67 - Perfume

*It hurts. I feel betrayed. – Camille*
Coach was out sick, and Saturday practice was canceled. Camille took advantage of having a free morning to go get her hair cut. The woman that Rosie and Candi had recommended, reminded her a lot of Michaela back home. Her hair was now three inches shorter and thinned out.
As always, whenever someone new cut her hair, the woman was amazed to see how thick her hair was. It was fine and had a light curl to it, just enough to cause severe frizz if not properly maintained. But it did not look very thick at all. With her hair shortened, thinned and a small undercut, Camille’s head felt lighter.
She was already home and had already changed into her pajamas when Rosie arrived. Unknown to the younger woman, Rosie sent a message to Darkness letting him know that his woman was already at the clubhouse.
Camille sat at the table in the kitchen playing poker with Gator, Santa and Zydeco. They were playing with pennies, nickels and dimes. The men had lost too much money to her to actually play with dollars.
“You okay?” Camille asked Rosie as she rummaged through the cabinet in the kitchen.
With a small cry of victory, the older woman located the bottle of Midol, “I will be soon enough. I’m going to overdose myself on Midol, chocolate and French fries. And if anyone needs me, I’ll be under a heating pad in my room.”
“There’s a stash of space brownies in my room,” Camille offered and the others in the room froze and stared at her. Looking around the room in confusion, she cocked an eyebrow at them. “What?”
“Holding out on us?” Santa chuckled as she shuffled and then dealt a new round of cards.
“Nope, mom doesn’t send them very often, random drug tests and all that.” Camille rolled her eyes, “But she was stressed and baked a shit-ton of brownies. You want some?”
“You sure you want to share?” Zydeco asked, discarding two cards.
“Random drug tests.” Camille said dryly as she flicked two new cards at him.
“Maybe we could beat her with some space brownies,” Gator suggested as he also discarded two cards.
“Or at least not feel so bad about losing,” Santa lamented. “Why are we letting her deal?”
“Because I’m so damned cute and adorable,” Camille replied, tossing out more cards before discarding and drawing her own.
Rosie laughed as she got a soda out of the refrigerator. “She’s not wrong,” the bunny headed for the back stairwell that led to the bunnies’ rooms.
“You’re very cute and adorable,” Zydeco agreed as he discarded two more cards.
“Cher, when is your spring break?” Gator asked, tossing down his cards. “I’m out, there’s no saving that crap.”
“End of the month.” She said placing down three dimes.
“I think we need to take you to the casino.” Santa said matching her latest bet.
“I’m out.” Zydeco said keeping his last two dimes. He dropped a chip on the ground for Tink who was under the table. “At least you still love me.”
Laughing, she placed four more dimes on the table. “Easiest way to his heart is through his always empty stomach.”
Santa studied his cards for a moment before placing five dimes in the center. She placed the same as Darkness came into the room.
Looking up at him Camille smiled and then her face fell as her eyes zeroed in on something on his cheek. The other men saw what she saw, while Darkness remained oblivious. Leaning down to kiss her, she got a strong whiff of perfume that was not hers.
Tears filled her eyes as she stood up and walked out of the room going up the stairs towards Rosie’s room. Darkness started to follow her, but Zydeco stopped him with an angry question. Tink stood with his rump under the table as he looked between the man who had been not so subtly sneaking him chips and where his mistress had just gone.
“Why would you cheat on her?” Santa sked as he shook his head.
“What the hell? Why would you think-?”
Camille ran through the room with tears on her cheeks. With a sob, she passed Darkness on her way to the hall towards her room. Tink scrambled behind her and Rosie was right behind them. The slamming of a door echoed through the clubhouse.
“My office. Both of you.” Gator ordered as he stood up. “Now!”
As the other two men stood up to also go, Santa turned over Camille’s cards and discovered that she had a horrible hand. He couldn’t help but laugh at how she could get them to bow out and admit defeat only to discover that they had the better hand. As if to make his point, when he flipped over Zydeco’s cards, he had three fives which would have beat her hodge podge of suits and numbers.
The five of them crossed the main room and entered the office on the far side. His office was crowded on a good day. With four bikers and a club bunny in the office made from half of a room, it was unbearably full. Gator moved to the back side of his desk just to have room to breathe.
Anger rolled off Zydeco as he stood on the side of the desk and looked at the man he had raised. The soft click of the door closing seemed to echo in the full room. Releasing the door handle, Santa crossed his arms and silently blocked the doorway and any form of escape.
“You two want to fuck each other, that’s fine. But I do not need Trigg coming down because his baby girl is hurt. And I sure as hell don’t need Dom showing up pissed.” Gator said angrily.
“I would never-.” Darkness started.
“She’s my friend! I wouldn’t-.” Rosie said at the same time.
“Then why the hell is your lipstick on his cheek?” Zydeco demanded cutting them both off.
They were both quiet for a moment.
“He was so sweet and nervous over at the cottage.” Rosie said quietly. “I hugged him and kissed his cheek.”
“What cottage?” Santa asked.
“The one I’m fixing for Camille.” Darkness growled. “One so I can take her to bed without you assholes making her feel watched or judged.”
Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath and then let it out before looking at his president. Remembering how the four presidents had acted in Las Vegas, Gator nodded in understanding. And the long night of boredom, reflection and consequences.
“She’s afraid that someone is going to call her parents and give them fucking updates.” He looked at Zydeco when he said that. “Yeah, I know. Everything that we do here is watched and reported. And yeah, I’m desperate to be buried inside Camille. Camille. Not another woman. No one else.”
Santa looked guilty also while Gator just shook his head. He would need to address this and put a stop to the reports. He found himself wondering who was sending the reports.
“What the hell did you expect me to do?” Zydeco asked, “A club president entrusted us to watch over his daughter.”
“To trust me! I expect you to trust me!” Darkness declared. “I’ve done everything that you and her father have asked. I stayed away as long as I could. I tried to keep her at a distance. I didn’t let anything go past friendship and a few stolen kisses.”
At Gator’s raised eyebrow, Darkness shrugged. “Maybe a few serious make out sessions. But I have not touched her. I promised her dad I would not until I patched her, put the engagement ring on her finger and made my intentions very clear. I haven’t been with a woman since her sham of a birthday party. For a year and a half, the only thing that I have fucked is my hand.”
“But you haven’t patched her!” Zydeco pointed out.
“She earned her colors! I would no more patch her than she would patch me.” He patted his chest with his hand, his white ink tattoo long since healed, but still proud to wear ink declaring that he belonged to his light.
Gator held his hand up to stop the angry man’s tirade. “Back up one second. You already have an engagement ring?”
“No. I have the whole fucking set. Engagement. Wedding. Mine.”
“Fuck.” Santa said and sat down unceremoniously in the chair near him. “You got it bad, son.”
“I love her. And when she graduates and wants to go back home, I’m going with her.”
“See?” Rosie whispered with tears spilling out of her eyes. “That’s every woman’s dream. I would never take that away from a friend.”
“I believe you, Cher.” Gator admitted before he looked at Darkness. “You better go fix this.”
“Let me talk to her first.” Rosie said quickly. “Please.”