by Naomi West
Now I was alone. I was some college girl getting ready to walk into a house full of men practically dripping with testosterone. The goal was to find Suntree, chat him up for a bit, get the info, and get out of there.
And if I happened to see Dakota in the process, so much the better. Then again, I was conflicted about that. I didn’t want Dakota to think that I was some kind of hanger-on like the girls at these parties.
But I also didn’t want him to think that I cared what he thought. Ugh, it was so confusing.
Once I’d gathered my nerve, I started towards the house. The low thump of rock music grew with each step I took, and before too long I was able to spot the massive crowd of bikers out front, drinking and carrying on just like before.
Eyes locked onto me as I approached, and part of me wanted to turn around and run away as fast as I could. Too late for that now, though—some girl showing up and leaving right away might strike the guys as suspicious, like I was a cop or something.
“What’s up, sexy?” called out one of the bikers, a guy who looked to be a little older than me. “You here all alone?”
Yes, I wanted to say. I’m here all alone in the middle of a biker party like some kind of dumbass.
“Nope,” I said. “Meeting my boyfriend. And unless you want to tell him what you just told me, you might want to keep your mouth closed.”
“Ohhs” sounded out from the guys around him, and the dude who’d been catcalling me realized that if he said another word, he was going to have to put up or shut up.
Luckily for me, he chose the latter.
I hurried past the guys out front, making my way inside the house. I grabbed a beer from the fridge, wanting to look natural, like I belonged there, and popped it open. Drink in hand, I took in the scene.
The place was just as rowdy as it had been the last time I was here. Maybe even more so. The incident with the other guys from the last party fresh in my mind, I did my best to stay out of sight and not attract any undue attention.
It didn’t work, of course. A girl by herself at a party like this was what every guy wanted. Just being a woman with a drink was effectively a giant neon sign above my head that said “unclaimed woman” in massive letters.
Part of me wanted to drop my beer and run out as fast as I could. But another part of me, a stubborn part, wanted to stay and get the job done. So, that’s what I did. I put up a tough façade and tried to ignore the many sets of eyes in the place moving up and down my body.
“Hold on a second. Was I wrong for assuming you were smart?”
My eyes went wide, and I turned on my heel to find myself face to face with none other than Dakota. Relief and shock washed over me in equal measure, but the relief didn’t stop me from being so surprised that I launched the beer bottle straight up out of my hand.
With surprising speed, Dakota’s own shot out and grabbed the bottle. He gave it a look over as if inspecting it, then handed it back to me.
“Hey!” I said, snatching the bottle out of his hand. “What’re you suggesting? That I’m some kind of dumbass?”
He shrugged and smirked.
“Your words, not mine.”
“Well, I don’t agree,” I said.
“So you say,” he said. “But on the other hand, you’re a gorgeous girl wandering around a party full of horny dudes. You’d be safer hanging ten pounds of raw meat from your clothes and wandering into the middle of a wolf pen at a zoo.”
He wasn’t wrong, but I wasn’t about to admit it.
“I can handle myself,” I said. “I don’t need someone looking out for me.”
“So you say,” he said. “But you know how I knew you were here?”
“How’s that?”
“Because I happened to pass by three separate conversations that you were the subject of.”
“Oh,” I said, my voice soft.
“And I thought to myself, ‘what girl to do I know thinks it’s a good idea to be at a party like this by herself’?”
“I wasn’t alone before,” I said. “I had Bonnie.”
“Yeah,” he said. “And she was right there at your side until Suntree charmed her away.”
He had a point.
“I know, I know,” I said.
“But that raises the question—why the hell are you here tonight?”
“What?” I asked. “Am I not welcome?”
He tilted his head to the side.
“No,” he said. “Not that. There isn’t a guy here who’d turn away a cute girl wandering in here alone.”
I hated to admit it, but his compliments had quite the effect on me. Between calling me “gorgeous” and “cute,” I was starting to feel all tingly and warm.
“Then why are you giving me such shit?” I asked.
He took a swig of his beer through a smirk.
“Because it’s fun,” he said.
“Wow,” I said. “Thanks.”
“Don’t take yourself so seriously,” he said. “Parties are for having a good time, remember? I’m assuming that’s why you’re here, after all.”
Then he furrowed his brow.
“That is why you’re here, right?” he asked.
My face must’ve made a very telling expression.
“All right,” he said. “Let’s hear it.”
“No way,” I said. “Don’t worry about it.”
“What?” he asked. “You come here for some reason other than to party and now you want to tell me not to worry about it?”
“It’s stupid,” I said.
“Hey,” he said with a smirk. “If you don’t tell me why you’re here, I might have to assume that it’s a security emergency. How do I know you’re not a spy?”
“Very funny,” I said.
“So, let’s hear it,” he said. “What brings a girl like you to a party like this?”
I sighed.
“Okay,” I said. “But you have to promise not to make fun of me.”
“I’ll do my best.”
I bit down on my lip, totally loathing having to get into it. With another sigh, I started.
“Okay,” I said. “You know my friend Bonnie?”
“Of course I do,” he said. “Your little sidekick. Or maybe you’re the sidekick.”
“You going to let me talk?” I asked.
He smirked and nodded for me to go on.
“Well, she had her little thing with Suntree.”
“That she did.”
“And now … she’s wondering what’s up with all that.”
He raised his eyebrows.
“Wondering what’s up?” asked Dakota. “What does that mean?”
“It means she wants to know if he’s, I don’t know, into her. I guess.”
Dakota regarded me for a moment before letting out a bark of a laugh that was so loud it cut through the noise of the party and attracted the attention of more than a few people within earshot.
“Come on!” I said, protesting. “You said that you weren’t going to make fun of me!”
“I did say that,” he said, recovering from his laughter. “But I didn’t say I wasn’t going to make fun of the situation.”
“Well, get it all out, I guess,” I said.
“Come on,” he said. “You have to admit it’s kind of funny.”
“How so?”
“Your friend Bonnie—she came to a place like this, with guys like the ones that party here. Then she hooked up with one of them. And now she wants to know if he’s into her?”
“Is it that bizarre?” I asked. “She’s a girl, and girls don’t really like getting used and tossed aside.”
“No, no,” he said. “I get that. But still …”
He gestured to the wild scene of the party.
“This isn’t exactly where you go to find a gentleman,” he said.
“Hey, you don’t have to tell me that,” I said. “Last thing I’d want is a guy from here.”
I realized as soon as I said the words that they weren’t
exactly true. Dakota was looking good as ever, after all. His ropy arms hung down at his sides from under a tight black T-shirt, and his eyes were as piercing and gorgeous as ever.
But I made a mental note to not get distracted. I wasn’t here for him.
“Sure, sure,” he said with a smile that almost seemed knowing. “And now you’re playing intelligence agent. I guess you are something like a spy after all.”
I smirked, realizing that he was kind of right.
“So yeah. I know it’s stupid. But I told her I’d do it, so here I am.”
“That raises another question,” he said. “Why are you doing it?”
“Because she’s a friend?” I said. “And that’s what friends do for each other.”
He flashed me a look that suggested he didn’t entirely believe me.
“What?” I said.
“Nothing,” he said. “Just that you and her didn’t seem all that tight.”
“What makes you think that?”
“I’m good at reading people,” he said. “And I could tell by the way you two were with each other that there was a little distance. Not the total closeness of two really good friends.”
“When did you even see us together?”
“Across the party,” he said.
“And that’s all it takes for you to know everything about Bonnie and me?”
“Well,” he said. “Am I wrong?”
He wasn’t, and it was strange how he was able to pinpoint that so easily.
“Not really,” I said. “I mean, we’re friends. But we knew each other back in high school and … Wait, why am I telling you this?”
He shrugged.
“I’m not pressing you for info,” he said.
“You kind of are,” I said right back. “But anyway, that’s why I’m here. Doing some fact-finding for Bonnie.”
“Let me ask you this,” he said. “What do you think is going on?”
“Between Suntree and Bonnie?” I asked.
He nodded.
“You want my opinion, I think Bonnie was good enough to be a temporary inductee of Suntree’s harem for the night. And Bonnie, having no idea how a world like this works, thinks that there’s something more.”
“Or,” said Dakota. “That’s how Suntree usually rolls, but Bonnie was something special and now he’s thinking things about her that he’s never thought about any other girl.”
“Wait,” I said. “Are you serious?”
“Could be,” he said. “Or maybe you’re right and Suntree wouldn’t even be able to pick Bonnie out of a lineup.”
“So which is it?” I asked. “Because it seems like you know.”
“I do know,” he said. “But I’m not telling.”
“Are you serious?” I asked. “You’ve got the info that I’m looking for and you’re holding it back?”
Another smirk. I couldn’t help it—I reached forward and gave him a jab right to the chest. I wasn’t trying to hurt him, but even so my fist throbbed with pain upon connecting with his solid pec.
“Damn,” he said. “With a swing like that, we might need to recruit you for the front lines.”
“Jerk,” I said. “But tell me!”
Dakota glanced away for a moment in thought.
“Here’s the deal,” he said. “Remember how you ditched me before?”
I felt a cold tingle of shame.
“Um, yeah,” I said.
“What was up with that?”
“I … I don’t know,” I said.
That was a lie—I did. I had run off because I didn’t want to be anywhere near someone capable of such violence as Dakota was. Though being here with him now, I actually felt kind of safe.
“Kind of a dick move,” he said. “Right?”
“Sorry,” I said. “It was—”
He waved his hand in front of himself.
“Don’t worry about it,” he said. “No explanation needed. But if you want that info, you’re going to have to meet my terms.”
Uh oh. What could he possibly ask? Was he going to request some kind of … favors?
Truth be told, however, there’d be worse things in the world.
“Fine,” I said. “Let’s hear it.”
“You want the info, then you come with me on another ride.”
“Really?” I asked. “To where?”
“Dunno,” he said. “Thinking someplace not here. Someplace in the city, maybe.”
“And … that’s it?” I asked. “I go for a ride with you and you tell me what I want?”
“I think that’s more than fair,” he said.
I thought it over for a brief minute. There was no way I was going to admit it to Dakota, but I was sort of liking the idea of hanging out with him again.
Who knows? Maybe it’d be fun.
“Okay,” I said. “You’ve got me for the night.”
“Perfect,” he said. “Figured you’d be down with getting out of this place anyhow.”
“Wow,” I said with a sardonic smirk. “You really are good at reading people.”
He laughed again before nodding towards the door. More catcalls sounded out on the way there, but this time Dakota was quick to shut up the offenders with hard glances. I liked it—he could really keep these jokers in line.
We soon arrived at this bike, and he handed me his helmet.
“Now,” he said as he climbed on the back. “No ditching the helmet.”
I gave him a goofy salute as I got on the bike. Just as before, the vibration ran through my body and got me thinking all sorts of interesting things about Dakota. I wrapped my arms around him, noting once more his lean, toned body.
Then he gunned the engine and we were off into the night, together.
14
Dakota
I steered the motorcycle away from the party, down towards the highway. Glancing down, I took in the sight of Hazel’s slim, pale arms wrapped around my body. It felt good to have a girl as hot as her pressed against me, her breasts soft against my back. Her touch and her smell were enough to get my cock to twitch in my jeans.
Keep your fucking head on straight, Dakota, I told myself. We’re just out for the night.
Truth be told, I didn’t really know what I had planned for the evening. I wanted Hazel all to myself, sure, but how much of her I wanted, I hadn’t really decided. Was I letting my cock do the thinking for me? Or was the girl casting some kind of spell over me?
I turned my thoughts back to the road. Before too long, the towers of downtown Angel City appeared in the distance, twinkling with their evening lights. I pulled off as we got into deep downtown and slowed the bike to navigate the roads. The skyscrapers loomed overhead, pedestrians crowded the sidewalks, and the air crackled with that evening magic you only found in the city.
I scanned my mental list of places to go, deciding on a nearby bar. A few turns later and we were in front of it. I pulled the bike into an open spot and killed the engine.
“How you holding up back there?” I asked.
“Good,” she said. “That was … fast.”
“That’s how I like to ride,” I said.
She took off the helmet and handed it over. I climbed off the bike and chained the helmet to the steering wheel, helping Hazel off after I did.
“Where to?” she asked.
“You’re looking at it,” I said, nodding towards the neon-strewn front of the Dubliner. “One of my favorite dives in the city.”
“What’s so great about it?”
“Good drinks, chill vibe,” I said. “What’s not to like?”
I led her to the front door, opening it up for her as we approached. The place was about as I remembered, with a dark interior, bass-heavy rock music on the jukebox, and a collection of some old-timer bikers here and there. The bartender gave me a knowing nod as I entered, his eyes flicking to Hazel for a brief moment.
I had to smirk. I knew any of the guys here would kill to have a girl as hot as her at their side, and I had
a feeling that if I weren’t a member of the Names, some of them might’ve been trying to figure out the best way to steal her from me.
“Nice place,” she said, looking around after we’d taken a seat at a quiet table towards the back of the place.
“It’s a dive,” I said. “But that’s what I like about it.”
“It kind of has you written all over it,” she said.
I raised an eyebrow.
“That a good thing?” I asked.
“Maybe,” she said with a smile. “We’ll see.”
The bartender brought us a pitcher of beer, two glasses, and two shots of whiskey. He gave me a nod before departing.
“Shots, huh?” she asked. “Is it going to be that kind of night?”
“Sure,” I said. “If that kind of night’s what you’re looking for.”
“Not sure what I’m looking for, exactly,” she said.
“Then drink up,” I said. “Booze has a way of sorting those things out.”
We raised our glasses.
“What’re we drinking to?” she asked.
“To you being the worst spy ever,” I said with a grin.
“Hey!” she said, slapping my arm. “Rude.”
We tapped our glasses and threw back the booze, Hazel’s eyes going wide as she brought it down in a hard swallow.
“Holy shit!” she exclaimed. “What the hell is that?”
“Whiskey,” I said. “Never had it before?”
“No,” she said as she fanned her red face. “Not like that kind.”
“Owner makes his own special small-batch stuff. Might not be entirely legal, but it works like a damn charm.”
Hazel poured herself a beer and quickly took a swig, washing the taste of the booze out of her mouth with a different kind of booze.
“Damn,” she said, shaking her head.
Once she’d recovered, she went right into it.
“Anyway,” she said, leaning close, close enough that I could feel the heat from her body. “Let’s hear the dish.”
“About Suntree and Bonnie?”
“That’s right,” she said.
I leaned back and wove my hands together behind my head.
“Well,” I said. “He … actually kind of likes her.”