Rough Love

by Laura Morgan

  When we arrived and walked into the building that was still both my home and the clubhouse, it should’ve felt normal, yet it was far from it. I felt like a completely different person than the girl who’d left a week before, and when we ducked inside the club members treated me differently too. Tobin draped his arm over my shoulder and led me inside to a roar of cheers and calls from his fellow bikers. He grinned broadly, soaking up their approval at us being a couple, while I followed my old habits and retreated into myself, blushing as I kept my eyes on the floor.

  My brothers greeted me awkwardly, our night the week before still evidently fresh in all of our minds, but they seemed to be trying their hardest to forget it and I gratefully did the same. I hugged Nico, accepting a kiss on my cheek that was a rare show of emotion from the huge man before doing the same with my other, more relaxed brothers. Nico and Tobin then sloped off to one side, talking quietly with one another, so I focussed on my closest brother to my age, Brad.

  I failed to hide my surprise when he told me about a new girlfriend he wanted me to meet, however I nodded and immediately agreed. He wasn’t the sort to have real relationships so it had to be someone special for him to want me to meet her. Brad seemed overjoyed by my reaction and I was glad that my approval seemed to mean so much to him. The other club members stayed away so we could greet each other in relative privacy—a sign of respect—and I appreciated the effort.

  My brothers all seemed pleased with how things had ended up between Tobin and I. They were calm and relaxed with us, but I got the feeling Nico was grilling him, regardless of Tobin technically outranking my brother within the club. While I couldn’t help but wonder what was being said between the two best friends, I kept my prying eyes and ears away. I’d never wanted to be that girl. The one who demanded to know everything that was going on in her boyfriend’s life, so I quickly made my excuses and headed to my room to deposit my bag.

  Tobin caught my eye, but didn’t stop me from going. I knew he more than likely had a lot of club business to catch up on and I wasn’t about to get in the middle of it. I knew how things would work now that we were back there. The boys would have their meeting and then we would all get together afterwards for drinks and the chance to catch up properly. But, in the meantime, he needed his VP persona back and I actually found myself wanting some peace and quiet.

  A couple of hours passed and, while I enjoyed the silence of my room, I couldn’t help but miss the man who’d been with me day and night during the week before. I began packing up some of my things, thinking about our plans to move into Dahlia’s together, and I smiled to myself as I contemplated our new life there. When a knock at the door finally broke the silence, I assumed it must’ve been him and flung it open, only to find my father standing on the other side with a kind smile. I instinctively stepped forward and wrapped myself in his arms, holding on for just a few seconds before stepping back and ushering him inside.

  “How are you?” he asked, leaning against my chest of drawers, and I smiled up at him from where I perched on the edge of my huge bed.

  “I’m great, did Tobin talk to you?” I asked, tailing off before I accidentally hinted at something gross about me and my lack of virginal repose. He was clearly unnerved by the elephant in the room as well and shuffled on his feet, evidently not wanting to bring it up either.

  “Yeah, we’re all very happy for you both. How do you like the new clubhouse?” he eventually asked, looking uncomfortable.

  “I love it. Tobin wants me to move there with him and he’s named the bar after me,” I replied, fiddling with my hands. It all felt incredibly awkward and I hated it, but had to believe that we could get back to our old way once the unease dissipated.

  “I know. I designed the new sign and gave him my blessing to ask you. I want you two to be happy, Dahlia, but I don’t think you should rush into anything. I know some things were said and lots of truths came to light last weekend, but I want you to know that you don’t need to run off with Tobin because you think I want rid of you. You’re together now, but there’s no need to go too fast. Sometimes I wonder if that was part of the problem between him and Dita,” he replied, fixing me with a sad stare and I knew right away he was feeling a little lost. No matter having pushed me and Tobin together, he still seemed sad at having had to give me up after all our years of me doting on him as the most important man in my life.

  “I’m not rushing anything, Dad. I will always be here for you and the boys, and I’ll be a part of this club for the rest of my life,” I promised, and he seemed to relax. “I guess I’m just finally becoming that woman you wanted me to be and with that comes some independence. Tobin will take really good care of me, I trust him.”

  “As do I,” he said, stepping forward to gather me up in his arms again, and I let him. “I just need some time to let you go. I never dreamed it would be this hard.” I wanted to comfort him more, to take back the harsh words I’d uttered to him the first night we’d spent at Dahlia’s, but I couldn’t do it. I’d meant those words and vowed to myself I wouldn’t ever take them back just to make him feel better.

  A knock at the door halted any reply from me and Tobin walked in a split-second later. He had a hard stare, dark and brooding for some reason. When he saw me and my father holding onto one another tightly he pursed his lips together, seemingly to stop his reaction from coming out. I noticed the malicious look he gave my dad though, a look he quickly hid again behind a half-smile. When we parted, Tobin didn’t say a word, he just nodded in respect to his club President, who kissed my cheek and left us to it.

  “Are you okay?” I asked but could tell without him even saying a word that Tobin was on edge.

  “Yeah, I guess it’s just weird being back here,” he tried to bat his mood off with a cloak excuse, but I wasn’t buying it.

  “My father will always be involved in my life, Tobin. I don’t want it to be him or you.”

  “I know that. I would never expect you to push him away. It’s just that, shit, you might as well know. He’s put our move to Dahlia’s on hold until things settle down here. He doesn’t want us there on our own ‘cos there’s been trouble with the Red Reapers again. One of their guys got in a fight with one of our prospects last night. The guy broke his cheekbone and wants revenge, but your dad has said no. There’s been issues with their guys getting pushy for months and Garret thinks we should all stay here until he can have a sit down with their President.”

  My mind raced. I’d heard how another local bike club, the Red Reapers, had been growing in numbers, but didn’t know things had turned violent again. Their President had a good relationship with my father, but it seemed their younger members weren’t so keen on sharing turf with our club. I wasn’t completely sure what pies my dad’s club had their fingers in, but from what I could gather, my brothers Nico and Thomas ran a lucrative drug business in and around our part of the city. They frequented the nightclubs and bars, university campuses, and even restaurants with their goods, which were snapped up in no time by the addicts and habitual users aplenty.

  They had no idea I knew all about it though. Dita had told me a long time before. She’d gotten into using cocaine to keep herself alert and awake enough to party all night during her early twenties. When I found her stash, I demanded to know where she’d gotten it and she burst out laughing, telling me to go and check Nico’s bag. I didn’t do it, I was too scared, but after that I watched them all silently, as usual. I was the unsuspected spy—part of the furniture as it were. Eventually, I did start to notice bags of money and backpacks full of product changing hands, along with the sly looks and whispered conversations, and knew she was right.

  I could tell there was more to the problem with the Reapers that Tobin wasn’t telling me. His expression was almost pained, and about more than just small-time fights with other clubs. He seemed to have shut down that conversation though and I wasn’t about to push him.

  “We’ll stay then, but I hope you’re sleeping in here w
ith me?” I asked, gazing up into his eyes with a sly grin, and he nodded.

  “Where else could I ever sleep but in your bed, babe?” he answered, pulling me in for a kiss. I let myself enjoy being wrapped up in him and smiled to myself at his attempts at giving me a pet name, but I liked when he’d called me babe. “I have to admit, even though he’s your father I hated seeing you in another mans arms,” Tobin added, and he stroked my cheek with his thumb while I laughed shyly. I actually liked that he was jealous of other men getting close to me, even if it was my dad. I would never kick that hornet’s nest for the fun of it or to get a reaction from him, but I also wouldn’t ever hold back from showing my affection to my father or brothers, so hoped he would get used to it.

  Before I knew what was happening, Tobin lifted me up and carried me to the huge bed, lying me down beside him. His lips caressed mine with his practised skill, knowing now exactly how I liked to be kissed. His mouth commanded mine and was so powerful and wanting that no part of me ever wanted him to stop. In that moment, I would’ve let him have whatever he wanted of me, and it just so happened that right then, he wanted me. It was a gift I was all too ready to give him and when Tobin unbuttoned my fly and slid his hand between my legs, I didn’t even flinch. I opened myself up and welcomed his long fingers inside of me, arching up on the duvet to allow him even deeper access and he accepted.

  A soft knock at the door a few minutes later made me jump and I grabbed Tobin’s hand, ready to wrench it away from inside my trousers, but he shook his head. He covered me with his powerful body, hiding what we were doing from whoever was on the other side of the door.

  “What?” he called, giving me a wink as it opened and Nico’s head appeared around the small crack.

  “Hey, sorry to intrude. Dad wants you guys downstairs. They’re giving Thomas his birthday present tonight and he wants everyone there,” he informed us. Tobin nodded in understanding, while I buried my face in his shoulder in embarrassment.

  Not only had he not pulled his hand away, but he hadn’t stopped his wonderful strokes, and almost as soon as the door shut behind my brother I exploded in orgasm. I bit down on Tobin’s shoulder in an attempt to quieten my pleasure-fuelled cries, as well as punishment for his cheekiness. I then heard a deep growl come up from his chest, as though the pain stirred something within him, something primal.

  I was barely lucid again when he flipped me over and pulled my jeans down to my knees. As I felt Tobin lift my hips upwards to meet him, his fly fell open and he pressed his raging hard-on inside my already flooded core. With no regard for being overheard, he pounded me into the mattress, making it creak and bang against the wall as he drove us to a shared orgasm. I got the feeling he wanted to claim me there at Dad’s, just like he’d claimed me over and over again at the new clubhouse, but didn’t mind one little bit.

  After cleaning ourselves up, I used the bathroom and re-applied my makeup. I was still flushed and knew I reeked of him, all male and sex, but there was nothing I could do. We needed to get downstairs.

  Eyes roved over us both as we strolled into the clubhouse bar as though nothing had happened. I felt the club members’ gazes over every inch of me and wondered if everyone there knew exactly what we’d just been up to. Tobin didn’t care, of course. His cocky nature probably made him want to give every guy in the room a nod and a wink, but I was too busy staring at the ground to watch him or see his friends’ faces.

  We then sat down and had a few drinks with the guys, celebrating my brother’s birthday together as a group, before the women were eventually ushered away so that he could be given his present—a stripper named Cherry.

  I led the handful of girlfriends into the smaller living room towards the back of the house, listening to them drone on about their day or how much they hated their bosses. Blah, blah, blah.

  I couldn’t have been less interested, but for some strange reason those women who had never been bothered about me before were unexpectedly looking at me for input. It was as though all of a sudden I mattered and they were hoping I might pipe up and join in on their conversation. I had nothing to say, though. With no job of my own and nothing exciting going on in my life other than my relationship with Tobin, there was nothing for me to chat about. I wasn’t prepared for the change in them either, and thanks to my quieter nature I didn’t know how to make small talk.

  All I had in common with those women was the club and I knew for dammed sure that as the VP’s girlfriend I wasn’t going to pander to them and act as if I was grateful to be included in their conversations at last. I decided instead to see what I could get away with. Tobin’s words were ringing in my ears from those first couple of days we spent at Dahlia’s. He’d told me that I had the full respect of the club, whether I knew it or not, and how when I spoke up, everyone stopped and listened. So, I decided to give it a try.

  “Girls, do you wanna grab the plates and stuff from the kitchen? I’ll start getting set up for the cake,” I said, my head high and I watched them all jump to action with a grin. They quickly got to it and headed off into the huge kitchen in search of the housekeeper. She had made cakes and snacks for the club members and guests to enjoy after the boys’ tantalising treat in the bar, and I smiled at the delicious array. Not quite knowing what to do with myself, I shuffled with the dinner set in an attempt to look as though I was helping before I nestled into my usual spot on the sofa. There, I watched as the women all clucked around and put together a spread worthy of a full banquet, rather than just a few dozen bikers and their old lady’s. There was a sense of community there I hadn’t noticed before. A life those women were leading that they found meaning in and I was glad to have them around me. I hoped I’d learn to fit in with them eventually.

  Jodie, Nico’s long-term girlfriend, sat down beside me after a few minutes and I smiled across at her. I’d always liked Jodie. She’d always been kind to me and never condescending. She seemed to understand that while I hardly spoke or participated, I wasn’t stupid or a fool to what was going on around me. In her hand was a small glass of wine for me, which I took with a murmur of thanks.

  “No problem,” she replied, her smile seemingly genuine. “It’s good that you’re finally taking part in the proper club stuff. We’re a really nice group of women here. Each of us are strong and we support one another one hundred per-cent, so don’t ever worry about trusting us. You’ve always been around on the outside, quiet and in your little bubble. I have to say, it’s lovely to have a chance to get to know you properly at last.” I was shocked, appalled by my snotty behaviour, and I understood exactly where she was coming from. When I was just the little sister, protected and loved by the club but still not actually a part of it, I was an outsider there, but from the moment I’d become Tobin’s girlfriend I was one of them. Just another old lady and I needed to earn their respect like I had with the bikers who had raised me.

  “I guess I figured we never had anything to talk about before. All I know is this life my father has kept me in all if these years. You girls go off and work, socialise with people outside of the club, and have a life away from this place. My only escape is in my studies and online, how sad is that?” I replied and Jodie seemed happy to hear that I wasn’t looking down my nose at them, rather that I wasn’t sure where I would fit in.

  “Nico is my entire world, Dahlia, just like Thomas is for Letitia and Calvin is for Shannon over there,” she said, talking about Tobin’s cousin. Jodie looked over at the others and I followed her gaze, smiling at them. They seemed to know that we were talking about them, but didn’t mind. I wondered if perhaps it was part of my initiation or something. Whether Jodie had been sent to talk with me. To make me see they were more than just a group of biker chicks. “My life outside of here means nothing without Nico, I hope you understand that?” Jodie added, smiling in a way I’d only just learned about. A loving, respectful way. She truly did care for my brother and it was lovely to finally see for myself how relationships weren’t quite as black and wh
ite as I’d once thought.

  “I do now. This past week with Tobin has shown me what I was missing out on. He and I seemed to click even after all this time of knowing each other, but there it was and now I cannot imagine things any other way,” I replied, surprised by my honesty. “It’s an odd feeling, especially after his history with my sister.”

  Jodie nodded.

  “I was good friends with Dita. I miss her terribly but I do want you to know that she and Tobin were together for appearances sake only, especially in the last few months. I think she knew early on that things were just a bit of fiery fun between them rather than anything serious but it was your father who wanted Tobin to marry into the family. You two are much better suited,” Jodie said, looking down as though feeling guilty for saying something. I had to agree, but in honour of my sister’s memory I didn’t say it aloud.

  Before long, everything was ready and the women all sat down and chatted around me. I tried to jump in here and there, aiming for at least some input in the conversation, but it was hard thanks to the few loud ones in the crowd, Brad’s new girlfriend, Tammy being one of them.

  “Is it true Tobin named the new bar after you when you’d only been together one day?” she asked me outright and I was stunned, as were the rest of the women it seemed. However, they all looked at me, clearly hoping that I might give them the details as they too were desperate to know the truth but hadn’t wanted to ask.

  “I think it’s safer to say my father had a hand in naming the new clubhouse too, but yes. It’s called Dahlia’s.”

  “Tell us everything, how did you two get together in the end?” Tammy pressed and I sighed, trying to hide my annoyance, but couldn’t help my lovesick grin taking over my blushing face.

  “We all went to visit it and ended up staying the night,” I missed out the part about my midnight caller, choosing to elaborate slightly on the facts instead because the very thought of those women knowing the truth would have killed me. “The next morning we were both up early and got talking, he told me he liked me and wanted me to stay behind to help him get things ready there. I was sure Dad would say no, but he agreed. The rest is obvious really.”