Falling for the President’s Daughter: Satan’s Fury MC

by Wilder, L.

  “Why would you be so surprised?”

  “I don’t know.” He shrugged as he glanced over to Diesel and Two Bit, looking for some backup. “Just thought you two had a falling out or something.”

  “What makes you think we’d had a falling out?”

  Two Bit cleared his throat and gave me a playful smirk. “Maybe because you’ve basically ghosted the guy for the past couple of years.”

  “I didn’t ghost him!” I argued. “I just had a lot going on, and why am I the one who ghosted him? It wasn’t like he came chasing after me.”

  “Not like you gave him any reason to,” Diesel grumbled under his breath.

  “Whoa... What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “You put the guy in the friend zone and made him think he was stuck there.”

  I’d gone by the clubhouse after work so I could check in with Dad to see if he’d gone by to look over the apartment I’d told him about. I’d only planned to be there for a few minutes, not get into some hair-brained discussion about Flynn, but that’s exactly what I got. Diesel turned to face me as he said, “I’m just saying, the guy has had a thing for you for years and never knew you felt the same.”

  “He was the one who always acted like we were just friends, and he certainly never acted like he wanted anything more.”

  “Um-hmm. Keep telling yourself that.” Two Bit snickered.

  “When did he act like he wanted something more?” I pushed. “When he started dating Misty after my sixteenth birthday party? Or was it when he started seeing that Jessica chick a month after I left for college?”

  “Those chicks never meant anything to him. They just helped him pass the time. Besides, it wasn’t like you weren’t seeing dudes too.” Two Bit shook his head as he muttered, “Still don’t see what you saw in that Devin guy. He was a complete tool.”

  “Wait! How do you know about Devin? I never told anybody about him.”

  “Don’t blame you there.” Two Bit chuckled and added, “He wasn’t one of your finer moments.”

  “Again, how do you know anything about him?” I placed my hand on my hip as I fussed, “Was it Big? Did he look into him or something?”

  “Look into who?” Big asked as he sauntered into the kitchen.

  “Devin. The guy I dated my sophomore year.”

  “Oh, yeah. De-vvin.” A mischievous grin swept across Big’s handsome face. “I remember him well.”

  “Did you do one of those computer thingies on him?”

  Big shrugged playfully. “Maybe.”

  “Big!”

  “What?” He sounded completely sincere as he explained, “We were just doing what we could to look out for you.”

  “I didn’t need you looking out for me, especially not with Devin. He was a stupid econ major from Vancouver! The guy didn’t have a suspicious bone in his body, and he was about as big as a twig. If he tried anything stupid, I could’ve taken care of him myself.”

  “You’re right about that.” Smokey smiled as he ran his hand over his beard. “Flynn, on the other hand, is a man’s man.”

  “So, you approve of Flynn?” I asked with surprise. “That’s good to know. I guess you’ve looked into him too.”

  “Yeah, but that was way back when you two were just kids.”

  “You actually looked into Flynn?”

  “I think that’s my cue to get back to Wyatt,” Big chuckled as he darted out of the room.

  With him gone, I turned my attention back to Two Bit. “He didn’t answer my question. Did he look into Flynn?”

  “Well, yeah,” he answered like it was no big deal. “We had to know who our girl was sneaking off to see every afternoon after school.”

  “That’s it!” I threw my hands up and started walking away from the table. “I don’t want to hear any more of this!”

  “Love ya, Lauren,” Two Bit teased as I stormed out of the room.

  I knew they were just playing around, but after a day of dealing with a room full of rowdy third graders, I wasn’t in the mood for more childish nonsense. I was just starting down the hall when I heard Wyatt talking in the family room, and from the sounds of it, he was pretty upset. Worried something was wrong, I stuck my head inside and found Wyatt sitting at the corner desk, working on his laptop with Big standing behind him. Big shook his head as he said, “I don’t know, bud. I just don’t think anyone will buy into the idea.”

  “Why not?” Wyatt asked, sounding somewhat perturbed. “People get tattoos all the time. All the brothers have them.”

  “Yeah, but this is different.”

  “How so?”

  “It just is,” Big pushed.

  As a kid, Wyatt had been diagnosed with a high-functioning form of Asperger’s. He’d always had his little quirks, like only wearing particular kinds of t-shirts and shoes, which, now, were typically black. Like today, he was wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans with his black boots. While I couldn’t see it with him sitting down, I knew the soles of his boots were red. That was also one of his things—he loved red.

  Big had learned early on that Wyatt had an uncanny ability for deciphering computers and had taken him under his wing, teaching him everything he knew—things that most of the brothers wouldn’t have a clue about. Together, they’d come up with some pretty cool things for the club, like upgrades to their security and a new electrical component for their bikes—which I couldn’t begin to understand. Regardless, it was clear from Big’s expression that he had his doubts about Wyatt’s latest idea.

  As I stepped into the room, I asked, “Hey, guys. How’s it going over there?”

  “It’s going.”

  “You working on something?”

  “Wyatt’s just hashing out some new ideas.” Big stepped back and crossed his arms. “Not sure this one will make it off the ground.”

  “Why’s that?”

  “Because nobody’s gonna want a barcode on their wrist.”

  “I don’t see why not.” Wyatt brushed his shaggy brown hair from his eyes as he looked over to me. “It beats having a chip put in ya.”

  “Wouldn’t want one of those either,” Big scoffed. “The whole thing has a prison vibe if you ask me.”

  “Are you talking about using a tattooed barcode for a security scanner?”

  “Yeah. What do you think? Would you get one if you could use it to get in your house, start your car, or—”

  Before he could finish, I answered, “There’s no way I’d get a barcode tattooed on me anywhere for any reason.”

  “Seriously?” Wyatt looked at me like I had three heads. “It beats getting a chip embedded inside ya.”

  “I wouldn’t do that either. Chips and barcodes may be the way of the future, but I’ll stick to keypads, thank you.”

  “Told ya, brother.” Big patted Wyatt on the shoulder. “Cool idea but gonna be hard to find anyone who’ll buy into it.”

  “Well, it was worth a shot.”

  “Definitely. I’m sure your next one will be a hit.”

  “Thanks, Lauren.”

  I gave them both a smile, then said, “I have to talk to Dad real quick, but I’ll see you two later.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “Oh, and Big?”

  “Yeah?”

  “I’m still mad at you.”

  “Figured you were.” He snickered as he said, “I’ll make it up to ya.”

  “We’ll see about that.”

  Without saying anything more, I left the family room and started back down the hall. I’d just made it to Dad’s office when his door opened and Stitch appeared in front of me. A slight grin crossed his face. “Hey, Lauren. How’s it going?”

  “Hey, Stitch. It’s going okay.” I smiled as I told him, “I just talked to Wyatt in the family room. He’s got a new idea you should hear about.”

  “The tattoo barcode?”

  “Yeah, that’s the one.”

  “I think I’ll pass.”

  I giggled. “Yeah, me too.”
<
br />   I’d always thought Stitch was a good guy, and he’d always been super nice to me, but I found him to be a bit intimidating. As the club’s enforcer, he was a big guy with a thick beard and dark, intense eyes that seemed to cut right through you. The only time I’d ever seen the man with a huge smile on his face was when he was either with his ol’ lady, Wren, or his kids, Wyatt and Mia. “Heard you spent some time with Flynn the other night.”

  “Oh, come on. Not you too.”

  There was a light tone in his voice as he asked me, “The guys giving you a hard time?”

  “You could say that, but nothing I can’t handle.”

  “Good.” He stepped out of my way. “Your dad’s inside if you’re looking for him.”

  “Thanks, I just need a second with him.”

  “Well, he’s all yours.” He turned back to Dad. “I’ll check back in a couple of hours.”

  “Sounds good.” Dad smiled as I stepped into the room. “I was just about to call you.”

  “Does that mean you went to see the apartment?”

  “Not exactly.” He motioned his hand over to the pile of papers on his desk. “I know I said I’d get over there yesterday, but I’ve been swamped and haven’t had the chance. I’ll head over in the morning.”

  “Oh, okay.” Seeing how busy he was made me feel a bit guilty for adding to his plate. “No rush. Just let me know when you get a chance to swing by there.”

  “You know I will.”

  I glanced over at the clock, and when I saw the time, I asked, “You going to make it home for dinner?”

  “Yeah, I should be able to wrap this up in an hour or so.”

  “Good deal. I’ll see ya then.”

  When I got back to the house, Mom was in the kitchen making dinner, and the kids were upstairs. I asked if she needed a hand, but Mom assured me she had it covered, so I headed up to my room. I’d just plopped down on the bed when my door creaked open and Darby and Susana appeared in the opening. They might’ve been twins, but the two couldn’t have been more different. Darby was wearing her typical sweatpants with an oversized t-shirt, and her wild, curly hair was twirled up on top of her head in a messy bun—if one could even call it that. Susana, on the other hand, was still in her school clothes, and her long hair was braided with perfect precision. I could tell by their inquisitive expressions they had something on their minds. “What’s up, kiddos?”

  “Have you heard from him?” Darby asked excitedly.

  “Who?”

  “Flynn. Who else?” Susana came over and sat down on the edge of my bed. “Has he called or—”

  “No, I haven’t heard anything yet.” I thought it was sweet that the girls were so curious about how things were going with me and Flynn, but I wasn’t really in the mood to talk about it—mainly because I was disappointed that he hadn’t called or come by or even scribbled a quick note when he dropped off my car. He’d just left the keys on the seat and taken off. “Maybe it’s for the best.”

  “What?” I could hear the concern in Darby’s voice. “Don’t you like Flynn?”

  “You know I do, but that’s not the point.”

  “Of course it is,” Susana argued. “If you like him, you gotta go after him.”

  “She’s right, ya know.” Darby’s freckled nose crinkled as she crossed her arms and informed me, “He made his move. Now it’s your turn. I bet he hasn’t called because he’s been waiting on you to call him.””

  “You really think so?”

  “Yeah.” I couldn’t believe I was actually taking romantic advice from my two teenage sisters, but they both seemed so sure of themselves. “Guys like to know you’re interested. They need that stuff. It builds their self-confidence, because ... you know, they’re weak or whatever.”

  “I don’t think it’s because ‘they’re weak,’ Darby.”

  “Well, Kenzy seems to think so, and she knows about this stuff. She’s had three different boyfriends this year, and we haven’t even made it to spring break yet.”

  “Well, that’s great for Kenzy, but I’m not in middle school, guys. The same rules don’t apply for me.”

  “Yes, they do.” Susana gave me one of her looks as she said, “You need to talk to him, Lauren. At least give him a sign or something that you’re into him.”

  “Oh, he knows.”

  “Are you sure?” Darby pushed. “’Cause guys can be kind of stupid about stuff.”

  “Yep, Kenzy said the same thing,” Susana agreed.

  “Oh, good grief. Kenzy is what ... thirteen?” I rolled my eyes with a grumble. As much as I didn’t want to believe some teenage girl knew more about guys than I did, I couldn’t deny that she made some good points. After all, I was still single, so perhaps they were right. Maybe I should be the one to make the next move. “Fine. If I don’t hear from him, I’ll go by the bar tomorrow after my meeting and see how it goes.”

  “Great!” Susana hopped up from the bed with a smile. “You should wear those ripped jeans you bought last weekend with that cute tank top.”

  “I don’t know…Don’t you think that outfit is a bit much?”

  “Not if you wanna seal the deal,” Darby snickered.

  “‘Seal the deal’?” I sat up on the bed. “Where in the world would you hear something like that?”

  “The brothers say that kind of stuff all the time.”

  “Well, they’re older, and they’re men. You can’t go around repeating the crazy things they say, especially things like seal the deal,” I scolded.

  “Fine.” Darby let out a huff. “I won’t say it again, but you know what I mean.”

  “Yes, I know what you mean, and I appreciate you two are trying to help, but I can handle Flynn on my own.”

  Susana rolled her eyes as she turned and headed for the door. “Yeah, we’ll see about that.”

  As soon as they left the room, I fell back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. I thought back to the night I’d gone to see Flynn and how much I’d enjoyed spending time with him again. Why hadn’t I heard anything from him? It made me wonder if there was some slim possibility that the girls were right, and it was my turn to reach out to him. While I considered that thought for a moment, I remembered I had parent-teacher conferences the following day and didn’t have to be in until noon, so I decided to go for it. I got up and walked over to my closet. After I found an outfit I liked, I slipped it on, then took a minute to freshen my makeup and hair. By the time I was ready, Dad was home and the family was gathering around the table for dinner. Doing my best to avoid an interrogation, I rushed towards the back door and shouted, “I’ll be back later.”

  “Hey!” Dad called out. “Where ya going?”

  “Got something I need to take care of,” I answered. “Don’t wait up!”

  I quickly shut the door, then raced over to my car and got inside. Like a man on fire, I whipped out of the driveway and started towards Danver’s Sports Bar. As I got closer, it occurred to me that I hadn’t stopped to think about what exactly I would do or say when I got there. I wasn’t even sure if Flynn was working, so I was relieved after pulling into the bar’s parking lot and finding his truck parked close to the front door. I didn’t want to give my nerves a chance to kick in, so I wasted no time getting out of my car and making my way to the door.

  I’d been to Danver’s many times over the years. It was one of Dad’s favorite places to grab a burger and catch up with the locals. I liked to tag along with him so I could see Pappy and Flynn. Their friendly banter always made the place feel more like a hangout spot than an actual restaurant. When I stepped inside, I was grateful that only a few people were in the place, and they sat quietly eating at a table in the back corner. I took a quick look around for Flynn and found him standing behind the bar talking to Pappy. Flynn was wearing a black t-shirt that brought out his dark penetrating eyes and shaggy brown hair. As soon as he spotted me walking in their direction, Flynn’s lips curled into a sexy smile. I stepped up to the counter, and Pappy
was the first to speak. “Well, aren’t you a sight for sore eyes. You’re looking mighty pretty tonight, Ms. Lauren.”

  “Thank you, Pappy,” then glanced over and said, “Hey, Flynn.”

  Looking a bit surprised to see me, Flynn replied with a soft, “Hey, Lauren.”

  “Sure is good to see ya.” Pappy leaned over the counter and gave me a quick hug. “It’s been too long, child.”

  “Yes, sir, it has.”

  “How’s Cotton and that pretty wife of his?”

  “She’s still putting up with him, so I’d say they’re doing good.”

  “That’s great to hear.” He gave Flynn a pat on the shoulder as he announced, “Flynn here says you got yourself a teaching job down at the elementary school.”

  “Yes, sir, I did.” I sat down on one of the stools and continued, “I’ve been teaching third grade there for a couple of months.”

  “For a couple of months? Well, how about that?” He motioned his hand at the wall behind me. “A teacher and an artist too! I gotta say, I’m mighty impressed.”

  “An artist?” I glanced behind me, and I nearly slipped off the stool when I saw a small light illuminating the picture Flynn and I had painted. It was mounted up on the rear wall with a small plaque that read “New Beginnings” beneath it. I was in complete shock as I turned back to Flynn and asked, “You hung it up here?”

  “Well, yeah. A picture that amazing has to be shared, don’t ya think?”

  “Yeah, but you could’ve told me about it.”

  “I was going to, but I figured you’d try and talk me out of it.” A proud smile crossed his handsome face. “I think it looks pretty great up there. Adds some character to the place.”

  “It certainly does that.”

  “I’ll give you two a little privacy.” Pappy tossed his bar towel down on the counter, then told Flynn, “Don’t forget about Patsy and her boys. They should be wrapping it up soon.”

  “I’m on it.” Once Pappy had disappeared in the back, Flynn came over and stood in front of me. “I wasn’t expecting to see you tonight.”