Chapter 248: Not My Story
*Remember, if it’s not your story, don’t tell it. You don’t know all the facts. – Coon*
Karan had the TV screen set watch DCSS. Except, it was late. She finally accepted that Cookie did not want her skinny, he just wanted her to be his wife. And she was halfway through her fries, burger and chocolate shake. As she was dipping some fries in her ketchup, the backdoor alarm chirped.
Her office door was already closed and the audio for the security cameras were on. Rye’s laughter filled Karan’s office as Chance held the door open.
“What the fuck?” Karan muttered as she turned in her chair to watch the show.
“Seriously?” Chance asked as he followed Rye inside. “You skipped eighth grade?”
“Yeah.” She was smiling and drinking a soda from a sit-down restaurant. “What about you?”
“I’m not that smart. I mean, I get numbers and that shit. That comes easy.” he shrugged a took a drink from a cup from the same restaurant.
“What the hell is going on here?” Karan asked as her phone rang. Praying that it was Werewolf, she picked up the receiver. “The Clubhouse Day-“
“The fuck?” Werewolf asked, cutting her off.
“I don’t know!” she hissed and then shushed him.
“I played drums in high school for a garage band.”
“That makes sense.”
“It does? Because of the hair? The reputation with the women?
Rye laughed again as she shook her head. “No. People who are good with math are usually good with music too. Music is basically just math.”
“Really?” Chance asked.
“Yeah. It’s why I play music in the background when we do our numbers.”
“So why do you do the jumping and stuff for letters and all that?”
“Because they’re four and need to burn energy and it makes it more fun.”
“Thanks for going to lunch with me.” Chance said as he shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other.
“You’re welcome.”
“I’ll take you to my sister’s café tomorrow if you want.”
Rye nodded. “That would be nice. I’ve had a sandwich from there.”
“No classes this week?”
“Spring break.”
Chance nodded. “Same bat time, same bat station?”
“What?” Rye asked confused.
“It’s something that my granddad always said.”
“That’s true.” Werewolf said on the phone and made Karan jump a little in surprise.
“Okay.” Rye headed for the stairs and Karan watched as Chance glanced at her ass as Rye passed him.
“Thank God.” Karan muttered. “I was getting worried about him.”
“Me too.” his oldest brother admitted on the phone.
They both watched their screens as Chance headed down the hall. He reached up and removed the black hairband from his hair before running his hand through his hair.
“Call me later.” Werewolf ordered and hung up.
“Asshole.”
Karan rolled her eyes as she hung the phone up and then rolled her chair over to open her door. She finished up her burger and threw her trash away. As usual, Chance went through his office and dropped off his jacket and cut.
There was no slamming of his door. He didn’t stomp. He casually walked over to her office, waving at Jax as the older man left. Trying to look busy, she shuffled some papers on her desk.
Karan looked up as Chance walked into her office closing the door behind him. He walked over and closed the top half of the other door and then plopped down in a chair.
“You okay?” She asked as he ran his hands through his hair.
“No.” he admitted. “Can I talk to you? Man-whore to club girl?”
“Reformed club girl.” She quipped holding up her left hand.
“Reforming man-whore.” He added and then looked at her as he dropped his hands to his lap. He gave a half smile to her questioning cocked eyebrow. “Twelve days.”
“Damn.” She tossed a small candy bar at him. “I don’t have anything stronger. What brought this on?”
“I uhm… I got a reality check.”
Karan smirked as he opened the candy bar wrapper. “I heard about Elle. Or was it Lorain?”
“That was the first bounce of my check.” He admitted.
“Start from the beginning, Lance.”
“Funny, Lauren. I was accused of not knowing anything about any of the women I was with. The fact that I did not know her name or that she was married proved that. I scared Rye and she tazed me. Ink told me that I saw women as my personal skin trade. Then I was accused of being a sex addict.”
“Damn.”
“All in about two weeks.”
“Fuck.” Karan said pulling out a couple more mini candy bars.
“Staying out at Werewolf’s made it easier.”
“Temptation is everywhere at the clubhouses.” She guessed.
“Actually,” he chuckled, “no. I’m more afraid of catching shit from the brothers.” He caught the next candy bar one handed. “Mom suggested that I was missing something and should try to figure out what.”
“Have any luck in your twelve days of sex-briety?”
He chuckled at her made up word. “Holding Michael.”
Karan sat up and rested her elbows on the desk with her chin on her fists.
“He’s so tiny and helpless. More than any other baby I’ve ever seen.” He looked at his friend and former lover. “It’s like he needs me.”
“He needs a lot. They don’t know if he will have any issues further down the road.”
“Rye hates me. But I feel pulled to her.”
“You remind her of where she came from. Her dad held the family together. When he died, her family crumbled.”
“It’s not your story and I’m not asking you to tell it.” He took a deep cleansing breath and let a shaky one out. Then he asked the question he was afraid to know the answer of. “Do you know if she was abused?”
“No, I don’t know.” She admitted with a sigh as she leaned back in her chair. “If you want me to guess, I’d say it was likely. I couldn’t even begin to guess to what extent. If any.”
He gave a small nod. “Did you know that Michael is not her baby?”
“Yeah. It’s not something that she wants people to know. He is her son. That’s all there is to it.”
They sat in silence for a moment. She watched as he shifted uncomfortably.
“I asked her to be my friend.”
Karan giggled. “As, in do you like me, check yes, or no?”
“Not quite that cheesy.” He grinned. “But damn close.”
“What did she say?”
“She’ll think about it.”
“Damn boy. For once, you can’t even get friend zoned.”
Karan was making mental notes about what to tell Werewolf when she talked to him later. She really wanted to ask about them going to lunch. If she did that, he might find out about her daily entertainment. Then what would she watch?
