The Lies Between Us

by M. N. Forgy

  “Her car was broken down. I stopped to help her and the little shit stole my wallet.” I laugh at the last part, remembering her ass taking it.

  “No shit?” Bobby laughs. I nod and grab two beers from the melting ice. “I like her already.”

  “Yeah, she’s hard not to like,” I mumble, mostly to myself. I choke the neck of the beer bottle, thinking about how much I really do like Cherry. I don’t want to like her, though, because I don’t want to feel jealous when another guy looks at her; I hardly know her. A piece of me hopes she has flaws as big as some of these other girls who throw themselves at me. It would help get myself in check, and my dick. I’m not the relationship type; it’s in my blood to be terrible at caring for another person. As my father used to say, “Phillip DeLuca, you are a prodigy of my blood. A powerful DeLuca doesn’t have a woman by his side. He has many.”

  “Well, you enjoy that. I’m going to go find some ass to tap.” Bobby chuckles. I nod at him and head back over to Cherry. Getting closer, I see a guy who hangs around the club occasionally leaning against the bar, talking to her. My jaw clenches.

  He reaches forward and grabs her waist, and Cherry’s body tenses with fear. Her eyes are wide, her face stoic. I double my step and toss the beers on the bar. Grabbing the guy by the wrist, I snatch if off her.

  “She’s not available,” I snap, my brows drawn together, the wrath of hate bursting through my limbs to unleash on this fucker. Cherry’s head lifts, staring at me in disbelief.

  “Dude, I saw her over here by herself, and she ain’t got a property patch on. She looked like free pussy.” He gives Cherry a salacious grin and she scoots closer to me, her hands fisting my shirt in unease. I step forward, my left hand pushing Cherry behind me. Guys around here can get territorial over unclaimed women. “I saw her first, cock-block!” the guy hollers.

  I grit my teeth and lower my head. I’m about to put this punk in his place but Bull suddenly steps between us, blocking me.

  “Okay, why don’t we all just calm down,” Bull advises. My nostrils flare with anger; I don’t need Bull handling my affairs. The guy rubs at his chin, eyeing Bull before walking away. Bull lifts his brow in a gesture that I need to turn away and leave. I bite my lip ring and give him an understanding nod, even if I don’t agree with his order. I’m a prospect, so I don’t get to argue or dictate his ruling. Not yet anyway.

  I turn my back and lower my mouth to Cherry’s ear. “You all right?”

  She nods and runs her hands up and down her arms. She’s uncomfortable. I shouldn’t have left her; I knew better.

  “How about we take these beers to my room?” She bites her bottom lip, unsure. I spread my feet apart and lower myself to her eye level. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do. It’s just quieter in there,” I explain. She purses her lips as if she’s thinking about it.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” She shakes her head, avoiding eye contact. I grab her chin, forcing her to look me in the eyes, and her body nearly sways into me. Her lips part, and her body shivers beneath my hold. She’s affected by me, and her body reacting to my simplest touch is a turn-on like I’ve never experienced before. I feel like a preteen touching his first female, ready to blow my load in my jeans.

  “Look at me, Cherry. I wouldn’t do anything to hurt you,” I reaffirm. She blinks her eyes rapidly, as if she’s trying to blink away the sexual spell I put her under.

  “Then you’ll take me back to my car?” She glances up at me from under her thick lashes and my dick jumps. She looks so vulnerable, so innocent, and the best part is she’s not even trying.

  “Yeah.” I chuckle.

  “All right,” she finally responds, her lips curling into a small smile. I smirk and take her by the hip. We weave through the crowd and head to the back of the hall where my room is. I was just appointed it a few days ago from Bull himself. I have a place about fifteen minutes from here, but having a room at the club is way more convenient at times.

  I open the door and turn the light on, and she instantly starts looking around the room. The walls are layered with porn stars and models. Most of them were plastered on the walls before, but I might have added to the collection.

  “Shit, I forgot the beer,” I mutter, turning to leave, but then I stop. I place my arm above the doorframe and rest my forehead on my forearm. “You’re not going to try and run off or anything, are you?”

  She smiles and sits down on the bed. “No, not yet.”

  “Okay, good.”

  I shut the door behind me and head back into the noisy-ass club to grab our beers. As soon as I spot them on the bar, Bull sits down on one of the stools.

  “You better get your ass in check, boy,” Bull informs, a cigarette between his lips. He squints as the smoke trails into his face.

  “Come again?”

  “Your little incident with that boy. You about broke his jaw for getting a little grabby.”

  “Yeah, so what?” I shrug. It’s who I am. I’m hotheaded and won’t hesitate to put someone in check real fucking quick. I fire first and ask questions later.

  “You should have seen the look on her face, Lip. You better bury that shit and quick, or you will fuck this up.” He blows out a puff of smoke, and I grit my teeth at his tone.

  “I agree,” Shadow adds, sitting down beside Bull. Shadow is a prospect, too. He has dark hair and crazy blue eyes; when he looks at you just right, they are freaky as shit. He’s always kissing up to Bull. It gets irritating sometimes, but I understand it. He and I are a lot alike. He grew up without a father, and my dad was a prick, so getting approval from Bull is something we both aim for.

  “What the fuck do you know about women?” I sneer at Shadow. He doesn’t fuck with many girls and hasn’t been in anything serious since I’ve known him, but now he’s giving me advice about landing a chick?

  “That girl is pretty—hot, even. They don’t want damaged men who can’t control their temper.” Shadow shakes his head and takes a sip of his beer. “Nah, they want romance, all that fairytale bullshit,” he continues.

  Bull nods, and stands. “See,” he clips, pointing at Shadow.

  “What were you talking about with her?” I raise a brow at Bull. His mouth turns into a sly grin.

  “She was asking about you, what you did here and all.” He shrugs, and I can’t help but smirk. She asked about me, well damn. Knowing she was talking and asking about me makes me a little giddy, like a fucking teenager or some shit.

  “Yeah, she likes you all right. But it’s up to you if it remains like that.” Bull slams his cigarette in an ashtray, and my brows dive inward with his remark.

  I open a beer and take a big gulp. How do I keep a girl like that from running off? Fuck, this just got a whole lot harder. I’m not a gentle kind of guy. I beat my dad with a steel pipe the first time he put his hands on my mother, landing him in the hospital. When my brother Zeek would tease me growing up, I would get so angry I would black out. One time, I came to with my mother screaming and pulling me off Zeek. He was blue and unresponsive from me choking him. He was okay, but it just goes to show how screwed up I am. My father was proud, my mother prayed. I walk through mayhem with ease and leave a tide of crimson behind.

  “Now you see why I don’t fuck with anyone ‘cept club hoes.” Shadow laughs. I flip him the bird and walk back down the hall.

  “Hope that pussy’s worth it!” Shadow hollers, making the guys cheer in agreement behind me.

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHERRY

  My fingers grip the side of the mattress, and my lungs burn to keep up with my harsh breathing.

  What am I doing in here? What the hell am I doing?

  I shake my head and stand on shaky legs. I need to get out of here. Lip is hot, he’s sexy, and I know exactly why he wants me in here. I’m attracted to him, and not sure I’m strong enough to resist him either. There were a lot of beautiful women eyeing him out there. One in particular who had her paws all over
him. They seemed more than acquainted, which makes me think he’s a player. There were a couple of guys who were with one chick one minute, and when I’d turn my head they were with another. I’d never seen anything like it before. They live so freely, so open.

  I bet he goes through a different girl every night. I don’t want to be a notch on his bedpost. I can’t handle that right now. I’d better get out of here then.

  I blow out a determined breath and stand. Looking at the dirty posters that have half-naked women on them one last time, I step toward the door. My hand is nearly inches from the doorknob when it opens as Lip walks in. I retract my hand and draw in a sharp breath. He smiles and shuts the door behind him. He’s so big, so rugged; he makes a flare burn in my chest and sizzle all the way down my abdomen and between my thighs. My eyes sweep up his tattooed arms, one bicep holding a woman praying, so vibrant and beautiful. His muscle flexes and my gaze continues to trail upward, finding a sexy smirk across his face. I blush; he just caught me checking him out.

  “Thought you weren’t going to take off on me?” He chuckles and I smile, my heart beating against my ribcage. I rest my hand on my hip, the other on my forehead.

  “Lip, I can’t. I can’t be in here,” I respond on an exhale, my body defying my mind. It’s hard to think clearly with him standing in front of me.

  “Why’s that?” Lip tilts his head to the side, his eyes running along my body. Goosebumps lick up my spine with the way he assesses me. I tear my eyes away from him and try to gather my thoughts.

  “Because I’m…” I cross my arms and look at the bed. “I’m-I’m not sleeping with you.” I finally spit the words out, wincing from my word vomit. He’ll surely want to take me back to my car now. Lip bites at his lip ring and sighs as he sets the beers down on the dresser next to him. I uncross my arms, and my body tenses with fear.

  He stalks toward me, one hand grasping my hip while the other fits behind my neck. His touch makes my skin tingle. My eyes go heavy, making my rejection a weak statement. I want Lip, want him to ravish me, make me forget about my pain and drown in a sea of bliss and hard muscle instead. But opening my legs didn’t get me anything but trouble before.

  “Cherry, calm down,” he breathes heavily. “We don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.” My body sags with relief, and a sigh escapes my lips. His fingers press firmly into my neck, pulling me closer.

  “But if you think I’m not thinking about that fine ass of yours pressing against me while I take you from behind,” he nips my ear and my eyes roll in the back of my head, “then you’re mistaken.”

  He pulls away from me, and I sway on my feet, my body lost in a tide of lust and sinful thoughts.

  “What do you do for fun? Why are you picking pockets?” he questions. My eyes go wide with surprise, like he didn’t just fuck me with his words. I feel like someone just poured a bucket of ice over me, waking me from my high.

  He takes a big gulp of his beer and winks. He’s teasing me, and I’m taking the bait. He’s so cocky, so sure of himself. He strides toward me and crosses his arms behind my neck. I slide one hand up his back, and the other up his arm to his wrist. My fingers touch his watch and I smile. Let’s see how self-assured he is when I take his watch.

  “I pick pockets because I can’t get a job,” I lie. My chest burns with how easily it is to be dishonest. Well, it’s not entirely a lie, because I really can’t get a job. So it’s an omission, really.

  “Okay, and what do you do for fun?” he asks.

  “I like taking pictures of things.” I shrug. The passion started with a disposable camera, and it grew from there.

  He slides his hands down my back and grabs me by the ass. My stomach clenches and my nipples perk against the material of my bra. Damn, to have his strong palms on me feels incredible. He puts Eric to shame. Eric who? I shake my head from my dirty thoughts and smack at his hands. He smiles wolfishly at my rejection and walks us backward ‘til we fall onto the bed. He rolls his strong frame, putting him underneath me with my legs straddling his hips. Yeah, this is not happening. I press my palms against his hard chest and roll beside him.

  “Pictures, huh? Of what?” He tilts his head up and grabs the pillow, stuffing it under his head. I think about that question for a second.

  “Everything. But I like taking pictures of distressed things, usually. I like to manipulate them, bring them to life where most people wouldn’t look for it in such a thing.”

  Lip’s face softens. “Well, when you put it like that, it sounds incredible.” I laugh at his reaction. Most people don’t see beauty in things around them. They only see faults and mistakes, often looking past their potential.

  “What do you do when you’re not doing that?” he interrogates. I smirk and lift my hand, revealing his heavy silver watch.

  “What the?” He brings his wrist up, finding it bare. “You sneaky little shit!” My cheeks flush and a smile splits my face. He’s so sure of himself, but when I take something from him without him knowing, it unravels that ego of his. “You’re good at that.” He chuckles, swiping the watch from my hand, and I shrug.

  “Where did you learn how to do that? I didn’t even feel you take it off me,” he questions, putting it back on his wrist.

  “My dad taught me. I didn’t live in the best part of town growing up, or have the best upbringing. Stealing food and belongings around the neighborhood to sell for money was something I was raised to do.” I look up from fumbling with my hands and see Lip’s eyes wide. My face goes stoic when I realize what I just fucking said. I close my eyes and curse myself. I can’t believe I just said all that to him.

  “Yeah, I know what you mean. We didn’t struggle for food growing up, but my father was a piece of shit who took what he wanted. He made sure me and my brother learned that trait early on.” My head jerks up, surprised he shared something personal, too. He brings his gaze from the ceiling to me and pulls me close. The music from the party blares with such intensity the walls shake.

  I rest my chin on his chest and look at the door. This man who lies next to me, a man full of many dark secrets and an edge as sharp as a serrated knife, makes me feel oddly safe. Maybe it’s because we’re both tainted with the horrendous upbringing our parents bestowed upon us. We have both seen hell at its finest, felt the warmth of its flames from a young age. Maybe if we stick together, we can find Heaven on Earth.

  My eyes droop as the song “Kiss From A Rose” by Seal plays loudly from inside the main area. As if Lip notices the song too, his eyes slowly trail to mine. We lie here in silence, our lips mouthing the lyrics to the song every so often.

  “Show me your horns.” Lip smirks.

  “My what?”

  “Your horns. I bet you look sexy as fuck rocking out.” He breathes heavily. I narrow my eyes, unsure what he means. I twist my lips. It’s a little childish he’s asking me to show him devil horns, but I do it anyways. I point my index fingers toward my head and he throws his head back laughing. My heart jumps in my chest and my cheeks flush.

  “Not those horns. They’re more than visible,” he teases, lowering my hands. He pulls one of my hands up, tucking my middle finger and ring finger in with my thumb, making my index finger and pinky point straight up. “See, devil horns. The rockers do it.” He smiles.

  “Oh, Devil horns,” I whisper. My brother does this all the time when he’s listening to AC/DC. I raise both my hands up with Devil horns, and stick my tongue out.

  “Shit, you look hot.” He growls. “A girl rocking out, there’s nothing sexier. You just need a little bit of leather and you’d be a wet dream.” He winks.

  I laugh, my cheeks warming. Noticing my embarrassment, he pulls me closer, easing my humiliation. Lying here, the song “Don’t Cry” by Guns N’ Roses blares. Listening to the song, I don’t fight back my yawn, exhaustion weighing heavy.

  “Lip, I think it’s time you take me back,” I state sleepily.

  “I’ve been drinking,” he mutters. “Ju
st stay here with me.”

  I lift off the bed, my heart pitter-pattering off rhythm. “Lip, that’s not a good idea,” I object. I can’t stay here with him; I don’t trust myself not to do something stupid. He’s stupidly good-looking, and I’m having a hard time not seeking more than comfort from him as it is. As much as I want to open my cold heart to him, to just be free, I’m afraid Eric has ruined me to let that flag fly any longer. I don’t trust anyone, and I surely shouldn’t trust a biker who has women flocking to him.

  He stands and pulls his shirt above his head and my mouth snaps shut, my thoughts of … what was I thinking about? He drops his jeans to the floor and my eyes immediately dart to his boxers. I can see his length pressing against the material, and my body throbs at the thought of how big he might be. I look away. The lights turn off, and I feel hands grabbing at my shorts.

  “Lip, I-I…” I stammer frantically, my body tensing. He shuffles my shorts down, ignoring the warning in my voice, his fingers tickling the skin along my legs as he pulls them off. “I cant, I’m—“

  “Relax.” He laughs, climbing into the bed beside me. I don’t relax, though; my body is stiff from fear beyond belief. He brings the blanket up and wraps his arm around me, tucking me into his frame. He’s not trying to fuck me; instead, he’s tucking me into bed. My chest eases, and I exhale a ragged breath. I am shocked that he’s in here with me, not having sex, when he could be with one of those girls having lots of sex. He’s not what I expected at all. He’s sweet, sexy, and the right amount of rough around the edges.

  I feel the head of his dick pressing at the small of my back, and realize it’s getting harder. He shifts and it pokes at my butt cheeks, and my body comes alive with desire, desperately wanting to just give in to temptation.

  My breathing shallows, and my sex throbs with a dangerous craving of whatever Lip is offering. His cock presses into my back again, hard.

  Is he poking me on purpose? I look over my side at him and he sits up, snatching the pillow at the foot of the bed, and wedges it between us. I turn, getting comfy on my side of the bed.