Marcus BOOK 5 of the RAZORBACK MC

3

TARA'S POV:

I made sure Brianna would show up early, and I told her about Marcus and how he was new to our chapter but not the club. He was older, mid thirties, and she was barely 24. I think she was the same age as Avery's girl Gemma.

"Is that him?" Brianna asked and I looked up as we walked in and saw Marcus on top of the stage, wearing only a pair of jeans an a tank top, sweaty, and on a step stool replacing some of the lights near the main pole.

"Yes it is."

"Wow." Brianna fanned herself before winking at me. "He's hot... but is he nice?"

"Very nice. He might be a little worked up if things have been going wrong all day." I told her and she nodded but didn't take her eyes off of him. I made sure that my shoes made noise as I got closer and he looked down and over at us and nodded his head.

"I have to finish this up and I will be down to interview her." He told me and I nodded.

I could see his patch in tattoo on his shoulder and it still looked fresh. I always found the snake wrapped around a bike with the MC name fascinating to trace. My dad had it on his inner arm and when I was little and my mom would get mad at me, he would tuck me under his arm and I would trace the snake, then the words.

I got a little turned on seeing Marcus all sweaty and without his usual white t shirt. He might be more muscular than Ryan, which wasn't that hard. Ryan was built, but he wasn't keeping up with himself now that he was a new daddy. I looked Marcus up and down, I saw some scars, some other tattoos, and when he came down, I saw a name on his chest near his heart. I guess that girl was serious.

I bit my lip and showed Brianna where to get a keg if we suddenly ran out tonight and I watched her kind of take in the back where all the girls changed and got ready. She waved and met a few and some of them said how I should just work here because I liked to help out so much. Truth is, I wanted my business to take off, and that meant, no matter how much I missed being a bartender, I wouldn't be one permanently anywhere.

I showed Brianna where she would clock in if she liked the place and if Marcus wanted to hire her, and I introduced her to some of the guys who worked as bouncers and security so they would at least know her name and make sure she was safe walking to her car and around the club.

She batted her eyes at all the guys, I knew she liked strong silent men, and she kind of got that with Marcus, but she seemed to blossom in front of the men paying her compliments and saying how nice it was to have a nice girl behind the bar. She blushed and bit her lip a lot, and I noticed Grey talking to the other guys before they opened the doors, making sure to look our way a couple times and I didn't stop it, but I would warn her about his ways.

I got her comfortable behind the bar and I saw Marcus taking out some trash and I moved to catch him when he came in. I was leaning in the doorway as he tossed the carboard and the old lightbulbs in the dumpster and I smiled when he turned.

"She good?" He asked and I nodded. "I can interview her after I clean up." He told me and I nodded and started to follow him around a bit before we were alone in his office. "Got something to tell me?"

"Are you going to make it a rule that the brothers can't get with the staff?" I asked and he blinked a couple times before shrugging. 

"Should I? Do you know something I don't?" He asked before I could answer.

"Just... a thought. I see the way Brianna is kind of eyeing someone, just wanted to see if it would be ok."

"As long as s**t doesn't get complicated then it should be just fine. The brothers should know that women here aren't the same as women who are at the clubhouse. They're working for us, not here to be played with." He told me like I was in charge of where the other guys stick their d***s.

Hell, it would be wrong of me to say anything to stop anyone from doing something two people both wanted. I waited as he cleaned up a bit, slipped on his shirt before his cut and then he looked at me like he was waiting for something.

"What?"

"Is that her name?" I asked and nodded to his chest.

"Who?"

"The girl you were serious with." I said and he laughed and shook his head.

"Number one rule when dating, serious or not, you don't get names tattooed. It's my sister." He told me and made a face like it was cute. "She died when she was 17."

"Accident?"

"Kind of." He shrugged. "Hope was a party girl. She went out with her friends, had a good time, came home, walked or stumbled past me, and she just never woke up." He told me and I gulped and felt bad for bringing it up.

"Did you find her?" I asked slowly and he kind of had this look, like he was trying to decide if he wanted to tell me the truth.

"Yeah. She didn't come down before dinner, mom said she was out like a light. I went up to wake her and she was cold as snow." He told me and I nodded slowly.

"I was with Ryan when we had to identify our dad." I told him and he looked like he didn't know that.

"I didn't realize your old man was dead." He told me and I just nodded slowly.

"Rival MC got him on his way back from a solo ride. He and my mom had gotten into a fight about something my mom said, and he took his ride without back up. Two months before my high school graduation." I added and he seemed to be sad for me.

"Guess he was a good man." He crossed his arms and I took a moment to think about it.

"I don't know about a good man... but he was a great father." I corrected him just slightly and he nodded like he understood what I meant. "You're kind of a mystery you know that?" I asked him and he shrugged like he didn't know what I meant. "All quiet, and from a different state. I don't even know when you're birthday is." I challenged and he laughed. "Did it pass in the months you've been here already?"

"It's in August." He told me but I wasn't sure that was the truth. "It is." He laughed and I shook my head. "Fine you tell me yours and I will tell you mine."

"June 23rd." I told him and he nodded and didn't move to speak. "What's yours." I asked and he headed for the door.

"I'll let you know." He laughed and I just narrowed my eyes and followed him out the door.

"That's not fair Marcus. I want to know."

"Why?" He asked as I started to walk beside him.

"Because I do the party things remember?" I asked and he looked around and as we got to eh bar he turned and looked down at me.

"What if I don't want a party."

"Everyone wants a party." I declined his reason and he laughed.

"Yeah? What happened for your birthday?" He asked and I worked my jaw.

"I was busy that weekend. It's passed." I told him and he shook his head. "Come on. I do it for all the guys. Why not you? You're new." I said and he nodded like that was the point. "Are your parents coming to town?" Hopefully that would give me a hint.

"Dad is dead, mom doesn't even know what year it is." He told me quickly and I looked away. "No one to really celebrate with." He challenged and I put my hands on my hips.

"You have us, the whole club. I am going to see your cake is made and your favorite food is the main dish. So... spill." I ordered and he looked down at me, and by this time most of the guys, even Bellamy had cracked when he was a patch.

There were few guys who made me ask things more than once. Bellamy and Marcus seem to be the worst off. And Bellamy eventually caved and tells me important things on my first try now. Now... Marcus was the hard nut to crack.

MARCUS' POV:

I pulled August out of my ass, but for the life of me, she was trying to really know my birthday. I didn't celebrate it, I didn't want to. Even she wasn't going to make me.

I hated my birthday, it was never anything special, I don't think I can remember one year where I got more than a card or a small fast food dinner and small 1 layer cake. It was just a birthday. What we did for Valentines day and Gemma's birthday was nice and sweet for Avery to do that for her, but I wasn't a chick, I didn't dwell over not having a good birthday.

"You'll tell me when I need to know." She sounded so confident and I just shook my head and looked up and over at Brianna who was making a couple pitchers for a table that came in.

"Let me interview her and maybe give her some rules." I waved Tara away and she smirked as she moved around the bar and I made sure that I didn't look mean or scary when Brianna came closer towards me.

"Hi. I'm Brianna Grant." She held out her hand and I shook it.

"Marcus Allen. Let's start with you telling me about your experience." I offered and she started to tell me about how she's currently working at a bar, before that she worked at a fast food restaurant and she worked at a sushi restaurant. I had a good memory so I didn't really need to take notes. Plus she was the only person willing to be here and work the same night. That in itself says good things about her.

"I probably should have brought a list of reference numbers." She pulled at her hand like she was nervous and I shook my head.

"Knowing Tara is enough." I told her and she pushed her lips together before looking Tara's way and I did too and I saw her on the phone. "What is your starting rate?" I asked knowing she had to be paid something now and she can't take anything less than that.

"Well where I work now I've worked my way up to 15 an hour." She told me and I nodded. "If you can match that and add on when I have passed the 90 period, then I can quit my other job tomorrow morning and work here in the afternoon." She told me seriously.

"Just like that? No loyalty?" I asked and she seemed to pause in what she was going to say.

"Tara hired me there, and then she left when she started her business. I don't like the manager there, he's kind of a hard ass with OCD and usually won't let me leave things undone by his standards. He makes me restock everything even if the bottle is almost full. All dishes have to be dried and put away and stacked perfectly. I broke a glass once because of a customer and I got fined."

"Where do you work?" I asked and she bit her bottom lip.

"The truck stop bar... the one near the highway. The Drivers Hideaway." She told me and I nodded but didn't know for sure what it was like. I never stopped in to visit.

"Ok. And are you comfortable with flashing lights, loud men, and half naked to fully naked women?" I asked and she seemed to want to laugh like it was funny but I just held my face as stoic as possible.

"Yeah. I mean, everyone makes money, loud men are kind of normal for me in a bar anyways." She told me and I nodded slowly like that was true and she bit her lip. "Lights should be fine too." She added and I nodded back at her again.

"And you're not going to do a turn around here when you think it's easy to take days off?" I asked and she shook her head. "Tara won't be here all the time either. If you really need a day off, because you're friends you can feel free to contact her about taking a shift or something for you, but we both know she's busy most days with her own place. I would also need the heads up about you needing the time off so I know when she will be here."

"Got it. I don't really need much time off. Maybe once every couple months. Approved and maybe on a slow week." She looked hopeful, and scared, but I just nodded at her and hoped she wouldn't hold me to that too tightly.

"My last good bartender had family obligations, which we understand, she needed to take off work because her sister was sick, we let it happen, do you have anything like that? I would rather know now so it's not a surprise later. Up front works better then hidden truths." I advised and she shook her head.

"Only baby sitting I do is my cousins kids around the holidays." She told me and I nodded.

"Well, if you like tonight, there should be no reason not to see you here tomorrow." I told her and she smiled wide. "When we close let Tara show you how we close here, and then come and fill out the paperwork and collect your nights cash." I told her and knocked the bar and nodded to Tara as she kind of became hysterically happy.

She even ran around the bar and gave me a hug, I didn't mind touching, but there was something about her touch that sent a wave of disgust up my spine.