Chapter Five

Allie took one more long look in the mirror before batting Dan's hand away from her hair. It was fine - or at least, as good as it was going to get. Dan had expertly styled her chestnut hair in retro waves with a deep side part - he'd even taken the extra effort to clip a section behind her ear, which just added to the 70s vibe he'd chosen for her tonight.

The party wasn't themed, exactly. But anytime her dad threw a party at the studio, whether it was a wrap party, a premiere party, or something in between, his guests didn't spare any glamour in their attire. Dan had gone all out himself with a full pinstripe suit and tie. Of course, a good chunk of tonight's party guests were going to be sorely underdressed, but Allie had a feeling they wouldn't care too much anyway.

"Now," Dan murmured in her ear. "You. Look. Fierce."

He fluffed a stray curl into place, but she swatted his hand away so she could touch up her lipstick. Still, she couldn't stamp down the nagging feelings that had her reassessing her reflection and then reassessing it again. Although her emerald strapless dress had a beautiful sweetheart neckline, her breasts didn't exactly fill out the top the way she would've liked. In fact she was pretty sure she would be the only one in the room with A cups. And while the silky fabric and ruching at her hips should've been curve-hugging, she really didn't have any curves to hug. All of that wasn't exactly doing her self-esteem any favors right now.

God, she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this way. She'd been in a room filled with half-dressed, triple-D porn stars so many times she'd lost count, and until tonight, she'd never felt so inadequate at the thought of having to stand next to them. Of knowing she would stand out like a sore thumb in a crowd of them.

"My sweet little one," Dan murmured again. "Stop second-guessing my style choices. You must never doubt my prowess."

Allie huffed out a laugh and shook her head. "Oh, not to worry, Daniel. I would never dream of doubting you."

"That's right. And that's because all the makeup and hairspray in the world doesn't matter if you don't already have a bangin' canvas to start with. Just sayin'."

"Well," Allie smiled. "You look quite stunning yourself tonight."

Dan glanced down at his formal attire and nodded, obviously quite pleased with himself. He jutted out his elbow for her to take, and she linked arms with him, letting him lead her out of their makeshift dressing room at the studio and into the fray.

The studio's main production floor had basically been turned into a disco floor, complete with a bar on one side of the room, an expansive dance floor in the middle, and tables and tables of food. Of course, Jimmy had taken her advice - there were just as many platters of sushi as there were wings and pizza, although they were tastefully kept apart on separate tables on opposite sides of the room. Boxes and boxes of beer bottles had also been brought in - Jimmy didn't do keggers - along with an army's supply of vodka and whiskey. Mixers were optional, apparently.

Luckily enough, the party was in full swing by the time they walked across the dance floor to head toward the bar, but there were still no Samcro cuts in sight. That was good. That would give her a chance to find her bearings and steel herself for whatever this party was going to bring. Judging by the way pretty much all the actors were gyrating on the dance floor with drinks in their hands already, it wasn't going to take long for this night to go downhill fast.

When she caught Ima's gaze from across the dance floor, Allie chose to hold the stare, daring her to engage. Finally, Ima just rolled her eyes and went back to grinding with a male actor. Allie smiled to herself - she'd take these small victories where she could get them. And when she finally let out the breath she'd been holding, Allie started to feel a little more like herself again. Insecurity slipped away, and she found herself pulling on the old familiar confidence she usually wore like armour.

She had a feeling she might need it tonight.

Dan dragged her to the bar to get them drinks - a Jack and Diet for him, and a Diet Coke for her - and before she knew it, he was twirling her around on the dance floor. Surrounded in a sea of people, with Dan right next to her, it was easy to lower her inhibitions for just a moment. She laughed and she danced, enjoying the feeling of just letting go.

Then she felt a pair of skinny arms wrap around her waist. Allie jumped a little at the contact, turning to find Lyla smiling back at her.

"Allie!" Lyla shouted happily over the pounding music. "It's so good to see you!"

"Hi, Lyla!" she grinned back. This was one of the real positives of this merger - and she'd had to continually remind herself over the past few days at about 8:00 at night when she was still in the office. But she really did want to get to know Opie's wife better. There hadn't been too many opportunities for that, especially since Lyla technically worked for the competition up until now.

But of course, nothing good lasts forever. Because that was also the moment Allie's gaze slid behind Lyla to find Samcro trailing about ten feet behind her, each club member keeping careful distance from the dance floor and letting their eyes roam around the room to appraise the party. And of course, their president was right out in front, leading the pack deeper onto the production floor.

When their eyes locked, Jax's lips curved into a grin that was a little too sensual for her liking, and he tipped his chin to her in greeting. As his eyes swept up and down the length of her, taking in everything from the curls in her hair, the bright red stain on her lips, and the silky fabric of her dress, she felt each flick of his eyes like pin-pricks down her body.

Allie swallowed tightly and wrapped her lips around her straw to draw her attention elsewhere. Unfortunately, Lyla's arms remained locked around her as she led Allie away from the relative safety of the dance floor and closer to where the Samcro members stood. Luckily, Opie's eyes lit up when he saw Allie, and he leaned down to pull her into a bear hug.

"Hey, Al," Opie murmured in her ear then he pulled back so he could grin down at her. Before he had a chance to say anything else, Dan sidestepped around her with a passive aggressive flair, holding his hand out for Opie to take.

"Hello," Dan greeted him, grinning like a Cheshire cat as they shook hands. "You must be Allie's former step-brother."

Allie nudged him with her elbow, muttering, "Seriously?"

He just pressed a hand to her forehead to push her away, reaching out his free hand to Jax. "And you must be the president."

Jax grinned good-naturedly and shook his hand. "That's right."

"So good to meet both of you," Dan's head whipped to Allie to give her a pointed look as he spoke. "Finally."

Allie blew out an exasperated breath, acutely aware of the amusement written on Jax and Opie's faces. But she took her cue and gestured to Dan, "This is Dan Matheson. He's one of our finest working actors here at the studio."

"And?" Dan prompted.

Alllie rolled her eyes a little but pressed on. "And my roommate and best friend."

"Nice to meet you," Jax tipped his chin with a grin, but she did not like that his eyes flickered back to her as he spoke. Then Jax finally shifted his gaze to Dan in cool appraisal, tilting his head to the side in thought. "You know, I don't think I've ever seen any of your movies."

Dan barked out a laugh, shaking his head. "Oh no, I can't imagine you would have. But, don't worry. That can easily be remedied."

When Jax cocked an eyebrow at him in confusion, Allie knew this was all about to snowball fast if she didn't intervene.

"Oookay," Allie exhaled and gently pushed Dan away from their audience. "We're moving on now. Moving on."

When they were a safer distance away, Allie dared a glance over her shoulder, only to find that Jax was still observing her with a playful smile dancing on his lips.

"You're no fun," Dan leaned down to mutter in her ear. "Seriously. Way to kill my buzz."

"Hey, you were the one making a fool of yourself, not me."

Dan just batted a hand at her in exasperation. A beat later, he gestured with his head toward the dance floor as if nothing had happened. Allie shook her head, holding up her almost-empty glass, and then weaved around the crowded floor to sidle up to the bar again. When she finally elbowed her way to a few free inches of bartop, she set her glass down, leaning onto the counter.

She lifted a hand to try to get one of the bartender's attention but got nothing. Allie huffed a little - it wasn't like she expected any of them to know who she was or give her any kind of special treatment, but it was clear the triple Ds next to her were hogging all the bartender real estate. Go figure.

Soft fabric brushed against her bare arm, and she turned her head to find a certain blonde biker crowding her personal space. He winked at her and then whistled loudly. Even above the pounding music, a bartender's head whipped around, his eyes widening a little at the sight of the Reaper cut at the bar. The bartender wasted no time, slapping the drinks in his hand down by two of the actors, and wiped his hands on the front of his pants to make a beeline over to them.

"What can I get ya?"

Jax glanced down at her with a wry grin before tipping his chin to the bartender, signaling she was supposed to order first.

She rolled her eyes at that and then just shrugged. Might as well take advantage of the bartender's attention. "Diet Coke, please."

When her eyes flicked back at Jax, his lips curled in patronizing amusement. He was even chewing on his bottom lip like he was trying to bite back a laugh. Then his eyes shifted to the waiting bartender, "I'll take a Bud."

As the bartender scampered off to get their drinks, Allie took a deep breath for some strength. She didn't want to have to look at him again if she could help it, but given their current proximity, that was going to be pretty damn difficult. With his flannel-covered shoulder pressed up against her bare one, her heart fluttered traitorously in her chest. Still, she kept her eyes fixed in front of her, counting down the seconds until she had her drink and could make a clean getaway.

Allie tried to shift ever so slightly to give herself a little personal space, but her skin burned at the brief loss of feeling that worn cotton on her shoulder. She swallowed tightly and bit down on her bottom lip, tilting her head nonchalantly as they waited in silence. When someone jostled Jax from the other side, there was no escaping it. His hip bumped into her side, and she stiffened when his calloused fingertips brushed her bare back to steady himself.

She didn't like this. Didn't like the way his fingertips lingered on her skin a beat too long. Didn't like the way her breathing was just a touch too ragged. Didn't like the way her heart stuttered and her cheeks burned. Didn't like the way the scent of gasoline and musk filled her senses. He was too close. Too, too close.

And before she could stop herself, Allie's eyes drifted away from the counter in front of her and hesitantly shifted to Jax. He'd been watching the bartender, who still hadn't materialized with their drinks, but when he felt her eyes on him, his gaze dropped down to her almost immediately. His mouth curled to one side, arrogantly pleased with himself as if he could tell exactly the way his closeness was affecting her, as if he liked the way his closeness set her off-balance.

Their drinks mercifully appeared on the countertop, and a few of the people on the other side of her walked away, leaving space for an easy exit. Just as she wrapped her hand around her drink, a group of bleached blonde actors jumped into the empty space, and not only knocked over the drink in her hand but sent her falling backward, right into Jax's leather and flannel covered chest.

She steadied herself just as quickly, refusing to give him another opportunity to touch her and yet another victory.

"Oh, sorry!" Lyla called out to her and waved brightly. Lyla was sandwiched between a few of the girls who'd just ran up to the bar, and Allie shot her a sheepish wave. None of this was Lyla's fault, but she wanted out of this situation as soon as humanly possible.

"Hi, Jax!" Lyla grinned at him, waving at him too before pushing out her breasts a little to get a bartender's attention. She gestured to the line of people at the bar, Allie and Jax included, and yelled to the bartender, "Shots! Let's do some tequila! Nooo training wheels!"

The girls next to them whooped and cheered, swaying happily to the Ke$ha song blaring over the loudspeakers. Allie swallowed hard - even the sight of the tequila bottle sent a wave of nausea down her spine - and shook her head almost instantaneously. Whether the bartender saw it or not, he dutifully filled the shot glasses, expertly moving from one to the other.

Allie waved her hands in front of her, trying to signal she didn't want this, and attempted to yell over the music, "Oh no...no, thank you."

Lyla's eyes widened a few feet away and her mouth parted in realization. "Aw, shit...I forgot you don't drink, Allie. I'm so sorry!"

Just as she started to reply that it was fine, that it wasn't a big deal, soft flannel brushed over the tops of her breasts as Jax reached in to scoop up the tequila shot sitting in front of her. Allie's head whipped around to face him, her cheeks burning and her skin flushed, and his eyes never left hers as he downed the shot meant for her, grabbed the glass sitting in front of him and then downed that one too.

Then the son of a bitch winked at her.

And now, after all that, she still didn't have a goddamn refill. But seeing as how she wasn't about to wait around for another, Allie took the opening and got the hell out of there.

***

By the time Dan dragged her out onto the dance floor again, this time so he could playfully force her to help him show off their Zumba moves to "Despacito," Allie's feet were throbbing and all the smoke coursing through the room was giving her a killer headache. She'd also eaten so much sushi she thought her stomach might explode. But she powered through it for his sake - Dan was having the time of his life tonight, moving around the crowd like the social butterfly he was, and chatting up a storm with as many people as he could. Allie, on the other hand, would've been perfectly happy to play the role of wallflower instead.

Dan, of course, wasn't about to let that happen, which was why he was currently making her laugh so hard she had to hold her side with one hand and grab onto his shoulder for support with the other.

He finished off a few cha cha moves as the song ended, and the music cut out. The crowd chattered a little at the silence, and Allie was acutely aware of the leather cuts gathered just ten feet away. Definitely close enough to observe the dance floor with a pretty unobstructed view. Too close. Definitely too close.

When her dad stood up on a chair with a microphone in hand, the crowd chatter died out. While the party had already raged on for a few hours now, Allie knew he'd planned to wait until the right moment - or, until there'd been ample time for drinking - before making his big speech. Right about now, Allie was also particularly glad that Luann had chosen to sit this party out - if she hadn't, that would make whatever he was about to say really uncomfortable.

"Thank you all for coming tonight," Jimmy started, his deep voice booming from the loud speakers. "This has been a long time coming. It's no secret we've been talking with Cara Cara for years to finally get off the pot and do this already. And now, we can thank our new partners," he gestured to the club members standing off to the side, "for helping us finally seal the deal."

The sight of so many Reaper cuts all gathered together like that was intimidating enough on its own. When they all lifted their beer bottles to toast in unison, they looked practically lethal. And try as she might, she couldn't stop the way her eyes drifted to the back of Jax's blonde head. While he wasn't the tallest in the group - Opie won that by a mile - his presence was prominent, almost larger-than-life, and it was enough to fill the entire production floor. It also didn't help that more than a few of the female actors had worked their way into the Samcro gathering. Several club members already had their arms strewn around some of the girls' shoulders, as if claiming their property for the night, and Allie sucked in a deep breath when Jax's head dipped down to hear what a short brunette was whispering in his ear.

"Tonight marks a new era," Jimmy went on, proudly gazing out at the crowd in front of him. "With our new actors and new production team, the possibilities for our new enterprise are endless. We've already prided ourselves on producing Hollywood-level films with good writing, great acting, and even better fucking," he grinned at the cheers and whistles that got him, and Allie shook her head with a grin, "and now, nothing is gonna stand in our way. We're gonna take this industry by storm, one pussy, one dildo, and one anal shot at a time!"

The crowd roared, lifting their drinks in the air, and cheering as Jimmy jumped down from the chair. He clapped Jax on the shoulder before pulling him into a bro-hug, murmuring something into his ear that made Jax's head tip back in laughter. After Jimmy shook hands with the remaining club members, a busty blonde sidled up to him and wrapped a slinky arm around his waist. Allie watched just long enough to see the blonde lead her dad away into a dark corner of the production floor to know it was about that time to leave.

Dan was on the other side of the dance floor, chatting up his scene partner for next week, so she shot him a quick text to let him know she was ready to go. All she had to do was run to the bathroom and then she was in the clear.

She practically ran down the long hallway, purposely choosing the bathroom closest to her office because it would also be the quietest. And as she stepped back into the hallway, Allie was momentarily distracted by straightening her strapless dress when she smacked straight into an annoyingly familiar chest that just happened to be covered in leather and flannel.

Of course, she bounced off that hard chest like a ping pong, but his hands shot out to her waist to steady her before she could tumble to the floor. Part of her was almost surprised he hadn't let her drop to her knees in front of him. She had a feeling he would've enjoyed that a little too much.

"Whoa," Jax murmured. "Easy there, darlin'."

His hands slipped from her waist to her bare shoulders and gave them a little shake as if to make sure she was really okay to stand on her own.

"Thanks."

Her shoulders burned underneath his touch, not liking how easy it was for him to touch her, and she had to shift a little to get out of his grip. Jax held up both hands in surrender, taking a careful step back with a good-natured grin, and then slipped his hands inside his front pockets.

"So," he tipped his chin to her as he spoke. "You havin' a good night?"

Allie shrugged, more than a little irritated that the smile quirking up his lips showed no signs of disappearing. "Sure. How about you?"

"Ah," he rocked back on his heels and lifted a shoulder. "It started a little slow, but it's lookin' up."

She swallowed tightly, not willing to give in and give him the reaction he was definitely looking for. It was clear he was just trying to ruffle her feathers and get under her skin - and, almost as if he could read her thoughts, that grin on his handsome face just widened.

Then he surprised her by pulling a joint out of the pocket inside his cut and offered it out to her. "How 'bout a celebratory toast between partners?"

"Well," Allie huffed out a laugh and crossed her arms across her chest. His eyes practically lit up at the movement. "You and my father are partners now. I just drafted the paperwork."

"Sure," he drawled easily. "And you had nothin' to do with the deal, right?"

Allie just lifted a shoulder. "Doesn't matter."

He nodded in amusement, his lips twisting up into a cocky smile, then he just shrugged again. After unearthing a lighter from that front pocket in his cut, he brought the joint to his lips, lit it, and took a long toke before offering it out to her one more time. Allie wavered, momentarily frozen with indecision. While his offer was a little enticing, especially since she was leaving soon and that might actually help her get some sleep tonight, there had to be some kind of catch, right? Some kind of trap?

He wanted to see what she would do. Wanted to poke and prod to see how she would react like they were kids on a playground, not adults in an even more adult environment. And he probably thought, since it was painfully clear by now she didn't drink, that she had to be a prude. Incapable of letting loose and having any fun.

Against her better judgment, she slipped the joint from his fingertips, brought it to her lips, inhaled, then inhaled one more time just to ensure a good night's sleep, and then handed it back to him. Her eyes widened a little when he wrapped his lips around the joint again, and her mouth parted so she could suck in a breath. There was just something...wildly erotic about seeing his lips wrapped around the very thing she'd just had her own lips on, and she swallowed as her cheeks flushed and burned.

The hallway walls seemed a little hazy around them now, and she didn't miss the fact that he seemed closer to her somehow, like he'd taken a stealthy step in without her realizing. For a split second, her heart leapt into her throat at the way he crowded her personal space. Fear pricked down her spine and held her frozen to the ground. It was irrational - she knew that. Knew that this was as far as he was going to push, as far as he was going to take this. But that didn't stop the panic forcing her throat to close. She had to squeeze her eyes shut until that familiar feeling slipped away. When she forced her eyes open again, any remaining fear fell to the wayside.

Had she been in this situation with anyone else, she would've been running for the hills, let alone triggered enough to induce about a week's worth of sleepless nights. But right at this moment, she felt like she was standing on the precipice of a cliff...and that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. Terrifying, but not necessarily as bad as the alternative.

And if he'd picked up on any part of the rollercoaster she'd just been on, he didn't show it.

Jax's voice floated out through the haze. "So, you plannin' to stick around for awhile tonight?"

"Ah," she smirked. "I just saw my dad get pulled into a very dark corner by a very blonde barely-dressed actor...that's usually my cue to leave."

"Fair enough," Jax laughed and shook his head, but a moment later, his tone turned a little more serious. "You need someone to walk you out? Make sure you get to your car okay?"

"I'm good."

Jax appraised her, cocking his head to the side as his mouth quirked again. "I bet there's nothin' a man can do for you that you can't do for yourself, huh?"

The way he was looking at her now, almost as if she was good enough to eat, sent a wave of pinpricks through her body. He was just itching to get slapped. Just begging for some kind of reaction from her - whatever it was, she was sure he would get way too much satisfaction from it. So Allie took a deep breath and steeled herself.

"I think I should probably head out now."

He just grinned back at her, and unfortunately, they both shifted to the same side at the same time - he'd been trying to move so she could pass by him, but she'd stupidly missed the cue.

"Oh, there you are!" Dan's voice bounced off the walls.

Both Allie and Jax turned at the sound of his voice, and she winced a little at the shit-eating grin that stretched across Dan's face at the sight of them alone in an empty hallway together.

"So," Dan started again as he closed the distance between them and pressed the top of his hand to his chin. "Whatcha guys doin'?"

Allie's mouth parted to respond, but Jax beat her to the punch.

"I was just askin' Allie here if I could make sure she made it to her car in one piece."

Dan's dark eyes flashed. "Well, I think that's a wonderful idea."

"No -" she tried, but he just ignored her and pressed on.

"You know, I still have to grab my bag and clean up all the makeup we left in that dressing room," Dan sidestepped around them as he spoke, gesturing for them to head the other direction. "Why don't you get her to the car and...I'll just make sure I have all our stuff and will come on out when I'm good and ready."

For a moment, Allie teetered on her heels. There was something she wanted to say but couldn't quite get the words out. Things had just sort of levelled out now, and all that was left was some haziness. She laughed a little to herself, wobbling again on those sky-high heels Dan had insisted she wear.

Jax appraised her with a knowing grin and then pointed a ringed finger at her. "Were you plannin' to be his DD tonight, darlin'?"

Catching on in a flash, Dan's eyes widened a little at the word darlin' before shifting his overly delighted gaze back to her. "What is going on here?"

The words tumbled out of her mouth before she could stop them: "I smoked pot."

Then she made the mistake of turning to Jax, whose eyebrows shot to his forehead in amusement. His mouth curled, biting down on his bottom lip to hide his laughter, but his shoulders were shaking, so he obviously wasn't doing a very good job of hiding it.

Dan, on the other hand, just about fell over from the shock. "You what?"

Allie just shrugged, gesturing to Jax and smiling a little because her arms felt like jelly. "He gave it to me."

"I did," Jax grinned.

Dan's eyes widened with unfiltered, shocked joy, and he mouthed to Jax, "She never does that."

"Hey," Allie swatted him on the shoulder. "I'm standing right here, you know."

That only made Jax's shoulders shake even more, but he finally swooped in to move this along. "I've got some prospects sittin' out in the parking lot for just this kind of occasion. Why don't I have one of them drive you two home, just to make sure everyone gets there safe?"

"Well," Dan allowed slyly. "That sounds like a really great idea."

"But my car -" Allie started to protest.

"Tell ya what," Jax cut in with a smirk. "Why don't you shoot me a text tomorrow whenever you want your car back, and I'll have some of the prospects drop it off at your house."

"That's very generous of you," Dan nodded solemnly.

Jax flashed him a wide grin. "I know."

At this point, Allie was done. She batted both hands in their direction and then started to head down the hallway. There was no point in trying to argue because this was one argument she didn't care if she won anymore.

"I'll be there in a minute!" she heard Dan yell to her from the other end of the hallway, and she glanced over her shoulder to find Jax trailing behind her.

When she stepped back out onto the production floor, he was right on her heels. Once again, a little too close. A little too wedged into her personal space. More than a few heads turned in their direction as they worked their way through the crowd. Her cheeks seared with the realization that everyone probably thought they were leaving together, and she hoped beyond hope that those same people would also see Jax walk back inside alone after she left.

Her heel caught on a stray bottle cap, and for once, she was grateful Jax was right behind her because his hands flew to her waist to steady her before she slid down on all fours, in front of the entire party no less.

"Easy, killer," Jax murmured in her ear.

She opted to shrug out of his grip, continuing on toward the parking lot exit without affording him a word, even as he chuckled behind her. He would like that too much, and she wasn't about to give him yet another win tonight.

When they made it out to the parking lot, Jax stepped in front of her to take the lead, gesturing with a ringed hand to the long row of motorcycles parked off to the side. Just beyond that sat a few pickup trucks with some guys wearing bare leather cuts hanging around next to them. Jax whistled to get their attention and then he lifted his hand to point a finger down at Allie.

"Got a live one for ya, boys."

Allie shot him a dark look, which just made the grin stretch even wider across his face, and then the only things left to do were roll her eyes and follow him to the trucks.

Jax swooped down to open one of the truck's passenger side doors for her with an exaggerated flourish, and he held out a hand to help her into the door. Allie promptly ignored his extended hand and slid into the passenger seat, wasting no time to kick off her heels as soon as she was settled.

Unfortunately for her, Jax leaned one arm on the top of the truck, keeping the other resting on top of the passenger door, refusing to leave her damn well alone. He glanced at the prospect who was assigned to the task now and gestured to Allie.

"We're just waitin' for one more and then you make sure the lady and her friend get home safe, a'ight?"

The prospect didn't hesitate, saluting Jax as he opened the driver's side door to start up the truck. "Got it, prez."

Then Jax turned his gaze down to her, and Allie glared back at him in annoyance. They stared at each other for a beat, Jax with that amused smirk curving up the side of his mouth and Allie trying her best to keep a straight face. Part of her wanted to laugh at the situation she'd found herself in - mostly of her own making because she could've easily turned him down in the hallway, but it wasn't like she'd ever admit that out loud. The other part of her just wanted to curl up in bed and sleep the rest of this stupid night away.

And as he continued to stare down at her with that self-congratulatory smirk, Allie was just about done.

"You are such a..." she trailed off, struck by a brief moment of clarity. Finishing that sentence might not be the best idea.

Jax's eyes flashed, and he crouched down a little to get a better look at her. "I'm such a what, darlin'?"

There were so many options...dick, asshole, pot-stirrer, prick, bastard...the list went on and on, but she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hearing her say it out loud.

As if on cue, Dan pushed his way through the exit doors and stepped out, scanning the parking lot for them. Jax waved him over and then looked down at her again.

"Sweet dreams, Allie," he murmured. He winked at her just for good measure as he moved aside so Dan could slide in and tapped two fingers to his temple in the same faux-salute he'd given her a few days ago in her office.

He really was a son of a bitch.

***

Jax winced a little, shifting to try to alleviate the sharp pain shooting up his lower back. He cracked an eye open, half-afraid of what he would find, and blew out a deep breath when he realized he'd passed out somewhere around the bar last night. Bobby snored heavily against his leg, and Jax kicked him playfully to jostle him awake.

Bobby started, jerking awake and glanced around in momentary confusion. When he realized where he was, he rubbed his eyes with a groan. "What a fuckin' night."

"Yeah," Jax laughed. "I wasn't expectin' the late-night cuddle, but thanks for that, bro. I really enjoyed it."

Bobby just huffed out a laugh before stretching his arms over his head with a yawn, his head still resting lazily on Jax's leg. Jax promptly jerked his leg up in the air, making Bobby's head bounce on the floor from the movement.

"Ow, ya little shit!"

Jax just laughed, rolling over to his side. He yawned, stretching his neck from side to side to try to work out the kinks. While he hadn't exactly planned on spending the night literally on the production floor of the studio, he was grateful his sleeping partner last night had been Bobby and not anyone else. After he'd seen Allie out to one of T-M's trucks, the rest of the night had been pretty downhill from there. More shots were poured, clothing started to fall to the ground - even the music seemed to get a little louder - as the night quickly spiralled into the debauchery it had always promised to be.

When a short brunette dressed like a 70s porn star offered to take him back to one of the dressing rooms, he'd wavered, briefly weighing his options. So he'd gotten himself another beer and when he'd turned around, the girl had Juice by the hand and was leading him down the hallway. Jax had just shrugged and went back to the party. Sure, there'd been other opportunities before the night was over, but he just...wasn't all that interested.

And now, seeing the three missed calls and four text messages from Wendy on his prepay, he was glad it turned out the way it did.

Gemma was right. This shit really needed to stop, and he made a mental promise to do himself, and Wendy, a favor by knocking off the passive aggressive antics. It really wasn't making anything better, and had he actually ended up in one of those dressing rooms or any other dark corner of the studio last night, it wouldn't have made him feel any better in the morning either.

It was time he sat his wife down and had a serious, no-bullshit conversation, and he knew he needed to do it sooner rather than later. This couldn't continue, and although it was going to hurt like hell, that band aid over the gaping hole of their relationship needed to be ripped off once and for all.

"Hey," Bobby called out to him. "We got that fuckin' thing today."

Jax glanced at the time on his prepay and groaned. Shit, it was already 11:00 in the morning and they needed to have their asses sobered up and ready to meet with that real estate agent. They'd wanted to move on an offer for those storage units, but there were still a few things left to work out as far as inspections went, and Jax felt like he just needed to see the damn things one more time before pulling the trigger.

Of course, it didn't help that the club's lawyer had yet to return his call from the day before. Had Rosen called him back, he probably would've felt more confident about putting an offer in by now.

After they pulled themselves together, tiptoeing around the scattered, passed-out bodies still on the floor, Jax and Bobby headed out to the parking lot, bleary-eyed and foggy from the night before. They still had a job to do, and Opie had already shot Jax a text to let him know he was on his way to meet them at the storage units.

Besides, it wasn't like they'd ever let a party keep them from club business before.

The drive from the studio to the storage units - which were just on the outside of Charming's city limits - was uneventful and freeing, giving Jax the perfect opportunity to clear the cloud and get his head in the game. When they pulled into the parking lot, Opie already had his bike parked off to the side as he chatted with the real estate agent.

Jax parked his bike right next to Opie, with Bobby following in behind him, and then set off to get this meeting started. What he really needed was a cigarette, but that would just have to wait for now. He held out a hand to shake hands with the real estate agent but didn't miss the grim expression written on Opie's face.

Shit. Something was wrong. He had a feeling it was about to hit the fan.

"Afternoon," the real estate agent nodded in greeting, but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes. "I was just telling Mr. Winston that we've gotten an offer on the property. I would've called you ahead of time, but it literally just came through when I pulled into the parking lot just now."

Jax blew out the breath he'd been holding. He shot Bobby a quick glance, who was scrubbing his face with both hands tiredly.

"You're welcome to put your own offer in, if that's still your plan," the real estate agent continued with a shrug. "The seller has 48-hours to respond - if they decide to counter, I'd think you'd have some time to slide in there with your own offer, as long as it was over asking."

"Alright," Jax nodded, resigned to the fact that this had all just spiralled out of control. "Thanks for the information. I guess we really don't need this meeting then, do we?"

The real estate agent shot him a knowing grin and lifted a shoulder. "I suppose not, but feel free to call me if you'd like to send over an offer."

He didn't waste time hanging around the trio of angry bikers any longer than he had to, and when the dust behind the real estate agent settled, Jax clenched both hands into tight fists. Shit, he really needed to punch something right now. This was great...just fucking great. All that time spent going over the details of this potential deal, the prospective income they could've had coming in easily without having to do that much extra work - it had all just slipped right through their fingertips.

With nothing else to do, he pulled out a cigarette from the pack in his cut, lit it, and puffed away furiously.

"Fuckin' Rosen," Bobby muttered under his breath, angrily kicking a stray stone in his way.

"I'm tellin' ya," Jax shook his head in frustration and blew out a ring of smoke. "I'm at the end of my goddamn rope with that guy. You know I've been tryin' to get him on the phone for three days about this shit and all I've gotten from that fucker is a shitty game of phone tag?"

Opie just blew out a deep breath and shook his head. What else was there to say?

"You know it kinda makes sense," Bobby allowed agitatedly.

Jax tipped his chin to him. "What do you mean?"

"Rosen is used to dealing with criminal shit," Bobby just shrugged. "He makes his money from showing up to courtrooms and bailin' us outta jail. Where is his motivation to help us move beyond all that? We go legit, and all that work dries up for him, and pretty soon his retainer disappears too. And we all know Rosen ain't got much of a mind for business - at least, not the kind we need."

Opie nodded silently and shoved his hands in front pockets. Jax, on the hand, rocked back on his heels as he considered Bobby's words. Rosen wasn't what they needed - he'd known that for weeks. And now, because he'd dragged his feet and failed to do something as simple as return a fucking phone call, they could probably kiss this deal goodbye.

The club had known it too. That's why they'd all unanimously agreed to offer Allie the job instead. The same job she'd refused, basically twice already. He had a feeling that, if Allie had been the one calling the shots on this deal, they would've had an accepted offer a week ago.

It was clear what they needed to do now. It was clear who they needed in their corner. And after all the fun he'd had at her expense last night, he had a pretty good feeling where she would tell him to shove his offer if he asked a third time.

But then his eyes fell to his vice president, and he got an idea.

"Hey, Ope?"

Opie's gaze flicked to him, standing at the ready. "Yeah?"

Jax just grinned back. "You feel like takin' a drive today?"