“Come on, you son of a bitch.” It was useless. I was exhausted and ready to buckle.
Shane let out a heavy laugh before slapping my ass hard with a leather-clad glove.
“If you can show a stain on the tile that much enthusiasm, I can only imagine what you would do to my cock.”
Wiping my arm across my forehead, I smirked while strutting purposefully towards the baby-faced biker that was chalking the tip of his cue.
“Let’s see what you can do with that stick, big boy, and maybe you’ll get to find out.”
His blue eyes glistened and the corners of his sandy brown moustache turned up slightly. He was just a kid. I knew that behind his towering stature of six-six and neatly trimmed facial hair, he was a young buck of twenty-four and new to these parts. His crew was in town for a few weeks and his chopper was a little too shiny. Another indication of his newly inducted status. However, he was sweet, and despite his attempts to act like the other roughnecks, I saw right through him.
The men held their breath each time he opened his mouth, waiting for the moment I dropkicked his ass for treating me so unladylike. He had no idea who either I or my father, Stephen Knox, were; his naiveté made him more endearing.
It was when his crew would come in during the day to talk business that he opened up. More often than not, Shane would wander up to the bar after a bit to harass me and privately show a fragment of his true personality. Underneath the black ball cap worn backwards and dulled leather vest, he spoke of his ex-girlfriend’s and the ‘69 Chevy Camaro he helped rebuild. Rooted in South Dakota via Ohio, he liked to drink beer and ride his bike. He was beautifully uncomplicated and an easy conversationalist. I was quickly developing a crush.
Picking up a stick, I sidled up to the table. “Solids or stripes?”
Taking a drink from his beer, he simply shrugged not caring. Bending over the edge of the table and bracing my wrist against the green felt, I curled my index finger around the cue. Purposely missing two shots, I watched as he set his bottle down and came up behind me. Speaking softly, he wrapped his body around my small frame and guided my fingers into a different position.
Every inch of my flesh caught fire while being pressed into the table. “Hold it like this,” he said.
My eyes closed and I savored the feeling as he tried to move me into place.
Breathlessly I responded, “Yes, please.”
“Yes, please what?” He sounded confused, but how the fuck he wasn’t getting hard over this was beyond me.
Pushing back against his groin, I giggled. “You have no idea how hot this is, do you?”
While enjoying my impromptu pool lesson, I felt another cue slide back and forth between my legs. Shane still had both hands on me, causing me to turn in panic and yelp. I made eye contact with David just as he busted out laughing. Quickly narrowing my eyes, I waited to see if he was jealous. It was remarkable how well we could communicate without saying a word, and I could see David ready to challenge Shane, yet he looked away and headed into the office.
Shane followed him with his eyes until the door closed.
“Do you two have something going on? ‘Cuz I’m not one to intrude.”
I smiled and reached my hand up along his cheek to feel the coarse hair tickle my fingertips. Shaking my head back and forth, I placed my hand behind his head and drew him closer into a kiss. I had never kissed a man with a beard like this before. The whiskers brushed against my mouth aggressively, a sharp contrast to his soft lips. He tasted as sweet as I knew he really was. With a gentle tongue he began to dance against mine, unhurried and unconcerned with the spectators. Shane moved his hands languidly along my spine before trailing towards my ass and lifting me up effortlessly onto the pool table.
My ankle curled around his calf and raked up and down as the kiss intensified. Lifting off his cap and setting it beside us, his pupils dilated and his cheeks flushed.
“I really like kissing you,” I whispered.
“Thank you,” he responded back softly.
I wanted to giggle again—he was so adorable—but his fevered lips stopped me and continued to melt any reservations I had. I knew I was acting out because I was safe. Shane would be gone in a few days, and unless he came back into the club, our paths would never cross again.
Reaching his fingers into my hair, he started to massage my scalp as his teeth grazed my bottom lip. I moaned in delight as my legs squeezed his waist tighter. Bystanders be damned if this wasn’t one of the hottest moments of my life, and I wasn’t about to stop now. If it weren’t for the sudden jerk of Shane’s lips ripping away from mine, I possibly would have gotten naked right here on the table and let him have his way. This was a strip club after all, and naked women were the standard. He would however be the only lucky bastard that got to touch me. But I wasn’t a dancer; fuck, I wasn’t even available. Even though I didn’t belong to David, I should have known it was only a matter of time before he became territorial over me.
The shouting sounded like a freight train as a sea of blue clothing, black leather, and flying fists surrounded me. The two men towered over the rest of the brawlers, and I feared for Shane knowing who David really was. Jumping off the table to try to stop them, it was only a matter of seconds before I heard the pop and the world went black.
~~~~
I awoke in the hospital with gauze and tape wrapped around my head and small plastic tubes shoved up my nose. I was only able to open one eye, the other swollen shut and covered with a bandage. As I moved my face, the muscles pulled against the medical tape keeping everything in place. Next to me, I could see David sitting in a chair resting, looking as bad as I felt. Blood, source unknown, was spattered across his white t-shirt. It could have been his, mine, or—heaven forbid—Shane’s.
I was riddled with guilt thinking about what I caused. I knew better than this.
A soft knock at the door drew my attention away as nurse Julie moved towards the bed. Shaking her head, she turned out my wrist gently while listening to my heartbeat.
“Two generations of Knoxes underneath this roof is more than Las Vegas can handle. Especially when you come dragging the party in with you.”
Looking confused, I turned to David, who was now awake. Leaning up in the chair, he nodded his head towards the door.
“Some of the crew is outside waiting for you to wake up, including your cabana boy.”
Hissing a little as Julie prodded along my temples, pain began to radiate through my head. Whoever clocked me did it at close range. Although I couldn’t imagine one of them gunning for me personally, I was the dumbass trying to break up two giants. Without even looking up from the computer, Julie said exactly what I was thinking.
“Sounds like someone is a little jealous. I have to admit if Toni has a cabana boy, I need to meet him. I should have known that something like that would be the root cause.”
Winking back at me, she walked out of the room leaving the two of us alone.
“David, go get them and give me a little time alone, okay? I know the boys aren’t supposed to be here. I don’t want them catching hell for this, and the club can’t afford it either.”
He hesitated for a moment before slowly walking out of the room. It made me furious he would attack someone at the club over me. If I were in danger, that would be one thing, but I hadn’t been. David returned with the entire crew, including Shane, a short while later. The men took off their hats and bandanas as they entered the room.
Nash, the crew’s leader, came up to my side and held my hand for a moment. He wasn’t sure what to say, but I could see he was upset by my condition. I squeezed back and laughed.
“So who won the pissing contest?”
Nash smiled back and looked to his men, beaming at Shane. The fight had earned him a new level of respect among the crew for taking on David Stark.
“No one won that fight, Toni. The moment you went down it was over. I will say though it was something else watching him fight off the ice.�
�
He turned to David with a look of reverence, not the animosity I expected. It was interesting watching the men analyze the role of their primitive behaviors. Civil society was still tempered by aggression, and in this world, you kept a strong fist.
Shane was standing against the wall, stoically waiting for his moment to speak. My heart sank as I took in the cuts along his hairline and his blood-stained beard.
“Hey, can you guys give us a few minutes? I’d like to talk to him alone before you take off.”
Nash nodded his head and leaned down to kiss my forehead.
“Send word when your daddy wakes up so we can head on back through, okay?”
I smiled sadly, hoping that I would be able to make that call. Biting my lip to keep from crying, I turned to David and tilted my chin towards the door. Reluctantly, he left Shane in the room with me alone, but he knew he had no choice. How many times did he have to walk away from me in a hospital room due to damage he’d caused?
Shane seemed unsure of what to do or say. I had to look like absolute shit because I could see it reflected in his expression. I raised my hand and curled my index finger to bring him closer. I didn’t stop until I was able to reach my hands up to his face and rub my thumbs lightly across the battle scars. I could see the dried blood in his beard and my heart sank knowing I was responsible for this wreckage The pain in my head from the tears rushing forward was almost unbearable, yet there was no way to stop them.
“I am so sorry. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
My chest rattled from trying to hold it all in, because letting it out hurt more.
“Toni, stop, this isn’t your fault. You just got caught up in it. I’m okay. I got a few good swings in. I’m good. You I am worried about. I hate leaving like this.”
Somehow, he managed to fit his massive frame onto the small hospital bed and cradled me in his arms. With my head curled into his blue and white flannel shirt, I could smell the desert air permanently embedded in the soft cotton. It was crisp and distinct, calming me immediately.
As he silently moved his thumb across my lips, I knew why I gravitated towards him. He was sweet, gentle, and passionate—nothing like Andrew or David. He was completely masculine, but underneath the rough exterior, he possessed infinite tenderness. Shane had all the qualities I admired in the man just a few floors away. His fingers swept over my arm and down my hands, pulling away as if burned when his palm grazed the diamond rings. Making sure he felt correctly, he picked my hand up and examined it with caution.
“I wondered about these. You’re married?”
I nodded my head. “If that’s what you call it. On paper, yes; by example, no. Kind of funny you’re asking now.”
“I normally don’t ask questions. So is that why David went ape-shit on me?”
I shook my head no and laughed lightly. “I am sure David assumed if I was going to cross a line, it would be with him. He’s a pretty sore loser and used to getting his way.”
Shane shifted his body to angle over mine, looking down with contentment, his smile growing smug.
“Yeah, it wasn’t until tonight that I found out who you really were. Your daddy is a legend. If I knew you were Knox’s daughter, I would have stayed far away.”
I tried to smile bravely, but he knew he touched a nerve as soon as my lips began to tremble.
“You wouldn’t be the first person to stay away from me. You won’t be the last. I liked that you didn’t know who I was.”
Shaking his head, he breathed out deeply. “Hey, let’s talk about something else, ‘k?”
Agreeing, I asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
With barely a whisper, he replied, “This.”
Soft lips came down over mine, his beard tickling my face in the most delicious way, allowing me to revel in the feelings he evoked one last time. I knew tomorrow he would be nothing more than a ghost on my skin, reminding me why married women shouldn’t stray. I wasn’t sorry. I wouldn’t regret this moment. Or this day. Holding the side of his face, I took him in and sighed.
“Shane, I hope you know that whatever woman captures your heart will be the luckiest one on Earth. If she doesn’t respect that, I have no hesitation in shoving my boot up a bitch’s ass. Besides, I have learned to recognize something extraordinary when it comes my way, because it happens so rarely. You are one of those things.”
I don’t think anyone could smile bigger if they tried. His face flushed slightly from embarrassment, reminding me how charming he was. Covering my mouth softly one last time, his silky tongue parted my lips, before aggressively showing me how sensual he could be too. Only I would be lying in a hospital bed, making out with a hot, young biker I met in my daddy’s strip club. Before walking out the door, he picked up my hand again and looked at my ring finger.
“The moment that comes off, I better be the first one you call.”
Nodding my head with a smile, it was a nice thought that would provide many more down the road.
“Hey, Shane, am I enthusiastic enough for you?”
We both chuckled as he left.
David swooped in immediately after with a sour look on his face, shifting the mood. I grabbed the remote to raise my bed up into a better sitting position.
“See what being a bully did? Nothing good came of it. Shane didn’t deserve your outburst anymore than I deserve to be lying in this bed. When are you going to understand your actions are like a ripple, they go out and affect everything around them?”
David’s face became even more somber than it already was. I knew what was going through his mind, and he didn’t need me chastising him right now. I can’t imagine what it was like for him to have put me here. He needed to know I saw that too.
“I’m sorry. It’s my fault, not just yours. I got carried away. I should have stopped when you teased me with the pool cue. I was being a bitch.”
He looked at me without saying a word. We were fire and gasoline arguing over who burned down the house. Scooting over, I patted the bedside next to me. If Shane could fit, David could as well, but he didn’t need to know how I knew that. Before getting into the bed, he removed the bloody shirt and shivered in the already freezing room.
“Fuck it’s cold. Warm me up, woman!”
I knew when he called me woman, it was going to be okay. Pressed against his bare skin and inhaling deeply to discover what came to mind, my brain instantly came to a very different conclusion. David was the base to which I compared all others. He did not remind me of my father. Vapors of musk penetrated my senses, the odor of sweat induced by fear. Lust pooled in my veins as my heart rate increased. I started to feel as if I was losing my mind. I craved David in an unnatural way. I ceased to function properly in his presence; rational thinking was only a theory in my textbooks. This is why I couldn’t allow myself to cross the line with him—I would never come back. Yet with each breath, I feared I was already gone.
About the Author
J.L. Brooks
JL Brooks is a former columnist turned novelist. What started as a bet changed her entire course in life. With a passion for adventure, she believes everyone has a story to tell. Chances are she will try to convince you to tell yours.
Blog: http://www.authorjlbrooks.blogspot.com
Twitter: @authorjlbrooks
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/thewenchlab
Other Novels by J.L. Brooks
Distractions
Rotten
Love is Blind
By
Claire Contreras
© Copyright 2013 Claire Contreras ~ All rights reserved
I don’t have a traumatizing story about being raped by a priest, stepfather or neighbor. I am who I am and I won’t allow somebody to make excuse for me. No pastor can preach that I’m wrong because of who I am. No scientist can tell me that I’m chemically imbalanced because of who I choose to be with.
Aren’t we all wrong?
All sinners?
Don’t we a
ll live unforgivable lives, at least in thought?
I was an outcast, ridiculed by the masses of “cool kids” for years—I was too gay looking for the “gangster kids”, too normal looking for the “emo kids” and too much of a loser for the “cool kids”. I went through what I considered to be hell when I was in high school. That’ll happen when you’re an overweight gay kid growing up in a time when bullying was shrugged off as something that was bound to happen.
“Move, fat ass,” was a favorite jab of theirs. It didn’t help that both of my sisters were as skinny as freaking Twiggy. And it really didn’t help that one of them, the nicer one, was living with our father in Orlando, while I was stuck with the Wicked Bitch of the North, Roxana.
“Please, Rob, just act normal for once,” Roxana scolded as we walked beside each other in school. I turned to face her and saw that she was speaking to me through a fake smile as she nodded and waved at the guys on the football team.
“I am acting normal, Roxy. I’m just not kissing up to every fucking girl in the school or trying to get laid by every guy who looks at me,” I replied, dishing it back to her.
Roxy turned to me, her eyes feral. “Shut up. Maybe if you went on a date with Daisy or Brenda you would be happy… normal.”
I scoffed. My sister damn well knew that I wasn’t interested in women, she just refused to accept it. Wicked Bitch of the North, I tell you. She was worse than my mother, who just hoped she was wrong about me. Worse than my father, who mostly judged me because I chose not to play any sports growing up, preferring to stay home and cook new recipes. It’s not like I had no friends or anything, but the ones I did have they didn’t want to accept. The sad part about it was that instead of letting it roll off me, I let their judgmental eyes and words bother me. All I wanted was acceptance, that’s what I craved, what I needed. Love was an extra perk; something that I would take if given to me freely.
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