Resistance

by K E Osborn

  My mouth drops open, and I stumble on the spot slightly. He has a little sister, and the reason he didn’t personally come to see me was because he’s throwing her a birthday party. Well… shit. Now, I feel like the mother of all assholes. “Oh.”

  “This is fucking gold,” Xav states, making Torque and me turn to see him recording us on his cell.

  Torque grunts and reaches out, grabbing the cell from him and slams it against the bar. Hard. The screen shatters, and the cell cracks along the back. I jump slightly.

  Xav stands there, mouth open wide, but with a slight smirk. “Holy shit.”

  “Never, and I mean ever, record a biker’s conversation, kid. You got me?” Torque demands.

  Xav nods, but a grin beams on his face. “Fuck. You’re so cool. Can we be friends? Please?”

  Ari spits out some of her drink with a laugh, and I shake my head still reeling from Torque’s outburst.

  Torque softens. “Yeah… I guess. I’ll get you a new cell… by the end of the night. Okay?” He relays this information like it’s the most normal thing in the world to do after completely destroying someone’s cell in a fit of rage.

  Xav smiles even wider if that’s possible. “A new iPhone X?” Xav questions.

  Torque takes a deep breath and nods his head once. “Fucking hell. Yeah, fine. Whatever.”

  “We’re going to get along just fine you and me, Torque. I can tell.” Xav slaps Torque on the back.

  Torque looks to Xav raising his brow, and Xav removes his hand quickly as he takes a slow step back from Torque. Xav turns taking another sip of his drink while a slow smile creeps up on his lips.

  I turn to face Torque and attempt to say something about breaking people’s property when he grabs my hand and starts pulling me. I don’t have time to say a word before we’re off. I glance back to Ari and Xav, and they wave as I take small, fast steps to keep up with Torque’s long and robust strides.

  “Where are you taking me?” I call out from behind him as he drags me over toward where his men, and his sister, are currently standing. My muscles tense. I have no idea how to react to these people, or what he even wants me to say to them. But as I’m dragged over there, they all turn to look at me and smile.

  “Heeley. It’s good to see you again. Nice to see you out of that cute little froyo uniform and into something more um… biker lifestyle. You’ll fit right in with us dressed like that,” Trax approves.

  Looking down at my leather dress, my forehead creases as Torque’s hand moves to the small of my back. I want to push him away, but the problem is it feels too fucking good having him touch me. The warmth of his hand penetrates right through the layers of clothing, taking over every ounce of sense and sensibility I have. So I let him stay right where he is.

  “I’d say you look good tonight, too, Trax, but you look exactly the same as you did the last time I saw you. Just a little less cowering and hiding from the bad guys,” I tease.

  The other bikers all look from me with a smirk at Trax, who raises his brow and tilts his head. “Still see that sass is there in abundance. Lucky you’re under Torque’s protection, or I’d be bending you over my knee and slapping some sense into you right about now.”

  I shrug. “Lucky me then, ‘cause I can tell you now, a slap from you wouldn’t have the desired sexual effect you’re going for, Trax. It would make me feel more like a little girl being told off by her overbearing father. Plus… I mean, I can think of far better ways to sexually punish a woman for speaking out of turn. Spanking is… so last year,” I mock.

  All the guys’ eyes widen, and Torque’s hand on my back stiffens as I hear a low growl which makes me smile.

  Neala bursts out laughing and steps forward with a drink in hand. Her smile is contagious. She’s ridiculously pretty. Her face is pale. She kind of reminds me of a pixie with her hair being such a rich chocolate color that it’s bordering on almost black. She’s wearing a gold headband around her temple, and on the side, there’s a diamond shape encrusted with red jewels. It’s very sweet and suits her perfectly.

  Neala reaches out placing her hand on top of mine, and instantly I warm to her. “Oh my God, I love you. A girl who can give shit to these ferals as much as I can. Halle-fucking-lujah! It’s about time we got a new girl on the scene. One who isn’t afraid to talk back to these assholes,” she chirps while looking from me to Torque, who scoffs and takes a step closer, so his front is now firmly against my back, which in turn, makes me melt.

  What is it with this man?

  I let out a small giggle as I put out my hand out for her to shake. “So, I’m guessing it’s your birthday, and it’s your party. Neala… was it?”

  She nods. “Yep. The big twenty-one today. Finally, I can drink alcohol…” she ducks her head down and smirks, “… legally. And I’m loving that I can party in the club I designed for my brothers.”

  Opening my eyes wide, I gasp, looking around the premises. I knew a woman had designed this. It has all the flair of a woman’s touch. However, I thought it would have been done by a seasoned professional.

  “You designed, Club Modesty?” I ask, and she nods.

  “Sure did. I’m studying interior design, and for one of my larger assignments, we had to design a club. So I mocked up a design, and it was right at the time Torque and Trax were building this place. I showed them my project, and they loved it. So they used my project design and made it a reality. I kinda love them for that… fuckers,” she adds on the last word, making the bikers nearby chuckle.

  “Wow! That’s nice of them.” I turn to look at Torque who’s smiling at me, his hand still firmly on my back.

  “Don’t let all that fool you. We’re only nice on the odd occasion, and only to people we truly care about. We’re a family, and like a true family, we stick close. You’re all new to this life, Heeley. Make sure you make the right choices,” Trax warns, taking on a far more serious tone than I’m used to with him. To be honest, I have no idea what he’s damn-well talking about, so I furrow my brows while I stare at him.

  “Okay, I’m gonna take Heeley upstairs and have a chat. Keep my sister entertained, boys. It’s her party after all. Watch Ari and Xav. Oh… and Ace…” he calls out over his shoulder to another biker sitting just off to the side. He stands up and walks over to us. He’s tall, a little slimmer than Torque, but I can tell he’s packing a shit load of muscle under that shirt. The thing about this guy, though, which makes him different from the others is his hair. It’s tied back in a man bun, but not a tatty shitty one, one of those sexy gorgeous ones that make women drool.

  What is it with these bikers?

  I swear to God, every single one of them is fucking sex on a damn stick.

  “What up, Pres?” Ace asks while tapping away on a cell.

  “I need an iPhone X by the end of tonight. New. Give it to Xav over there at the bar as a replacement for the one I fucked up.”

  Ace looks up at Torque and nods like he understands without even knowing what happened. That Torque obviously has a hot-head, and it’s a regular thing.

  Does he do this often?

  “On it, boss.”

  “Cheers, brother.” He slaps him on the shoulder as he pushes against my back making me step forward away from everyone and begins to lead me away. I have no idea where we’re going, or what the hell he has in store for me next, or more importantly why the hell I’m even going with him, but I can’t seem to stop myself.

  Torque leads me through the back and toward a hallway.

  I should be feeling fear or at the very least some kind of apprehension.

  I don’t know this man.

  He’s a member of an MC.

  But I get the sense he won’t hurt me. I don’t know how or why, but I can sense it, and for that reason alone, I believe I’m safe with him. I can feel ease washing over me, and as we step into the darkened hallway, he leads me to a stairway, and I take a deep breath as he gestures for me to step up the stairs with him. I swallow hard but
nod.

  Once we’re at the top, it opens up to a bright space. There’s glass paneling all around so you can see down to the club below, but the room is like an office, and the music is almost entirely drowned out. Kind of like it’s soundproofed. It’s so strange. I smile as I make my way to the edge of the glass and look down at the scene below. I can see Ari and Xav at the bar drinking up a storm.

  I press my hand to the glass and take a deep breath as I feel Torque step in beside me. Natural energy fills the room, and my eyes shift to the side to peer at him. “This is your office?”

  “Yeah, it’s how I knew you were here,” he divulges, and I drop my hand and spin to face him in confusion.

  “Huh? How?” I ask, and he points to the six television monitors on the far wall that I didn’t even notice when I came in. They’re showing footage from all areas around the club, and one focused on the line out the front.

  “Ahh… okay. So you saw me and radioed for your security guy to bring us in?”

  He nods. “Yeah, couldn’t have you waiting in line. Plus…” he shrugs, “… I wanted to see you.”

  My eyes shift to the floor. “You did?”

  Torque steps in front of me grabbing my hands in his. His touch ignites something inside of me. My chest tightens at the mere feel of his hands in mine. I don’t know what it is about Torque. Or what it is that sets my heart into a syncopated rhythm when I’m around him. It feels good, but I know it’s bad. It’s so, so, bad.

  “Heeley,” his deep, sexy-as-fuck voice filters through the room, and my breath catches in my throat.

  “Mm-hmm?” I hum, and his hand comes up under my chin lifting my eyes up to look into his. “I know I should have hung around and paid you for the damage we caused last night, but there was a method to my madness. I fucking wanted to see you again. And as much as I hate to admit it, it’s the truth. The thing is, it’s been…” he rubs his chin, “… a long time since a woman has caught my eye. And the way you handled yourself when we came into your store…” he chuckles shaking his head, “… well, yeah, you caught my attention. I haven’t been able to shift your sass from my mind since. And that… that just doesn’t happen to me.”

  “So what? Because I have the balls to bite back, it’s the only reason you have a hard-on for me?” I scoff.

  “No. You’re smart. We’ve established you’re sassy as hell. But you’re also so fucking sexy, and I’m having trouble keeping my mind out of the gutter.” He turns, moving me in the process, and pinning my back against the glass as he presses his chest against mine and looks deep into my eyes. As I look up at him, both our chests are heaving from the tension. “Don’t fight the inevitable, foxy.”

  His hand moves in beside my head and presses against the window pane, while the other stays firmly on my hip trapping me. He’s so close, the smell of leather and aftershave is overpowering and making it hard to think. I want to shove him away. I want to tell him, no. I want to fight and take the power back, but it’s shifted in his favor so damn fast my knees are buckling under the pressure of his intense gaze. His ice-blue eyes bore into mine with such fierceness, the heat in them, the energy, the lust, I can see it. I feel it. I want it. My hands disobey me and snake around his neck holding him close as he continues to stare while I inadvertently lick my lips.

  I feel like he’s going to slowly lean in, take his time, but he shocks me as his hand on the window slides in behind my head, his fingers threading in my hair taking a tight grip. I gasp as he pulls my head forcefully to his, knocking the wind from me. I don’t have time to think, or react, before his lips are on mine, tasting and devouring with need and an insatiable hunger.

  My knees give out, but his hand on my waist holds me in position as he forces me back against the glass, his body pressing mine in place as I gather myself enough to kiss him back. The kiss is intense. It’s all teeth and tongues. It’s not slow, it’s furious and passionate and full of lust. This is the kind of kiss that leads to hot, dirty sex, and that’s what I’ve needed for the last two years. Fuck! It’s been so long, I’m craving Torque more than ever right now, and if I’m not careful that craving might just win.

  Instinctively, my leg raises up around his side, and he grips onto it, his calloused hand sliding up my thigh and holding on underneath as I grind into him, all the while we kiss frantically against the glass of his office.

  Torque’s cock begins to harden against my pussy, and I let out a stifled moan into his mouth as our tongues collide, and he kisses me harder. I’m lost in the lust, the desire, the yearning of having him.

  Suddenly a knock sounds on the door, and then there’s a clearing of the throat behind us.

  Torque pulls back, and I gasp as we break apart. The sizzle in the air, the spark and energy fizzles and falls as I drop my leg, and he looks over his shoulder. As he does, I see Tremor standing there looking down at the floor.

  “What?” Torque grunts out.

  Tremor rolls his shoulders uncomfortably. “Sorry Pres, I know you don’t want to be interrupted—”

  “Exactly. So why the fuck—”

  “Andretti’s men. Surveillance has them headed our way.”

  Torque breaks away from me and runs his hands through his hair. “One night. One fucking night. That’s all I wanted.” He sighs and tips his chin to Tremor, who nods and heads off. He turns back to me and weakly smiles. “Don’t think I don’t wanna spend more time with you. I do. But tonight…” he grimaces and shakes his head, “… tonight, foxy, I’m gonna have to bail on you. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you. Just keep that sweet ass for me alone. Okay?”

  I raise my brow and let out a long breath. “I have no idea what the hell I’m getting myself into with you, Torque. Hell, I don’t even know your actual name. I don’t know anything about you. All I know is I have a weakness for a guy in a leather cut, and it’s probably going to get me hurt, one way or another. Should I walk away?”

  A pained look crosses his face like I’ve hit a raw nerve. He turns away from me and starts pacing the floor while breathing heavy. “Fuck! You’re right. This only ends one way for you, Heeley. I was stupid to think…” he trails off and shakes his head even more. I feel like there’s a bigger issue here, something I’m not aware of, I just have no idea what it could be. “Just go… take Ari and Xav. You’ve gotta get out of here before the Andrettis arrive anyway. You’ve gotta leave and don’t come back—”

  “Torque.” I step forward reaching out for him.

  “Go, Heeley. I won’t tell you again.”

  Standing taller, I straighten out my dress and clear my throat as I turn heading for the door. “Just so you know…” I spin around and look at him in the eyes. “I think whatever you’re going through right now…” I raise my eyes to the ceiling, “… I could have helped you through it. Not Torque, but you… the real you, whoever the hell you are.” I turn and head for the door, a deafening silence only mixed with the slight beat of the bass from the music below us greets my ears.

  “Rylan… my name is Rylan O’Shea,” he calls out.

  I nod without turning back. “Goodbye, Rylan O’Shea.” Upon stepping out the door, my heart races a million miles a minute. I stop for a second trying to gain my equilibrium, and as I start off again, I feel my heart beating faster than the bass of the music below. My heavy feet hit the stairs running, and once I get to the bottom, I notice security guards waiting to escort me out. With a roll of my eyes, I walk back into the party area and observe all the brothers looking like they’re in panic mode.

  “Miss Fox, if you’ll accompany us, please?” the security guard asks.

  I nod as they both walk with me over to the bar where Ari and Xav are still drinking. The other security guard taps them on the shoulder, whispers something in their ear, and they both nod. Then we’re off again and walking through the crowd toward the exit. I huff and feel like shit for being kicked out of the club. If there’s one consolation at least, I got one kiss, one lasting memory of Rylan ‘Torq
ue’ O’Shea to live on in my mind and dreams.

  Now, I need to get on with my life and not think about badass, bad-boy bikers, and get on with university and becoming a doctor.

  We step outside the club to a waiting car, and the security guards walk us straight to it. Ari and Xav look at me and sigh. We slide in, and the security guard hands the driver some cash. I screw up my nose, but figure I’ll let Torque pay for this one last thing before I let him go for good. The car pulls off from the curb with a spin of the wheels as I turn back to see Lift hopping on a Harley and taking off behind us as a group of men all wearing smart black pinstriped suits stroll up to the club, gold chains dangling from their necks. I wonder if they’re the Andrettis. I chew on my bottom lip and turn back in my seat knowing it’s not my fight.

  Tomorrow’s a brand-new day, and I need to live my life without the hassle of hot bikers even though one is tailing us right now.

  “So, what happened when you disappeared with Torque? We want all the juicy gossip,” Ari asks as we pull down the street, the club now officially out of sight.

  I’ll tell them the story and then that’s it, I’m moving on with life.

  TORQUE

  One single kiss with Heeley was way more than I could have hoped for. Sure, I’ve kissed other women since the love of my life, Zoey, died. But, I’ve never felt a connection to anyone. Heeley, there’s something about her. She fights me, she argues back, she has spunk and sass, and I really like that about her. But not only that, she’s smart and has drive and determination. She has the need for something more.

  When I met her, I thought she merely worked in a froyo bar. But once I got Ace—our tech guru—to dig a little deeper, I found out she was far more complicated. She’s studying to be a doctor of all fucking things. Once I realized she was working to pay her way through college, I knew she was not only feisty and could talk the talk, but would fight for what she wants, for what she believes in. She’s the kind of woman I want and need by my side.