by Hope Stone
“I know.” She nodded, but the pain was still etched in her features. “But they were my only family, and I feel like I let them down.”
I regretted asking about her parents. It was a real shit situation, what happened to her. It was worse than my circumstances, in my opinion. I never had parents to care about, not really. So I didn’t feel like I’d lost anything, even when I went into the system. You couldn’t lose what you never had. But Erica had to deal with the sudden loss of people that she loved at such a young age. That kind of thing changed a person.
“No other family?” I knew how that was. “What about Dominic’s dad? Where is he?”
It was something that I had been wondering about since I found out there was a kid in the picture. I wasn’t intimidated by the idea of a jealous ex, but I also didn’t like to compete for affection. If Dominic’s dad still held a piece of her heart, I’d rather know now.
Erica’s demeanor completely changed when I mentioned the mystery man. Before, she’d been sad, but open. Now, she was completely closed off. Her back went ramrod straight, and all emotion was wiped from her face. I’d never seen someone put on a mask so quickly.
“He’s no one. He’s not in the picture.”
Well, it looked like sharing time was over. I let the subject drop, but one day she’d have to tell me what she was hiding. I didn’t care if she’d done something bad, I was in no place to judge, but I didn’t think that was it. She was haunted by something in her past.
“He seems like a good kid,” I said. “You’ve got this single parent thing down. That’s all a kid needs, at least one person that gives a damn. Mama Mae was that person for me.”
We’d finished our pretzels and were once again walking along the boardwalk. There were people all around, but I felt like it was just the two of us. She held my complete attention.
“You guys are still in touch?”
“Yeah. I moved out as soon as I turned eighteen, but I try to visit her every Sunday.”
“That’s nice.”
Erica’s phone beeped, and she checked the text message. “Looks like Elaine is ready for me to pick up Dominic.”
“Let’s go.”
When we got back to the bike, I mounted it and waited for her to climb up. As she settled in behind me, an unfamiliar feeling also settled in the center of my chest. A feeling of rightness and affection that I wasn’t quite ready to examine closely. All I knew right now was that I had the right girl on the back of my bike for the first time ever.
Erica
Monday was the beginning of my second week at the fitness center. I was fortunate in that yoga was very popular in this area, so I usually had a couple of classes a day. I wasn’t exactly rolling in the dough, but at least I had food in the fridge, and my rent was going to be paid on time.
I had even started to do research into different styles of yoga, such as prenatal and silent. I quickly discarded anything involving animals, such as cats, rabbits, and… goats? People had some strange ideas, but I didn’t think any kind of furry creature would be a good idea inside the gym. I wouldn’t want to clean up any messes afterward.
I wanted to offer a bigger variety to draw in more students and make myself a vital part of the team here. The first thing I wanted to add to the class schedule was a Mommy and Me class. It appealed to the parent side of me, and I thought that it would be a fun way to include Dominic in this part of my life.
I pitched the idea to Swole when she came by to check in with me before my last class of the day.
“Hmm, that’s interesting.” She crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side as her eyes took on a faraway look. “An evening class, I think. Start with one mid-week. We could emphasize the importance of youth fitness and maybe offer some kind of a discount if kids sign up for our new kids gymnastics classes.”
Swole was clearly talking to herself, working out the logistics in the way that an experienced manager does, but I couldn’t help interrupting.
“Gymnastic classes?”
“Yeah. Since Emory is getting older, I’ve been learning what a money pit kids are, and I figured it would be a good idea for the gym to benefit from it.”
I laughed. She had that right.
Swole left as my students started to file into the room for their beginner’s yoga class, promising to get back to me soon about the Mommy and Me class. I could tell she liked the idea, and that made me feel good because I respected the woman. She was smart and tough. No one would ever cross her. If I were more like that, I wouldn’t have become a battered wife.
As I rolled out my yoga mat and turned on soothing music, I told myself to focus on the now. All I could do was try to be a stronger woman now.
The class lasted an hour, and it was five in the evening by the time we were finished. I had arranged a daily pick-up time of six o’clock with Jennifer. This allowed me time to clean up and shower without hurrying. When I stepped out of the yoga room, I was looking at the main body of the gym, with rows of various exercise equipment on blue mats. Monday wasn’t the fitness center’s busiest day, being the beginning of many people’s workweek and all, so the place was nearly empty. There were two men on weight machines and a woman with earbuds in was running full-out on a treadmill. I could hear a rhythmic thumping from near the locker rooms, but that wasn’t within my line of vision.
Pulling out my cell phone, I checked for text messages. I kept it on vibrate during classes, and I wanted to make sure I hadn’t missed anything from Dominic’s sitter, Tammy, or Trainer.
Okay, I was mostly hoping to hear from Trainer.
But there was nothing. I frowned and shoved the thing back into my gym bag as I headed to the locker room. I rounded a corner and saw the source of the thumping. My mouth went dry as I watched Trainer working on a punching bag, beating the crap out of it. His body was channeling more power than I would have thought possible as he threw punch after punch at the heavy bag, making the chains that connected it to the floor and ceiling rattle.
He hadn’t seen me yet. His concentration was so fierce on the punching bag. There was something hostile in his expression. Something was wrong.
Before I could decide how to approach him, Trainer pivoted around the punching bag on the balls of his feet. His arms were still raised to continue throwing punches, but when he saw me standing there, he froze. His big body was unmoving except for his chest that pumped up and down with his heavy breaths. His eyes widened slightly as he took me in.
“Uh, I didn’t mean to interrupt—”
I stopped speaking as he took a step toward me. That menacing quality I’d sensed before remained, and I had the vague thought that I should be afraid, but I wasn’t. Instead, I wanted him more than ever.
Trainer stalked across the blue mat beneath our feet, not stopping until barely an inch of space separated us. I could feel the heat radiating from his body, warming my own. I tilted my head back to look up into his face. He looked less angry, but there was a lingering darkness that I wanted to make disappear.
Trainer ran the tips of his fingers up my arm, the barely-there touch leaving behind goosebumps. “Meet me outside in ten minutes.”
I couldn’t seem to breathe, so I just nodded. Trainer pecked my lips before stepping around me and going into the men’s locker room. I stood there for a beat in a daze. Then I snapped out of it and hurried into the women’s locker room.
While showering, I tried not to linger on my most sensitive parts. My nipples were hardened nubs, and my clit felt swollen. Images of Trainer’s muscled body ran through my mind.
I was outside in exactly ten minutes, with my wet hair pulled back with a hair tie. I stepped out into the parking lot, looking around until I spotted him already waiting for me, leaning against my car. As I drew closer to him, the smell of sandalwood reached me.
Once I was within arm’s reach, Trainer dragged my body into his, crushing my mouth with his own. I melted into him, surrendering as he took what he wanted… what we both ne
eded. By the time he pulled away, I was yearning for more.
“Do you have time?” he asked. I checked my phone. Five-twenty. I showed Trainer.
“I have to pick up Dominic at six.”
He nodded. “Not enough time. But I have to have a taste.” Trainer took my car keys out of my hand and got into the passenger seat. “Get in the back.”
I did, and Trainer started up the car, only to drive it around to the back of the building, out of sight of the road. He parked next to a metal door with an EXIT sign hanging above it. I looked around. With the position of the large dumpster and the L-shape of the building, we had as much privacy as possible here. As Trainer put the car in park and climbed into the backseat with me, I felt a small thrill at the knowledge that we were technically in public. It might be unlikely, but we could get caught, and that reality made my lust surge forward.
When Trainer had the door closed behind him, I boldly straddled him and pressed my lips to his once again. The hard evidence of his desire pressed against me, creating a glorious friction as I rubbed myself back and forth against him. Trainer’s hands landed on my hips before going underneath my shirt. His callused hands against my bare back made a shiver travel down my spine.
“So fucking soft,” he murmured as he broke away to trail kisses across my cheek and down my neck. His beard was soft against my skin.
I reached down to grab the hem of my shirt and pull it over my head. The red satin bra I had just put on had a front clasp, so I opened it. Trainer wasted no time leaning forward and taking a nipple into his mouth while bringing his hand forward to cup my other breast.
I gasped as he sucked lightly on my nipple, sending waves of pleasure straight to the juncture between my thighs. My hands went to his hair as he switched to my other breast, giving it the same lavish attention.
By now, my hips were thrusting wildly as I searched for a release, but it wasn’t enough. I needed more of him than the outline of his erection in his jeans.
“Trainer…” I didn’t know how to put my need into words, but he seemed to understand. Moving me as if I were weightless, Trainer sat me sideways onto the seat with my back pressed up against the door.
He crouched down in front of me, somehow cramming his big body onto the rest of the backseat. It couldn’t have been comfortable, but he didn’t seem to care at all. As his hands trailed up my legs, the heated look in his eyes said that he was exactly where he wanted to be.
I had never been so happy to be wearing a skirt in my life. In fact, I was seriously considering trading in every pair of jeans I owned for more skirts and dresses so that he could always have easy access.
Trainer’s lips left a trail of kisses along my inner thigh as he pushed my skirt up around my waist. Lifting my legs, he threw them over his shoulders, angling my hips in just the right way to allow him full access to my pussy. Pulling my panties to the side, he licked up my center, drawing a long moan from my lips.
Trainer was talented. There was no doubt about that. As he buried his face between my legs, I came undone. Legs shaking, I groaned and cried out in pleasure. He built up my ecstasy higher and higher until I was right on the edge of completion.
“Trainer, please… I need more.” My voice was breathless and needy.
Flicking my clit with his tongue, Trainer inserted a single, thick finger inside of me.
That was it. My orgasm slammed into me, and I found myself calling out his name like a prayer while I thrust my hands into his hair, pulling his face closer. Trainer lapped at me, taking his time as I rode out the climax.
Finally, I collapsed against the door, feeling boneless. Trainer lifted his head and looked at me with a wicked grin. My heart skittered as I saw the satisfaction in his face. This man had just given me the best orgasm of my life, and he was looking at me like I had given him a gift.
Who knew that men like this existed?
Trainer
I had a shitty day right up until I saw Erica. When I looked up from the punching bag I was punishing, everything seemed to turn on a dime. The aggression I was wrestling with, born of the helpless feeling I had in the face of Mama Mae’s potential illness, shifted into something else. It burned just as hot as anger but was far more satisfying.
Now, sitting in the backseat of her small car with my arm around her shoulders and her taste still on my tongue, I was relaxed for the first time since I’d woken up this morning.
“You want to tell me what’s going on with you?” she asked, her voice quiet.
I glanced at the time. Fifteen minutes until she had to pick up Dominic. We needed to part ways soon.
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You remember when I told you about Mama Mae?”
“Your foster mom? Yeah, I remember.”
“She had a biopsy done today. I took her.”
“A biopsy?”
“I guess she has a lump. The doctor isn’t sure if it’s something to worry about, so he took a piece to test.”
Erica lifted her head off my chest, looking into my face with her brow furrowed. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah.” I was worried as hell, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to talk about it, even with her. “It’s a bad deal, and I can’t do shit about it except wait to hear some news.”
“It bothers you not having someone or something to fight.” It wasn’t a question. We had known each other for such a short period of time, but she already knew me well.
I grunted.
“Okay, Mr. Tough Guy. I get it. We don’t have to talk about it. In fact”—she checked her phone for the time—“I need to get going.”
I clenched my jaw but didn’t argue. I got it; she had to get her kid. But a part of me wanted to go with her. To maybe get to know the boy because he was so important to her, and I might want to be a lasting part of her life.
But those thoughts scared me.
I’d done the solo thing for most of my life, not always by choice. Sure, I had the Outlaw Souls, but they were all tough as nails, people that I didn’t have to worry about. Then there was Mama Mae. Look at how the idea of her having cancer was tearing me up, and I didn’t even know if it was true yet. Did I really want to go further into this thing with Erica, knowing that I’d have the added weight of concern for her and Dominic on my shoulders? Was the burden of that worth the payoff? Looking into her face, I wanted to say yes, but I was also smart enough to know that caring came with risk to the heart.
I shook my head at myself. When did I become such a chickenshit?
Almost to prove to myself that I wasn’t, I leaned forward and pressed a quick, hard kiss to Erica’s mouth. She gave as good as she got, and I broke it off too soon. It was never enough with her. We both got out of the car.
“Call me. Or text. Whatever.” She smiled as she pulled her car door open. “But next time we get together, it’s your turn.”
Fuck.
“Can’t wait,” I said honestly. The very thought of her plump lips wrapped around my cock was enough to drive me mad.
I stood back from the car and watched her drive away before walking around the building to where my bike was parked. I didn’t expect these conflicting feelings. Hadn’t I just been lamenting my jealousy of people I knew in good, lasting relationships? I should be nothing but happy to have found a woman I might want that with. Instead, I was playing out hypotheticals in my head.
What if she got sick or hurt? What if she lost interest in me?
Like my mom did.
Damn it. I needed a drink.
Luckily, there was a pretty great bar right across the street.
I woke up the next day to my cell phone ringing. Fumbling around with my eyes still closed, I knocked it off my nightstand, making me crack my eyelids open to find it on the floor. Ryder’s name on the screen had me answering immediately, even though my voice was a harsh croak.
“Meeting at the bar in an hour.” Ryder hung up before I could reply, but that didn’t matter. It wasn’t a request.
&nb
sp; Sitting up in bed, I stretched my arms over my head, feeling my back crack. Cramming myself into the backseat of that car last night had not been easy or comfortable, and I was paying for it today, but it was worth it. My morning erection throbbed at the memory of Erica’s moans and the way she’d gasped my name.
I still wasn’t sure what I wanted out of this relationship with her, but my body had plenty of ideas about it. I was yawning as I stumbled into the bathroom, tripping over my damn boot that I had kicked off the night before.
Righting myself, I headed to the shower and turned it on the hottest temperature I could stand. Shedding my boxers, I stepped under the spray, letting the warmth seep into my muscles and relax them. My shower at the gym last night had been a quick one, since I was so eager to get outside to meet Erica. This morning I took my time, washing every inch of my body slowly. My skin felt overly sensitive, and the erection jutting out at my hips wasn’t going away any time soon.
Finally, I decided that I’d have to do something about it. Leaning my back against the tiled wall of the shower, I gripped myself. A fantasy played out in my mind of Erica here with me, water droplets running down her naked body as she got on her knees. I remembered the way her eyes seemed to turn a darker shade of green when she was aroused, and I imagined her looking up at me through her eyelashes with that same raw heat. I wanted it to be her hand on me… her lips… her tight-
My orgasm rippled through me faster than I expected, and Erica’s name left my lips with a low moan. The evidence of my release washed down the drain as I stood there trying to slow my racing heart.
One thing was clear: I needed more of Erica.
When I was done showering, I hurried through my morning routine and left the house ten minutes later. When I reached the bar, the parking lot was already half-full of motorcycles.
Two of our Prospects, Denny and Blade, were flanking the door of the bar, ensuring that no one came in during our meeting other than Outlaw Souls members. I nodded to both men as I passed.