Red Hot

by K. A. Merikan

  Red Jack spotted his prey with ease, like a hawk noticing a mouse in the grass. Lucy. With her long slim legs in stripper heels, boobs looking bigger than usual in a black leather halterneck crop top, ass barely covered by the miniskirt. She looked good enough to eat, all glammed up with long dark hair in curls. Her olive skin had a slight shimmer to it tonight, and Red Jack drove up to her with a grin.

  She took a moment to assess the bike and nodded. “I see why you have been so nervous lately. It suits you.”

  In his mind, Red Jack was already fucking her in three different positions, including bent over the bitch seat. “I’m never nervous. Wanna go for a ride?”

  Lucy sighed. “It’s a bit too flashy for me.”

  Red Jack pretended she didn’t just twist a knife into his heart. He looked into her big dark eyes. “Your shoes are pretty flashy.” He pointed to the black platform heels adorned with rhinestones.

  Lucy looked down and swirled the heel on the asphalt. “They’re work clothes. You didn’t think I’d wear them in private, did you?”

  Red Jack licked his lips as the beat of the music streamed through his blood. He sure hoped she would. He acted as if he didn’t feel snubbed by the rejection and got off his bike. He leaned closer to Lucy for people not to overhear what he was about to say. Her sweet perfume filled his lungs and brought his mind into a spin. “I want you to wear them when I fuck you.”

  Lucy frowned but didn’t back away. “That won’t happen. You need to ride someone else.”

  Red Jack smirked. “Ah, you little tease. We both know it’s just a question of time till I get a taste.”

  “Fuck off, Red.”

  “Hey, that’s one badass beast!” yelled Glock, the Hulk Hogan lookalike sergeant-at-arms of the club. He slapped Red Jack’s back with his huge palm and pulled him in for a brotherly hug. “You and Sam did well on this one.”

  Red Jack patted Glock’s back, almost forgetting about Lucy at the acknowledgement. “This baby is gonna turn heads.” He smiled and petted the black leather seat of the bike. He’d made sure it was Italian leather. He was proud to see even Monster, the resident weirdo, standing next to the bike and admiring it. Or at least Red Jack thought the guy was admiring it, as it was hard to say, because Monster’s features rarely expressed anything that didn’t look like boredom. His pale, slim face was framed by the straight blond hair that he usually wore in a ponytail, but his steel-gray eyes were alert and inquisitive as always. It felt as if he was examining the bike by mentally pulling it apart. He eventually nodded, but just as always, it was hard to say what the gesture meant. Red Jack wasn’t sure he wanted to know either.

  Red Jack noticed Sam above Monster’s arm, and he was surprised to see an odd, neutral expression on his face. He didn’t have the time to walk over and ask what it was about when a slight, clearly female hand stroked his back. It was a pretty hangaround with heavy makeup that was probably meant for her to appear legal. The girl complimented his bike, they flirted for a moment, but she was too much of a kid, and he could have his pick out of the ladies who knew their stuff anyway, so he was off to the bar, ready to see his cake. Candy wouldn’t tell him what it was exactly, but with her baking skills, he was sure it would taste amazing.

  Most of the party guests were already lounging in the leather sofas inside. Red Jack greeted Borg, the club president, who sat in his usual place in the corner. He gave Red Jack the smallest nod as Gina, Borg’s old lady, whispered something into her man’s ear. A smile crossed Borg’s face, and he turned to kiss her. She pulled her fingers over the scar on his right cheek and the oddly blank spot where his ear used to be before a career in the military.

  Red Jack went straight for the kitchen. He could hear Sam shout something over the loud music, but the huge sugar paste-covered wheel surrounded by a whole pack of cupcakes took up most of Red Jack’s attention. He smiled widely, ready to delve into the golden-colored cake imitating the rims of his new wheels. It couldn’t top the birthday party when he had three strippers giving him a lap dance at once, but it came pretty close.

  All the girls gathered in the kitchen were looking at him, each one eager to see his new ride, all wanting to get a taste of not only the cake but the man it celebrated.

  Candy hugged him from the side, looking just as sweet as her baked creations. She wore a baby blue flared dress and a bow in her platinum blonde hair. She even had her property vest short and fitted, to go with the outfits she usually wore.

  “Jack, look who’s here!” she said, pulling him toward the table. He turned that way with a wide smile, but his body froze when he looked into the familiar black eyes.

  Loki was leaning against the wall, all dolled up in a pair of skin-tight jeans and a red shirt, with a short denim jacket worn over it. His long, shiny hair was combed into a sleek mane that covered the scarred side of his face. He smiled and bit into a cupcake, which left a smudge of yellow cream on the tip of his nose.

  Red Jack tried to keep a straight face, but his eyes went wide. He didn’t even care to get a sneaky feel of Candy’s breast when she hugged him.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked Loki, with his brain in turmoil.

  Loki put the cupcake back on the paper plate and shrugged. “Shouldn’t I be invited, considering I’m your boyfriend?”

  Red Jack stilled, and the whole kitchen went silent. Everyone was waiting for his reaction, but it wouldn’t be as easy as throwing his fists at Loki. What Red Jack wanted was to make this whole thing go away, not incite any more rumors. If people saw him truly angry about this, they might think that something really was up.

  He faked a smile and shook his head. “Motherfucker. You’ve been tellin’ them that?” He laughed and pulled Loki under his arm, squeezing the back of his neck hard, digging fingers into sensitive spots to cause pain. “He’s my cousin, Candy. Has a fucked-up sense of humor,” he said with cold sweat covering his back.

  “You have a gay cousin?” asked Sam, who came up to Candy from the back and pulled her against him.

  Two dozen eyes stared at them, and Red Jack laughed, patting Loki on the cheek, harder than he should, before pushing him away. “This fucker isn’t gay, he’s just messing with you.”

  Loki frowned and stepped away from Red Jack, which was a relief for only a split second. “Hey, I’m not ashamed of it! Do you have a problem with me being gay, too? You didn’t say so last time.”

  Red Jack opened his lips but wasn’t sure what to say for long enough for Candy to butt in.

  “I’m sure he doesn’t. Less competition for him, huh?” She gave Red Jack a bright smile and nudged his ribs. This was a fucking disaster.

  Sam gave him a lost look, but his eyes went even wider when Red Jack sensed the sweet scent of cake. Loki offered him a bite of the already started cupcake. Too much was too much. This was supposed to be Red Jack’s night, and he was getting humiliated. He’d had enough of that kind of shit at school as a lanky ginger kid in hand-me-down clothes from his brothers, and more freckles than normal skin. All he wanted was to be appreciated. For one fucking night to have everyone look up to him.

  He slapped away Loki’s hand. “Very funny, boyfriend. That’s enough,” he hissed. Loki was going to regret all of this later. Just like the guy who once poured carrot juice on Red Jack’s head. That had been the day Red Jack realized his fists had more power than he thought. The boy ended up in hospital, and Red Jack had gotten himself a place in juvie. So worth seeing the guy’s face smashed in. The bastard wasn’t laughing anymore once Red Jack was done with him.

  “Do you want the cake or a cupcake first?” asked Candy, offering Red Jack a sunny smile.

  “The cupcakes are with candied bacon and peanut butter. You’d love them,” said Loki, casually leaning against Red Jack.

  How the fuck would he know what Red Jack liked anyway? He did like both peanut butter and bacon, but who didn’t? Not a hard guess.

  “I’m dying to have one, babe,” Red Jack said to Candy and wen
t over to the cake to cut himself a piece. He was too freaked out to look at Sam, but he could feel the eyes stabbing him all over. No one was saying anything to his face, but all the smiling faces around him seemed sinister. Laughing at him, not with him. He needed to make sure tonight that everyone knew just how straight he was.

  “Hi Jack, you like your cake?” asked Lucy, who strolled into the kitchen with two other strippers. Candy was quick to give each of them a slice, but Red Jack couldn’t help but notice the mockery in Lucy’s eyes. She’d probably heard Loki’s lies before Red Jack even came to talk to her. No wonder she gave him the cold shoulder.

  “Yep, you need to taste it.” He had a big bite, looking into her eyes. Loki’s presence was somewhere on the periphery of his vision, burning his skin off.

  “I’m gluten-free,” Lucy said to Candy, ignoring Red Jack, and he wouldn’t have it.

  Red Jack cleaned his teeth with his tongue to make sure his smile would be brilliant as he stepped closer to her. “I can think of something almost calorie-free you could taste.” He wiggled his eyebrows, and some of the other girls giggled.

  Lucy raised her eyebrows and just walked off without a word.

  “Ouch,” commented Loki.

  Red Jack turned to him and spread his arms. “Can you shut your fucking fag face?” He burst out, and everyone present became dead silent again.

  Candy’s lips parted. “Jack…”

  Sam was by Red Jack’s side within a split second. He pulled on his arm. “Easy. He’s your family.”

  Loki stepped back and sat in a vacant chair without a word. Of course, Candy was right there to soothe the fucking con artist.

  “He doesn’t mean it that way.”

  Red Jack groaned and zeroed in on Loki. “Fucking family. Doesn’t bother to announce he’s coming. Just turns up on my doorstep. He should well know I’m no family man. Haven’t even seen my brothers in two years! Some things should stay the way they are. I didn’t ask to be his family. I’d rather keep this shit to the occasional Thanksgiving dinner.” He hadn’t asked to be the way he was. He kept his other side well hidden, and it was all fine until this fucker burst into his life like he had all the right to. He didn’t care that his words made Loki flinch, or even that most of the eyes that were now on him were narrowed and unsympathetic.

  Sam pulled harder on Red Jack’s arm. “Walk with me, brother?”

  Red Jack put the plate on the table and gave Loki one more frown before nodding at Sam. So now he was the bad guy? Red Jack tried not to look around too much as Sam led him through the crowd, all the way to a much more peaceful corridor. Sam slowed down when they reached a small lounging area, but his shoulders dropped when they spotted the club VP, Viper, curled up in one of the chairs with a paperback in his lap.

  He raised his face, almost as if he were presenting them the scary snake tattooed over his shaved head and neck. He grinned.

  “That true, Red? That you’re gay now?”

  Red Jack howled to the stars and curled his fingers into fists. “He’s my cousin!” It was best to go with this scenario. “I’ve fucked more pussy than you’ve even seen in porn.”

  “Viper, give the man a break,” started Sam, but the VP wasn’t done with the mocking yet.

  “You seem to watch my fucking habits very closely if you know that!” he laughed, closing the book.

  “Fuck you!” Red Jack spat on the floor and kicked Viper in the shin.

  Sam pulled him back from Viper, who couldn’t contain his laughter, even as he held his leg. “Relax, he’s only joking. No one believes that shit, okay?”

  “Not okay!” Red Jack took a deep breath and walked over to the small pool in the backyard, close to the exit toward the beach. It would probably get busy later on in the night, but now, it was empty and a good place to cool his head and relax watching the blue lights shining under the surface. He sat at the edge with his insides so tense he felt like throwing up. “It’s not on for him to be here.”

  Sam followed Red Jack and stood by his side at the edge of the pool. Holding his hands on his hips, he looked at the clear water. “I mean... what happened there?”

  Red Jack pulled out his cigarettes. “He’s doing shit to piss me off.”

  Sam slowly sat cross-legged next to Red Jack. “Why would he do that?”

  “We had a fight in the morning,” Red Jack muttered and lit himself a cig before offering one to Sam. “He came to me at night, howling that he doesn’t have anywhere to stay. I let him stay over, and it turned out he watched gay porn on my TV. I don’t want that shit in my house.”

  Sam leaned forward and touched the water. “Candy says his boyfriend threw him out with nothing. He has nowhere to go...”

  Red Jack took a big drag of smoke. Maybe that was why the fucker was trying to install himself in his house so hard. The idiot had even offered to do laundry. “Maybe he should try to be less of a fag, and this shit wouldn’t happen to him,” he grumbled.

  Sam scowled. “Come on, don’t be an idiot. You can’t just stop being gay. That’s not how it works. Just like you can’t just stop fucking girls.”

  Red Jack frowned slightly. “Since when are you such a gay defender?” Sam would always make stupid gay jokes with him, and now he was all PC?

  Sam looked away. “I’m not walking around half-naked with a rainbow flag. It is weird for a guy to get it on with another guy, but he is your cousin. Family comes first, and he’s not a patch, so nobody really cares.”

  Yeah, shit would be much different if someone found out Red Jack fucked a guy. Many guys that he sought out online. No one would care how much pussy he plowed per month if they knew about that. He wouldn’t be Red Jack anymore. He’d be Fag Jack. And most probably kicked out of the club as well. Borg had never made his dislike of gay men a secret, and he’d convince the others to get rid of the bad seed if he knew.

  “Maybe I’ll talk to him,” Red Jack mumbled and took some more smoke into his lungs to calm down.

  Sam exhaled and slapped him on the back. “Put yourself in his shoes. You live by yourself, and the house is big enough. Can’t be that bad for you to let him stay for a bit.”

  Red Jack nodded slowly, but he already knew he’d make Loki pay for tonight’s humiliation first. If the little bastard took that like a man, and still wanted to stay, Red Jack might consider letting him. There had to be some fucking boundaries.

  Chapter 6

  “Maybe you want some more cake?” asked Candy, putting her arm around Loki’s shoulders and pulling him in. She smelled extremely sweet, like bubble gum mixed with butter. She didn’t question anything he said, trusting like a little kid when offered donuts. But being in her care almost felt like he suddenly got himself a surrogate mom.

  “Yes?” he said, looking into her eyes.

  “I’m sure Red will come round. He’s got a good heart. And Sam talked to him, too.” Candy put more cake on Loki’s plate, as if eating delicious baked goods ever helped achieve anything but piling up pounds. Not that Loki had to worry about that if he was too die soon.

  Loki leaned against Candy and discreetly looked around. People were gravitating around them, but no one was brave enough to approach and actually talk to him. It was almost as if being ditched by Jack suddenly made him a leper. They had all seemed amused and interested when he’d told them he and Jack were an item. Jack wasn’t ready to face the facts yet, but Loki knew deep down that this here, all those people having fun over burgers, and the rough ginger who belonged with them, that was his endgame. He’d have a good two months, with a bit of excitement, lots of partying and fucking. And he’d go out with a bang.

  There was a sudden thickness in his throat, choking him and making the cake look appalling on the paper plate. How did he deserve this? And why had he of all people gotten sick in the first place? Was it because Mom had silenced him with booze when he was still a baby? He clawed his nails into the flesh of his other hand and endured the pain.

  “Are you all right?
” Candy petted his back with her slim fingers. “It will work out. Don’t worry.”

  Loki squeezed his jaw tightly shut. “Dunno. My family doesn’t want to see me. My boyfriend doesn’t care, and the guy I wanted the most to understand what I’m going through is ashamed of me,” he uttered, surprised how his own words got to him. He blinked away the beginnings of wetness in his eyes and squashed the empty plastic cup he was holding. “Fuck that. Feels like I’m dying, and no one will even notice.”

  Candy sighed. “Once Jack understands your situation, I’m sure he’ll let you stay at his place. The guys in the club can be a bit bullheaded. You’re such a handsome guy, you’ll find someone to cheer you up in no time, forget all about the dickhead ex.”

  Only Loki didn’t have much time left. His life had started out shitty, and that was also how it was gonna end. “I really looked up to him when we were kids,” he lied, convincing even himself that it had really happened

  “Oh yeah? How come?” Candy smiled at him. “I know he has brothers, but that’s about it. He never talks about his family.”

  “We’re a bit scattered. My mom’s his dad’s sister,” said Loki before digging into the cake. When would Jack be back? He wanted to see him again. Now though, the one source of information he had at hand was the lovely, trusting Candy. He glanced at the patches on the back of her vest. They read Property of Samson. Loki had seen similar garments on some other women present at the party. As happy as Candy looked, declaring yourself someone else’s slave was a strange thing to boast about. And with all those people wearing a lot of leather, was there some kind of S&M component to the relationships? Would this be what Jack wanted? Loki was all for rough and dirty, but he was not down with being in pain. A sudden flood of memories made him stiffen, and a deep, violent shudder went through him all the way to his bones.

  Candy straightened and smiled at him, sipping from a bottle of some kind of mixed vodka drink. “What’s up?”

  Loki cleared his throat, slowly breathing in and out to chase away the cold at his core. “I was looking at your vest. I mean... are you and Sam in a master and slave sort of relation—”