Page 19 of The President

“Okay, so me being new to having a biker as a mate, how close are they to real life?” I ask Tressa.

She squirms in her seat, and I remember she used to be a human before she was changed by her mate. “Uh, actually pretty close, wouldn’t you agree, Nini?” she asks, throwing her best friend under the proverbial bus.

Nini doesn’t rise to the bait, though, as she just shrugs. “I think that they did pretty well considering they write fiction,” she slowly says. “I mean, they probably have people who live the biker lifestyle that they can confer with, but even then, they’ll never know the fullness of it simply because there’s always club business that won’t be discussed. Either with women or with outsiders.”

“That makes a lot of sense,” I muse. “So, as far as alpha personalities go, do you think they hit that nail on the head or not?”

Both women start giggling then Tressa replies, “I think they might’ve missed a few layers.”

“You think?” Nini asks, scoffing. “Try about a thousand, especially now that both of us are expecting! If a box from Amazon shows up with bubble wrap suits in it, I’m leaving.”

“No, you’re not,” a male voice decrees as he leans in and kisses Nini’s neck. “And if I decide you need to wear one to keep you safe, you’ll do it.”

Nini rolls her eyes while I take in the fullness that is her mate, Stealth. Holy smokes, I think Fox is hotter than Hades, but so is Nini’s mate. I briefly wonder if it’s a prerequisite or something to be a biker, because I don’t rememberanyof my former male packmates looking the way the males do here. I mean, they were in shape since a shifter’s metabolism makes it nearly impossible to be overweight, but there wasn’t one of them who could light a candle to the hotness that I’ve seen today.

“Whatever,” Nini mutters, making all of us grin. “Let me guess, it’s time to go out back and eat.”

“I can eat,” Tressa says, standing. “The pup is hungry again.”

Strong arms wrap around her waist, and she looks up then smiles. “Woman, you’re always hungry these days,” her mate, Chaos says. “But to answer your non-question, the food’s all ready.”

While he’s talking, I realize he’s checking both Angie and me out. I don’t take offense, because I know his job, as well as Stealth’s, is the protection of the club as well as all the brothers and those under its protection.

“Then let’s go eat,” Angie decrees, standing. “Because I may not be expecting, but I’m hungry especially after watching Vivi make her seven-layer dip.”

We all stand, the two women with mates curled into said mates’ sides and make our way outside.

Chapter Ten

Fox

“When are we going to run?” Vivi asks as the prospects and club girls start clearing the tables.

“Once everything’s all cleaned up,” I reply, grabbing the fresh beer that Teeny set down in front of me and popping the top. Taking a long swallow, which helps my parched throat given that it might still technically be winter but it’s hotter than hell outside, I continue. “Did you enjoy talking about books with Tressa and Nini?”

She starts giggling then says, “They’re as bad as me and Angie when it comes to books.”

“So, what you’re saying is we’ll likely need to take a couple of the club’s vehicles to bring back your hauls,” I state. “Guess I better get some bookshelves in our den.”

Her eyes widen at my words while I simply nod. “I live here in the clubhouse, Vivi. Until we start having pups, that is, because I know they’ll have to be on a schedule of sorts. And I won’t lie, there are times when the brothers decide to have a party late in the evening.”

“Why wouldn’t they?” she asks. “I mean, up until Stealth and Chaos found their mates, all of you were single, right?”

“Yeah, we were. Why?” I query.

“Well, I admit my knowledge of biker clubs is limited to what I’ve read and I’m pretty sure most of that is heavily fictionalized, but unless you guys are working in your club businesses, what else is there to do?”

I snicker because she’s not altogether incorrect. While I’ve abstained from using the club girls the way most of my brothers do, there are only so many Call of Duty tournaments, or pool games a brother can handle. Plus, we only have four club girls, so most nights devolve into a party of sorts. Stealth and Chaos are building their homes on the club’s property, toward the back, of course, and I have a plot picked out as well. Now that Vivi’s in my life, it’s time to start thinking about what the two of us would like to build.

“We do have a lot of brothers who enjoy gaming,” I tell her. “So, there’s always someone challenging someone else for bragging rights. Plus, we sometimes set up mini pool tournaments as well. I think you’ll find that we’ve managed to build a family of sorts. Dysfunctional as hell, sometimes a little crazy, but a family nonetheless.”

“We can all do with more family in our lives,” she replies, her voice soft. I can see the sadness briefly cross her face and realize she’s probably thinking about her mother, but then she gives herself a little shake and smiles at me. “I’m excited about running with everyone.”

“I am too. You do realize that once we mate, you’ll be the queen around here, right?” I ask.

“What? No, I can’t do that, Fox. I mean, I don’t know anything at all about the inner workings of a motorcycle club.”

“Nonna will help you, as will Tressa and Nini. It’s really not that difficult, sweetheart. You’ll oversee the club girls and ensure there are no issues there. We watch the prospects and they’re responsible for keeping shit cleaned up around here, although the club girls tend to help. A lot has changed since Tressa and Nini arrived, but it’s all been for the good.”

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