by C L Green
“Later,” she hisses as she pushes past me and beelines for the door.
Hurrying to keep up, I trip and with a squeak, find myself off balance and falling forward. Before I manage to throw a hand out to save myself, I see movement in the corner of my eye. A huge, hairy bear of a man quickly shoots his hand out to catch my elbow. I teeter against his arm before regaining my balance.
Looking up into the face of the man attached to the arm, I gasp as I see dangerous dark brown eyes staring down at me. Huge brows hang over his eyes and he has massive cheekbones. One cheek has a long, angry red scar zagging across it. He has a long, thick dirty beard and he reeks of cigarettes. His eyes skim over my face quickly, in a casual disinterested way. I sense he is about to look away when I see his eyes falter briefly as he looks into mine.
His dark eyes narrow slightly as he studies my eyes for a moment. His grip tightens on my arm as I watch a shadow skitter across his before his face blanks out to disinterest again.
Recognition?
“Gotcha,” he grunts as I quickly snatch my arm away from his hand.
“Thanks,” I mumble quietly as I look towards the door ahead of me to see that Emma has already disappeared through into the shop front.
Fuck.
A sense of self-preservation shoots through my body and I feel my heart start to race. This is one scary looking biker and my instincts vibrate there is something not right about him.
“What the fuck?” I hear him grunt as he takes a step away from me, a look of confusion now on his face.
Without looking back up at him, I start jogging towards the door. I need to get out of here and as far away from him as possible. There is something not right about him and I don’t plan on hanging around to find out what it is.
*****
“Right. Knock yourselves out girls,” Jake announces as he and Luke push the final glass fronted cabinet into place and hand us the keys to the small barrel lock that will secure its doors closed.
“It looks great!” I chirp happily looking around the shopfront at the many lines of empty shelves as well as the three lockable glass cabinets along one side wall.
“Glad you’re fuckin’ happy,” Jake grunts pinning me with an angry look. “No more changing your fuckin’ mind. Where they are now is where they fuckin’ stay. If you change your mind again, move them your fuckin’ selves.”
I wipe the grin from my face and nod my agreeance. My eyes slide to Emma and I can see she is mirroring my contrite look.
So he might just be a little pissed off at us. I shouldn’t blame him. We have been the site managers from hell over the course of the last three hours. Constantly changing our minds about shelving locations, we’ve had the men dragging and shuffling the massive, now fully assembled shelves around the room. On one occasion we even had them drag a shelf all the way across the room only to change our mind and have them drag it all the way back. We were losing public popularity by that point.
With hindsight, we may have been better prepared if we had have drawn ourselves a site map of the proposed shelving before the men assembled them. Woops.
“Time for the meeting,” I hear Zane grunt as he lifts himself from the floor where he has been securing a shelf to the floorboards.
Meeting?
Jake and Luke nod towards each other, an unspoken message travels between them. The three extra men who have been helping them all afternoon, throw a glance towards Jake and then walk silently through the door to the communal room. Luke and Zane follow shortly after.
Turning to me Jake pins me with serious green eyes. “Gotta meet with the boys. Discuss what we were talking about last night. You and her,” he points to Emma, “stay in here out of the way until we’re done. Tell me now if you need anything. I’ll get the boys to shuffle all those boxes back in but I’m lettin’ you know in advance, I’m gunna be locking you in. You are not involved in this meeting. Got it?”
Taken aback and confused at the fast change of events, I blink and nod.
“You want me to order you two a pizza or do you wanna grab some of your fancy green shit outta the fridge before I lock you in?”
Flicking Emma a glance, I see her shrug. “Pizza?” She mumbles as she pets Jambo who is sitting quietly on her shoulder.
“Right, you got ten minutes to grab anything else you want from your rooms or the fridges while the boys shuffle those boxes back in. Your pizza will be delivered to the shop front door. I’ll get more delivered through the garage for the men. Do you need anything else?”
Still stunned that we are essentially being told we are grounded to the shop front, I shake my head.
What the fuck?
I throw Emma a confused look and she shrugs again. Holding her palms up to me, I realize she has no idea what is going on either.
“Okay,” I murmur as I slide my eyes back to Jakes. He is still looking deadly serious, his stance slightly stiff and his jaw firm.
“One more thing,” he says looking at Emma but still facing me. “A word in private.”
Emma lifts her eyebrows at me as Jake takes my hand and leads me out the shop front door and onto the street. Turning me to face him, he stoops low so he can murmur to my face. “I know you two haven’t had time to get together alone today and talk about what happened between us last night. I also know that by locking you both here in here for the next hour or two, your gunna talk. I’m leaving it up to you to decide how much you tell her. If you decide to tell all, make it clear that if tonight’s decision is not to include her it needs to be the end of it. Particularly around background checks. I know most of the men in that room have unsavoury backgrounds and my guess is they won’t take kindly to knowin’ someone is poking around in them. Especially not without their permission. I’m also betting that from what you told me last night, she’s already started digging around. If that’s the case, she needs to stop. I can’t be held responsible for her safety if the wrong people find out she’s been poking around.”
Fuck. How did he come to that very correct assessment of Emma’s activities so quickly?
Clearly he’s not just a pretty face. Nodding to let him know I understand, I watch as his face relaxes momentarily before a look of suspicion slides into place. “You’re a bit too quiet,” he muses turning to look in the shop window at Emma who is playing with Jambo. The bird rolling over and her fingers, swinging upside down momentarily with each roll.
Of course I’m quiet. For a few reasons. The first, Jake looks serious. Deadly serious. A look I haven’t noticed before and fuck me, it’s scary. The second, I’ve just been told that I’m grounded. I’m not too sure I like that – at all. No one, not even my mother has ever told me where I can or can’t go and when. The third, how the hell did he work out what Emma was up to so quickly?
I tap him on the arm to regain his attention. “How did you know Emma was already looking into backgrounds?” I ask warily.
“I didn’t, but you just confirmed it so my suspicions were good, yeah?”
Fuck.
“You play cards don’t you?” I mumble, annoyed at myself for falling into that trap so easily.
“You don’t?” He says with a grin, not answering my question.
“Asshole,” I grunt as I narrow my eyes and sneer at him.
“Cute,” he replies as he leans forward, grabs me by the back of the head and blisters me with a long, hot, wet kiss that sends my blood racing and makes my knees start to buckle. Feeling me fold, he moves both hands to grab me by the hips and lift me off the ground. Suspended a foot in the air, he finishes the kiss before placing me gently on my feet. I feel myself teetering for a moment, dazed and confused.
Smirking, he turns and grabs the door to the shop front, holding it open for me. By the time I’m through he has his phone to his ear and he’s already talking to Jerry the pizza guy. Closing the door softly behind him, he flicks a nod to Emma and heads out to the communal room as well.
I watch him leave before finally turning to Emma.
She is leaning against a cabinet, petting Jambo who is now standing quietly on a shelf in front of her. “Someone has something to tell Mummy doesn’t she?” She asks Jambo quietly. “Someone’s been getting some action and not sharing with her best friend…” She grins up at me a naughty look on her face. “Time to spill.”
“Supply run first. Before the prison doors lock.” I announce as I look towards the doorway where I can now see Bill carrying a box back in.
Nodding her agreement, she offers Jambo a finger to perch on and leads the way to the door.
*****
Deciding I’m over unpacking boxes and sorting shelf space, curiosity gets the better of me. Glancing across to see Emma having a tug-of-war with Jambo to decide the ownership of a shiny, silver Harley Davidson key ring, I shuffle my way quietly around the front counter to the door.
At this point I should say that I am rather proud of myself for having stayed away from the door for so long. It has taken a lot of self-control to not head over and stick my ear to this door over the past hour and a half that we have been unloading boxes. Unfortunately my self-control has now plummeted and I swear to God the door is actually bigger than it was before because it’s swelled up and it’s physically trying to catch my attention.
Sliding quietly closer, I start to hear the faint sounds of music coming from behind the door.
What the? The cheeky bastards are just partying back there.
Slightly pissed that we’ve been duped, I press my head against the door and listen carefully. Apart from the sounds of the music, I can’t hear much else. Now and then I hear a muffled voice but I wouldn’t say they’re going off in there having a hoedown.
A quiet whisper, “What are they up to?” Startles me and nearly knocks me off my feet. Emma has slid up next to me. She starts to lean into the door as well.
“Sounds like they’re playing music,” I murmur.
Sticking her ear to the door as well, Emma looks curiously at me. Both holding our breaths so we can listen intently, I am still unable hear the conversation clearly. I think they are murmuring. All I can hear is the damn music.
“Cheeky fuckers,” Emma whispers. “They’ve put the stereo in front of the door.”
My eyes widen as I realise what they’ve done. Jake has already preempted our snooping and placed a noise muffling device behind the door.
“Bastard,” I mutter as I push away from the door.
“He obviously knows a bit about women and our eavesdropping tendencies,” Emma grins as she too straightens from the door.
I grin back. Clearly he does.
“Well I’m sick of unpacking,” I announce to Emma as I back up slightly and lean my hip against the front counter.
“Me too,” she agrees instantly giving me a mischievous look. “What we gunna do?”
“Dunno, what you wanna do?” I ask smirking as I watch the cogs in her evil little head ticking over.
“Well,” she says slowly looking towards the front of the shop. “The front door’s not locked and there’s gotta be a pub somewhere in this town…”
“Perfect!” I exclaim with excitement, grinning ear to ear. “Let’s do a jailbreak and go have some fun.”
There is however one small problem with our plan. Slumping my shoulders I pout . “I don’t have my purse.”
“Fuck,” Emma grumbles as her shoulders slump too. “Neither do I.”
Disappointed that our fun plans appear thwarted before they even begin, I slide my eyes slowly around the room. “I wonder if they’ll trade Harley memorabilia,” I mumble and then start chewing on my lip.
“Doubtful,” Emma replies, “But…”
I swing my eyes back to hers to see her looking cheerful again.
“But what?”
She starts grinning and I watch as her eyes hone in on the counter behind me. “We do have their cash register.”
I like her thinking.
“They would have cashed it out wouldn’t they?” I ask as I turn to focus my attention on the object of our fascination.
“I don’t think so,” Emma mumbles. “We have all been wrapped up in building shelves and as far as I know, they opened shop as normal this morning before they started moving boxes.”
Glancing back at her, I lift my hand and cross my fingers before turning my attention to the register keyboard. Finding a large key with a picture of a drawer on it I reach out to press it. Hovering slightly above the keyboard, my voice of conscience rumbles slightly that it’s wrong to take from someone else’s cash register. Hesitating briefly, my mind flashes back to my conversation with Jake and I quickly come to the conclusion that a few dollars from his cash register (which I fully intend to pay back), won’t be an issue.
Deciding I’m ready to do this, the matter is suddenly taken out of my hands by Emma. Without warning, she slams her hip into mine and bumps me away from the register. I lose my balance, fall sideways and grab for the counter at the same time as I see her finger slam down on the keyboard.
The cash draw pops open. There’s cash. Plenty of it.
Emma slices her eyes away from the register to grin at me evilly. I give her an eyebrow lift and grin evilly back. Clearly, Emma thinks I’m grinning about the stash of cash we’ve just found. Unknown to her, I am not. My evil mind has turned its focus to payback for the sneaky hip bump.
Pushing back off the counter a lot harder than I intend to, I send myself flying sideways at her to give her the hip bump from hell. Shock registers briefly on her face as I careen into her side. Our hips smash painfully.
With a grunt, we crash with a force I had no idea I was capable of. We both careen sideways and slam into the wall behind the counter. A few papers that have been thumbtacked haphazardly to the wall fall down around us. Hitting the wall with such force, we fall backwards to hit the counter behind us again. My back hits the counter edge and I let out a loud grunt as I throw my hands out to grab Emma by the waist to steady us both. Missing my target, we crash again and both fall sideways. Having lost our balance, we go down together. Emma grunting with pain as her back clips the edge of an unopened box on the way down. The box shifts our weight and we bounce sideways, landing on the floor at the end of the counter, our heads towards the shop front.
“Fuck, sorry.” I manage to grunt out a split second before my chest slam against hers. Hard.
“Ouch!” She squeals as our boobs smash together.
“Double ouch!” I grunt out quickly trying to push up and away from her body.
“That fuckin’ hurt!” She snaps as she jams her eyes shut with pain and her hands fly to her boobs. Groaning, she starts massaging them to soothe the pain.
“Fuckin’ oath,” I grumble as I settle myself on my knees, my heels to my ass. Still on top of her I lean back and start to rub desperately at the searing pain blazing through my own chest.
With her eyes still shut, Emma grins as she continues to rub herself. “Have you been secretly training your hip bump technique or something?”
“I think I may have hit your ‘sweet’ spot,” I chuckle as I vision a tennis ball hitting a racket in just the right spot that it flies off the racket with speed.
“Sweet spot all right. I bounced off you like a fucking ping pong ball.”
I start to giggle as we both continue rubbing at our poor smashed boobs.
Emma groans again. “I’d laugh too if it didn’t fucking hurt so much. As it is, I think I’m actually gunna cry,” she smirks as she opens her eyes.
Within an instant, I see there is something wrong. Her eyes bulge and she starts blinking at me.
“What’s wrong?” I blurt, suddenly concerned there is either something very wrong with her or very wrong with me.
“What the fuck are you two doing?” I hear a surprised male voice boom from behind me.
Fuck!
Jake.
I snatch my hands away from my boobs at the same time as Emma does. She looks mortified. I suspect I do too. Her eyes slide to what I assume is J
ake, over my shoulder and behind me.
Spinning with words of defense about to roll off my tongue, my eyes hit Jake’s and I freeze. Suddenly tongue-tied, my stomach drops as I realize that not only is Jake standing behind us, but Zane, Luke and several other men. It seems as many men as possible have squeezed through the door and are now peering down at us lying on the floor.
Zane is holding a gun loosely in his hand.
A gun?
Seriously?
“That made me fuckin’ hard. Why’d you stop ‘em?” I hear someone mutter.
Frowning I scan the group for the culprit but can’t work out who it was. Everyone now has their mouth jammed shut as they stare at us. I force myself to keep my eyes on their faces and not look at their crotches.
“Get off the fuckin’ floor,” Jake grunts as his eyes slice to the now open register nearby. “What the fuck?”
“Um…” I mumble as I awkwardly stagger to my feet and turn to offer Emma a hand up.
“What’s going on with the register?” He asks looking confused.
“Um…” Emma starts from beside me before she is cut off by Jake’s next growl.
“Everyone get the fuck out,” he snaps looking at the group of men behind him. Zane and Luke look at each other, their lips twitching with amusement. I hear a click and Zane stuffs his gun into the back of his pants as he turns and starts herding people back through the door.
It doesn’t take long for the room to empty and we watch as Luke steps through the door last, a smirk on his face. He shuts the door softly behind him. Jake watches him go and then turns angry green eyes on us.
“What the fuck? I leave you two unsupervised for a fuckin’ hour so you decide to raid my register and have some kinky brand of women sex on the fuckin’ floor?”
I suppose it could like that.
“Um…” Emma and I both mutter at the same time which makes me swing my eyes to hers. I can see hers are smiling and she looks like she’s having trouble holding back her laughter. I grin at her and watch as a tear starts to slide out from the corner of her eye.