by Jade Kuzma
It was a quiet night in town. It got even quieter when Jon rode through the outskirts. His chopper roared up the hillside until we were high above the city looking down on it.
“We’re here…”
Jon parked his bike and I stepped off. As soon as I did, I saw Ivory in the distance. The small town was lit-up and surrounded by darkness in every direction. There wasn’t another town or city for miles.
I inhaled some of the cold night air then sighed a deep breath.
“Wow…”
I shook my head and smiled at the sight.
“…Just like I remember it. Nothing has changed.”
“What did you expect?” Jon said. “Ivory isn’t the kind of town where you’re gonna see any major construction. It’ll never be a big city. What you see is what you get.”
“I know that. It’s just… When I look out there… It all feels so familiar. It’s like we were just here last night.”
Jon leaned up against his bike and observed me as I continued to stare out into the distance.
“I remember when you used to take me out here,” I said. “After the football games, everybody would go out to the parties and drink.”
“But we would come here to party and drink.”
“Yeah,” I said with a giggle. “Those were some fun times. I was so young and stupid back then…”
I put my head down as the memories came flooding back to me. I couldn’t fight the smile on my face.
I spun on my heel and started walking back toward Jon, who remained leaning up against his bike.
“So, why’d you bring me here?” I asked. “You got something up your sleeve?”
“Nothing up my sleeves,” he said as he rubbed his tattooed arms. “I took you to a place where we’ve had dinner before. Now I’m taking you to a place where we used to party and have a good time.”
“Reminiscing about the good ol’ days, huh?”
“They were good, weren’t they?”
He smirked at me.
Jon had a way about him that was so charming. I knew the kind of man he was. I knew what he and the club did. But even though I’d seen him at his worst, I knew there was a good man inside of him, too.
Those green eyes of his were clear even with only the moonlight to illuminate them.
“How’s Ivory been treating you since you’ve been back?” he asked.
“Ivory is Ivory,” I said with a shrug. “It’s only been a few days but I can’t complain.”
“That’s what I figured. It’s nice to reconnect with some friends though…”
He reached forward and took one of my hands in his.
“…We’re friends, right, Anna?”
The way he stared at me was so intense. I swallowed to maintain my composure and nodded.
“Of course,” I said with a smile. “We’ll always be friends. I was gone for five years but…”
“But what?”
Shit.
I knew there was no way out of it. I couldn’t lie to him even though he probably already knew what I was thinking.
“I thought about you when I was gone,” I said. “I thought about you a lot.”
“Is that right?” he said, an eyebrow raised in curiosity.
“Yeah… The people out there. They’re different from the folks in Ivory but…”
I shrugged as I tried to figure out how to put it.
“…I was never completely comfortable around them.”
“That’s because Ivory is your home. The people here are your friends. They’re your family.”
“Yeah… I suppose you’re right…”
I put my head down and watched as he rubbed my hand gently with his thumb.
“I missed you,” he whispered. “I’ve missed you every single day since you left.”
“Jon—”
“Let me finish.”
He put his other hand up and caressed it against my cheek. I slowly shifted my gaze toward him and looked into him. As soon as I locked my eyes on his, I was hypnotized by that green-eyed stare of his.
“You’ve always been special to me,” he said. “No matter what happened. All of the girls I’ve been with. All of the club business I’ve had to deal with. You were always in my thoughts.”
“I…”
I sighed a deep breath and gathered myself. I somehow managed to break his stare and regain my composure. I turned away from him as I pulled my hand from his.
“…It’s nice being back here,” I said. “It’s nice catching up with you. Really. I thought about all the good times we had when I was out there and it’s nice to be able to talk about them now.”
“We can make some more good times right now.”
Before I realized it, Jon was right behind me. His hands suddenly on my arms sent a shudder through my spine. I closed my eyes and sighed. His grip was so firm yet gentle at the same time.
He slowly worked his hands up my arms and around my shoulders.
“Remember what I used to do to you?” he whispered into my ear, his breath warm against my cheek.
His hand coiled around the back of my neck toward the front. He squeezed my throat gently, forcing me to swallow.
“I remember what you liked. You liked it when I put my hands on you. You liked it rough…”
My cheeks were red with embarrassment. I could feel the sweat forming on my forehead. I swallowed again to moisten my suddenly dry throat as he kept his hand comfortably around my neck.
“…I used to fuck you hard when I choked you out. You remember that, Anna?”
“…Yeah… I remember…”
I closed my eyes and let the electricity dance through my body. All reason was going out the window, replaced by a wanting desire that was spreading from my gut. I trembled on the spot. Jon leaned up against me so that my knees weren’t buckling too hard.
“I’ve never been with anybody who could take it like you could,” he whispered. “And I bet you’ve never been with anybody who could fuck you like me.”
I bit my bottom lip. One hand around my throat, Jon moved his other hand and started massaging me through my top. Another sigh escaped from me.
It’s all right… It’s all right…
For some reason, I was trying to maintain my focus. There was a part of me that was doing everything it could to not give in.
“What do you think, Anna? You wanna reconnect and catch up on old times?”
“Old times?”
I quickly spun around. Jon dropped his hands down. I put a hand on his chest and slowly backed him up.
“I wasn’t the one always getting taken control of,” I said.
Jon smirked at me as he stepped back toward his bike. I kept walking him down until he was sitting up against it.
“You like it when I took control,” I whispered.
I locked my eyes on his as I ran my hand down his chest. I felt his firm abs underneath his vest and trailed it down toward the bulge I knew was between his legs.
“You’re not so tough. You’re just like every other guy. A slave to your cock…”
I reached for his crotch and rubbed him through his jeans. Jon exhaled a deep sigh through his nose. He was so stiff. It was like his cock was trying to burst through the denim.
I looked into his eyes, trying not to grin as I massaged him.
“I remember when you first told me what you liked,” I said. “You broke up with your girlfriend because she wasn’t willing to do the things that I was willing to do.”
“That’s right. Why don’t you give me a reminder of what you were willing to do?”
“I bet you’d like that, wouldn’t you?”
I bit my bottom lip, no longer able to stop from grinning. Jon stared back at me with those intense green eyes of his. It was like going back in time. The passion we had for one another was burning like the fire had never gone out.
I wanted to reach into his jeans and pull his cock out. I wanted to choke myself on his dick. I wanted him to bend me over an
d fuck me so hard that I wouldn’t be able to walk the next morning.
But that’s not what I really wanted.
Focus, Anna.
I closed my eyes and gathered myself. I exhaled a deep breath like I’d been holding it this whole time then somehow managed to pull my hand away from him.
When I opened my eyes again, I saw Jon staring back at me. But the intensity that was just there a moment ago was gone. Instead, he looked at me with an eyebrow raised and confusion tattooed on his face.
“What’s wrong? Anna? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” I sighed again. “I…”
“What is it?”
“Jon… I care about you. You know I do. And I know you care about me.”
“I always have.”
“I know… But I didn’t come back to Ivory for you. I came back here because this is my home. I came back for all of it.”
I turned my back to him and looked down into the city.
“It’s not you,” I said. “I just don’t think it’s good to get involved with anybody so quickly.”
“I understand.”
“You do?”
I looked back at him and saw the friendly smile on his face. Even though he was a hardened biker, Jon was more understanding than most. He was a little older and a little wiser. I guess with that came some maturity.
“You’ve only been back in Ivory for a few days. There’s no need for you to rush into things. It’s not like either one of us is going anywhere. You’re not going anywhere, are you?”
“No,” I said with a laugh. “I don’t plan on it.”
“Good.”
He patted his thigh. I giggled as I walked over to him and took a seat on his lap.
He wrapped his arms around me and a deep sigh escaped my lips. I looked out into the city and everything I wanted to do with him completely left my thoughts.
“Are you and the Reapers really planning on helping the shelter?” I asked.
“We’d like to. A little goodwill never hurt the club. We’re always looking out for the people of this town. Ivory is a part of the Reapers just as much as we’re a part of the Ivory.”
“Right.”
I slowly turned my head and looked at him.
“Thanks for taking me out tonight,” I whispered.
“Sure,” he said with a nod. “It’s just like old times. Well, almost like old times.”
We shared a laugh as I turned my eyes back toward the town.
The two of us sat together on his bike and looked out into the city. It was clear that there were still feelings between the two of us. But I wasn’t going to allow myself to lose control to my desires so easily.
I had business in Ivory I needed to take care of. Everything else could wait.
Chapter 6
JON
Everybody had their attention on the president.
“First shipment is this Sunday,” Garnet announced. “Lin says he wants to test the waters, so it won’t be a big one. Ghost… You’ll take it up with Brawn and Needle watching your back.”
“What about us?” Sully asked.
“You stay back here with me and Petey. Like I said, it’s a small shipment.”
“Are you sure about that? It seems like it’d be a lot safer if there were more guys riding out together.”
“More guys means more attention,” I said. “We’re being watched. We roll out of town together, it’ll be obvious to everybody.”
“Besides,” Garnet added. “You’re gonna have a more important job.”
“And what’s that?” Sully said.
“You’re gonna be responsible for maintaining the clubhouse. Any cops, any feds… They come around here and start sniffing their snouts, you’re the reason they’re not gonna suspect we’re up to something. How’s your poker face?”
“Terrible,” Needle interrupted.
“Shut up,” Sully responded.
The two of them glared at one another. Needle chuckled to himself in the cocky way he always did before Sully eventually rolled his eyes in response.
“It’s a small shipment,” Garnet said to me. “It’ll be easy to dump if anybody’s on your ass but I don’t see any problems.”
“I got it,” I said. “This isn’t my first rodeo.”
“Things go well, this won’t be your last.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Needle said. “We’ve done this before. We take the product, we take it up to the big city, we come back. Watch out for the cops. Watch out for the feds. Anything else?”
“There is,” Garnet continued.
He stood up from his seat and leaned over the table with his palms pressed flat against it. Garnet was always serious but the way he looked at everybody know, I knew he wasn’t fucking around.
“The Chinese came to us first,” he said. “Lin trusted the Reapers more than any other club in Ivory. He’s got a lot of faith in us.”
“He should,” I said. “Our relationship has been good so far.”
“Our relationship has been good. Some of the other MCs aren’t too fond of the Triads taking sides.”
“What are you saying?” Brawn said. “You thinking we might get some trouble from the other clubs?”
“Maybe,” Garnet replied. “Nobody fucks with the Triads but they might be willing to fuck with us.”
“That’s just fucking great,” Needle sighed. “First we’ve got the cops to deal with. Then we’ve got the feds. Now other clubs might be out to get us.”
“What’s wrong?” Sully said. “Scared?”
“Fuck you. You know damn well the Reapers run Ivory. I just don’t like having so many people aiming at us. The target on our back is big enough.”
“You got nothing to worry about,” Garnet said. “Ghost will take the lead. You ride north with that shipment fast and meet the supplier then come back. That’s it.”
Garnet snapped his fingers to reiterate his point. Needle sighed again and crossed his arms as he leaned back in his seat. He was in one of his moods but he didn’t say anything more.
“Next order of business,” Garnet said. “Ghost?”
“Right,” I said with a nod.
Everybody turned their attention to me.
“We talked about doing some charity work,” I said. “Letting the whole town know that the Reapers are involved with the community. I talked to someone with the homeless shelter. The place could use some renovations. A donation would be nice.”
“That’ll be no problem,” Garnet said.
“They also talked about volunteering some time.”
Everybody looked at me skeptically. Even Sully, the most upstanding man out of all of us, wasn’t buying it. But I knew I could convince ‘em to see things my way.
“If we volunteer, we’re letting the whole town know we’re directly involved with what’s happening in this town. The cops. The feds. The other MCs can’t say shit about it. We’re better than every club in town. This is our chance to prove it.”
“Our chance to prove it, huh?” Needle said. “And I guess this doesn’t have anything to do with Anna now, does it?”
“Anna?” Garnet said as he raised an eyebrow at me. “Your Anna?”
“She works at the shelter.”
“Is that right—”
He smirked at me but I put my hand up to cut him off.
“It’s not like that,” I said. “It’s just business. That’s all this is. We volunteer along with our donation to the shelter, it’ll take some of the heat off our backs.”
Garnet stopped smiling and nodded.
“I agree,” he said. “No vote. We’ll make a donation to the shelter and we’ll all donate some time when we get the chance. End of discussion.”
Nobody objected though nobody was enthusiastic either.
“One last thing,” Garnet said.
“What is it now?” Needle said.
“Get together this weekend. Michelle was in the mood. She said she thinks the club needs it after all the shit
that went down with Char. It’ll give us a chance to relax. Any objections?”
“Can’t object to a cookout,” Needle said.
“Meeting adjourned.”
Garnet snapped his fingers to end the meeting. Needle and Sully jumped out of their seats and started bickering like the schoolgirls that they were over their card game. Brawn and Petey laughed together at the arguing couple.
I got up out of my seat and Garnet put a hand on my shoulder.
“So…” he started.
I watched the smirk reappear on his face. I rolled my eyes and sighed a deep breath.
“Hey,” he said. “You’re my VP. When the love of his life rolls back in town, I’d say that’s a pretty big deal. With the shit going down on Sunday, I gotta know where your head’s at.”
“My head’s just fine where it is. Both of ‘em. You don’t have to worry about me.”
“Were you planning on telling me?”
“I figured Michelle would tell you.”
“I let Michelle keep her secrets. She knows better than to tell me anything if it would make me upset.”
“I don’t see how Anna coming back to town would make you upset.”
“It’d make me upset if my VP wasn’t getting any from the pussy he put on a pedestal.”
“It’s not like that. It’s just a business relationship. We’ve known each other since we were teenagers. We’re friends.”
Garnet shook me in his hand and cackled to himself.
“Sure,” he said.
“Whatever.”
He patted me on the back and put his arm around me as we walked out of the chapel. The meeting was over but Garnet insisted on staying in my ear. Considering he was the president of the club, Garnet was the only man I would put up with for this long. It wasn’t that I couldn’t handle him trying to tease me. I was too old for that shit. It was that he was enjoying himself too much.
When we stepped out back into the clubhouse, I thought it would end. But standing right next to the bar was the woman I’d just spoken to the night before.
Anna leaned up against the counter. A tight pair of jeans that hugged her curves and a modest white top that still made me crave her. She wasn’t dressed like a slut. But she always made me think the worse thoughts more than any other woman I’d ever met.