I think back to the night we met. He was cute, and alone, which I thought was unusual. My date had been an absolute trainwreck. That was the last time I ever let anyone set me up - especially a girl I barely knew from work. She said her brother was a dreamboat. Whichever person’s dreams he was sailing through; they definitely weren’t mine.
Besides, no matter how polite I intended to be, I really couldn’t keep my eyes - or thoughts - away from the hottie on the other side of me. My date, the ‘dreamboat’, quickly bailed when he noticed he hadn’t captured my attention.
I’d kept an eye on the mysterious hottie for an hour or so afterward, despite him being a Scorpio. I already knew we had no hope in heaven of starting a relationship. We couldn’t have been farther from a match. My horoscope had never been wrong before - that was my whole reason for believing such a silly thing in the first place.
So, instead of going up to him, I waited. Waited too long apparently, as I watched another girl catch his eye as she walked across the room. No fucking way was I about to let that happen. I moved quicker than the speed of light to get to him first.
“Screw fate, let’s dance,” I’d said, emboldened by another drink, and Tyler, thankfully, did not back down. I took his hand and led him onto the dancefloor amongst the sea of grinding, scantily clad bodies.
We ended up getting hot and heavy, and he came back to my place that night. We had a pretty wild time.
The memory makes me smile into my glass as I take another sip of wine. After finishing my glass, I decide it’s probably best if I cork the bottle and turn in. I have work tomorrow and although I don’t start until after lunch, I’d rather not feel groggy and hungover all day. Been there, done that. It’s not fun, or pretty.
And just like that, one text conversation with Tyler and my mind is less stressed.
Tyler
I try not to let my face reflect what my mind is thinking. I’m sitting behind the tech desk at the clubhouse - out in the open where everyone has a clear view of me. Honestly, I think Cohen likes it this way, putting me somewhere that I can be watched.
Sometimes it feels like he still doesn’t trust me. I don’t mind the new job; it plays to my strengths better and I get to hang out with people - my new friends - all day. I’ve been enjoying myself too much to worry about whether the boss thinks I’m doing a good job or not. This time I know I’m doing a good job. I’ve always had a keen eye for details, and technology just comes to me like second nature. It makes sense that I work in security.
But, right now, for the first time, I’m not liking how very public my workspace is. I need just a minute or two of privacy.
It’s getting late, which one would normally think meant that the Sapphires’ clubhouse was quiet, but it’s not. I don’t think I’ve ever been alone here, there’s always someone hanging about. Which most of the time I don’t mind, as it means I have people to talk to. It makes my job a little less boring when nothing is going on. But, the later it gets, the more people appear - it’s almost like having a non-official nightly pot-luck. For me, it’s almost quitting time.
Unlike most of the others within the Sapphires’, I have late nights at the desk. If there’s something going down, then I have even longer hours. Those shifts I hate; they strip me of the option of popping by Jess’ on the way home. Then again, it looks like I’m unwanted tonight anyway, so I suppose there’s no reason to rush out of here.
I mean, at least Jess is no Rachel, she was obsessive in the worst way. I’ve spent more than a few nights comparing Jessica to my other past relationships — if you can even call them that — and tonight wasn’t looking to be any different.
My mind wants to wander into why she messaged in the first place — was it because she didn’t have anything better to do? — but I stop myself from going down that depressing route. I know what will make things better: a nice cold beer.
“Ty,” Tanzie catches my attention, dragging it away from my endless daze. “You stopping for tea tonight? Mel’s throwing some steaks on the grill.”
She has a gentle smile despite all the chaos going on around her. That’s why she appears as the mother figure to everyone here. She’s the type of woman you see in the movies and on television shows - the kind, funny, nurturing mother that every motherless child dreams of at night.
Hell, I’m sure I even dreamed of it at one point. Lord knows, my mother wasn’t half the woman Tanzie is. It’s a wonder she and Mel haven’t had kids of their own yet.
I smile and nod, “Yeah, I’ll be around for a bit.”
If these people have done nothing else, they’ve surely welcomed me into the group with the number of parties thrown.
I check my watch to see that it’s quitting time. I feel my shoulders drop as some of the tension leaves them. Finally! Today has dragged by at a ridiculously slow pace. Or at least the last few hours have. Since she started texting. I had taken that for a good sign, but now I think I may have jumped the gun.
I had only been here a month or so when I started to feel my walls slip. Armour that I’d built up around me since I was just a teen, slowly being broken down, piece by piece. It had been scary; it had taken a while longer to understand why it was happening. I’d finally found somewhere that I could belong, found people that I could trust. Good, kind, whole-hearted people that quickly took me in solely because Sage vouched for me.
I move through to the kitchen and grab a can of beer from the fridge. I take a long pull as I move myself to the farthest point in the kitchen, not wanting to get into Tanzie’s way as she goes about making dinner. Not that anyone else seems to be giving it a second thought.
Alec and Rex have been tossing a football back and forth for the past half an hour, but input Lucina and all that goes to hell. Their controlled boredom now seems to have turned into a childish game of keep-away from Lucina.
This whole homely, family-style situation that I’ve landed myself in the middle of isn’t anything I’m used to. My parents, being who they are, were very different than anyone else I’ve met - even in a biker gang.
Our home was cold, staffed by maids and nannies. Very, very different from the scene in front of me. The noise alone has me nervous, scared of my father hearing and coming to punish us. It’s laughable, really, but I know that everyone here has been through their share of hardships too.
So, get over yourself, Ty.
The cool liquid washes down my throat, and I feel myself relaxing. Time for some video games, I think. I step past the boisterous game just as a crash echoes. Yep, definitely time to leave the room. Besides, I get sick of the whole ‘Lucina’ show, it gets obnoxious after too long. I wonder if it gets on anyone else’s nerves, or anyone has even noticed.
Lucina, or Luce, is the baby sister of Sage — and the centre of both Alec and Rex’s affections. I can’t believe Sage hasn’t cracked down on either of them — yet. Because he will. It’s inevitable. I’ve known Sage for nearly a year now, but it hasn’t taken me that long to see how much he cares for his sister. Those boys are in for a hell of a lot of trouble when he does find out. To be honest, I don’t know if she’d be worth the trouble.
Don’t get me wrong, I’ve grown close to Luce too. She’s one of those people that naturally draws you in, platonically and sexually. I can guarantee that every guy here has thought about her naked. It doesn't matter whose sister they are, if they’re hot then they’re hot, there’s no point dancing around the facts.
While I like her personality as well as find her attractive, she’s not my type of person. She’s got annoying qualities, sure, but it’s her confidence that rubs me wrong. She’s gorgeous, and she knows it. So maybe not all the time, but definitely sometimes, she uses that against people — I’ve seen it. Men fall at her feet and she commands them to, but in what order is the big question.
Right from the start, I saw the look in Alec’s eye, but it didn’t compare to the way Rex hovered around her. They were both lovestruck, and I felt for them. Sooner or later,
there’s going to be an awkward conversation.
I sigh, suddenly very thankful that I’m not the one caught in that sticky situation. I take a seat on the couch in the living room. I turn on the Xbox and since there’s no one else around to join my game; I select one player mode. I’ve got some time to kill before Mel will be ready with Dinner.
I’ve never had my heart broken. I don’t think so, anyway. Not in the same way that you see on the television or read about in the history books. I’ve been hurt by cheating girlfriends, disappointed in friends, but above all the hardest thing I’ve ever had to stomach is learning the true nature of my parents’ business. I can’t imagine any of that feeling at all close to what Rex or Alec will feel when the fog clears. Again, I feel for them.
My hands move against the controller as if on autopilot as I savour the lull that has fallen on the room. My guess is that the guys took the ball game outside. Compared to overnights, the house was relatively quiet anyway, even with Lucina and Alec carrying on. It’s hard to imagine that the noise level rises even more when there’s a full house.
Sage will most likely be still at the shooting range. That guy lives for his job. Hammer is probably with Sage or at the club, he does a lot of security work. Of course, Cohen will have finished his work and will now be back by Angel’s side.
Luckily, since Cohen met Angel he’s been around less than usual, and when he does come by he’s always a smidge happier than normal - which is both good for us and nice to see. We’re all so thankful that Angel came into our lives. She has a great gift of being able to put Cohen in his place. And there’s not a person in the MC that doesn’t snicker at that.
After smashing through a few quick rounds of the old Battlefield shooter, I’m still not fully absorbed… until Tanzie surprises me in the doorway, “We’re all outside with the fire going, I think the food is nearly ready.”
“Right behind ya,” I jump up from the couch and follow her out, stopping off at the fridge for another beer.
* * *
I walk through the door of my rented apartment later than I had anticipated. It’s dark, quiet and empty. This is the one place I know where I can be totally alone. That feeling used to calm the thoughts in my mind, but more and more it sends a cool shiver down my back. I had been travelling for so long, never staying in one place for too long. I’ve been here for so much longer than I had first planned. But I like it here. It’s taking time, but I’ve finally started to settle.
I think that’s what’s wrong with my apartment. It’s empty in every sense of the word, but more than anything, it’s bare. A completely blank canvas. Maybe it’s about time I start to fix this place up and make it mine. Make it more about my new home rather than a new hotel room.
I strip off as I make my way to the bedroom. It’s dark, but it’s a straight shot to the bed. I collapse on top of the covers and tiredness that I hadn’t realized was there seals my eyelids shut. I know I’m in for a long night when I start to doze off and her face appears in my mind.
White rose bouquets line the aisle. An ivory dress. A lace veil.
Those eyes.
I jerk awake. What the fuck?
It’s wrong. I know it is. I shouldn’t be feeling this way, shouldn’t be thinking this way.
Jess wasn’t ever going to be a one-night stand, she’s too good for that. But dreaming about our wedding? That’s too far. We’re not even dating, for fuck’s sake. What scares me more is that the image of the wedding was beautiful. Jess was beautiful.
While I’m nowhere near ready for marriage, I do like Jess - maybe more than I’m willing to admit. Maybe I should take this as a sign that I should nut up and take our relationship to the next level.
It’s not like I’ve not tried before — because I certainly have! — But it’s Jess that shuts the idea down every time. As crazy as it sounds, I think she may be a commitment-phobe. I wish she’d give me an idea of why she always runs the other way when it comes up.
I think back to the first night we spent together, both a little drunk and more than a little into each other. She had been wearing a drop-dead gorgeous red dress, a slinky, clingy, off the shoulder little number that set my pulse racing just looking at her. Beneath it, I found out later; she was wearing a matching lacy bra and thong set that definitely caught my attention. I was sitting on her bed when she had slipped off the dress and sealed my fate. She came towards me and I knew I was powerless to stop her. She had me in her grasp and that was that.
At the thought of that night together, I’m hard as granite again. I slip my cock out of my pants and start gently stroking up and down the length of it. The firm head is throbbing with the force of my erection, I brush the end of my thumb over it and feel a bead of precum there. I think back to Jessica, to our first night together, as I work the length of my cock in my hand. She was a goddess to me, amazing and powerful and confident. Everything I wanted and everything I needed wrapped up in one sexy package.
I stroke harder and faster, working myself up. Her breasts, the gentle curve of her hips, the scent of her shampoo as her hair brushed over my face. I feel myself nearing the edge of my climax as a buzzing starts from somewhere beside me. I try to ignore it by just focusing on Jess, and eventually, the buzzing stops.
But not for long.
I’m just about to shoot my load when the persistent buzzing starts again.
“Argh!” I groan as I look over at my phone on the side table. I catch it mid-air as it buzzes right off the table. The screen flashes with Sage’s name and I almost wish I had let it hit the ground, anything to get me out of having to deal with this.
After a long day chasing up errands for Sage, I panic-cancel on Jess. The dream continues to stick in my mind, almost like a reminder of why I should really put some distance between myself and the situation.
Days later and the dream continues to stick in my mind. I just can’t seem to shake it and as a result, I continue to dodge Jess’ calls. It’s not exactly a long-term plan, but nor is being pussy whipped. I may just have to go to church and pray that that lets up. If only Sage and the crew knew what had been occupying my mind, I’d be whipped for sure.
Jessica
I resist the urge to swing my feet under my seat as I wait for my name to be called in the doctor’s surgery. I booked the appointment as soon as I heard they had my results back and was surprised to get one within a few days. I had to know what was wrong with me. I needed to know how bad things were — or if they were going to get worse.
I know that this kind of fertility-bullshit-endometriosis-drama runs in the family, so they’ve always been a worry in the back of my — and my mom’s — mind. It sucks that it doesn’t get the investigation it needs early on. Patriarchy, blah blah blah.
Whatever.
Normally, I’m up for the feminist speeches I mentally prepare, but today, I’m too raw to think of why the problems people with uteruses have aren’t investigated early on by medical professionals. Either I have it, and I have to deal with it, or I don’t and I just have periods from hell for no reason.
I’ve always had a bad time around shark week — or that time of the month, as most people call it — but it wasn’t unusual in my family, so I thought it must’ve just been the norm for most people. It wasn’t until I was in college that my cramps got so bad that I’d faint or vomit that I decided I had to do something about it medically. There’s only so much heat pads and painkillers can do when you’re sobbing on your friend’s bathroom floor, y’know?
So there I was, nineteen and just looking to get a doctor to listen long enough to prescribe something a little stronger. Unfortunately for me, there’s a lot of pharmaceutical abuse in this part of town, so finding a doctor willing to give more than the age-old advice: “Take Aspirin” is like finding actual gold nuggets in the Mississippi River.
It took six years to get a doctor who would really listen, who decided I needed more tests, and who then sent me to get scans of my womb and ovaries. This is
what I’m going to hear back about today.
And I’m fucking terrified.
Tammy was going to come with me as all good best friends would, but she got called into work at the last minute. Her boss is a real asshole, so there was no explaining away how necessary it was that she was here for me.
I did think this morning, while I was really freaking out, that I should give Tyler a call, but I do not need to explain all of this horridness to him. Not even providing the information ‘in a nutshell’ would make it easier. It would probably, in fact, make it worse!
I just didn’t need that extra stress.
So here I am. Alone. In the Doc—
“Jessica Munroe?” I jump, the southern drawl is loud in my ears despite the receptionist being across the room. I look up as she gestures to the door that leads to the back of the surgery. “Doctor Martinez will see you in room three, honey.”
I nod and give her a shaky smile before hitching my bag onto my shoulder and heading through the double doors into the corridor of rooms beyond.
Room three is the corner room, Doctor Martinez once said she liked the sunlight in it in the afternoons. That was during one of the many, many internal examinations she’s given me in the hunt to find out what’s wrong with me. Smears are awkward at the best of times. I think she was just telling me any random shit to get me to relax…
Doctor Martinez stands and greets me with a warm smile as I enter her room. There are pictures of her family and of all kinds of horizons on the wall beside her desk. She used to travel a lot, she said once, doing relief work. I like Doctor Martinez; she has kind eyes, and it puts me at ease. So when she runs her tongue over her lips in a minute gesture of nervousness, my stomach clenches.
Wicked Little Thing Page 2