Born to Ride_A Clubhouse Collection

chapter 17

Madison

The next morning I woke at seven, alone in J’s bed. He and Dad had come back from meeting with Bullet and told us about Nix’s sister, Mandy. J appeared quite pissed off about it all, but Dad was pretty calm so I wasn’t going to worry about it too much at this point. Although, I had met Mandy once and she was a crazy bitch, so perhaps I should be worried about it. J was going out with Scott and Nash today to find her, but I hadn’t expected him to leave so early, without waking me first.

I got up, made coffee and then tried to phone J. My call went straight to message bank so I left him a message to call me back. Fifteen minutes later he still hadn’t called so I tried him again. Now I was beginning to feel like a nagging wife but I just wanted to say good morning. The call went to message bank again, so I left another message. I hung up and put my phone down. That was it; no more calls to him until he rang me back.


Right. It was time to get ready for the day; I had a yoga class booked for eight o’clock and then a hair appointment at one. After finishing my coffee, I had a shower, got dressed and was out the door. J had left me the keys to his Jeep, which I was grateful for. I arrived at the yoga studio ten minutes later and checked my phone; still nothing from J. It was starting to piss me off, but I tried to remind myself that he was technically at work so perhaps he was occupied with stuff. I shoved my phone in my bag and headed inside; I was more than ready for a session and hopefully the knot of tension I felt in my gut at the moment would be eased by the yoga.

***

Just over an hour later I was fumbling with the car keys trying to get them in the lock when my phone rang. Yoga hadn’t smoothed any of the tension from my body, and as I struggled with everything in my arms in order to get to my phone, I threw a hissy fit and just let everything fall to the ground.

“F*ck!” I yelled, as I retrieved the phone from the ground and answered it.

“Madison,” it was Scott, “Where the f*ck is J?”

Well, f*ck me. This day was quickly turning into one big ‘ole pile of shit. Yes, where the f*ck was J, if not with Scott? “I’ve got no idea,” I snapped back at him, “I thought he was with you.”

Scott was fuming. “Well he should be, but he’s not f*ckin’ here.”

“I’ve left him two messages, but he hasn’t replied to either of them.”

“Yeah, not answering my calls either. Okay, gotta go,” he said and hung up.

I was left staring at my phone. God, I loved the way my brother spoke to me. Not. And again, my mind swung to J. Where was he? I dialed him again, hoping he might actually answer my call this time. No f*cking luck; it went to message bank yet again, and now I was really shitty. I picked up the rest of my crap that was strewn across the ground and finally unlocked the car door. Throwing everything on the passenger seat, I got in, started the car and threw it into reverse. Screaming out of the parking lot I shoved my sunglasses on and turned the music up really f*cking loud. What better way to drown in one’s own shitty mood than with some Avenged Sevenfold.

I swung past his house hoping he might be there but he wasn’t, so I continued onto the clubhouse. As I parked the car, I saw Scott walking out the front door and quickly got out of the car to catch him before he left.

It had been about twenty minutes since I had spoken to him and he was still pissed off so I guessed that he hadn’t found J yet.

“Any luck finding him?” I asked, as he approached me.

“Haven’t spoken to him yet, but got word as to where he might be so we’re heading out there now,” he answered me gruffly.

“What is going on? Why has J gone off the grid today?” I asked Scott, even though it was highly unlikely he would give me an answer. A girl can try though, right?

“Madison, I don’t have time for twenty f*ckin’ questions right now,” he barked.

I threw my hands up. “Fine! But when you find him, tell him I expect a call.”

Scott shook his head, clearly exasperated, “I’m not getting involved in your drama with J. That shit’s between the two of you.”

He walked past me towards his bike and I flipped him the bird. Even though he didn’t see it, it still made me feel good. “F*ck you, too!” I yelled and stormed off in the direction of the clubhouse.

A few minutes later the rumble of bikes sounded as he and a couple of the boys left. I was now pissed at both J and Scott, and needed to vent so I pulled out my phone as I headed inside. Dialing Serena, I noted how empty the clubhouse was and thanked the universe for some peace and quiet.

Serena answered on the first ring. “Why haven’t I heard from you for days?”

I laughed. “Well, why haven’t I heard from you? And it hasn’t been days, you drama queen!”

“I’ve been busy screwing hot guys. What’s your excuse, chica?”

“Oh, I bet you have,” I had no doubt that’s exactly what she had been doing, “I’ve been busy screwing one hot guy,” I answered her with a wicked grin on my face.

She squealed. “Tell me it’s J!”

“Of course it’s J,” I chastised her.

“It’s about time you two did the dirty,” she teased, and I could hear the approval in her voice. “So, how is the moody motherf*cker?”

I groaned. “I couldn’t tell you how he is today because the a*shole left before I woke up and hasn’t returned any of my calls.”

“Oh...trouble in paradise so soon. Doesn’t sound good,” she said.

“Well, I have some other news for you. Nix is dead. Don’t ask, it’s a long story. But, his sister has made threats against us, so I think J is busy looking into that. Still...he should call me back, so I am annoyed at him.”

“Perhaps you should withhold the love tonight, babe,” she joked.

I laughed, “You always know how to cheer me up, honey. Thankyou.”

“Well, that’s what best friends are for. I think I need to come for a visit. How about this weekend?”

“Yes! Do you think Gina would give you Friday or Monday off as well so you could stay for longer?” I asked, excited at the thought of seeing her. It had only been a few days since I had left but I really missed her.

“I’ll ask, and will let you know,” she promised.

We chatted for a couple more minutes and then hung up. I felt so much better after talking with her; I had known she would lift me out of the shitty mood I was in. I sat quietly for a moment, thinking about our friendship and what it meant to me; how it had helped me through a really tough part of my life. I wasn’t sure how I would have gotten through all of that without her, and I smiled thinking about it, and also about how far I had come on my journey to give up alcohol. These days I didn’t even think about drinking.

“What’s got you smilin’ like a bitch who just had good cock?” I was interrupted by a sexy drawl.

I looked up to see Nash leaning against the door frame, arms crossed in front of him, sexy smirk plastered on his face. He was tall, all muscle and ink; he exuded a couldn’t-give-a-f*ck attitude. Nash was one of the cockiest men I had ever met and the women flocked to him.

I rolled my eyes. “Can a woman not smile unless she’s had cock?” I asked.

He uncrossed his arms and pushed away from the door frame; coming towards me, “No, sweet thing, it all comes down to cock.”

“Well, I hate to tell you, Nash, but this woman hasn’t had any today, and yet I am still smiling. I think your theory is a little off.” I loved bantering back and forth with him.

He raised his eyebrows. “J’s fallin’ down on the job there sweetheart. You sure you don’t want to jump ships? I’ve got all you’ll ever need,” he grinned at me, opening his arms wide in an inviting gesture.

“You never give up do you?”

He shook his head. “Not where you’re concerned. Until J makes an old lady out of you, I figure I’ve still got a shot.”

“Sorry to burst your bubble but I really am taken, and as much as he pisses me off at times, I think it’s a forever thing.”

He cocked his head to the side and contemplated me for a moment. “You’re serious there, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, Nash, I am,” I replied.

The flirty tone of the conversation had just been replaced, and Nash pulled up a stool. “So, what’s givin’ you that smile today, if it’s not J?” he asked, genuine interest on his face.

I wasn’t one to share thoughts and feelings very often, and although we shared a flirty friendship, I had never really had a deep conversation with Nash. But something compelled me to open up to him today. “I was just thinking about my friendship with my best friend, and also about how I’ve given up drinking. That was f*cking hard to do, Nash, but I hardly think about having a drink these days.”

“That’s f*ckin’ great, sweetheart. And I should know because I have been where you are, and I know how hard it is to kick that addiction,” he surprised me because I did not know he was an alcoholic.

I leaned closer to him, almost like we were sharing secrets that no one else could know about. “You’re an alcoholic?”

“It’s been just over five years since I’ve had a drink, but I still have my days where I want one. I remember how you were before you left and you’ve come a long f*ckin’ way. Best thing you ever did, getting outta here then. You reckon you can handle being back? Being with J? Cause being an old lady isn’t a piece of f*ckin’ cake, sweetheart,” he said.

“Honestly? I’m going to give it a good go but I hear you. I know being with J won’t be easy, but I’ve realised things about him and the club that make me think it will be different this time; I’ll be different in the way I react to stuff.”

He leaned even closer to me and grazed my cheek with his thumb, his minty breath in the air between us. “You’re a strong woman, Madison, and J is a f*ckin’ lucky man to have you. If you ever need someone to talk to, someone who understands how f*ckin’ hard it is to battle this shit, you just call me. Okay?”

I nodded, overcome by emotion. Having never seen this side of Nash, I was surprised into silence for a moment. He pulled his hand away and leant back on his stool, serious for another few moments, and then he flashed me that sexy grin of his. “Okay, sweetheart, I’ll leave you to it. Gotta get back to work or your Daddy will have my balls,” he said.

“Thanks, Nash,” I said, quietly, “That means a lot to me.”

He winked at me, “Of course, if you ever get sick of J not sharin’ his dick with you, I can take care of that too.” And he was back to his cocky self.

I smacked his ass as he walked away which really only encouraged him, and I rolled my eyes again as he looked back at me to blow me an air kiss. Laughing, he finally left the room and I was still smiling like an idiot ten minutes later when Scott and J found me.

They stormed into the club bar where I was sitting, yelling at each other, not realising that I was in there.

“I don’t give a f*ck what you or Marcus say about it. This time I am not leaving loose ends, Scott. This time I am going to do what I should have done last f*cking time,” J roared, eyes blazing, body tense. He even scared me a little when he was like this.

“No! You need to calm the f*ck down and get your head straight, brother. You do this, and there’s no telling where this shit will end. That chick has connections, and you piss those connections off, you could be bringing hurt to the club, the likes we haven’t ever seen,” Scott yelled back, trying to talk some sense into him, but I could see that J was focused on his own agenda.

“F*ck her, and f*ck her connections! Madison needs -” and at that point, J saw me, and stopped dead in his tracks. He took a moment and then started yelling at me, “What the f*ck, Madison? Why are you here?”

“I was looking for you,” I stood, and walked to him. Jabbing my finger at his chest, I continued, “God, you can be an a*shole sometimes. You left before I woke up this morning and have not returned any of my calls, and now you speak to me like that,” I shook my head at him, “Not happening, J. Come and find me when you are ready to apologise.” We glared at each other while that sunk in, and then I turned and grabbed my bag and headed outside. I expected him to follow me out, but he didn’t and that pissed me off even more. F*ck, could this day get any worse?

***

Seven hours later I was thinking that yes, this day could in fact get worse. I had just left the hairdressers and was walking to the car when I saw J leaning against it. He hadn’t bothered to call me, and I had stewed on that all f*cking afternoon. As a result, I was in the kind of mood where I could reach out and grab his balls, and yank them the f*ck off. With one f*cking hand. While punching him in the face with my other hand.

As I approached, he stayed where he was; shades in place, arms crossed and looking sexy as f*ck. But I wasn’t getting sucked in by that. I had balls to rip off, so I stalked up to him and snapped, “Seven f*cking hours, J! I thought we were doing it differently this time.”

“I had things to take care of,” he growled, still not moving from where he was.

“Things that were more important than me?” I was possibly being a bit selfish here but f*ck it, I needed him to step up and put me first.

He ripped his shades off, his eyes dark and flinty. “Yeah, babe. Things that were more important than you, and let’s get this straight, from the get go, I’m not at your f*cking beck and call. That’s not me and you know that, so don’t start trying to change that, cause it ain’t happening.”

“I don’t want you at my beck and call. I just wanted a damn apology!” I yelled.

“What the f*ck for?”

“Seriously? We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us, J, if you need to ask me that.” I gestured with my hands for him to move out of the way so that I could get in the car.

He shook his head. “Passenger side, babe,” he held up a set of keys, “I’m driving.”

I looked around for his bike but couldn’t see it. Scowling, I muttered, “Oh, f*ck me.” Knowing there was no point arguing with him, I did as he said.

“You didn’t answer me. What am I supposed to be apologising for?” he asked as he settled into the driver’s seat, eyes focused on me, a hint of anger still there.

“I did answer you. As far as I’m concerned you need to work that out for yourself.” Why did men always need things spelled out for them?

“Madison, it would be a lot f*cking quicker for you to just tell me.”

“And I’d be a lot f*cking happier if I didn’t have to tell you,” I blew out an angry breath, “Just take me home, J. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” I turned away from him and stared out the front of the car, willing him not to say another word because, if he did, I might just reach over and do some damage that both of us would regret.


We sat in a heated silence for awhile until, finally, he started the car and took us home; this day having gone to complete shit.