Karma just loves finding new and creative ways to bite me in the ass, doesn’t it?

Chapter Twenty-Five

Lilly

After another day of grilling, swimming, and spending the whole day with the kids, we came to the clubhouse for this party.

It’s not busy yet. A few brothers mill around at the bar. A few girls I recognize buzzing around. The music is at a more comfortable level for conversation to flow.

Z pulls me over to the couch in the corner of the room. His usual spot where he can see everyone entering and leaving the entire area.

“You still feeling okay, Teller?” I ask in a low voice when he drops down next to me.

“So far.”

The front door opens and slams shut. Shadow strolls in, surveying the clubhouse for a few seconds before his gaze lands on Z.

“Aw, bro,” he hollers as he strolls over. “Your girl Stella was visiting Sway again and asking ‘bout you.”

I narrow my eyes at the one brother who gives me the creeps every time I’m in the same room with him. Unsure how much trouble it would cause, I didn’t tell Z about Shadow’s creepy comments or how he touched my ass.

Z’s arm tightens around my shoulders. “This is my only girl, brother. So, I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

Shadow covers his mouth and laughs. “This ain’t no girl. This is a woman. Hello, again.” He holds out his hand.

I glance at Z. Is this guy for real?

“This is my old lady, Shadow. I’m pretty sure you’ve already met her several times.” Z’s venom-laced voice should send a shiver down the spine of anyone with a brain. Shadow apparently lacks any useful gray matter between his ears because he shrugs.

Instead of taking his outstretched hand, I wiggle my fingers in hello. “Lilly.”

“You do movies too?” he asks.

“Are you fucking dense, bro?” Z sits forward, catching Shadow’s attention.

“Our side-business.” Rooster leans over the arm of his chair to explain. “We bankroll a few independent movie studios.”

“Porn,” Shadow clarifies, butting into our conversation. “Some of the filthiest fucking you can imagine.”

I roll my eyes. “I doubt that. I have a pretty good imagination.”

Z rumbles with laughter and squeezes my leg. I don’t bother looking at Shadow to gauge his reaction.

“Is producing porn still lucrative?” I ask, because really, Z’s club produces pornos? Why not? Upstate owns a strip club. Producing pornography seems like the next logical business venture.

“Depends on the talent,” Shadow says, leering at me again. “MILF porn is huge right now.” He shifts his smirky face in Z’s direction. “Prez, you’re sitting on a gold mine with this one.”

Z stands and pushes into Shadow’s space. I can’t hear exactly what he says to his VP, but it’s definitely not friendly.