Hounds Ascend

by Erika Blount

  "I don't know if my boss is gonna approve of that."

  "That's why we're walking over to the beach." Carrie pointed toward the empty beach across the parking lot. Mindy looked over in the direction Carrie pointed and a mischievous smirk pulled at the corner of her mouth.

  "Let's go, what you waitin’ on?" Mindy asked, walking ahead of them,

  Lilly couldn't think of a time in the four years that she and Mindy had been friends that she'd ever seen her smoke anything other than a cigarette. She smiled internally at the fact that she was getting to smoke with her best friend for the first time. Hell, it had probably been just that long since the last time Lilly smoked. It wasn't her thing, but what would it hurt to live on the edge a little bit.

  The walk to the beach was short and from the looks of it, no one noticed they were even gone. Lilly was sure she would have to hear about leaving without saying anything to Cass later. Carrie and Lucy were chatting along the way, but Lilly zoned out. Her head was stuck in the clouds, or more-so, the sand. The beach was stunning and as she breathed in the welcoming scent, she couldn’t help but smile. The waves crashed along the shoreline and the salt-filled air infiltrated her senses. She wanted to run, full sprint, toward the water, but she fought the urge.

  Mindy was in the middle of a conversation with Lucy and Carrie when they reached a spot far enough away.

  “That sunset is gorgeous.” Mindy looked out at the horizon, causing everyone else to look out at the big, orange blob that appeared to be slowly submerging itself into the ocean.

  The hues of orange and red glimmered atop the water and the view was breathtaking. No one else was around and Lilly decided this was a good spot, so she sat down. The sand was cool underneath her and although the sand was her least favorite part, she didn’t mind it so much.

  Carrie sat down next to her and rested her head on Lilly’s shoulder. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the baggie with luscious green weed in it then pulled a small pipe from her other pocket. Mindy and Lucy took notice and sat down around them.

  “Here.” Carrie handed her the pipe that she just loaded. Lilly sighed then took a deep breath. She grabbed the pipe from Carrie and, before she could talk herself out of it, brought it to her lips and took a hit. The burn was a familiar one as the smoke permeated her lungs. Hello, old friend.

  She held it in for as long as she could before she attempted to slowly let it out without coughing. She failed miserably, though, and coughed just as she blew out the last bit of smoke that was left. She raised it again and took another hit before passing it to Mindy.

  Mindy grinned as she took it from Lilly and did the same. Lilly could feel her buzz starting to kick in already and she couldn’t fight the smile that instantly plastered her face. She had a love-hate relationship with being high. She loved the way it made her feel heavy yet relaxed, but she hated how she generally got so tired after smoking.

  Mindy exhaled her second hit and passed it back to Carrie. Carrie took one hit then handed it to Lucy, who politely declined. Evidently this wasn’t a normal occurrence for Lucy and she seemed rather high as it was.

  “I really fucking needed that,” Lilly said, looking at Carrie.

  “You good or you want some more?” she asked, holding the pipe out to her.

  Lilly waved her hand in dismissal. “Oh, no. I’m really good. If I smoke anymore, I’ll be sleeping right here.”

  Mindy giggled, catching Lilly’s attention. “What?”

  “I can picture Cass trying to get you off the beach and onto the bike, high as hell, and let me tell you…in my head, that’s some funny shit.”

  “Definitely funny shit. He’d be so pissed!” Lilly laughed.

  “What do your guys think of yall smoking?” Lilly asked, looking at Carrie and Lucy.

  “Mine doesn’t give a damn. We dabble in shit all the time.” Carrie’s answer took her by surprise. She didn’t realize how much things went on around her that she wasn’t aware of.

  “Mine doesn’t care either.”

  After hearing their answers, Lilly wondered how Cass felt about it. They had never talked about that kind of thing. She didn’t know if he dabbled in anything or if he was against it. He couldn’t disapprove that much considering his lifestyle, could he?

  The thought alone made her question whether she had just disrespected him or not. Pondering, she pulled her pack of cigarettes out of her pocket and lit one. Her mouth was already drier than the desert in a drought and she knew a cigarette wouldn’t help, but damn she wanted one.

  “Can I have one of those?” Mindy asked, extending her hand to her best friend.

  “Of course.” Lilly set one in her hand along with her lighter.

  The four of them sat on the beach in that exact spot until the sun was gone, and darkness started to take over. They talked about their lives and Lilly learned that Carrie and Lucy had only been around the Hounds for six months. That’s why their husbands were still prospects and didn’t have a full patch yet. They were still proving themselves.

  Chatter from men grew louder and Lilly looked up to find that a group of men was approaching them. She couldn’t make their faces out, but she could hear Cass’s voice amongst them.

  “Hey, you!” she beamed as she stood up to greet Cass. Her arms wrapped around his neck and she pulled him into her. He didn’t hesitate and placed a kiss on her lips ever so gently. The smile that she wore before only amplified as his lips touched hers. Her buzz was still intact, but she felt great. Giddy more than anything.

  Carrie, Lucy and Mindy all stood up to find that Leo, Shorty, and Linc accompanied Cass.

  “You found me,” Lilly said through half-squinted eyes. “You were never lost, baby. Prospects.” He waved his hand at the three prospects that stood behind him. It was then Lilly realized that they hadn’t snuck off at all. They had been watched. Although they weren’t followed, they were watched.

  Lilly rolled her eyes. “How could I forget?” Her voice was laced with light sarcasm.

  Cass chuckled and pulled her tighter to him, kissing her again. This time, it wasn’t light. His lips flush against hers at first, then his tongue invading her mouth, inviting hers to dance. As soon as his tongue connected with hers, she felt the rush of electricity directly to her core. It was overwhelming and for a moment, she forgot where she was...what she was doing...who she was with...because the only thing her brain could process was the whirlwind of lust and desire for this man. Her man.

  Chatter around them sucked Lilly back to the present moment. She pulled away enough to catch her breath. Cass’s lips twitched at the sides, giving her that signature smirk that made her weak in the knees. Lilly's smile mirrored Cass's before he kissed her forehead and turned her around. His arms wrapped around her affectionately and he rested his chin on her shoulder.

  "I love you." His declaration was unexpected, but welcoming.

  "And I love you," Lilly said, turning her head toward him to kiss his cheek. There was a giddy feeling reverberating inside her, making her heart full and happy.

  "What do you say we spend the next few days here? Maybe we could grab a hotel or stay with the Highway Sinners."

  Lilly's head snapped toward him in surprise. "Really? I would abso-fuckin-lutely love that!"

  Cass's eyes danced with amusement at her excitement. "Me too. I'll let the guys know."

  Five hours ago, Cass told the Hounds he was staying in Gulfport with Lilly for the next few days. Everyone had gone home except Clayton. Linc left to bring Mindy home, but he had checked in with Cass to let him know he was on his way an hour ago. He was trying to earn his place in this club and Lilly had no doubt that he would have his patch in no time.

  The benefit was long over, Lilly’s high was gone, and the after party was just getting started at the Highway Sinners’ clubhouse. Lilly stifled a yawn, realizing that her night had only just begun. The clubhouse wasn’t much different from the one in Baton Rouge. There was a full bar, equipped with a multitude of
liquor, and like the Hounds’ clubhouse, this one also had a second story that Lilly was told held bedrooms for the out of town members that came to visit as well as guests of the club.

  The biggest difference between the two clubhouses, though, was the stage in the center of the large, open room with a stripper pole in the center of it. A tall, tattooed blonde spun around on the pole while a circle of men stood around the stage. She had perfect, perky fake tits covered in colorful ink that drew Lilly’s attention. She couldn’t look away; the woman was mesmerizing. Her looks, the way her body swayed and rolled on and around the pole.

  A strong, steady hand wrapped around Lilly’s waist and she didn’t have to look behind her to see who it was. There was only one man in this room brave enough to wrap his arms around Cass’s ol’ lady, and that was Cass himself.

  "You like what you see?" Cass asked.

  Lilly laughed. "I like the way she moves. She's got talent, she isn't just some whore trying to get attention because she's taking her clothes off. She can move."

  "I agree. I was never a fan of strippers, but the talented ones, ones like her, they catch my attention. It's fascinating, in a sense."

  "She has a great body, too."

  "Eh. She's alright. She's no Lilly Summers, but...you know." Cass shrugged, and Lilly could hear the amusement in his voice. The fact that he was more concerned with her than the half-naked woman moving seductively on the pole made her heart flutter. She squeezed his hand that was wrapped around her before looking around the room, searching for Clayton. When she didn’t spot him anywhere, her brow creased as she turned around to face Cass. In turn, his eyebrows creased.

  "What?"

  "Where's Clayton?"

  "He's around here somewhere. We have plans for lunch with him tomorrow, which will probably mean dinner because he's on biker time."

  "Biker time, huh? Somebody needs to tell Scott about biker time."

  Cass’s laughter caught Lilly off-guard, causing her to jump, which only made him laugh a little harder.

  “Easy, trigger. You’re with me. I won’t let anything happen to you as long as I’m around.” Cass pulled her into him.

  Lilly’s shoulders instinctively relaxed in the comfort of his arms. She forgot where she was for a moment until the song that was playing ended and Dance by Big Sean and Nicki Minaj burst through the speakers around the clubhouse.

  The crowd around them roared and Lilly couldn’t help but turn to see what the blonde on the pole was doing. She had lost the black lace bra she had on and had climbed up to the top of the pole, holding on by only her thighs while spinning downward quickly toward the stage.

  Lilly was so focused on the blonde that she didn’t see Micah and Raven walk up to them until Raven spoke.

  “Hey! Y’all made it!” Raven cheered.

  “Thanks for inviting us.” Lilly reached out to hug Raven as Micah and Cass started in on their own conversation.

  “Is it always like this around here?” Lilly asked.

  “Only on days that end in Y.”

  “I don’t know how you do it.”

  “I’m still kind of new around here, but it hasn’t taken long for me to fall in love with this lifestyle. Growing up, bikers always intrigued me. I just never thought I’d end up in love with one.” She shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly, as if they were talking about the weather or what to serve for dinner. Lilly thought about what she said for a moment.

  “I can relate. One hundred percent. I’m new to this, too. But I wouldn’t give it up for anything.”

  “I heard what happened to you. Micah told me when he found out.” Raven’s eyes darted away from Lilly. She could see that Raven felt sorry for her and that made her uncomfortable. She didn’t need people feeling sorry for her. It could have been so much worse than it was, and she was grateful that all that happened to her was a swift beating.

  “It wasn’t that bad. Not bad enough to make me walk away from the man I fell so madly in love with.” Lilly sighed, stealing a glance in Cass’s direction. He and Micah were a few feet away from them at the bar, both with beaming smiles on their faces, talking like they were long lost relatives that hadn’t seen one another in years.

  “That’s honorable, you know. So many women would’ve run for the hills the second they were free. Not you, though. You’re good for him, Lilly.”

  It was Lilly’s turn to beam with pride. “I like to think so.”

  Micah strolled over to them with a shot-glass filled tray balanced on his hand. He lowered it between Lilly and Raven, exhibiting four shots. Two were a milky-cream based shot and the other two were a golden brown. Girly shit and whiskey. Lilly wanted to protest the girly shot she knew was for her, but she thought about it for a minute and realized it had been a long time since she had a shot that didn’t make her nose burn.

  “Thank you, you’re too kind!” Lilly exclaimed, grabbing one of the shot glasses with the milky-cream in it. Raven grabbed the other one and Cass grabbed one of the whiskey shots. He shot Lilly an amused glance before Micah grabbed his own shot and set the tray down. He raised his shot glass in toast.

  “To the most loyal family I’ve ever had.”

  They clinked shot glasses together before all four of them took their shot in unison. Lilly determined her shot was a Buttery Nipple. The butterscotch in it was sweet and welcoming. Just what Lilly needed to give her a little bit more pep, because it was getting late and she had been up since the crack of dawn.

  She didn’t know how Cass was still going strong, he had to be exhausted. As if he read her mind, she heard him say goodbye to Micah.

  “We’re going to crash, brother. It’s been a long fuckin’ day and a shower and bed sound so good right now.”

  “You want one of the guest rooms upstairs?” Micah asked, motioning toward the ceiling.

  “Nah, man. I already rented a hotel room right up the street. I appreciate it though.”

  Cass hugged Micah while Lilly said goodbye to Raven, then they were both bee lining for the door.

  The cool night air hit Lilly like a force field. She sucked in a sudden, deep breath. The temperature had dropped since they’d been inside. She hadn’t thought of bringing any cold weather riding gear with her, mostly because she wasn’t used to riding that much and when she did ride, all she had to bring was herself.

  “You tired, my love?” Cass asked as they approached the bike.

  “Exhausted. Thank you for getting us out of there. I was almost ready to curl up in a corner.”

  “I could tell. Here, you’re gonna want this.” Cass opened a saddlebag on the bike and handed Lilly a hoodie. She felt warmer just looking at it. Hands out, she took it from him and slung it over her head. The cotton material instantly began sucking the cold right from her skin.

  “You are amazing. That is all.” Lilly grinned as she strapped her helmet on.

  “When did you rent a hotel room?” she asked, realizing they hadn’t been to hotel to rent a room.

  “I didn’t. Linc did when he got back. Perks of having a prospect, baby.”

  Lilly shook her head in amusement. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to that.”

  Cass straddled the seat of the bike and patted behind him. “Hop on.”

  Lilly stepped on the foot peg and slung her leg over. She had gotten used to mounting and unmounting things with Cass; both his bike and him. She reached her hands around to the pockets of his cut and nestled them in just in time before they took off.

  Beach Boulevard was cold, but it wasn’t very busy tonight and for that Lilly was thankful. She could hear the waves rolling in from the ocean and the salty air filled her nostrils once again. They rode for a few minutes, long enough for the chilly air to assault her legs through her jeans and make her skin cold to touch, before Cass pulled in at the Courtyard Marriott.

  Lilly spotted Linc’s bike as soon as they pulled into the parking lot. Cass parked next to Linc and they headed inside. Cass dealt with the hotel clerk, telling
him the name to get the key. Lilly was so tired she was barely coherent through their conversation.

  Minutes later, Cass had a room key and they were off to the second floor. Lilly smiled at the memory of the last time they were in a hotel. The elevator dinged, and the doors opened, allowing them inside. Lilly must have still had a smile on her face because Cass caught her eye and he smiled too.

  “What’re you smiling about over there?” he asked.

  “I was just thinking of the first time we were in a hotel together.”

  “Mmm. I like the way you think.” He wiggled his eyebrows at her.

  “Nuh-uh. Nope. I’m going to die as soon as my head hits the pillow. I’m not used to Scott’s version of biker time. I run on bartender time and in my world, being awake at six in the morning means I haven’t been to sleep yet.”

  Cass chuckled and shook his head. “My baby.”

  The elevator doors opened again when they reached the second floor and Lilly nearly ran toward the room. She was so tired and mustering up all the energy she had left to get to their room.

  “Slow down, turbo. The room ain’t going nowhere.”

  “I know, but if I don’t get in there and shower, stat, you’re going to be peeling me off the ground when I fall asleep standing up.”

  They stopped in front of their room and Cass slid the key card in. The light turned green and Lilly pushed the door open, heading straight for the bathroom.

  It was a nice hotel; the bathroom was spacious and clean with granite countertops and a large bathtub. As tempting as it was for her to take a bath, she settled on a shower instead. If she soaked in the tub she knew she’d fall asleep right there.

  She turned the hot water on and stepped in the shower. It beat down on her, rinsing away the road grime and sand and dirt from the day. Using the tiny hotel shampoo, Lilly lathered her hair and began to wash her body. The shower curtain slid toward her and she saw Cass peeking through, naked, and holy fuck did she just get an extra spurt of energy.