in my bed tonight.”

  Ares shot him a grin. “Don’t be a sore loser or we’ll do rock, paper, scissors again.”

  “Dickhead.”

  “As much as I’d love to stay and stare at her all day, I have some paperwork to do.” Ares ran a hand through his hair. “When I joined the Death Riders, I never thought I’d be worried about making sure the fucking toilets don’t overflow.”

  “Yep. Running a whorehouse sounded amazing once upon a time.”

  Ares grabbed his wallet and phone and stuck them in his back pockets. “I’ll be back in a few hours. Please don’t fuck her without me.”

  “Excuse me, you were the one who taught her how to give a blowjob. In your fucking office.”

  Ares shrugged. “You’d have done the same.”

  Hunter pursed his lips as he thought about that. “Yeah, I probably would’ve.”

  “See you later.”

  He left, shutting the door softly behind him. The trip to the club only took a few minutes and when he walked into The Pussy Willow, Sarah gave him a wave as she supervised the cleaning crew. He headed to his office and tossed his helmet onto the chair before sitting down. It boggled his mind how much fucking paperwork a strip club generated. The hours slipped by as he sorted it all out. When he got to the end, he noticed Adira’s employee folder. It didn’t look right. Opening it, he frowned as he saw a spreadsheet instead of Adira’s personal information.

  He laid it out and read through the data, but this type of analyzing was beyond his pay grade. He grabbed his cell. It rang twice until the call connected.

  “Yo,” Lincoln greeted.

  “Hey, I have some papers I need you to look at. See if you understand any of them.”

  “Sure. Want me to come to the clubhouse?”

  “I’m not there. I’ll drop them off at your place.”

  In the background he could hear a higher-pitched voice, and then there was a conversation happening that he wasn’t a part of.

  “Is he staying for lunch?” Vivi asked.

  “No, he’s just dropping off some papers for me to look over.”

  “I don’t think I heard you asking if he wanted to stay for lunch.”

  “No. He’s not staying.”

  Ares tried to get their attention. “Hey, you two,I—”

  “Well, how do you know if you don’t ask?” Vivi interrupted.

  “And what are you planning to cook him?”

  “Please don’t let her cook,” Ares said, trying to stop them talking.

  “I don’t know but I’ve been watching the Food Network. There are a lot of ingredients in our kitchen. I can figure something out.”

  He disconnected the call. It was a well-known fact that Vivi couldn’t boil water, let alone cook a meal. The last time she had cooked, Thorn had politely tried it and got food poisoning. He collected the papers before marching out, shutting off the lights as he left.

  Chapter Twelve

  Adira opened her eyes, hoping the world had stopped spinning. Thankfully, the nausea had receded and she didn’t have the urgency to run to vomit in the toilet. It still felt like she’d been hit by a Mack truck.

  She sat up slowly, making sure she wasn’t dizzy before rising to pee. After washing her hands, she looked at herself in the mirror. Dark circled her eyes, offset by the pallor of her face. Hair resembled a bird’s nest. She looked like she was part of the undead. Yawning, she went back into the bedroom to find her clothes. When she was dressed, she left the bedroom and made her way downstairs.

  The remnants of the party lingered. The prospects were cleaning up and Buddy waved at her. She smiled at him and wandered further to find Hunter or Ares. She headed into the kitchen, but no one was in there.

  “If you’re looking for Ares, he’s not here.”

  Adira turned and saw one of the club women in the doorway. An unlit cigarette dangled from her lips. Her smeared eye makeup had her resembling a raccoon. A denim skirt barely covered her ass. She thought the woman was named Lori.

  “Sorry?”

  “Ares isn’t here.”

  “Oh. What about Hunter?”

  The woman eyed her up and down, her lips compressing into a line. Then she nodded toward the window and Adira saw a large garage open.

  “Thanks,” she said, and used the back door to exit.

  Several men gave her a polite nod, and some others leered. She tried to ignore it, but was glad when she stepped into the cool interior of the garage and spotted Hunter. He sat next to his motorcycle with some type of engine part in his hand. Not many can pull off a man bun, but he was the exception. He was a lethal weapon to pussy.

  “Hey,” she said.

  He looked up, grinning. “Good afternoon. How do you feel?”

  “Better, but still like I threw up.”

  “Yeah,” he mused. “Alcohol is definitely a bad influence.”

  “Did we, um…”

  He shook his head. “No. Neither Ares nor myself like fucking a corpse, and that’s basically what you were. Tomorrow you’ll feel one hundred percent back to normal.”

  “Drinking was fun while I was doing it. Not so fun after.”

  Hunter stood and snapped whatever he had in hand back onto his bike, then grabbed a socket wrench to tighten it. When it was done, he reached for a rag to wipe his hands.

  “What would you like to do today?” he asked her.

  “If you can drop me off at Livia’s, I have to go transportation shopping.”

  “You need a car?”

  She nodded. “I can’t be a mooch off Livia forever. I have some money so I plan to get something cheap.”

  “Then I’m going with you.”

  “What?” Her brow furrowed in confusion. “You don’t have to. That’s not what this is about.”

  He placed his hands on her shoulders. “This? As in … the three of us? Did you expect us to fuck you and forget about you?”

  “Yes,” she answered truthfully.

  “That’s a little cold, don’t you think?”

  “No, but that reminds me, when this is over, I want to make sure I keep my job.”

  “You think we’re that petty?”

  “I don’t know because I don’t know you,” she replied. “I’m just trying to make sure I don’t lose everything for a second time.”

  He placed a hand over his heart, right on top of the Death Riders’ patch. “I give you my word on my patch. You’d never lose your job because of me or Ares.”

  A weight slid off her. “Thank you.”

  “Now, about this car, Ares and I will help you pick out a decent car and make sure you’re not buying a lemon.”

  “Only if you’re sure.”

  “Let me wash up, and text Ares.” He winked. “Wanna come help me in the shower?”

  Suddenly, she became hyperaware of several things. The fluttering in her belly. Of her breath. How her nipples pebbled and her core clenched. She may not be too experienced, but she recognized arousal.

  “If I do that, we’ll never leave the bedroom.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Is that a problem?”

  She grinned. “It is when I need to buy a car. But we’ll have next Friday.”

  “I’ll hold you to that. Okay. Give me ten minutes.” He pulled his cell from this back pocket and unlocked it before handing it to her. “Call Ares and tell him to meet us at George’s.”

  “Who’s George?”

  “A sleazy car salesman, but he owes the Death Riders a few favors. Ares and I will make sure you get a decent car for a decent price.”

  “Oh, okay.”

  He headed toward the house. “Stop looking at my ass!”

  She laughed. “Not a chance.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “This little beauty has all the amenities,” George’s voice rose as if he was extremely excited.

  Adira looked over the two-tone hatchback and couldn’t keep the frown off her face. “This car is from the seventies. The only amenity it has is guzzling gas.”

  Hunter snickered. “Come on, George. I know you can do better.”

  George sighed. “Well, it was worth a shot. I inherited that stupid hatchback when I took over this fucking business.”

  “Something in this century would be nice,” Ares said.

  George looked around, as if they were being watched. “Okay, I do have a cute little two-door in the back lot.”

  “Show us,” Hunter ordered.

  George emitted another drawn-out sigh. “You’re gonna make me lose a profit, aren’t you?”

  “You mean, we’re not going to allow you to price gouge her?”

  “Ug. Fine. This way.”

  He led them around the small office and unlocked the fence. The gravel parking lot was full of broken cars but he led them around a rusting Volkswagen bus and Adira saw a cute red sedan, shining in the sunlight.

  “Oh,” she said, surprised. “It’s perfect.”

 

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