by V. Theia
Leaving him wide awake and hard.
No way was he going back to that couch.
His hands tightened on her waist and he forced his body to relax.
Poppy woke twice that night, unsettled by dreams and he was there to cuddle her in and soothe her right back to sleep.
He didn’t know what was going on but he knew he liked whatever it was.
TWENTY
“Drugging love.” - Poppy
“He was in the bed with you…all night and didn’t fuck you?”
Shaking her head from side to side with a black stubby straw in the corner of her lip, Poppy said, “nope.” Popping the P. “Even when I woke up, he was all sweet with his hand in my hair and holding me close.”
“And no dick?”
“Well, it was definitely present.” She shared over the noise of the bar that Roux had taken them to. She was having such a good time; it was her third…or fourth cocktail. “Unless he brought a very…and I mean verrrry large flashlight to bed. It was very much there squashed against my belly all night.”
Roux laughed and threw her legs up on the booth seat.
Where Roux was complete rocker chick with her long ponytail, sleek down her back with one side of her head shaved to the skull, vivid glossed lips, her arm tattoos on display with the sleeveless band t-shirt, tight leather pants and biker boots. She was badass and sexy.
Poppy was dressed the complete opposite, about as girlie as girlie got, because now she had all her clothes back, she’d chosen a shimmering silver dress that hit mid-thigh and filled out the bust with her little boobs and she teamed it with blood red shoes and her hair curled, thanks to her curling iron being in those stupid trunks too, it hung in mounds of rivers over her shoulders.
“Cinderella, how did I ever think you were boring? You’ve got one of those Renegade Souls wrapped around your little finger.”
Poppy wished.
They’d made coffee this morning, he’d grunted that he was going for a run and then to finish off one of the apartments downstairs. No mention of the orgasms or why he climbed into her bed or held her all night long.
“He’s not.”
“Not what?”
“Part of the Renegade Souls MC anymore.”
“Huh, what do you mean? He’s Texas. He’s been part of that crew for ages.”
“Not any more he isn’t.”
They were in a bar called Wild Joe’s. Roux insisted it was safe because it was a Diablo Disciples territory bar and according to Roux, most biker bars were neutral, which meant if other MC’s came in, they didn’t get into fights.
All Poppy knew was she was having the best time.
“He get kicked out?”
Looking across at Roux, she shrugged. The liquor made her loose lipped, she didn’t think Tait would care for her spreading his business, even to Roux.
“I can’t really say, can we forget I mentioned it and get back to having a good time?”
Roux laughed. “Sure. Did you text that asshole ex yet?”
As a matter of fact, she hadn’t. And didn’t plan to. Ronnie’s point had been made quite clear with his couple of crappy messages. He wasn’t missing her, why should she care?
“Nope, good riddance to everyone in Harrison, New York.” She lifted up her nearly empty glass and toasted every person who she thought loved her and didn’t. It was a short list and each person hurt her heart but screw them. She’d be fine without them.
They danced.
They gossiped more about Tait, and how crazy she was for him.
Roux fed her a lot of advice to get him to come around to doing more things with her.
The advice was frankly shocking to say the least, she was sure some of it wasn’t even anatomically correct, but she sat, wide-eyed, soaking it in.
None of her friends back home were like Roux. They were one dimensional, self-centered. Much like Poppy herself, or how she’d been taught to be.
She didn’t want to be a Harrison clone, she wanted to live wild and free.
And she wanted to live with Tait.
She wanted to ride on the back of his bike, go anywhere and be free.
“So, let me get this right. The bikers are weird about which girl rides on the back of his motorcycle?”
Both of Poppy’s eyebrows winged up higher onto her forehead as Roux went on to explain yet another tradition the MC world held.
“Yeah, some claim the seat is only for their old ladies… that means wife, girlfriend, someone they’re serious about, not just a random hook up.”
“What about cars, are they the same about who gets in those too?”
They’d make terrible Uber drivers.
She sipped until there was nothing left in her glass and thought about riding on the back of Tait’s bike the day he came for her. Maybe he was one of the bikers who didn’t hold with their weird mating tradition.
Roux laughed. “Nah, cars and trucks are free game.”
“Have you been on the back of a biker’s motorcycle?”
Like the electricity was sucked out of the atmosphere, Roux’s demeanor changed and Poppy felt it. “Yeah, once.”
“Was it like that… the biker traditional way or just your dad giving you a ride?”
“I thought it was, turns out I was wrong.”
Oh. “Sorry, Roux.”
Then her friend checked back in and grinned. “Always plenty where that came from, Cinders.” And at that, two guys stepped up to their table, dressed in what most of the men were wearing, denim, thick boots, some differing form of a long sleeved undershirt and silver rings on their fingers. The one giving his gaze to Poppy had a tattoo next to his eye and floppy hair he pushed off his forehead before he grinned. “Can I get you a drink, baby?”
She wasn’t unused to attention, she’d been engaged three freaking times for goodness sake, but the way this guy was leering at her was brand new and not altogether comfortable. “Eh, no thank you, I’m good.”
“Aw, come on, baby doll. It’s just a drink.”
He looked to be around Roux’s age, so a couple of years younger than Poppy, but he was definitely overly confident.
“Get lost, Dread.”
Dread? Seriously?
“Butt out, Roux.” He bared his teeth then turned back to Poppy.
It was her friend who butted in again.
“You need to walk away. She’s a Souls old lady.”
I’m a what now?
Because Roux looked like she was handling both guys, the other one was silently along for the ride or whatever, Poppy kept her mouth shut.
Bikers were not the easiest of men to be around, she was finding.
Most of them scared the pants off her.
One biker in particular she wanted to shimmy her pants off for.
“She belongs to a Souls, so unless you want to start a fucking war…”
“Fuck this,” Dread cursed and turned on his heel, not before Poppy heard, “fucking stuck up bitches.”
“If any biker gives you trouble, you just tell him you belong to the Souls, that will get them to back off.”
Poppy blinked. “But I don’t.”
“Bitch, you belong to Texas, don’t you?”
Warmth spread through Poppy like a fourth of July bonfire and she giggled. She’d been harping on all night how he owned her ass. She only said it as a joke… kind of joke.
Not a joke.
She bobbed her head.
“Then that’s what you say. These guys know not to fuck around with the Souls.”
She trusted Roux; she was like her Guru for all MC know-how.
When Roux went off to the bathroom, Poppy played on her phone.
Zero messages from anyone at home.
She told herself it shouldn’t hurt now, but it still stung in a place that was vulnerable and just wanted her family to love her for herself and not for who they were trying to make her be.
They’d always thought she was weird… off-beat, now she was star
ting to believe them.
She gave them headaches, this much she knew because she was so difficult.
Stop being so difficult, Penelope.
She smiled when she saw a text from Tait.
Tait: Everything okay on girls night?
Poppy: Absolutely. So much fun!!
Tait: Good. See you at home, little girl.
Home.
Her insides were syrup and she was grinning like a dreamy lunatic rereading his words when a waitress came by and dropped off two drinks.
Roux must have ordered them on her way to the bathroom.
Sipping hers, she found it tasted like cotton candy so she took a bigger gulp and then finished it off right as Roux sat back in their booth.
“You got me a prissy drink,” she complained, pushing the pink cocktail in the direction of Poppy.”
“You ordered it, lady, don’t waste it.”
“I didn’t order these.”
“Then who did?”
Roux swore and was up off her seat, searching out the whole bar. Her face was serious when she sat back down. “That fucking assclown probably sent them over. You drank yours?”
“Well… yeah.”
“Cinderella, never drink anything in a bar like this that you didn’t see being poured or it comes with an unopened lid.”
“So, you’re not drinking that one? I’ll have it, it’s yummy.”
“No you are not, fucks sake. It’s like babysitting a puppy.”
Roux grabbed the other drink and took it back to the bar.
When those two guys left, they made a point to stop by the table. “Be seeing you, baby doll.”
Not if I see you first, she thought.
After that little scene, they danced for a little while until Poppy became too hot.
She got really hot, really fast and needed to sit down when the whole bar started to spin.
“Whoa, I think you’re cut off, Cinders.” Roux said, her voice sounding far away as she grabbed Poppy’s arm and took her to sit down.
“I don’t feel… Roux, I feel weird.”
“Weird how?”
“My head. I feel… my head feels woozy. You sound far away. Am I drunk?”
Poppy couldn’t for sure compile everything that happened after that, only she knew she didn’t feel right.
“It’s too hot,” she whined.
Not only hot.
Her skin was on fire with lust out of nowhere.
She couldn’t stop thinking about Tait’s mouth and Tait’s big hands all over her and inside her.
She needed Tait right now.
“Oh, that fucking rancid bastard,” she heard as Roux hustled her out of the booth and then outside into the blessed coldness. Snowflakes were falling and Poppy lifted her hot face to the sky. It felt incredible but she was still burning up. Needing Tait.
“You need help with her?”
“Oh, fuck you, you fucking predator. You spiked her drink, really?”
The male voice laughed as Roux propped Poppy against her Jeep door.
Roux had a matte black Jeep with a soft top; it was so cool. Poppy’s car at home was a boring Lexus.
She squinted to bring the blurry blob into focus, seeing it was the bar guy sidling up to them, he tried to grab Poppy’s arm and when she pulled back, Roux stood in front of her.
“Fuck off.”
“Ah, c’mon, baby. We can have fun, all three of us. I got the goods to please you both”
“Don’t make me throw up in my mouth, you scumfuck, what did you slip in her drink?”
“Nothing she isn’t enjoying. Look at her.” the guy cackled.
“You are so fucking dead for this,” Roux opened the door and got Poppy inside.
Poppy was just trying to stay on her own planet as her head went on spinning.
“The Souls will rip you apart.”
“For what? I did fuck all, bitch.”
“You want to call me a bitch right now, Dread? You really did fall out of the dumb tree and hit every branch on the way down. Just wait until my dad hears about this.”
Roux climbed in next to Poppy. “Knew the mention of my dad would get him to fuck off, little shit is scared of him.”
“Hey, feel my skin.” Poppy declared, thrusting her arm out under Roux’s face. “Am I sizzling? I feel like I’m sizzling. I said I wasn’t getting drunk again and I’m drunk again. Gonna make out with Tait, did I tell you how good he tastes?”
“Cinders, you’re not drunk, you’re drugged by that lunatic wanting to get into your pants. Let’s get you home.”
Poppy heard the words and understood them, she wasn’t so out of it that she didn’t understand what Roux was telling her. It was just her skull felt like it was on another part of the planet, where all she heard was rushing noise and heat.
So much heat between her legs and all through her body.
“Swear to Christ, seeing you horny would be funny if I didn’t want to stab that motherfucker. We’re almost there.” Roux said.
She must have been talking about Tait because she said next, “I doubt he’s going to be as happy as you are right now, Cinders.”
The apartment was empty when they got upstairs.
“I don’t feel good.”
“I know, babe. I don’t know what to do, maybe I can call my dad. I can only guess at the shit he’ll say.”
“Tait. I need Tait absolutely right now this second, Roux. God, he’s so big, you know? He feels like solid steel.”
Poppy didn’t know if it were her or Roux who chuckled.
Then she heard his voice and nearly fell off the couch in her haste to get to him, but he wasn’t there, his voice was on speakerphone.
“Little girl.”
“Tait! You aren’t home. I need you home, it’s important you’re here now.”
“Texas, it’s Roux.”
“Is she okay? She sounds smashed.”
“Yeah, about that. Some asshole put something in her drink.”
“The fuck? Who the fuck spiked her?”
“I’ll tell you all that, but it might be a good idea if you were here right now, she’s out of it, she’s breathing okay, so don’t worry.”
“Tait.” Poppy breathed his name. God, she really loved his name and how it tasted in her mouth. It tasted nearly as good as his mouth did.
Roux laughed. “Damn girl, tell him that later okay?”
Wait…what? Roux could read her mind?
“No, you’re saying all this shit out loud.”
Oh.
“Fucking hell. Get her to drink water, if she needs to puke get her to the bathroom, I’m on my way.”
“Isn’t he so bossy, Roux. Makes me itchy and hot all over for him to boss me around.” Poppy grinned over to her three friends on the arm of the couch.
“I doubt he’s going to be hot when he flies through this door and doesn’t let you out again, Cinders.”
“Not my fault.” She sulked and then didn’t say anymore because nausea kicked in and that was not fun. At. All.
TWENTY-ONE
“Honorary Russian.” - Grigori
Several hours ago
“Scotch?” The Russian asked, gesturing with a crystal glass in his left hand, an expensive brand of bottle in the other.
Texas shook his head.
“I was pleasantly surprised you showed up at all.”
“I’m here, so what do you want? I’m not doing the dirty on anyone before you suggest it.”
While Grigori poured his drink and laughed, Texas let his eyes scope around the large office. Nothing out of the ordinary. Anyone else would presume he was an entrepreneur keeping business hours instead of the underground criminal the Russians were.
More surprising was that there were no bodyguards in the room with them.
Texas had been shown through and then the guard left them alone.
This was either going to be an epic success or failure.
Only time would tell.
�
��Why is everyone in this town suspicious?”
“Probably because you’re untrustworthy,” Texas said, hands in his leather jacket pockets. He didn’t want to take a seat or get comfortable. This wasn’t pleasure, and he certainly wasn’t friends with this egomaniac. “That’s just my guess.”
The older guy, by about ten or more years, smirked and toasted him with the glass before taking a sip.
“Da.”
Halfway through the conversation, mostly done by the Russian, Texas wondered again how much of a dumb shit he was by even being here.
He wasn’t in that life anymore—even when he was, he wasn’t the man to deal on the front line. He was there for his brothers, he was the one who cleaned all the money when it needed it, invested when needed too.
He’d thrown down a time or two, but only as a backup, this covert shit wasn’t his wheelhouse and his veins were tight thinking of what he had to lose.
At that, his phone vibrated and he slipped it out of his pocket, grinning to himself reading Poppy’s text. He wondered if the little girl was drunk again, she could not handle her liquor for shit.
“So let me get this straight, see if I’m hearing you right,” Texas said, walking around the room as if bored, when in reality he was seeing what was of interest. “You want me to work for you?”
“Da.” The man simpered like he thought he already had Texas.
“In what capacity.”
“Whatever I need. We make money, I hear good things about your capabilities already. I have new ventures happening and I need someone astute like you.”
If he was talking about his porno business then Texas might toss his cookies up in his mouth. But for appearances sake, he half grinned.
“I like money. but as I said, I am not fucking over my boys.”
“No longer your boys, da? We make, how you Americans say, new connections? Your brains and my skill, this is good, da?”
Texas could play the game.
He was a Renegade Souls for a long time.
He recognized a con and when a man was bullshitting him.
There was no way Grigori wanted to work with him because he thought Texas could make him money. He could, no problem. But that was beside the point.