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Battle Born MC, by Scarlett Black
Spider
Why what do my wondering ears hear? Well, it ain’t a fucking reindeer or Santa’s fat ass. No, I hear six angry women complaining about the clubhouse. My office door is ajar, and I can hear them planning a lockdown. How it needs to be decorated with Christmas cheer. Blade gave them a hard pass. That was two days ago, and since then it has been arctic temperatures around here. I have to agree with the Prez, nobody wants to put that shit up and then take it down. Sure, some parties have had themes…but he had to put his foot down. He said, “Decorate the houses however you want, but this is our clubhouse, non-negotiable.” I think the guy is wiped out as it is with us and then his kids on top of that.
Whisperings caught my attention at first. “This year has been so sad. All I wanted to do is bring a little fun around here,” Vegas complains. “If he wants to throw his weight around and we can’t be a part of decorating here too, then why do more at home?”
“Girl, I can hear your wheels spinning,” Jazzy snickers.
“I’m saying, we band together. This is our home too. We’ve been a part of this clubhouse as ol’ ladies. No dressing up as Mrs. Clause, or a little helper. Nothing. They get no sex until after the Holidays.”
“Shit,” Kat spits. “That was my only gift to Tank.”
“Yeah, oddly specific for you two?” Jenn questions.
Jazzy hums and clears her throat. “I had a whole routine planned for Spider. He has a thing for Maria Carey and her Christmas song. Stripper pole and everything.”
My dick springs up like a soldier ready for battle. That is all I want for Christmas. My woman swinging her fine ass around a pole dancing with Maria Carey in the background. We don’t have a pole yet, but I will do about anything to make that happen. They chatter on, building their pact to freeze out our dicks until New Years. It will not happen. I have six angry ol’ ladies, five brothers to help, four hours to work, three beers left, two prospects, and one goal in mind, to turn this whole thing around. Christmas at the clubhouse is going to happen. I am getting my present whether Blade knows what is good for him or not.
After their impromptu lunch to conspire, the six angry ol’ ladies have cleared out. I sneak into the garage to begin my own scheming. Tank, Saint, Axl, and Pawn are working on bikes as usual, and I grab a seat and deflate for show.
“What’s up, brother?” Tank wipes his hands onto a rag and heads my way. The others follow and pass around beers.
“I don’t know. Jazzy has been off a bit. I think she’s been trying to make a home here. Misses her mom, and the parties in Sacramento with her family.”
“Why can’t you bring her mom here?” Tank asks before he takes a swig.
“I can. She told me about a time that her dad and the other brothers there decorated the whole place just for the kids.” I will be the first to admit bringing up this story is a bit messed up, but it’s true. Jazzy loves her dad for it and why not? If it makes her and the ladies happy, it’s not so bad.
Pawn taps his chin. “You know, Blade told them they couldn’t decorate the Clubhouse…”
“But he never said anything about the backyard.” Tank grins.
“When are Blade and Cowboy getting back from their run?” Pawn asks.
“Less than four hours,” I grumble. With devious smiles, we know without a word what we are going to do—decorate for our ol’ ladies and pay for it later. Quickly, we scatter from the garage, and Tank is leading the way.
He starts pointing his fingers at everyone, spouting out orders, and who is in charge of what.
“I’m going to the store to get the tree and lights,” I yell over my shoulder.
Tank is on his phone typing and urgently hollering at the same time. “Team Building, this is not a drill. All men on deck, move!”
Jazzy
My phone dings and I look to my screen. Icing is coated over my fingers in layers with sprinkles. For the last hour, the ladies and kids have been at Vegas’s house decorating sugar cookies with the kids.
Spider: Can you meet me at the clubhouse tonight? There is a party.
I sigh heavily. How am I going to sell this to the girls? We are in the middle of a silent protest. Besides, I agree, it should be about the kids tonight. We were going to take them to see the lights and Santa. When I don’t respond, I get another text.
Spider: Trust me. Be here by six.
With my knuckle I swipe the screen and type.
Me: k
Trust him? Never. He is up to something, but I know it’s not bad. In fact, his insistence makes me believe in miracles. What is he up to? Easton and Cortez start to paint white icing on each other’s faces and laugh. Eli, Kat and Tank’s son, already ate his first cookie and is working on his second. Their voices sound like angels with the laughter wafting through the air. Don’t get me wrong, they are absolute terrors but so cute at the same time.
Maddy, Dana and Axl’s daughter, stomps her foot. “No,” she growls at them. All eyes pop and turn to her. With one hand on her hip with icing, and the other pointed at their faces, she scolds them. “No, boys. You be good, I want my presents.” Her fury is comical and a little scary for a two-year-old. Did I mention her lisp is beyond adorable?
Slowly, they lower their hands and lick the icing away from their fingers. Easton looks sad and whispers, “Sorry, Mad.”
“Es okay.” She sighs and pats him on the back with a bright smile. Maddy tells us all about all the presents Santa is bringing for her. She has her letter ready for tonight and wants them all.
Oh-my-god. This girl is killing me. We finish the cookies and help wrap them up. It’s getting close to six o’clock and my nerves kick up. Playing devil's advocate with this group is like playing with the devil himself.
“Hey, should we drop some cookies off to the guys at the clubhouse?” I ask the kids because I know what their moms will say and if I can get the kids on board, that is half the battle. Spider better not let me down, or the no sex pact will last a lot longer than originally planned.
Spider
I watch my phone and the dots start to move with their locations on the GPS. Jazzy never lets me down, which means we have no more than twenty minutes. We toss up the last few lights and throw the cardboard boxes in the pit for the bonfire. Tapping a few more buttons on my phone, the lights go out.
Tank signals for us to follow him in through the doors and we shut off the patio lights. We turn on the music and pass around beer and pizza while we wait for the ol’ ladies and kids to show up. Tank grins from ear to ear like a kid waiting to see Santa. If only the asshole knew what I really did.
When I drink the last of my beer, the car doors slam and the crew walks in the same time Blade’s bike pulls into the driveway. I’m rather impressed with my skills. Every year I get better and better. My timing to get them all here at the same time was perfect. The Prez walks in with his baby girl in his arms and the boys bust in, running to greet us all. Their faces fall, expecting more and seeing nothing.
“Here, Daddy,” Maddy calls to Axl. She hands him a plate with a cookie she decorated for him. Jazzy stands with a tray full and even her face, along with her crew, is a bit sad. Something inside my chest constricts. I may have gone about this with one intention, but I learned the real reason the girls want this place decorated is to be the kids’ second home. Blade’s face falls a bit, and he can see the error he made. It’s our clubhouse, but we are the men these kids look up to, and this is their home.
“Princess, I can’t eat this! It’s too pretty. You did such a good job.” He kisses her forehead.
“What’s that, Daddy?” Maddy asks, pointing to the snowflakes blowing against the windows.
“I don’t know, we should all go look,” Axl prompts and the group behind him cast skeptical glances at each other.
One by one, they walk to the middle of the yard. Fake snow blows overhead and the kids laugh, running and trying to catch it in their hands. I point to the Prospect and Christmas music plays in the background. Gasps start to fill the air when the lights turn on.
The girls collectively gasp for air and the tree lights up in the yard next to a table with hot chocolate. I hold back my grin when one of the other prospects walks out dressed as Santa and the kids scream. “Merry Christmas!”
“Santa!” they explode and dart for him.
Arms wrap around my waist and hold me tight. Jazzy’s breath feathers across my neck. “You are so fucking hot. I’m ready to make babies with you.”
“Jazzy, I’m more than ready to give you anything you want. All I want is you, for Christmas, and whatever you had planned.”
She pinches my side. “I knew it. I don’t care how you knew. This is amazing. It’s just like when I was a kid.”
Wrapping my arm around her, I pull her in tight and kiss her like the first time. My heart has grown and changed since I met her. It’s true, all I want is her, for the rest of my life and the kids I’m more than ready to start making.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. May your heart be filled...and your glasses.