by Sam Crescent
All he needed was a pole, and some way of encouraging her to strip for him. It was a fantasy he intended to play out together soon enough.
When she’d seen everything he took her toward the back where the playrooms were. “What you’re about to see, you can’t tell anyone.”
“This place is huge.”
“It was a piece of shit when we first came here.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really. It took a long time for us to actually get everything ready for when we came to live here.” He remembered the hours he’d spent stripping walls, watching electricians and plumbers working to get the house up to date. It was during that time that he’d hated the thought of settling down. Now, he wouldn’t change it for the world.
“I won’t say anything.”
“Come on,” he said, opening the door. He wasn’t surprised to find Kitty Cat and Caleb in the room. Neither of them was doing much. They hadn’t started a scene yet. Pixie had watched them enough times to know that this was the tension before the storm.
“Is she supposed to be here?” Caleb said.
“I’m allowed to give her the tour, and we won’t disturb you. Promise.”
Caleb glared but didn’t say anything. Taking a seat in a booth, Pixie placed his arm across Suzy’s shoulder, and sat back, watching.
The booths were dark, and Caleb moved up to Kitty Cat, and placed his hand on her back. It was rare for him to actually touch her. Pixie tensed up but was surprised to see the smile on Kitty’s face.
“You want to do this?” he asked.
“Yes, Sir.” She frowned.
Pixie knew why she was frowning. Rarely had Caleb approached her like this. He was breaking their ritual.
Caleb nodded. “Show me how much of a good girl you are.”
Without any hesitation, Kitty went to her knees and bowed her head, offering the perfect submission.
Something seemed to come over Caleb as he growled, and walked away.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know.”
Caleb paced up and down, and then moved to stand in front of Kitty once more. Pixie tensed up as he saw a tear spill onto her leg, but what surprised him was Caleb.
“Red, fuck, red, I can’t do this.”
Caleb didn’t wait around, and seconds later, the sound of a door slamming closed echoed around the room.
“Um, usually something happens,” Pixie said.
“Kitty,” Suzy said, getting up from her seat.
He went with her, helping Kitty to her feet, noticing how pale she was.
“It’s fine. I’m fine.” She held her hand up, smiled. “I’m sorry we didn’t give you much of a show.”
“I don’t even know what the hell I’m supposed to be looking for,” Suzy said. “Would you like to head home? You can come and hang out at my place.”
Pixie didn’t like that. He wouldn’t be able to visit her if someone else was there. The women seemed to band together in one room.
He was turning into a sucker for this woman.
“No, no, I’m just going to stay here. I’m going to head to my room. I’ve got a headache.”
Before either of them could say anything, Kitty Cat was gone, heading toward the backrooms.
“Is she going to be okay?”
“I hope so.”
“I don’t get it. What did I miss?”
“What you saw was Caleb calling their Dom/sub relationship over.”
“Over?”
“Finished. I’ve never seen him do that before, but it has clearly got to him.”
“I’m worried about her.”
“Don’t be. The club will keep an eye on her.”
She smiled, and he rested his hands on her shoulders. “Will you take me home?”
“Yeah, I will.”
Chapter Five
When James got to the school, he was tense. He’d thought he was done with dealing with Ryan’s shit. Over a year ago, Ryan had been acting out and fighting in school. Lucy, Ryan’s mother was the old lady of Dane, a club brother who just got up, and left. They had tried to find him, but Dane was the kind of guy who wouldn’t be found if he didn’t want to. In protest, Ryan had been getting into fights, getting bad reports from the teachers. Once James had a talk with him, and let him know he or the club wasn’t going anywhere, Ryan had gotten his shit together.
Entering the school, he didn’t need directions, and there Cora stood, waiting for him.
“What’s going on?”
“I don’t know. I saw him today before school, and he told me to fuck off. Next I know, there’s a fight broken out, but Ryan walked away, and then around lunchtime, he just went completely insane.”
“Has Lucy turned up?”
“Yeah, and someone else.”
He turned toward Cora. “Someone else?”
“Um, I think it’s Dane.”
“That’s not possible.”
She shrugged. “Lucy’s in there with Sharon, and there’s this big guy. Lots of ink, lots of hair as well. Looks a little unkempt.”
James didn’t want to believe it, but there was no other explanation for it.
“What do you want to do?” she asked.
“I want to go and see who the fuck that is.”
James didn’t wait for an invitation. Walking right in, he stopped when he caught sight of the three people sitting around Sharon’s desk. The moment he saw him, James knew it was Dane.
Without thinking, James launched at him, slamming his fist into the guy’s face.
Women screamed, and in the distance he heard Sharon yelling for security.
“It’s me, man, it’s Dane.”
“I know who the fuck you are. You think you can come here after all this time, and just what, do whatever the fuck you want?”
“I—”
James slammed his fist against his face, not wanting to hear another word from him.
Cora grabbed his arm and yanked with all of her might. James knew it was his woman, and he stopped immediately.
“Don’t call the cops,” Dane said.
“Fighting like this in front of Ryan—”
“I don’t care. It’s what he deserves.”
James turned to Ryan. “I take it this was why you were so pissed?”
“Yeah, I shouldn’t have let my temper get the better of me.”
“You’re right. You shouldn’t. You’re a better man than that, and I expect better.”
Ryan nodded.
“Do we need to take him out of school?” James asked.
“He’s my son,” Dane said.
“Last time I checked you ran from that title. You don’t get a say.”
“I’m still Lucy’s husband!”
“Only because they couldn’t find your body, and she wasn’t willing to divorce you. I’ll give her a dead body if she’d like.”
“James, it’s okay,” Lucy said. “Can I take Ryan home?”
“Yes. I’m going to ask that he take the rest of the week to calm down, and come back to us next Monday. I don’t want any more incidents like this, do you understand?” Sharon asked.
“Yes,” all three said in unison.
James glared at Dane.
Turning toward Cora, he gave her a quick hug. “I’ll pick you up from work.”
“Okay.”
On the way outside, James followed Lucy toward her car. Once she was there, she turned. “I don’t want him to come with me,” she said.
“Lucy—”
“He’s caused too much pain, and right now, I want to deal with my son without dealing with him.”
“Fine. He’s coming with me to the clubhouse.”
“I’m supposed to be helping my kids, my family.”
“You had your chance, and what did you do? Run away.” James shook his head. Pulling out his cell phone, he dialed Pixie’s number. He needed his brother to come and pick him up. When no answer came from Pixie, he called Caleb. Shit was about to hit
the fan in a big way.
****
Chloe was back, and because of that, Pixie couldn’t linger.
“Why are you here?” Chloe asked.
“He dropped me off. I’m working at the clubhouse, and he was kind enough to bring me home.” Suzy smiled at him.
One day, he was going to get her to admit that they were together. Chloe stared at him, and he shrugged. “I’m a nice guy.”
She chuckled. “You’re a guy who wants something, and I know you want our little redhead.”
“How was your time away with Richard?”
“It was good. We’re working through our difficulties.”
“Having sex?”
“Pixie!” Suzy said, glaring at him.
“No. We’re not having sex. We’re actually talking, a lot. I like that.”
He saw the wistfulness on Chloe’s face, and knew what she meant. The sex with Suzy was out of this world, but he loved it when they talked. Those few blissful moments of sharing made the secrecy all worth it.
The telephone started to ring, and Suzy was closest, picking it up.
“Hello … yeah, he’s here, do you want … oh, yeah, of course.” She hung up, looking toward him. “That was James. He said it was an emergency, and that Dane was back.”
Pixie tensed up. “You’re certain.”
“Yeah, he left you messages, that’s what he said, and he wants you to get back in touch, or at least get to the club.”
“I’m going to have to go.” He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket seeing several missed calls and texts. Fuck, he’d had it on silent, and he hadn’t given it a thought. “I’ve got to go.”
He looked toward Suzy, about to go and give her a kiss. She gave a small head shake, and he sighed. “I’ll see you two lovely ladies soon. Have fun.”
“You too,” Chloe said.
Suzy remained silent, and it hurt a little to know she wasn’t desperate to talk about their relationship.
Leaving the apartment, he headed downstairs to where he’d left his car. He’d have taken his bike but Suzy begged for him to take the car, and he just couldn’t deny her.
He made his way straight to the club, and when he climbed off his bike, he saw Kitty sitting on the wall. She had a jacket wrapped around her, and he saw that she was crying.
Climbing out of his car, he went straight to her. “Are you okay, babe?” he asked.
She looked up at him. “Of course.” She wiped the tears away. “Have you heard?”
“I didn’t want to believe it. Dane’s back.”
“Yeah, and James is pissed. Ryan went off the deep end.”
Pixie sighed. “Do I want to go in there?”
“It’s up to you. I think it’s easier to stay out here rather than go in there. He’s been there for a few hours.”
“Shit, I was with Suzy.”
“Is something going on between the two of you?”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“Don’t play dumb, Pixie. I’ve known you too long.”
“I’ll tell you my problem if you tell me yours.”
“Nothing is wrong with me.”
“What about Caleb and you? You can’t tell me that all is fine. I know differently.” He leaned against the wall, watching her.
“I don’t know what is going on between the two of us. He wants something, and I can’t give him that.”
Pixie laughed. “You two have always been skirting around each other. Do you think your and his relationship doesn’t fuck with his head? There’s a good few years between the two of you, not to mention the past. He knows what you went through, and yet he fights that every single time, and gives you what you want.”
The tears were falling once again. “I know. I’m a horrible person.”
“I didn’t say you were horrible.”
She sniffled. “I’m sorry.”
He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. “Don’t worry. You’ve got nothing to be sorry about, but you really need to talk to him.”
She nodded, and he stepped away.
“What about you and Suzy?” she asked.
He turned toward her, and smiled. “I want her all to myself all the time, and she won’t give me that.”
Kitty’s eyes went wide. “You and Suzy?”
“Don’t tell her, or you’ll ruin whatever chance I’ve got to keep her for myself.”
“My lips are completely sealed. Do you love her?” Kitty asked.
Pixie stared at her. “I’m going to head inside.” He wasn’t ready to admit his feelings yet. Suzy was an enigma to him most of the time, and he didn’t want to risk the rejection.
You sound like a pussy. You want to get her pregnant, but you won’t admit to wanting her.
He made his way inside the clubhouse, and noticed that all of the brothers were there. The main bar wasn’t open either. He noticed that when he drove around back toward the main clubhouse.
“I’m here,” he said, drawing everyone’s attention. Pixie didn’t care, and a small path was made.
He saw Dane. The man who had just gotten up one day without a word and left.
Folding his arms, Pixie smirked. Dane had a black eye and blood spilling from his nose.
“Hello, stranger. Did you all know we’ve got a stranger in the house?”
Several of the brothers laughed. James didn’t look happy. He was pacing the length of the club. “Where were you?”
“Taking Suzy home, and then spending a little time with Chloe, why?” Pixie asked.
“Lucy doesn’t want him going home.”
“It’s my fucking house!” Dane growled the words out.
“Oh, it’s your house?” Caleb asked. “Last time I checked we’re the ones that have been dealing with the upkeep, and also taking care of your kids. You weren’t around at all.”
All of the brothers had gone to Lucy to help her. She hadn’t wanted the help, but they had gone anyway. She was touched that they still considered her part of the club.
“You going to tell us what the fuck the problem was?” he asked.
Dane gritted his teeth. “I just needed some space.”
“That it? That’s all you’re going to say?”
“Do you even know what the fuck I was dealing with?” Dane asked. “I’ve been married nearly twenty years. I have three kids, and apart from the club, I’ve done nothing. I woke up one day, and I watched everything that was going on around me, and you know what? I didn’t like it. I was a father, a husband, a club member, but I was no longer Dane, the man.”
“This is about your dick?” Leo asked. “You’ve got issues because you were only with one fucking lady?”
“I got married young, and had kids, and I just wanted it all to stop.”
They all stared at Dane, and even Pixie was angry at him. If he remembered rightly, Lucy hadn’t wanted to marry a fighter. The one thing they all had in common was the fact they’d once fought for Ned Walker, the king of fighters in Vegas. Dane was one of those fighters, and it was during his time that he’d found Lucy. They started the club not long after they started going steady.
James looked sickened. “I don’t even want to deal with you.”
“What would you have done?” Dane asked. “None of you know what it’s like to be me.”
“I’ll beg to differ,” James said. “You don’t see Drake here, do you? That’s because he’s married with a kid. I’m also with a woman now as well. None of us back away from our responsibility. You have, and you’re nothing like us. None of us would turn our backs.”
The thought of walking away from Suzy and his kid made Pixie sick to his stomach. He couldn’t do it, and looking at Dane, he couldn’t understand it either. Lucy was a good woman. She never put any pressure on Dane. He could pretty much come and go as he pleased.
“Come on, Pixie, you know what I mean.”
“I don’t. You picked Lucy. You married her, and had kids. You shouldn’t have left.”
“What happens now?” Dane asked.
James looked around at the club. “We have to talk about this, but I’m going to go and see Lucy. You’re not allowed to leave the club unless it’s to leave town.”
“I’m not leaving.”
“Where did you go?” Pixie asked.
“Everywhere. I went to see everything.”
Once, Pixie would have been lured by the need to travel. Right now, he didn’t see the attraction. The only way he’d leave would be if Suzy went with him.
“It’s late, James,” Cora said. “Let Lucy have tonight with the kids. We’ll go tomorrow.”
James nodded. “Who wants security duty?”
“I’ll take it,” Pixie said. “I’ve got nothing better to do.”
He wanted to be with Suzy, and if he couldn’t do that, he may as well go and help his club.
Chapter Six
“What’s going on with you and Pixie?” Chloe asked.
“Nothing, why?”
They sat on the sofa eating spaghetti carbonara that Suzy had made.
“Please, I’m not an idiot, nor am I blind. Something is going on with you and Pixie.”
What happened to their secrecy? For nearly a year they had been seeing each other, and no one knew about it.
“You can tell me.”
“I don’t know what you expect me to say.”
“The truth. Are you or are you not a thing with Pixie?”
“Let’s talk about yours and Richard’s time away.”
“We’ll get to that. Come on, Suzy. I thought we were friends.”
“We are friends.”
“Friends share everything together.”
Twirling some spaghetti onto her fork, she took a bite, and turned to Chloe. “I slept with him.” Suzy didn’t know what she expected to feel, but relief wasn’t it. “Wow, I can’t believe I said that.”
“You slept together? Like recently?”
“No, not recently. It was a long time ago. Um, just under a year, I think.” She shoved some more food into her mouth to stop herself from speaking.
“Oh, my God, you lost your virgin card, and you didn’t tell us.”
“I lost it with Pixie.”