Devil's Kiss

by Celia Loren

  A redhead in a barely-there top grins from down the bar. She takes a sip of her beer, leaning over to me.

  “You new?” she says, raising her voice over the music.

  “Excuse me?” I reply, my voice high and tight.

  “I knew it!” she laughs. “Hey, Franchise! Drink for the new girl over here!” she yells to the older guy working on the far end of the bar. He nods at us and heads over.

  “Can’t believe Chase, that motherfucker. Quitting on a Thursday. I’m no fucking bartender!” the man called Franchise growls. “What’ll ya have?” he barks at me.

  “Whiskey neat,” I reply.

  “Good. Easy enough,” he says. I study the black leather vest that he’s wearing—his Widowmakers cut. Stick wears one just like it. Franchise puts a lowball glass in front of me and I hand him a ten.

  “Hey, you know Stick?” I ask, as he gets me my change.

  “Haven’t seen him,” he answers. He hurries off, scowling, to help another customer who’s bothering him for a drink.

  “I’m Colleen,” my redheaded barmate says. “You with Stick? Shit, I thought he was with Stacy! That fucker!”

  “No, no, I’m not with him. I’m just trying to find him,” I correct her.

  “Oh! You should just ask this guy. He always knows where Stick is!” Colleen says, pointing to the back end of the bar.

  I turn my head and spot a huge man cutting through the crowd, approaching the bar. I study the outline of his tall muscular body, the scruffy stubble on his jaw, his hair pulled back into a low ponytail, the sharp line of the nose, the soft curve of his mouth...

  “Holy shit,” I mutter. It’s West.

  “I know right?” Colleen sighs, “God, he’s so fucking sexy. One of the only ones I haven’t gotten in bed with yet.” She pulls the front of her shirt a little lower as she speaks.

  “Right...” I say absentmindedly, watching as the crowd of people before him parts. He ambles up with that lazy walk to lean on the bar. I swallow hard.

  Franchise heads over as West casually holds up two fingers. Franchise quickly pulls two beers from the tap and slides them down the bar. West grabs the beers and stands up, glancing down the length of the bar as he turns. Our eyes lock and blood rushes to my face. Fuck. He caught me staring. I quickly look down at my whiskey and throw back a large sip. It burns on the way down and I can’t help but wince a little.

  “Oh my god, he’s coming over!” Colleen whispers, furiously fluffing her hair with her fingers.

  Shit. I keep my gaze fixed on my glass, reminding myself to breathe. This is happening so differently than I imagined it would. I feel the warmth of a body next to me at the bar. I slowly turn toward West, letting my eyes travel up the black t-shirt stretched across his hard chest. He’s even more built than I remembered. I finally meet his gaze. He’s smiling down at me, a cocky smirk etched onto his sculpted features.

  “Need a chaser?” he asks, placing one of his beers next to my whiskey.

  “Thanks,” I reply, smiling up at him and raising the beer to my lips.

  “So, what’s your name?” he asks. I look up at him in surprise, choking a bit on my mouthful of beer.

  “Hey, West,” Colleen says flirtatiously, leaning around me.

  He ignores her entirely, his eyes fixed on me. “Why don’t you come over and sit with me and my friends?” he asks. I hear Colleen squeak in protest.

  “Sure,” I reply, grabbing both the beer and the whiskey. With a cock of his head toward the back of the room, West turns and leads me toward his table. Rather than weaving through the people in his way, he walks straight through the crowd.

  I study the Widowmakers’ symbol on his vest as I follow him. Does he seriously not recognize me? Well, it is dark in here, and it has been almost a decade. I guess I do look pretty different, too. I finally gave up the Sun-In and dyed my hair dark, and had my growth spurt to reach the towering height of 5’6”. And, you know, grew boobs, but shit—for him to totally not recognize me? Didn’t see that one coming.

  Do I really get the chance now to finally not be Stick’s kid sister? To be a woman, not some bratty little girl? This seems like an opportunity I can’t pass up.

  Chapter Two

  Olive

  A smile crosses my lips as West pulls the curtain aside and we cross into the back area. Several brothers sit around the tables, each with a girl (or two) draped across them. Ah, these must be the “sweet butts” that Stick has mentioned to me. All I can get out of him is that they’re the girls that hang around the brothers, hoping one of them will make her his old lady—which in the MC world is like being a wife.

  West puts his beer on an empty table in the corner and pulls a chair for me. I sit down and cross my legs, glad I decided to change in the airport bathroom into one of my favorite outfits—a short jean skirt and silky black tank top. I take a deep breath. If West doesn’t remember me, then I can be the more confident woman I’ve become since we shared that kiss so many years ago. He drapes his arm around the back of my chair.

  “So, what did you say your name was?” he asks.

  “I didn’t. It’s...Grace,” I reply, spitting out the first name that pops into my head.

  “Grace,” he repeats. “Have we met before? You look a little familiar.”

  “Oh no,” I say, tilting my head and lowering my eyelashes suggestively. “I think I’d remember meeting you.”

  West smiles, his ego sufficiently stroked. “And you just happened to stop in here tonight, Grace?”

  “I just moved here, wanted to meet some new people. This...” I say, running my fingers down the smooth, worn leather of his vest, letting my touch linger. “It’s called a cut, right?”

  “That’s right. It’s the cut of the Widowmakers MC. MC stands for motorcycle club,” he tells me.

  I turn my body toward him a little and lower my voice so he has to lean into me to hear what I’m saying.

  “Why join a motorcycle club?” I ask, “Why not just ride out by yourself?”

  “It’s a brotherhood, a family,” West replies, “I didn’t have much of one growing up. Every one of my brothers would die for me, and I’d do the same for them.”

  “Your brother Franchise looks like he wants someone to put him out of his misery right about now,” I point out. West chuckles and takes a sip of his beer, letting his hand brush against my knee. His touch sends a shiver through my whole body.

  “Franchise isn’t used to having such an immediate role in his businesses. He prefers to sit back and have the actual operations run themselves. Hence his name,” he replies. He leans in so closely when he speaks that the sound of his voice vibrates right through me.

  “Colleen, she said your name was West. How’d you get that nickname?” I ask. I already know this story because it involves my brother, but I just want to keep hearing the rich sound of his voice. And what man with an ego as big as West’s doesn’t like to talk about himself?

  “West. That was a name I got when I was a kid,” he says.

  “Oh yeah?” I say, encouraging him.

  “We were learning all about the Old West in school,” he begins, “You know, frontiers, cowboys. All these people heading west looking for freedom. Me and my best friend, we wanted the same thing for ourselves, so we ran away from home. When they finally caught up with us, all I’d tell people was, ‘We’re just heading West.’”

  “And this...?” I ask, gently skimming my fingers over the Marine Corps tattoo showing beneath the sleeve of his t-shirt. I brush the fabric upwards, revealing the eagle astride a globe, with an anchor at its side.

  He drops his hand casually to my knee. I feel the cold sweat of the beer still on his palm as he gently strokes his thumb back and forth along the side of my leg. I’m glad we’re hidden away in this dark corner—this way, he won’t see my blush. I glance around and see most of the other people back here are focused on the pool game happening outside the curtain.

  “No fair,” he growls. “You
have to tell me something about yourself first.”

  “OK,” I grin, gamely. “What do you want to know?”

  “You said you’re new in town,” he says, “What brings you to West Clayton?”

  “The ambience?” I smile wryly.

  He laughs softly. “That wasn’t even a good try. Come on. Tell me.”

  “Well, I was living...East, as opposed to West,” I say with a smile, delicately balancing my truths and lies. “And...let’s just say I tend to be attracted to the wrong kind of guy.”

  “Maybe you need someone to protect you,” he murmurs, sliding his hand a couple inches up my leg.

  “Oh, no, I’ve had enough protection for one lifetime,” I say, locking eyes with him. The hungry expression in his eyes knocks the wind out of me.

  “Is that so?” he asks, his hand moving up another inch. I can barely think straight.

  “My brother. He can be really overprotective,” I go on. Shit. Did I say too much? But West slides his hand another two inches up my thigh, slipping just his fingertips under the edge of my skirt.

  “Well he’s not here now, is he?” West growls.

  But before I can respond, he leans forward, and his lips are on me. My body ignites the instant his mouth presses against mine. He is gentle but purposeful, opening my lips and sliding his tongue against mine. I receive it eagerly, matching his every move. He tastes exactly the same as I remember. I feel his fingers rubbing softly along my leg, moving tantalizingly slowly up the soft skin of my inner thigh. I uncross my legs and reach across to his leg with my right hand, sliding my palm over his firm thigh.

  Suddenly, his hand disappears and he pulls his face away. He snakes one arm around my waist and the other under my legs, hoisting me off my seat and planting me on his lap, both of my legs swung to one side of his body as he leans back in his chair, resting his head on the wall behind him. I glance around, worried we’re making a scene.

  “Don’t worry, no one’s watching,” he assures me, and he’s right. There are only a few people in the back now anyway. And while I can barely see them in the dark, it doesn’t look like anyone is keeping their hands to themselves. Besides, I’m too high on his touch to care.

  I turn back to him, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. I feel his hand work its way up my thigh. I shift my weight in his lap a little, and I feel his hard length pressing against my ass. It seems that every part of West has grown since the last time I kissed him.

  His breath catches in his throat as I circle my hips a little, teasing him. I feel him slide his fingers the final inch up my leg. I gasp as he grazes my clit with his fingertips, sure he can already feel my excitement soaking through my cotton panties.

  He pulls my head back toward him, aggressively pushing his tongue into my mouth, exploring me. I start to go limp in his strong arms. Every ounce of my attention is focused on his fingers as they move around my clit, circling it slowly. He pulls my underwear to the side with his thumb, and suddenly his forefinger is pressed directly against that tender little nub. I would moan, but my mouth is busy. West rubs my wet clit until the pleasure is almost overwhelming.

  I pull my mouth off his and hungrily kiss his neck, sliding my tongue up to his ear. I want to devour every inch of him. I bite softly on his earlobe and hear him moan. I gasp as he pushes a finger into me. I feel him press inside me as far as he can, slipping a second finger inside. He circles them against my g-spot. Oh, god...I can feel an orgasm starting to build inside me already as I buck my hips against his hand. I lean my forehead against his, my eyes half-closed. West is watching me, enjoying the sight of me writhing under his touch.

  “Want to get out of here?” he whispers roughly.

  He knows he has me. I nod, only half-aware of my actions at this point. God, that didn’t take long. Though for me, this hookup has been over eight years in the making. West’s dark eyes hold mine as he brings his hand to his mouth and licks my wetness off his fingers. My mouth drops open in shock at the sight.

  I feel wobbly as I rise to my feet, and a little lightheaded. I grab my purse from the table and West stands up behind me. I turn around expectantly and he takes my face in his hands. He leans over me and places a tender kiss on my lips, surprising me. He leans back, his hand still on my face, and runs his thumb over my lower lips. His brows furrow ever-so-slightly.

  “There’s something so familiar about you...” he murmurs.

  But he quickly shakes off his puzzlement and takes my hand, leading me away. We step through the curtains and into the crowd. The place is super crowded now, and it takes a little while to move through everyone, even with West’s intimidating demeanor.

  As I emerge from the haze of pleasure I’ve been in, I start to really think about what I’m doing. I’m about to have sex with West. I mean, I’ve dreamed about what this would be like for years. Seriously, years.

  But a worrying realization hits me. Is West taking me back to where he lives, to the home he shares with my brother? Where I just stashed my bags? Stick probably won’t be home yet, right? No—this has to work. I can’t be this close to finally having sex with West and have it not work out.

  Just as I’m think I’m finally going to experience the fantasy, West drops my hand. He’s signaling to someone at the front of the bar. I feel a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach as I try to peer around West’s enormous frame.

  “Stick!” he yells, confirming my worst fears. Fuck. You’ve got to be kidding me.

  I immediately bring my hand to my hair, desperately smoothing it down. I take a deep breath, trying to hide any evidence of my recent activities from my appearance. Now is really not the time for Stick to have one of his overprotective freak outs.

  I see my brother approaching us, weaving through the people between him and West. He glances toward me briefly, then does such a classic double-take that I would think it were fake if didn’t know otherwise.

  “Olive!?” he shouts excitedly, beginning to push his way towards us. I see West freeze in front of me. Oh dear.

  Stick blows by West and picks me up in a huge bear hug lifting me completely off the ground. He’s still as skinny as always, but tall and strong all the same. I shriek and burst out laughing. He finally drops me on the ground and I punch him hard on the arm, adjusting my hair from where he’s mussed it up again. He reaches out and rubs his hand quickly over my scalp, messing it up worse than before. My older brother hasn’t changed much.

  “Stop! You jerk!” I yell at him, laughing in spite of my annoyance. He still treats me like I’m eight.

  West turns to face me, studying my face. “Tiny?” he asks in disbelief.

  “No one calls me that anymore,” I deadpan, arching an eyebrow at him.

  “You didn’t recognize her?” Stick asks innocently, clapping West on the shoulder.

  “You know, it’s so weird,” West says, his eyes piercing mine. “We were just talking for a minute, and I thought she looked familiar, but I couldn’t place her. You look...different, Olive.”

  I clear my throat. “Do I?” I ask, smiling at him.

  “Very,” he adds accusingly.

  “She’s probably grown a foot since the last time you saw her,” Stick chimes in. “So wait, what the fuck? I thought I was supposed to pick you up tomorrow morning at the airport.”

  “Well, I already had all my stuff ready to go, so I thought I’d get an earlier flight and surprise you.” I tell him. “When I realized you guys weren’t at home, I remembered you said you hang out here a lot, so...here I am. Surprise!”

  “Well, you got me. I thought I was seeing things for a second there. Where’s your luggage and everything?” he asks, looking around.

  “Oh, I left it hidden by the house,” I say.

  “Are you tired?” Stick asks, “Want to head back home?”

  “Umm...” I steal a glance at West. He’s looking at me impassively, one eyebrow slightly raised. “Yeah. Maybe that would be a good idea.”

  �
��Come on then,” Stick says, gesturing to the door. “You still remember how to ride on the back of a bike?”

  “I think I’ll pick it up,” I say dryly, following him as he starts toward the door.

  “See you back there later,” Stick adds with a nod to West, who nods silently back.

  I lock eyes with West for a moment, but can’t read his expression, but he doesn’t look happy. I turn away, biting my lip anxiously. I follow Stick out the front door. His bike is parked around the corner from the alley. He hands me his helmet to wear as he talks excitedly, glad to have me home. I swing my leg over the bike and hold on to Stick as he pulls away from the curb. I can’t get West’s face out of my mind as we ride. Did I seriously just blow my only chance with him?

  Chapter Three

  Back in Concord, NH...

  Richard

  “Fuck!” I scream, as I burst out of the East Main building downtown, where the offices of Internal Affairs are located.

  My partner—or rather, former partner—Stan Carbee, is hot on my heels.

  “Hey, calm down, Dick,” he says, placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. I shake him off and loosen my tie before ripping it off completely.

  “Calm down?” I spit, “Like hell am I gonna calm down. What the fuck am I supposed to do now? Huh?”

  The bystanders milling around the building eye me and move away. Fuck ‘em.

  “You’ve got options, alright?” Stan goes on, “I told you, my cousin’s got some connections with a private security company—”

  “A security company?” I scoff, “What, I’m supposed to become some mall cop, walking around empty buildings at night with a goddamn can of pepper spray?! Fuck!” I sink down onto the first step of the building and bury my hands in my hair. “Dammit, Stan, this is all I ever wanted to do with my life.”

  Stan takes a seat next to me. “You didn’t tell me she’d gone and filed a complaint against you.”