Grizz Novel – My heart pounding as I overheard their conversation at the corner of the bar. He led her around the side, away from prying ears. I strained to listen. “I do like you.” His words sent a pang through me. “But you’re having intercourse with somebody else.” Her voice was sharp. “I was but not anymore.” “I don’t care. I’m not hanging around to be cheated on.” She sounded resolute. “Luna doesn’t mean anything to me,” he lied. My heart sank. “Not like that.” “You’re having intercourse with her,” she snapped. “That’s her role, she works at the club,” he muttered. “As a bimbo?” “Not exactly. There are women who hang out at the clubhouse to have intercourse with the brothers,” he explained. “They get free food, and they get to live there rent-free.” As she took a step back, I peeked around the corner just enough to see the look of disgust on her face. “And if we became a thing, would you continue to have intercourse with her?” she demanded. I held my breath, waiting for his answer, feeling a strange mix of hope and despair.
LUNA I gently layIvy in her Moses basket right as there’s a loud banging on the door. I groan when she jumps, opening her eyes. I whisper before cringing. “Sorry,” I add, picking her up. My daughter might only be a few weeks old, but I’ve vowed to stop the bad language. I pull the door open, and my older brother, Nathaniel, pushes past me, followed by two of his meathead friends. My heart immediately slams faster in my chest. Since having Ivy, he’s been easier on me, but I’m expecting it to return to normal any day now. I follow them into the kitchen, holding Ivy close to my chest, and watch as Nate raids my fridge. “Got any beer?” he asks, piling meat and cheese into his hand. “No, you know I don’t keep that stuff in the flat,” I say. He opens the ham I was going to treat myself to later and eats it right from the pack. “Start buying it,” he says between mouthfuls, “for when I come round.” I give a nod, even though I have no intention of doing so. Stocking my fridge with beer and too much junk food will result in him calling around a lot more, despite him having a room at Mum’s flat, which is just a floor above mine.
I hate his visits, but mostly, I hate him. He’s just like my dad—a no good, waste of space who loves himself so much, he finds it impossible to think anyone could find him a repulsive piece of nonsense. And on top of that, he uses threats and violence to keep me and Mum in check. He really is just like my dad. “You working later?” he asks. “Yeah.” There’s no point lying. If he finds out, he’ll make my life more of a living inferno. He slaps his mate on the back and gives him a grin, “See, told yah.” He then looks in my direction again. “Danny here is gonna come over. See him right, would yah?” “Clients have to book in,” I say, shaking my head. “I can’t just take walk-ins.” “Then book him in,” he says, fixing me with a glare that tells me he’ll lose his thing if I dare to push this. But since Thalia took over at The Zen Den, it’s impossible for us to run our own client list.
“And all payments have to be made at the front desk,” I add. “I can’t do freebies anymore.” Nathaniel moves fast until he’s in my face and I’m pressed against the wall. On pure instinct, I shield Ivy. “Then you better help him out now. Put brat down and get in the bedroom.” “Nate,” I whisper, hating how my tone is pleading. His mobile rings and he steps back, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief. “What?” he barks into the handset. “On my way.” He gives a nod to his friends and they file out. He gives me one last sneering look before following them. I release a long, shaky breath and rush to lock the door. I really need to move out of this area to somewhere my family can’t find me. I’ve beenoff work for the last eight weeks. This is my first night back since having Ivy just two weeks ago, and although I know it’s probably way too early to be having intercourse, Thalia has promised to give me an easy shift. And so far, my evening has run smoothly, which is rare when you work in a brothel.
Trust me. By midnight, it’s quieting down and I’ve just said goodnight to my fourth caller. I sit in the shared living room and relax back, praying my shift will end at one a.m. like it’s supposed to. Thalia saunters over. “You heard what Axel’s put in place?” she asks, filing her pointy nails. I shake my head. Since I found out I was pregnant at six months gone, I’ve spent less and less time at the clubhouse. “He’s putting his guys on you ladies.” I frown. “Apparently, it’s all part of a new scheme that little miss perfect came up with. She wants the club to feel more like a ‘family’,” she says, rolling her eyes and using air quotes. The bell rings out on the front desk and she rolls her eyes for a second time then goes to attend to the caller. A minute later, she appears with Mr. Green. I give her my best desperate look, but it’s obvious I’m going to have to take the smelly prick because there’s no one else around. “Fable is free, Mr. Green,” Thalia says sweetly, and I know she wants to gag because his bad body odour is already filling up the small space. “Actually, she isn’t,” comes a voice from the reception area.
A second later Grizz, the Vice President from The Chaos Demons, appears. “I booked her.” I give Thalia a smug smile and stand. “There’s nothing in the books,” she snaps. “How many times do I have to nag Axel to remind you bikers that you have to book a slot the same as everyone else?” Grizz ignores her and grabs my hand, leading me up the stairs to my room. Once inside, I offer a smile, because in front of these guys, I never speak. A doctor diagnosed me as a selective mute when I was fourteen. I’d stopped speaking back in school after being horribly bullied. I was facing all kinds of trauma at home and having no break from it in school was the final straw. I find it much easier to talk to people these days, especially once I know them, but I do it for the mystery with these guys. They like that I don’t talk. It also makes me popular amongst the club, although I’ve only ever slept with Grizz once, when he came out of prison. I remove my silk robe, letting it pool to the floor.
Grizz shakes his head. “I came to take you home, sweetheart. Get dressed.” I frown, so he continues, “I’m your new babysitter. Pres wants us to watch you ladies.” I shake my head. I don’t need a babysitter, and I certainly don’t need a biker poking around in my already messy life. I haven’t even told anyone about Ivy. “I can’t take you home at one when you finish your shift, so I’ll pay for an hour and get you home early, how’s that?” Weird that he wants to pay me but not have intercourse. I shrug, and he hands me a roll of cash. “Get dressed,” he repeats, turning his back and looking out the window. Grizz hadno idea where I lived, so I had to write down my address. The rundown, three-story apartments were built back in the sixties and haven’t had work done to them since. They’re practically falling down, but since having Ivy, I’ve had no choice but to stay here instead of the club. I get off the bike and hand the helmet back to Grizz. He stores it away then removes his own.
“I’ll come up,” he says, also getting off the bike. “No,” I say quickly, and his eyes widen at hearing my voice. A smirk pulls at his lips. “Yes, Fable.” “It’s just . . .” I hesitate, trying to think up a good enough excuse. “A mess.” He walks ahead of me, ignoring my comment. “You should talk more, Fable. You’ve got a killing voice.” I sigh heavily and follow him. My ground floor flat might not look like much on the outside, but inside, I’ve made it beat expectations. So, when I unlock the door and catch the surprise on Grizz’s face, I smile to myself but block the way so he can’t get past me. Once he sees the babysitter, he’ll ask questions, and that’s the last thing I need. “I have to see the rest,” he tells me, trying to take a step forward. I block his move again, and he frowns. “I’ll leave right after, I swear.” The living room door opens and I inhale sharply as Jessica enters the hall with Ivy in her arms.
“I tried to get her to sleep, Luna, but she’s stubborn,” she teases. When she sees my horrified expression, she hesitates. “Sorry, am I interrupting?” Before I can reply, she backs into the living room and closes the door. I wince before deciding the best course of action is to ignore what just happened. I kick off my shoes and shrug from my jacket, avoiding his eyes. “Who was that?” asks Grizz. The words clog my throat, so I say nothing, hoping he’ll just leave. “Is that kid yours?” He shakes his head, complete confusion across his face. “Nah, you can’t have a kid. It’s tiny.” When I still don’t reply, he pushes past me and heads into the living room. I groan and follow. Jessica looks up in alarm, almost wilting when she sees the large biker filling the doorway.
“Whose kid is that?” he barks. Her eyes glance my way, and he shakes his head again, moving so I’m blocked from her line of sight. “Nah, don’t look at her for answers. Is it her kid?” I don’t see Jessica’s response, but I can tell by the way Grizz freezes that she’s told him the truth. “What does she owe you?” he snaps, pulling out his wallet. I try and move past him, but he doesn’t allow it. Instead, he stuffs some cash into Jessica’s hand and tells her to get lost. I give her an apologetic smile as she passes, placing Ivy in my arms. She’ll probably never come back again after this. “Does the Pres know about this, Fable?” he demands, watching me as I lower my daughter carefully into the Moses basket. I shake my head. “Luna,” I say quietly. “My name is Luna.” GRIZZ Luna.
I like the way it rolls off her tongue. It suits her mystical vibe, and I don’t know why she ever bothered to call herself Fable. “Luna,” I repeat, smirking a little. She gives a small shrug of her shoulder. “My mum was a hippie.” “So, is the kid’s dad around?” She shakes her head. “Why doesn’t that surprise me? Is this why you’ve been avoiding the clubhouse?” “It’s not exactly good for my business,” she mutters. “The club’s there to help,” I tell her, knowing full well it’s talk. None of the brothers are interested in the club whores’ lives, but they sure wouldn’t touch her knowing she got caught out with a kid. Who knows if she did this thing to entrap some guy? A realisation hits me. Lexi is right—we don’t give a nonsnese about them, but they’re real people with lives, just like us. I sigh. “Axel and Lexi have paired the brothers up with the . . .” I pause, not wanting to offend her. “Whores,” she says quietly. I give a slight nod. “And luckily, you got me.” “Why is that lucky?” “Come on, Fable, I know the other women talk about me. I’m never short of offers,” I say, smirking. “I’m here to help out and get to know you,” I peer into the Moses basket, “and this little one, I guess.”