by Naomi West
I didn’t need to try very hard.
My moans picked up intensity, signaling my coming. Then, with a final drop down onto his cock, the ecstasy broke out of me, rushing through my body and seizing up my muscles. Tiger let out a hard grunt as he exploded inside of me, the sensation of his cock shooting deep into me just the thing I needed to take my orgasm to the next level.
My body felt as though it was about to come apart at the seams; I couldn’t believe just how good I felt, how much pleasure Tiger was capable of instilling in me. By the time I was done and the orgasm began to fade, I was ready to collapse. I fell onto Tiger, resting my head on his shoulder and letting the rhythm of his rising and falling chest lull me into something like a trance.
At that moment, there wasn’t any place else I wanted to be.
Chapter 17
Tiger
The reality of the situation began to dawn on me as Nikki and I got dressed. Sure, the sex had been fucking incredible, and just the thing I needed after I’d heard that Nikki was carrying my baby, but all the news she’d just laid on me was a shitload to take in—to put it mildly.
“I heard you bumped into Marcus yesterday,” Nikki said, hooking her bra behind her back before reaching for her shirt.
I let out a dry laugh.
“Yep,” I said. “Little prick was with his boys. They all had a few girls-for-pay on their arms.”
Nikki shook her head.
“Fucking hypocrite. Little asshole acts like he’s some well-bred upper-class sophisticate, then he turns around and pays for strippers and God knows what else.”
“Maybe he’d be in good company here,” I said, gesturing to our surroundings.
Nikki’s mouth curled up on one side as she realized the implication of what she’d said.
“I mean, it’s different for you.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“How’s that?” I asked.
“Well, you know,” she said. “You’re a biker; you’re the type of guy that people would expect to get up to stuff like that. And it looks like you do.”
“And the kid’s got a fucking mouth on him,” I said. “He’s gonna need to be careful about who he talks shit to; not every man’s as patient as I am.”
“You’re telling me,” she said. “When he’s sober, he’s a total straight-laced rich boy. But you get a few shots into him and he turns into some wanna-be alpha who thinks he owns whatever bar he happens to be in.”
“Sounds like that’s the case at times,” I said. “His daddy does have his name on a few buildings.”
“Yeah, and his dad’s different, more controlled. He built his empire from the ground up, and Marcus is just the little rich kid who’s gonna get it all one day. He’s like a spoiled little prince.”
I laughed, but my mind was focused on what Nikki had just said, about me being the kind of guy expected to get up to shit like this. Then I thought about what Marcus had said the other night about me being lowlife trash. I wasn’t hurt by the comments –make no mistake about that.
But I didn’t have just my own reputation to worry about anymore—I had a baby on the way. Nikki and I were about to become more intertwined than either of us had anticipated, and shit like just how compatible our lives were would soon be an issue.
“Have you told your dad about this?” I asked. “About you being pregnant?”
Nikki shook her head.
“I know I have to,” she said. “I know that it’s soon going to be at a point where there’s no way I can hide it, you know? But it just seemed like too much to lay on him all at once.”
“It’s just gonna get worse the more you put it off,” I said.
Now I was thinking about Nikki introducing me to her father, taking me up to the LA mansion where I was sure they lived, and telling him, “Hey, you remember that guy who I was fucking on camera? That guy with the tattoos? Well, here he is. And I’m pregnant with his kid.”
Jesus, what a fucking mess. Then, as if able to read my mind, Nikki spoke.
“This is just all too much to deal with,” she said. “It was all a goddamn mistake. What’s everyone going to think?”
“That’s how you feel?” I asked. “You think you screwed up?”
Nikki turned to me, appearing a little shocked by my outburst. Hell, it surprised me too.
“You have to admit that this isn’t an ideal situation for either of us.”
“No shit,” I said, “but I’m not the one worried about what people are gonna think.”
“Oh yeah?” asked Nikki, bristling at my comment. “And what are you thinking about? Which stripper you’re gonna fuck tonight?”
“You don’t know a damn thing about my life,” I said, suddenly feeling defensive.
“I know enough to understand that you’re about the last person to be ready to have a kid.”
It was clear that the tension was getting to the both of us. I knew that I needed to measure my next words carefully if I wanted to prevent a total blow-up.
“You’ve just … you’ve gotta tell your dad,” I said. “This isn’t the kind of shit you can just hope goes away.”
“I know!” she exclaimed. “I just need to find the right time.”
“There’s not going to be a right time. There’s never a right time to tell your dad that you got knocked up by a biker. But you’ve gotta do it.”
Nikki looked away, knowing that I was in the right. I wanted to say more, but I decided to lay off. Between the pregnancy and the blackmail, we both had a shitload on our plates.
My phone vibrated in my pocket. Taking it out, I saw that it was Mace.
“Yo, dude,” I said. “What’s up?”
“Hey, Tiger,” he said, the music blasting in the background. “I just bumped into one of the boys working with that distributor you’ve been talking to. He said that his boss is in town if you want to have a meetup. Thing is you gotta do it right now. They’re at Fantasies right now.”
I raised an eyebrow. Mace was referring to a gun dealer out of Reno who was looking to expand into the city. The guy had been shopping around for an MC to work with and I’d been gunning for the spot, so to speak.
“Tell him I’ll be there in twenty.”
“Got it.”
I stepped into my pants and shoved my phone into my pocket.
“Time to go,” I said.
“What,” asked Nikki. “Illegal shit to do tonight?”
I took in a slow breath, trying to calm down. I stepped over to Nikki and put my hands on her arms.
“Listen,” I said. “I know this is all a lot, but I’m gonna be there for you. Okay? I’ll be at your side, no matter what happens with the baby or anything else.”
She nodded but didn’t seem convinced.
With that, I took her hand and led her out of the club.
Chapter 18
Nikki
“Lemme just go to the bathroom first,” I said as Tiger and I made our way out of the strip club.
Tiger nodded and gestured in the direction of the bathroom. I stepped into the dimly-lit space, put my hands on the marble countertop, and stared hard at my reflection. More than actually needing to use the bathroom, I needed to take a few minutes to clear my head, to let what had just happened work through me.
The door opened behind me, however, disturbing my thoughts. The girl who entered was a stripper, a brunette, curvy, and barely dressed. She gave me a once-over as she approached the mirror, one that seemed a little more familiar than I would’ve expected from someone I’d never met before.
“So,” she said, taking a tube of lipstick out of the little bag slung over her shoulder and popping off the top. “Tiger, huh?”
“What?”
She snorted and smirked. “You’re the girl that finally landed him.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Do I know you?”
“Nope,” she said. “But I know you. Kind of. Me and the girls have been wondering just who this chick was on Tiger’s arm.”
> “And why are you guys talking about that?”
“Because he’s kind of a regular here, and every one of us wants to be the one to tame that beast. Didn’t figure some goody-goody girl would be the one to do it.”
I furrowed my brow as the girl ran the lipstick over her lips.
“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” I said, feeling a little defensive.
“Listen,” she said, blowing right past my words, “Tiger’s not the kind of guy to settle down. So if you’re hoping to make an honest man out of him, you’re barking up the wrong tree.”
“Why would you say that?”
“Because Tiger’s all business. His club and his boys are the only things he gives a shit about. When he wants a woman, he gets one. And when he’s done with her, she’s gone. Just saying—don’t be surprised in a week or so when he starts acting like he doesn’t give a shit. Because he doesn’t, and never has.”
“Screw you,” I said, my voice edged with anger.
But the girl only laughed and shrugged.
“You’ll learn,” she said. “Men like that don’t settle down. And why would they?”
I forced my mouth into a flat line so as not to say anything too mean. Then I turned on my heel and marched out of the bathroom. Back in the hallway, Tiger and some other stripper were in the middle of a conversation. From their body language I could tell that she was more into him than he was her, but that didn’t make me feel any better, especially after that last conversation.
“Can we go now?” I asked, wanting to be as far away from that strip club as possible.
The stripper looked me up and down in a judging, competitive way that made me feel very uncomfortable.
“Yeah,” said Tiger. “Let’s book it.”
“Bye, Tiger,” said the stripper, her voice sultry.
Tiger grunted in response and we were off. The two of us made our way through the club and we were soon in front of the place.
“I’ll be in touch,” said Tiger.
“Sure,” I said, feeling a little stressed out by the whole night.
Then he leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. It was surprisingly tender—much more so than I’d expect for a tough guy like him. He gave me one last nod before leaving me alone, confused, and longing as I stood in the neon lights of the club.
I hurried back home. I knew that I’d taken a huge risk in going out. I didn’t want to know what my dad might do if he’d beaten me home and found that I’d gone out without against his orders. Flagging down a cab, I made it back to the hotel and rushed back up to the penthouse suite, the relief palpable as I saw that the place was just as empty as it had been when I left.
I wanted a drink more than anything in the world, and the fact that I couldn’t have one until this pregnancy was carried to term felt like some kind of punishment. The months ahead were going to be the hardest of my life, and I’d be facing them as sober as a nun.
I grabbed a bottle of mineral water from the fridge and stepped out onto the balcony, taking in the sight of the city responsible for all of the chaos in my life. Part of me wished that I’d listened to my dad and not gone to this stupid city for my birthday. But what was done was done. I finished my water and decided to make an early night of it.
***
My sleep was restless and my dreams were strange. I dreamt that I was far along into my pregnancy and wandering through some strange maze. I turned one corner after another, trying to find my way out, but only became more and more lost. My belly was so big and full that I could hardly move, and soon I was unable to take another step. I remembered sitting against the wall of the maze, wishing that someone, anyone would come to help me. But no one came. What’s more, the hot sensation on my skin of eyes watching me from the darkness made it clear that I wasn’t alone.
I woke up the next morning in a cold sweat. My stomach roiled with more sickness, and after a quick trip to the bathroom to get rid of the nastiness inside of me, I plopped back down on my bed. I wanted to stay in my room, to pretend that the world outside of the hotel didn’t exist, but I knew that was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Once I finally accepted that I couldn’t spend all day in bed, I got back up and took a quick shower. As I stood in the luxurious marble space, the two showerheads spraying me down with hot water, I glanced down at my belly, watching the water wash over me. I still couldn’t believe there was a little being inside of me, one that was growing by the day. Soon, my flat belly would be big and round, and there’d be no hiding my secret.
I dressed and stepped out of my bedroom, feeling a little better about the day ahead.
However, the sight of my father at the long dining room table made it clear that something was very, very wrong.
He glanced up at me with cold, stern eyes.
“Sit down,” he said. “Right now.”
He pointed to the chair across from him. Fear taking hold of me, I hurried over to the table and slid into the seat. Once there, I could see that there were photos laid on in front of him. I turned my head to see what they were of, but I couldn’t quite tell.
“Here,” he said, placing his fingertips on one of the pictures and turning it around to face me. “I’ll save you the trouble.”
My heart dropped into my gut when I saw just what the pictures were of. They were of me and Tiger, taken last night as we stood in front of the strip club.
“You went out last night,” he said, his voice calm and even. “You went out despite my specific instructions not to.”
“What is this?” I demanded. “Who the hell took these pictures?”
Dad shot me a hard glare, making it clear that speaking to him in that way wasn’t acceptable in the slightest. I cast my eyes down to the table, feeling small under his stare.
“You’ve got some damn nerve questioning me like that,” he said.
Then he sat back in his chair, weaving his hands together on his lap.
“These photos were delivered to me last night,” he said. “On my way back from meeting with Angus Goldman. Some courier ran up to me, handed me a folder and rushed off.”
“You mean … you didn’t hire someone to take them?” I asked.
“No,” he said. “I did consider hiring someone to keep an eye on you last night, but I decided to give you the chance to do the right thing. I see now that my trust was misplaced.”
Now he was disappointed. I found myself almost preferring the anger.
“And what’s more, you didn’t just go out for an evening stroll; you went out to meet … him.”
“This is crazy,” I said, looking over the photos, finding it hard to swallow that while Tiger and I had been saying our goodbyes, someone had been hiding in the distance, snapping photos of us. “We need to find out who’s behind all of this.”
“‘We’ don’t need to do anything,” he said, leaning forward and placing his hands on the table. “And don’t change the damn subject.”
I could tell that Dad was at the edge of his patience, and that I’d better tread carefully. He glared are me hard before taking a slow, deep breath and rising from his seat. Clasping his hands behind his back, he stepped up to the floor-to-ceiling windows that looked out over the city. My heart thudded in my chest and a sheen of sweat formed on my forehead as I wondered what he was about to say or do next.
“First things first,” he said. “You’re not to speak or see that … piece of shit thug again. You live under my roof and you go to school on my dime. You see him again and you watch just how fast I put an end to both of those.”
“But—”
“No ‘buts,” he said, still speaking over his shoulder. “You’re going to do what I say, and I’m not going to hear another word about it.”
He’d hit me where it hurt. If Dad decided to cut me off, I’d be forced to drop out of school and do God knows what for money. I considered wryly that maybe if I was lucky I’d be able to talk Tiger into getting me a job at that strip club.
&nb
sp; “And what else?” I asked, wondering just how bad he could make things for me.
“You’re not going to be making a move without my knowing,” he said. “When we get back to LA, when I’ve gotten all of this figured out with Angus’ help, I’m going keep you under lock and fucking key. I’ll be tracking you with your phone, and if you so much as think about getting in touch with this shithead degenerate biker … so help me God, you won’t like what happens. And once you’re done with school, Angus and I are going to get you and Marcus married. Then you’ll be his problem.”