Wild Side

by Cynthia Ayman

  “We thought it was better to get a good night of sleep here,” Mom explains as she hugs me. “We arrived an hour ago.”

  I’m happy to see that Penelope, Aaron’s mother, also joined us. She welcomes me with a warm smile and her usual kiss on each cheek, before doing the same with her son. I get on well with Aaron’s mother. I was nervous when I met her, and the ice was broken when she admitted she was just as anxious, unsure of “the kind of girl Aaron would finally bring home.” She is very artistic, and it’s such a contrast with her son, and with her son’s father. She made the paintings for the bakery for my birthday and came to help us several times while we were renovating.

  “I didn’t think he’d manage to drag you in, but I see he found a sneaky way,” Val snorts as I sit down next to them.

  Oh God. My parents and Aaron’s mom saw him kissing me senseless, his hands on my butt. I glare at him once again as he takes a seat next to me. Most of the club is here too, but they seem to behave. I have no idea if it’s because of my parents or because they usually don’t get too wild in the bar, but I’m thankful for it. Not that I’m ashamed or embarrassed, but it’s definitely a different world and even though my parents have fully accepted Aaron, I don’t think they’re ready to see some of the things that really take place in his world, such as girls topless on tables or people dancing so close you’re not confident they’re not actually having sex in public.

  “It was time for her to get over it. I’d like to take her out for a drink once in a while,” Aaron says as he gestures to the waitress.

  Everyone knows how we met, thanks to Val. She is the worst gossip I know, and I used to live in a motorcycle club, so that’s saying something. They like to give the appearance of macho men, but I can guarantee you that these guys are worse than a couple of ladies at a country club.

  I ignore Aaron because I can, and I think it’s good for him to get the cold shoulder every now and then. Joan and Elise are staring around them with wide eyes. They met Apa already, but they are now surrounded by a small colony of alpha males. I have the most handsome one, so they don’t affect me that much, but I feel for them. I mean, my first encounter with their species was literally with only one of them. There are half a dozen fine specimens all around us, so it’s not easy to know where to look first.

  Apa’s arm is on the back of my chair, his fingers playing with the ponytail that keeps my hair out of my face. I still pretend I’m a little mad at him, because I still am even though I’m happy to have all the people I love around me. I worked crazy long hours during the past few weeks and having the time to take a breath and just enjoy the night is a very nice change.

  He lets go of me when the waitress finally carries out drinks to our table. With a small smile, he grabs the tray from her hands and puts it down on the table then proceeds to serve everyone.

  The bar seems different when it’s full. Less seedy, much more friendly. I’m talking with Joan about her ex-boyfriend, whom she broke up with two weeks ago after months of hesitation. I’m happy for her, and she looks happier too. The guy was dragging her down, and she now seems to have a lot more fun. It wasn’t a healthy relationship, and I’m glad she eventually saw it. Ever since he had lost his job, he had become more and more controlling with her. We were a few weeks away from setting up an intervention because she honestly deserves better than a guy who feels so insecure he needs to call her every twenty minutes when she is out with her friends on a Friday night. She is eyeing Bear, and I think he’d make a good rebound. He’s gentle, and I know he would never disrespect her. And if he’s half as good as Apa in bed… she’s in for a ride.

  “Going to change the music,” Apa whispers in my ear before dropping a kiss on the side of my head. A country song is playing, and I know it’s not really his jam.

  I nod, taking advantage of the opportunity. “OK, so Bear is single. I know from Millie, the girl in blue,” I say as I point towards the small redhead whom I’ve become friendly with in the past few months, “that he is very good with his tongue. Proficient in oral sex.”

  Joan blushes. “Abby!” she squeals. She has always been the shy one of the group.

  Val and Elise join in right away while my parents are talking with Penelope. “That guy could pick you up and fuck you against like… everything. A wall, a door, whatever, I’m sure he can do it. Have you seen his arms?” Val says, fanning herself. “Your thighs would be killing you in the missionary position but God it must feel good too.”

  “Does he have a piercing too?” Elise asks as she glances at him.

  “I don’t know. I don’t think so. I know two other guys have genital piercings, but Apa refuses to tell me which ones,” I say with a pout. It’s not that I would want to compare but my girlfriends are now all single and… well. They deserve the experience too. It’s a once in a lifetime kind of thing.

  Except for me, of course.

  Lacy seems to hear us as she walks by with Reese and leans in to whisper. “Sly has a Jacob’s ladder and-”

  Reese pulls her away before she can tell us the other guy’s name and with the way he scowls at her, she probably never will. Damn it.

  “Sly? Which one is he?”

  “One you don’t want to meet,” I say with a little shiver. He scares me. Not that he would ever hurt me, but he’s so mysterious and we almost never talked. Actually, he almost never talks to anyone.

  I wouldn’t be surprised if he just showed up one day at the club, announced he was their enforcer, kicked someone out of their room and no one dared to say a thing about it.

  Val gasps suddenly. “I want to meet him.”

  What the hell? I just told her no! “No, you don’t.”

  “Yeah. I do.” She is holding her phone and turns it my way, showing the picture of an erect penis with a row of piercings along the shaft. “That, my friends, is a Jacob’s ladder, and I’m feeling very climb-y right now.”

  Joan, Elise and I lean over the phone like the Wise Kings above baby Jesus and we let out a chorus of “ooooh” as we stare at the four piercings running along the upper side.

  “Stop staring at dicks and come dance with me,” Apa murmurs in my ear. I didn’t even notice he was back, too mesmerized. It probably hurts less than the one my boyfriend has, so it’s not as impressive in my opinion, but still. Four piercings. That thing has potential.

  He pulls me away from my seat while Elise and Val are now looking through the crowd and wondering who the hell Sly is. Joan is still eyeing Bear who finally noticed and is now making his way to our table.

  “That was kinda rude,” I say as he pulls me to the center of the room.

  He shrugs as he holds me close. The country song is finishing, and it’s good too because we’re just standing there, slowly moving in circles. No one is dancing around us either, but with the bar being crowded, it’s not too obvious.

  “You really are playing with fire, you know,” I continue.

  He gives me a quick kiss. “I only have good memories of this place. It should be the same for you. Plus, the guys bet I wouldn’t be able to get you here. They’re paying the tab for tonight.”

  I narrow my eyes at him. “Telling me it was a bet is not helping your case.”

  He grins. “You’re still in my arms, though.”

  “That’s only because you almost never want to dance.”

  Apa doesn’t like dancing. Most of the guys at the clubhouse don’t, with a few exceptions. They do like to watch the girls, though. Obviously.

  “The song inspired me.”

  I realize only then what’s playing. My mouth drops and then I slap his shoulder because there is no way in hell that Lady Gaga’s Paparazzi is a random pick.

  He chuckles as he tightens his arms around me. “It’s your anthem, babe.”

  “You’re sleeping on the couch tonight.”

  “Nah.”

  “If you think there won’t be any payback, you’re sorely mistaken.” I’m used to his teasing, but today it’s on ful
l blast. He also picked his day, since I’m a little nervous for my big opening tomorrow.

  “I bet you I can make you forget all about it in thirty seconds, tops.”

  I snort. I know exactly how he usually gets back in my good graces. I love it, by the way. But it’s not gonna be that easy this time. “Honey, you’re good but not that good. There is no way you can make me climax in thirty seconds while we’re both standing fully clothed in a crowded room with our friends and families around.”

  His smile softens as he presses another kiss on my lips.

  He lets me go, and it takes me a few seconds to comprehend when he drops on one knee.

  “Oh, God.”

  He hasn’t even said a word and yup, I’m already crying.

  I’m also definitely not pissed at him anymore, so I guess he won that one. Trust him to be a little bit of an asshole while proposing. Damn, I love the man.

  I have no idea if people around us realize what is happening right now, and I don’t care. They’ll figure it out soon enough, like when I start shouting that I’m engaged.

  “Abby.”

  “Yes?” I reply, my fingers entwined and pressed against my chest as I gaze down at my man.

  He smiles at me, soft and warm. “Will you marry me?”

  Simple and straight to the point. No long declaration, no poetry. I don’t need them, and he knows it.

  I nod because my throat is suddenly so tight that I’m not positive I can talk. I wasn’t expecting this. I know that in his world, our world now, being an old lady is like being his wife. To be honest, marriage has also never been a big goal to me. If one day my position changed, we would have talked about it.

  The thing is, seeing the man you love on one knee apparently makes you change your position super-fast, because damn I want to get married now. I want his ring on my finger and mine on his, I want to call him my husband, I want to grow old and gray with him. I want it all.

  The promise I see shining in his eyes as he slips a solitaire on my finger tells me that he wants it all too. The ring is simple. A white gold band, a princess-cut diamond. I love it.

  And I love him and it’s the first thing I say when he stands up again and pulls me into his arms. We kiss, and people around us cheer but it’s far away. Right now, there is only him.

  Just like that very first day when I spotted him on the other side of the bar.

  I called him Mr. Hottie then.

  I was wrong.

  He was my Mr. Right.

  Note from the author

  Diving into the world of Wild Side has been such a blast. MC romances have been a guilty pleasure of mine for years, and I was dying to create my own universe. I know the genre is usually on the darker side, but I wrote a story that made me smile, giggle like a schoolgirl, and also fan myself a little. These are the stories I love the most, and I hope you liked this one!

  Apa might seem a little soft, and the Last Sinners as well, but it was definitely a choice. They come from a dark place and made some decisions to avoid going back to that dark place. It also makes them a little more respectful, which I always enjoy. Like Abby, I love my men cocky… not arrogant.

  That being said, if I do get the chance to write more about them (which I really want to), you will definitely see that they are all different, and all have a different backstory that heavily influences them and makes some a little rougher, to say the least. Yes, Sly, I’m looking at you. But Lee also has a vicious side, and yes, if there is a series, his book is next. His story will definitely show you a darker side of the MC. So if you enjoyed Wild Side, and want to know more about the Sinners, please consider leaving a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads. I would love you to the moon and back, and maybe even more.

  I also published a romantic comedy a few months ago, The Old-Fashioned Way, which is available on Amazon as well.

  If you have any questions, here are the best ways to find me:

  Twitter: www.twitter.com/CynthiaAyman

  Facebook: www.facebook.com/AuthorCynthiaAyman

  Email: Cynthia.Ayman1982@gmail.com

  Acknowledgments

  I love writing. If I could do it for the rest of my life, I would. But I wouldn’t be able to publish without the help of quite a few people.

  Debbie Tracy, I can never thank you enough for the time you take to make sure my stories are as perfect as can be. You delivered once again for Wild Side, trusting me enough to try a genre that wasn’t exactly your cup of tea. I think that trust touched me more than anything else. You are there every step of the way, and I know I can always count on you. Friendship really knows no distance, but I can’t wait to finally meet you and your family.

  Danka P., this one is for you. I know it’s not your style. I know some things made you pause a little. But you pushed through nonetheless, because, as Apa said, that’s the shit friends do for each other. And God knows we’ve became BFFs in the three years we’ve known each other. Bae forever.

  Val, you were the very first one to read this story. I still remember the nervous mess I was as I waited for your bloody plane to land so I could get some feedback (anything really!). I’m happy and honored to have a character named after you. Like you, she’s a little over the top and, like you, she has a heart of gold.

  Feb, if Val was the first one to read this story, you were on the other hand the first one to read a chunk of it. Doubt was eating me alive, and I knew I could count on you to push me back in the right direction. Thank you for your unwavering support and enthusiasm.

  Libby, again thank you for your help whenever I needed it, whether it’s for a blurb or… the twenty-sixth version of a blurb.

  Jessica Liduario, thank you again for this amazing cover. You are crazy talented, and I’m so proud to have your designs on my books.

  Last, but not least, thank you to everyone who’s been supporting me in this crazy adventure. Tav, especially, and the fandom that started it all.