by Karen Renee
I smiled at Heath. “Thanks, but I know what I’m doing, Heath. Cary and I are both older now, and I am finding that he has genuinely changed. I don’t know if I’ve changed or not, but I certainly hope I’ve matured. I need to see this through. If it still has the staying power that I thought it did six years ago, then I’d be a moronic fool to let it slip though my fingers again.”
A few minutes later the three of us all bickered about who would pay for the bill or whether we would split the bill, but Heath was quick on the draw with his Amex and the bartender took his card. With the tab settled, I doled out hugs to Roxanne and Heath, and they walked me to my car.
I started up my car, found my phone charger in the glove box and hooked it up to my phone. After more than a couple of minutes, I finally got the thing to boot up. I had missed sixteen calls, had fifteen voicemails, and seven text messages. Only three of the texts came from numbers that were in my contacts. Vamp sent five texts, and the last one was in all-caps.
Vamp: WHERE THE FUCK ARE YOU?
The other two texts were from Reggie and Tucker. Tucker’s text invited me to meet them early at a buddy’s condo in Riverside. This held promise, because there was no way in hell I was going to respond to an all-caps text from Vamp right now. I knew he was concerned, but seriously, he needed to chill the hell out. Reggie’s text was time stamped shortly after Tucker’s and told me to call if I was going to be able to make it to the Riverside buddy’s condo.
I had done the low charge/no charge dance with my Smartphone before. I knew I had little to no time to chat or text with anyone until I got a full charge in the phone, which wouldn’t truly happen until I found a wall charger. Or, until I drove for like three hours straight, which was not happening. With the phone still plugged into the car charger, I called Reggie.
“Frankie?”
“Yeah, babe. I’m outside Kickback’s, my phone’s on its very last legs. Where’s this condo and I’ll be by shortly.”
Reggie, too, had dealt with a persnickety cell phone in the past, so he cut to the chase, “Ok, well first, we’re at unit G on the corner of Oak street and Cherry, so we’re maybe five blocks from where you are. Second, your alpha biker-man has called me and Tucker three times in the last hour and a half. He’s out of his mind about where you might be. I think you need to call him.”
I nodded, not that Reggie could see it, “I’ll handle Vamp, don’t you worry. In the meantime, I’ll be there in less than ten minutes, tell Tucker to get my shoes! See you soon.”
I ended the call, placed the phone on the passenger seat so it would continue to charge, and then I motored my SUV from College Street to Cherry Street heading south. It was a relatively short drive going two blocks west and then five blocks south. I still had a nagging feeling that there were eyes on me. I checked my rearview mirror and side mirrors, but the sun had set fully and I couldn’t make out anything in the darkness. When I reached my destination, I found a parking spot by a stroke of luck, when someone else backed out of one. Once I was parked, I sent Vamp a text.
Me: I’m fine. I’ll be at the Metro at 9:30 as planned. Glad to know you’re out of questioning.
I powered off my vehicle, and immediately my phone chirped a tell-tale trill indicating the battery was extremely low. Since I didn’t have a wall charger on hand, I powered the phone off, making a mental note that it was now eight-fifteen. I grabbed my purse and hopped out of my SUV. As I walked up the sidewalk toward the building, I pressed the lock button on my key fob, listened to the short horn honk telling me the doors were locked, and then I found unit G, and Tucker and Reggie.
Before I could knock, Tucker threw the door open as if he lived there. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me inside. People milling about looked at us in wonder, and Tucker ignored them as he pulled me deeper and deeper into the cozy two-bedroom condo. Or at least, I guessed it was a two bedroom unit. The living room/dining room combo was small but felt spacious and the galley kitchen adjacent to that was definitely small, but the bedroom Tucker pulled me into was decent-sized and overlooked the alley behind the building.
Three shoe boxes were sitting on the bed, and that was when I realized two other men were in the room with us and neither one of them was Reggie. I was going to ask about them, but apparently we had entered in between songs because Moby’s “Body Rock” started blaring from a stereo system in the room. It was then I realized that Tucker wasn't too pleased with me, if the daggers he was shooting at me with his eyes were any indication.
I tilted my head slightly at him, and he leaned to my ear and growled, “You did not tell me I would be bringing two pairs of genuine Jimmy Choos in here alongside a knock-off pair of Forever 21 wannabe Choos! Are you trying to get me trampled? Or worse, killed? I thought you knew the score about cross-dressers!”
I closed my eyes as I contemplated my response, I opened them and raised my voice slightly to say, “I didn’t know you’d be hanging with cross-dressers! I just know that a dress this fabulous deserves equally fantastic shoes.”
At this point Tucker took one step back from me to take in my dress. His lips pursed and shifted to the side, and then he nodded at me. I couldn’t hear him over the frantic beats of Moby, but I could read his lips were saying, “You’re right.” He turned his back on me, and without allowing me to decide which pair I wanted to wear, his right hand shoved my Jimmy Choo Koko high-heeled sandals at me. Don’t get me wrong, they were stellar shoes, but I wasn’t certain they were the shoes I wanted to wear for the evening. When I didn’t immediately take them from Tucker’s outstretched hand, his head swiveled to me and he glared.
I glared back even as I took the shoes from him. I moved toward the bed to assess my other two pairs of shoes, but Tucker immediately put the shoe-box lids on them. My casted right hand went immediately to my hip, and my left motorcycle boot clad foot shot out at an angle. The other two men in the room felt my vibe and Tucker looked up at them. Then he looked to me and straightened.
“Problem?” he asked, and I could hear him because the song had ended.
“I’d like to look at the other two pairs of shoes I asked you to bring, if you don’t mind.”
Let me tell you, heterosexual men were not the only males of the species who could turn alpha on a girl. My snippy comment had effectively poked the alpha within Tucker. He moved into my space and growled at me, “I mind. Did you two favors tonight, Frankie. I got your shoes and brought them up here, and I took in your excellent dress and made the decision on which of these three pairs of shoes were most appropriate. Don’t insult me by second-guessing me. Switch your shoes and I’ll walk you out to put the others in the back of your ride.”
My lips were set in a firm, straight line as I fought to hold on to my temper. Reggie entered the room at that point with two glasses of wine in hand.
He stopped mid-stride. “Uh-oh. What have I walked in on here?”
One of the two men in the room said, “A showdown. This should be fun.”
Reggie looked from the man back to Tucker and me. “Oh. Yes, you never should have included a pair of knock-off Choos in your request for shoe options, dear. If Tuck has proclaimed you should wear those shoes in your hand, then you need to do as he advises. When it comes to fashion on other people, he is not wrong. You know this, Frankie.”
I slowly turned my head to the left to look at Reggie and just as slowly I raised an eyebrow at him. He shrugged at me, and I realized I did know that Tucker had excellent fashion sense. It was like the way some people had a natural card-sense when playing poker, bridge, or gin-rummy. Tucker was blessed with an innate sense of fashion and what suited individual people as well as their bodies and coloring. I didn’t like this aspect of Tucker’s personality, not his fashion brilliance, but his alpha-esque pushiness about it.
“Fine,” I huffed as I plopped my ass on the bed and began to untie my motorcycle boots.
I slid the zipper down on the back side of one of my sandals and slid my bare foot into the shimme
ring metallic-and-suede high-heeled shoe. The shoes were downright art deco with the wide swaths of black suede interrupted by gold leather piping on the edges and in the middle of the crossover strap details. They were peep-toe with a one-inch contoured platform, and at the back the spike heel was five-inches high, but really only four-inches thanks to the platform at the toe. As shoes go, they were movie-star glamorous and were a serious splurge for my birthday the first time I made a five figure commission in my current job. I stood up when I had the second shoe on and I looked down at my feet while also taking in my dress from above. Suddenly it donned on me, it wasn’t Tucker’s pushiness about my shoes that annoyed me to no end, it was the fact that he was pushy about it and he was right. Men!
As I stood there taking in my fabulous shoes, Reggie flung the bedroom door closed and I found myself standing in front of a full-length mirror. I looked up at myself and I nearly fell over. The cast on my right hand was still an eyesore, but no red-blooded heterosexual man would look at me and see that damn cast. That was how good I looked, even if it was egotistical to think that way. However, with the full effect staring me back in the face, I realized I needed serious help with my make-up. It didn’t even come close to being on par with the rest of the look I was pulling off. I needed dramatic make-up, if for no other reason than to keep my art-deco style shoes company.
I pulled in a deep breath and said, “You were right, Tucker. Thank you, very much. Now I need to ask a stupid question, or maybe a bit of an imposing and possibly rude question, but is there any chance someone here has some make-up I could use to bring the appropriate amount of drama to my face for tonight?”
Tucker smiled a knowing smile while he put his arm around my shoulders, “Is there ever! And it isn’t imposing or rude. Reg will get that taken care of while you and I take these other shoes to your SUV.”
*** ***
Tucker brought me a glass of white wine and beers for himself and Reggie. I was with a number of their buddies from the condo, and we had commandeered three tables off to the side of what was typically a large dance floor. There was a stage which normally featured a DJ and, on occasion, live musical acts, but tonight that stage was extended out with a runway style walkway for the drag show. It was only ten minutes after nine when we arrived, so I had at least another twenty before I faced the wrath of Vamp and the Riot MC. Sneaking out of the clubhouse wasn’t all that cool, but I couldn’t tolerate being captive any more today. Until you’ve had someone at your side or your back for ten days straight, you just don’t know the craziness it provokes.
When we left the condo to come to the Metro, I drove alone and that sensation of being followed or watched came over me again. I had to figure I was just being paranoid. I run in to Stillman one time since he showed up at my house after the attack, and all of a sudden I think he’s gunning for me. My paranoia seemed to be a real thing when we found our table and the other people with us put me in a seat with my back to the door. One thing that always stuck with me during and after my time with Vamp was that you did not sit with your back to the door if you thought trouble was lurking. My imminent freak-out was only thwarted by Reggie, when he pulled my seat out for me and said, “It’s going to be fine, sugar. You got nothing to worry about with Tucker around.” At that point, I knew I was just being silly.
I had been introduced to Reggie and Tucker’s friends at the apartment earlier, but I still felt reserved and shy around them. It was rare that I was reserved in a social setting, and the consequence of my quietness was that I was drinking faster than usual. Tucker asked Reggie if he wanted a cocktail instead of a beer, then he took in my wine glass and said, “Hittin’ the bar, honey. You sticking with wine or do you want a Cosmo?”
“Seeing as the show won’t start for at least another forty-five minutes, I’ll go with a Cosmo. Let me give you some money,” I said, but Tucker gave me a glare like the one regarding the shoes and I let the matter drop.
I watched as Tucker prowled across the floor to the octagonal-shaped bar area, and suddenly two arms clamped around me from behind with remarkable force. Immediately I knew my paranoia was not silly, but completely legitimate. Instinctively, I started elbowing the man who was behind me. He smelled slightly familiar, like fresh air, but that wasn’t hard to do if you spent time outside watching someone. My elbows weren’t doing any damage, so I lifted my right arm to try and hit this person in the shoulder with my cast when I felt and heard a low voice at my ear growl, “Calm.”
I froze, but my body was still rigid with fear. Then I heard, “It’s me, baby, calm down. Deep breath. Calm down.”
With more than one word being spoken in my ear, I realized it was Vamp and I stupidly did what he said and took a deep breath. That deep breath forced my muscles to relax a smidge and I found my posture was not so stiff. I slipped off my stool and turned around to look at him. He was all there, no marks as if someone beat him. That might have been outlandish, but he was part of an outlaw biker club, so who knew how the police would treat him in the amount of time they had him for questioning.
I couldn’t say if it was the white wine running through my system or what it was, but I suddenly jumped up and grabbed him with my arms, legs, and possibly my tongue. Once I had hold of him with my limbs, I planted my mouth on his in such a forceful way he was forced to open to me. I kissed him with everything I had, realizing that I had missed him for the past eight hours. His hands squeezed at my ass, and I figured it was a prompt for me to break the kiss, but I couldn’t have done that if a truckload of money was on offer. I heard a male voice singing the chorus for the song, “Moves Like Jagger.”
This poor singing even ended with the signature whistle of that song, and it definitely killed my mood and intentions, so I broke the kiss and slid my legs down and regained my feet. I looked behind Vamp to see the red-haired prospect who had been working the bar in the compound. I gave him a dirty look, and heard Vamp mumble, “Won’t forget that bullshit, prospect. Got it?”
The prospect gave Vamp a chin-lift and stepped a couple feet away. I asked Vamp, “What does that mean? You won’t forget that?”
Vamp gave me a wry look, “He earns his patch, he’s gonna need a road name. Singin’ shit like that when I’m getting’ a kiss that gives everyman in this joint a boner, he’ll be lucky if his road name ain’t Christina at this point.”
“Christina?”
“She has a singing part in that song.”
Hmmm…sounded like I wasn’t the only one buying myself trouble tonight.
Before I could say anything, Vamp growled, “You fucked up tonight.”
Here we go. My chin dipped as I tried to give him a look, but Vamp’s hand darted out and tilted my chin up to look at him normally. “I text you in all-caps, you call me back.”
My eyes narrowed, “You didn’t ask or tell me to call you back.”
“It’s in all-caps, you call me back.”
“My phone was completely out of juice. I could only send you the one text because it had been on my car charger for all of ten minutes. I couldn’t have called you back even if I had wanted to.”
Vamp threw an arm out toward Reggie and Tucker who had returned with my Cosmo, “You been hangin’ with them before gettin’ here? Don’t answer that. You got on come-fuck-me heels I’ve never seen before, you didn’t drive home for that shit did you?”
I merely shook my head and Vamp continued, “Reggie’s phone was workin’ and so was Tucker’s. I text you in all-caps when you’re not where you’re supposed to be and there’s a threat to you out there, you call me back. We clear?”
Not especially, but Vamp was one bear I knew not to poke when he was on one of his alpha rampages. Therefore, I fibbed by nodding. His arms that had been wrapped around me all of this time stretched straight as he took a step back from me. He didn’t look satisfied, then he said, “Step back, baby.”
My eyebrows drew together while my head tilted.
An annoyed look swept over Vamp’s face
, “Not gonna ask you again. Step back, babe.”
My lips thinned out, but I did as he asked and stepped back from him. I watched as multiple expressions washed over Vamp’s beautiful face. The first was a mixture of hunger and supreme approval, and then his eyes closed while his jaw tightened and he turned his head to the side as if he was trying not to remember what he just saw. I was going to ask if he was ok when he swiftly put a hand to his crotch and adjusted his jeans.
His face twisted toward me, and when his eyes opened they were hungry and annoyed so I was not surprised when he asked me, “You sure you want to be here right now? For a drag queen show?”
I pressed my lips together to keep from giggling or smiling too big at him, and stuck with my earlier tactic and just nodded at him. I watched his chest deflate and his hand shot out and pulled me to him. Once we were body-to-body, he kissed me with a passion to match my earlier kiss.
When he broke our kiss, Vamp only pulled an inch away from my face and he said, “You’re gonna pay tonight, baby. Gonna pay big time. You know why?”
Heat was surging through me at his words, and my mouth was dry to the point I didn’t trust myself to speak, so I shook my head at him.
A wicked smile split his lips. “’Cause you’ve been naughty. Really naughty, and I discipline naughty ladies like you.”
Ok, I lied. Warmth had been surging through me, but now there was definite heat racing through my body at the potential of Vamp disciplining me. Involuntarily I pressed into his torso, and his smile became bigger and even more wicked, which I had not thought was even possible!
Tucker broke the stare-down that was happening between me and Vamp when he said, “Ok, we all get it! You two are back together and can’t get enough of each other. Either leave to get a room or let Frankie drink her Cosmo.”