It had been a couple of days since the ride in the snow. Tess had set up a meeting with President Stanton to talk about becoming a prospect with the MC, and the day had finally come. She was nervous about the meeting, but also excited because she knew it was time to make this happen. After texting with her brother that morning and getting his blessing on the new chapter in her life, she went over to the headquarters and went to the president’s office. She knocked on the door and took a deep breath as Abe Stanton opened it and greeted her with a smile.
“Miss Crenshaw, come on in.” He looked her over and nodded. “That is a lovely dress for the dance later. I promise we will be done before it starts.”
“Thank you, Sir,” she blushed at his compliment and took a seat at the desk. “I’m sorry, I’m a bit anxious.”
“That’s perfectly understandable,” he smiled as he sat in his big black chair. “Becoming a prospect is certainly a big decision. Before we talk about the future, though, I need to understand more about your past.”
Tess took a deep breath, knowing the question would come up. “Okay… what would you like to know, Sir?”
“I suppose my biggest question is… Why leave your family in Philadelphia? I understand that you weren’t involved with your father’s MC… It’s an all-male club, as I recall?”
“Yes Sir,” Tess replied with a nod. “No women were allowed to join, no matter how much I wanted to ride. They put everything they were into that club… It was like Mom and I didn’t even exist anymore.” She took a deep breath and looked down. “Andrew was okay still… we’re very close… But when I saw how it was tearing my parents’ marriage apart…”
“I understand,” Stenton stopped me. “My wife insisted when we created this MC that it must be all-inclusive for that very reason. We are a family here, Tess. I am sure you’ve noticed how we look out for one another. Even visitors.”
“That’s what convinced me to stay, Sir. It’s something I long to be a part of.”
“Then let’s talk about being a prospect,” he said with a smile. “It will be a period of thirty days in which you’ll have several tasks to do. These tasks will be assigned by our officers. Nothing embarrassing, I promise. You’ll have a mentor to help you through these tasks. You may attend Church, our weekly meeting, but cannot vote on decisions until you’re patched in. If you do this all and are active with club activities, we cast a vote. If passed, you become patched in. Any questions?”
Tess shook her head and replied, “Only who my mentor will be.”
Stenton grinned and reached for his radio, calling out, “Nitro, can you come to my office please?”
Tess felt her heart quicken but tried to hide the nerves. Of course, it was Nitro. He came in within minutes and smiled at Tess, looking over at Stenton. “What can I do for you, Sir?”
Stenton went to a closet in his office. He retrieved a vest with prospect already sewn in, and handed it to Tess. “Feel free to personalize this with patches. Nitro will show you our store and help you with it. Nitro…” he said and turned to him.
“Yes sir?” Nitro asked with a knowing grin.
“Welcome our newest prospect. I expect you to mentor her well.”
“It will be a pleasure, Sir.” He reached out to shake Tess’ hand and said, “Welcome to Paradise MC.”
“Thank you,” Tess replied, overwhelmed. She hadn’t expected it to be so easy.
“I believe we have a dance to get to?” Nitro asked as he reached to take off her hang-around vest. He helped put on her prospect vest and hung her hair over her back again. “Looks good on you,” he whispered.
She blushed more and looked between them. “Thank you, too, Sir,” she said to Stenton. “I am really excited about this. I can’t wait to tell Andrew the news.”
“He is okay with you joining another MC?” Stenton asked then, looking at her with concern.
“Absolutely. I texted him on the way over here to talk to you and he said that I couldn’t have picked a better group to join.”
“I always did like Crenshaw,” Nitro said with a wink to Tess. “Shall we?” He asked, holding his arm out for her to wrap hers around.
“You two go along… I’ll be at the dance soon. Welcome to the family, sister,” Stenton smiled at her and then Nitro led the way out of the office.
“You look incredible,” he told her as they made their way to the dance hall. “How does it feel?”
“To be a prospect? It feels amazing… To be so wanted and accepted right away, to know that I can be safe here and have a family again…” She felt herself getting emotional and looked away.
Nitro reached over and wiped a tear away from her cheek, looking in her eyes. “Hey… you’re not gonna be alone anymore, okay? You can trust us… you can trust me.” He pulled her into an embrace, hugging her close to his body as she lay her head on his chest.
She leaned against him for a long moment, gathering her emotions and trying to relax against him. “I’m sorry,” she sighed and closed her eyes, feeling embarrassed.
“Don’t be. I mean it…” He tilted her chin to let her look at him. “Be yourself around me. Around us. Don’t ever be ashamed of it, alright? If you’re sad, cry. If you’re happy, laugh and smile. Never ever hide who you really are.”
His words hit home and she nodded, walking with him into the dance hall. The room was filled with psychedelic colors and lights and decorations that made her feel like she’d stepped back in time. The seventies’ music played on the radio and everyone was dancing already and having a great time. When they saw her and Nitro walking in, and noticed her new vest, they cheered and welcomed her into the family, giving her hugs. She had never felt so loved before in her entire life.
~Thanks Ghost Bullys MC!~