Page 29 of Thunder

“Fuck,” they said in unison as she disappeared.

“Granite swore it was my dick that was going to fuck shit up. Turns out it’s yours.”

Thunder had a sinking feeling. “What does she have to do with our license?”

“Loopholes. Loopholes big enough to hang the whole club. Buzz couldn’t qualify and since we put as much separation between the Phantoms and the money as we can, Lexi did us some solids.”

They mounted their bikes, having sobered up real quick. “You couldn’t have fucked any other chick. You had to bone the one that’s best friends with someone who can bone us back.”

14

ANDREA

“You did what?” Andy dropped her half-eaten taco back onto the paper.

“I quit. They can all get bent,” Lexi said as she sauntered by, snatched the half taco and proceeded to eat it.

“That’s unforgivable,” Andy mumbled.

“Why? They treated you like shit and I will not stand for it.”

“I meant the taco. Seasoned meat tucked into a warm tortilla is sacred, bitch.”

Lexi rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue with remnants of the taco still clinging to it. “What are you, twelve?” Lexi hugged her from behind and waited for her roommate to quit cracking jokes.

Andy swiped at her cheeks. She hated to cry, but no one in her life had ever had her back as hard as Lexi did. The woman would go to jail for her if it came to that, and Andy felt the same.

That was the only thing worth her tears. That kind of loyalty. It meant something to Andy. Something she couldn’t describe. Even the man who was on the verge of making a commitment to her once didn’t give her what Lexi offered freely and with no strings attached.

“Okay, stop pawing at me and sit down. Tell me what happened.”

Lexi sat. “Only if you give me another taco. Information isn’t cheap, hooker.”

Andy handed it over and waited. “Did you really quit?”

Lexi nodded.

“But you love that job. You love the girls, you love the business you’re building, you love the club like it was your own. And regardless of how Thunder acted, you love him and all the Phantoms. So, please don’t throw that away because of my bruised ego. I’ll bounce back and it’ll all work out.”

“Yes, I did.” She took a bite. “I do. I do. I really do. I really, really do. And that’s debatable.” Another pause for a bite. “I didn’t, it’s more than that, and you better fucking believe it.”

Lexi popped the last bite in her mouth and smiled. It took Andy’s brain a few seconds to catch up with what she’d asked, in what order, and how Lexi answered.

“Wait. What do you mean you didn’t throw all that away?”

Lexi raised a single perfectly shaped eyebrow and Andy gasped.

“Are you poaching all the girls and started over somewhere else? Oh, Lex, that’s not—”

“No. I’m thinking, your dumb hasn’t worn off yet from that major dicking. I mean, I didn’t throw anything away because I’ll be back on stage by the weekend.”

“Okay, I’m not tracking, so spell the shit out for me.”

“Granite has always said brothers above all and yada, yada, yada. He also said he wouldn’t allow a brother to dick the club because of his dick, or something like that. It boils down to, Granite will not let the club suffer because Thunder is being the conductor of the Douche Express.” She pumped her fist twice. “Toot, toot.”

“So, you’re playing a game with your job?”

“Nope, just using all the avenues available to me. Plus, I have some inside knowledge. And while I can’t share it with you, you can benefit from me knowing it. Oooooo, I can be like your Fairy Godstripper. Set you up to bag the badass biker prince.” Lexi was clapping like a fiend and even jumped up, dancing around. Suddenly, she stopped and looked at Andy. “Wait. I need to tell you something and don’t get mad at me. I can’t stress that part enough, okay? Remember how awesome I am.”

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