by Wilder, L.
“You know, that actually sounds like a wonderful idea.” She shoved her phone back into her purse and smiled. “I’d love to.”
“Great.”
After we both said our goodbyes to Duchess, I closed the door to her kennel, and we headed out to the parking lot. I was trying to think of a place for us to go that was relatively close, but since I’d only been living in the city for just a couple of months, I only knew about the places that were close to the garage or the clubhouse. As I thought about it, it crossed my mind that I was supposed to meet up with T-Bone and Gauge. I didn’t think the Eight Ball was the right place to take Landry, so I pulled out my cell and sent them a text, letting them know I wasn’t going to make it. I’d just shoved my phone back into my pocket when we reached my truck. Landry was about to continue towards her car, but she stopped and turned to me. “Should I follow you over to the restaurant?”
“You can.” Even though it would’ve been nice to have her ride with me, I didn’t want her to feel pressured to do so, especially since she didn’t know me all that well. When she hesitated, I added, “Or you could hop in with me, and I’ll drop you off at your car when we’re done.”
“Okay, I’ll ride with you.”
I nodded and walked over to open the door for her. Then, I climbed in and started the engine, still having no idea of where we were headed as I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road. When I started towards downtown, Landry asked, “So, where’re we going?”
“I honestly don’t know. I’m still not all that familiar with the area,” I confessed.
“Wait ... You’re not from here?”
“Nope.” I glanced over in her direction as I continued, “I moved here from Nashville a couple of months ago.”
“Oh, I didn’t realize.”
“I’ll tell you about it sometime, but for now, we need to decide on a place to eat. Any ideas?”
“There’s a Huey’s a few blocks down on the right. It’s really good.”
“Huey’s it is, then.”
Landry
It wasn’t like me to agree to go to dinner with someone I barely knew, but there was something about Clay that made me want to get to know him better. At first, I thought my attraction to him was because he was so devastatingly handsome, but it was so much more than that. Clay was different from most of the guys I knew. I certainly hadn’t known many who’d not only help take a stray dog to the vet in the middle of the night, but also offer to pay the bill when I couldn’t. It meant so much to me that he was willing to help me like that, and Duchess too. I also couldn’t ignore the fact that being close to him made my heart race.
When we got to Huey’s, I followed him to one of the booths in the back of the restaurant. We’d sat down and placed our orders, and the waitress had just brought over our drinks when Clay said, “I noticed on your business card that you work for the Department of Child Services. That’s a tough job.”
“It can be, but it’s not all bad. There’re actually times when I really enjoy it.”
“I don’t think I could do it.” He ran his hand through his shaggy blond hair. “If I heard somebody had hurt a kid, I’d probably end up breaking their neck.”
My mind drifted to my latest case, and when I thought about Katie being forced to blow into that breathalyzer for her father, I replied, “It’s definitely tempting at times, but I try to hold on to the thought that I’m helping these families, especially the kids.”
“They’re lucky to have you.”
“I don’t know about that, but thanks for saying so.” He was wearing the same leather vest that he had on the night before. I remembered seeing a motorcycle in the back of his truck, but I had no idea if it was his or not. As I sat there awkwardly studying him, I noticed a small white patch on the upper side pocket that said Prospect. Curious, I asked, “Does that mean something?”
“What?”
“The patch on your vest. Does it mean something?”
He glanced down at his chest, and a look of uncertainty crossed his face as he answered, “I’m a prospect for a motorcycle club here in town.”
“Oh, that’s cool.” I didn’t know much about bikers or the world they lived in—only that some MCs were good and some were bad—really bad. An uneasy feeling washed over me as I asked, “Which one?”
“Satan’s Fury.”
His green eyes locked on mine as he tried to read my reaction. I didn’t want him to think I was horrified by the declaration, but in truth, I was. I’d heard about their club. I knew they were involved in some pretty bad stuff, and like everyone else in the city, I’d always done my best to keep my distance. It was hard to believe that a sweet, handsome guy like Clay would be involved with men like them, but then again, I’d learned a long time ago that people aren’t always what they seem. He was still watching me as I swallowed and tried to feign a smile. “What made you decide to join their club?”
“Actually, it wasn’t my idea.” He reached for his beer and took a quick tug. “My uncle is the one who kind of ... encouraged me to come to Memphis and try prospecting for them.”
“Why would he do that?”
“I’d hit a rough spot, and he thought I could use a fresh start.” Clay shrugged. “He wasn’t wrong. After my father died, I was all kinds of fucked up. I was making bad decisions, and I hurt my mom and sister. I needed to get the hell out of Nashville before I got myself into a mess I couldn’t get out of. I figured it couldn’t hurt to come here and give it a try.”
“Any particular reason why he wanted you to prospect for Satan’s Fury instead of another club?”
“He’s got ties with the president ... knows what a good man he is and how he takes care of his brothers.” It was odd to hear him say that the president of such a notorious MC was a good man. I would’ve thought he’d be some kind of vicious thug to run a club like theirs, but from the way Clay spoke, he didn’t agree. “I had my doubts, but once I got here and got to know the members and what they were all about, I could see that my uncle was right. This really is where I’m meant to be.”
“It’s really great that you’ve found a place that makes you feel that way, Clay.”
“Yeah, I think so too.”
His attention was drawn to the waitress, who arrived with our dinner and another beer. As soon as she laid them down on the table, we both started eating. After a couple of bites, Clay looked over to me with a smile. “You made a good choice. This Philly cheesesteak is incredible.”
“You should try their burgers.”
I offered him mine, and watched as he lifted it from my hand and took a bite. His eyes widened as he started to chew, and once he swallowed, he replied, “Holy shit.”
“Told you.”
He gave me back my burger, and we continued to chat back and forth as we ate. I was really enjoying myself with him, and it wasn’t long before my concerns about him prospecting for Satan’s Fury were forgotten. I loved hearing him talk about his younger sister, Alyssa, and how protective he was of her. I could hear the love in his voice when he spoke about her, and his mother too. I was just going to ask him about his father when my phone chimed with another message. I didn’t have to look to know it was her. I was going to ignore it, but it chimed again. Annoyed, I took my phone out of my purse and groaned when I saw that I was right. It was, indeed, my mother. Noting my aggravation, Clay asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Yes, everything’s fine.” I sent her a quick text, letting her know that I’d message her later, then tossed my phone back into my purse. “It’s just my mother. She’s on one of her tears tonight.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. It’s ... complicated.” I had no idea how to explain the dynamic between my mother and me, mainly because I didn’t always understand it myself. When I was growing up, we weren’t exactly close. It wasn’t that she didn’t try. She did. I was just too wrapped up in my own jealousy and resentment to accept her efforts. It wasn’t until I went o
ff to college that I started to let my walls down and really open up to her. I’d tell her about the things that were going on in my life, and she’d give me her two cents whenever she deemed it necessary—which turned out to be often. Very often. I reached over and swiped a french fry from his plate. “She tends to fixate on things, especially where I’m concerned.”
Clearly amused by my struggles with my mother, he chuckled. “Oh, really? How so?”
“Well, like today,” I sighed. “I told her last night that I was working on a new case. I didn’t give her any real details ... just that the little girl, who I happen to think is incredibly adorable, was sick. As soon as I told her about it, she started citing off all the terrible things that could happen if her cough was left untreated and how I just had to do something. I tried to tell her that my hands were tied, but she wouldn’t listen. She kept throwing out all these ideas of what I could do to help the girl, but they were just ludicrous.”
“How so?”
“She suggested that I make another call to DCS and pretend I’m a concerned teacher. I told her I could lose my job over something like that, so she suggested that I call a doctor and have him make a house call. Again ... I could get fired over something like that.” I let out a frustrated grumble. “The thing is, she’s a high school principal. She knows I can’t do the stuff she’s suggesting, but that doesn’t stop her from dishing out those ideas! Over and over again. She’s even worse when it comes to my personal life.”
Maybe it was my tone or facial expression, but my response caused him to chuckle even more than he had earlier. “Oh ... So, she likes to give input into your personal life too, huh?”
“Oh, you think that’s funny?” I cocked my eyebrow as I swiped another fry from his plate and took a bite. “You obviously haven’t had your mother try to give you advice on how to flirt or tell you how long you should wait before sleeping with someone for the first time.”
“No, can’t say that I have.”
“I didn’t think so.” Seeing his smile, along with that mischievous spark in his eye, sent tingles down my spine. I blushed and quickly glanced down at my beer. “If I had to guess, I’d say you never needed any advice. I’m sure you have no problem getting any woman you want.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Look at you,” I scoffed.
“Not sure what you mean by that, but I’ll tell ya this ... I think it would be kind of great to get some advice now and then.” He paused for a moment, and then his smirk returned as he reached for my burger and took another bite. While he returned it to my plate, he asked, “So, how long?”
“What do you mean?”
“How long did your mother say you should wait before sleeping with someone?”
“Umm ... well.” I knew he was just messing with me, but the suggestive nature of his question made my cheeks flush hot with embarrassment. I could feel the heat radiating from my face as I tried to think of a clever comeback. When it finally came to me, I smiled and said, “I guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”
As soon as the words came out of my mouth, his sexy little smirk faded, making me immediately regret my response. I was wishing I could take it back when he finally responded, “Well, start the timer.”
Damn. That was not at all what I expected him to say. Once again, I found myself blushing with no idea how to respond. I’d never been good at flirting. To be perfectly honest, I sucked at it. In fact, I sucked at everything where men were concerned. I just never had the confidence, nor the real desire to try and entice a man—until now. Having no clue what else to do, I simply smiled and reached for my drink. I was just finishing it off when his cell phone started to ring. I waited in silence as he took it from his pocket and answered, “Yeah?”
He waited a moment for the person on the other end of the line before he responded, “I’ll be there in twenty.”
As Clay put his phone back in his pocket, he looked over to me and said, “I’m sorry, but I’ve gotta get going.”
“Okay, I’m ready when you are.”
He placed a couple of twenties on the table, more than enough to cover our bill and the tip, then eased out of the booth. He extended his hand, helping me as I did the same. Once I was standing, I expected him to release my hand, but he didn’t. Instead, he held on to it as he led me out of the bar and into the parking lot. I followed him over to the truck and waited as he opened the door for me. As soon as I was settled, he walked over to the driver’s side and got in. Moments later, we were on the road and making our way back to the clinic. I glanced over in his direction, and became curious when I noticed that his back was rigid and his hold on the steering wheel was so tight, his knuckles were white. Clearly something was up. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. I’ve just got some shit I need to handle that I wasn’t planning on.” He shook his head with a grumble. “I know that doesn’t make any sense, but it’s hard to explain.”
“It’s okay. I totally understand.” Trying to hide the disappointment that was creeping up inside of me, I feigned a smile. “I hope whatever it is that you have to do won’t be too bad.”
“It’ll be fine. Just one of those things.”
Clay pulled up beside my car and parked. When he turned towards me, I could see the wheels turning in his head, but he didn’t say anything. He just sat there and silently stared at me with those incredible green eyes. I tried to ignore the butterflies doing somersaults in my stomach as I smiled and said, “Thanks for tonight. I had a great time.”
“I had a great time too.” I could hear the sincerity in his voice as he said, “I’m sorry we had to cut it short.”
“Nothing to be sorry about.” I opened the door and got out. “Maybe we can make up for it another night.”
“Yeah.” There was something rushed in his tone, making me curious of what exactly that phone call was all about. Unfortunately, I didn’t get a chance to ask. He put the truck in gear and said, “We’ll have to do that. I’ll give you a call or something.”
“Okay, night!”
I gave him a quick wave as I shut the door. I rushed over to my car and unlocked the door, then watched Clay whip out of the parking lot in a mad dash. As I was getting inside my car, I thought back to when he said he was prospecting for Satan’s Fury. I couldn’t help but wonder if that had something to do with the call. I liked Clay, I liked him a lot, and it made my heart ache to think that he might be involved in something he shouldn’t. I was starting to sink into a world of doubt when my phone started to ring. Without even looking to see who it was, I grabbed it out of my phone and answered, “Hello?”
“Landry? Oh my goodness. I’ve been trying to get in touch with you all day,” my mother fussed. “I was worried that something happened to you.”
“I just texted you twenty minutes ago.”
“I didn’t get any text from you.”
“Well, I sent you one.” Hoping to prove myself right, I pulled up my texts and was surprised to see that the message I’d typed out hadn’t sent. “I guess it didn’t go through.”
“You sound upset. What’s wrong?”
I don’t know how she did it. Maybe it was mother’s intuition or all her years working as a principal, but Mom could always tell when something was bugging me. I wasn’t ready to tell her about Clay, so I lied, “I’m just tired. It’s been a long day. That’s all.”
“You work too hard, sweetheart.”
“I don’t work any harder than you do, Mom,” I argued. “I’m fine.”
“Well, I hope you can rest when you get home. You obviously need it.”
“I’m headed that way now.”
I could hear the relief in her voice as she said, “Good. Take a hot bath and curl into bed with a book ... or you could check out this new show I’ve been watching. It’s this great little series about these women who rob a grocery store, and then get all mixed up with this gangster guy …”
I started my car and tried to keep up as she desc
ribed all the different characters and the messes they found themselves in. By the time she was done, I knew every detail about the show and no longer had a need to watch it. On a positive note, I’d made it back to my apartment. I parked, and as I started to grab my stuff, I told her, “Well, I’m home. I’ll check out the show tonight if I have time.”
“Great! I think you’ll really like it.”
“I’m sure I will. Night, Mom.”
“Good night, sweetheart.”
After I ended the call, I went upstairs to my apartment, dropped my things on the counter, and headed to the bathroom. By the time I got out of the shower, I was ready to crash, so I bypassed watching TV or reading and crawled into bed. I just wanted to go to sleep and put an end to my long day, but as soon as I closed my eyes, my mind started working against me. Between obsessing over how to handle my cases and rehashing my night with Clay, I couldn’t get settled. Thankfully, I was unaware that my entire world was about to be turned upside down, otherwise I would’ve been obsessing over that too.
Prospect
“You just don’t get it, man,” T-Bone fussed with a drunken slur. “Women are cold-hearted. They fuck with your head because they know they can.”
“You’re right,” Gauge grumbled as he rested his head against the passenger window. “They know how bad we want their pussy, and they use that shit against us.”
Even though T-Bone was a big dude—tall, muscled-up like a linebacker, and bald, he had his soft-hearted moments, especially when it came to women. The poor guy seemed to fall fast and land hard any time it came to a chick who caught his eye. It was clear he was feeling wounded as he mumbled, “They taunt us with that shit ... dangling it right in front of our fucking faces, and just when we’re ready to take hold, bam, the bitches yank it away. And that shit ain’t right.”
“Well, what are you gonna do?” Gauge was single like T-Bone, but unlike his buddy, he never got too attached. He was more of a one-night stand kind of guy, so I wasn’t surprised when he continued, “We gotta just keep at it.”