I gave him what he wanted, and he started digging in, and after a few seconds, I started eating too. A groan came from Tank’s lips as he chewed on a mouthful of egg.
“What did I leave some shell in the eggs?” I asked, panicking that I had made a mistake.
“You cooked this?” Bruiser asked, his plate nearly full of scrambled eggs.
“Yeah, most of this I prepared, and I was bored. Is it that bad?” I looked between the men, wondering if I had put too much of something in the eggs. I hate plain scrambled eggs and have always added something to give them flavor, but I guess not everyone has my taste.
“Not at all, it was the best eggs I have tasted in a very long time. I hope you cook more often.” The
Prez answered before Bruiser did.
“Yeah, what he said,” Bruiser added with a mouthful of eggs.
“Looks like our number one mechanic can cook, guess we might need her on some of our rides, can fix a bike if one breaks down, and cook us some food, when we stop. Win-win, if you ask me.”
Said a guy, I don’t remember his name, who came to sit at the table about the same time we did.
Tank POV
The best sleep I have had in years, I didn’t have that nightmare tonight. Having Maxine in my arms must have been the reason for a dreamless sleep.
I reached for her, but the bed was empty, her side cold, from being gone for a long while.
Threw the blankets off and headed to the bathroom, emptied my bladder, and opened the shower door. It was still wet from her shower, and a towel was thrown into the basket for washing. It felt good to know she was comfortable helping herself. I will have to get some girl products for her. I thought as I took a quick shower, with a grin on my face.
The sounds of laughter and utensils scraping plates, the smell of bacon, toast, and coffee in the air, reached me before I made it down the last level of steps. This was life: good friends, good food, and hopefully a girlfriend on the horizon. She never answered my question about claiming her, but she didn’t say no either. There was still hope until I got ano, and then I would have to work harder to get that yes. It had only been a day; I am a patient man, and I will get that yes eventually.
There she was, placing food on a tray, which Cricket took away to place on the side tables that were already full of food.
I couldn’t resist showing everyone she was mine, in the only way I could, by giving her a long kiss. To the delight of the guys in the kitchen, I am sure that it will be the talk in the gang house for days to come.
I placed two plates, she grabbed the coffee, and I led her to the table by the pool. It was a favorite spot where I often sat, chatting with the Prez, Bruiser, and their woman. We fit well on this table, like it was meant to be, like it was always like this, a quick greeting and then chow down.
The eggs were amazing. I didn’t know scrambled eggs could be so fluffy, and the added bits made the flavors burst in your mouth. I am not a food critic, but these were by far the best I had ever tasted. It didn’t shock me that Maxine had cooked them, she made cakes for the guys at the shop, that I managed to taste a few times, when I brought over or collected a bike, was always in a hurry to do things, wish back then I took more time to get to know her more, mind you I heard she had a boyfriend, and that would have put any thoughts of being mine out of the question, I don’t take other guys women.
We complimented her on her cooking, and so did the men when they heard she was the one to cook, as they approached the table before heading off to start their day. Maxine blushed at the compliments, turning her lovely pink. I thought it was adorable.
“Maxine, spoke with Mike, he is happy for you to finish your time here, fixing bikes, and he will sign it off, said you only had a few weeks left anyway, you finished all the modules. It just requires his signature, that you have done the time. He knows you are more than capable, and also suggested that you might want to stay here, better for travel, but then you love to ride your bike, might prefer a quick ride each day.” Prez was talking to Maxine, and I was sitting listening, dying to add to her staying, but didn’t want her to feel pressured; she had been through enough.
“Thank you, Prez, I appreciate that you talked with Mike. I was going to do it tomorrow at work.”
“Well, your workplace will be here from now on. Today, we will get all that stuff out of the storage unit and set it up in that shed. Plus, if you want to move here, we can pack up the flat. Also, your wages will change; we will take over that part. Mike has sent out office management, your information, and it will include a little higher rate, as we will pay you as if you have been signed off.”
“What rules will I have if I live here?” Maxine asked, not taking her eyes off Prez.
“Come and go as you please, live by our code, which I believe you have already been informed of. If there is a dispute, what I say goes, no exceptions. Work with the girls, like you did this morning.
Keep the room clean; we don’t have maids here. No curfews, plus if you want visitors, they need to be approved by the sergeant-at-arms. I heard your three girlfriends have been approved; some of our guys are interested in them, too, so they might be visiting without you having to call them over.
That tart was kicked out, won’t be allowed back in.” He chuckled with a knowing look.
“Good, she was not my friend, and I didn’t invite her; she invited herself. I am waiting for my sister’s call to yell and scream at me about last night. Somehow, Alice’s behaviour, or should I say being kicked out of here, will be blamed on me.” Maxine looked a little sad, but that look vanished fast when the Prez replied.
“We can handle anything she dishes out. You are not alone anymore, not that you were alone. You have your three girls, but you now have a whole pack behind you. Your enemies are our enemies. That includes your parents, sister, and ex; they were put on that list the day we heard what happened. We don’t usually get involved in family issues, but we can make an exception in your case.” I smiled with pride. We might be seen as badass guys who like breaking the law, but there are some areas we won’t go,
We are protectors of this town, being owners of more than half of it. Not all were running illegal businesses; most are legit. This was our town, and we protect what was ours and hurt those who hurt ours.
We support our town: one way was sandbagging the river during floods that threaten the town center, rescuing farmers stranded on their property, and helping with the cleanup afterwards. We are a lot of muscle that can be used for the good of our community. They might fear us most of the time, but call on us when the town is in danger.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.