“Pearl, no.” Even Tits is shocked.
Pearl raises and dips her head. “I tried to go back of course. I pleaded and begged. Maybe if it had been someone else, I’d have gotten away with it. But I’d fucked the son of their enemy, and they no longer had a home for me.”
“What did Frank do?”
She snorts. “Ran home with his tail between his legs. I spent the night on a park bench, then went back to try to see him the next day. He told me in no uncertain terms I was to stay away from him. He was lucky, our parents didn’t speak, and he didn’t want his folks to find out.”
“What did you do?” I notice Alicia’s sent a sneaky look toward her mom, as if realising how lucky she is to have her.
Pearl grimaces. “What could I do? I needed to eat. When I got too hungry, I accepted twenty dollars to give a man a blow job. Finished my education on the streets, but it wasn’t one that led to a GED. Fucked my way from Los Angeles to here, and then finally, thank fuck, joined the MC.” She takes hold of Eva’s hand, and when she looks up, she even sends a smile toward me. “I finally found my family.”
Her gratitude cuts me to the bone. Why had we never known her story? She might be comfortable here, but what happens when she loses her looks and her firm body? Will we throw her out on the streets?
Patsy’s one step ahead of me. “Yeah, Pearl. We’re your family. This is your home now—for as long as you want it to be.”
I’m glad the prez’s old lady has made the decision. Now I don’t even have to propose that the Satan’s Devils will give Pearl a home for life, Patsy will clear it with Lost.
Alicia’s staring down at her hands. Various expressions appear then disappear on her face, then she raises her head. “Seems like the mythical magical first time doesn’t exist.”
It’s her mom who steps forward. “Honey, it really doesn’t. And it’s the twenty-first century. Men don’t give that much weight to virginity. Not that,” she adds fast, “I condone what Owen did. Not in any way.”
“Thank you.” Alicia looks directly at Pearl, then at the other women. “Thank you for telling me your stories. It helps.”
Sure, it helps, but only a little. I can see that from her face. Sounds like the others have all shared similar stories, about what bastards men can be. We cheat and lie our way into women’s beds. While I hope I’ve not done so myself, I couldn’t say one hundred percent that I hadn’t, especially when I was younger. As I stare at the girl, I realise if I had my way, I’d make sure from here on out she’s kept safe from predators, and any potential boyfriend is vetted very carefully.
But, I pull myself up, I’ve no place in her life. Unless I cultivate this friendship with her mother and stay linked to her in some way, which is unlikely. For now, though, all I can do is mitigate the current threat, then our paths will probably go different ways.
Tits has started on the potatoes again, Alicia picking up her own peeler. Cindy’s turned the heat up under her pans, and I see revelation time is over.
“Mary?” I ask, quietly. “Can I have a word?”
She checks in on her daughter. “Honey? I’m just going to talk to Grumbler. You okay here?”
At her daughter’s nod, Mary in turn raises her chin toward me, and as I turn to leave the kitchen, she follows me. Heading for the far table on the other side of the room, I pull out a chair for her, then take the adjacent one for myself.
“Did you know?” she asks when she’s seated. “Did you know Pearl’s story?”
With a sigh, I admit, “I did not.”
I wait for her to berate me, to point out how we take advantage of damaged girls, but she surprises me.
“She’s happy here. They all are.” A little shake of her head, then she says, “I can’t understand it myself, but I suppose it’s better than being on the streets.”
“We don’t force the girls to stay, or to do what they don’t want.”
“But if they said no? If they refused to have sex with you?”
I chuckle softly. “Been a long time since I’ve been with the club girls, doll. It would be like fuckin’ my granddaughter. But yeah, you’re right. If they kept refusing, they’d be out.” I try to put it in words she’ll understand. “What would happen at your job if you refused to do what you were paid for?”
“I don’t have to fuck the boss.”
I lean in closer. “Look around you, Mary. Look at Dusty over there, and Pennywise and Salem playing pool. The girls fuckin’ fight over who’s going with them. And even if they haven’t got the looks, the others are popular too. Bikers know how to fuck, babe. We go at it hard just like everything we do, giving it everything we’ve got. And unlike Pearl’s boyfriend, we don’t need a road map to find a G-spot.”
Is it my imagination, or does a flush come over her face?
And fuck, I didn’t expect the question which next comes out of her mouth which has formed a small smile. “You keep saying we, does that include you?”
Is she tempted?
“It did, babe. Haven’t fucked for a long time now.”
Her face seems to fall, but whatever she’s really asking, I don’t want to mislead her. Then I frown as a stirring in my long dead cock causes me to shift position.
I’ve got to get this conversation back on track and do what I need to do—update her. “We’re pulling in the big guns now, babe, to locate and destroy all copies of the video that was made.”
That gets her attention off my sex life, or lack
