by Brair Lake
‘Sundance wants you.’
‘Sure he does now. But what happens when the novelty wears off?’
‘So, fuck him and dump him. How long do you think you’ll be here?’
‘I don’t know - It depends on how long it takes Bastion to sort the house out.’
‘And do you want to go back to Noir Valley?’
I ignore the question. How can I answer, when I don’t know what I want? ‘I’d like Charlie to know his dad.’
‘Don’t stay with him because of the kid.’
My smile shakes as I rise, going to stand by the kitchen sink. My gaze sweeps over the parking lot. There are several bikes parked in a neat line. None of them Sundance’s. Words sat on my tongue, waiting to tumble out. Words I don’t want too free. I don’t want to know if he’s out hunting for girls. ‘Where do the girls come from?’ My fingers grip the workbench as I wait for Apple-Pie’s answer.
‘They’re working girls whom we’ve taken off the street.’
‘Are they happy here.’ Apple-Pie’s rich chuckle washes over me, and I turn towards the woman. Since leaving Comfort Springs, she’s grown up. The innocents in her eyes long gone, and I ache for my own lost youth. Have I been foolish to throw everything over for a biker who may not want me.
‘Well, they haven’t upt and run yet.’
‘What about you?’
Apple-Pie rinses her cup before placing it carefully in the sink. Her gaze lingers on me. ‘It’s been a crap year. Trax contacted Lizzie, his mother. It just didn’t go how anyone expected.’ Apple-Pie’s dry laugh prickles down my spine. ‘Fuck, she pissed him off, and I thought we were heading for the road again.’ Her shoulders roll as she turns back to me. ‘But here we still are.’
I fall silent. Sundance is connected to the trouble. Everything comes back to him. My staying in Burntwood Creek is dependent on Sundance. I want him, but I’m unable to trust him. He’s used me before. Was I setting myself up to be used again. My glance skitters over to the kitchen door where I catch sight of Violet sitting on a large overstuffed chair, her leg swinging over the edge as she reads a music magazine. Layla’s standing by the pool table, a cue in her hand. Another woman, one I don’t recognize is bent over the table, a yellow ball rolls towards a pocket. There are also a couple of bikers I don’t know, watching the blond as she pots another ball. As my gaze falls on another women straddling Chilli, giggling at something he is whispering to her, my frown deepens and I chew on my inner lip. ‘Which women has Sundance fucked?’
Apple-Pie came to stand beside me, her gaze sweeping over the room as she shrugged. ‘He hasn’t touched Violet or Layla - I think I’ve told you that before. Maybe the others.’ Apple-Pie turned to face me. Her blue eyes searching mine. ‘Does it matter. You’re the one who’s sleeping in his bed. Besides, there are plenty of bikers for the other women.’
‘The charters growing.’
‘Yep.’
‘So you’ll all be staying.’
‘Yep - Inferno agrees that Burntwood Creek is a good opportunity for Devil’s Comfort. That’s why the club put the money up for the house.’
‘Well I guess I best go mingle if I’m staying.’
‘What about Sundance?’
‘Sex is sex right? I’m already sleeping in his bed. I’m a grown woman and I deserve some fun.’
Apple-Pie is like a dog with a bone. ‘What about love?’
‘How come you’re still a romantic.’
‘Simple. I have Crabby.’
My heart clenches at the passion in her voice. She’d seen Crabby, set her heart on him and roped him in. While I’d seen Sundance, wanted him, fucked him without thinking, and suffered for my foolishness. I love Charlie, and didn’t regret having him. But it hadn’t always been like this.
What would Apple-Pie say, if she knew I had made an appointment for an abortion, and that on the morning it was scheduled, I couldn’t go through with it. That had been the day I’d told Sundance I was pregnant. I hadn’t been sure what his reaction would be. I’d worried for nothing, there hadn’t been one.
He had simply looked at me, called me a whore, and walked away. I’d hung around Comfort Springs, waited for him to come to me. After making a fool of myself for the second time, I returned to Noir Valley. ‘I wasted nearly a year on him. Now it’s time for me to have some fun.’
*******
I place the fresh bottle of Bourbon on the shelf. It was Violet’s idea I help Layla stock the bar. ‘I don’t know why Violet sent you. As long as we keep on top of the bar while working, it doesn’t take long to stock up.’
‘I guess, like everyone else, she didn’t know what to do with me. And this was the first thing that came into her head’
Brown eyes smile down at me as Layla grabs hold of Charlie’s stroller. ‘Yeah, that sounds about right - They didn’t know what to do with me when Trax first brought me here.’
‘Why did Trax bring you here?’
Layla lowers her gaze as she tickles Charlie under the chin. She’s a few inches shorter than I am, and her unpainted nails are jagged and ripped from where she chews them. ‘I don’t know - I think Crow had something to do with it.’
‘Crow- Oh - Are you two lovers?’ I remember the biker with a smile. He may be a little rough, but I appreciate the way he looks at me.
‘He’s my brother.’
‘Your brother - And he thought bringing you to a whore house was okay.’
A pink flush covers the woman’s cheeks. Without looking at me, she pushes Charlie stroller as she reaches behind the bar counter for her purse. ‘I grew up in a whorehouse.’
Then she’s gone, disappearing with Charlie, leaving me with my mouth hanging open. Now that I’m on my own, I’m not sure what to do next, so I check the ice machine. Layla’s right, there isn’t much to do. The bar and Nightshades are tidy. It’s also quiet. I remember vaguely someone saying something about the house not opening until late afternoon.
‘Hi Sugar Jay.’
My smile is back in place as I turn to face the new comer. He’s just as I remember him. I also decide, he must be easier to handle than Sundance considering we’re closer in age. ‘Hi Crow - How come you’re not on the run with the others.’
Crow reaches behind the bar, after helping himself to a bottle of water, he drops some lose change onto the counter. ‘It’s not a free bar.’ He answers as my eyebrow rose.
‘You didn’t say why you weren’t on the run.’
‘Trax always leaves a couple of us behind when they go out of town.’
My top teeth run over my lower lip. Bastion and the rest of the River Demons can be gone for days when they went on a run. ‘How long are they going to be gone?’
‘Just a few hours.’ Brown eyes drift over me as Crow tilts his head to one side. ‘Don’t tell me Sundance forgot to tell you when he’ll be back.’
‘I guess I was too tired to listen to what he was saying when he left.’
Crow shuffles closer. His fingers trailing along my jaw, coming to rest on my chin as his thumb rubs my lower lip. My tongue slips out to taste his flesh. When his eyes darken, turning to black, I’m unable to look away. Then he’s pulling away, dropping his hand to unscrew the bottle lid. ‘I forget you’re Sundance’s girl.’
‘I’m not.’ I wince as Crow leans against the bar. As I study the biker, I wonder if I know what I’m doing. ‘Okay maybe I am. Shit I don’t know.’
‘I’m a good listener.’
Crow’s Adam apple bobs when he swallows a large amount of water as he waits for me to respond. When I don’t, he carefully replaces the lid on his bottle, placing it on the counter. His movements slow and precise as I watch him. ‘I um - I already have a friend to talk to.’
‘Are you sure.’
‘Yes….’
My voice drifts when Crow steps closer. His large body blocking mine from view. The intent in his gaze is clear. Yet I do nothing as his head lowers. His lips are cool against mine. They’re also gentle
as they rub over my flesh, drawing me in. My arms creep up around his neck, while my fingers dig into his hair as the kiss deepens. It’s Crow who breaks the kiss, stepping away from me, and my fingers come to rest on my lips.
‘I um, … Don’t think you should have done that.’
Crow’s chuckle trickles over me and I give the room a quick scan. My sigh of relief heavy knowing the room is still empty. ‘We only kissed.’
‘Maybe - But you’re not to kiss me again.’
Crow tugs a loose curl. His eyes lock with mine, and I’m unable to move. ‘And what if you want to kiss me Sugar Jay - I’ll not stop you.’
I stumble away from Crow. My fingers trembling as I check the glass racks, they are full. ‘I’m not going to be here that long Crow, I really don’t think it’ll be a good idea for us to get mixed up.’ With a deep breath, I turn to face the biker. His gaze is on me, boring into me, and I stumble back. ‘Besides I’m with Sundance.’
Crow came closer, tapping me on the nose. ‘I can wait.’ Then he’s gone, and once more I find myself alone.
I grab a cloth, and begin to wipe the counter, hard. My thoughts in disarray. I was tempted. I enjoyed Crow’s kiss, yet something was missing. With a scornful laugh, I drop the cloth in the bowl under the counter. Shit my hormones are running wild and I need to get laid. Fuck, for months I’ve hidden my hunger behind my pregnancy. Something I was no longer able to do.
Chapter 8
‘Do you know what you’re doing.’
My coffee’s gone cold and I turn too Crabby. The hard edginess he once wore, gone. His eyes are softer, and I smile. Apple-Pie’s good for the biker.
‘No.’
‘Why did you bring her to Burntwood Creek?’
I avoid my brother’s gaze by checking out the diner. It’s old, and in need of repair. A couple of tiles are missing from the floor. The painted walls are grease ridden, and the vinyl red checked tablecloth has old cigarette burns in them. But it’s clean and the food tastes good.
‘I wasn’t expecting the complications Trax has dragged us into. Fuck, my plan was always to claim Sugar Jay once I returned to Comfort Springs. Now that’s not going to happen.’
Crabby’s eyebrow rose as he sips his lukewarm coffee.
‘You’re planning on returning to Comfort Springs?’
‘Not now. This mess we’re in, I need to help Trax clean it up’
‘Once it’s cleaned up.’
I throw my head back on a gale of laughter. ‘Sorry Bud. You’re stuck with me. I’ve not made my peace yet. But It’ll not be long.’
To avoid Crabby’s penetrating gaze, I glance out of the window. I have plans. Fuck, when Sugar Jay ignored my letters, I knew I had to act fast. Bringing her into the middle of a war zone may not be the best idea I’ve had in a while. But she’s here where she can no longer ignore me. I was going to make certain of that. I was going to be the last person she saw at night, and the first person she sees in the morning. I’ve had fifteen months to get her out of my system and nothing I do, has accomplished that.
I study my reflection in the glass as my fingers run over my chin, stroking my day old beard, I’m in need of a shave. As I stare at my reflection, it morphs into the young boy I once was. My skin marred from substance abuse. My nose red and constantly running. It was Emmi who cleaned me up. Shown me who I was. Just as I was making amends I lost my family. I lost it all. When Twiggy found me, I was on the slippery road to hell, and if Devil’s Comfort hadn’t taken me in. I know I would have been dead before my seventeenth birthday.
Some might think the choices I made since then, were not the right ones, but this is who I am. I have come a long way from a preacher son’s and there’s no turning back. All I have to do, is convince Sugar Jay to stay with me.
*******
I stood by the door watching Sugar Jay pour a complimentary scotch for the customer. My smile hidden behind my beer wondering what the punter has said to her to earn himself such a baleful glare. He’s a regular who knows the rules. ‘Take a break Layla.’
Layla glances at me before searching the room for Trax. ‘Are you sure.’
‘Yeah. I’ll watch Sugar Jay and make sure she does the job right.’
‘If you’re sure.’ I chuckle as I watch the redhead scoot out of the room without a backward glance. Then I turn my gaze to Sugar Jay, who’s serving another client. Her off the shoulder top, slashed low across her throat. A frown fills my forehead as the client peers at her tits. Her black jeans fit her too snuggly, bringing my attention to her ass. The room’s busy, and I wonder how soon we can leave. Fuck, I shouldn’t have sent Layla for a break. ‘Do you think that top’s suitable.’
As she squeals, Sugar Jay spins around to face me. Her gray eyes flashing at me before dropping as she tugs on the hem, and straightens the neck line out. Her orange painted nails draw my attention once more to her tits and my blood races to my cock. I want Sugar Jay naked. Spread out on a bed as I pound into her. ‘What’s wrong with my top.’
‘It’s drawing unnecessary attention. That’s what’s wrong with your top.’ Sugar Jay giggles does nothing to ease my frown as she tilts her head to one side. Her dark curls tumbling down her back. Blood made itself known as it rushes to my cock. Her hand and fingers trail over her flat stomach, and my itch grows stronger. It took one step to bring me closer to her. My thigh brushing against hers as she steps back.
‘Really. I hadn’t noticed.’ Sugar Jay’s tongue runs over her lower lip, her gaze on my mouth as she lowers her lashes. ‘How would you handle it if I became a working girl.’
I move in closer. My finger slides along her jawbone as I lean into whisper. ‘You lack experience Sugar. Maybe we should ask Trax how much you’re worth.’
‘Some people would pay a good price for the novelty.’ I pull back, my gaze flashing over the room until I settle back on her. My smile in my eyes.
‘Name your price.’ Sugar Jay blinks as I withdraw my wallet and drop a selection of notes on the counter. ‘Never mind. That should be enough to cover your company for the night.’
The slap rang through the room, and I rub my throbbing cheek. Sugar Jay pushes her body up against the bar, her hands gripping the bar edging as silence descends around us. When my gaze leaves hers, I clash with a smirking Crabby and Trax, and I smile at them.
‘Shit Sundance… I’m sorry.’
‘I think we’ve been here before. - Why don’t you pour us both a drink while I find someone to cover the bar.’
*******
‘You know Sugar. Before I met you. I was a nice guy.’
‘You could’ve fooled me.’
After finding cover, I led Sugar Jay to the communal room, where I found a quiet spot in a corner away from the party. ‘We had a good day yesterday.’ I smile at the image of Sugar Jay’s fist curled tightly around my cock as she pumped me. I was the one to climax, not her. My hand strokes my chin. ‘Sugar.’
‘Yeah.’
‘Are your frustrated because you didn’t get to orgasm yesterday.’
Sugar Jay splutters into her drink. Her eyes watering as she chokes on the cool beer. ‘What makes you think I haven’t orgasmed?’
This time, I’m the one to blink, then chuckle as I stare at her. ‘Because none of the men at the club will touch you while we play.’
Sugar Jay threw her hair over her shoulder as she straightens her body on the sofa. ‘What makes you think that.’
Unable to stop touching her, my finger trails along her jaw bone, coming to rest under her chin as I raise her head. ‘Because you’re mine.’
Then my lips are on hers. Tasting her. The beer she’s drinking, sweetens the kiss, and I thrust my tongue into her mouth. As the kiss deepens, Sugar Jay leans back and I follow until we’re lying on the sofa. Her hips thrust against mine as I settle between her legs.
Blood thunders through my body, and I become lightheaded as our tongues mesh. My dick pulses, and I thrust my lower body into hers. Her whimper encour
ages me to slip my hand under her top to cup her tit. My thumb flickering over the growing bud. My growl fierce when I squeeze the naked flesh. When Sugar Jay wraps her arms around my neck. Her fingers dig into my scalp as my other hand slithers down to her jeans where my fingers fumble as I release the buckle of her belt and jerk her zipper free.
Sugar Jay’s moans fills my mouth as I rub the tender flesh between her plump lips. Her hips thrusting wildly against my hands whilst my fingers sought and find the growing bud. I ground my hips, hitching Sugar Jay’s leg over my waist. I catch her gasp in my mouth as I slip a finger into her pussy, pressing against her inner muscles, only to pull back and thrust in again. Her groans grow as I play with her. My lips sliding to her ear. ‘Shush… Relax…every things going to be okay.’
‘Kiss me.’
‘I will.’ I kiss the flesh of Sugar Jay’s throat, my lips honing in on her pulse. My cock aches and I desperately want to sheath myself in her. Yet I wasn’t finished playing with her. Keeping my finger in her pussy as I thrust, I move down. My free hand, pulling Sugar Jay’s jeans free of her ass.
Her body jerks when my lips latch onto her plump lips and my tongue licks the juice from her pussy. Sugar Jay hums. Her fingers curling into my shoulder as I taste her. First, my teeth pull on her swollen clit, followed by my tongue as it soothes the throbbing pulse.
‘Sundance…’
‘Shush.’
Sugar Jay’s body quivers. Her pussy greedy as she eagerly accepts the thrusting finger and tongue. I grip her ass when her body begins to shake. My mouth and tongue lapping at her as she cums.
‘Let’s go to our room to finish this.’
Gray eyes stare at me as she blinks. Then I find myself on the floor as she leaps from the sofa. Her fingers trembling while she struggles with her jeans, and pulling her top into place. Her hair wild as she stares down at a me as I glower at her in bemusement.
‘I can’t believe you just gave me an orgasm in a room full of people.’
I stay where I am. My gaze lingering on her tits as they heave heavily. ‘You enjoyed it though.’