The Biker's Fate Chapter 133

Mack

As I grabbed a glass from the cabinet, my sister walked into the apartment and dumped her purse on the kitchen counter. Pauley was tall, well, taller than me. She stood a whopping five-foot-eight to my five-foot-six. She and I had the same hair color, a deep, Irish red, but where hers was thick and glossy, mine was curly and unmanageable. We both had gray eyes, but that's about where the similarities ended. She was glamorous and confident, fully in touch with her sexuality and could use it to her advantage.

Me... not so much.

"Hey, Pauley," I grumbled.

"How goes the fascinating world of old people?" she asked, and opened the fridge.

"I know more about the bombing of Pearl Harbor than I ever thought I would." I smiled. "But Mr. Akerman gets so excited when he's telling his stories."

I had started working at the nursing home pretty much right out of high school. Pauley and I lost our mother four years ago and there hadn't been money for college, so we looked for jobs right away. I was lucky enough to find a position working with the elderly which I just happened to love.

"I envy your life." Pauley pulled out a beer and twisted off the top.

I rolled my eyes at her sarcasm, especially considering she was deathly afraid of old people. "How was the restaurant?"

"It was good."

Pauley waited tables five days a week and tended bar two nights a week to help fund her 'around the world trip in style' she'd been promising to take since she was six. With the amount she made working weekends, she probably didn't need her day job. But that was my sister. She was sexy as hell, friendly, and made more money in a day than I made in a week.

"Any word from the agent?" she asked.

I let out a pathetic groan. I finally finished the book I'd been threatening to write and sent it off to a couple of agents. One had requested the entire manuscript, but that had been six weeks ago and still no word. I was pretty much resigned to the fact it was obviously total crap and I'd never hear from her again.

"Uh-oh, that doesn't sound good. You probably should have let me read it before you sent it off."

I shook my head vigorously. "And have you tease me mercilessly? No way!"

The truth was, no one but Millie had read any of it and I had sworn her to secrecy.

Pauley chuckled. "Have you yelled at Barney yet?"

I frowned. "I don't yell."

"Okay... have you snapped at Barney yet?"

I wrinkled my nose. "I apologized."

Pauley giggled. "You know it's weird that you talk to your dog like he's a human, right?"

"You know it's weird you think it's weird that I talk to my human companion, right?" I poured water into my glass and smiled. "How much did you make in tips tonight?"

"Almost four-hundred."

"Dollars?" I squeaked.

Pauley laughed. "No, pesos."

"Ohmigod, sissy. I think I need to change careers."

"You're too sweet for this job, honey."

"Suck it, Pauley," I snapped. We'd had this conversation a hundred times over. My sister was five years older than me and took her "maturity" seriously. But I was twenty-two and paying half the rent and utilities, so I was getting a little sick of her seeing me as just her innocent baby sister.

"You know, you could always self-publish," Pauley said. "Lots of people are doing it and if you find someone who can do a cover for you or whatever, it'd be a good way to find out what the masses think."

"You might be onto something," I said. I'd actually thought about self-publishing before, but I'd always wanted to do it right and that meant finding an editor. Easier said than done.

"Tell you what. If you want to do research and find out the costs to publish, I'll put money in. Consider it an investment. You can pay me back when you make a profit."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, why not?"

I hugged her. "You are my absolute favorite sister."

"I know that already." She giggled. "Anyway, subject change. You said you and Millie got turned away from Blush a few weeks ago, so I wanted to know if you want to go with me and Kim tomorrow night?"

"We didn't just get turned away, sissy. We were humiliated."

More accurately, I was humiliated. The bouncer had looked me up and down and laughed before shooing me away like I was a stray cat begging for scraps. My best friend, Millie, on the other hand, was told she could enter; however, she showed solidarity and left with me.

"Honey, you're a grown-ass woman, you're not really still mad about that, are you?"

"Oh, now you acknowledge I'm a grown-ass woman when you just told me I'm too innocent to work as a bartender?"

"They aren't mutually exclusive." Pauley tipped her beer toward me. "But I'm a little surprised you're still mad."

I sighed. "I'm not mad, just a little irked."

"Well, get over it and come out with us tomorrow."

"And have them kick me out again? No thank you."

"Kim knows one of the guys who runs it. She promises you'll get in. Call Mill and see if she wants to come too."

My curiosity beckoned. I'd always been the girl who wanted what was forbidden, but my need for self-preservation generally warred with that curiosity and I typically did the safe thing. Truth be told, I was the biggest chicken on the planet, but I wanted to know why this club was so exclusive and why it was so hard to get into... and more importantly, why I wasn't good enough to be admitted.

"Okay, fine," I said.

"Awesome. Kim said she'd come over around eight-thirty or so and help you... I mean, us, get ready."

I let out a frustrated groan. "I can dress myself, sissy."

Pauley didn't respond.

"Suck it, Pauley."

She giggled again. "Eight. Be showered and ready to be pampered."

"Yeah, yeah."

"I'm on the early shift, so I'll be here around eight-fifteen to supervise."

"You're going to work all day and then still be ready to go out?"

Pauley snorted. "Who are you talking to?"

"Right." I smiled. "Forgive me, oh royal big sister."

"Better." She sipped her beer again. "Did you eat?"

"Hmm-mm," I mumbled.

"Cheetos?"

"Don't talk to me like you know me," I responded.

"I brought home your favorite." She glanced at the counter. "Shit. Left it in the car. I'll get it."

"I love you!" I called, as she grabbed her keys and headed out of the apartment.