Jake’s Angel (King’s Of Fury MC #2)

Chapter 24

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

JAKE

It’s been two days since Avery had dinner with Gabe at his home, and she’s been a shell of a person over that time. She’s stuck close to Liz’s house. The girls tried to get her out yesterday, bribing her with Magpie’s waffles, but even her favorite food wouldn’t get her to budge.

Stubborn woman.

I found her drawing something in a book on the porch swing yesterday, sat down next to her and watched quietly as she sketched. She was drawing a picture of a woman’s eyes. They were full of pain and sadness. If you didn’t look for it, you might not have noticed it, but I knew they were her own eyes. I told her, “A woman’s eyes shouldn’t hold so much pain.” She responded with her typical snark.

“Maybe people should stop hurting her then.” When I tried to take the conversation further by asking her what she meant by that, she just sighed her frustration, gathered her things and left me sitting on the porch alone.

Since she’s refusing to leave the house, every morning I’ve made or bought breakfast for her and Liz, and every morning she refuses to eat. She does, however, save the pastries for Hawk.

The fucker.

She’s been hiding in her room when she sees I’m not leaving, avoiding me at all costs. So, I’ve had to be creative in getting her attention.

A couple of the prospects who cover for me when I have a client to meet starting bouncing ideas on how to get Avery out of her mood. One mentioned his bike, and I may have made mention that I’d better not see her ass on the back of anyone else’s bike, especially a prospect’s.

We’re sitting in church, going over the final decisions about tonight’s party. I’ve missed most of the conversation. Thankfully, it wasn’t anything terribly important. I love Sadie, and she deserves to be celebrated, but it’s not fucking rocket science. It’s like second nature. We throw parties all the time.

The only part of the conversation I was interested in was the moment Gabe officially made it perfectly clear Avery is off limits to everyone. I’m assuming the glare he shoots in my direction means he knows I’ve already had my hands on his precious little girl.

She’s off limits.

If only I could get my dick to agree with him. He seems to have laid claim without my consent.

Liar.

I’m dragged out of my private pity party by Hawk’s whining voice.

“Ah, come on, Pres. What if I tell them to wear real clothes and cover up a little more?”

“It’s Sadie’s graduation celebration, man. She’s not going to want the place crawling with strippers and whores. This is a party for her. She has friends from town coming tonight, and we don’t need them going home and telling their parents what we get up to in the clubhouse.” I add.

“Fiiiine.” Hawk answers, sulking like a kid who just got their favorite toy taken away. “Fucking bullshit.” He grumbles under his breath, but I hear him.

Church adjourns, and we all split off to go our separate ways to finish getting everything ready. Hawk and I go to our rooms to take our showers and get changed at the clubhouse. He and Blake are checking security and making sure the other prospects finished everything to Liz’s liking.

Me, I drove a cage up to Liz and Caleb’s and sit in the living room with Gabe and Pop while we wait for the girls to finish getting ready before driving them down to the party.

“Did you know Eleanor filled her head with all that shit about Maggie running off and calling Avery a bastard daughter of a debutant and a stranger? What the hell?” Gabe and Pop are deep in conversation. I shouldn’t be listening, but it’s not like they chose a private place to talk shit out.

“Eleanor is a piece of shit. I’ve heard several versions of what people assumed Maggie did. Who they thought she was.” Pop says. “Truth is, I’m rarely ever at the mansion anymore. Russ stays on the road or in the office as much as possible. It’s why I had to put Chuck on as Avery’s guard. Had I known Eleanor was filling her head with that shit, I would’ve told Russ. He would’ve put a stop to it.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Gabe says, scrubbing the back of his neck. “There is more to this. Avery said her job was meant to entertain and look pretty. She wasn’t allowed to cook or do things for herself. The way she spoke about things has me wondering if something else wasn’t going on inside that house.”

“If you thought it, why didn’t you push Avery for more information? Ask her if there’s anything else you need to know?” Pop presses Pres.

“She was already shutting down on me, pushing me away. I didn’t want to risk her closing me out completely. Not to mention, she’s still a flight risk. She doesn’t trust us. Yet.”

“If she was being mistreated, Chuck would’ve reported back to me about it.”

“Unless he was involved.” Pres quips. “The man was shot the night my daughter ran away.”

“Avery didn’t shoot him, Gabe.” Pop’s voice is a raised whisper. “I know that girl in there and I’m telling you, she couldn’t pull the trigger to kill another human being.”

“Sadie could.”

Fuck.

“Uh hem.” Liz clears her throat as she enters from the hallway where the girls are somewhere getting ready. “Why don’t you two go on to the clubhouse and make sure everything is ready for Sadie to arrive?”

“We wanted to take them …” Gabe starts.

“Gabriel, I love you, but you need to take this conversation back down to the clubhouse where it belongs. Now. I’m not asking.” Liz says through gritted teeth. “If you want our Bug to make it to the party, you need to leave this house right this minute.”

Gabe sighs. “She’s still pissed at me, then?”

“Well, let’s just say you’re not on her top five favorites on her phone.”

“Got it.” He motions to Pop. They both give me a chin lift on their way out the door.

Jayde comes out of the hallway first, wearing a short black dress with a high neck and low back. Good girl. She’s mostly covered, which means I won’t have to beat some fucker for trying to get handsy with my baby sister. With local teenagers coming in things can get a little out of hand. Not everyone knows the rules, and not everyone cares.

Jayde walks over to the fridge and grabs a bottle of water.

“Are they almost ready in there?” I ask. I’m slowly losing my patience. I may have to play babysitter tonight, but I’d like to at least get a few drinks in and relax before it gets too crazy and little miss innocent decides we need to leave because it’s too much for her to handle.

I wonder how Avery will handle herself in our environment.

“I think Sadie is just finishing up Avery’s hair. Shouldn’t be long,” Jayde says, a smile spreading across her face. She’s up to something. “You want a lemon tart? Liz made them this morning.”

“Sure.” I answer, sitting down at the table. “I don’t know why you’re going through all this trouble, when you know Avery’s probably going to want to go home right at ten, when everything starts getting crazy. It’s a wasted effort, don’t you think?” I ask. Jayde’s eyes light up, and the corners of her mouth turn up just a little.

“I don’t know Jake. I think a girl should feel pretty no matter how long she’s going to be somewhere. Besides, she’s meeting a lot of new people, and she wants to look her best. You know, first impressions and all that.” Jayde shrugs her shoulders and takes another long pull from her water bottle.

“Just don’t get drunk and stupid. I don’t want to beat anyone’s ass tonight over you girls. That goes for all three of you!”

“I won’t. You know I won’t have more than two beers. I never do. I can’t promise anything when it comes to Sadie. You might want to stick a prospect on her for the night.” She laughs. I agree it’s not a bad idea. “And Avery doesn’t drink.”

“Of course, she doesn’t. Only I saw her drinking here the other night with all of you,” I argue.

“Actually, I don’t usually drink. But I especially don’t drink in crowds around people I don’t know. I like to have my senses about me,” Avery snaps from somewhere behind me. I turn around slowly to face her and tell her how a little alcohol could help her anxiety about meeting people, but the words are stuck in my throat as my eyes take in the sight of her standing there.

Holy shit !

I’m going to jail for beating some punk ass teenager when he tries to touch my girl.

Not yours.

I call bullshit.

I try to muster the words to correct her assumptions, but that little dark green dress she’s wearing has me fucking tongue tied. It’s a short little dress, but still respectable enough not to show off too much, cutting off just above her knee. It sits off her shoulder, showing off her creamy white skin against the dark green, with a little dip in the middle showing off just a hint of cleavage, slimming at her waist, accentuating the curve of her hips and flowing over her ass.

And now I’m hard as fucking steel.

Fuck.

Her long, toned legs look fucking amazing all the way to the curve of her ass. It’s obvious she’s a dancer just by the tone and strength in her legs. I noticed them before in her shorts and again in that lavender dress. But this dress accentuates everything in a whole different way.

Those legs would look amazing wrapped around my waist as I thrust into her repeatedly. I’m so screwed.

Her blondish-brown hair is rolled back off her face, pinned up in the front, flowing with soft curls down her back. She looks like one of those old school Bette Page posters Pop used to have in the garage.

I continue my perusal of her outfit and can’t help but smile when I notice the green converse she’s wearing.

Classic Angel.

“Are you done?” Sadie spouts off. “Damn Jake, you need a napkin to wipe your mouth, or are we good to go now? I’d like to get a drink or two before Jinx is so slammed, she can’t keep up with us.” Sadie’s wearing the shortest dress of them all. Her little black dress hugs her curves, with a low neckline showing off her cleavage. She’s not wearing a bra and the low-cut open back guarantees she’s wearing the tiniest scrap of panties, if any at all.

“Fucking hell Sadie. Are you trying to start shit tonight?” I growl at her. She doesn’t bat an eye, just shrugs her shoulder and gives me that evil smirk of hers. The one that says she’s looking to do more than start shit, she’s looking to finish it too.

“I don’t think any of the guys will have an issue with my outfit, do you Jayde?” She smiles over her shoulder and Jayde laughs with a loud, “Only Daddy.”

Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m worried about.

I shoot off a text to the prospect.

Me: Austin you’ll have your eyes on Sadie all night tonight. Keep her ass out of trouble. Got me?

Austin: Got you.

The girls sit at the bar in the kitchen with mason jars full of sweet tea, sharing a plate of Liz’s homemade lemon treats. Hearing Avery groaning over Liz’s baking while she wraps her mouth around it is one of the sexiest fucking sounds I’ve ever heard.

With every bite of her sugary treat, another groan escapes her lips, and it has my dick twitching in my jeans. Standing back out of the way is my safest option to watch and observe their interactions. I’m not trying to explain to Caleb why I’m adjusting my hard on around his granddaughters.

“Oh, my goodness, these are so good!” Avery gasps.

She sounds so innocent.

“I’m glad you like the tarts. You’ll get a lot of those around here,” Liz quips coming into the room. Jayde laughs, but Avery seems to have missed the joke.

“Oh, yeah, all the sweet butts and hang-arounds …” Jayde stops mid-sentence when she notices Caleb standing in the doorway listening intently before walking through the kitchen to pour himself a glass of sweet tea. It doesn’t stop Liz from finishing it, though. Caleb gives me a chin lift and I return the gesture.

“Oh, for shit’s sake, Papa! She’s going to learn it sometime. I might as well give the poor girl a heads up before she walks out there tonight and gets a taste of all the different clingers in action. She needs to know who is who, and how their role is defined.”

“Damn it, Mama,” he says through laughter. “You women are going to scare Bug out of wanting to be around the club with all your horror stories.”

“You mean whore stories,” Sadie corrects.

“Why do you call me, Bug?” Avery asks, completely off topic.

Caleb’s eyes soften. He kisses Liz, then walks around the bar, giving Avery a kiss on the top of her head. “Because it’s the nickname your mama gave you. When you came home from the hospital, you were swaddled tight in a red blanket with black polka dots. Maggie said you looked like a cute little lovebug. The name sort of stuck.” He gives the other two girls a kiss, then heads toward the front door. “I’m heading over to the clubhouse to whip those boys in shape and make sure they have everything ready. You girls better hurry and get down there before they tear into the food without you.”

“You tell those assholes if they touch anything before Sadie gets her plate, they’ll answer to me,” Liz hollers back. “Which means you’ll be dealing with them for me.”

Caleb laughs, opening the door he shouts over his shoulder, “Noted.”

“I don’t know why everyone is so worried about my reaction to the women in the clubhouse. If they’re anything like Drea, I’ve seen enough to understand,” Avery snaps. The hint of jealousy in her tone doesn’t go unnoticed, though it’s not warranted. There’s nothing between me and Drea. She’s not the one I got off on my lap and can’t stop thinking about. Though it’s not something I can’t address with this particular audience.

“I overheard Blake telling Austin that Gabe is going to make the girls behave tonight, at least until 10:00 p.m.,” Jayde smirks over her drink at me. “The curfew’s not the only thing that’s got her panties in a twist. She doesn’t seem to like the fact Avery is getting everyone’s attention.” I glare back at the little pot stirring brat.

“Hell, she probably thinks they brought me here to steal her job. I mean, I’ve already been offered a chance to audition to be a stripper or a club whore. Oh, and let’s not forget the lessons offered on how to please these men .” The way Avery mocks Drea’s voice leaves something to be desired, but it’s enough to make Sadie spit her drink. I, however, am not amused.

At all.

“Dammit, Aves!” Sadie chastises while wiping her drink from her chin.

Avery continues the conversation, her eyes bouncing from me to her friends.

“Liz already told me about this last night. A sweet butt or a hang-around are girls who help with chores. They cook, clean, take care of the rooms and the clubhouse and whatever errands need to be run. Anything from a domestic point of view for the club as a whole,” Avery states.

“And although some of these men have wives, or ol’ ladies—isn’t that what you call them?” Her innocence shows in her question, almost as if she’s afraid to offend anyone. She’s genuinely curious and trying to understand the people around her.

Liz nods, smiling behind her jar of tea.

“Yes, but they take care of their families, and anything other club family members may need,” Sadie answers.

“So, the sweet butts and whores take care of the men while their wives and ol’ ladies take care of the families? Fuck that!” She snaps.

“No, not exactly. Most of the men in the club who are married or have ol’ ladies don’t hang out as much at the club without them. The whores don’t approach them without permission. And their activities are kept discreet.”

“You mean the men cheat on their wives with them?” Avery sounds angry.

“We don’t discuss what other people do in their relationships. There’s a reason for the curfew. We’ll leave it at that,” Liz says, tight-lipped. Not hiding her disdain for the goings on of some members.

“The sweet butts clean up after parties and social gatherings. They keep the clubhouse, the guys’ rooms, and the kitchen stocked and clean.” Jayde offers a simple explanation. “Hang-arounds are exactly what they sound like. People who come when the club opens the party to others. Guys and girls who are friends of the club or are trying to hook-up with someone from the club. Some come for the free booze and entertainment.”

“Ok, so the guys are pigs and don’t clean up after themselves, so the sweet butts do it. And hang-arounds are people looking to be part of the club or fuck someone in the club after they’ve had their fill of mooching off the free shit at the party. Is that right?”

“Yes.” The women all answer in unison.

“Why?”

“The sweet butts do whatever they can to help the club because they love the family and want to land a bad boy with a bike of their own. They want to be his only bitch for life,” Jayde says sweetly. “The club whores are exactly that, whores. They like to fuck and the get free room and board for their services.” Her tone takes on a more aggravated tone.

Sadie further explains. “They wear skimpy clothes, if any at all, and prance around servicing any of the brother’s sexual needs anywhere they ask them to. They don’t get paid, so they aren’t paid prostitutes, but they get to share a room at the clubhouse free of rent and they’re taken care of by the club.”

“So, the sweet butts are maids looking to get hitched, and the whores are sexual pets who are fed and boarded for sexual favors. I think I get it now.” That earns a loud hoot from Liz.

“Can we fucking go now? Get your asses into the cage. Pres is waiting for us. You too Liz.” My words come out a little rougher than necessary, but I need a fucking drink to tamp down my frustrations before this party gets into full swing. As much as they’re complaining about the women who will be here tonight, they have no clue about the other side of that coin. I have a feeling I’m going to be on watch dog duty, keeping all the men away from these three and their sexy ass outfits tonight.

We make our way to the SUV, then it’s a short ride to the clubhouse parking lot. The girls and Liz all pile out of the vehicle, and I escort Avery through the front doors. I see her stiffen and put my hand on her lower back as I guide her. She doesn’t lean into my touch, but she doesn’t pull away either.

“Most people will be out back at the barbecue and bonfire pit a little later. If you need anything or want to leave early, tell one of the guys in a cut and they will find me.” I lead Avery in through the front with my hand still firmly planted on her lower back and out the sliding doors to the yard.

“You look beautiful, baby girl!” Gabe shouts as he’s walking up to us from across the patio with a beer in his hand. He grabs Avery into a hug and kisses her on the forehead. I watch as she stiffens further, but then allows herself to relax into the hug. She’s still not too sure about him, but she’s trying. I have to give her credit for that, because I’m sure this shit isn’t easy for either of them.

When Gabe pulls back out of the hug and turns to introduce her to some people, I watch Avery morph right before my eyes.

She straightens her shoulders, puts her chin up, and offers a well-practiced smile. She’s putting on a show for everyone, but why? She doesn’t have to please anyone here. But the mask she’s currently wearing seems so natural to her, like she’s lived with it for a long time. I find I don’t like it. The prim and proper persona in front of me is not my Angel.

Sadie and Jayde have gone off to the bar with Jinx. They’re all staring and laughing. I have no idea what those girls are up to, but whatever it is, you can be sure nothing good will come of it. Mom grabs Avery away from Gabe and takes her to see some ol’ladies.

Hawk saunters to me, putting his arm over my shoulders. “How’s our girl getting along with all the attention?” He asks.

“Our girl?” My eyebrows furrow at his question. He throws his hands up in surrender.

“Sorry, brother, didn’t realize it was like that .”

“Like what?” I know what he means. Just because we’ve shared two hot as fuck kisses, I’ve seen her face when she comes, and I’ve thought about bedding her every moment since the first time our lips touched, I have no desire to make any woman my ol’ lady—not even the feisty little one with all the right curves over there.

Fucking liar.

I grab a beer from the cooler by the door, pop the top, and take a drink. “She’s not my type. Too high maintenance dealing with a rich girl. I like a one-night jizz and jet, you know that.”

I don’t know why I’m lying to him. Avery doesn’t give off the spoiled little rich girl vibe. She’s the complete opposite of what I would expect someone coming from that much wealth and prestige to be like. I still spewed the bullshit as if it were the truth. If I had Avery in my bed, there’s no way I would want to hit it and quit it. I’d mark the girl and make her mine.

Fucking hell. I’m fucked.

“I don’t know, man. She seems to be pretty into you. All the fire she’s spitting your way and the looks.” He smiles, pointing his beer bottle toward me as he continues, “Did you see her dress? Damn, I wish there was a little less to it, but even so, she looks fucking edible in it!”

I try to keep the growl from escaping as I listen to Hawk go on and on about what he would like to do to her body.

Of course, I saw her in the dress. I drove her here. I spent the whole drive trying to convince my cock we couldn’t get her out of it. I’m keeping my distance, so I won’t try.

I let out a frustrated breath before answering him. “Nah, man, she’s just a job. I’m just babysitting, like Prez asked me to.” Hawk makes a face, telling me there’s someone behind me. When I turn around and find Avery there with those emerald eyes flared in hurt and anger, I know she heard what I just said. Fuck!

Just like she did a moment ago with Gabe, I watch as her face morphs into the publicly acceptable persona. The mask is back in place and in full effect. She will not let no one see what hearing my words has done to hurt her. But it’s too late. I already saw it.

Shit! Way to go, dumbass.