by Long, Marie
Neither Denise nor I seem to give a fuck right now as we make our way to the stairs. Chris and Adrienne don’t seem to stop, either. I pull Denise into my room and shut the door. She kicks off her shoes and sits on the edge of the bed. Smiling, I sweep over her and indulge in a deep, passionate kiss. Returning the kiss, she begins undoing the buttons of my shirt. Before I know it, both of us are shrugging out of our clothes and tossing them to the floor. I lay her back in bed. Her sexy scent is strong, tantalizing. Everything about her is truly amazing. I’ve had my share of girls, but before Denise, I’d almost given up on moments like these—moments of happiness when you truly love someone.
I have no idea how much time has passed as we lay naked in bed together, with her in my arms. Despite my exhaustion, I can’t sleep. I keep replaying our lovemaking in my mind. She was beautiful, amazing. So gentle, yet so forceful.
My phone reads 4:30 when I reach over to check it. In several hours, my M/C club’s benefit cookout will begin. A month ago, I didn’t imagine I’d be going with Denise, but here we are. I slide out of bed, slip on my boxers, and tiptoe off to the bathroom, tossing the used condom in the garbage along the way. After doing my business, I return to bed and cradle her back into my arms. Smiling broadly, I close my eyes and drift off to sleep, dreaming about the most wonderful girl in the world.
Chapter 29
Wake up, lazy-butt!”
A pear-scented pillow hits me in the face. I jerk myself awake, the cool air of the room whisking over my bare chest. Denise is at my bedside, pillow at the ready for another assault. Dressed in a gray cut-off shirt and flared denim jeans, she looks incredibly sexy, which agitates my morning wood.
Her eyes glance down toward my groin, and she smirks. “You better get up before we’re late for the cookout.”
I rub my eyes and yawn. Oh yeah, the cookout. “Yeah, yeah. I’m getting up. What time is it?”
“Nine o’clock. It starts at eleven thirty, right? So get up!” She smacks me in the head with the pillow again and laughs.
I wince. “Ooh, should not have not done that.” Grabbing the pillow, I give it a good tug and pull her atop me. She squeals in laughter. Our faces come close, and I steal a kiss. A small moan escaping her, she returns the kiss, then slowly pulls away.
“We’re never going to get there in time at this rate,” she says, rolling off me.
I grin. “Well, I’m not complaining.”
“Oh, come on. What about that poor little girl you’re supposed to be raising money for?”
I rub the back of my head. “All right, all right.” Yawning again, I slide out of bed and sort through my clothes, also grabbing my denim, patch-riddled M/C club vest, then head downstairs.
Leaving the bathroom, showered and dressed, I catch a whiff of cooked eggs and toast. Following my nose to the kitchen, I spot a plate of scrambled eggs and french toast sitting on the counter next to my bike helmet.
I smile. Did Denise make this for me?
“If you don’t eat it, I will, because damn, that toast was good!”
I snap my attention toward the kitchen doorway, where Chris, dressed in a black T-shirt, a pair of camo cargo shorts, and his favorite black all-star sneakers, is leaning against the frame with his arms crossed.
“And yes, Denise made that for you,” he says, as if reading my mind.
“Wow, man. This is unreal. I’ve never had a girl cook for me before. Well, except my mother.”
“Moms don’t count.”
I pick up the plate and brush past him, muttering, “I’m sure this tastes as good as it looks.”
“Dude, are you kidding me? Denise makes your awesome chicken florentine taste like shit!” Chris laughs.
Frowning, I head to the living room. Denise and Adrienne are sitting on the couch watching Saturday-morning cartoons.
“Morning, ladies,” I say, plopping down on the armrest. I finally take my first bite of the toast, which is still warm.
Holy fucking shit!
My eyes widen as the bread practically melts on my tongue. There’s a hint of sweetness to the toast, and I realize it’s been sprinkled with sugar.
It’s only breakfast, but Chris is right, it does make my chicken florentine—which I’ve been quite proud of—taste like shit.
This girl is amazing.
Denise beams at me, perhaps noticing my look of pure bliss that I just can’t hide.
“There, you see, Denise?” Adrienne says, gesturing toward me, mirroring Denise’s smile. “You have him practically wrapped around your pinky now. He’ll do anything you say to get more of that awesome french toast.” She looks at me. “Won’t you, Dominick?”
I swallow a mouthful of toast. “Uh, sure,” I say absently, even though Denise has had me wrapped around her pinky since I first met her.
“But I still like his chicken florentine,” Denise says, grazing the jawline of my five o’clock shadow with her finger.
Her brief electrifying touch almost makes me choke on the eggs, which also taste awesome. “I’ll—I’ll cook some for you tonight if you want.”
She just smiles. Hell, she has me practically wrapped around her pretty little finger with just that damned smile alone.
“Thanks for the breakfast, by the way,” I say, realizing I’ve cleaned the plate of every bit of food. “You’ve completely put my cooking skills to shame.”
“What cooking skills?” Chris says, then laughs.
I flip him off. “Fuck you, man.”
Denise giggles. “I figured you’d be too busy working at the cookout, so you won’t really have time to eat until later. Besides, I wanted to pay you back for the breakfast in bed.”
“I think this more than pays for that.” I glance at the TV. “Gotta say, you two are the first girls I’ve met who actually like watching cartoons.”
The girls raise their eyebrows in unison.
“You’re kidding, right?” Adrienne says. “Who the hell doesn’t like cartoons?”
“The dull girls, apparently.” I laugh.
“Dom’s right,” Chris says. “I mean, I’ve had tons of girls think cartoons were too childish and immature.”
Adrienne rolls her eyes. “Well the hell with them. They don’t know good quality TV when they see it.”
I’m liking Adrienne more and more. She’s turning out to be cool people. No wonder she and Chris hit it off so well.
I check my phone. “It’s ten thirty, guys. I need to head out and help set up.” I slide off the armrest. “Denise, if you wanna ride with Chris and Adri, that’s cool.”
Denise scrunches her face and stands with me. “Whatever. I’m going with you.”
I’m a little taken aback, then eye Chris and Adrienne, who both wink at us.
I love this girl.
Chapter 30
Colorful pop-up tents and the smell of burning charcoal greet us as we arrive at Cal Anderson Park around eleven. I park my bike with the rest of my club brothers’ and, taking Denise’s hand, make my way to the big main tent where rows of tables and chairs are set up. Shane and Marco are manning the grills, while Jason is setting up the cash table. Gregg, Darryl, and Alonzo are setting up the last row of folding tables and chairs. Charles is putting the finishing touches on a huge sign of a blown-up photograph of Troy’s little girl, Ashley, with a handmade cut-out of her name sprinkled in glitter underneath it. Plastered beside the photograph is a hand-drawn goal meter. Troy is talking with some vendors, who are setting up their tables and tents along the walkways surrounding the main area, and Matt is helping a group of workers do a sound check on a small raised platform near the big tent.
It’s hard to believe that the few of us can organize something so huge. But Troy has a lot of connections, one of the reasons he’s the club’s president.
Troy spots me and waves. Like me, he’s wearing his motorcycle vest, which is also covered in various patches with our club’s colors and emblem on the back. I wave back and walk over to him with Denise in tow.
“What’s up, Genius?” he says. We do our special handshake.
“Yo, Wolf.”
His eyes scan Denise, who looks amused. “And who’s this pretty lady?”
I let go of her hand and wrap my arm around her waist. “This is my girlfriend, Denise.” I pause, realizing it’s the first time I’ve ever referred to her as my girlfriend. But the word just came natural to me. I look sideways at her, and she doesn’t look the least bit offended by it. “Denise, this is Troy, but we call him Lone Wolf. He’s the club’s president.”
“Hi, nice to meet you.” She smiles and extends her hand.
Troy shakes it, grinning broadly. “Oh, the pleasure is all mine.”
“So are we pretty much set up now?” I ask, looking around the rest of the park. People already start trickling in our direction. It’s almost eleven thirty.
Troy rubs his chin. “Yep, just waiting on the deejay. He’s running a little late. That’s my fault for calling him on such short notice.”
I look to the platform, where Matt and the workers are running wires to four speakers set up around it. “Damn, a deejay, too? You went all out.”
“What’s a cookout without some good music, eh?” He pats me on the shoulder. “All right. Looks like the crowd’s coming. Better get to your station.”
I give him a thumbs-up.
He turns and hustles toward the big tent.
I look to Denise. “Hey, you should walk around and check out the vendors before the crowd comes.”
She scans the various tents and tables and looks thoughtful for a moment. “All right. I’ll be back, okay?”
“I’ll be manning the raffle table.” I point out the table set next to a vendor’s tent.
We kiss, and I watch her wander off. I rush to the unmanned raffle table and pull out the rolls of red and blue tickets and a locked tin cash box from under it. As I pop up a sign on the table, I notice the vendor next to me. It’s an older lady. Another one of Troy’s many connections. Dozens of different types of jewelry decorate her cloth-covered table.
She looks back at me and smiles. “Hi.” She cranes her neck and squints, perhaps trying to get a glimpse of the name patch on my vest. “Genius?”
“Hello,” I say politely, nodding.
“I’m Marcy. Looks like we’re tablemates today, hmm?”
“Looks like it.” I scan the jewelry. Each piece is unique, and they’re not something I’d find in one of those expensive stores in the malls.
“I made all these,” Marcy says, as though reading my mind.
“They look nice. Different.”
Marcy beams. She picks up a handful of pieces and shuffles in the narrow space between our two tables. “These are my newly made ones. What do you think?” She holds them in her hands.
I really don’t care to look at jewelry, with the crowd starting to filter our way as they peruse the vendors. People are already lining up under the big tent, and I notice movement at the platform, but the crowd blocks my view. But I try to be polite and look at her works of art, which she’s obviously proud of. One piece catches my eye. It’s a pair of silver-studded earrings in the shape of the fleur de lis.
“How much are those?” I ask, pointing to the earrings.
“Forty.” The corners of Marcy’s eyes wrinkle as her smile widens.
I fish in my back pocket for my wallet and purchase the earrings. Marcy wraps them up in tissue paper and places them in a cute little box, securing it with a coily red ribbon. I hide the box under my table for now. I haven’t gotten Denise a gift like this before. It’s about time I did.
* * *
By four o’clock, the club ends up raising close to twenty thousand dollars. Kevin even surprised us all by making an appearance and providing musical entertainment. The crowd thins as the club and volunteers start breaking down tents, stacking chairs, and cleaning up garbage. Denise helps me fold up the raffle table. I swipe her present from under the table and hide it in my pocket for now. We tote the table and raffle items toward the main setup area. With most of the crowd finally gone, I spot Kevin on stage packing up his deejay equipment. I turn to Denise. “C’mon. Let’s go see my brother.”
Denise and I run to the stage and surprise Kevin as he’s slipping a record in an unused sleeve.
“Yo, Kev! I can’t believe you made it out here,” I say, slapping him on the back.
Kevin looks up and grins. “You know I wouldn’t miss this for nothin’, li’l bro.” He sets the record in a crate, and we do our secret handshake. Then he nods to Denise. “Hey, what’s up, Denise?”
“Hey,” she says, smiling. “Loved the music. I think my crazy girlfriends loved it more.”
Kevin laughs. “I aim to please.”
I begin to help him pack away his equipment, but he stops me. “No, Dom. You’ve worked enough today. Take a break and go somewhere with your girl.”
I furrow my brow. “But I don’t mind—”
Kevin gives me a stern look. “Go. Get outta here. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
Denise tugs my arm, and I turn to her. With a tilt of her head, she gestures for me to follow.
It’s almost five o’clock by the time the club finishes cleaning and packing up. After I say my goodbyes, I return to my bike with Denise in tow.
“Let’s ride somewhere,” she says.
I beam. “Cougar Mountain again?”
Her eyes light up. “Ooh! Yes! I love those winding roads.”
“Me too.” I stop in mid-reach for my helmet, and slip my hand in my pocket for the box. “Before we leave, I wanna give you this.”
She carefully takes the tiny box and looks at it curiously. “Dominick? What did you—”
“Just open it,” I say, shaking my head.
Slowly, she tugs the ribbon free and opens the box. She peeks inside and gasps. “Oh! Dominick, they’re beautiful. Thank you.” She hugs me tight.
I return the hug and indulge in a deep, loving kiss. “Just a little something to say that I love you.” I take the earrings from her and help her put them on. Afterward, I stand back and admire her. “They look perfect on you.”
She grins and then kisses me again. “I have something for you, too.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Oh?”
“I know it’s a little late, but … ” She fishes through her purse and pulls out a quarter.
Laughing, I take it. “I can’t believe you remembered that,” I say, pocketing the coin.
“How can I possibly forget the first time I met you?”
I lean in and kiss her deeply. Yeah, I’ll never forget, either.
We gear up and leave the park. Denise’s arms are wrapped tightly around me. No piece of jewelry in the world can ever express my true love for this girl. It’s crazy how fate can bring two people together. Or was it destiny?
Maybe that’s why Denise is so special to me, and I will cherish it forever.
There was a light at the end of that tunnel, and that light was her.
Kevin Anderson lives the high life as a deejay and prospective pro-basketball player. But it’s timeout for that life of fame when he meets Trinity Brown. Upon learning her secrets, Kevin must decide if it is worth risking his career—and his life—to help the woman he loves …
Please see the next page for a preview of
Scratched
An Excerpt of Scratched
Chapter 1
I pull up to the driveway of Dominick’s duplex and wait while he and Denise get out. I’m mad about what went down last night. But fortunately, Dom was there to save her from that shit. If I see that guy William again, I’ll kill him for Denise and for my baby brother, who had to experience the mental trauma all over again. I know Dom. As tough as he thinks he is, his mind is still fragile. He must’ve suffered one of his recurring flashbacks when he rescued Denise at the party.
Where she was almost raped.
I wish I could have taken a good, clean shot at William, too, that fucking bastard. But it was
Dom’s fight.
Dom taps the driver-side window, shaking me out of my thoughts. Rolling down the window, I’m met with a light breeze of the mild Seattle night that kisses my face. I stare at my brother, concerned and hoping tonight’s ordeal doesn’t send him off the deep end. He’s got a lot of anger boiling inside after putting up with our father’s abuse for all those years. It’s a miracle I’ve been able to help him keep it under control for this long.
But still, he’s like a ticking time bomb, and it worries me, especially with Denise there. She’s been through enough, and she doesn’t need his “issues” on top of what she already has to deal with. I know Dom likes her—loves her—but I don’t think she knows what he’s gone through.
“Thanks, man, for all this,” Dom says.
I scrutinize the two of them. “You sure you two will be okay?”
Dom nods. “Yeah, man.” He looks over his shoulder at Denise, who smiles in return.
She’s got a beautiful smile. There’s a glow about her that brings out the best in my brother. I hope she can help him quell his demons.
“All right,” I say then stare out the windshield at nothing in particular. “I got a call while I was waiting at the hospital for you guys. Got this huge gig at a radio station down in Portland next Wednesday, so I’ll be gone. But I’ll be back by Friday.”
Dom grins. “Wow, Kev, that’s great! I’m happy for you, man.”
“Thanks.” I look back at him. “Take it easy, li’l bro, okay?”
He nods, his smile fading. “You, too.”
I reach out the window, and we do our secret handshake that we’ve been doing since we were kids. Back then, it reminded us that we were inseparable no matter how bad it got.
I drive off into the night, glancing in my mirror to see Dom and Denise head inside the house. I won’t see my little brother for a few days, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to call and check up on him.
* * *