I get impatient and push, “And?”
“And,” she holds out the word and scrunches up her face as she looks at me, “only certain people will ever call them by their government name. Their Old Lady and family. That’s it.”
My hands go little numb as I let go of her hand. The way my head is spinning while going over her words and reconciling them with how Turner treats me has me swallowing hard. I’m not sure I understand.
Or maybe I understand perfectly.
“Old Lady,” I say the words like they mean anything to me, like really mean something to me.
Opal smiles softly. “It’s not pejorative. It’s a sign of respect and a title which holds weight in the world of the club. Old Ladies get respect and deference. And it means something to the brothers. It’s a commitment that matters. A property cut is just as binding, if not more in some ways, than a marriage certificate recognized by the government.”
“Are you saying they commit and that’s it? They never stray?”
I’ve heard the rumors around town about the club whores. Right now, I have Lola pegged as one because she certainly wasn’t wearing a property cut.
“As far as I’ve seen, it’s how the guys are here. I can’t speak to all the chapters, and I wouldn’t want to speculate about other clubs.”
“Right, okay,” I say the words slowly while my mind processes. “How is this helping me figure out what to wear?”
She smirks and shakes her head like I’m adorable. “It doesn’t matter what you wear,” she tells me. “Not even a little bit.”
“How can you say that?” I gasp out the question.
“The man has asked you to ride on the back of his bike. That would be enough to tell me everything I need to know, but then to add in him giving you his name?” She takes a deep breath and locks her eyes with mine. “He’s all in. You’re it for him. He might be waiting and going slow because that’s what he believes you need but make no mistake—he is coming for you.”
I blink at her a few times and take some deep breaths. I’m waiting for the panic to set in. The fear.
But it doesn’t happen.
I think of the way his gray eyes studied me before he looked me over as if his gaze was enough to devour me. Just thinking about it now makes me want things I shouldn’t want.
At least, I probably shouldn’t want them. Not when I don’t know when, or if, I’ll have to run again.
Sylvester’s not the kind of man to give up easily. And he has people at his disposal who can hunt me down.
I haven’t decided whether getting the club involved would be a good idea, or the worst idea I’ve ever had.
“You shouldn’t say things like that.” I grumble out of the side of my mouth.
It’s nearly impossible to ignore the part of me which desperately wants her words to be true. When he walked me home just a few days ago, I didn’t look over my shoulder with him at my side.
“I’m just speaking the truth,” her voice is coaxing. Then her face hardens, “I feel like I don’t have to explain the hierarchy of the officers since it’s pretty obvious.”
“President at the top,” I say, the answer easy to leap to.
“Exactly,” Opal agrees with a nod of her head. She scowls as she looks at the floor. “Then there are the club whores. They’re exactly what you think they are.”
“Hookers,” I deadpan.
Opal’s head snaps up and she gapes at me for a moment before she starts laughing. As much as I try to stop it, I can’t help but laugh along with her. By the time the laughter pitters out, I feel a lot lighter.
“Just remember that most club whores are interested in only one thing—earning a property patch. But the likelihood of it happening is very small.” She holds her hand up, her thumb and pointer finger close together to indicate just how small the chances are of it happening.
“No one wants to settle down with a woman who has been fucked by all the brothers.” Opal shivers with disgust and I find myself smiling slightly.
“Seems like a double standard,” I point out gently because it’s the family she’s spent her entire life around.
“Oh, it is,” she drawls. “Just because I understand it and know where the guys are coming from doesn’t mean I have to agree or accept it.”