Hot Stuff

by Virginia Page

  "Would you like to see my sanctuary?" Dylan asked.

  "I'd love to," I replied.

  Feeling promising, I got him to open up. Him offering to take me into his world was important to me, because I hoped we would be together in the future. I was eager to go with him anywhere he was willing to take me. I wanted to get Chloe back, so we could all be together as a happy family.

  Dylan got up and reached his hand out to me. When I looked deep into his eyes, memories flashed from the past iterating through my mind. I was able to see the man I’d fallen in love with long ago had matured, not only physically, but emotionally. He was a man like no other.

  He told me he was ready to go, so I got dressed and we went into the garage. I hopped on the back of his motorcycle, and we took off. We’d ridden for hours on the open road, but I didn't mind, because I got to hold him tight, soaking in his warmth, smelling his scent and fine leather.

  After some time, we pulled down a small dirt road, riding for quite a while. Then a clearing opened up and there was what looked like a small town. The place was filled with bikers who were helping out a large group of what appeared to be under-privileged people off of a bus that had pulled in. Some didn’t have shoes. I couldn’t tell what was going on.

  I looked around the place as we rode through. Everyone smiled and waved at Dylan as we passed by. It seemed like a friendly community. Bikers on motorcycles were everywhere. It seemed almost like a hippie commune.

  We pulled up to a small building and parked. It was nice getting off the motorcycle. My legs had become stiff after the long trip. I almost felt like I was floating on air.

  Everyone was so friendly to Dylan. They all really admired him. He seemed to be an important man. Each of the men who approached, looked at him, raising their arms in the air, and shouting, “Respect!” The look in their eyes was passionate when they talked to him. They seemed to look up to him, like they couldn’t thank him enough. I wondered what he’d done to deserve all of the attention. Sure, Dylan was wonderful, but why did everyone respect him so much?

  The area was like low income housing. Families were living in each of the small townhouse apartments, appearing to have all the essentials of life.

  A group of bikers were fitting those without shoes with durable leather boots. People really seemed to take care of each other. It was like a brotherhood.

  “Hey, I thought I told you to quit sniffing 'round my houses,” a gravelly female voice said.

  A chill ran down my spine, her familiar voice causing my skin to crawl.

  “Take it easy on her, Roberta,” Dylan said. “She’s my old lady.”

  Roberta blew Dylan a kiss, bursting into wicked laughter.

  “First my houses and now my man,” Roberta said. “Girl, you lucky I don’t whip yo ass.”

  “Quit ball busting, Roberta,” Dylan said.

  “Very well, yo highness,” Roberta replied. “I’ll let the queen pass.”

  Roberta curtsied, allowing us to walk by.

  I couldn’t believe how Roberta had cleaned herself up. I’d hardly recognized her. The white dress she wore didn’t have a spot on it. Her skin appeared to be soft, and her hair was shiny and healthy. Had she not spoken, I may not have even known it was her. She was a reminder from my past, a reminder of where I’d come from, a reminder of my grim moment.

  Just as we approached a building, some bikers walked up and pulled Dylan aside.

  “Dylan, would you help us out with something?” a biker asked.

  Dylan turned to me.

  “Baby, will you be alright here while I go take care of some business?” Dylan asked.

  “I’ll be fine,” I replied

  Just like always, he made sure I was comfortable. Part of me wanted to go with him, because last time we’d separated, I never saw him again.

  After he left, I talked to some of the women who lived in the community. One woman had a daughter who reminded me of Chloe, which broke my heart, only pointing out the fact that I didn't have Chloe with me and made me feel sad, but that wasn’t her fault.

  A blonde woman sat next to me.

  “How were you able to snag a prize like Dylan?” she asked. “There’s a lot of pretty ladies here who have tried, but couldn’t get him.”

  She pointed out several women, and they were all physically superior to me, which felt like a punch in the gut. I wondered why Dylan would even want me when he had so many better options. Me being so frumpy, since I'd been so out of shape for so long. Maybe he saw something in me that I hadn’t seen. Who was I trying to fool? I was a charity case, and he definitely deserved better.

  “So what is this place?” I asked.

  “We’re all grateful to Dylan,” she replied. “If it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t have anything. He’s given us food, a place to live, and an education.”

  “Where did every one come from?” I asked.

  “Most of us were homeless or lost,” she replied.

  She mentioned that one thing they had to do to stay on the program was to focus on a trade. Another thing they had to do was teach and help others once they had completed their certification, passing on their knowledge, helping the community thrive. He apparently had many programs of all different trades that would help them become marketable in the workforce. He even had a computer lab where he’d teach computer programming.

  I couldn't believe what a giving man Dylan had been, and he never even mentioned it to me. Apparently, there was more to mister macho man, him with his rough exterior, having a heart of gold. The idea he was helping society improve was commendable. He didn't even want to discuss that part of his life. I had to pull it out of him, because he was so humble.

  Chapter 33

  I couldn’t wait for Dylan to return. I’d been climbing the walls ever since he’d left, fearing that he might not come back.

  “How are you doing?” Dylan asked. “I missed you, babe.”

  He’d surprised me, him sneaking up behind me. I was tickled that he missed me, and he said it in front of everyone, including the attractive women nearby, so he gave me much needed validation that I’d hoped for and needed.

  “Oh, I missed you too,” I replied.

  He kissed me first. I didn’t have to make any effort. I held him tight, kissing his cheek, looking over at the ladies, giving them the stink eye, marking my territory. I couldn’t help myself, because I was insecure. I believed they’d gotten the hint, because they all walked away whispering. I didn’t want them sniffing around my man. Then I’d realized I’d done it again, me calling him my man. I needed to get my mind on something else.

  "Are all these people members of your motorcycle club?" I asked.

  I knew they weren’t, but I wanted to hear him explain who they all were.

  "No," he said. "Although, I’d be proud if they were."

  "So where is your club?"

  "I used to be in a motorcycle club, but some bad shit went down and our club was terminated. I'm the only one left. I'm on a life journey to help others," he said. I'm a nomad now."

  "So you're a biker philanthropist?" I said, teasing him.

  Dylan didn't laugh.

  "This is serious to me," he said. "After my MC got destroyed I was destitute. Nobody would help me, until I got lucky when someone found me and cleaned me up. They gave me a place to stay."

  "Who was he?" I asked.

  "She was a saint."

  I didn't realize it had been a woman that helped him. Why did I just assume it would have been a man?

  "Who was she?"

  “Just someone special.”

  I could tell he was getting uncomfortable.

  “Did you love her?” I asked.

  “Of course, I loved her as a friend,” he said. “I have nothing but gratitude for her generosity.”

  “Have you ever been in love?” I asked.

  “It might sound crazy,” he replied, “but I spent the night with a woman just before my motorcycle club was destroyed, and the ni
ght I spent with her was the best time of my life.”

  It was hard for me to hear that, swallowing my next breath. I wiped my face with my sleeve trying to avoid tears from showing. He was talking about me.

  “What was her name?” I asked.

  “I never got her name,” he replied. “I know it sounds off, but everything happened so fast.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “I don’t know. She left, and I never saw her again.”

  I couldn’t believe he’d thought I’d left him.

  “I tried my best to find her for over a year,” he said. “When I couldn’t, I figured we probably weren’t meant to be. I figured fate would have brought us together, but I guess I was wrong.”

  My head felt like it was about to explode, holding in the truth from coming out of my mouth. I needed to tell him I was the girl he’d fallen in love with, and we had a daughter, so we could finally live happily ever after. Although, I didn’t know if he could take in all of that information at once. What if he didn’t feel the same about me as he did about the memory of me from his past. How could I live up to that image? I was in my prime then and had looked better than I ever had in my entire life.

  “So what would you do if you could find her?”

  “I’d definitely have trouble choosing between you two.”

  Ha! Little did he know… I couldn’t stop smiling.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Nothing.”

  Dylan's face got serious.

  "I'd love for you to stay with me until you get back on your feet," he said.

  I wanted to say yes, but couldn't bring myself to accept his offer. My pride was stopping me.

  "I can't," I replied. "It's very generous of you to offer, but I just can't."

  Dylan looked down.

  "I'm sorry to hear that," he said. "I was hoping you would say yes."

  "Why?"

  "Because I love having you around."

  The word love, referring to me, caused tingles to run down my body. He wanted me to stay with him, and he'd love having me around. How could I have said no? I had major regret, but still couldn’t bring myself to do it. Even if I wanted to change my mind, it would have been awkward, yet another missed opportunity. If he’d asked me again, I’d have definitely taken his offer, but he hadn’t, and that wasn’t likely to happen again. I should have told him I would think about it. I’d only declined his offer because I was too proud to take his charity.

  Dylan brushed my hair out of my eyes.

  "What's on your mind, darling?" Dylan asked.

  "Uhm..."

  I was speechless, regretting my hasty decision. I couldn’t believe how petrified I’d become, feeling so awkward. Why couldn’t I have been more open. I needed to throw caution to the wind, taking him up on his offer, basking in our love, but I didn’t. I’d just remained frozen.

  I couldn’t help but want to come clean about my tarnished past, telling him how I’d been with a lot of men, telling him that I’d been in jail and had a record, telling him that I wasn’t the greatest mother. Why was I trying to talk him out of wanting me? I finally got the courage and confessed to him regarding my past, opening the floodgates, revealing everything.

  He just got silent, staring deeper into my eyes. I wasn’t really sure whether he was listening or not at that point. I figured he wasn’t because he hadn’t left. His silence troubled me. I needed him to respond, hoping for some type of reaction.

  “How do you feel about my past?” I asked.

  "Everyone has skeletons in their closet," he replied, "but I don't judge people. Nobody's perfect."

  I was surprised to hear those words.

  Dylan was one of a kind, feeling too good to be true. I thought about how lucky I’d been having gotten him back. Me coming clean about my past had been a new start for us.

  Was he sincere though? Not again, I’d caught myself talking my way out of another opportunity. Self-Sabotage had struck again. Although my outlook was slightly better than before. I looked forward to the possibilities. I was so mixed up.

  Chapter 34

  The topic of me staying with Dylan never came up again, but he’d never asked me to leave, and I’d never went back to Sophia’s house, even though feeling somewhat guilty about not contacting her. Then again, she wasn’t my mother. Night after night Dylan and I were in each other’s arms. We had become inseparable. Most nights, relaxing by his pool, enjoying each other. We’d gone to the fanciest restaurants in town, one night Italian, the next night Thai, the next Indian, every type of restaurant we could find. We’d spent time in bars he frequented, which every owner just happened to be friends with him. Everything was fresh and new.

  Through all of the time I’d spent with Dylan, I’d gotten distracted from my main objective of getting Chloe back. Feeling like a failure because I hadn’t done my best, I put my head down in shame. When I thought back to Chloe crying and calling for me, nerves surged through my arms and legs, making me feel uneasy, my emotions disciplining me. I hoped Chloe was safe. William wouldn’t dare put Chloe in harms way. In spite of him being a jackass, he was responsible enough to keep her safe, but I still worried because Hannah was a threat. Chloe being watched by Hannah was a huge risk that didn’t make me feel all too comfortable.

  I got out of bed, got dressed, and prepared to leave. I leaned down and kissed Dylan on the forehead goodbye.

  "I've got to go," I whispered. "I've been gone too long."

  Dylan got up, insisting on taking me home. I wasn’t going to argue with him. After all he was my man, and he’d always take care of his lady. He got dressed and we left.

  Holding him tight while sitting on the back of his bike, I thought about how lucky I’d been to have a second chance being reunited with my one true love. When I got off of his bike and walked up to Sophia’s house, he revved his engine, him smirking as usual. I turned around and shushed him, me giggling at him, blowing him kisses, him giving me that bad boy look. He was trouble, but he was my trouble.

  When I sneaked up to open the front screen door, Sophia flung it open before I could grasp the handle, her flashing me the stink eye. Her expression was unpleasant, and her body language was angry.

  "Get inside," she said. “Where have you been?”

  "Out with Dylan," I replied.

  I didn't realize I had to answer to Sophia. Who the hell did she think she was? Sure, she was helping me out, but did I have to check in with her like I was a child? Apparently so, by the look on her face.

  "While you were out gallivanting," she said, “Chloe got hurt.”

  Immediately, in shock and devastated, my energy dropped, my body feeling ice cold. How could I have been out fooling around when my baby was stuck in that horrible situation without me? Regret weighed down on me for not being there when she needed me most.

  "Where is she?" I asked. “Is she okay?”

  "I don’t know where she is,” she replied. “The babysitter wasn't watching her, and she fell down the stairs. She knocked out her front teeth."

  “Where was Hannah?" I asked. "Why wasn't she watching Chloe?"

  "Hannah left her alone," she replied. "After Chloe got hurt, she ran out of the house screaming and crying looking for Hannah. The next-door neighbor called an ambulance, and Chloe was taken to the hospital."

  "What hospital?"

  "I don't know,” she said. “If you’d have been here, you could’ve asked William when he called.”

  I flinched, finding out William had called and discovered I wasn’t at Sophia’s house.

  “Where did you tell him I was?”

  “I told him the truth,” she replied. “I didn’t know because she’s been gone for who knows how long with some guy.”

  I grabbed Sophia's phone off of the end-table and dialed William’s number. The phone rang and rang and rang. I set down the phone and stormed out of the house. Sophia called to me, asking me where I was going, but I didn't respond. I was on a mission, finding m
y Chloe and making sure she was safe was the only thing on my mind.

  I’d ran as fast as I could down the side-streets until I got to a main street. I hailed a cab. I told the driver William's address and asked him to drive me there as fast as he could. I mentioned to him there was an emergency, and my baby was hurt. I was surprised the driver didn't object. He drove swiftly through traffic like a pro race car driver, not wasting a moment. When we arrived at William’s house, the driver stopped his cab and told me the amount of cab fare I owed. I realized I didn’t have any money, and I’d just stiffed the driver. I apologized and promised I’d pay him back, looking at his cab number reserving it to my memory.

  The driver was upset. He told me I was irresponsible, and I couldn’t go around screwing over people. He told me my actions were bad Karma. For a moment, I thought he was going to smack me. I’d probably deserved it. I really needed to start considering other peoples’ feelings.

  I’d ran up to William’s house and peeked through the front window, and I saw Chloe. Her face was puffy and bruises were under her eyes. Her front two teeth were missing and her tongue was fishing through the new open territory. She had a runny nose, which caused her to keep sniffing, seeming like she’d been crying for a long time.

  I was mortified, hurting me to see her like that. If I’d only been a good mother, I could have prevented her from getting hurt.

  "My baby," I whispered, "Mommy is doing her best to get you."

  Of course, I felt guilty because I hadn't done my best. I hadn’t done anything. I was off gallivanting with some hot guy, rather than concentrating on writing to earn money. The guilt troubled me. How could I have been such a horrible mother? Maybe William was right, maybe I was an unfit mother. How dare I utter those words. I dry-heaved at the thought. I was a mess.

  I had to figure out some way that I could be in Chloe’s life. She needed someone with her who would be sensitive to her feelings. William was mostly analytical, so he could never appeal to her emotional needs.

  I vowed to get back on my feet, so I could get Chloe back. I needed to stay away from Dylan and concentrate on getting my act together. I knew it would be hard, but Chloe was most important in my life. If Dylan really cared for me, then he would understand.