"So why tell me this now, why not just do your damn job and walk away?" I jerk my arm from his grasp. "Don't touch me, you are a liar and you played me. That is not love; love is not based on lies and betrayal." He grabs my arm again.
"Baby please, I meant what I said. I'll prove it." he shoves a phone in my face showing me that he was the one sending me those awful text messages.
"You've been spying on me for a long time. That's sick."
"Not as sick as that fucker old enough to be your father putting his hands on you. He deserves to go to jail for that."
"You have no right."
"I have plenty of right. I am cop and covering for you goes against everything I swore an oath to. I was supposed to use the pictures to blackmail you for information on your family. I couldn't hurt you like that. You don't understand. Rush is breathing down my neck. My boss is leaning on me to give him something on your family. I can't protect you like this. Come away with me. I have enough money we could be safe."
"I won't rat on you, but that is because if you haven't noticed I am not a dirty rat like you, and Trouble is my friend. Snitches get stitches so if I was you I would watch your back." Lucky doesn't stop me and I don't know where I am going or how I am getting there. But I can't stay here and I can't look at Trouble right now. Therefore, I call my only other choice, Striker. He comes for me, no questions asked. I go home crawl into bed and try to fight my tears, my heartache.
**
I can't believe it's finally here—graduation day and I am finally a legal adult. I haven't heard from Lucky but I haven't really had time to worry about it. Yesterday was so busy and today is going to be hectic as well. I have an appointment to get my hair done and if I don't get a move on I am going to be late. Rumor was supposed to come with me, but Rebel is leaving tomorrow for Chicago and she wants to spend some time with him. I still feel slightly weirded out by them being together, I just don't want her to get hurt, but she says that she doesn't even know if anything will ever really happen for them.
She is taking her firsts steps in getting out of the life and she doesn't have any intentions on changing her plans. We shall see how she feels about it once they are both in the same city and there is nothing standing in their way. I head to the Roadhouse to find Grim, I need the keys to his truck and Sunshine is nowhere to be found for me to use her car.
"Hey, old man, need your keys. Gotta' get my hair did and I am running late." I give my dad a gentle squeeze. Things aren't the best they have ever been between us, but they aren't at their worst either. He has already given me his permission to stay out as late as I want tonight as long as I am not drinking and driving.
"Here" he tosses me a key ring, and tries not to smile when he sees the expression on my face as I look at the keys.
"No way, you got me car." I am jumping up and down unable to contain my excitement.
Parked out in front of The Roadhouse is a brand new pink convertible mustang. "Figured you were tired of driving my piece of shit truck. And Trouble isn't going to be around to drive ya all the time, he's heading out with Rebel and Striker in the morning." Well damn, I am going to be on my own all summer; first Rebel and Striker are leaving, then Rumor and now Trouble. I will be spending most of my summer babysitting for Romeo and LL anyway with school being out. I could have spent the summer with Lucky if he wasn't a cop.
Speaking of the Devil, how does he seem to always know where I am? I am sitting in the chair at the salon getting my hair put in an up do and low and behold Lucky is in the chair next to me getting his hair trimmed. "How do you do that?" I ask him out of curiosity, though I should ignore the bastard.
"Do what?" He asks with a hint of annoyance.
"Appear out of thin air, when I am thinking about you?"
"So you have been thinking about me." He smirks amused with himself as the hairdresser dust the hair off his cape. I roll my eyes; I am not playing his game. "Happy graduation day." He kisses me on the cheek, pays for his haircut and leaves. Why does he infuriate the hell out of me and turn me on at the same time.
When I get into my new car, I take a minute to breathe in the scent of the new leather. Grim really outdone himself, it's perfect. My phone is chiming and it is a text from Lucky.
Lucky: Will you meet me tonight?
Baby: Why, have more questions about my family for your prez or your force?
Lucky: We need to talk it's important.
Baby: Fine I'll call you when I am free.
Why did I say yes, he is going to try and sucker me back in...
**
"Congratulations graduates this concludes our ceremony and you are officially on the way to your tomorrow." The keynote speaker releases us from the heat of this cramped gymnasium.
Grim and pretty much the whole club are waiting for me at the Roadhouse after I have went home and changed, the party isn't just for me though the guys want to send Rebel, Striker and Trouble off in style. I can't believe the old man is actually throwing me a party and allowing me in the Roadhouse with everyone. I have only ever been allowed at parties when nothing major is going on, when I am working in the kitchen or when Grim is out of town.
Beer is flowing from the tap freely, music is blaring, jars of shine are overflowing, and skin is showing, the smell of men and leather is in the air, mixed with smoke — the party is in full swing when I arrive. Everyone is laughing and having a good time. My dad actually hands me a beer, he brings me in close to him and wraps his arm around my shoulder, "I'm proud of you Baby, your mom would be proud of you too. Now don't go hog wild and behave yourself." He takes Sunshine by the hand and leads her upstairs. I know he is trying to let me grow up but it is hard for him to watch.
I sip my beer and look around the room, taking it all in. I don't know why but I have this weird feeling that this is the last time we will all be together and happy. Maybe I am just feeling sentimental because I graduated today and everything is constantly changing. I don't know who I am suppose to be and where I fit in within the club. I always imagined my place was at Rebel's side, but looking at him right now, seeing the way he looks at Rumor, I know letting him go was the best thing I have ever done. Stone and his wife are tangled up in one another. Tread has a whore on his arm.
Romeo breaks away from the game of pool he was just playing and comes to stand by me at the bar pretending to be getting a refill. "Congrats on your graduation, Baby and Happy belated Birthday... I know you lied for me and I owe you. I've been thinking about you. We could come to an arrangement." He smiles deviously at me; I know he is insinuating that I become his whore on the side. I guess that is what I get for messing around where I shouldn't have.
"Someone knows," I whisper, sending a shiver down his spine as I walk away to join Striker and Trouble in a game of darts. Romeo is staring after me and not able to speak, you'd think I just cut his tongue out. But he needed to know, someone plans on using what they know against us, if they haven't already began. I don't know why but I have this sick feeling in the bottom of my stomach that Lucky will fuck us over in the end.
Trouble is watching Romeo but he is speaking to me, "you alright Baby? You seem distracted."
"I'm fine, have you spoken to him lately?" Him meaning Lucky, but I don't want Striker to hear.
"Nah, laying low things popping off over there, it isn't a good time." I knew they traded information, what else does Trouble know that he isn't telling me.
"I'm going to miss you chauffeuring me around. When do you head out?" I know he knows I know his secret but I don't want to lose my best friend. I know Trouble has to have had a good reason for helping Lucky.
"Too motherfucking early. I'm about to go spend a little change and find me some strange." Trouble kisses me on the cheek and heads over to the table where Foxie and LL's working girls are sitting, well the ones that aren't already occupied elsewhere.
"Dance with me Striker," he takes my hand leads me to the center of the floor. "Where's your girl at? Figured she'd have your
mark on her arm by now." I wink at him knowing he has no intentions on settling down with any woman soon.
"Nah, her parents are in town and they are tight ass stuck up fuckers. They'd never approve of their daughter being with me."
"Well they sure as fuck don't know what in the hell they are missing." Striker twirls me around and it's just like old times. 'Family Tradition' is cranking over the speakers, tonight is perfect.
"So where in the fuck you been lately, you don't ever come around. You haven't been to a family breakfast over at mom's in months. You got a man I don't know about? Or is it because of my dumbass brother?"
"Just had a lot going on tell Foxie I'll be over in the morning to make up for it."
"I'm going to hold you to it, but you can start making it up to me by finding us some smoke, I'm tapped out. And I'd like to go out tonight in style; Chicago is going to be a lot of work and no play." I doubt that, with Aspen and Rumor being there to keep him and Rebel company.
"Alright I got you." I know Grim is upstairs with Sunshine and I doubt they will come down anytime soon. I know where my dad keeps his good shit. "Meet me at your apartment in about ten minutes."
**
"You know Grim will have both our asses if he catches us smoking his good shit." Striker is rolling us a blunt. It feels nice to be hanging out just the two of us, it's been a long time since he and I have shot the shit. "Before I get too blazed to remember, I got you something." Striker goes into his room and returns a few minutes later with a small box wrapped pretty in pink. "Open it," he nudges my elbow.
Inside is a charm bracelet. I inspect every charm and I am amazed that Striker came up with this on his own. He had to have put a lot of thought into this gift. His gifts usually come in the form of a gift card. Each charm on the bracelet represents a memory we shared growing up together. The first one a motorcycle of course, the second a tree making me think of the time we planted a magnolia tree together, he said that as long it had its roots in the soil we were rooted together. There is a small house, made our own version of the Roadhouse because we were pissed we weren't allowed in the real one. I had a bad splinter, we were trying to chop trees in the woods for wood and I remember I was crying so hard and Striker sucked the splinter out of my finger. I was only around nine years old at the time. I remember him sticking up for me and making Rebel allow me to hang my pink curtains in our clubhouse. Striker was always doing things like that, ensuring that I always got my way. I smile as we talk about the other charms together, a skull's head, three stars representing my first tattoo, Striker held my hand because true to form Inkman always goes to damn deep and I was so nervous.
I roll us another joint and grab us another jar of shine. "You want to play." Striker notices my smirk as he hands me a Playstation controller, we used to stay up late against Foxie's wishes playing Call of Duty.
"You're on. Let's kick some zombitch ass!" We are on our fourth round in the game and we have drunk much more than I thought I could handle especially after smoking that funk g-12 weed.
"Striker tonight was the best night I have had in a long time. Thank you for hanging out with me, best night I have had in a while." God did I need this night of cutting loose after the bomb Lucky dumped on me, why did he lay all of that on me?
I lean over and I am meaning to give him a kiss on the cheek but I fall forward slightly, from being stoned and I slam my lips into the corner of his mouth. Striker leans into me and pulls me into a kiss, I was not expecting. And boy does he kiss me. He kisses me soft and slow, he kisses me until I am sure my tongue is going to fall off. I suck his tongue and bite him on his bottom lip before finally breaking free from the trance he just had me under. I don't know how he did it but he just kissed me stupid and sober all at once. Striker has never made a pass at me before. Sure, he has made jokes, but I knew there was never any weight behind them.
"I've wanted to do that for a long time," he whispers against my mouth. He nips at my neck, encouraging me to take this further.
"Don't say things like that unless you mean them, you've got a girlfriend..." Striker cuts me off with another kiss. His hands start exploring my body and it feels so good to be wanted, by someone who doesn't have a hidden agenda. I choose to ignore all of the alarms sounding in my head, the ones telling me what happened when I tried this with Rebel. Striker might be Rebel's brother but they are nothing alike. I don't know why I never seen it before, but looking back I can't think of a time that Striker hasn't looked at me like I was his sun. He looks at me the way I used to look at Rebel. Hell he looks at me the way Rebel looks at Rumor and that scares the shit out of me, but right now, I am willing to see where the night will take us.
"Baby, you taste so motherfuckin' sweet, smell so damned good, skin so smooth." Striker kisses down my throat, my belly is pooling with heat. I feel like there is an animal magnetism taking over my body. I can't get close enough to him, the need to feel his skin against mine is driving me insane as I suck on his lip ring. I rub my fingers through his black hair and remove his glasses. I break our kiss long enough to pull his shirt over his head. I never knew Striker was so cut, his muscles are so ripped. Guess I was too busy looking at Rebel all these years to notice. His working in the garage is certainly paying off. My hands roam his chest, doing some exploring of their own. I am ready to shed all of my clothes and beg him to do things to me I have never wanted so intensely from another. I need his hands on me, his mouth; I need him inside of me now. I am like a fire that is burning out of control and this man is the only thing that can extinguish the flames burning through my veins. My skin is so hot with desire.
"Take me to bed Striker," I whisper in his ear. He looks at me as though he is waiting for me to change my mind. I never knew I could want someone so much. All of these feelings are coursing through me, feelings I never knew I felt for him. Feelings stronger than I have ever felt for anyone, not Lucky, not even Rebel and definitely not Romeo. Tonight I need something good and pure; I don't want to think about the past, the present or the future. Tonight nothing matters.
Once Striker realizes I am serious, he scoops me up in his arms and carries me to his room. He lays me down on his black cotton sheets carefully. "Have I ever told you how breathtakingly beautiful you are Baby, I swear nothing has ever been as beautiful as you are." He feathers kisses own my neck and back up again meeting my hungry lips with his.
"Shut up and kiss me." I don't need him to whisper sweet nothings, I just want to get lost in him and not have to think, I just want to feel his body pressed to mine.
"Baby, I want to do this right, I don't want to just fuck, you, you deserve to be made love to. I have loved you since we were kids. And I am going to give you what you deserve." What, did he just say the l-word?
"You love me?" I look into his eyes, and I swear I have never seen Striker look so sure of anything before. And deep down in my heart of hearts, I know he wouldn't hurt me, he'd never lie about something like this. He has never told Aspen that he loves her, because I have heard her and Rumor talk about it.
"So much, never thought I'd get the chance to tell you...to show you..." Slowly, Striker peels the straps of my dress from my shoulders, placing feather light kisses along my shoulders. He pushes my dress down around my waist with ease. With a flick of his wrist, he has removed my strapless bra. Taking turns with each breast, he pays special attention to both, until he works his way down to my belly ring, sucking the metal between his teeth, he travels further south to my most sensitive spot.
My knees are trembling; no one has ever kissed me there before. His greedy mouth is sucking and licking the wetness from pussy, as he moans, how sweet I taste. My fingers have a death grip on his hair, I allow him to have complete control over me, over my body. "Touch yourself, Baby; show me what you want me to do to you." My cheeks blush; sure, I have touched myself before, but never in front of someone else. This whole experience with Striker is so erotic.
Striker's tongue delves into my liquid fire and he sucks
on my clit, biting it with his teeth, with force, but it feels good. Too good, I feel like I could come apart at my seams at any moment. "Show me," he whispers hoarsely as he guides my hand slowly down my body. He starts by sweeping my hand over my breasts, using his fingers to direct mine; he pinches me softly before taking my rosy peak into his mouth, the metal of his lip ring brushes against my skin sending tremors through my body. Our hands travel my torso until they reach my bundle of nerves; he glides my fingers over my sensitive flesh. My hips buck instinctively; my pussy is throbbing, aching to feel his touch, the gentle caress of his mouth. I give in to what my body craves as I show him what I want him to do, delving his fingers and mine inside my tight center.
"Do you feel how wet you are, how responsive you are to my touch." He blows on my clit, before kissing his way back up to my mouth. I feel so desired as I moan into his mouth. His fingers brush a cross my cheek as he sweeps my hair from my face. He pushes his finger through my lips, wanting me to taste myself on him. It's so erotic, so sensual. With his chest pressed against mine, he is kissing me, making me feel like the only girl in the world to ever make him feel this way.
Striker pushes my knees apart with his foot before setting back on his calves. He runs his fingers down the length of my body, I am spread out and vulnerable as he traces every tattoo I have on my body with his tongue, as if he is tasting the ink of each one. He is holding my hands in place above my head keeping them pinned there as he settles between my legs. Slowly he pushes the thickness of his cock into me, inch, by inch, allowing me to adjust to the size of him. "So fucking tight." A tear leaks from my eye as my body burns and stretches to accept him. "I'm sorry, if this is hurting, but I promise it will feel good in a minute, but if you want me to stop I will. But please don't tell me to stop, you feel so good, so motherfcukin' tight, like a silk glove wrapped around me."
Baby (Black Rebel Riders' MC) Page 9