Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 59767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59767 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 299(@200wpm)___ 239(@250wpm)___ 199(@300wpm)
I take the head seat, lean back slightly, and let my eyes sweep the table. One by one. Measuring. Weighing. No one meets my gaze too long. The gavel waits in front of me. I pick it up, bang it once on the table, the sound sharp as gunfire.
“Church in session.” The room goes silent. I can feel the tension vibrating in the air, the weight of everything I’m about to say pressing down on all of us. “I’ve claimed Georgia Cutter as my old lady.” My voice comes out rough, steady. “That’s not going to change. I’ve said it before, but tonight it’s official.” A few glances shift, but no one says a damn thing. I keep going. “She’s been shown disrespect tonight—from a prospect and from Daisy. That ends now. I came here to take this club back to a place of strength and power. You voted me in, and I’m here to lead. But I’ll tell you this—if any of you think I’ll stand by while my woman’s disrespected, you’re dead wrong.” I lean forward, elbows on the table, stare them all down. “If a man’s got a woman that he cares enough about to ink her name into his skin and claim her under the club’s colors, she deserves respect. That’s how it’s going to be under my watch. No exceptions. No bullshit.” My tone drops low. “If that’s a problem for anyone, there’s the door. Walk now and save us all the time.”
There’s a long pause before Hades shifts in his seat, rubbing the back of his neck. “Shit,” he mutters.
I cock a brow. “Something you want to share, Hades? Or are you just scared that tiny little girl in there is going to hex you and make your dick go limp for life?”
The room cracks with a few snickers, but Hades isn’t laughing. He leans forward, voice serious. “Damn it, Prez, don’t joke about that. You don’t know the voodoo that chick’s done. It’s creepy.”
I fight my anger and just give him a look. “What’s she done that has you acting like a kid worried there’s a monster under his bed?”
“She dreamed a barn burned down—and it did.”
That earns him a few nods from the others. My jaw tightens. “What else?”
He hesitates, then looks at me carefully. “You know Alex was sweet on her once?”
That gets my attention. “The prospect tonight that disrespected her. That Alex?”
Every man at the table nods.
“Is that why he spewed his nonsense at her tonight?” I ask, my anger leaking out into my voice. “Probably,” Hades admits. “He asked her out a few times. She actually said yes once but canceled the very next day. He demanded a reason, but she just said she didn’t think it was a good idea.” I grit my teeth. The idea of Georgia even agreeing to go out with that idiot makes my skin crawl. Hades keeps talking. “Alex didn’t take it well. He cornered her one day and demanded she explain why she said yes then backed out like a tease. They were in the middle of the diner. She told him she had a dream—said he was taking bets with his buddies on how long it’d take him to nail the town freak. He laughed, said it was stupid to turn him down over a dream. That’s when she screamed at him. Told him it took a fucking loser to take bets on stealing a woman’s virginity, especially when he was already sleeping with someone else. When he tried to call her a liar, She gave the name of one of the guys that was placing a bet in her dream. He was in the diner, and she asked him point blank to man up and tell the truth. When he didn’t say anything, Georgia laughed and told him if he didn’t tell the truth, she’d cast a spell on him so he’d have to answer truthfully to any question she asked and she’d make sure to ask them in front of his wife. Scared the hell out of him. The guy confessed to everything. Alex was so stupid he even handed out markers when taking the bets. The guy showed it to everyone.”
My hands curl into fists under the table. My blood’s pounding, but I keep my face neutral. Barely. I’ll deal with Alex later. Alone. “So that’s what this was about,” I say, keeping my tone cool.
“Yeah,” Hades answers. “He was pissed. Guess he figured if he couldn’t have her, he’d humiliate her.”
I stare him down for a beat, then look around the table. “Anyone here got a problem with me claiming Georgia?”
“I don’t think Alex is going to let it go easily, Prez,” C answers.
“I don’t give a fuck. There’s a good chance after tomorrow we’ll be down one prospect,” I growl. “Anyone else?”