by James, Marie
I’m standing in the middle of the room in nothing but a tank top and a slinky black thong. The very thong I had Kid take me shopping for yesterday. The one that was supposed to stay hidden under my clothes and make me feel sexy, not be on full display for his eyes to drink in.
I turn around to apologize to him for what I’m sure seems like teasing, but when I face him, his eyes go straight to my tank top which is stretched over my breasts so snuggly. I’m sure the outline of my nipples are blatantly apparent. He groans and flops back on the bed, covering his eyes with his arms.
I smile, loving that I can get such a reaction out of him.
“Get a shower, beautiful, and I’ll take you to work.” He doesn’t remove his hand as I gather clothes to take with me into the bathroom. His words were strained, but I didn’t hear anger or frustration in his voice; it makes me even fonder of him.
Chapter 22
“Since you kissed and made up does that mean I get to stay at the clubhouse tonight?” I turn my attention from Em as she flits around the bar like she’s worked here her entire life, and look at Kid, who has a hopeful look on his face.
“I hate to burst your bubble, but so long as she’s at Doc’s, that’s where you will be.” He sighs, loudly. “What?”
“I just figured since you guys,” he does this weird side pump with his hand at his waist, “you know… I figured you’d be staying there with her.”
“I told you we took a nap.” I tilt my already warm beer to my lips and take a sip.
“Really? I thought that was code for getting laid or something.” Shadow laughs boisterously beside him.
Slapping Kid on the back, “Sorry Kid, if the Prez isn’t getting pussy, it looks like you’re not getting pussy either.”
I grin when Kid’s face falls and realizes that what Shadow just said is a pretty accurate analysis of the situation.
“If you’re having trouble sealing the deal, Prez, I can give you a few pointers.” The scrape of Shadow’s chair as he moves away from Kid makes my lip twitch in an almost smile.
Shadow’s reaction would be fitting almost any time one of the guys made some dumb ass remark about me not being able to handle any type of situation. Kid is lucky I was able to wrap my arms around Emmalyn for a few hours this afternoon, or his ass would be laid out on the nasty bar floor by now.
“First off,” I say putting my beer down on the table, “I don’t need any pointers from you.” I tap his chest with my finger. “Second, if Em was just some other piece of pussy to me, I’d have already had my one and done.” I lean in closer, so he knows how serious I am. “You don’t need to worry about my dick and what it’s doing or not doing with Emmalyn.”
He reaches up and rubs his chest where my finger hit it. “I’m not worried about your dick, Prez. I’m worried about mine.”
Shadow laughs again, and I can’t help but join in at the wimpy sound of Kid’s admission.
I hit the side button on my phone to check the time. “You have three hours until I take her home. If you need to get your dick wet, you better do it in a hurry. I expect you back at Doc’s no later than one-thirty.”
He jumps with an ear to ear grin, slaps me on the back, and whistles loudly to a blonde across the room. I watch as she downs her drink, grabs her purse, and heads to the front door.
“Thanks, Dad,” Kid whispers in my ear as he heads in the direction of his all-too-willing conquest of the night.
I go back to watching Emmalyn as she serves drinks, noticing how Jake keeps their interaction on a professional level. Kid told me he had been overly friendly her first night working, but Jake took his warning and hasn’t been inappropriate since.
“You guys alright?” Shadow asks as he watches me watch her.
“I think we’re better than we were last night.”
It’s the most I can give him because it’s all I know. By the time she got out of her shower, it was time for her to be at work. We didn’t have the chance to really talk; she was five minutes late as it was. Jake wasn’t upset at all; he’s a pretty laid back type of guy, but she was not happy about it.
I haven’t even had the chance to get my mouth on hers again. It’s been weeks since that kiss in the hallway back at the clubhouse, and my lips tingle at the anticipation of kissing her when I drop her off this evening. I have it all worked out in my head. I plan to date her, seduce her, and make sure she knows she’s safe. I know she has to trust me in her heart before she can trust me inside her body.
I watch her eyes light up as she walks toward us. Without hesitation, she steps into the space I quickly make between my legs. This is the third or fourth time she’s checked on us since she got to work and quickly learned I wanted her as close to me as I could get her. I trail my finger down her arms as she asks Shadow if he wants another beer.
Finally, she turns her undivided attention to me. I watch her mouth with barely harnessed restraint as she asks if I need another beer. My hand, which somehow has ended up on her hip, grips tighter when she sweeps her tongue along her lower lip, and I have no idea what she said or why we’re even in this damn bar.
The sound of a gruff line of cuss words and a breaking glass bottle pulls my attention away from her mouth. I look over at Shadow whose attention is on a scuffle across the bar.
“Why don’t you go grab us one more beer, beautiful. I think we’re going to go deal with these assholes before they ruin everyone’s night.” I run my nose up her neck before I let her walk away.
“Be safe,” she whispers in my ear before I pull away.
***
Just like any other night at Jake’s, Shadow and I had to handle two separate altercations. I think Jake lets us drink for free because we save him so much money on damages from stopping fights before they can get too terribly destructive.
Pulling up outside of Doc’s house, I grin at the sight of Kid’s bike already parked out front. We took Rose’s car this afternoon when we left because I didn’t want Em on the back of the bike late at night after a long shift.
“Will you or one of your guys always be at Jake’s when I work?” Emmalyn asks from the passenger seat, but makes no motion to get out of the car even though we’re parked and I’ve turned it off. It seems she’s not ready for the night to end either.
“Do you not want us there?” I shift in my seat so I can give her my undivided attention.
“No, it’s not that. I like knowing that one of the guys is there. I just don’t want to get used to it, and then one day no one is there.” She shifts her purse in her lap. “I feel safer.”
I reach my hand out, cup her cheek, and run my thumb over her bottom lip. “If you want us there, we’re there.”
“I think it may be best if it were one of your guys there instead of you.” The smile on her face doesn’t match the rejection she just dealt. “I messed up three drink orders tonight. Each one right after I left your table.” She lowers her voice, so it has a seductive rasp to it. “You distract me to the point of not being able to do my job.”
“For a second there I thought you were telling me to get lost, and you didn’t want to see me anymore.”
She shakes her head slightly, and her eyes glance down at my mouth. I can feel my body’s reaction to her attention in my pants, beginning to strain against the zipper of my jeans.
“I missed you while I was away,” I admit to her.
“I missed…”
I seal my mouth over hers before she can finish her admission. I stroke my tongue against hers, swallowing her moans as they escape the back of her throat. I can feel her hands on the back of my neck as she tries to pull me in closer. The bite of her nails on my skin as I keep myself from falling into her sends shivers over my entire body. The restraint I’ve built all evening, in order to be able to walk away rather than take her back to my place, is slipping with a simple kiss.
Scratch that, there is nothing simple about this kiss. The passion and greed I can feel from her matches mine. I no longer want t
his woman. Need is a more accurate word. The thought scares me enough to keep me grounded and sticking to my original plan.
“Em,” I whisper against her lips as I pull away.
“Come upstairs with me,” she pants against my lips.
I place my thumb over her mouth to keep her from speaking. If she asks me again, I’ll cave, and the last thing either one of us needs is to jump in bed because we can’t handle raging hormones. “Emmalyn,” I say with more strength now that my lips have been off of hers for a few seconds.
I’m going to tell her to stop. I’m going to tell her that there’s no rush. Instead, I watch as her tongue snakes out between her lips and lick the thumb I have placed on her lips. My eyes grow heavy with lust, and I nearly come undone when she draws my thumb into her mouth and twirls her tongue around the tip.
“Fuck,” I groan. “Em, don’t. Please, I can’t handle anymore.”
She winks at me playfully and reaches for the buckle of my pants as she leans in closer. I feel her breath against my cheek and then near my ear.
“What are you doing?” I ask dazed with all of my blood flow heading south, rather than staying in my brain where I need it most.
“You like blowjobs,” she pants seductively in my ear. “Let me suck your dick.”
My eyes snap open, and I grab her wrists, halting her from getting my pants open. I release her arms the second I see a hint of fear in her eyes.
“That’s not what this is.” I scrub my hands over my face. “That’s not what I want from you.”
She swallows roughly, and I know I’ve managed to hurt her feelings.
“I’m not good enough for a blowjob, Diego?” She snaps her head back in my direction, and her pain has turned into anger.
I reach out and touch her cheek gently. “You’re too good, Emmalyn.”
She huffs indignantly and for some reason, it makes me smile. “Look at me, please.”
Stubbornly, she waits a few moments before she turns her eyes back to mine. “Do I want you to eventually wrap your perfect, pretty lips around my cock? Of course I do.” She narrows her eyes telling me that the offer has passed, and I may not get another one.
I roll my lips between my teeth to keep from smiling, because even though she’s totally pissed right now, she’s very adorable.
“When I look at you, I don’t see a club girl, Emmalyn. You’re… more.” I use my finger to turn her face gently so she can see the sincerity in my eyes, as well as hear it in my voice. “I don’t just want to have sex with you or come down your throat. Don’t get me wrong, I mean I will, on both counts, but that’s only part of what I want from you.”
“What else could you possibly want from me?”
I ignore her question because the self-depreciating tone she’s giving me will only piss me off if I have to explain how amazing she is. She has no self-esteem; it’s another thing we’ll have to work on that her piece of shit husband tore down.
“Go out with me Sunday?” She grins at me but doesn’t answer. “I checked your schedule, and I know you’re off. Let me take you on a date.”
She laughs, and I have to admit I love the sound. She doesn’t do it nearly enough.
“Is that a yes?” I gently prod.
“Where would we go?”
“You’ll have to agree in order to find out, won’t you?” I can be stubborn as well.
Actually, I hadn’t thought about asking her out until the words fell out of my mouth, so I don’t have plans. I know I need to do something either super over the top or something incredibly simple. I have several days to plan and decide. I can almost guarantee that her ex-husband hasn’t wasted much time wooing her. I smile at the knowledge that I get the chance now. His fucking loss.
“I guess I can pencil you in for a few hours on Sunday.” She grins at me playfully.
“Come here,” I tell her and tug her hand forcing her to practically sit on my lap. “I’m going to miss you tonight. I know I’d sleep a lot better if you were in my arms.”
“So come up and hold me,” she breathes against my lips, and I almost give in. I almost convince myself that I’d be able to crawl into the bed with her in a dark room and only hold her against my chest.
“I can’t, Emmalyn,” I say my voice showing just how pained I am at the thought of leaving tonight. “I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off of you. That’s not how I want things to begin with you. Please don’t ask me again.”
“Okay,” she concedes and kisses my lips softly.
I open the driver’s side door and let her climb out first. Standing, I adjust the erection in my pants, knowing there is another cold shower in my very near future. I walk her to the door and kiss her lips one last time before scooting her along into the house. I wait until I hear the lock turn on the door before heading over to my bike and back to my house for another restless night alone.
Chapter 23
All week the only thing I can think of is the date that Diego asked me on. I haven’t been on a date since high school, and I think I’m just as nervous now as I was then. I’ve seen him daily. He’s picked me up, taken me to work, and walked me to the door each night after my shift at the bar. A light kiss on my lips is the most he’s given me since shutting me down in the car Monday night. If he pulls that light kiss on the lips shit with me tonight, I may strangle him.
He told me last night when he dropped me off to be ready by three and to wear jeans. I don’t know many dates that start so early in the day, but I didn’t drill him for information. He seemed genuinely excited for whatever he had planned.
I drum my fingers on my thighs and check the time on my cell phone for the tenth time in two minutes.
Kid’s chuckle from across the room makes me smile. He’s become like a fixture these days, my living shadow. I don’t mind, he’s ridiculously cute in a little brother sort of way, and most of the time when he opens his mouth something funny comes out.
“You planning on staying with him tonight?” I grin at him but shrug my shoulders.
“I don’t know how the evening will go.” It’s the truth even though I hope it ends up with me in his arms. I haven’t slept as well since the nap I took in his arms earlier this week. I’d be lying to myself if even for one second I think all I want to do is sleep in his arms.
“I can tell him to let you off Emmalyn-duty if you want.” I know he’s frustrated, even if he doesn’t show it often. Any twenty-four-year-old man would have lost it by now having to babysit me for the last three weeks. I applaud his resilience thus far.
“No!” He stands from his spot on the couch and makes his way across the room until he’s standing in front of me. “Please don’t say anything to him.” He pleads with his eyes as his hands clasp in symbolic prayer in front of his chest. “Hanging out with you is an honor. If you say something he won’t let me do it anymore.”
I laugh. “An honor? That’s absurd.”
“Protecting the President’s girl is the biggest honor, Emmalyn.” He’s completely serious.
“His girl,” I whisper. I like the sound of that, even though this is coming from Kid and not Diego himself. Looking up, I laugh at Kid who’s still standing in front of me waiting for my answer. “I won’t say a word, Kid. Now sit down. I’m nervous enough. The last thing I need is you standing over me.”
He sits back down with a heavy sigh of relief. I shake my head at his insistence, but I wonder briefly what exactly he’s protecting me from and if I’m somehow being threatened. Add it to the list of a hundred other things I need to get around to talking to Diego about.
My heart pounds in my chest when the rumble of a motorcycle reverberates through the house. I shift nervously in my seat, not knowing if I should meet him on the porch or wait for him to come in.
“You just gonna sit there?” Kid asks with a smirk.
I stand up, flip him off, and walk to the front door. I didn’t know we would be taking his bike, but his insistence on wearing jeans makes sense now. I sta
nd on the porch and wait for him to climb off his bike. Long, muscular, blue jean-clad legs carry him to me. Strong, tattooed arms hold out a leather jacket to me as he approaches.
“What’s this for?” I ask taking the leather from his hands.
“We’ll be on the highway for a bit. It’s a layer of protection,” he explains as he helps me shrug it on. “You look beautiful,” he whispers in my ear as he folds down the collar. “Nice touch,” he says pointing at the cowboy boots I’d splurged on earlier in the week.
I smile because come on; the man just noticed my shoes.
“So,” Kid says from the doorway.
I dip my head so Diego can’t see my smile, and I hear him chuckle behind me as I walk toward the motorcycle. “Do what you gotta do, but don’t go far.”
Kid is giddy at the news, bouncing on the balls of his feet as he turns and goes back into the house. Diego tries to keep a straight face as he walks up to me. He manages, but just barely.
“Where are we going?” I ask as he pulls a helmet from the seat and begins to strap it on my head.
“You’ll see,” he says with a wink before putting his own helmet on. I wait for him to climb on and then I swing my leg over and climb on behind him.
The vibration of the engine between my legs is heaven and torturous hell all rolled into one. I wrap my arms around his waist and lean my cheek against his back as he begins to drive slowly down the driveway.
***
“This is beautiful,” I tell Diego as I climb off of the bike and pull the helmet off of my head. I know my hair is a complete wreck, but the view from the top of the mesa he’s driven us to pulls my focus away. “You can see for miles up here.”
I turn in a panoramic fashion from left to right trying to take in every inch of the landscape, knowing I’m missing more than I’m seeing.
“There are some pretty terrific views like this in Denver as well,” he says stepping in behind me and wrapping his arms around my waist.
“Bobby didn’t… I never really got the chance for anything like this while I lived there.” I sigh, inwardly chastising myself for bringing him up. The last thing I want to do is ruin my time with Diego by bringing up that asshole.