Chapter 2 ~She’s Hardheaded

Maddox wanted to spend the day at the diner with me.. so I brought him to work. I had texted his best friends’ mother to see if Hunter could join Maddox for an afternoon matinee.. I know he will get bored.

I had finished clearing breakfast dishes and had set all the tables with placemats and silverware, for the lunch crowd.

We still haven’t put on a new server yet. But the ad has only been out for two days. Saturday mornings are usually Ashley’s shift.. but this pregnancy is hitting her hard.

The curse of being the owner means I turn more key to key shifts than I care to think about. That’s okay, though. I signed up for it. I have to provide for Maddox..

Running away with him before I was even seventeen, was necessary. I wasn’t going to wait around for Marcus to hurt Maddox.. or me! I waited until I heard the sirens and jumped out my bedroom window. With Maddox piggybacking to my mom’s car.

I jumped in and took off. Marcus was arrested and I was three states over, by the time I ditched the car. We rode a train west.. ended up in Pine Grove. Here we are.. five years later.. and thriving.

Marcus was sentenced to ten years.. and that scares me to death. I am technically guilty of kidnapping.. and I really don’t want to have to kill my brother’s father.. but I will. Maddox is my kid! I won’t risk his life!

The door dinged, and I looked at the clock.. realizing the lunch crowd is starting. I yelled at Harry, the line cook.. “Could you fix a grilled cheese and cheesy fries for Maddox? I’ll come grab it in a minute.”

I saw three bikers at the front and walked over. “Follow me, gentlemen.. and I will be right with you.” I seated them and got them some water.

I took an apple juice over to Maddox and he asked if he could play a game on my phone. Handing it to him, I said “Game. No YouTube!” He nodded and I went back to the biker table.

I asked if they’d decided on drinks.. and they all ordered coffee. I brought it back to them.. dropping Maddox’s food.. telling him “At least two thirds.. or no movie matinee.” He grinned and dug in.

I stopped back at the bikers and asked if they knew what they wanted. They ordered burgers and fries. One of them said “Cute kid? Yours?” I grinned and said “Yep! Spit him out just after my eleventh birthday.”

As I walked away, I heard his buddies chuckling at him. I had three more tables seated by the time the bikers food was up. I dropped their order and got water delivered to my other tables.

By the time the other tables were served, the bikers were done. I cleared their table and dropped the check. The largest of the three said “I’m Venom.. President of the Warrior Wolves. We just moved here and I gotta tell ya. You’re the first person to treat us with any normalcy. I mean, we’re used to it.. but sometimes, the stares and the rudeness are a bit much. I just wanted to thank you.”

I grinned “Give it time. It’s a small town. Everyone knows everybody.. they take a while to warm up to new people. I was in your shoes five years ago. I’m Delaney, by the way.”

He nodded and they left.. Just as Hunter and his mother came in. She smiled at me and said she would take the boys to the movies.. and that was one less worry off my afternoon.

I was clearing tables when I realized Venom had left a hundred dollar tip on a forty dollar ticket! Damn! I could get used to that.

The rest of the day was uneventful.. I had enough time to take Maddox home so Mrs. Sutton could get him ready for bed. I rode my bike back for the dinner shift.

I had just gotten the salad bar set when customers started showing up. It was getting hectic and fast paced. Which is exactly how I like it. Doesn’t allow for thinking.. and time flies.

I had cleared my last table when I heard the bell. I looked and saw the same three bikers.. only this time, they had dates.. Tammy was hanging on Venom’s arm. I grinned and told them to sit anywhere and I would be right there.

I brought them water.. and set menus down in front of them. Now.. I am really not sure what Tammy was thinking.. or what crawled up her ass.. but apparently, she thought she could be rude.

As I was placing silverware, Tammy said “I guess me quitting didn’t hurt anything. You’re dead for a Saturday night.” I smiled.. not rising to the bait “Actually, I was slammed earlier.. not that that’s any of your concern.”

She laughed.. a fake assed tittering worthy of mean girl status and I stood waiting. The guys ordered coffee again.. the girls ordered soda.

When I brought the drinks back, Venom said “Delaney, this is my VP Snake and my enforcer Axe.” I smiled and said I was happy to meet them. They ordered their food.. and I went back to stocking for breakfast service.

I brought their food out..and Tammy asked for a side of ranch. I went to the kitchen to get it.. when I returned she asked for extra napkins. I looked her dead in the eye “What are you doing? I won’t be a runner for you. You know me better than that. You trying to impress your pimp?”

Venom said “Hey! I’m not a pimp!” I laughed and said “Ya kinda are, dude. Tammy here is now a sweet butt. You pay her a weekly stipend to entertain the guys.. that includes sex. She can never refuse to have sex with anyone.. and you can make her give head.. to anyone.. anywhere. That, my friend, is the very definition of pimp.” He laughed and agreed.

And I was still not sure what Tammy was thinking.. she jumped up and stomped her ass over to me.. getting right in my face, she screamed “I am no whore! You take it back! I am a club girl.”

I shot an eyebrow into my hairline.. I looked at Venom. Because I know a lot of bikers don’t like their women getting hurt.. even the paid whores. He shrugged and held his hands up in a ‘do what you gotta do’ motion.

I quietly said “Did you borrow someone else’s balls tonight? It is certainly not conducive to your continued good health to get up in my face, Tammy.”

She ground out “I Said… take it back!” I laughed at her and asked “Truth hurts? Let me break it down for you. You signed a contract. To have sex.. with anyone..at any time. You cannot refuse in any fashion.. not the time..not the who.. not the way. Even threesomes will become normal.. all for compensation of some kind. That.. in legal terms.. is prostitution. Not that it is in any way different than what you were doing before.. Maybe you should have thought about it before signing that contract, Sweet Butt.”

She stepped back enough to swing on me. I grabbed her wrist and yanked her to me.. I twisted and slammed her forehead into the table next to me. I growled “You really are too stupid to quit while you’re ahead.” and I knew Iris was shining through my eyes.

I said “And Tammy? Never enter my restaurant, again. Consider yourself banned.” I looked over at Venom and told him “I won’t apologize for marking your whore. She had it coming.. but she’ll probably have a black eye for a week or so.”

He laughed and told me “Oh.. she definitely had it coming. And she will be punished for her actions when we get back to the clubhouse.”

I laughed “Best be prepared to be punishing her, on the regular. She’s hardheaded.. seldom learns.”