The Ties That Bind 1

by D. A. Young

  He needed Billy.

  Tension thickened the air worse than the grill pit smoke.

  “Easy, son.” Slade’s grin was positively diabolical. “This ain’t the time or place for this.”

  “As long as you remember there’s a time and place for everything, I’m ready when you are.” Ransom tossed the beer back to a stunned Jester. “I’m good.”

  “Since when don’t you drink?” their treasurer inquired.

  “Not tonight. I’m a designated driver.”

  His comment raised eyebrows, but Ransom no longer cared. Let them say what they were thinking. That he was pussy-whipped or his mind wasn’t his own. He couldn’t dispute facts, but maybe, it wasn’t for him to explain. It was like he’d told Billy.

  Outsiders didn’t get it and never would.

  Billy maneuvered among the jostling throng of bikers and women, through the warehouse, as rock ‘n’ roll blasted from hidden speakers. It was a colossal structure, built for lounging and relaxing, judging from the pool and card tables, bar, jumbo screens, and long sofas everywhere. Billy was acutely aware that all eyes were on her, sizing her up, but she kept her face impassive as she took it all in. In a sea of white and brown faces, she realized that she was the only black person present. She noticed all the women running around, who were clothed, proudly boasted minuscule, white short-sleeved shirts that read “Immortals Property” in black across the front and back. Men were doing body shots off naked women at one end of the long bar while there seemed to be a game of strip pool going in the opposite corner.

  The four women playing while a group of bikers cheered them on were either drunk or just deliberately missing their shots as an excuse to strip. They assisted in peeling their skimpy attire off one another, copping a feel, and kissing each other as the bikers whooped and hollered their encouragement. Loving the attention, the women formed a flesh sandwich, and the game of pool was quickly forgotten as the men crowded in for a closer look and to grab at their tanned, sweaty skin. The women didn’t seem to mind their breasts being groped or the sneaky hands between their legs and slaps to their asses.

  Feeling disgusted by the unfolding scene, Billy turned away and ran smack dab into Harley, who caught her firmly around the waist as she started to fall backward.

  “Woah! Easy there!”

  Recalling Ransom’s warning, she went rigid at his touch, and he quickly released her, holding his palms up placatingly. “Oh! Sorry about that! I was looking for the kitchen and your mother.”

  “Nothing to be sorry about. It was my mistake.” Harley gave her a disarming grin. “But you were headed in the right direction. Having a good time?”

  “It’s…different than what I expected,” she admitted, looking around. Billy relaxed slightly. They were in a room full of people; what could possibly happen? “Is it always like this?”

  The bruises had faded to a sallow-yellow on his face, and somehow Harley managed to wear them well. Again, Billy wondered what he’d done to warrant such a beating from his own flesh and blood. Ransom was a good man who clearly had a brutal temper if pushed beyond his limits. Again, his warning was at the front of her mind. She took another step back but froze as Harley tracked her move intently. Something murky and unrecognizable flashed in his green eyes before he blinked it away. It happened so fast that if Ransom hadn’t warned her, Billy might have chalked it up to her imagination and disregarded it.

  “Oh, this is tame, sweetheart. The party is just getting started, so, if you get offended by a little nudity, blow, and sex then this ain’t the crowd for you.”

  “Good to know. If you’ll just point me in the right direction, I won’t keep you up any longer from indulging in the night’s festivities,” she remarked dryly.

  “You’re all good. Don’t be such a prude. Bikers are a rare breed. We don’t have regular nine-to-fives like most fucking pussies. We work hard and like to reap the rewards when we can.”

  Harley was fascinated by Billy. Unlike his mother and the bitches running around here fawning all over him, there was no sympathy or concern for him in Billy’s feline eyes. Just curiosity. She probably felt that he deserved what he’d gotten, because like everyone else, she trusted Ransom implicitly.

  “I see. Does everyone participate in these parties?”

  Billy’s eyes were riveted on a couple sitting on the sofa kissing while the woman openly stroked the man in front of everyone. Her hand crept up to his belt buckle, and she slid off the sofa to kneel between his legs. A disbelieving glance around the room confirmed that Billy was the only one who appeared to give a damn about what was going to happen next. Her eyes connected with the lucky recipient of the blowjob, and the man had the audacity to wink and blow her a kiss.

  “If you’re asking if your lover boy does his due diligence in running through these club bitches, all I’ll say is we both know he didn’t come to you a virgin,” Harley grinned crudely as he told the lie, enjoying the way her dark eyes flashed and those full lips pursed with annoyance.

  He wondered what Billy tasted like. She would be pretty special if she had Ransom losing his mind and ready to fight his brothers over her. Was she sweet or spicy? Billy was a class act. It was obvious in the way she carried herself. But Harley could see the fire within her, and he wanted to sink his teeth into her skin and make her cry out. It made no difference to him if it was for pain or pleasure. In the end, she’d break. They all did. Harley’s cock was granite-hard as images of him fucking all three of her orifices permeated his brain.

  They were pushed aside by the now naked women from the pool game, traipsing by. With the bikers hot on their heels, they ran up the staircase behind Billy. She was bumped against Harley again and immediately jerked back with a disdainful frown.

  Fuck, she’d felt his hard-on for her.

  Instantly, Harley’s dark thoughts vanished. Jesus, what the fuck was wrong with him? He couldn’t fantasize about Ransom’s woman. A brother’s woman was off-limits—and untouchable—by club standards. It was the equivalent of signing your own death warrant. Slade would banish him for sure. If his brother ever found out that he was lusting after Billy, all hell would break loose, and he’d be done for because Ransom wouldn’t think twice about putting him six feet under.

  “Thanks for the pep talk. I think I can find the kitchen on my own!” Billy shouted. She disappeared into the crowd, attempting to put as much distance between them as the place could afford.

  Harley was relieved that she’d listened to her instincts and the fact that she had some to begin with. Most silly cunts were just blinded by his looks and didn’t realize the danger until it was past too late. Unfortunately, it didn’t help that he now needed an outlet for his release.

  “She ain’t for you,” Pitch intervened, positioning himself in front of Harley, deliberately distracting him. “You got bigger things to worry about, mainly, the meeting tomorrow with Vargas and the Death Lords.”

  “What’s there to worry about, brother?” Harley’s eyes narrowed as he considered his friend. “For once, Prez ain’t tryna stomp on my nuts about shit. It’s all good.”

  Pitch massaged his neck uneasily, reminiscing about the last time he’d lectured Harley. Treading carefully, he explained, “This is the perfect opportunity for you to show your leadership skills, man. Everyone knows you’re next in line, but tomorrow is the real test. Prez is a ball-buster, but you ever notice that when Ransom sticks up for himself, Prez doesn’t check him? He respects those who speak their mind and don’t kiss his ass. Tomorrow, make sure you speak your mind. Right now, they don’t see you as leadership material. What better place to show what you’re about than a meeting with all the old heads present?”

  The wheels were turning. Pitch could see Harley considering his information and barely restrained a laugh.

  So fucking easy to manipulate.

  Growing up, Pitch hated life in the MC and his mother, Eloise, for exposing him to it and not being strong enough to get them out. Before hooki
ng up with a biker, they’d had a cushy living. His vibrant, beautiful mother used men mercilessly for personal gain. She had them buying gifts and paying for everything her eyes touched before she could even ask. Life was good. Until the day she came home with a dirty, smelly, drunk biker that she introduced her son to and claimed to be madly in love with. When Kevin asked what she saw in Delta, she blushed profusely.

  “Oh, Kevin! You’re too young to understand, but when you grow up, it will all make sense.”

  Yeah, he finally understood when he overheard the asshole bragging to his friends that Eloise was a cock fiend and couldn’t get enough of his dick. His mother withdrew him from private school and allowed Delta to drop them in this fucking piece of shit town, all for some dick. Delta ignored Pitch and controlled Eloise’s every move. She got used to her cage, made new friends, and got hooked on coke. Pitch was devastated. Their old lifestyle was gone forever, and so was his classy mother, who stayed looking for her next fix.

  Delta and his club had done this to Eloise.

  Pitch missed his old life and his maternal grandmother who always took care of him whenever his mother went away to get “acquainted” with a new man. Eloise had cut her mother out of their lives completely when she tried to intervene. As he wasn’t allowed to leave the compound without Delta’s approval, Pitch just stayed inside.

  “Go fucking play with the other kids! All you do is sit in the house all day, attached to your mom’s tit like a fucking sissy!” Delta vulgarly grabbed Eloise’s breasts from behind and squeezed them obscenely. High as a kite, she cackled along with him. “These are my motherfucking titties now! Grow a set of balls and maybe you’ll get a bitch with a nice rack to grab on!”

  The other kids made fun of his nice clothes, and he felt singled out by the most popular ones, a duo by the names of Lucas “Shakes” Gomez and Ransom Lawson. Kevin hated how hard they threw the football at him. Or how they always wanted to wrestle and talk shit to each other. His nice clothes that were the last remnants of his old life were ruined, and he hated them for it. He hated that they called him “Pitch”, the nickname Delta had given him, because according to the hardened biker, Kevin always pitched a bitch fit. It never occurred to him that they were just being boys and doing boy things because Kevin had no friends.

  But he mostly hated them because they had kind, loving mothers who cared about them. Their mothers, along with a couple of the other women, had real “Old Lady” titles. They looked and smell good, took care of their kids, and weren’t into snorting the merchandise. Eloise’s addiction got worse, and ridden with guilt at what she had become, Delta turned to alcohol even more.

  A couple of times a month, Claudia Lawson came by the house to check on them and made sure they were eating, and twice, she’d taken Eloise to rehab, but it didn’t stick. The fact that Claudia cared enough to intervene and the perfect image she projected made Pitch hate both women even more. This entire lifestyle disgusted him, and the way he saw it, all you had to do was cut off the head of the monster, and it would die. Just as his mother did when she graduated to doing speed. He didn’t mourn her; she’d died a long time ago to him.

  The only person Pitch cared about was Harley. In him, Pitch felt a kinship. He was a lost soul, too, and didn’t belong in this bullshit either. Harley felt like he had something to prove to his brother and father, but already, the pressure of performing to their standards was destroying him. Pitch planned to take down the Immortals MC, and Harley was the key to making it happen. Except, Harley kept giving in to his weaknesses. Ransom’s new little friend was proving to be too big a distraction that Pitch wouldn’t tolerate. Harley needed to be kept on a tight leash until the right time came to execute his plan. In order to do that, Pitch had to first feed the beast.

  He spied Rachel, a newer club whore, coming down the stairs. He smiled when they locked eyes, and she winked at him and suggestively licked her lips. “Right now, I’ve got just the thing to take the edge off, so you’re focused tomorrow.”

  Slinging his arm around Harley’s neck, Pitch steered him around and up the stairs to where Rachel waited on the landing. “Hey, boys. What are we about to get into?”

  “You, baby,” Harley promised, snaked an arm around her waist, and she walked backward, up the stairs, with them following. “You like your pain with a little sex?”

  Her brown eyes clouded with confusion. She leaned toward him and cupped her ear, shouting, “Can you say that again?! I don’t think I heard you right!”

  The two men smiled at each other devilishly.

  She’d understand soon enough.

  Billy finally reached the kitchen. Immediately she was engulfed in a welcoming embrace by a delighted Claudia. “You made it, chica! Knowing my son like I do, I’m surprised he wasn’t successful in keeping you away! Girls, come meet Billy!”

  “I’ll admit he did try. It made me curious as to why he was acting like that. Maybe you can enlighten me?”

  A statuesque brunette with blue eyes joined them. “Probably because he was scared you’d pass out once you saw how crazy we are.” She offered Billy a thoughtful grin. “You don’t look scared, though. Are you, sweetie?”

  “I don’t scare easily, ma’am.”

  “Good, because if you are, this crowd will eat you up alive. I’m Lucy Gomez, by the way. Call me Luce.”

  Lucy was as outspoken as Claudia, and like Ransom’s mother, she wore a leather cut over her red tube top and leather pants.

  Claudia introduced Billy to the ten other women in the kitchen, who were just as sassy and friendly, except for one named Tawny. She seemed more reserved in her greeting and demeanor. Billy paid her no mind as she made the distinction that unlike all the other women in the clubhouse, everyone here was fully clothed and wearing cuts.

  Conversations resumed, but Billy felt Tawny’s eyes on her occasionally. Yet, whenever she looked her way, the blonde’s head was averted.

  “Get yourself something to eat, honey!” Luce called to her as she lit her cigarette. Upon seeing it, Claudia slapped her arm. “Ow, bitch! What’d ya hit me for?”

  “Biiiitch! You said you gave up smoking, and if I saw you doing it, I needed to remind you.” Claudia plucked the Marlboro from her fingers and tossed it in a water bottle.

  “I said remind not take shots, ho!”

  “Who you callin’ a ho, puta?!”

  As the two friends bickered, Jenna handed Billy a Sprite. “Ignore them. They’ve been doing this since we were in middle school.”

  “Everyone has known each other that long?” Billy popped the lid open and settled onto a barstool.

  Gracie, who was Jester’s woman and wore glasses and her platinum hair in a cropped cut, held up two packs of cards. “Shut the fuck up, ladies! Are we playing Spades or what?”

  The women scrambled to the table and Claudia asked, “Billy, are you in?”

  “I think I’m going to sit this one out and make a plate. I got next, though.”

  The game was hot, fast, and boisterous. Billy listened to their trash-talking as she made a burger then grabbed a hot link and some potato chips. Again, she felt Tawny’s eyes on her from across the counter as she sipped her wine. This time, when Billy looked up, the other woman didn’t look away.

  A semblance of a smile twisted her lips, but there was sadness in her eyes as she quietly said, “So, you’re Ransom’s woman.”

  “I am.” Her response was firm and undeniable, making Tawny’s shoulder’s cave and her face crumble, aging her right before Billy’s eyes. “And you are what exactly to him?”

  Tawny stared down into her glass of Cabernet morosely, running her fingernail along the rim while struggling to control her feelings of jealousy and inadequacy. Billy’s youthful and unique beauty made her feel old as shit and a plain Jane. There was no way she could compete with her, and now, she completely understood Ransom coming to her and ending things as quickly as he did. Sure, he might have already been having doubts about them, but Billy’s arrival
sealed the deal for him.

  Not that it would have mattered anyway. If Claudia knew she’d slept with her baby boy, it would not bode well for Tawny. “I’m no one that you need to be worried about, Billy. You’re the only one he’s thinking about. Just the fact that you’re here is proof of that. He’s never brought anyone home.”

  “I honestly don’t think he had a choice. Claudia invited me, and I wanted to see for myself where he spent his time away from me.”

  “Does Ransom really strike you as the type to do things against his will?” Tawny’s eyes were slightly bitter, recalling begging him to kiss or spend time with her. She wanted to hate the girl but couldn’t bring herself to. This was all on Ransom, who’d been nothing but upfront with her. “Trust me, Billy, he’s not. You’re here because whether he admits it or not, Ransom wanted you to experience this,” she confided bleakly.

  Billy wasn’t quite sure how to take Tawny. Ransom had shared a bed with this woman. To know that she’d experienced sublime heights of pleasure in Ransom’s arms made Billy want to take her apart. But the misery Tawny exuded as she huddled over her wine glass tempered those violent tendencies. This woman loved and cared for Ransom deeply, something Billy could relate to all too well.

  “I’m sorry, Tawny.” Billy crushed her potato chips between her fingers until they were nothing but a fine dust.

  “What are you sorry for?” Tawny was surprised at the depth of compassion and sincerity Billy displayed.

  Taking a deep breath, Billy elaborated further. “I’m sorry that you’re hurting right now, but I hope you understand that you’re more than this one moment in your life. Having or not having a man’s love doesn’t define you.”

  “Is that right, “Dr. Ruth”?” Tawny laughed aloud, pleasantly surprised that she was having a good time with her ex’s woman. “Who told you that?”

  “That shit is the truth, Tawny,” Billy stated smugly. “Self-love defines you, and I don’t mean the masturbation kind. My mom used to always tell me how important loving yourself was.” She shrugged with an optimistic smile. “So, the relationship didn’t work out! Focus on loving yourself even more for being open to experiencing it, and embrace what it taught you. Mom never felt any ill will toward my father, and as far as I know, he harbors none for her. Their relationship didn’t leave them closed off and emotionally stunted.”