Tanked: TANKED

by Cheri Lewis

  “We’re here,” Flame giggles.

  This is not what I had pictured at all. There is a newer large metal building on the left and an old block building on the right. Rocco pulls around the metal building and there are at least 25 motorcycles parked out front. Jessie and I climb out of the SUV and follow Flame to the front door. I look back when I hear the tires crunch on the gravel and watch the SUV drive away. Well there went my only hope of escape ‘cause I sure can’t drive a motorcycle.

  I follow them inside and I stop and take it all in. It reminds me of a sports bar. There are game machines, couches with TVs at each one, a jukebox, and a long bar centered on the back wall. Several bikers are smoking but it isn’t over run with smoke. I notice all the men nod at Flame but they don’t speak or look too long. Jessie and I, on the other hand, stand out like big zits on picture day. I speed up and catch up with Jessie and Flame, not wanting to be left behind. Flame walks to the side of the bar where there is a single black round booth in the corner of the building. She slides into it and we follow.

  “I forgot to mention they don’t really make fruity drinks here but they do stock wine coolers for me.”

  “Do you got any Jamaica Me Happy?” Jessie asks. I still haven’t found my words yet. I’m taking in all the electronics and men wearing their leather cuts.

  “Oh my gosh. That’s one of my favorite drinks. Yes we do!” Flame says as she bounces up and down in her seat. She hollers then waves, “Hey Tootie, bring us three Happy’s to drink please.”

  I look over at who she’s waving at and then I begin to take in the women here. They don’t look like the girls on that show. They’re all dressed in something I will compare to what the women wear at Hooters except they’re in what looks like a uniform. All black, even black tennis shoes and black socks. Tootie brings us our drinks and Flame hands her a card that the waitress swipes into a little machine that hangs around her hip.

  “Oh let us pay, we owe you from today anyway,” I say quickly.

  She waves. “You don’t have a card. That’s how we pay. Have you ever been on a cruise?” Jessie and I both nod. “It’s like that. You put it on a card and it’s all put on an account and then settled up later.”

  “Well, let us give you some money for it at least. I don’t feel right you paying for our drinks.”

  She smiles. “I don’t pay, Jagger does. And he said to pay for all your drinks because you’re my guests so if you really want to pay, take it up with him.”

  I’ll have to give some thought to taking anything up with Jagger. It doesn’t take us long to relax I keep waiting for what the big deal is and why it is so dangerous for us to be out here by ourselves, but there is nothing. Actually outside of being with Tank, it’s the safest I’ve felt lately.

  I can’t wait for Jessie and me to get back home so we can talk about all this. We haven’t had a moment to ourselves since we first arrived. We dance to mostly country songs that we don’t know but it doesn’t matter. We drink wine coolers and we play darts. I begin to notice the later it gets the louder it gets and then about 10:30 a door opens behind the bar and a whole lot of bikers pour into the building except these are straight up scary bikers long hair, some have beards, some have tattoos covering on their faces. And I instantly know these are the dudes that Tank doesn’t want me around. I cut my eyes toward Jessie who has stopped mid-throw with his dart watching them. They are like ants, busy and everywhere. The women are horrendous. They make cat calls and derogatory comments when they walk by me and Jessie. If you put them on a corner somewhere downtown they would’ve fit right in. I walk over and stand beside Jessie. The men stare us down and some of the stares linger way too long, but none of them speak. Flame comes and stands beside us. “Just ignore them. It’s really the only part about the club I hate. I wish they didn’t bring their skanky ass whores with them.”

  One of the women apparently hears Flame and shoots us a bird and licks up the middle finger sucking on it like she’s giving it a blow job. The guy she’s with knocks her hand down and slaps her hard across the face. It doesn’t even seem to faze her as she smiles then sits on his lap and begins kissing his neck. Oh my gosh that just happened? I look at Jessie and I know he’s thinking the same thing.

  Jagger and another man walk out the door behind the bar and close it behind them. Jagger walks over to Flame and pulls her to him. She smiles a genuine smile and he kisses her long and slow again. He whispers something in her ear and she nods her head yes.

  Seeing them together makes me miss Tank. Flame turns to us and says, “You guys know Jagger and this is Dong.” I don’t even want to know how Dong got his name. He stares at me then sucks on his lip and making a slurping sound. I want to gag. Jessie gets right up against me and holds my hand. I’m sure we look ridiculous but I don’t care. I’m glad he’s holding my hand because we definitely don’t belong with this crowd. He’s big and built but not at all attractive like Jagger. He’s disgusting. He has a long beard and wears one of those shirts that don’t have the sides in it, just really big arm holes. I don’t understand why you would even bother wearing a shirt.

  “Come on, let’s go back to the table,” Flame says.

  Jagger nods his head at me and Jessie as we follow her, Dong then asks, “Who’s the sweet piece of ass?”

  Please be talking about Jessie, please be talking about Jessie, I repeat to myself several times, Jagger calls to us, “Hey, you got an old man?”

  Jessie and I turn around together and I stumble over my words, “Who—who me?”

  “I sure as fuck ain’t interested in him,” Dong replies pointing at Jessie.

  I don’t sound very confident when I say, “Yes, I’m seeing somebody.”

  “Well that’s just too bad, ‘cause I love me some fresh pussy.” He raises his arm and starts to flick his tongue toward his armpit.

  “Yuuuuck!” Jessie cries out loud and squeezes my hand harder. I squeeze back even harder to get him to shut up.

  It takes me a minute to even see the tattoo. I’m still stuck on him flicking his tongue at his arm pit hair. I mean who does something like that? He has a tattoo of a woman’s leg running up the inside of his arm with a red high heeled shoe on her foot and then another leg running down the side of his torso which makes his armpit hair the woman’s vagina. My jaw falls open, and I have no idea what to say. Flame goes over and pushes him. “Stop it Dong. These are my friends and I won’t have them treated that way. She says she got a man so leave her alone.”

  He put his arm down then winks at me. “If you change your mind, I know what I’m doing and you won’t regret it.”

  I freeze when I feel hands on my shoulders then a very confident voice say, “She won’t change her mind.”

  “This your woman?” Dong asks Tank.

  “It is, she’s mine,” Tank almost snarls through gritted teeth. I feel instant relief. I lean back into him. I’m still holding Jessie’s hand and I’m not letting it go. In the last fifteen minutes I have been through all sorts of emotions and Jessie is keeping me grounded. I turn around and hug Tank to me, burying my face in his chest.

  I look up when Jagger says, “We need to talk.” And he says it staring Tank down.

  Tank nods then whispers to me, “Go with Flame. I’ll be there in a minute.”

  I look up and I see the look on his face. It’s serious and I know I need to do what he says and ask questions later. Jessie and I take the two steps over to Flame. She is smiling and pushes my arm. “Girl, why didn’t you tell me you were Tank's girl?”

  “I didn’t realize it mattered.”

  “Oh, it matters around here.”

  “Good or bad?”

  She shrugs. “I’d guess it would depend on who you are, now wouldn’t it?”

  Her cryptic message bothers me a bit but I try to ignore any of those feelings and keep an eye on Tank. He follows Jagger into the room behind the bar. “What’s back there?” I ask Flame.

  “It’s where they have their
meetings and stuff. Don’t worry, he’ll be right back.”

  I look back at Flame and I can tell she’s worried about Jessie and me running away the first chance we get. I smile at her. “I know, I was just wondering where everybody came from. Do you think we could get another drink?”

  She looks relieved when I ask for another drink, “Yeah, sure.”

  Tank and Jagger are gone about five minutes before they come out of the back room. They walk to our table and slide in the booth beside us. I feel bad for Jessie as he is the odd guy out and sandwiched between all of us. Tank wraps his arm around my shoulder and leans in to kiss my cheek then whispers in my ear, “You have a lot of explaining to do and I can see why it would take more than five minutes.”

  I turn toward him and stare into his hazel eyes. They are tender and searching mine so I know all is alright. I lean forward and kiss his lips gently, then turn back to Flame and Jessie and strike up a conversation.

  We stay a while longer. Tank and Jagger leave us so we can continue our girls’ night, which we do and it isn’t until we’re climbing into Tank's SUV that I realize that other than the rude girl and the disgusting man named Dong, nobody messed with us. It’s like we were in a bubble.

  When we start to pull out I open my mouth to start explaining but Tank flicks the dome light on and quickly put his finger over his lips shaking his head, then he asks, “Did you have a good time?”

  He gives me a funny look and I say, “Yeah, I had a great time. We danced and played pool and attempted darts.”

  He turns off the dome light and Jessie laughs. “One of my darts landed on the pool table. I think it pissed one of the biker dudes off but they just brought the dart over and handed it to Flame.”

  Tank reaches over and rubs my neck. “That’s great, I’m glad to hear it.”

  The gate we stopped at earlier that you had to put a code in automatically opens and allows us to leave. We drive in silence until we turn and are back on the main road. Then Tank says, “Now you have to tell me how in the world you guys managed to befriend Flame?”

  I ask quickly, “Why couldn’t we talk back there?”

  “Jagger is a security freak; he knows all and hears all.”

  “How can he hear us in the vehicle?”

  “Believe me there are ways.”

  “What did he want to talk to you about?”

  “You first. How’d you meet Flame?”

  I sigh and lean back against my seat and start the story, every now and then Jessie interjects something he thinks I forgot. “So she was by herself?” Tank asks curious.

  “Yep.”

  “That’s odd, really odd,” Tank says in deep thought. Then asks, “And he let her go with you guys just like that?”

  I answer, “He didn’t let her do anything, she called him and told him she was going with us. Okay it’s your turn. Why’d you go to the back with him?”

  “I owe him for the damages that Alexander caused and also he wants to know how Alexander breached his system. And he let me know he took care of the tuna, err, woman who drugged me.”

  “What did Alexander damage?”

  “I didn’t ask. I’m just going to pay whatever he says I owe.”

  “What happened to the girl” Jessie asks.

  “I didn’t ask that either and it's best that neither of you do, too. Just trust they took care of it.”

  “She didn’t get arrested for drugging you?” I ask.

  “Yeah, but she got out on bond pretty quick. I have a feeling she'll have a failure to appear on her record soon.”

  I swallow the lump in my throat, and ask, “Tank, how do you know these people? I mean they’re some scary people.”

  “It’s a long story. As long as you’re honest and upfront they’re good people, but don’t ever double cross them. I can’t believe you and sweet pea back there are best friends with Flame.”

  “Awe, I have a nickname,” Jessie says with sarcasm.

  Jessie’s phone chimes. “It's Flame. She says she had fun tonight and wants us to do it again soon.”

  “I wonder if we can meet and do our nails and stuff and go to Sweetie’s. I don’t think I can hang out at Weasel's for a while. That was…”

  “Intense,” Jessie finishes my sentence for me.

  I look at Tank when he says, “I don’t know how to say this without sounding like I’m being condescending and I don’t mean it that way, but both of you did well tonight. You didn’t overreact to the craziness.”

  Jessie says, “I almost didn’t hold it together when that man started licking his armpit, I almost puked.”

  “Yeah, that was disgusting,” I wholeheartedly agree.

  “Why would anybody get a tattoo like that?” Jessie asks.

  Tank reaches out and takes my hand. “You will find yourself asking why a lot when you're with that bunch.”

  When we arrive home, Jessie goes to his room and Tank and I go to mine. “I want to get a quick shower before I lay down, I smell like cigarettes.” I say as I go to my dresser and kick off my shoes then grab clean undergarments.

  “If your mother could only have seen you tonight…,” Tank says teasing, I hope.

  “That’s not funny.”

  “I think you need to figure out a way to persuade me to keep my mouth shut.”

  “I know how to make you keep your mouth shut, but we have a few things to discuss about this afternoon before any adult extracurricular activities will happen.”

  “You know I was just looking out for you, right? I know what kind of people hang out there; you were safe because you were with Flame. Had you been with anybody else, even Hunter, it may have turned out a lot different.”

  “What about you? Was I safe with you?”

  “You’re always safe with me. Why else would I blow a good paying job and drive three hours to get my ass back here?”

  “I’m sorry you lost out on money.”

  “It’s not about the money. I don’t need it really. It’s about the job.”

  “I promise I’ll consider what you’re saying the next time, but you can’t order me around. That’s not going to work.” He looks down at the floor with his hands on his hips so I continue, “Look, I almost backed out, I did hear your warning but I felt bad for her. It’s obvious she doesn’t have many friends which I can’t really figure that one out. She fits right in with Jessie and me. We clicked instantly. I saw it in her eyes when I tried to back out, she felt rejected.”

  Tank shakes his head. “It doesn’t matter now, it’s done. Jagger must have trusted you a little ‘cause you would’ve never stepped foot on his property if he didn’t.”

  “Why does he treat her that way?”

  “That man has one weak spot and it's Flame. You could cut his fingers off one by one and he wouldn’t flinch. But you let her whimper and he crumbles.”

  “Is it because of what happened?”

  “She told you about her kidnapping?” I nod and he shrugs his shoulders. “Partly, and partly because I’m sure he has guilt for her brother, but mostly because he loves her.”

  “That’s sweet in a way.”

  “I guess. Now back to my persuasion…”

  He begins to walk toward me. I hold my hand up, “Tank, no! Let me get a shower. We still have more to discuss.”

  “You can tell me in the shower.”

  He closes the distance between us and scoops me up over his shoulder, I squeal, “No, Tank, no!” He yanks the shower curtain back and sets me down gently in the shower then steps in with me. He holds up his finger and pulls his wallet and phone out of his pocket and tosses them on the counter. Then he slides the shower curtain closed. “You’re not seriously going to turn on the water are you?” He reaches back, turns the knobs and the water starts flowing out of the faucet. “Tank I’m wearing leather pants they’ll be ruined.”

  “Good. You don’t need to ever wear those out in public again.”

  The warm water reaches my feet and I say, “I think
that’s you telling me what to do again.”

  He flips the switch and the shower head sprays water. I flinch under the burst of cold water that quickly turns warm. As he stood directly under the flow of water, he reaches down and pulls his t-shirt over his head and it makes a thwop sound as it hits the tub. I can’t help myself. I’m enjoying the show with the water running down his body and his sexy smirk. All I can do is smile. He grabs me and pulls me against him, his lips hover over mine but never make contact. He reaches up and rubs my face with his hand as he says, “I’ve changed my mind, I don’t need persuasion.”

  I feel his fingers at my waist and it doesn’t take much to pull my oversized red shirt over my head. He runs his hands around my stomach and up myback, taking a painstakingly slow time. Then his hands run up my sides and cup my breasts. I feel his thumbs stroke my nipples over the lace of my bra. He leans in and his lips almost touch mine then whispers seductive and slow, “Are you sorry you hung up on me?” I shake my head no, he smiles. “Are you sorry you turned your phone off where I couldn’t call you back?” I nod my head yes. “Are you ready to listen to what I say yet?”

  He watches me waiting for my reply as I lick my lips then lean to his side and begin kissing his neck lightly. I rub my hands up his back massaging the muscles and kiss my way up his neck to his ear and say, “It depends on what you’re telling me to do.” I lightly nip his ear lobe between my teeth.

  I feel him exhale and I lean back enough to see he has his eyes closed. I smile then lean back in and begin to run my tongue down his collar bone, lightly kissing along the way. I bring my hands around to his front and I manage to get his belt unbuckled but he grabs my hands, lift’s them up and place’s them on his shoulders. He runs his hands slowly down my arms then down my sides. He leans forward and kisses me, his tongue playing with mine. He reaches around my body and squeezes my ass with both hands. I let my hands fall and unbutton his pants then slide the zipper down slowly. My body reacts when I feel his hardness. I push his pants down then slide my fingers down the front of his boxers. I take him in my hand and rub lightly back and forth. He pulls my hand away and then pushes his boxers down.