by Sam Crescent
“What is so important in a couple of weeks times?”
“That it’s a couple of weeks?” he asked.
Lexie jerked back and there was still confusion in his eyes. “Seriously? You don’t know.”
“I know it’s not your birthday or any of the kids’.”
She shoved his chest and stormed out of the bed.
“Hey, where are you going?”
“How is it that out of everything you can remember, you can never, ever, remember when we first met?” She folded her arms, staring at him.
Devil was one of the hardest men she’d ever known, but when the club wasn’t there, he was also the most romantic person in her life. Yes, he fucked up on occasion, but he always seemed to know exactly how to make it right. Staring at him, she waited.
“Our anniversary?”
“Not of when we got married either. It was the first day we met.”
“Back at the strip club?”
“Yes,” she said.
“This is always important to you. Every single year,” he said.
“Meeting you changed my entire life, Devil. I don’t even like to think where I’d be right now if it wasn’t for our babies. They certainly wouldn’t have been born.”
He got off the bed and moved toward her. When he wrapped his arms around her waist, she didn’t fight him. She never did. He always had that way about him that she never wanted to. “That one day changed the rest of my life as well, baby, but for me it’s not just about that. It’s about every single day. Waking up next to you, being inside you, loving you every second of every single day. That one day is not important.”
“It is to me.”
“I know, and believe me, after all this time, I’m going to make it up to you.”
“You are?”
“Yes. I promise.”
She smiled. “I can’t wait.”
“You’re going to love it.”
Chapter Nine
“This is fucking disgusting,” Butler said, picking up a used condom. He now saw why the latex gloves were necessary. The club was gross, especially after a party, and he was finally seeing it through Mandy’s eyes. He’d always found the latex gloves incredibly hot. He had this little doctor thing going on in his mind, but right now, that was completely replaced.
So horrible.
“You know you didn’t have to come here. I did say.”
All morning he’d assisted Mandy from one just to another. The lawyer’s office was in fact the cleanest job they’d been on. Some light vacuuming and dusting and they were done. A couple of the houses where she worked were not great. Scum around the bath, and cigarette butts on the floor, but Mandy had done it. She’d kept on cleaning.
Then they had gotten to the clubhouse, and even though it had hurt to step inside the club without his leather cut, he’d needed to do this. Even though his club brothers had been shocked to see him without his cut and carrying some cleaning equipment, he’d done so with his head held high.
He was going to prove his spot, and make sure they knew he was not only clean physically, but also mentally.
“Think about something else,” Mandy said, leaning on her mop.
“What?”
“Think about what cleaning this mess means. For a long time, it was all about finding that brand new place I always wanted or fixing my car for repairs.”
“And now?”
“I got to see you.”
This made him pause as he turned toward her. “Me?”
“Yes. You were always here, and I liked that. At first, I thought it was scary and that you were making sure I wasn’t stealing anything, and now I know it’s because you found me so intoxicating. You couldn’t resist.”
Even as she flirted with him, there was a red tinge to her cheeks that made her look incredibly cute.
“You’re right, I couldn’t resist.” He moved so that he was bent over, his ass in the air. “You would drive me crazy when you were bent underneath stuff, wriggling your ass. It would make me think about fucking you, slapping your ass.”
“Yeah, well now you don’t have to think.”
“No, I can plan it, but you see now I’m thinking about the other thing I want.”
“And what is that?” she asked.
“Spreading the cheeks of your ass and taking that one hole of yours I’ve not claimed.”
She rolled her eyes. “You will never get points for romance, Butler. Be aware of that.”
“Do you want romance?” he asked.
Mandy shrugged. “It’s not important.”
“It is to me. I want to know what you want, and if romance is it, then I’m willing to give it a try,” he said, sitting on the floor, and then wincing, thinking about what he’d been cleaning off the floor.
“I don’t know what it is that I want. I guess I’d like to be able to rely on the man in my life. Not be afraid of him flying off the handles. I’ve never experienced romance, not once in my life, so I can’t exactly crave something I’ve never had, can I?”
Her cell phone began to ring.
“Excuse me.”
He watched her leave and knew that she was about to get more work. Cleaners were needed everywhere, and he’d only been with her a day. He was exhausted, and she had to be as well. He wondered if this helped her deal with her life, to get it back on track.
Butler finished up cleaning the space in the bathroom before heading outside to where he’d caught Devil with some of his kids.
Several of the club brothers slapped him on the back, and he smiled. Leaving the clubhouse, he stood back a bit, but so Devil saw that he was waiting.
“We’re not on bad terms, Butler. You can approach. I’m not going to shoot you in front of my kids. Lexie tells me it’s bad having it out in front of them. How have you been?” Devil’s arms were folded as he turned slightly to him.
“I’ve been good. Better. I mean, the club is my life, but I understand clearly why you had to do what you had to do. I get it.” He ran fingers through his hair, feeling that annoyance build. “I was wondering if it would be okay for me to take Mandy away for a couple of weeks. She’s not had a break in a really long time, and I’d like to give this a try.”
“You have any doubts this won’t work between the two of you?”
“I know Dick took time away, and it put shit into perspective for him.”
“Yeah, he even came home with an old lady to boot.” Devil rubbed at his chin. “With all due respect, I’m into pussy, Butler. I’m the wrong person you should be asking.”
Butler chuckled. “Mandy loves this job. She loves to work, and even though I think it’s gross as shit, I think it calms her.”
“Mandy’s jobs … all of them, will be here when she gets back. I’ll make sure of it.” Devil looked at him. “She going to be your old lady?”
“That’s what I’m hoping. I’m also wanting to get my old patch back.”
“You’re looking better,” Devil said.
“It has been a couple of days.”
“And already you’re doing well. That is a very good sign, my friend.” Devil nodded and turned back to look at his kids.
Everyone at the club knew how much Devil loved his family. He was the man everyone thought would never settle down, that a town, the life they’d seen The Skulls have, wasn’t the way forward, and yet here they were, Devil being one of the most settled of all.
Heading back inside, Butler found Mandy back in the bathroom.
“Taking a lunch break already? You’re slacking off, mister.” She winked at him, and he pulled her into his arms.
“You can take it out of my pay.”
“You think I’m paying you?”
He slammed his lips down on hers, silencing her. His cock instantly hardened but he’d have to wait to fuck her, which he was fine with. Being with Mandy was a dream come true in itself.
“We’re going away tomorrow.”
“We are?”
“Yes. You, me, a
sandy beach, and lots of sex.”
“What about work?”
“You don’t have to worry about that. A couple of weeks alone together. You willing to take that chance with me?”
“I’m willing to take any chance.” She wrapped her arms around his neck. “First, we really need to get this place cleaned.”
“Let me grab a few more supplies from the car.” He patted her ass, leaving her alone. On the way to the car, he saw Natalie sitting at the bench, notebook in hand, sketching something.
It had been a few days since he’d seen her. Stopping by her table, he dropped down. “Hey,” he said.
“Butler, I’ve been wanting to see you. Slash told me what happened.” She immediately closed her book. The look of concern touched him. “How are you?”
“I guess Slash told you everything.”
“About you having drugs on you or in your room.” She kept nodding her head.
“Yeah, I fucked up. That’s what happened.”
“You didn’t take them though?”
“No, I didn’t. Even though I didn’t take them, it still doesn’t matter, Natalie. I shouldn’t have had them.”
“This club means everything to you.”
“I know, and I’m going to get my patch back.”
“I see that you’re with Mandy. Is that a good thing?” she asked. “You know, with your crush, I mean, how is that working?”
“Are you trying to gossip with me?”
“Do you love her?” Natalie asked.
Butler stared at her, not sure how to answer that. “I’ve got feelings for her.”
“Good,” Natalie said. “I … I never wanted to make a choice between you and Slash.”
“It wasn’t a choice. We both knew that. You and I, we wouldn’t have worked. You were scared, and I guess both of us gave you a good reason to ignore us.”
“It gave me something.” She sighed. “I’m so sorry about this whole thing.”
“Don’t be. You’re a good friend.” He patted her hand before he got up to leave. Natalie was an easy woman. She was nice, sweet, kind, but she didn’t make him feel the way Mandy did, which was probably one of the reasons he initially went for her.
She didn’t make it hard for him as he had nothing to win with her.
When it came to Mandy though, she was his prize.
****
A couple of days later
Mandy lifted her face up to the sun. The heat wasn’t overpowering, but then she was wearing a light summer dress with thin straps. She couldn’t recall ever having spent time at the beach, just relaxing. Her life hadn’t allowed her to spend time away from work.
“You okay there?” Butler asked, moving up behind her.
He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing a kiss to her neck.
“It’s just so beautiful. I’m sorry. You must think this is incredibly lame of me.”
“Far from it. I love looking at the beauty that surrounds us. This is not about judging here. You think this is beautiful, and I completely agree with you.”
“You do?” She tilted her head back to look at the man that seemed to like messing with her head about everything.
“Yes, I do.” He dropped a kiss to her lips. She loved it when he did that. In fact, she was finding lots of things she loved about him.
Butler was, in fact, the perfect gentleman with her. He opened doors for her, held her hand, rubbed her stomach during her period. Yes, they had gone on vacation, and she had hoped for them to really enjoy some good hard fucking, only for her period to start. Not that it mattered.
She loved his company, which was just another thing that she enjoyed about him. He could cook, and he also put the toilet seat down, which was a big deal for her. Oh, another thing, he put the lid on the toothpaste. Another bonus, and now she was starting to feel like a crazy person again.
Holding his arms where they lay, she settled back against him.
“How’s your stomach?” he asked.
“Still cramping.”
He moved his hand down and began to stroke her abdomen.
“I think this sucks the most.”
He chuckled. “I’m a patient man here, Mandy. Besides, I like you reading to me, or us playing games, or enjoying a couple of movies.”
“You don’t want to fuck me?” she asked.
He growled against her ear and pressed his cock to her ass. “More than anything I want to do that, but I also know that’s not going to happen. I like being with you though. Believe me, that’s a new experience.”
“Being with a woman?”
“No. Enjoying her company and you don’t belong to anyone else.”
She licked her suddenly dry lips. “Who do I belong to?”
His hands tightened around her waist, and she released a little gasp. Her tits tightened, and he flicked her ear with his tongue. “You know the answer to that, but just this once, I’ll let you know. You belong to me, and you have since the first moment you entered the club. Don’t even try to pretend you don’t.”
He released her stomach but took her hand as they made their way across the shoreline. She watched the ocean waves coming in and out. She felt calm watching them, relaxed.
“I think I could get used to this,” she said.
“Not working?”
“No. Spending vacations with you.”
“I’ve got a permanent position open, and I think you could be the perfect woman for the job.”
She chuckled. “See, zero points for romance.”
“You want me to do that kind of crap in your books. Get you flowers that would wilt. I might as well buy you a rosebush in a pot and tend it for you for life than buy you one silly flower or a whole bunch of them. I mean, come on, who thinks that’s romantic?” he asked.
“A lot of women do.”
Butler snorted. “And you see this is where the consumerist wins here.”
“How does it?” Mandy asked.
She liked his little outbursts and his points of view. At times she found them so infuriatingly accurate, and other times completely stupid.
“All right, you want to know?”
“I said so, didn’t I? Come on, wise guy, show me your point.”
He stopped.
His hands were on her hips, and she loved the thrill that she always got when he touched her. She didn’t know how he did it, but the moment he held her and looked at her, it was like she was the only woman in the world that mattered to him.
“Okay, flowers, roses, they’re all supposed to be a sign of love? Of romance.”
“That is correct.”
“They all die.”
“Excuse me?”
“You cut a flower from the bush, it has a limited amount of time to enjoy it, ergo, death. Every single relationship is doomed to fail for that method.”
She wrinkled her nose. “I’ve seen Devil take Lexie lots of flowers. Their love grows from strength to strength.”
“Very good point, but his garden is full of them.”
“What?”
“Roses, flowers, he plants them for her to enjoy. Every now and then he’ll go and cut a few stems to take to her, but his love has grown. That for me is what should happen. Flowers that are already pre-cut are doomed. It’s why you’ll never get a single flower or a bunch of them. You’ll get bushes of them.”
She couldn’t help the smile that came to her face. “You know, for someone who is not romantic, that was pretty much there.” She quickly looked away to deal with the tears in her eyes. Batting them away, she smiled at Butler. “Now that we’ve started, you’ve got to tell me your thoughts on other items.”
“Are you getting me primed for Valentine’s Day next year?”
“No, I’m not. I’m curious. That’s the first time I’ve ever heard someone view flowers like that.”
“I totally rocked your world with it though.”
“Yes, so your thoughts on chocolates?” she asked.
“Overrated. Let�
��s face it, if anyone finishes a whole box, they’re going to barf. Also, what does a woman buy herself to get over a messy breakup?” he asked.
“Chocolates or cake.”
“Exactly. It’s like the guy is instantly turning around and saying, ‘Hey, I’m going to break your heart, but here is the makeup chocolate you don’t even have to pay for.’”
“Wow, I find that fascinating. Okay, what about jewelry?” she asked.
“There’s only one piece of jewelry that anyone is interested in, and that’s the engagement ring. Everything else is always set to disappoint.”
“Not everything. Earrings could be nice.”
“But in a relationship they’re not going to cut it. I don’t know; jewelry is a sticky subject for me. I think unless you’re all in, you shouldn’t buy the stuff.”
They stopped at an ice cream stand.
“Want one?” he asked.
They waited for their order. Butler didn’t let go of her hand as he pulled out some cash to pay for their ice cream. Once they had theirs, they continued back toward their beach house. It was a beautiful place.
The first day they arrived, she gave it a thorough clean, which took a couple of hours as there was a lot of dust. Not that she minded. Once the house was clean, they checked the food and went shopping.
She loved the domestic feeling she got with Butler. No other man had ever helped her to feel so laid back, nor had she ever wanted to be part of it.
“I’ve told you my reasons, so now what do you find romantic?” he asked.
“I did find flowers and chocolates romantic, but that has been completely blown apart, and I’m never looking at them the same way again. I mean, seriously, that sucked big time.” She licked at her chocolate ice cream. “I don’t really know. I’ve never really gotten flowers or jewelry from anyone. Chocolate is always good, no matter the occasion. I hate those coffee chocolate things that everyone seems to put in though. I find them gross, and the toffees. I always think they’re going to ruin my teeth.”
He chuckled. “We’re talking about romance here, and you’ve turned it toward a dental appointment.”
She laughed with him, resting her head against his shoulder. “I don’t know. I guess spending time with the person. Getting to know them without fear of hurting one another. We both have a past, and it doesn’t hurt either of us to learn about that. Then of course I find meals romantic.”