“Does it matter?”
“Guess not. I need tacos so let’s grab some at the taqueria, then hit the Cactus.” If I couldn’t be in the clubhouse with a club girl because of Silvia, I might as well watch some pole dancing to take my mind off the Avila brothers and GQ’s accident.
“Sounds good to me, Boss.” Slay started his hog and revved his engine.
Show off.He was an obnoxious turd, but I knew he was just trying to distract me. Quino must’ve told him I wasn’t in a good place.
I pulled away from the bunkhouse first. Slay gave me the space I needed and stayed behind me. I respected the hell out of him. He read people well and never forced himself on anyone. He was the best enforcer and friend.
With the warm wind blowing in my face, my restless spirit quieted. I was king of the world out here, my world, anyway.
We were isolated from all the major cities in California. San Diablo was a small town next to Butte Valley, which was considered high desert at an elevation of over four thousand feet. We were dry and hot, the perfect weather for almond and walnut orchards, olives and kiwi.
We had some fruit and nut trees on our land, along with an organic garden that was a square five acres. It was massive. Mama Virgie, my mother, had the idea of making it a co-opto serve impoverished local families. Butte Valley wasn’t a rich area.
Each week, families had a specific day and time they could pick what they needed at no cost to them. When we had extra meat, we’d give them some. The same with eggs. We raised our own poultry, too. I wanted the club to be as self-sufficient as possible, so we didn’t have to depend on the government for anything.
Tequila managed it with Mama Virgie, along with his taqueria: Tequila’s Taqueria. Those two fed a lot of people in my territory. Nobody went hungry on our watch.
Behind the clubhouse was Butte Valley National Grasslands a few miles off in the distance. When this forty-acre property was put on the market, I snatched it up. It was the best damn purchase of my life.
I didn’t need anything more than my club and tacos.
And maybe a sweet, young thang named Silvia to warm me at night.
Never gonna happen, though. I was sending her on her way tomorrow, and that’d be that.
5
Silvia
Who would name a cocktailPornstar Martini? Maybe a person in an undisclosed bar with a mixologist, dreaming up the most outrageous names possible. I had to give them credit; it was definitely a creative title.
Naming cocktails didn’t sound like an awful job, if that was your sort of thing. Letty had said there were a lot of drinks with raunchy names, then proceeded to name off a few…
Sex on the Beach—it really painted a picture in my head.
Screaming Orgasm—this one gave sound to the above activity.
Kinky Blow Pop—I had no idea what this one meant.
Dirty Little Virgin—for half a second, I wanted to be the drink.
When Letty asked which one I wanted, I told her to pick for me. At twenty-two, I only had a glass of wine on special occasions, and that was if Miguel allowed it. I literally had no idea what I liked.
She’d chosen well. The Pornstar Martini was delicious. It went down easy and made me feel light as a feather.
“So, what all do you do at the club? Just sit around and drink?” I asked Letty as my filter thinned. The alcohol was getting to me. Probably because I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
It was almost dinnertime, according to my rumbling stomach. I needed food if I was going to be drinking with Letty and Blanca. Luckily, I hadn’t seen Yoli since she called me a puta.
I didn’t like Yoli. Not one bit. And not because she was all over El Jefe. She could’ve been nicer to me and not called me a bitch. It made me glad to be leaving tomorrow. I didn’t really fit in with this crowd.
“Pretty much all weekend long, the girls and I look pretty and wait for one of the guys to want more from us.” She pushed out her chest and wiggled in her seat.
“What more would they want from you?” I asked, finishing my drink. My thinning filter was making me ask questions I’d avoided earlier. The more personal and friendly we got, the harder it might be to leave.
She giggled. “Sex, silly.”
