Everyone was glancing around the room, looking for the elusive biker. Suddenly, the place exploded with catcalls and hollering.
Into the center of the room strolled Bishop. A beautiful, scantily clad, nearly identical blonde woman hanging off each of his well-sculpted biceps. The arm candy to his right reached between his legs and gave his crotch a familiar squeeze before giving him a kiss that involved more tongue than a dog licking his own balls.
My heart stopped and the room began to spin as the pieces of this twilight-zone jig-saw puzzle fell into place. That’s when our eyes met. Recognition, and shock, registered across his face in a twin expression of my own.
Stumbling backward, I blurted out to Angel, “I left something running in the kitchen. Can you take over for a minute? I’ll be right back,” though I knew I was lying. I was going to grab my purse, escape out the back door, and discreetly Irish-goodbye to my car while no one was looking.
Spinning around, I moved into the adjoining kitchen as fast as my short legs could carry me. My goal was a simple one; elude the man in front of me and my overwhelming embarrassment for being such a total idiot.
Chapter 8
Bishop
What the fuck had just happened? I felt like I’d fallen headfirst into a dream. Or, more accurately, a nightmare.
Evie Wild was here! At my Club! What the hell was going on?
Worse still, she’d seen me acting like a total man-whore with the Carlise twins draped across my arms squeezing my dick. The only thing that could have been more of a turn-off to a woman was if I was making out with another dude.
This wasn’t good. Any chance of us getting together had instantly plunged to zero. Though I hadn’t exactly done anything wrong, as we had no understanding between us that would require my fidelity, I knew women well enough to know that I’d just tanked any chance of us ever getting together in the future. The only hope I had of turning this around was if I talked with Evie before she left the Club thinking I was a complete scumbag.
Jesus Christ! This was a total cluster fuck! Why was she even here? Did she know someone in the Club? Was she seeing someone in the Club? That thought stirred up so much anger and rage inside of me that CiCi, the blonde to my right, asked me if I was feeling okay.
I smiled to reassure her that I was. “Yeah. I’m good. I just need to go take a piss, is all.”
Her fingers fluttered below my belt. “Want me to join you and lend a hand?”
Disengaging her arm from around my neck, I put some distance between her and Daniella, her twin sister, and myself. Though I wasn’t complaining, they’d both been attached to me all night like suckerfish and I was starting to feel a little claustrophobic.
Suddenly tired, I faked a lightheartedness I didn’t feel and said, “I’m good. Go mingle. I’ll catch up with you and Daniella later.”
Cici pouted. “I missed you when you were away, Bishop. The Club just wasn’t the same without you.” Her fingers twined in my cut as she rubbed her fake tits expertly against my arm.
Not wanting to be an asshole, but more afraid that Evie was escaping out the back door before I could explain myself, I slapped her on the rump affectionately and turned her in the direction of the bar. “I’m sure you didn’t go lonely for long. Go get another drink and have some cake. I’ll talk to you later.”
Cici said something about not eating sugar or carbs at the moment, but I couldn’t be bothered to decipher her meaningless statement. Heading for the kitchen where I’d seen Evie escape into, I was stopped by another blonde. This time, it was my sister.
“Where are you going, Bishop?” Grabbing me by the arm, Amelia pulled me back toward the refreshments. “You haven’t even had a slice of your cake yet. It’s strawberries and cream, your favorite!” she exclaimed excitedly.
Taking a forkful of her slice, Amelia shoved a bite into my mouth before I could argue. It was so fucking good my taste buds nearly exploded.
“Better than mom’s store-bought. Right?” she teased, letting go of my arm to throw hers around Hawk, her fiancé, and my VP.
“It’s amazing,” I agreed, taking another step in the direction of the kitchen. “Why don’t you cut me a big slice. I have to take a piss, but I’ll be right back.”
Before she could stop me again, I plowed through the double doors of the kitchen and began searching the space for my little run-away doe. I spotted her in the corner of the room, muttering about shoddy cell service and furiously typing something into her phone.
My skin tingled and my mouth watered like it had when I’d tasted the strawberry cake. However, this time, it was because I couldn’t wait to taste her. My girl. The woman I’d been fantasizing about nonstop since we’d met two weeks ago.
Suddenly, I felt every single one of those 183 days of celibacy while incarcerated. I was absolutely ravenous. And like any starving man, I zeroed in on the one thing that could slake my insatiable hunger.
“Evie,” I spoke up, trying to keep the desperation and need out of my voice before it scared her.
Evie’s head popped up and slowly turned in my direction. Her large green eyes were open wide as though she was shocked to see me.
When she didn’t speak, I took a measured step forward so as not to startle her. “What are you doing here?”
Clutching her phone as though it were a fucking life raft, Evie visibly swallowed. “Um, I own a catering business and Angel asked me to throw a party for someone in her husband’s Club. I guess that’s you.”