Page 7 of Shadow's Surrender
Shadow pulled himself into the driver’s seat, switched on the engine, cranked up the air conditioner, and sped out of the parking lot. As he drove to the Pinewood Country Club, a few chuckles escaped his lips as the voices of the members flitted through his mind. He had to admit they’d let him off easy, and if he had been sitting there and one of them had come into the room looking like he did, Shadow would’ve ribbed him real good.
“I’m doing this for you, Eli,” he muttered under his breath as he took a left on Willow Road. He’d decided that he’d talk to Eli for a few, be polite to the chick he was marrying—he never could remember her name—have a couple of drinks, and then get the hell out of there. The club was having a big party later that night with several of the brothers coming in from different chapters. Shadow didn’t want to spend his night with a bunch of stuffy suits.
He pulled up to the front of the club and a guy in his early twenties rushed over to the truck and opened the door for him.
“Where do I park?” Shadow asked.
“Just leave your keys in the ignition, sir. What is your name?” The guy held a card and a pen in his hand.
“I’m not gonna let you drive my truck.”
The man shook his head. “This is valet. I’ll be careful with your vehicle, sir.”
Shadow narrowed his gray eyes. “The first thing you need to do is stopping calling mesir, and the second is to step away and just point to where I need to park.”
“But, sir—” The valet stopped short and looked down at the ground.
“Fuck, dude, this shouldn’t be complicated.”
“I … uh …” the young man began.
“What’s the trouble?” a man in his thirties asked. He wore a red jacket with a name tag that said “Jay Paille – Supervisor.”
“He doesn’t want me to drive his truck,” the younger man said in a low voice.
Streaks of anger shot through Shadow and he gripped the steering wheel and inhaled deeply, trying to calm the storm that was beginning to rage inside him. Ever since he could remember, he hated living by arbitrary and stupid rules, something his dad had imposed on their household for pure evil spite. Shadow also didn’t go in for complications; he liked his life simple, his whiskey neat, and his women easy. Drama didn’t do it for him, so his patience at this point was wearing thin. All he wanted to do was park his damn truck, and these two guys were making something so simple into a convoluted mess.
“Sir,” the supervisor said. “We can’t let you park your own car.”
Shadow jerked his head at a space to the right. “Is that one free?”
“Yes, but—”
Shadow closed the door and pulled into the parking space. He shoved his keys into his pocket and glanced over at the two men as he walked by the valet station.
“We’ll need your keys,” the supervisor said.
“No, you won’t. My truck’s not blocking anything.”
“This goes against the rules,” the man replied.
“Rules are for breaking, isn’t that the way the saying goes? I like to live dangerously—I’ll keep my keys.” Chuckling, he strode up the stone sidewalk, then walked inside the country club.
The sweet scent of roses wrapped around him when he entered the small ballroom, and he spotted several large vases filled with the flowers against the walls and on a small stage at the back of the room. Chandeliers hung from the coffered ceiling, glittering like crystal stalactites. Flickering candles shimmered on numerous round tables that dotted the room. Shadow made his way through a sea of crisp suits and summery cocktail dresses until he reached the bar. After throwing back a tumbler of whiskey, he placed the empty glass on the edge of the counter and walked away.
“Champagne, sir?”
Shadow looked sideways and saw a waiter carrying a large tray of flutes. He reached out and took one then jerked his head at the man, who scurried toward a cluster of people standing near the buffet table.
There were a lot more people at this party than Shadow had expected. From the looks of it, he surmised that the majority of partygoers were from the fiancée’s side. He brought the champagne glass to his lips and glanced around the room in search of Eli.
“Fuck,” Shadow muttered under his breath as his gaze fell on a woman standing across the room near one of the floor-to-ceiling windows. She was gorgeous. Tall and curvy in all the right places, her golden hair cascaded down her back in waves. His eyes slowly traveled over her body, admiring the way the tight pink dress hugged her so damn deliciously. A slit up the side of the dress revealed a shapely tanned leg that made his mouth go dry.She’s one fuckin’ sexy woman.Shadow knocked back what was left of the champagne, his gaze still fixed on the beauty across the room.
As if sensing his stare, the woman ran her hands over her bare arms then glanced over. Shadow whistled softly through his teeth as his gaze met hers.Fuck, she’s stunning.The look on her face was rebellious and dangerous and beautiful all at once. Her gaze didn’t waver from his and he liked that. There was something about her that captivated and held him.
“You came, dude. I thought you were going to be MIA.” Eli’s hand clasped his shoulder and Shadow dragged his eyes away from the blonde.
“Yeah. I’ve been here for a bit.” He glanced over Eli’s shoulder and saw the woman still looking at him, a small smile twitching on her full lips.I gotta find out who she is.
