1
The Beasts’ Bar was hopping with activity when Joseph ‘Gator’ Zenek got off his bike to go inside. The loud rock and roll music was barely contained in the building, the loud thumping of drums reached Gator long before he opened the door to the club.
Inside, the scent of sweat and leather filled his nostrils. As she glanced around, Gator realized that something in him had changed. Usually when he stepped through the door, he felt at home but lately he felt different.
So many things had changed in the past year or so. Carl no longer sat at the back table surrounded by the senior members of the club. He was a family man now and a business owner. He didn’t live above the bar. He had a house in a suburban neighborhood, a wife and one and half kids. Eden was pregnant with their second child. Carl had even retired from leadership of The Beasts. Things were different and Gator was beginning to feel different too.
He crossed the room to join the few Beasts sitting at the table reserved for them only. Bull, Cheetah, and Wolf were the only Beasts there. “Where is everyone?” Gator’s deep voice rumbled as he sat down, eyes still roving the bar.
“You just missed Zebra, Camel and Rabbit,” Bull answered, his voice almost as deep as Gator’s. “Everyone’s coupling up, man. They’re at home with their women.”
Home with their women. The thought brought a wry smile to Gator’s lips. “Seems like everyone is settling down.”
Wolf nodded; his eyes gleaming. “I haven’t been a part of the club long, but based on what I’ve heard, it all started with Silverback.”
“Yeah,” Bull cosigned. “After he fell for Roo, everyone else seemed to fall like dominos. Bear went down after him and then everyone else, even Cougar.”
“I never thought that we’d be taken down by love,” Cheetah said shaking his head before sipping his beer.
“Add all that to us choosing a woman to lead the club. Times are changing,” Bull added. “She was the right choice though. She’s all about protecting women and serving the community.”
“Yeah, but do you guys miss being on the road?” Wolf asked. “I thought being a part of an MC was about life on the road, riding from place to place.”
Gator hadn’t said much because he was glad to be stationary. Sleeping in campgrounds and cheap motels wasn’t like getting to go home to his place where he could sit with a book. He was a book nerd, always had been, but that wasn’t something he shared with his club.
A group of women nearby giggled causing Bull’s gaze to shift. A teasing grin spread across his face. “Gator, you haven’t even looked at those girls. Been bitten by the love bug too?”
Gator laughed, a rich resonant sound. “I have not. I’m just tired of the panty parade.”
The men roared with laughter, but a knowing look passed between them. “Sounds like you’re going to be the next one to settle down,” Wolf said, His voice tinged with humor.
Me? Settle down? Gator’s thought whirled.
“Ever find that girl who gave you the number that took you a while to figure out?” Wolf asked, smiling.
“I found her,” Gator admitted, his voice softening. “But I’m taking my time, priming her to be more receptive.”
His buddies wanted to know why, but what Gator didn’t tell them was the fear that was lurking inside him. There’s something different about Tiffany. I felt it the moment our eyes met. If I go after her, my life will never be the same again and I’ve been down that road. I don’t want to take that trip again.
They continued to talk, humor and teasing laced with serious talk. They drank and the night wore on until each of them admitted that they had work the next day.
2
The sun painted the sky over Oak Cliff in a sea of gold and orange as Tiffany unlocked the gates of the All Day CBD store she managed for her cousin, Kenny. It was one of two stores and soon they would be opening a third.
Tiffany loved her job and she was good at it. Tiffany’s mother hated it and felt that Tiffany was wasting her education. She had expected her daughter to work for a fortune 500 company or something along those lines, but Tiffany liked the idea of working in the community where she was raised surrounded by African American business owners.
After letting Sasha and Ray inside, she locked the door to give them time to ensure they were ready for customers. Tiffany retreated to her office in the back of the building behind a door for staff only.
Sasha, her employee, and friend followed with a teasing grin on her face. So, how’d the date with the basketball star go?”
Tiffany’s smile was genuine, filled with a mix of amusement and triumph. “Byron Micks? He’s like all the others, claiming he’d do anything to be my man.”
“And?” Sasha prodded, her eyes wide with anticipation.
Tiffany leaned back in her chair, her smile widening. “Sent him home without so much as a kiss.”
The two of them laughed together, a shared understanding and camaraderie in their eyes. But after a moment, Tiffany’s smile faded, a serious look replacing it. “I’ve got a ton of work to do, girl,” she said, her voice colored with humor as she jokingly kicked Sasha out of the office.
As the door closed behind her friend, Tiffany’s thoughts returned to Byron. He was everything she thought she wanted in a man, handsome, intelligent, successful, driven, and kind. The only problem was, he didn’t excite her in any way, not like the feeling she had when she looked into Gator’s eyes.
He was the opposite of everything she thought she was attracted to. His blond hair was close-cut on the side but longer in the front, hanging in his face. His roots, darker and almost brown, and his close-cropped spikey beard added to his handsome look, one that exuded sex appeal. He had a nice athletic build and he was tall, but it was his eyes that spoke to her. She felt calm and excited at the same time. He was different than Byron in that way. When Byron and the men before him looked at her, all she saw was desire. With Gator, she saw something deeper, something that she wanted to understand and there was only one way to do that. Getting to know him would reveal who he really was deep inside, but he wasn’t her type. He wasn’t what she saw in her future. He was a white man and that wasn’t part of her plan. She pushed away these thoughts of Byron and Gator. Tiffany had work to do.
3
Gator sat in his car outside the All-Day CBD store trying to build up the courage to get out of the car and go inside. He wanted to see Tiffany again. He needed to see if what he felt when they met was a fluke, a trick of his imagination or something else.
Chastising himself for being silly and emotional, he got out of the car and straightened his spine as he walked to the door. The woman behind the counter started to greet him as he entered the store, but her words trailed off as she looked at him. He was sure that she wasn’t used to seeing someone like him strolling into the building. This was a predominantly African American neighborhood, and he stuck out like a daisy among roses. He moved closer to the counter as the woman took in his tattoos, making him a little self-conscious.
“Can I help you?” Sasha asked him, a touch of flirtation in her voice.
“I’m looking for Tiffany,” Gator said, his voice carrying a hint of intrigue.
He could tell that she was disappointed, but she managed a professional smile. “Sure, just give me a minute.”
After she left, Gator strolled around the store, looking at the products offered. He knew that Hippo had his on business, like several of the other Beasts, but he’d never checked them out. He and some of the other members worked for Carl and Bear in their construction business. He was content with that because he’d invested enough of his money from their drug running days into a portfolio managed by Zebra who was a real brain when it came to the stock market. Gator was wealthy and could live off his investments, but he enjoyed working, living off of that income while sitting on the rest of his money. Then there were those like Kenny who started businesses, Fox, Cougar, and Tiger, who all practiced in a different field of law. Lion was a surgeon, Wolf, a firefighter. Everyone in the club had some sort of career now. Things were indeed changing. What does my future hold?
4
Sasha didn’t knock on Tiffany’s door. She opened it with a huge grin. There’s a very hot white man asking to see you.”
Tiffany’s stomach flipped at the words. Could it be Gator? She felt a strange mix of excitement and nervousness. “Tell him I’ll be out in a few minutes.”
As soon as Sasha left, Tiffany quickly clicked on the icon on her computer to pull up the security footage. Her eyes widened as she saw him. Gator had found her based on a simple four-digit number. It wasn’t difficult to do, but the reality of him being there made her heart race because it meant that he had put in some effort to find her.
A thrilling chill ran down her spine. She knew it the moment she had looked into his eyes when they met. He was going to break down her walls, and she was terrified of that. Tiffany was used to leading men around, setting the terms of engagement for their interactions, but something about Gator set off alarm bells in her mind. He scares me a little, but it’s a titillating fear, like he’s strong willed and wouldn’t give in easily. I wouldn’t be in control.
Tiffany tried to shrug off this feeling as she checked her appearance. She looked calm and ready, but the tingling anticipation coursing through her body was anything other than calm. You’ve got this. She left her office looking more confident than she felt.
As she peeked through the glass between the hall and the storefront, she watched Sasha, with her sassy grin and flirty demeanor engaging in conversation with Gator. Her eyes sparkled as she looked up at Gator, clearly enjoying the attention.
5
Gator was fully aware of Sasha’s flirty behavior, but his mind was elsewhere. Where is Tiffany? He wondered, his eyes flashing to the door that led to the back office.
As if on cue, Tiffany emerged, she looked confident, but her stride faltered as she took in the scene before her. Gator’s eyes locked with hers. He stopped talking, his breath catching as he took in everything about her.
Her hair was different than when he’d last seen her. His gaze traveled down her body, slowly as if memorizing every curve and nuance that made her who she was. Extraordinary.
“Sasha, can you give us a minute?” he asked, his voice sounding husky to his own ears.
They walked toward each other, stopping a few feet apart. “I’m surprised to see you,” Tiffany said, her voice trembling slightly. “I figured you’d given up trying to find me by now.”
Gator smirked at her. “I was waiting.”
“Waiting for what?”
“Waiting for you to think I wouldn’t come. I wanted to see that look you’re giving me right now.”
Tiffany tilted her head. “What look is that?”
He moved closer, his breath warm against her face. “The look that says that you realize that you’ve met you match.”
He was sure that her heart was pounding heavily in her chest, the same as his. She wondered how he knew what she was thinking. She took a step back, a spark of defiance lighting up her eyes. “You’re full of it.” She crossed her arms, Rolling her eyes. “Why are you here?”
“I’m here to take you to lunch, and I’m not taking no for an answer.”
Sasha, who had been eavesdropping nearby, jumped in, her excitement was evident. “Of course Tiffany would go to lunch with you!”
Before Tiffany could list the reasons why she wouldn’t go, Gator grabbed her hand. An electric current flowed between them and the world seemed to shrink to just the two of them. Every part of her responding to his touch. Before she knew it, she was sitting in his car as he pulled away from the curb.
