Page 53 of Born Savage

I find another picture of James. He’s older, definitely a teenager, and he’s wearing a leather cut with a prospect patch sewn on his chest. Jimmy is standing beside him, his arm around his shoulders and his face beaming with pride.

“I knew he was born into this, like me… I mean, I knew it was in his blood, but I never had any idea. This is amazing. Thank you so much for sharing this with me,” I tell Pops, feeling a gentle tingle pulling at my eyes, threatening tears.

“Seeing him with someone he really cares about, it’s something I’ve been waiting a long time for. And I know it’s something his dad wanted for him too. Trust me when I say, I see it when he looks at you. The way he watches you. Even if he hasn’t been man enough to say it yet, my grandson loves you,” Pops says and I feel a warm droplet release, running down my cheek.

I lift my hand, quickly wiping the single tear away before any more can spill. There’s no doubt that something has been growing between us, but being here, around his family has me feeling like it might actually be real.

???

The barbecue with the club was completely perfect. I wish I had a little longer to spend with this group, but we’re leaving tomorrow night.

The steady sound of water falling tells me that James is in the shower. I pull open one of his dresser drawers and reach in for a t-shirt. I pull it over my head and then quickly unclasp my bra, pulling it out through the sleeve and dropping it on top of my pile of clothes. A quick tap on the door grabs my attention.

“Shaaark…” a female voice drags out his nickname, and I feel my body tense. “C’mon, I know you’re here,” she tries again.

Just because I’m the first to be invited to stay in this room, to share his real bed, doesn’t mean that there weren’t others he spent time with before me. I know how the men embrace this life. I’ve witnessed it firsthand since I was just a girl. But watching over the years has also taught me how to deal with women like this, although this is the first time I’ve had to deal with one in this capacity.

I pull my shoulders back and move toward the door, trying to appear as confident as possible. I yank it open and find a skinny smiling brunette standing in front of me. Her tiny shorts practically look like underwear and her lace up crop-top leaves little to the imagination with her fake boobs pulling at the strings. Her smile quickly fades as she realizes I’m not who she was looking for.

“You’re not Shark. Damn, I really thought I had the right room,” she says, leaning back and looking down the hallway, counting the doors. “Sorry,” she offers, starting to turn.

“This is Shark’s room,” I say and she stops in her tracks. “He’s busy, but I can tell him you stopped by, if you want,” I offer and I can see the questioning gaze in her eyes as she turns back to look at me. Her eyes move over me, examining me.

“Uh… Who are you?” she finally asks.

“Scarlett,” I answer, giving her as little information as possible. “And you are?” I ask in return.

“Kandi,” she answers and her eyes seem to focus in on Shark’s t-shirt, covering my body. “Wait. Does Shark really know you’re here, or did you sneak into his room to steal shit? Do I need to get some of the guys to kick your crazy ass out?” she starts accusing.

“He knows I’m here,” I share.

“Well, I know Shark, and I also know he doesn’t bring women to his room. So, what exactly is going on here?” she questions.

“If that’s the case, then what are you doing here?” I ask without answering.

“I heard Shark was back in town, so I thought I’d welcome him home with a little invitation to the dark room,” she flashes a grin that makes me sick, but I push the feeling back down.

“Well, I can pass that message along, but I’m pretty sure he’s going to be busy all night right here,” I manage to say through my gritted teeth.

“Seriously, who are you?” she continues to examine me and I know she’s not going to budge until I tell her.

“I told you, I’m Scarlett. I’m visiting from Las Vegas. Shark invited me to come home with him, he wanted me to meet his family here,” I smile seeing the color drain from her face in complete shock. “So, was that all you needed?” I ask.

“Uh…yeah, I guess so,” she mutters slowly as if she can’t find the words she’s looking for.

“Okay then. I’ll let him know you stopped by. Have a good night,” I say before pushing the door closed in her face.

Thirty-Three

Shark

“Darlin’, you wanna tell me what’s on your mind?” I ask as Scarlett rolls over and sighs heavily. She’s done this three or four times in the past ten minutes, and I know neither of us is going to get any sleep tonight if she doesn’t get out whatever it is she needs to say.

“It’s nothing,” she breathes out softly.

“C’mon, I can tell you’re stewing about something. I need you to tell me what it is. Was it that visit from Kandi? Is that still bothering you?” I ask.

I couldn’t believe when I got out of the shower and Scarlett told me that Kandi had stopped by. That chick had never once set foot in my room, and now I’m going to have to hunt down the motherfucker who told her which room was mine. Thankfully Scarlett didn’t seem too bothered by it when she told me, but then again, jealousy isn’t really something I’ve had to deal with much. I really hope I’m not missing some unspoken signal, because I know that sometimes girls will bottle that shit up and then it explodes. I’ve seen it happen to plenty of other guys.

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