by Avelyn Paige
“And that is why I just deal with the club girls. They know their place in the scheme of things and don’t expect hearts and flowers. I don’t want to live surrounded by dramatic bullshit. I’ll take a wet and willing pussy to sink my dick in when needed over some clingy, high strung, bitch old lady.” Raze just stares at me with a smirk on his face. “What, old man? Just because you fell for Maj’s love me forever bullshit doesn’t mean I will.” He lets out a hearty laugh and shakes his head at me.
“You’re already there, brother. That woman has caught you hook, line and sinker. Don’t think I haven’t caught on that you watch her every time she walks into the room. Your tough love spy bullshit may fool everyone else in the club, but not me. I’ve seen it a hundred times before. You act like a fucking asshole toward her to cover up how bad you fucking want her. Moving her into your room on a whim just sealed your fate, even if you are forcing yourself to think otherwise. If we don’t have to kill her after tomorrow, you’ll be property patching her before you ever get your dick wet. Just you watch and see.”
“You’re fucking crazy, you know that, right? I may fuck her, but that doesn’t mean I’m putting my patch on her back. By your logic, if getting my dick wet meant patching every woman, I’d have a fucking harem of claimed pussy in this place. Hell, I’d have pussy stashed around all of the other clubhouses. Not happening, Raze.”
“Keep on arguing with yourself. You know you’re wrong about her, and you’re too fucking proud to admit it and take what you want.”
“You need to get your head examined, old man. I think that old timer’s disease might be setting in since you seem to be confusing me with someone else. Should I have Ruby stock up on Depends and prune juice?”
“Play it off like you don’t care, smartass, but I know you far better than you think I do. I’ve watched you fuck through your so-called harem, and not once have you looked at women like you do Dani. But I know I’m not perfect so would you care to put your money where your mouth is?” he asks. “Two hundred says that before the year’s out, she’ll be wearing your patch and will be knocked up.”
“I’ll take that bet,” I say while shaking his hand. “We could all die tomorrow and even if we don’t, I still think you’re full of shit. Plus, I could use some new chrome for my bike. I hope you like paying for it.”
“You say that now, but you’ll change your mind soon enough. I bet you slide into bed next to her tonight and confess your love for her like Tom Cruise on Oprah’s couch.”
“Oh, go fuck yourself, Raze. I’m done shooting the shit with you. I need to go to double check the weapons and make sure the guys on guard duty are good for the night before turning in. You know, being a leader and shit. Not all of us get to sit around on our gilded thrones while people wait in line to kiss our ass.”
Raze just laughs at me. As soon as I stand up from my spot, someone from the other clubs slides in and leans in close to Raze to talk. Raze won’t sleep at all tonight if he continues to play godfather to the guys. There are just so many inter-club grievances you can listen to before they all sound the same. Shuffling to the back door, I find Tyson’s head buried between two long tan legs. The woman runs her hands through his hair as he sucks on her clit. “Get a room,” I yell at him on my way past the door. He raises just one hand and flips me off; not moving away from the pussy beneath his lips. I bet most of the guys will be burying themselves in the girls tonight as a stress reliever, except for me. My room is occupied, and I’m not risking my balls by taking one of the other girls upstairs to a waiting Dani.
Sliding out the back door, I unlock the weapon’s shed. Running my hands over the cool black metal of the AK-47s and AR-15s soothes me just as it did in Iraq. It’s just another reason why I am so fucked up. Guns shouldn’t soothe a man, but knowing that they will bring down my enemies is as relaxing as a massage. These weapons will solve all of our problems tomorrow when we wipe Twisted Tribe off the planet, soothing the entire club’s ache caused by Jagger’s murder. He wasn’t a fan of condoning violence, but in some cases the old adage of an eye for an eye fits better than a slap on the wrist. Our goals are simple in the attack, take them out and make it back home. I’m not foolish enough to believe that we won’t end up with casualties. Even if things work perfectly, they’ll fire on us just as quickly as we will on them. If the military taught me anything, it was kill them before they kill you. A bullet and revenge, neither one feels remorse nor sadness.
Locking up behind me, I walk out to the front gate. A couple of Trax’s prospects are manning the gate while a few of ours are laying low on the roofs of the buildings. Ratchet waves to me from the roof of the clubhouse with his rifle. Bastard is nuts, but he’s a crack shot. I’d rather have him with me than against me any day. Giving the guys their orders for the night, I return to the clubhouse. The party is finally dying down when I make it back to a thinning crowd in the main room. Only a few guys are lounging in the sitting area of the room while a couple of the girls clean up the empty bottles and cigarette butts covering the floor. How they can party like this the night before they’ll be dealing justice doesn’t make sense to me, but as long as the results are the same, who the fuck cares.
Ruby walks out of the kitchen with a trash bag in her hand just as I round the corner to head up to my room and Dani. Ruby rushes to me and wraps her arms around my neck. “Are you sure you need to go tomorrow, Hero?” she asks. “I don’t want you to get hurt or worse...” she continues as she trails off into a dark thought. Pulling her arms from me, I step back just enough to put space between our bodies. I know where this is headed, and I’m not in the mood for whining and fake emotions. Maybe before this shit went down I would fall for her song and dance of worrying for my safety, but not anymore. I know her game even if it has a well-ended meaning behind it. What feelings I had for Ruby blinked out of existence when Dani came barreling into my life. She’s nothing more to me than a past lover who refuses to walk away.
“You know I have to go, Ruby. It’s a part of being in this club. I’ll be fine, so don’t worry your pretty little head over nothing.” Trying to move away from her, she grabs me by the arm, pulling my attention back to her.
“Can I stay with you tonight?” she asks weakly.
“I want to be alone tonight,” I lie. “Silence helps me focus on the mission ahead. The place I have to go to prepare doesn’t make me fit for company, darlin’, but thank you for offering. Why don’t you take the night off? You and the girls have been busy keeping the clubhouse clean and the guys happy, you need a break.” Turning away before she can answer, I start up the stairs. She watches me take them two at a time until the floor blocks her from my view. Ruby doesn’t need to know that I have a new permanent fixture in my room. It will only cause more issues that I don’t have time to deal with now.
Stopping short of my door, I hesitate before opening it. I know that as soon as I step foot into the room, it will go one of two ways. She’ll hurl something at my head, or I’ll climb in bed next to her. Each possibility comes with its own set of consequences. I weigh my options and turn the knob. Sliding into the dark room, I can see her shapely silhouette under the sheets on my bed from the light of the TV. Glancing at the pictures flashing on the screen, I notice it’s not on ESPN. Why the fuck is there a chick flick on my TV? Trying to find the remote to switch it off, I notice a bare shoulder sticking out from under the covers.
I abandon my search when the thought of her possible nakedness makes my blood pump straight from my brain to my dick. I need to stow my aching cock for at least one night. I don’t want to scare her away the very first night she’s in my room and in my bed. I attempt to will my favorite appendage to remain dormant, but he’s as stubborn as I am. Stripping down to my boxer briefs, I step to the unoccupied side of the bed. Calling the sliver she’s left me unoccupied is nonsense. She’s lying literally in the middle of the bed with her arms and legs outstretched as far as she can reach them. Fuck, seeing her laid out so openly in my bed
makes the predicament in my pants grow harder.
Delicately picking up one of her arms, I slide into my apportioned piece of the bed. The smell of her freshly washed hair and skin settles over me, soothing my nerves about being alone in the same room with her, let alone a bed. Her scent is a mixture of honey and lavender and makes me speculate what she may taste like. Her scent alone would tempt the devil himself. Dani is a heavenly being that will be my downfall, I’m sure of it. I force myself not to just reach out and touch her, coaching to myself that until I know for sure that she’s cleared of all accusations, she will remain a prisoner and not a lover. After the things I’ve said to her, I doubt her legs will fall open easily for me. Maybe I should just forget sampling her pussy altogether. I’ve never had to beg for pussy, and it’s too easily available for me to start working for it now. She might not even be worth all the trouble anyway, but I can’t shake this unending desire to hold her and feel her beautiful body under me.
Settling on my pillow, I begin to close my eyes and beg for sleep to come easily. Just as I begin to drift into oblivion, her voice stirs me.
“Why did you move me in here?” she asks without turning to face me. “I thought you hated me.” She thinks I hate her? That’s far from how I feel about her. Hate isn’t exactly the word I would use to describe my trepidation about her. Skeptical or cautious would be more like it, but not hate. How could you hate the one woman on the planet that makes you question every decision you’ve ever made or the way you process your thoughts? She tempts me like no one else has before in her place, but this isn’t about my feelings. My club, and my brothers will always come first to me. Even if she is innocent, she’ll never outrank them. My life isn’t exactly picket fences and two point five kids like you see in the movies. It’s dark and dangerous. Not every woman would be able to handle the lifestyle, but I sure as fuck hope that Dani could be one of them that could.
“After the show you put on earlier with Trax’s ball sac, it’s safer for you to be in here with me. I can’t have some of my brothers beating and raping you under my watch. You’re not here because I like you, it’s just killing two birds with one stone. You’re secure, and I can keep the peace.” I know every single word of that was a lie, but I need to keep her in the dark as long as I can. If I can prove once and for all that she’s not a spy, I’ll feel better about her being around the club. When a woman fights, it’s a turn on for me. Maybe it’s the way their body moves as they strike their opponent or hell, maybe it’s the fact that they wear hardly any clothes in the ring, but fuck, it’s hot. Seeing a woman who can fight like a man flips my “on” button every time. Hell, maybe I just like feisty women like Dani. However, she’s dangerous to the club because a woman who will not submit to orders is a liability. I don’t want to have to show her what happens to a person when a club deems her a liability or a risk to them.
“He attacked me first, you know. It’s sweet how you protect a potential rapist because he wears the same patch as you do,” she retorts, turning over on her side to face me. Her face is beautifully illuminated by the glow of the TV. Her deep brown eyes contrast greatly against her soft feminine features. She was right about being bruised from Trax’s choking as deep purple bruises encircle her throat. Seeing his marks on her brings the asshole inside of me flooding back to the surface.
“He’s my brother, Dani. I can’t exactly play favorites against a brother and a prisoner. If you had listened to me, you’d have never been in that situation. Next time I issue you an order, fucking listen to it.” The intensity of her stare shatters the willpower I am desperately clinging onto. Her eyes could unman the staunchest warrior from his post if she flashed those chocolate browns at them. She has no idea the effect she has on people, and yet she knows how to use it expertly against men like me. She sashays her curves throughout the clubhouse and teases us with each sway of her luscious ass. She’s a fucking tease to us all, but I’m the only one who can’t fucking get her out of my head long enough to stick to my fucking job.
“What happened to the man I met at Red’s that night?” she asks, watching my eyes for a truthful answer. “ I know you were focused more on getting laid that night, but the asshole façade you put on for the club doesn’t feel like it’s the real you. You care about the people here.”
“Don’t, Dani. I’m not the man you seem to think I am. There’s not a heart of gold buried underneath my black heart. I’m not made to love anyone but myself. I was born and bred to kill and service justice, not to love. Now, go back to sleep. I need to rest before I handle business tomorrow. I’d advise you not to leave the room until we get back. You’ll be safer in here after your little stunt tonight.”
I roll away from her and settle into the pillow. Darkness begins to take hold again when she whispers one last thing in the blackness of the room. I can barely hear her words as I fall asleep, but they resonate in my mind as sleep pulls me under.
“Your heart may be black, Hero, but even assholes have them.”
Waiting for Hero to return to his room became pure torture. I’ve sat on his soft bed and nervously counted the seconds until he burst through the door and privately chewed me out for my attack on Trax. I don’t know what came over me when he touched me, but the feel of him on my skin sent me into a blind rage. Anything and everything in my way would have been destroyed if I hadn’t walked away. Trying to escape through the bathroom window wasn’t my brightest idea now that I have time to think about the consequences had I succeeded, but it was the only viable option my brain presented to me in a moment of sheer panic. Knowing Hero would be hot on my heels, I assumed I had limited time left breathing on the Earth, and I wouldn’t go silently.
I don’t know what infuriates me more. The fact he ordered me to move into his room or the fact I blindly followed his orders. I guess blindly following would be putting it nicely. I tried to put up a fight but when I weighed the options, it was the lesser of two evils. The bastard may hate me, but at least he respects me enough not to force himself on me. I think my exhibition match with Trax is proof enough to the men of this club that I will protect myself when provoked.
It’s been over an hour since he stormed out of my room, leaving me to move and unpack with Slider’s supervision. My eyes begin to droop, and I know I won’t be able to stay awake much longer, but I try to fight off sleep as much as I can. Hero’s room is twenty degrees colder than mine so the warmth of his bed is unfortunately my only option. Well, that or become a Dani Popsicle. Men suck in the aspect of how warm they tend to stay. I’m always cold. Sliding under the silky covers of his bed, I lay on my side absently watching the movie on TV. It doesn’t take long before sleep takes me.
The door opening stirs me awake. I’m too tired to deal with his imminent verbal whiplash, so I stay still and pretend to still be asleep. He stops at the foot of the bed before stripping his clothes off. I know I am taking up nearly the entire bed so maybe he’ll give up and sleep on the couch. It’s not that I’m afraid of him sleeping next to me, that’s the farthest thing from my mind. I’m afraid I’ll like his warm body nestled next to mine way too much. My body still wants him even if my mind is still convinced he’s bad news.
He startles me with his touch as he lifts my arm out of his way before he slides into the bed. His touch sends tingles flying through me as the bed adjusts to his weight and he settles into position. His breathing is ragged and judging by how fast he inhales and exhales, he’s just as nervous as I am about the sleeping arrangements. If he were to reach out and wrap himself around me, I would be a goner. Why can’t I convince the rest of myself how much of an asshole he is? He just wants to fuck me out of his system and move on to the next whore. Just thinking about his escapades since I’ve lived in the clubhouse makes me shiver in disgust. God¸ I hope these sheets are clean and disease free. If we were ever to move past the dividing line of loathing each other into fucking, he’s going to need to be tested. I won’t let him near me with the possibility of having dick rot.
Sex with him isn’t worth a permanently diseased state.
His breathing finally begins to slow, letting me relax again. I know I shouldn’t alert him to the fact I’m awake, but his reasoning behind tonight won’t let me go back to sleep. My mind won’t let me just lay here next to him without answers. I may be in bed with a monster, but he seems to be in check at the moment. His other side would have pinned me to bed and taken what he wanted.
“Why did you move me in here?” I ask with my back still turned. I need to know why he’d literally move his self-proclaimed enemy into his bed. “I thought you hated me.”
He exhales quickly. I must have startled him. “After the show you put on earlier with Trax’s ball sac, it’s safer for you to be in here with me. I can’t have some of my brothers beating and raping you under my watch. You’re not here because I like you, it’s just killing two birds with one stone. You’re secure, and I can keep the peace.”
His answer semi-shocks me. Of course I knew there would be consequences for my actions, but why wouldn’t he just feed me to the wolves? Sure, the bastard forcibly kissed me after my failed attempt to escape, but that doesn’t mean he has feelings for me. Men like watching women fight, or in this case, completely brutalize a man’s junk. The excitement of tonight’s events and the anticipation of the coming retaliation must have clouded his better judgment. Well, that or his little brain was in control of that particular moment. Dicks have an amazing ability to make intelligent and reasonable men do stupid things.
“He attacked me first, you know. It’s sweet how you protect a potential rapist because he wears the same patch as you do.” His loyalty to Trax irks me more than the kiss. Men in a brotherhood are supposed to have honor and decency, but then again, these men are ruled by more than their corrupt morals. They may appear to be serving their club’s purposes, but from the back door dealing’s I’ve witnessed in my time here, they look out for themselves more than their club. He tries to explain away his loyalty to Trax and his brothers, but it all sounds like bullshit to me.