by Zoey Marcel
“You know what I meant.”
“It was just about pain. I think I’m a masochist.”
Da shook his head slowly, licking his teeth as he focused straight ahead. “You’re not a masochist.”
Why was he offended by that?
“I think I am.”
“No, you’re not.” Aiden gave him a forbidding look. “You’ve had a good life. No trauma or angst, aside from the kind you instigate. You have no need for pain of that intensity.”
“I didn’t do it for cathartic reasons. I did it because it felt good.”
Da wiped his hand across his lips, seeming irritated.
“What?” Sean asked.
“How nice that must be to be so bored of life that you start lookin’ for people to beat you. Meanwhile, people are starvin’ to death, bein’ tortured and traumatized by sadists.”
“There’s nothing wrong when it’s consensual. You know S&M is different from those things. Why does it bother you so much?”
“I didn’t raise a perverted freak. How is kink and depraved sex bein’ an example?”
Sean sighed, pulling his gaze away.
They were quiet for a moment.
“I’m sorry for what I said about Mam. I know you loved her. I was just mad.”
“I know. What I said about marryin’ your mam because she was pregnant with you...that wasn’t the only reason. You know I had feelings for her.”
“I know. I get why you don’t talk about her much. It’s probably painful for you. I just don’t see why you don’t believe in soul mates. If someone is the love of your life, shouldn’t they make you believe in soul mates, no matter how illogical it may seem?”
Aiden heaved a sigh, expression jaded. “Sean, you’re young. When you get older, more life experience, you’ll see the world as it really is. Some people find love, some don’t. I hope you do, but don’t make that your life’s ambition, because there’s no guarantee you’ll ever fall for someone. Get y’rself an education, find a way to make money, and do whatever makes you happy.”
Some of Da’s words sounded like good advice, but others made him sad.
“I’m proud of you for gettin’ into that school. You’re a smart lad.”
“Thanks. I really do appreciate you helping me financially.”
“Not a problem.” Aiden got up.
“Da.” Sean continued when he turned around to face him. “How did you know I was at the club last night?”
“I put a tracker on your phone.”
“What?” Sean shrieked.
“Stay easy. It was just to protect you.”
“You mean spy on me.” He stood suddenly. “How could you?”
“I did what I had to to keep you safe.”
“I can’t believe you. Did you put one of those in there that tracks your texts, calls, and emails, too?”
“I didn’t. I told you I wasn’t spyin’.”
Sean jerked his head away indignantly. “You’re unbelievable.”
“If you have kids you’ll do the same.”
“No, I wouldn’t. I would trust them.”
“Well, I did trust you, but after last night I sort of lost my faith in you,” Aiden bit out in a low octave. “Nothing personal.”
Sean glowered at him. “When I get to New York I’m getting a new phone without a tracker.”
“I thought you would. You’ll be on your own, so no hard feelings.”
“You like Cara better than me. Admit it,” he called after Da. “You’ve always loved her more.”
Aiden pivoted to face him. “I love you both equally. I always have.”
“Then why are you harder on me?”
“If I am it’s because you’re a man. You’re older than she is.” His voice quieted. “And sometimes I see myself in you and it bothers me. I never want you to be the man I’ve become. If you turn out to be better than me, then at least that’s one thing I did right.”
Sean’s heart went out to him. “I think you’re a good man. I don’t know why you don’t.”
Aiden’s lips swerved ruefully to one side. “Thanks. Will you miss your aul’ man, just a little?”
Sean gave him a caring smile and went over to hug him. “I’ll miss him more than a little.”
Aiden hugged him back. “He’ll miss you, too.”
Sean pulled back slowly. “Please let Ronny back into the club. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“He put his hands on you.”
“He just paddled and caned me. That’s all.” Sean felt guilty over the lie.
Aiden’s stance became rigid, his countenance darkening. “He used more than one implement on you?”
“I asked him to.”
Shaking his head, he pulled his eyes from Sean, expression painted with disgust.
“I wasn’t drunk and he gave me a safe word. We followed the rules. We played safe.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“You’re not just saying that?”
“Sean, don’t harass me. I said I’d think about it. Finish packing.” Aiden paused in the doorway, glancing back at him. “Did I tell you I started seein’ someone recently?”
Sean was astonished. Da hadn’t dated anyone since Mam died. “Really? Who is she?”
“Her name’s Raquel. She’s my roommate.”
“Convenient.”
Aiden gave him a lopsided smile. “That’s what I thought. Maybe I’ll introduce you to her before you leave. She’s a good woman. I hope someday you find a woman like her.”
Sean grimaced, forcing a smile. “That would be nice.”
It’d be a hell of a lot nicer if Malachi wanted to be with him.
Chapter Eight
Danielle had been spending a lot of time with Heller Enos lately. Today she was supposed to take her first ride with him on his Harley.
God.
There he was straddling the shiny monstrosity, dressed in his leathers and looking like a biker king.
“Wow. That’s...that’s very nice.” She patted the motorcycle nervously. “We could just walk there.”
He was taking her to meet his friends for the first time at the Princes of Hell MC clubhouse in Rapid City. She was curious, but that Harley had her nervous. It was so big and fast. What if she died?
“Quit stalling, sweet cheeks. Give me your hand.”
“Yeah, there’s that.” She toyed with her ponytail. “Or we could stay in and snuggle on the couch and watch a movie.”
“Another night. You promised, babe.”
“Well, it wasn’t so much a promise as—”
“Danielle,” he said firmly. “Do you trust me?”
“Yeah, but death.”
A slow smile crawled up his face. “I won’t let anything happen to you. We’re dressed like this for protection. Even if we crash you’re not gonna die. Wear your helmet.”
She strapped hers on. “There are other terrible things besides death.”
“Terrible things,” he agreed.
“You admit it.”
He grinned and held out his hand. “Come here.”
Well, damn, she couldn’t refuse when he looked at her that way and gave her a reassuring smile. She took his hand and got on the bike.
“Just hold on tight to me and you’ll be okay. You hear me?”
“I will.”
He started up the engine.
Oh dear God! No. I can do this. Other people do this. Here we go.
She clung to him for dear life, relaxing a bit when she realized the speed wasn’t insane.
See? I can do this. I’m the leather queen.
She snuggled close to him, eyes bugging out when he revved the engine and drove faster.
I’m gonna die!
She didn’t want to say she screamed the whole way there, but she was making some pretty loud shrieks a good majority of the time. It sounded and felt like he guffawed at her sometimes. She’d slap his arm in retribution if she wasn’t clinging to him for refuge.
&nbs
p; They pulled into the driveway of a building that was probably the clubhouse, but really, who could think right now?
Heller pried her arms off his middle and got off, helping her down. “You all right?”
“Uh-huh.”
He chuckled. “Your scream was adorable.”
He took her helmet off and then kissed her forehead.
Heath Brodie was apparently already there waiting for them. He moseyed over. “What the hell did you do to her?”
Heller grinned. “She didn’t enjoy the ride on my Harley as much as you did the other day.”
“No, no. It was fun,” she said shakily.
Heath swept her over with a smirk. “You sure?”
“Yeah, believe it or not.” She calmed down the more they stood there. “It’s weird, like when you ride a roller coaster and it’s going down and you swear you’ll never get on one again if you survive this.”
Heath flashed her a knowing grin. “And then when the ride stops you get addicted to the rush and are ready to go again.”
“Yes,” she agreed.
Heller put a hand on each of their backs, walking them up the driveway. “That’s what I like to hear. We’ll go nice and fast next time.”
“That was your idea of slow?” she shrieked.
Heller laughed. After planting a kiss on her head, he kissed Heath’s.
“Um.” Heath cleared his throat. “Just like that, huh?”
“That’s right, bible boy. I might play the part of your heathen friend in front of your dad, but you’re on my turf now. I’ve got some sick plans for you tonight.”
Heath paused. “You’re not sticking your cock in me in front of them. You shouldn’t have even done it that time we went to Leather & Lace. We took a huge risk. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“No penetration, huh?” Heller asked. “Is that your final answer, Heath?”
“Yeah.”
“Good.” The biker nudged him so they were all three walking again. “That leaves me a whole lot of wiggle room.”
Heath eyed him suspiciously. “How much wiggle room?”
“I’m gonna fuck my dick between your bellies and come all over you guys. You know you want that.”
“Well, that depends. Do my pants stay on?” the cowboy asked.
“They do if you want them to,” Heller replied.
“Mine, too,” she chimed in.
“That’s fine, but your shirts are coming off,” Heller decided. “Trust me, nobody here is gonna be judging either one of you. Oh, by the way, you’re both coming at some point this evening. I haven’t decided how or when. Just be ready for it.”
Her pussy dampened. Nobody knew her here aside from these two men. Maybe it was okay to indulge in a little exhibition without anyone looking down on her for it.
* * * *
The evening at the clubhouse went smoothly, although it mortified her when she realized some of the members had heard her screaming when Heller had pulled up on his Harley with her earlier. A few gave her crap for it, but it was all in good humor and she had to laugh with them. She must have been quite a sight squealing her head off with Heller driving the hog and cracking up over her reaction.
The clubhouse was impressive with a spacious man-pad-meets-former-warehouse kind of vibe. There were two floors and a number of halls leading to multiple bedrooms. The main area downstairs was huge with one section of the room designed like a bachelor’s den. There were comfy couches and a massive stereo and surround-sound system all paying homage to the almighty big-screen TV along the wall.
There was a kitchen and dining area, but clearly a man had designed the kitchen. There was no breathtaking splendor there or dozens of cupboards. It was as if the club members had told the architect, “Well, I guess we’ve gotta have a place to store our food and crap. Save a corner if you have any room left.”
Hell, even the sprawling bar was bigger than the kitchen.
They also had a gaming area with several pool tables and a few round tables encircled by chairs. They’d thought of everything.
There were plenty of women there, too. Of course there were. She liked the old ladies, but not so much the club tarts. They came in all shapes and sizes with different hair colors.
Danielle wasn’t shy by nature, but she felt somewhat bashful surrounded by strangers. There were men ranging from late teens all the way to old-timers, but most of the men were somewhere between twenty-five and forty-five. Some of them looked like the quintessential outlaw biker, but others didn’t. They all wore either leather or denim vests with the club logo and different patches. Some men had accumulated more patch flair than others.
There were too many club members to remember all their names, but she recalled Taurus and Shifty because she’d seen them once before in the coffee shop in McKenna Downs. There was another burly guy there named Bear. His name was pretty easy to remember since it wasn’t complicated and it reminded her of how much Brighton loved bears.
She had to admit she was surprised to see Aiden Friel there. He was one of the owners of Leather & Lace, but he wasn’t wearing any of the identifying garments, necklace, or tattoos that the other men wore. He had on a long-sleeved shirt that buttoned up the front in a shade of green somewhere between olive and forest, with jeans. His shirt wasn’t tucked in and a white undershirt peeked from the top few buttons that had been left undone. A silver chain hung from his neck.
Maybe he was a friend of the Princes of Hell MC rather than a member. The Irishman seemed uncomfortable to see her and Heath there. Maybe he didn’t want anyone to know that he associated with the bikers. She wasn’t sure why. Aiden owned a sex club. It wasn’t like he had a wholesome image to protect.
There were kids running around; biker brats, Heller called them. They were cuties. After the food and conversation, the children were eventually driven home by their moms.
With only the adults there, the entertainment turned to poker and billiards. Danielle sat on Heller’s lap while he played poker with some of his friends. She didn’t have a clue how to play. Her dad had shown her before and her brain had just shut down.
Heller seemed to know what he was doing and collected quite a few chips as the rounds progressed.
At one point she nearly quit breathing when he flicked the button from its hole on her pants. She’d changed from her leathers into chocolate-brown cargo pants after arriving here. He guided the zipper down without remorse.
“What’s a royal flush look like again?” Heller asked, sounding facetious.
Shifty scowled at him. “You know what a goddamned royal flush is. Is that what you fucking got?”
A mischievous smile tugged Heller’s lips. “So it’s a good thing?”
Heath shook his head, checking out the cards in his own hands. “You’re not a humble winner, are you?”
“Who said I’m gonna win with the royal flush I may or may not have?” Heller teased.
Danielle stiffened against him, lifting her hips slightly when he pulled her pants down slowly. He left her panties on, but she felt like such a bad girl sitting on his lap during an intense poker game in her skimpy bikini underwear. Thank everything holy that the table was high enough to cover her lower body so no one saw his hand dunk into her panties to play with her privates.
“He’s bluffing,” Bear accused as he studied Heller closely. “You know how he is.”
“Yeah, well, sometimes he ain’t,” Shifty replied grouchily, watching Heller like a hawk.
Heller blew them a kiss. “Guess you’ll just have to play your hand, unless you’d rather fold.”
Danielle choked down a gasp at the feel of his fingers skimming through her creamy slit. How in the world he could concentrate on winning a poker game and finger her at the same time was beyond her.
“I’m not folding,” Bear stated.
Some of the men folded, whatever the hell that meant. She gathered it meant they were quitting that particular round. What she did know was that Heller had someho
w gotten his finger inside her and was thrusting it casually in her slick pussy. His thumb brushed her clitoris occasionally, teasing it without letting her get anywhere near close enough to come.
Shifty seemed crotchety and undecided about staying in the game or folding. “That had better be a motherfucking royal flush in your hand.”
“Yeah,” Little Timmy agreed.
He was in his late teens and struck her as a punk with little man syndrome. He was neither short nor scrawny, but she supposed his youth made him feel like he had something to prove to the seasoned members. He also seemed like he might have a bit of a temper, but Shifty was the real cause for concern. He was like the Doberman of the gang, whereas Little Timmy was the yipping Chihuahua.
Heller kept finger-fucking her while talking to Shifty. “Are you saying you want me to win?”
Shifty’s brown eyes narrowed, deepening the lines at the outer edges of his lids. “I’m saying you’d better not be fucking bluffing.”
Heller’s tone taunted him. “In or out?”
Danielle tightened up around his finger, doing her best not to squirm at the gentle pressing on her sweet spot.
“I ain’t leaving,” Shifty said.
“Suit yourself,” Heller said. “Stakes are high. You’re either incredibly brave or incredibly foolish.”
She sucked in a sharp breath when his finger slipped out of her vagina and began massaging her clit.
“Fuck,” Little Timmy breathed.
She didn’t know if he was cussing in approval of her treatment, or if the game had him spewing.
Through the provocative haze she heard Shifty ask someone a question. “Is he bluffing?”
“I couldn’t tell you,” Heath answered. “This is my first poker game with him.”
She tried to act like she was paying attention to the game and not getting played with. Sweet Jesus, he was fabulous.
“Bear?” Shifty’s voice.
Bear laid his cards down. “I’m out.”
Shifty appeared even more conflicted.
Heller laid his cards facedown with the backs showing so no one knew what he had. He rolled a chip around, balancing it on his fingers as if mocking him. “Well, Shifty?”
“It’s a lot of money, Timmy,” one of the members she couldn’t recall the name of said.