by Jamie Begley
“What are you doing?” Sex Piston paused when she noticed he was watching.
“Waiting to give you a ride home,” he explained with a smirk.
“No you’re not. Go on out and leave. I don’t need a ride home.” She wasn’t about to leave the room at the same time as him. If she was lucky, no one had seen them enter the room together. She was already furious at herself for not remembering the night before, but she damn sure wasn’t about to compound the mistake of walking out of the room with him.
“How are you going to get home?” Stud questioned.
“I’ll call Killyama,” Sex Piston answered as she searched through her clothes for her cell phone.
“Good luck with that; Bear was supposed to give them all rides home last night. They weren’t in any better shape than you were.”
Finding her phone in her pants pocket, she called her crew one at a time, receiving no answers. Becoming more aggravated with each call, Stud merely leaned against the bedroom wall, waiting for her to come to the same conclusion as him. That she would have to accept his offer of a ride.
Using her internet, she looked up the number for a cab and pushed the number in. When the dispatcher answered, she gave the address. Stud strode forward and took the phone away, cancelling the cab.
“Fucker, give me back my phone.”
Stud put the phone in his back pocket. Then, taking her arm, he propelled her through the doorway, ignoring her demand to leave her alone. “Let’s go, Sex Piston. I’m giving you a ride.”
She tried to jerk away, but it was useless as she found herself being led down the hallway into the main room of the club. She quit struggling when she saw several members still sitting around the bar, having done an all-nighter.
Bear, Stud’s vice president, was one of the men. His snicker had Sex Piston wishing she had Crazy Bitch’s bat.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes, Bear. I’m going to give Sex Piston a ride home,” Stud informed his brother, still ushering Sex Piston through the club.
Sex Piston kept her mouth closed, continuing on outside with him since the rat bastard gave her no choice. Jerking her arm free once they were outside, she gave in and stood next to the back of his bike.
“What’s the hurry?” he mocked her with a knowing look in his eyes.
“Just take me home,” Sex Piston snapped.
Stud got on his bike, and Sex Piston paused. She had never ridden behind anyone other than her pops and Ace. So, wanting to get home before anyone else saw her, she let only her fingertips grasp his waist.
“Grab on, Sex Piston,” Stud said as he pulled out onto the road. Sex Piston ignored him, causing Stud to pull over onto the shoulder of the road. “Either hold onto me right or we’ll sit here until you do.”
Sex Piston’s hands took a firmer grip on his waist. As soon as she did, Stud pulled back onto the road.
“Good girl,” he praised, not taking his eyes off the road.
She bit back her smartass comment, not wanting to prolong the torture of being in his irritating company.
Sex Piston was thankful that there wasn’t much traffic out so early in the morning and no one she knew saw her on the back of Stud’s bike. It didn’t matter anyway; she was sure Bear’s big mouth would spread the word about her spending the night with Stud.
As soon as Stud pulled into her driveway and came to a stop, Sex Piston jumped off the bike turning to go inside her house, but Stud’s hand snagged her wrist, preventing her.
“No kiss goodbye?”
“Yeah, you can kiss my ass goodbye,” Sex Piston said, struggling against his hold.
“Now, for some reason I’m thinking you didn’t appreciate my efforts last night. Let me just remind you.”
Stud pulled her closer to him, plastering her against his chest. His hand buried in her hair and he used it to bring her face down to his level. His mouth fastened onto hers and then his tongue delved into her mouth despite her determination to keep him out.
Sex Piston froze at his expertise. Her body tightened in pleasure as he explored her mouth, stroking her tongue before pulling back with a final stroke on her bottom lip. The son of a bitch who had always stared at everyone with eyes that said he had done it all… well, he had done it all, and it showed in his kiss. Stud had shown her a brief glimpse of what he had to offer and, holy hell, she was tempted.
Sex Piston straightened when it was obvious he was done.
“Later.” His nonchalant goodbye helped her regain her senses.
She turned on her heel, leaving him without saying anything. Her front door was unlocked, so she unceremoniously went inside her parents’ house, quickly closing the door and leaning back against it.
“Damn.”
Chapter Two
Sex Piston was cooking dinner when her crew showed up later that day. Crazy Bitch and Killyama were the first to saunter into the kitchen, both looking hung over from the night before.
Sex Piston put her ham in the oven before turning to them.
“Don’t give me that look,” Killyama said. “Fat Louise let us all down. We woke up on the pool table with those assholes staring at us. I tried to call her, but she’s not answering. When I see her, I am going to kick her ass.”
“When I get done with her, she’s not going to be able to eat at Popeye’s because her jaw is going to be wired shut,” Sex Piston said, putting some vegetables together for a quick side dish. She loved to cook, but when she was upset, she cooked enough to feed an army, which was good because her friends were making themselves at home.
Her ma, Sizzle, breezed into the kitchen, coming to a stop when she saw her daughter and crew in the kitchen. “Good, you already started dinner. I was going to cook, but this works out even better. I asked company over so make sure you make enough.”
“We’ll have enough. Who did you invite?” Sex Piston asked.
Her ma ignored her, looking in the oven at the ham cooking then raising a lid on one of the saucepans bubbling slowly on the stove. Replacing the lid gently, as if she was the one to make it, she wiped her hands on a kitchen cloth. “I’m going to go get changed.”
Sex Piston raised a brow at that, Sizzle never dressed up when she invited friends over.
She stared at the amount of food on the stove then at Sex Piston’s crew sitting familiarly at the table. “Where’s Fat Louise?”
“That’s what we would like to know,” Sex Piston answered her grimly.
“Well, make sure when she gets here that she doesn’t eat all the food,” Sizzle said, going out the door as she gave Sex Piston a rolling of her eyes, which was her mother not so subtly warning her not to let them eat all the food either.
“Wonder who she invited?” Crazy Bitch asked.
“Don’t know, don’t care.” Sex Piston shrugged. “I have enough to feed everyone.” She had planned to use the leftovers for her pops lunch throughout the week. If there wasn’t any left, then she would just come up with something else.
She made crust enough for two pies, deciding to make extra for dessert. She had learned to cook while still in grade school or they would have starved to death. Her mother was a terrible cook and Diamond had been more interested in books than helping in the kitchen. Both Diamond and their father were always content with the sandwiches her ma made when she made dinner, not Sex Piston.
“I hope whoever it is doesn’t eat much, the food smells good,” Killyama said.
“I’m sure you’ll manage to get your fair share,” Sex Piston assured her as she spooned the chocolate filling into the pie shells before putting on the meringue.
She was taking both pies back out of the oven when her ma came back into the kitchen with an excited expression on her face. “They’re here.” Walking to the refrigerator, she pulled out three beers and two sodas before going back out into the other room.
“I have to see this,” Crazy Bitch said, getting up from her seat at the kitchen table and walking out into the other room. When she didn’t come bac
k for several minutes, Killyama and T.A. got up from the table; their curiosity getting the better of them.
Sex Piston finished placing the food into serving dishes while waiting for her friends to come back. When they didn’t, she became curious despite herself. She, too, went into the other room.
Walking through the dining room, she came to a stop in the doorway of the living room.
Her mother was sitting with a little girl on her lap. The toddler was all dressed up with frilly hair bows in her curly blond hair and wearing a bright pink dress. Two other children, who seemed about eleven-years-old, were sitting on the couch, staring daggers at her crew. The two girls were obviously twins and were not impressed with her friends’ unfriendly attitudes.
Stud was standing by the window, talking to Skulls and ignoring the stare down going on behind his back.
Her mother looked up, seeing her standing by the doorway. “Is dinner ready?” Sizzle asked, unnecessarily straightening the baby’s dress.
Sex Piston nodded before turning away and walking back into the kitchen. Picking up the ham, she packed it out to the dining room table as the rest of her crew began to help bring out the rest of the meal. Going back into the kitchen, she picked up the pitcher of tea before going back to the table.
The only chair left at the table was the one by Stud. Throwing her friends a dirty look, she reluctantly sat down.
Her mother started passing the food around the table. Stud had no problem filling his plate. Her mother, Sex Piston had noticed, had pulled out hers and Diamond’s old highchair and sat his daughter in it. Her ma had sat the highchair next to her and was giving the little girl small bites of food.
“This brings back memories for me, Stud. Thanks for bringing your children to dinner.” Her ma was so sweet it grated on Sex Piston’s nerves.
Stud gave her mother a charming smile, which Sex Piston rolled her eyes at. Her mother threw her a sharp look, which had her dropping her eyes back to her plate. Her ma might come across as sickeningly sweet to Stud, but she would rip her head off if she felt Sex Piston was being rude at her dinner table.
“Don’t you have any normal food?” one twin asked rudely. She picked up the ham slice on her fork, wiggling it like a worm on a hook.
Sex Piston opened her mouth, but shut it at Stud’s sharp rebuke to his daughter. “Meri, apologize now.”
The girl raised rebellious eyes to Sex Piston, but followed her father’s order. “Sorry.” The mini witch was lying through the braces on her teeth.
Sex Piston didn’t acknowledge the girl’s apology. The girl needed to realize who the Queen of Bitches was. She was going to get a quick lesson if she kept it up.
“The girls would just eat nuggets and hamburgers if I let them. The woman that’s been keeping them after school has been feeding them too much junk food. That’s why I decided to find another sitter.”
Sex Piston kept eating her food, not interested in who he hired to keep his kids.
“I’m looking forward to keeping them, Stud.” Her ma spoke just as Sex Piston took a bite of ham. She started to choke, so Stud reached behind her, slapping her on the back.
It took several minutes to clear her airway before she could choke out her surprised words. “Quit hitting me,” Sex Piston hissed at Stud. Taking a drink of water, she was finally able to clear her throat.
“You okay?” Stud asked in amusement.
“I’m fine,” she snapped at him. “Ma, you can’t keep them.”
Her mother’s hurt face stared back at her. “I certainly can. I’ve been bored to death since I’ve retired. Having this little girl around will keep me busy. The older two are in school all day, so I’ll just be picking them up from school and keeping them until Stud gets off work.”
Sex Piston shook her head. Her mom was wonderful with kids, but she had a little problem when she attempted to keep them for any length of time.
“Ma.” She shook her head at her mother.
“Sex Piston, your mother has decided to do this. Leave it alone,” Skulls intervened, giving his wife a smile of reassurance.
She threw her father a disbelieving look.
“If it’s going to cause a problem, I can find another sitter,” Stud broke into the glares between father and daughter.
“It’s not a problem,” Sizzle hastily assured Stud.
Sex Piston closed her mouth with a snap. She looked at the little toddler sitting in the highchair. She hated to admit it because she disliked Stud, but the little girl was freaking cute. She had a head full of blond, curly hair and plump, rosy cheeks with a little bow mouth. The kid could be on Christmas cards.
The not so little girls on the other side of the table, giving her venomous looks, were cute also, but Sex Piston could tell discipline hadn’t been a big factor in their lives. She personally didn’t have a problem with that, but it would give her mother one of her migraines.
They needed to be around her pop for a week or two. He hadn’t hesitated to set her and her sister straight when they had gotten out of hand. Of course, she had learned to avoid punishments as she had gotten older, but she still knew enough not to act like an outright bitch until she was much older, beyond the age of his swatting hand.
Sex Piston saw Killyama chew her food as she watched the family argue before the woman swallowed and spoke up. “Didn’t you lose Sex Piston when she was that kid’s age?”
Sizzle looked at Killyama in reproach. “That wasn’t my fault. I thought she had gone to the store with Skulls.”
Killyama nodded her head. “She wandered the neighborhood for an hour before a neighbor brought her home.”
“She was a rambunctious child,” her mother said in her own defense.
Killyama sat back in her chair. Sex Piston almost smiled at her friend as she reminded her mother just how bad she was at watching kids. “Then there was the time she had pneumonia because you forgot her in the car when it was freezing outside.”
“I didn’t forget her. Someone called. And it was only a couple of minutes.”
Killyama shook her head. “When you kept your niece’s baby, how long did that last?”
Her ma stiffened. “How was I supposed to know the kid still wore diapers? He was old enough to be potty trained.”
“He was a year old,” Killyama answered.
“He was big for his age,” her mother snapped.
“Star isn’t potty trained,” Meri said, looking at her father in concern.
“Of course she’s not,” her mother crooned to the toddler sitting next to her. “Meri, I will take good care of your sister. You and Keri don’t have to worry. I was much younger then, I’m older now.”
“Thirty-two wasn’t young,” Crazy Bitch joined in the conversation.
Her ma was beginning to look frustrated. “Sex Piston and her friends don’t need to worry, everything will be fine,” she again reassured Stud whose amusement at Sex Piston’s reaction had disappeared.
“Her name is Sex Piston?” Keri asked.
“That’s her nickname. She picked it up at school. It’s just become a habit to use it.” Her mother turned to Sex Piston. “Maybe it would be best if we just use your name when the kids are around.”
Sex Piston choked on her food again. “Don’t—”
“After all, Norma is a beautiful name. It was my mother’s.”
Even her father winced and both twins shot her glances of sympathy at the mention of her name.
“Sex Piston’s nickname is fine,” Stud said, trying not to smile. “I don’t think it will traumatize the girls using it.”
“Okay, now that’s settled, let’s finish eating. She made dessert.”
Sex Piston went into the kitchen to get the pies, looking up when she noticed Stud had followed her into the room.
“If you say one thing, I’ll kick your ass,” Sex Piston threatened with the pie in her hand.
Stud put his hands up in surrender. “I just came in to offer help.”
Sex Piston
thrust the pies at him, which he hastily grabbed. She picked up dessert plates and forks before leaving him with no choice but to follow.
The pies were demolished instantly and then her parents and Stud drank coffee afterwards as Sex Piston and her crew cleaned the table and did the dishes. When they finished, Sex Piston went back into the living room where her parents and Stud were discussing the Destructors while his kids dozed on the couch.
“We’re going to take off, Ma. Be back later,” Sex Piston informed her mother as she grabbed her leather jacket from the closet.
“Where are you going?” she asked casually.
“Fat Louise isn’t answering her phone; we’re going to go see why.” Sex Piston threw Stud a dirty look, which he returned with a face devoid of expression.
“Probably still sleeping,” he said, staring back at her.
“Probably, but I need to have a talk with her.” Not to mention, kick that ass she is so proud of.
Stud smiled. “See you later then.”
Sex Piston paused on the way out of the door, restraining herself from giving him an earful because of the children present. Rudely not responding, she left with her friends, knowing that if she didn’t get away from the man, she was going to smack him upside his head.
Fat Louise better have a good explanation of how Sex Piston had ended up in bed with that man. The woman was a serious fuck up, but they had counted on her to remain sober and watch their backs and she had let them all down.
Sex Piston would have rather woke up next to any club member than Stud. They had been silently challenging each other since he had taken over as President. He thought that he had won the first battle. The only battle he had won was one the fucker hadn’t even known about.