by Nicola Jane
“He’s such a scumbag,” mutters Sara.
“One I am rid of,” I add. “Here’s to no more shagging Travis.” We raise our glasses and take a drink.
“I’ll remind you of this moment when you want to drunk call him later,” adds Sara.
I finish the wine. “We need to go elsewhere so I don’t bump into him.”
I spot him walking my way with the girl, hand in hand. He’s passing my booth when his eyes land on me and he drops the girl’s hand quickly. “Tillie,” he mutters.
“Did you send her these?” asks Sara, holding her phone near his face and showing him the picture of the bouquet.
“No,” he says, peering closer. “Who sent you flowers?”
I shrug my shoulders. He looks annoyed and it pleases me. “Someone with money,” I say. “And taste.”
“I’m Sara. This is Tillie. She just dumped your boyfriend,” says Sara to the girl behind Travis. He glances back like he’s just remembered she’s there.
The girl’s eyes almost bug out from her head and her hands go to her hips. “Sorry, what?” she snaps.
Sara nods. “Yep. He’s a rat.”
“That ain’t true, baby. You’re the one I come home to, you know that. All the other women are nothing,” explains Travis.
“Come home to?” I repeat. “You live together?”
The girl nods. “Yes, two years and a kid,” she snaps.
I’m lost for words. Travis takes the woman’s hand and shrugs at me. “You knew it wasn’t exclusive,” he says.
“Wow,” I mutter. His audacity shocks me. “You never mentioned anyone else.”
“We didn’t do much talking, Tils, let’s be honest.” He smirks and then pulls the woman away. I stare at Sara open-mouthed.
“What a piece of shit,” she hisses.
“I suspected he was sleeping around but to have a kid and live with someone else,” I shake my head, “what a prick.”
Sara takes my hand and pulls me to the bar. “Shots. We need shots!” she announces to the barman.
“At least you have an admirer,” slurs Sara, nudging me before I stumble into a wall. The pavement feels wavy and I curse for not calling a taxi to take us home.
“When am I gonna find a man to take care of me?” I ask. “Where’s my prince?”
A rumble of motorbike engines pass us and I stop to stare at the six bikes in procession. Through my blurry vision, I see a couple of the riders turn to stare. I can’t be that bad if men are still turning to stare. Sara giggles and taps my arm. She points down and I look, horrified to see my dress has ridden up and my underwear is out proud for everyone to see. I tug down the dress, feeling my cheeks redden with embarrassment. “Oh Christ, like tonight can’t get any worse,” I wail.
“Famous last words,” Sara says, laughing harder. I look to where she points now and see a couple of the bikes have pulled over.
I lean against the wall to steady myself as two bikers walk towards us. The one in the lead removes his helmet and I almost swoon in delight when I see it’s Blade. “You flash to all the bikers that pass you?” he asks, his tone growly and sexy.
“Only special ones,” I say, winking.
“Why are you stumbling around down this way?” he asks. “Hope you weren’t coming to find me. I told you to stay off Queens Road.”
Sara holds out her phone. “Did you send her these?” she asks, and his eyes narrow in on the picture.
“Do I look like a guy who sends flowers?”
Sara shrugs. “So that’s our two main suspects crossed off,” she says to me.
Blade smirks. “You have two main suspects, lucky you.” He looks me up and down. “Come on.” He takes me by the hand and pulls me towards his bike.
“You said I have to stay away from you,” I remind him.
“Fuck what I said. I’m horny as fuck and you just flashed me your panties.”
He hands me a helmet and Sara follows his friend over to his bike. I’ve never been on a bike before, so he shows me where to put my feet and how to hold on to him tight. My dress has ridden up under my arse cheeks, but he pulls me hard against his back before taking my arms and wrapping them around his waist. I naturally press my cheek to his back, the scent of leather filling the air around me.
We drive for a short time, and I enjoy every second of it, despite being freezing. I’m not really dressed for the ride. We pull into the car park and stop in front of what looks like an old, abandoned factory. It’s set back on an industrial estate, and there are other bikes lined up outside. Music is pumping from the building and it sounds like some kind of party. He takes my hand and pulls me inside.
The place is huge. We stand in a large room full of bikers and women, some scantily dressed, and I suddenly feel less embarrassed about showing my panties. Blade slaps hands with a few men as we pass. We stop at a bar in the corner, and an older woman smiles at us, handing Blade a whiskey. “What can I get you?” she asks me.
“Water,” Blade answers on my behalf. She grins and hands me a bottle of water.
“I’m Frankie, by the way,” she shouts over the music.
“Tillie,” I say.
This place is full of hot men. Sara is looking around in awe just like me. The guy she hooked up with last weekend removes his helmet before taking her hand and pulling her towards a set of stairs. She smiles back at me over her shoulder and I roll my eyes. She’s completely abandoned me. “Your friend always leave you with a bunch of strangers?” asks Blade. He looks pissed, so I shake my head. I don’t want him hating on Sara. “I don’t believe you,” he mutters, opening my bottle and tapping it. “Drink up.”
“What is this place?” I ask.
He looks around proudly. “This is my home.”
I gasp. “You live here?” I ask, and he nods. “With all these people?” I add and he nods again. “Fuck.” I can’t imagine what chaos it is to live here.
A woman stops by Blade and places her hand on his chest. “Big brother’s busy,” she says seductively, “if you wanna join me.”
“I told you, Charlotte. Ain’t gonna happen again.”
I discreetly slip my hand from his. After learning that Travis has a woman already, I won’t make that mistake again and this seriously looks like she and Blade are a thing. And even if they aren’t, they have been. I can tell from the look in her eyes and from what he just said.
“He’ll be busy all night. He won’t know,” she pushes.
“You can see me standing here with this beautiful woman, right?” he snaps, pointing to me. I shuffle uncomfortably as she runs her eyes over me. “Fuck off and go beg another brother,” he adds. A look of hurt passes over her face before she pulls herself together and moves away. “Sorry about that,” he says. I place my bottle of water on a nearby table and head for the exit. “Where are you going?” he asks.
“Home,” I shout over my shoulder.
BLADE
I catch her outside, taking her hand and stopping her. “What are you talking about? Are you upset cos of Charlotte? She’s nothing. We’re not a thing.”
She pulls free and spins to face me. “You were most definitely a thing at one point, but that's not why I’m going home. You spoke to her like crap.”
“She won’t take a hint.”
“Will you talk to me like that after you’ve fucked me?”
I frown. “No, of course not.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not sticking around to find out.”
“You can’t leave your friend here and you can’t walk home alone. It’s not responsible of me to let you.”
“I’ll get an Uber,” she snaps, and I smile at her sassy attitude. Fuck, it’s a turn-on.
“Stay for a while longer. Wait for your friend and I’ll have someone sober drive you both home together.” I see her wavering. “Please,” I add nicely.
She sighs heavily. “Fine. But this is not me giving in,” she says firmly, and I nod, trying hard to hide my smile. There’s something fuckin�
� cute about this girl that I ain’t seen before. It intrigues me.
It’s a little quieter when we go back inside. It’s getting late and now half the fuckin’ club’s got kids, so parties die out around midnight these days. Tillie sits on a couch and I join her, ignoring the way she shuffles further away from me to put some space between us.
“It must be a bit below what you’re used to,” I say, looking around the club. She does the same.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I saw your place. It’s in Knightsbridge for a start, house prices around there are ridiculously high.”
“I’m not rich,” she scoffs. “The house is Sara’s parents’ and we rent it. The shop belongs to my grandmother. She’s getting older and wants me to run it.”
“Sorry, I just assumed—”
“You assumed wrong,” she mutters.
“I feel like we’re drifting apart, Sunshine,” I say. I see a smile tug at her mouth, but she presses her lips together to hide it. “Things seem strained all of a sudden.”
“Christ, are you ever serious?” she asks and I shrug. “Is that how you get through life? Making jokes and flirting?”
“Mainly,” I admit. “What’s the point in taking life so seriously? None of us get out alive.”
“My grandmother warned me against hanging out with you. She said nothing good would come of it.”
I laugh. People always turn their noses up at motorcycle clubs. I’m used to the stereotyping. “Oh yeah? Seems everyone is warning you off, including me, and yet here you are . . . again.”
“You picked me up this time. I was out with my friend, drinking to forget, and you told me to follow you.”
“I stopped because you flashed your sexy panties at me. What’s a guy to do when he sees that? Who were you trying to forget?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes and twiddles her fingers. “I saw Travis with another woman tonight,” she mutters.
“Is this Mr. Complicated?” I ask, and she nods. “Ouch, caught cheating. What did you do?”
“Not a lot,” she says. “Turns out I’m the other woman. He lives with her and they have a kid.”
My eyes widen in shock. “Shit, what an arse.”
“It’s fine,” she mumbles. “I wasn’t that into him.” Her eyes water and she blinks a few times. “I mean, I guess I secretly hoped one day he’d sort himself out and see what he had with me. We were never exclusive, but you kinda think after a year of hooking up, he’d want to settle down.”
“Christ, he’s been having an affair for a year!” I gasp and she scowls at me. “Sorry, I just can’t believe he’s been getting away with that and neither of you knew.”
“I’m definitely not the only person he’s hooking up with. I’m sure there’s a trail of women just like me, gullible and stupid.”
“Hey,” I say, taking her hand. “You’re not gullible or stupid. He’s a dick. He couldn’t see a good thing when it was right in front of him. Don’t blame yourself.”
“Please don’t,” she mutters. I give her a blank look and she sighs. “Don’t play Mr. Nice just to get me into bed.”
I feign looking offended before breaking out into a grin. “Okay, you got me. But I meant the bit about him being a dick. Be thankful that you ain’t his wifey. Imagine having his kid, knowing he was fucking around. What is it about him anyway?” She smirks and I groan. “Fuck, don’t tell me, he’s got a massive—” She laughs, cutting me off.
“I like a bad boy,” she says.
“How’s that little prick a bad boy? Did you catch him stealing sweets from your shop?”
She laughs again and I find myself smiling. I like the sound of her laugh. “Let’s just say he doesn’t earn an honest living,” she explains.
“Interesting. He drives a black BMW, knows Queens Road, I must know him,” I say thoughtfully.
She scoffs. “I very much doubt it.”
I make a mental note to ask Riggs to see if we do business with anyone called Travis. If we don’t, then we need to have a word with him because he’s clearly dealing on our streets.
“So, if I can’t woo you into bed, how the fuck do I get you up to my room?” I ask, grinning enough to show her my dimples. That always works.
“I’m not that kind of girl,” she says casually.
It’s my turn to scoff. “You let me kiss you twice, you got undressed in front of me last weekend and showed me what you got hidden under there,” I say, plucking at the hem of her short dress. “And then you flashed me your panties . . . in the street!”
She blushes. “I must have still been drunk last weekend when I did that.” She shrugs. “Something about you makes me feel brave.”
“Brave enough to come up to my room?” I ask.
Chapter Four
TILLIE
“I’ll come up to your room but not to sleep with you,” I say.
He thinks about it for a second and then shrugs. “Fine.” He takes my hand and leads me to the stairs. Maybe he thinks once I’m up there I’ll change my mind, but that isn’t happening. I’ve already made a fool of myself with Travis. I’m not doing that again. I pull out my phone and snap a picture, and he frowns. “In case you murder me, your face is the last picture on my phone.”
He rolls his eyes. “And you don’t think I’d scrap your mobile once I’ve killed you?” I shrug and he laughs. “I’m gonna bury it right next to you now you’ve got my picture on it.”
Blade’s room is very basic. There’s a double bed with black sheets, a set of drawers, white walls, and black curtains. “It’s not much, but I don’t spend time here,” he explains. He walks over to another door that leads into a bathroom. “If you need the toilet.”
“I’m good.” I wander over to his window and pull the curtain back. There’s a good view of the London skyline.
He stands behind me. “Nice view,” he mutters, running a finger over my shoulder. He moves my hair and places a gentle kiss against my skin.
“Seriously?” I ask, giggling. He straightens up and I turn to face him. “That shit works on women?”
“What are you talking about?” he asks innocently.
“I mean, I get it. Maybe twenty-four hours ago, I’d have jumped into your bed and orgasmed just at the sound of your voice but thank god Travis happened tonight because I’m seeing things through new eyes, and your chat up lines are shocking.”
Blade narrows his eyes. “I see I have to step up my game with you.”
“That's just the thing,” I wail. “Game!” He takes a deep, impatient breath, then sits on the edge of his bed. “Why does it have to be a game?” I ask.
“It was a figure of speech,” he says.
“I don’t wanna play games.” I sigh. “I’m sick of it. Why can’t dating be simple like Nan says? Why can’t we just say, if we like someone, ask them out on dates and spend time getting to know each other? All these unspoken rules about not asking if we’re dating or telling people we’re just talking so we can leave our options open.” I groan and throw my hands in the air. “I just wanna meet a guy and settle down. Is it too much to ask?”
Blade stares at me with wide eyes. “Why does this feel like therapy?”
“I’m asking for your guy opinion,” I say. “What’s so scary about the word ‘relationship’?”
“It ain’t scary,” he says. “But who wants a relationship when you can spread the love?” He laughs, but when he sees my frown, he presses his lips together. “Personally, I prefer to label it as seeing a woman. You make that shit exclusive, then you’re tied in forever. Women want the engagement and wedding. Kids.” He shudders. “I can’t think of anything worse.”
“Won’t you ever get married or have children?” I ask, and he shakes his head dramatically. “So you just go from one bed to another?”
He nods. “Bed, car, against a wall, in public, in private, wherever really,” he says, smirking.
“So all the flirting with me, in the shop, that’s just to get me into
bed?”
He shuffles back on his bed and leans against the headboard. “I guess we’re not having sex now, are we?” he asks, and I shake my head. “Then yes, the flirting and hard work I’ve been putting in, was to get inside your panties.”
“Hard work?” I repeat, raising my eyebrows sceptically.
“It was hard work. I’ve invested weeks into chasing you, not to mention the money I’ve spent on liquorice.”
“Wow. You really think you’ve put the effort in, don’t you?” I ask.
“I’ll have you know, usually, I flirt for a maximum of a week. If I ain’t at least had a kiss by then, I’m out.”
I smile thoughtfully. “So what was it about me that had you coming back day after day?”
He shakes his head, grinning. “We’re not going there. I’m not giving you a big head now that you’ve told me straight you’re not interested.”
I climb onto the bed and sit next to him. “For the record, I totally fancied you.” I nudge my shoulder against his. “Even though your chat up lines could do with some work.”
“How long have you worked in the sweet shop?” he asks.
“You don’t have to do this,” I say, smiling. “Make small talk.”
“I’m genuinely interested. Come on, I don’t often make the effort to chat with women. Humour me.”
“My grandmother has owned the shop for years. I was a kid when she opened, so around twenty years. I would help out at the weekend while Mum was at work as a nurse. I guess it was a natural decision to take over when Nan retired. You wouldn’t know she was retired from the number of times she pops in to check how we’re doing, though,” I say, fondly.
“Your grandmother is your mum’s mum?” he asks and I nod. “What about your dad?”
“He’s amazing. I miss him and Mum loads, but they moved to Scotland when I was eighteen and I chose to stay here with Nan.”
BLADE
I can’t ask her too much without raising suspicion, so I nod and smile. Maybe Cobra was just talking bullshit in the boathouse at the docks. The name and address on the piece of paper he passed to Chains before we ended him was definitely Matilda’s. The shop was the exact address. Anyway, it’s not like I can raise him from the dead to ask him why the fuck he was watching her. Maybe he had a thing with Tillie’s mum and thought the kid was his?