by Sara Crest
“Johnny Odell I bet you call every girl you lay your eyes on pretty, I don’t melt that easy, especially to hard men.” To be honest him calling me pretty was the first non-drunken compliment I had gotten in a while.
He slicked his hair back with his hand “I take offense to that “hard” comment, I’m as soft as a kid in Sunday school. Also I was just paying you a compliment so there’s no need to get defensive.” He looked at his hand for a few seconds then set his sight back on me “So, are you gonna answer my question?”
“Do you actually care? I figured you boys were just passing through, what’s it matter to you how some bartender got stuck in this old town.”
He chuckled “I wouldn’t exactly say we’re just passing through, you can probably bet on seeing us quite a bit before we get rolling. Besides I’m a sucker for pretty girls with pretty eyes, girl like you should be on the cover of magazines not bandaging up my boo-boos.”
He put his other hand on my chin and raised my head so that I was looking into his eyes “so are you gonna answer my question or not?”
I stared into his eyes for a brief moment, they were a deep green, almost like emeralds. I shook my head away from him, freeing my chin from his grip as I focused back on bandaging him.
“Well… if you must know. I never really intended to be here this long, I was just saving up money… but days turned into weeks, weeks turned into months, and months turned into years.”
I finished bandaging up his palm, cutting the leftover off as he admired my work. “So what were you saving up that money for?”
“Well, um. It’s been so long I can’t really remember” I said lying.
He looked at me, clearly knowing I was lying but he thankfully didn’t push it any further. “You ain’t planning on staying here the rest of your life are you?” He asked me as he took some more vodka and poured it into a nearby shot glass.
I crossed my arms, staring down at the floor “to be honest Johnny not a day goes by where I don’t wish for an excuse to leave this place.” I didn’t know why I was telling him this, not like it mattered right?
Johnny smirked “I’ll never understand you people…”
“You people?” I asked.
“Yeah, you people. If you’ve been saving a good amount of money then I imagine you’ve hit your goal years ago. This bar ain’t your prison, you’ve made it your prison and you could have left ages ago.”
I was taken aback “well excuse me Mr. Knowitall, what would you know about feeling trapped.”
“What you think I was just born on my motorcycle? A few years ago I was just like you. I was stuck in a fucking stupid job making money for some rich asshole. When that fucker came in and told me he’d be cutting my pay because I was late for the first time in years I took control of my own destiny.”
“What did you do?”
“I put a fist sized hole through his fancy new computer screen and walked out of there without a word. Bought my motorcycle and rode solo for a while before hooking up with the Rolling Raiders.”
“And they just made you their chapter leader, just like that?” I asked sarcastically.
“If you knew how to read tattoos you’d know what I’ve done to earn my place here, to earn the right to lead these men. Each tattoo on my skin means something. Every mark on my body has been made in dedication to this club and its members who I call my brothers.”
I had to admit, he was passionate about it. I looked at his arms, tattoos peppered his skin ranging from intricate designs to simple drawings. I looked at the men he was sitting with earlier, recognizing that they shared some tattoos with Johnny.
“Haven’t you just traded one responsibility for another?” I asked. “Is it really freedom if you’re stuck leading these men?”
“These men will go where I tell them to go, do what I tell them to do, and follow me to the ends of the earth as long as they believe in me.” He pointed his finger at my face, just inches away from my nose “if that ain’t true freedom then I challenge someone to find it.”
He looked in my eyes and smiled “bet I could get you to follow me to the ends of the earth too.”
“Is that so?” I said chuckling “what makes you so sure of that?”
“Because I can be your drive, your motivation, your push... the push you need to take that first real step out of here. I’ve done it with many of these guys what makes you think I can’t do it with you?”
“So you’re offering me a ride on your bike out of here tomorrow?” I said with a smirk.
“You think we’re leaving here tomorrow?” he said with a raised eyebrow.
“You’re not? I assumed you were just passing through…”
“We got business here, don’t know how long we’re gonna be here but that ain’t my choice.” He looked at me up and down, analyzing my body “so that means that if you do plan on leaving with us you got some time to think about it. Doesn’t mean you have to stick with us but it’d be your first step to wherever you plan on going in this world.”
“And what if I decline your offer?”
He stood up from the barstool, placing his hand on the bar “if you refuse then I’m right, you’ve made this your prison and you’re afraid of leaving.”
He walked back over to his gang members that were still seated at the table. “Think about it Ash” he called out to me as he took his seat.
Chapter Three
The bar began to thin out as the hours passed, bikers left to find a place they could stay for the night without getting kicked out.
I walked out of the bar, leaving Mr. Cullen to clean up the mess the bikers had made. I didn’t feel too bad about leaving him with the mess, after all he didn’t exactly help me serve them and spent the day hiding in his office.
As I walked out the setting sun hit my face, as I looked down to shield my eyes I saw a dark red spot on the white pavement. I shuddered to think of what they did to that kid, Freddie. Whatever it was, it was enough to stain the pavement.
“He’ll be fine” I heard Johnny say.
I looked up to see him towards the road alone, sitting nonchalantly on his motorcycle wiping down a smudge on the chassis.
“You’re looking at that mark on the pavement” he continued “my boys didn’t rough him up too much if that’s what you’re thinking. He’ll be fine.”
“I guess I’ll have to take your word for it” I said as I walked over to him sitting on his bike. I looked around to see if there were any of his gang members around but I found that we were completely alone. “You’re not gonna find someplace to stay with your gang?”
“I might be their leader but I don’t need to babysit them” he replied. “The smart ones will find some motel rooms, everyone else will probably just ride their buzz to sleep on a bench somewhere.”
“What about you?”
“I’ll figure something out” he said as he tossed the small rag he was using into the wind.
He threw me a helmet, catching me off guard.
“Hop on, I’ll drive you home.”
“I’ve never been on one of these things before” I said to myself, not really expecting him to hear.
“Just wrap your arms around my waist and hold on tight, you’ll be fine.”
I was a little hesitant, I had only known him for a few hours but he didn’t really give me a reason to think he would hurt me. Other than a few comments it seemed as if he was warming up to me, I wasn’t entirely sure if that feeling was mutual.
“Here goes nothing” I thought as I put the helmet on, it was a full face helmet that completely covered my head. I hopped onto the motorcycle, I put my hands behind me and held onto the bike tight but that didn’t seem to fly with Johnny. “This thing ain’t steady enough for you to do that, like I said you’re gonna have to wrap your arms around me and hold on tight.
I slowly put my arms around him, only holding on as tight as I had to in order to be safe. “The sooner I’m off of this thing the better” I thought.
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“So where is it I’m going?” he asked me.
“Straight down this road, make a left at the first one way street you see” I said as I pointed forward “it’s the only apartment complex in town so you won’t miss it.”
He turned his motorcycle key and the bike came to life. With every turn of the handle the motorcycle let out a roar, the wheel kicked up pavement behind us as we sped off down the road.
I practically squealed in fear when we hit the road. Out of shock I held onto him tight, keeping my eyes closed out as the sound of wind and cars whizzed past us.
I opened my eyes to see Johnny’s hair blowing in the wind, a small smile on his face as he enjoyed the freedom of his bike.
I began to slowly feel more comfortable so I started loosening my grip around him. My hands brushed across his core and I accidentally felt his thick abs through his t-shirt. “Jesus, didn’t know that was under there” I thought. I was afraid that he might have thought that I was trying to feel him up. I looked up at him and saw that he didn’t seem to notice, or at least he pretended not to notice.
I felt him cough and I immediately moved my hands away from his core, blushing from embarrassment. “Hopefully he doesn’t think I was trying something” I thought. I couldn’t lie though, from what I felt his body was probably pretty amazing.
He turned onto my street and pulled up right outside my apartment building.
I got off the motorcycle, shaking uncontrollably from my first experience. He looked at me and chuckled “don’t worry, you’ll get used to it soon enough.”
“I don’t really plan on that happening” I said to him, shooting down what seemed like an advance.
I took off the helmet and handed it to him, taking a deep breath of fresh air.
He stepped off his bike and looked down at me, towering over me as he stood just inches away from my body.
I looked up at him; feeling the heat of his body radiate off of him, watching the light of the sunset reflecting off of his toned arms, watching his green eyes pierce through me. When he wasn’t surrounded by the rough men of his gang he was pretty… enticing. The way he looked in this light and from what I felt when I was on his bike I almost wanted to put aside the fact that he was a rough biker leader, almost.
He put his hand on the side of my face and leaned in a little bit while giving me a light smile. My heart skipped a beat when his brought face was just inches away from mine, I don’t know how but I let his lips get so close. He stopped before pulling back “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He gave me a grin, he was teasing me, I probably should have pushed him away before he even got that close.
He walked over to his bike and put the helmet on, revving the engine before turning and speeding off in the direction that we came from.
I watched him until he disappeared off into the horizon, thinking about the offer he had made me at the bar.
“There’s no way I could seriously ride with him. right?”
Chapter Four
The next morning I got up early waited outside my apartment for a bit to see if Johnny would also drive me to work. After standing by my front door for about half an hour I realized he probably wasn't coming and that it was best if I just started my usual walk over to the bar. I probably shouldn’t get used to that death trap he was riding on anyway, even if it was a little bit exhilarating. Just a little.
As I got closer to the bar I saw that there were already some bikes parked outside. “Jesus they're here already? Did Mr. Cullen really let them in?”
I opened the door to see the same men Johnny was sitting with the day before, they turned suddenly to look at me but calmed down when they noticed who I was.
“Good morning” I said to them trying to be cheerful, hoping that maybe if my tone was a little lighter that they would be calmer throughout the day. One of the older ones gave me a toothy smile but the others hardly acknowledged my presence.
I put my things down behind the bar and went to the back room to check on Mr. Cullen. I opened the door to find a sleeping bag on the ground with Johnny shirtless using Cullen’s hand mirror to look at what seemed to be a relatively new tattoo on his back.
I quickly took a peek at Johnny’s shirtless body, checking out his abs that looked even better than they felt. His whole body was as muscular as his arms would lead you to believe. He had multiple tattoos all over his chest, back, and sides and had a few scars along his back and down his chest. He was just a man in every sense of the word. I snapped myself out of my trance, I always was a sucker for muscles but I needed to keep a clear head here, after all he was in my boss’s office.
“So, Mr. Cullen let you sleep here?”
He turned around and smiled at me, putting the mirror down and picking up a shirt. “Your boss and I came to an agreement” he said as he put the wifebeater on.
“And what kind of agreement was that?” I said crossing my arms.
“He’ll let the Raiders use this bar as long as we’re in town and stay off the property.”
“So what does he get in return?”
Johnny looked at me in disbelief, giving me a “really now” kind of look.
I sighed “well how long are you guys planning on staying in town?”
“Oh what you’re sick of us already?” he said sarcastically “like I said last night how long we’re here isn’t up to me.”
“And why’s that? I thought you were in control of your gang, didn’t you say they’d follow you to the end of the earth” I replied smugly.
“I did and they have, and now we’re here waiting.”
“I’m gonna go ahead and assume you’re not gonna tell me what it is that you’re waiting for.”
Johnny patted me on the cheek smiling “and you’d be right with that assumption.”
He walked by me in the doorway and walked out to the bar, greeted with a cheer by the few men who were sitting down.
I eyed up the room that he had taken over, trying to see if there were any clue. By his sleeping bag I saw a piece of paper with what looked to be some notes on it. I reached down to read it but heard my name called from the bar, not wanting to arouse suspicion I headed out immediately.
Despite it being morning the bar was quickly becoming full with members of the gang practically begging for a drink. I got to work serving all of them, pouring beers as fast as I could as once again Johnny confined himself to a single table discussing something with the same men as yesterday. My curiosity was building, I was itching to know what it was they were talking about, maybe it had something to do with why they were here.
Suddenly the chatting in the bar went quiet, I looked up to see Freddie walk in. His face was busted up and bruised, to be fair though Johnny was right, it didn’t look nearly as bad as the blood stain outside made it out to be. I’m sure in a few days he’d be back to normal.
He quietly took his seat near some other members as the idle chat picked back up. I poured a beer into a mug and brought it to him, I did feel sorry for him. As I walked back to the bar I made eye contact with Johnny who looked at me with a blank expression, I could only assume he didn’t exactly approve of me giving Freddie any attention after the stunt he pulled yesterday.
The next few hours mostly consisted of me serving beer to whoever asked, I served Freddie a few times but stopped serving him after a few drinks out of fear that he would get drunk and act up again.
The men that Johnny was talking to got up from their table and exited the bar, leaving him at his seat alone. I heard them starting up their motorcycles outside, speeding away as the sound of their engines drifted off into the distance.
Johnny waved me over, I put down the mug I was cleaning and walked over to him. He grabbed me lightly by my wrist and pulled me into the seat next to him, just inches away.
“Sorry about all the work we’re putting you through” he said as he leaned in closer to me. I backed away a few inches just to make sure there was some actual room in between us.
“I guess I
can’t complain, it’s better than standing around here all day with nobody in here.”
“I’m serious about that offer you know” he replied “you’re a rose hiding away where nobody can see you, coming with me will be the chance you’re looking for.”
He actually sounded genuine with that compliment, it took me off guard, it did seem like he was showing a little bit of a softer side when he spoke to me compared to his men. I guess when he spoke to me it wasn’t a constant power struggle. “Well Johnny you’re very persuasive, but I don’t know if I can take that risk when I don’t even know why you’re here.”
“That’ll be revealed on its own soon enough, and even if you don’t like how we operate then you wouldn’t even have to stick with us, although I’d be lying if I said I wanted you to leave.”
“Johnny it almost sounds as if you want me to tag along for your sake” I said smiling.
He hesitated before smirking “guess you got me there.”
“Hmm, so this isn’t just for my freedom… any particular reason why you want me to come along?” I was actually surprised at this, even with him becoming closer to me physically I didn’t think that he actually viewed me as someone whose company he wanted to keep.
He looked at me in my eyes “I’ve led dozens of men for the past few years, I got to where I am in this motorcycle club because I can recognize things within people. You might just think that means I can pick out the guy that’ll be ruthless when you need him to be but there’s more than that. The fire I see in some of these men is the fire I see in you, I think you’re holding it back.”
“Johnny I’m flattered but you’ll have to excuse me when I doubt your abilities. You got a man named Freddie over there that’s been giving you trouble, if you couldn’t see that in him why should I believe you see something in me?”
“People make mistakes” he replied “hate to admit it but that boy is one of mine, I should have never let him in and I see that now.”
He took a huge swig of his beer before continuing “I ain’t asking you for much Ash, just think about what I told you.”