by Wood, Lauren
Sleep was hard to come by, but I finally got a little bit. There was no alarm to wake me up, so it was close to eleven when I finally did. The noise of bike is what woke me up. I looked down at the skimpy tank top and underwear that I was wearing and scrambled to find my clothes. It had been really dark last night, and I hadn’t bothered with the turning on the lights. Now it was bright, and I was pulling my pants up when one of the jacketed guys came in with a Texas patch.
“Hey, sorry. I’m just getting dressed.”
“Take your time pretty lady. What are you doing here? Are you one of the club’s girls?”
I knew what he was asking, and I could see the lust in his eyes. I assured him that I wasn’t that at all and he looked disappointed. I didn’t care. I knew what a club girl was, and I was certainly never going to be one of those. I’d seen the movies and didn’t like the idea of getting passed around.
“No, I’m a friend of Frank’s. He said that I could crash here for a couple of nights. I’ll be out of your way in a few minutes.”
“Where’s your car?”
I sighed to myself. Frank had dropped me off the night before on his bike. I didn’t think that I was going to be able to get home without calling him or someone else to give me a ride.
“Frank dropped me off. I’ll see if he’ll give me a ride.”
“I can give you a ride darling.”
“I bet.”
I wasn’t going that route. Riding on a bike with someone was very intimate and this tall Irish guy wasn’t fooling anyone. He would cop a feel every chance he got, and I wasn’t in the mood for that. He was cute and all, but I had enough men on my plate.
Calling Frank, he sounded like he was just getting up.
“Hey baby, ready for round two?”
I giggled. “Well I don’t think we are on round two, maybe ten, but no, one-night stand is one night. It’s sort of in the name and I’m not your baby.”
“That’s not what you were saying last night.”
I ignored his comment because he was right. I was sure that last night I was saying a lot of shit. It had felt fantastic and there wasn’t much else that could be done about it. It happened.
“So, you dropped me off last night and I don’t have a way home. This Irish guy is here, I didn’t catch his name and he offered me a ride. Should I go with him?”
“No!”
He said it too quickly and forcefully.
“Why?”
“Racen is not the sort of guy I want you around.”
His answer made me giggle. I don’t know if it was because he was acting like I was a school girl or the fact that no one was worse than he was. He was the one that clearly was the bad influence. I knew that right off the bat. I doubted that Racen was any worse.
“So how am I supposed to get home?”
“Take his bike.”
“What?” Now I was the one that was shocked. “Take his bike?”
“Yeah, just tell him I said to.”
“He’s not going to just give me his bike, Frank. Are you crazy?”
“He will. I got to go. Call me if you need anything.”
He hung up and I was still staring at the phone. I was supposed to tell this big, beefy biker that I wanted his bike and Frank actually expected him to give it up. It was madness, that’s what it was.
“Um, Racen?”
“Yeah?”
“Frank wanted me to ask you if I could borrow your bike for a bit?”
“Really?”
“Well he told me to tell you to give me your bike.”
He chuckled. “That sounds more accurate. You sure you can ride this?”
He indicated his bike parked in the front and I knew I could. I hadn’t always just ridden on the back of one. I used to enjoy riding alongside of Frank as well.
“Yeah. I’ll try not to lay her down.”
He looked worried and that made me smile. A man was so tough but talk about his bike and he suddenly got a different take on life. Their bikes were their babies and I knew that Racen was no different. I don’t know why I found it so entertaining to worry him in the way that I did.
Chapter 11
Frank
Hearing her voice made my day. I was still thinking about everything that had went on between us last night and I wasn’t sure if it was real. It couldn’t be, it was just too perfect.
Then she called, and I got to hear her voice. It was all that I needed to get that rush back. This girl was twisting me up again. Gemma was really damn good at it.
“What the hell has you grinning like that?”
Justin’s voice threw me off and I didn’t answer him. Turning around, I could see that he had a big ass grin on his face as well. I doubted it was for the same reasons.
“What’s up with you? You’re the one that is cheesing for real.”
“It was just a damn good party last night. I hadn’t seen Sandra in a long time.”
“I didn’t know you guys saw each other.”
“Yeah, we did.”
He was saying it in a very suspicious way. Why was I getting a strange vibe from him all of a sudden? What did him and Sandra do last night? I remembered that Gemma had mentioned my sister and she hadn’t been too happy about it. Considering the way that Justin was acting today, last night was starting to make a lot more sense. Apparently when I thought of Sandra coming and what that could mean, it had worked better than I thought it would. So why did I feel a little bad about it now?
“I didn’t see much of Sandra.”
There was a look on his face and I knew that he’d banged my sister. I didn’t want to know for sure, but I had a feeling that Gemma had gotten wind of it or something like that. Was that the reason she had ran into my arms? I can’t say that I liked the idea of that all that much. I didn’t want her only reason for being with me to be because of Justin.
“Yeah, we chatted upstairs for a while. Where were you? I came back down and couldn’t find you anywhere. It was your party.”
Not really sure what to say to that, I just sort of shrugged. I could have told him that I just took off, but then he should have noticed that his old lady was gone and that she didn’t come home.
“I was there man. I’m sure you were just busy with other things.”
He grinned. “Yeah.”
I wanted to ask about Gemma. He hadn’t mentioned her, and I was a little more than shocked about it. The other day, he’d acted like he was in love with her, talking about getting married to her. Did he really not notice that the love of his life was gone overnight?
“Are you coming to help out at the warehouse?”
“I can after work. I get off at five. Didn’t you need help with the floors in the cabin? You know that I did it for years before accounting. I’m pretty good at it.”
“No, I don’t think we’re going to start on the floors for a while.”
It was one of the first things that I wanted to get done because there were a lot of furniture that had to be bought, but not with Gemma there. I’d keep that place bare if she wanted to stay, the hell with the club. We could meet outside of the warehouse as far as I was concerned. I wasn’t ready to give her away and it was different when I thought Justin loved her. He’d cheated with my sister. I wasn’t mad. I was just thankful that I was there for it. It was going to push her right back into my arms.
“Right, okay. Well I will talk to you after I get off.”
“Great, see you then Justin.”
I watched him leave and I wondered why he hadn’t mentioned Gemma and the fact that she was gone. He hadn’t said anything about her leaving the party. What the hell had my sister done? I wasn’t going to get answers from Justin, not real ones, so I called up Sandra. I wanted to know what happened.
“Hey sis.”
“Hey Frank, what’s up?”
“So how was the party last night?” I was fishing, and I knew that my sister was going to re
cognize it pretty quick.
“Pretty good, why?”
She sounded guilty or that’s what I wanted her to feel. Either way, I could tell that there was something else on her mind.
“Just wondering. Justin just left.”
“Oh really? What did he say?”
Yeah, she was guilty as hell and I knew that it was because she was with Justin. I couldn’t’ believe it. I had told her to come because of Justin’s liking of her, but I hadn’t thought that it would actually work. I wasn’t sure how I felt about it to be honest. I wanted to get her take on it. I knew that Sandra and Gemma hadn’t always gotten along.
“Just that you two had a good time. I didn’t see you most of the night. I guess you had a really good time.”
There was silence and I waited for her to say something. When she didn’t, I asked her if she knew about Gemma.
“Well yeah, I knew that they were dating, but sometimes you can’t help what happens.”
I sighed out loud and I should have been happy. I should have been. I just wasn’t sure how I was supposed to be happy about all of this. Gemma hadn’t come to me because her need had overwhelmed her like it had me. It was the thought that I’d clung to. No, she’d ran into my arms because Justin ran into Sandra’s. What a damn mess. I was going to have to rethink my plans apparently.
“So, you’re not going to tell her, right?”
“Well what’s going on with you and Justin?”
“I don’t know. I think I sort of did it to get Miss. Perfect back.”
I knew that she was talking about Gemma and it was going to be hard for me to get involved. Those two had never gotten along that well. I’m not sure why, just that they don’t. Gemma hadn’t said anything about it, but she’d been weird at first. It was clear that something had been on her mind. Now I knew what it was, even though I didn’t want to.
“Wow Sandra. Not cool.”
She laughed and told me to stop being a bitch. Only my sister could talk to me like that.
“So, what’s going to happen with you and Justin?”
“I don’t know. It’s just a thing that happened. It’s no big deal.”
She said that, but I knew that it was. Sandra would be gone soon and like every other time, she was going to leave a mess in her wake. I didn’t know what to say to her. I couldn’t believe she’d done it, but then again, I could. She was the sort of girl that didn’t care and if she thought that she’d be slighted in some way, it meant that Sandra was going to get the last say in it.
“You shouldn’t have done that Sandra. They had been together for a year.”
She snickered. “So where were you two last night dear brother?”
“What do you mean?”
“I noticed that both of you were gone.”
How did she know? Sandra was scary sometimes because she just knew things. There was no telling how or why, just that she did. I wasn’t going to admit to it, but I didn’t really have to.
“I don’t know. I was there all night.”
“Yeah, okay brother.”
There was a silence and then she asked me if I was done getting in her business.
“Yeah.”
“Well mom told me to tell you to make it home for dinner. She’s making meatloaf.”
“Alright.”
“See ya sis.”
She hung up and I was left shaking my head. My sister was a confusing sort. There was a big part of me that knew I’d made her that way. I was her only sibling and she’d looked up to me. I wasn’t in the best things and neither was she. She wanted to hang out with us guys and she had. But it had made her a little harsh. I felt bad for inviting her, but she was right in a way. I’d gotten what I wanted out of it.
That wasn’t the easiest pill to swallow, but I had work to do. The first shipment would be in from the south in a couple of days and I had to make sure that the place was secure for the goods. I didn’t want anyone getting ahold of my guns. It was what was going to put this club charter on the map and since I now had a crew put together, it was time to get every other moving piece in line.
Racen called a little while later, wanting to know when Gemma was going to be back. I called her to find out where she was, and she didn’t answer for a while. When I did get ahold of her, she was stopping for some gas.
“So Racen wants to know when you’ll be back.”
“I don’t know. I don’t want to come back. Do you ever feel like it would be best just to ride somewhere else and never look back?”
I had felt that way ten years ago. I left, and I missed it the whole time I was gone. It was good for me to go and do what I did. It started my life and what I wanted to do, but then again, I’d left her behind and I was surer than ever before that it had been one of the biggest mistakes of my life.
“Sometimes. Why do you want to leave? I thought we had a good time last night.” I was hoping that we could have more nights like that, but I didn’t put those wishes out loud for her to hear.
“We did, but you know what that was.”
If she said one-night stand again, I was going to have to prove her wrong. I knew that there was a part of me that knew she was saying that to protect herself. We both knew that it was a lie.
“Yeah I do.”
“Well I will have his bike back in a few. I’m just picking up some things and then I will be back out at the cabin.”
“So, you’re staying another night?”
“Yeah, you don’t mind, do you?”
“No, not at all. Stay as long as you like. Do you want some company tonight?”
She told me that she would think about it. It wasn’t company that I was selling, and she knew that. I wanted something more. We both did. I wanted to ask her about her and Justin, but it was just something else that I wasn’t going to be able to put in words. It was like walking on egg shells. I wasn’t sure what to say and knowing that it was my sister he cheated with didn’t make any of it any easier.
When I hung up the phone, I was confused. I stared off at the blinking light for a while, not sure what was going to happen next. I never did know with Gemma.
Chapter 12
Gemma
Frank called, talking about coming by to give me some company. He was also bringing dinner with him, so I was looking forward to seeing him. It was strange to be at the cabin by myself and I was going to be thankful for him. It had been quiet since the guys left that were working on it earlier.
When I heard the door open out front, my heart skipped a beat and I knew that it was Frank. I wasn’t supposed to feel this way, but it was Frank, and I did. I’d always felt some sort of way with him and I wasn’t sure why. What shocked me was that after all this time, I still did.
I’d pushed Justin out of my head. I wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. I turned my phone off and went to go meet Frank at the door.
“Honey, I’m home.”
I looked around and told him that he’d came to the wrong house. The place was empty, but it still felt good to be there with him. I didn’t realize how much he lit up my life.
He gave me a peck on the cheek that turned into something more. His lips were on mine and before I knew it, he was dropping bags onto the floor and the sound made me realize what I was doing. I wasn’t supposed to be kissing him. I’d made it clear that we weren’t going to do this again, yet here I was, doing it again with him.
“We can’t do this Frank.”
“Why not?”
I was about to say something about Justin and I stopped. I wasn’t ready to come out with that because I was going to get mad, we were going to get in a fight and it just wasn’t worth it. I knew that there was a big part of me that was going to melt if I didn’t put some distance in between us.
Grabbing the bags off the floor, I sidestepped his attempt to get me back into his arms and I couldn’t help but giggle. “Some things never change. Is that all you think about?” Here I was st
arving and of course Frank was much more worried about the other sort of hunger.
“When I’m around you, yes.”
“Well, at least your honest I guess.”
“I’ve missed this. I never have been comfortable around women like I was with you. You were always more of a friend that I wanted to fuck, then anything else.”
I knew that it was a compliment, but I didn’t like where it was going. I wasn’t ready for those sorts of emotions and I just waved him off.
“Well I’m starving Frank. What did you bring with you?”
“Some chicken marsala.”
“You remembered?”
“Of course. I really could never forget you Gemma. You don’t know how many nights I’ve stayed up thinking about you.”
I had an idea because I’d done the same myself, but at the end of the day, we weren’t supposed to be talking about this. I was with Justin, for the time being and I didn’t want to get it all confused with Frank. I wanted a clean break. It wasn’t a question of if, just when. I wasn’t ready to talk to him yet. I would be soon, I was sure of it. Just not yet.
“Enough of all that Frank. When did you get all mushy on me?”
He gave me a look and I just smiled his way. He didn’t like me saying that about him and I knew that it was because he wanted to be extra manly. He was. Frank was about as manly as it got, but we’d been close once and we’d stayed up late, talking about dreams and the like. It was hard to rectify that with the biker in front of me. The leather told the world that he was bad ass and he was. But there was another side of Frank altogether and I really liked that side of him as well.
I pulled out the to-go trays and opened one, handing it to him.
“Are they the same?”
“No, I thought we would share like we used to.”
He knew me too well. I’d never liked to order from a restaurant because I always wanted something different when I got the food. Frank always shared with me, so it was like we both got two things. It was just another reminder of where we were at one point. We used to be very close and I didn’t realize how much I just missed him as a friend to hang out with.