Six Brothers

Fourteen

The party that I’ve only just heard about is in full swing down the hall when I enter the large communal room that houses the bar. I’m wearing one of my burlesque costumes, complete with lace underwear, suspenders, a fitted corset, and patent heels. All black.

I am the angel of death tonight, after all.

Something flashes in Dornan’s eyes when he sees me sashay into the room.

Jealousy. Dominance. Pride.

I belong to him in his mind, and though it makes him proud to show me off to everyone, it also irritates him. In his mind, even letting me out here in these scant clothes must be a massive thing and something he’s probably only doing to cheer up Maxi, who is devastated by Chad’s demise. The two were like best friends, and it seems fitting that after tonight, they’ll be buried in the family plot side-by-side.

It’s been the longest two weeks of my life since Chad bit the big one and seizured out on the floor of the garage. I’ve been fucked and stabbed by an enemy, kissed by one ex-lover and cradled close by another. I’ve lost blood and almost considered running away, but tonight, my resolve is unwavering.

It’s poetic justice that the same day Maxi entered the world twenty-eight years ago, the day he was laid on his mother’s chest and took his first breath, is the day he’ll be leaving it. And while everyone around me is celebrating another year of life, my curled-up lips are smug with the certainty that this night will mark his final breath.

I wind my way through a throng of twenty-something guys wearing leather cuts, drinking beers, and talking in an animated fashion.

Dornan is standing with Maxi and Jazz when I approach him. As soon as I’m in reaching distance, he pulls me aside, his fingers digging into my flesh. “Remember,” he hisses, “You’re not to fuck him or touch him. Right?”

“Right,” I say, winking at him. “I’ll school those little girls on how to give a man a good time.”

“Good girl,” he says, patting my head. “I’ll see you later—for this.” He grabs my hand and places it on his hard-on. I smile and squeeze it a little. “I’ll be quick,” I say. “An hour, tops.”

He nods. “Get those bitches ready. I’ll send him down in ten. I want him to have a good birthday, you hear?”

“Loud and clear,” I say, stepping away from him and back out into the hallway. I make my way down to the third bedroom on the left and knock softly before entering. I close the door firmly behind me and look around.

Dornan’s already told the girls to wait in Maxi’s bedroom, a square box identical to Dornan’s room. Even the bed is in the same spot. Two girls sit on the edge, smoking cigarettes, their makeup woefully overdone and their clothes disturbingly tight. One blonde, one brunette. My breath catches in my throat as I see they’re kids, definitely not legal, and without the slightest idea of the hell they’ve just signed up for.

There is a wooden chair in the corner, complete with arms. It’ll be perfect for my needs. I pull it out and sit in front of them, crossing my legs languidly, my arm draped over the side of the chair.

“Names?” I ask, staring pointedly from one girl to the other.

The left one, the more confident one judging by her body language, clears her throat. “Anna.”

I nod and look at the other one, my eyebrows raised.

“Melody,” the brunette says flatly, narrowing her eyes at me.

“How old are you girls?” I ask. “It’s imperative that you’re honest with me.”

“Sixteen,” they say in unison.

“And you’re virgins?” I ask.

They both nod.

“And you’re here to have sex?”

They both shrug and nod.

My eyes drift to the window, which is barred from the outside just like the rest of them.

I wish it wasn’t.

I’d kick these two girls out of the window and call their mothers to come get them.

Then again, if they’re in a place like this, maybe they’ve got mothers like mine.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask them. “This isn’t a romantic place, you know. These guys won’t stop once they’ve started. It’s going to hurt.”

The confident blonde looks at her friend who shrugs in response.

“We drank some vodka before we got here,” she says. “We’ll be okay.”

I sigh. “Don’t you want your first time to be with someone special? The person you’re going to marry?”

“What the fuck, old lady?” the brunette says, and I have to give her props for speaking up, even if the term old lady makes me cringe. “We know what we want, and I sure as fuck don’t want to get married to anybody, so quit trying to save us.”

“We want this,” the blonde adds, slurring her words slightly. “Maxi is hot. And he’s a Gypsy Brother. If he wants to fuck me, let’s go.”

I nod. They’ve made it abundantly clear that they want to have sex with him, and that all I’m doing is standing in their way. Great. Now that I know I can’t stop them, they may as well be a part of my plan.

“Come on then,” I say, standing and motioning for them to follow me. “We need to get you ready for the birthday boy.”

I enter the bathroom and turn to wait as they follow me in. Pushing the door to, I fumble in my bra and pull out two white tablets that I’d been keeping in my suitcase for an occasion such as this.

“Who wants to go first?” I ask. The brunette steps forward, surprising me. “Mousey brown,” I say. “Nice one. Open your mouth.”

She does as she’s told and I press one of the tablets onto her tongue. She swallows immediately, unafraid.

“Now both of you, strip,” I say. “Down to your underwear.”

I’m acting all confident but I absolutely HATE this. I want to send these girls home. I want them to go to school, go on innocent dates, have slumber parties, and braid each other’s hair.

“Have either of you even seen a dick before?” I ask casually, leaning against the bathroom counter.

The blonde gives me a look so cutting, it’d slice me in half. “What the fuck? Is this a test? I’ve sucked more cock than you’ve ever seen, old lady. But I’ve been saving myself for the right guy…and Maxi treats me right. He’s a good guy.”

The brunette looks at me, horrified. “Are you his old lady or something?”

“What?” I say sharply. “No.”

“Then why the interrogation? We’re here to have fun and pop our biker cherries.”

I clamp my lips shut in resignation.

There’s a knock at the door and I hear Maxi’s voice. “What fucking present?” I hear him boom. The brunette leaps out of the bathroom before I can even open my mouth to tell her to be careful.

Not that it’ll make any difference, I think.

These girls are so stupid. I want to shake sense into them. But I can’t—I am selfish and I’m thinking of myself.

“Happy birthday,” I hear her say to him.