by Hope Stone
I didn’t have a response to that. He’d helped me out back there, and I didn’t want to fight with him right now. So, I turned around and walked away, deciding to buy my paint from somewhere else on another day.
Twenty
Blade
“That’s one sweet-ass ride, man,” I turned toward the voice speaking and saw a group of four men standing on the edge of the Blue Dog’s parking lot. They were all smoking joints and looked like biker wannabes. They were too clean with their perfectly trimmed fingernails and leather jackets that looked like they just came off the hanger at the store.
“Thanks,” I said with a nod, but I didn’t stop to talk.
Walking into the bar, I waited for a second for my eyes to adjust before looking around. Trainer was sitting in his usual spot at the bar, while Hawk and Pin played a game of pool in the back. It looked like they both sucked, but half of their attention was on a college football game on the flat screens hanging around the bar.
The only other person in the place was Axel, who was behind the bar. I took a seat next to Trainer, and Axel handed over a beer before I even had to ask.
“What’s up?” I asked Trainer as I shrugged out of my jacket.
“Taking Eve on a date tonight,” he shrugged. “Little time out of the house without the kids.”
“Nice.”
“It would be nicer if she’d let Swole keep the kids overnight.”
I laughed. Poor guy must have been sex-deprived since the baby came along. “Why won’t she?”
“She says Ashley is too little to be away from us overnight.”
“At three months old? She must be crazy. That girl should have her own place by now.”
Trainer punched me in the arm. I thought it was meant to be playful, but the guy was so damn big that he couldn’t seem to help packing a wallop.
“You know I’m crazy about my baby girl, but I want a night with my wife.”
“That’s a bummer,” I said. I really didn’t have any pearls of wisdom for the guy. I had never spent much time around kids and had no intention of having my own.
“Gee, thanks. What about you? What are you up to tonight?”
I lifted my beer bottle and gave him a wry grin. “Just a whole lot of this.”
“Now, that’s the bummer.”
I shrugged. I was just glad that it wasn’t my turn to go walk around with a metal detector for three hours. That was probably why the bar was so empty on a Friday evening. We’d probably get some townies in later, mostly women looking for a good time. I didn’t see myself picking any of them up, though. I couldn’t get my stupid mind off Kat long enough to take anyone else to bed.
The door of the bar opened again, and I glanced over to see the four men from the parking lot enter. The smell of pot clung to them, and they were all downright giddy.
“What’s up, boys?” the same man that had addressed me asked the room at large as the four of them took a table near the jukebox.
None of us answered directly. We just watched him as he approached the bar.
“Four of your finest domestic brews for me and my buddies,” the man said, slapping a fifty-dollar bill on the bar.
Ah, that made sense. This guy was probably from Fletcher Pointe, a wealthy town just to the east of La Playa. We got people like this in here sometimes, rich guys that wanted to play like they were tough guys. They had romanticized the biker life, or maybe they thought it would get them women, and the ultimate way of showing off was to come to a real biker bar, to fraternize with the Outlaw Souls as if they belonged. People like this were generally harmless and occasionally amusing.
“Hammond Boothe,” the guy said, holding his hand out to me.
Hammond?
Even this guy’s name was showy.
“Blade,” I said, squeezing his fingers as I shook his hand.
“Blade…nice. Did you get to pick your own nickname?”
“What makes you think it’s a nickname?” I asked.
“Well…” he trailed off with nervous laughter as he looked as Axel, then back to me. “I mean… Blade isn’t a real name.”
“But Hammond is?”
Trainer barked out a loud laugh, making Hammond jump before giving us a smile of his own.
“Fair enough. You guys are Outlaw Souls, right?”
“Maybe,” I said noncommittally. “And what are you guys?”
Hammond looked back over at his friends, then at me. “Just a couple of guys that like riding. Thought you guys might be cool.”
“Oh, we’re very cool,” I said. “But if you want to hang out here, you’ll have to prove yourself.”
Axel grinned broadly as he realized what I was doing.
“How?” Hammond asked.
“Taking on a real biker in a drinking contest.”
“I can do that,” Hammond said confidently.
“We put money on the line. Five hundred.”
He didn’t even hesitate. “Done.”
“You heard the man Axel. Set us up with Jameson.”
“Whoa,” Hammond said, looking uncertain. “Whisky? That’s some hard shit.”
“You wanna back out?” I asked with a challenge in my voice. I made sure it was loud enough for his buddies to hear.
“No way,” Hammond said, literally puffing out his chest.
“Let’s do it then.”
I turned to Trainer with a grin and saw laughter in his eyes. It looked like I had found some fun for my Friday night, after all. Axel poured the drinks and carried them to the table, and Hammond’s eyes widened when he saw how much there was. This was going to be like taking candy from a baby.
The next day, I was five hundred dollars richer, but I was also hungover. The tattoo shop seemed a thousand times brighter than usual, and I wasn’t in the mood for work. But here I was, wearing sunglasses inside and lounging in my tattoo chair. I didn’t have an appointment for another hour, so I figured I might as well make use of the thing.
“Rough night?” Kat’s voice was definitely louder than usual, and I had an idea that she was doing that on purpose.
“Can you lower your voice to foghorn level, please?” I asked. Piper snickered nearby.
“You know what I think, Piper?” Kat said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “I think I’ll have the triple bacon cheeseburger from the food truck down the street for lunch. You know, the really greasy one? And fries with dripping cheese sauce.”
My stomach rolled.
“You’re the worst,” I groaned.
She just laughed. That sound shouldn’t make me feel so light.
I gathered my willpower to get up out of the chair, knowing that I should try to start getting ready for my appointment soon. I groaned as my temples throbbed.
“Here,” Kat said. When I turned her way, I saw that she was holding out two red pills in her hand. “It’s ibuprofen.”
“Thanks.” I took the pills dry, but she handed me a bottle of water too. I drained it.
By the time my client arrived, I felt so much better. I would think that Kat was a saint if she wasn’t constantly sending me mixed signals. She was so damn hot and cold, but all I wanted was to fuck her again.
I managed to eat some beef jerky in the afternoon without my stomach rebelling, so I felt damn near normal by the end of the day. I told myself firmly that I was not doing drinking contests anymore.
Either that, or next time, I was going to put more money on the line.
When it was time to leave for the day, Piper left before Kat and I were done cleaning. It was the first time I’d been in this space with her alone since our first kiss. It felt like a lifetime ago, but I couldn’t help thinking about it. Wanting it.
“Kat,” I said, stopping her just as she was about to leave.
“What?” she asked, but when she turned to face me, I could see that her breath had quickened. She knew what I was thinking, and I hoped she was thinking the same thing.
I moved closer to her until only a few feet sep
arated us.
“I have an idea.”
“Oh, really?” she furrowed an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”
“A…chemistry experiment, of sorts.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Sex, Kat,” I stepped closer so that we were almost touching. So close, but not quite there. “I’m talking about taking you to my apartment and spreading you wide.”
She visibly shuddered, but her gaze dropped to the floor. “I told you, Blade. We can’t. Las Balas and Outlaw Souls are—”
“That doesn’t matter. Not if it’s just sex.”
“No strings attached?” she asked with a sexy little smile.
“Exactly,” I agreed.
“Well…as long as we’re in agreement, I don’t see why we couldn’t do that.”
My cock was heavy in my pants, and I desperately wanted to take her right here, but that wasn’t an option.
“Follow me back to my place.”
“Now?” she asked with wide eyes.
“Fuck yeah.”
We started to leave when something else occurred to me. “Wait a minute, if we’re going to do this, I have one condition.”
“What’s that?” she asked suspiciously.
“I get to call you Kitten whenever I want.”
“Fine,” she agreed, much easier than I expected. “Now, let’s get the hell out of here.”
Anticipation curled in my stomach. I could hardly wait.
Twenty-One
Kat
I pulled my jeans on while Blade laid in bed, wearing only a pair of boxers. We’d settled into this no-strings-attached sexual relationship over the last few days, and it was working well. I tried to keep some distance between us at work, but after hours, I went to his place for a couple of rounds between the sheets. I never stayed the night, though, and Blade didn’t ask.
Today was a Saturday, which meant that I wasn’t supposed to see him at all, but he’d sent me a text message in the morning, offering some afternoon delight that I couldn’t pass up. I scanned the room, looking for my shirt.
“Where are you going?” Blade asked, watching me.
I finally spotted my tank top hanging off the lampshade. I grabbed it, pulling it over my head.
“I want to go shopping around for a bike.”
“A motorcycle?” he asked, sitting up in bed.
“No, a bicycle,” I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Okay, smartass.”
“I’ll see you later.” I picked up my boots from the floor, heading for the exit.
“I could help you.”
I stopped walking and turned to look at him. “What?”
Blade got off the bed and picked up his jeans from the floor. “I can help you get a bike.”
I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously. “Why would you do that?”
“Uh, to be nice?”
I frowned. “You don’t have to do that. We’re not a couple.”
Blade rolled his eyes. “I don’t have to be dating you to be a nice guy.”
“Says the Outlaw Soul.”
“Just come with me,” he said impatiently. I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled my boots on.
“Fine. Where are we going?”
“To see a friend of mine. He fixes up bikes and sells them.”
“This friend have a name?”
“Trainer.”
I didn’t recognize the name. “Not a member of your club, I hope.”
Blade didn’t respond, just kept getting dressed, which really told me all that I needed to know.
“Nope,” I stood, shaking my head. “No way.”
“Grow up, Kat,” Blade’s use of my name stopped me short. I was so used to him calling me Kitten, whether I wanted him to or not, that it felt weird to hear my name come out of his mouth instead. He let out a sigh while I stared at him. “It’s a bike purchase. A business transaction. It has nothing to do with my club versus your club. It doesn’t mean anything, just like our sexual relationship.”
I struggled not to wince as he threw my words right back at me. They sounded so damn cold when on the receiving end.
“Fine, but if he’s a creep, I’m never going to let you forget it.”
“Of course you won’t,” he agreed, and I spotted a hint of a smile on his face.
I followed him out the door of his apartment and down the stairs to the parking lot. “You know, Outlaw Souls owns an apartment complex. I’ll probably be moving into it once my lease is up here.”
“When is that?” I asked.
“Six months.”
At least I had time to figure out a different place to meet up with him. Obviously, I wouldn’t go to the new apartment, and I didn’t want him at my home. It made it too personal for me, especially now that I was redecorating the place and making it my own. Even more than that, I didn’t want Blade in my bed again because that was where we had sex for the first time before everything between us went to shit.
It occurred to me that I was thinking way too long-term here. If this was really just a casual sex situation, then it probably wouldn’t still be happening in six months.
Something within me somersaulted at that thought, but I ignored it.
Hopping onto the back of Blade’s bike, I wrapped my arms around him, trying not to think too much about how comfortable I was here. He rode along the back roads, which he had told me were more fun to ride than straightaways. I wasn’t sure where we were going until we pulled up in front of Ortega Auto. I’d never been here before, of course, but I knew it to be the property of Outlaw Souls.
“Damn it, Blade. Why did you have to bring me here?” I asked, whipping the helmet off of my head. I slapped his back with the palm of my hand, but it was like hitting a wall.
“This is where the bike is,” he said, exasperated.
I hopped off the back of the bike, looking around. I didn’t spot anyone else nearby, but I couldn’t shake my discomfort. This was not somewhere that I should be.
Yet, I didn’t feel like I was actually in danger. Maybe that was foolish. I’d seen how my dad and others put the motorcycle club above everyone else, but I was sure that Blade would never allow me to come to harm.
“Come on,” he said, walking toward a side door.
I fell into step behind him. I didn’t like that he’d brought me here, but I supposed that I owed him a chance. This bike better be great.
There was nothing special about the interior of the garage. It could have been any other auto shop in the country with its stained concrete floors, big red toolboxes all over the place, and the smell of oil in the air. I knew where we were going without being told. There were a few cars in the bays, but only one bike in sight. I recognized it as a Harley Street 750. It was small, one of the smallest options in that brand, which would be good for me since I was a little on the short side. I needed something small enough to allow my feet to touch the ground while straddling it.
Blade and I approached the bike side-by-side, and I ran my eyes over it. It was pretty with its burnt orange paint color on the tank and black leather saddlebags. But, I’d have to see how it rode before getting too excited.
A large man came out of the office near the back of the shop, wiping his hands on a dirty red rag. With a full beard and long hair, he had a distinctive look, and I could imagine that some people would find him intimidating, but I didn’t. I’d had some big men in my chair and knew that things like size and facial hair didn’t really have anything to do with being tough. Sometimes, the scariest looking men cried while I used my tattoo gun on them.
Blade stepped forward and clasped hands with the man, and they patted each other’s backs. It was such a cute bro greeting that I couldn’t help but smile.
“Kat, this is Trainer,” Blade said as they came over to me. “He’s a whiz with these bikes, and I’ve asked him to give you a good deal.”
I shook Trainer’s hand and listened to his rundown of the bike. He really knew his st
uff, covering everything from the type of engine to the power, to fuel return and cooling system. It was a lot of technical stuff that I didn’t necessarily care about, but it did instill confidence in me that he knew what he was talking about.
Trainer opened one of the bay doors and let me take it out into the parking lot for a test drive, and I loved how nimble it was. The bike itself wasn’t too heavy for my small frame to handle, and I loved the little windshield he’d installed. My last bike didn’t have one.
I had brought along my savings, pulled straight from the shoebox and tucked into my boot for safe-keeping. I had managed to add to it in the last couple of weeks enough to reach five thousand dollars. I knew that wasn’t a lot of money and Trainer could probably get more out of this bike, so I was a bundle of nerves when I parked it back inside the garage and hopped off the talk about purchasing the motorcycle.
Trainer admitted that he got the bike for a steal and had only put a couple thousand dollars into it. He was planning to ask six thousand for it, but to my shock, he easily accepted the five that I had on me. I couldn’t believe my luck and decided that Trainer wasn’t so bad, for an Outlaw Soul.
“I told you I could help you,” Blade said smugly after I had exchanged the cash for the keys and Trainer had gone back into the office, probably to put that cash in a safe.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said dismissively, but I grinned like an idiot as I mounted my new bike. I really loved it. “I can’t wait to take this thing out of the parking lot. It’s been too long since I went on a ride.”
“I’ll come with you,” Blade said.
I wanted to say no. We were already spending too much time together, breaking my no strings attached rule. But he was the reason that I had this new bike. I felt like I owed him, and all he wanted was to ride in formation together.
“Fine,” I said, “but I’m leading. Non-negotiable.”
“No problem. I like the view from behind anyway.”