Duke (Aces MC Series Book 2)

by Foster, Aimee-Louise

  I was confused. Who was Viper? And why did Duke need time to sort his head out? I felt the urge to go to him.

  “Erm…is it okay for me to knock off early Diesel?” They both looked at me as I interrupted their conversation.

  “Yeah, of course you can. Is everything okay?” He asked concerned as I grabbed for my car keys. “I’ve just remembered that I have to be somewhere.” I turned to Chanel, “Grab your things, we’re gonna make a move?” She was still deep in conversation with the prospect and pouted at my request.

  “Taylor don’t worry, I’ll make sure she gets home safely.” Spike rose from the chair he was sitting in and leaned closer, “You go and take care of your man.” He whispered quietly in my ear. I smiled before turning on my heels and rushing to my car.

  I drove at a steady pace, arriving at the club house in good time. I hadn’t been here before and was hoping that I would recognise one of the guys so that they’d allow me to see Duke. I wasn’t familiar with the protocol but I’m sure I couldn’t just turn up and ask to see him!

  I got out of my car and walked past the parked Harley’s towards the main door of the club house. “Well, look at what we have here!”

  I could just make out the men standing by the doors in the dimly lit carpark, and as I got closer I could see that they were no older than twenty.

  “I’m here to see Duke.” I stated in my most confident voice.

  They looked at each other with a questioning look and then back at me, “Is he expecting you?” The slightly taller man asked as he moved closer invading my space.

  I was starting to get annoyed by my delay, “No but Spike said it was okay for me to come over.”

  He shrugged, “Sorry love, Spike’s not here to confirm that, so I can’t let you in.”

  I stood there placing my hands on my hips as I tried to keep my temper under control.

  “It’s late and I’m tired and I want to see Duke. I know Spike isn’t here because I’ve just left him at the club. Now you can either let me in or call someone to confirm who I am but I will be going in!”

  The door opened and Bear stuck his head out, “Oh it’s you making all the fucking noise,” he said with humour in his voice. “Hurry up, I aint got all fucking day.” He held the door open so that I could enter the building. I turned and smiled smugly at the two men as I stepped into the club house.

  “Thanks Bear.” I tried to keep up with him as he stalked through the room. I looked around at the modestly decorated bar area and could see several doors leading off of the far wall. I recognised a few of the guys and some acknowledged me with a nod as I rushed past trying to keep up with Bear’s strides. What I didn’t anticipate, were the naked women roaming around. I wasn’t a prude but was it really necessary?

  Bear held open a door indicating for me to go through.

  “Where is he?” I asked looking around.

  He nodded in the direction of the corridor, “Fourth door on the left.”

  I pushed back my shoulders and tried to muster some confidence.

  “Taylor!” I stopped in my tracks and turned slightly, “I’m glad you’re here, he needs a friend.” I smiled knowing that I’d made the right decision in coming here this evening.

  I knocked on the door but there was no answer so I decided to try the handle to see if it was unlocked. The brass knob turned easily and I pushed the door open slowly, stepping into the dimly lit room. Duke was curled up under the covers and I could hear his steady breathing as he lay there peacefully.

  Not wanting to disturb him, I closed the door quietly and stepped further into the room. I hadn’t decided what I wanted to say or do when I got here, I just knew that I needed to be close to him. He may wake and push me away but that was the chance I was willing to take. I slipped off my heels and took off my dress, carefully folding it and putting it on the chair in the corner of the room.

  Gently pulling back the duvet, I quietly slipped into his cold bed and made my way slowly over to his side. His breathing was still controlled and I was relieved that I hadn’t woken him. I rested my head on his bare chest as I moulded my body against his.

  As I lay there in the darkness, I started to think about the events that had taken place over the past two weeks. This, whatever this was had knocked me for six. I knew it was wrong but I was starting to develop feelings for Duke. This man had forced himself into my life and I was now finding it difficult to shake him off. He obviously couldn’t give me what I wanted but was I prepared to sell myself short and settle for a causal relationship? The thought of sharing made me feel sick which made my head spin but I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to analyse my thoughts further tonight. As I lay there, I could feel my eyes drooping as I quickly nodded off to sleep.

  Duke

  God I was hot! I opened my eye’s adjusting to the darkness and could see from the alarm clock that it was just after 12.30am. I tried to roll over but was stopped in my tracks. As I looked down I saw Ash wrapped around me. What the fuck was she doing here? Not that I minded but I couldn’t understand why she’d come here after out disagreement on Friday evening.

  This is why I didn’t commit because I couldn’t figure women out, they blew hot and cold all the time and came with drama, so much fucking drama!

  I briefly thought of the conversations I’d had with Ames and Spike over the past couple of days. I’d sorted my head out this evening. Spike should be a fucking therapist! I didn’t realise that I’d bottled up my emotions and hadn’t given myself enough time to grieve for Viper. Spike had implied that I was depressed but I wasn’t gonna see a councillor or take any pills like he’d suggested. I’d try to deal with this in my own way.

  Everything just happened so fast. Viper died and then I became president with a huge amount of responsibility overnight. Viper must have thought I was capable of leading this club as he’d made me VP but he was grooming me for a job that he thought I would inherit a lot later than I actually did! I was never one to bitch and moan and didn’t want to come across weak so I just got on with things. Because I’d lost my confidant in Viper, I turned to Savannah and Amy but it wasn’t the same. They had their own lives to lead they didn’t want to be burdened with my problems. All of these things had shaped me into the man that I had now become. I wasn’t proud of how I’d dealt with everything, the situation with Ash included but I was only human.

  Taylor looked so peaceful lying on my chest and I could hear her steady breathing and the little noises she made in her sleep. I gently caressed her shoulder moving down her back in gentle strokes. I could hear her breaths deepen as I touched her further and she started to stir from her sleep.

  Taylor opened her eyes slowly looking up at me.

  “Hi,” I smiled as I continued to stroke her back, “To what do I owe this pleasure?” I asked still intrigued as to why she’d come here.

  She gently rubbed her eyes and slowly raised herself off my chest.

  “To be honest Duke, I don’t know.” She fidgeted and as she did the covers lowered slightly so that I could see her beautiful tanned body. “I heard Spike talking to Diesel about you dealing with some issues and thought I may be able to help?”

  Ash placed her hand on my chest and started to gently rub across my pecks. I let out a loud sigh as I laid there enjoying her caress and could feel myself slowly getting hard. If I let her continue, things would progress which would make the situation even more complicated. As soppy as it sounded, I just wanted to spend some time with her.

  I grasped her hand and raised it to my lips giving it a gentle kiss. My simple gesture took her by surprise as she looked at me with questioning eyes. I used my weight to roll her over onto her back and positioned myself so that I was lying between her thighs but supporting my weight on my elbows. Her eyes searched mine and she unconsciously licked her lips waiting for my next move.

  “Tell me about yourself.” Taylor searched my face in wonder.

  “What do you want to know?” She asked resting her hands
behind her head which pushed her generous sized breasts into the air.

  I smiled at her blatant attempt to affect me. “Everything! Where did you grow up? How did you come to live here? You genuinely intrigue me and I want to know more about you.”

  “I’m really not that interesting.” She said with a smirk. “My mom and dad had a whirlwind romance and married six months later. Seven months after their marriage I was born, followed by my sister two years later.” She smiled and I assumed it was regarding her sister.

  “Are you close to your sister?” I asked as I stroked her arm with my thumb.

  There was a long pause as she contemplated my question.

  “Not as close as I’d like to be. She’s in New York, heavily pregnant with her third child. We speak as much as we can on the phone or skype but it’s not the same. Her husband Brad is a salesman so he travels a lot, leaving her to cope with the kids. Don’t get me wrong, Sophia’s a fantastic mother, I just think that a marriage should be a partnership and both parents should play an active role in the upbringing of their children.”

  I totally agreed with her statement. I’d watched my parents fight and bitch my whole life and my mum finally resented my dad as she felt he had more freedom by being associated with the club. Not that he did now, serving time at her majesties pleasure, ironies a bitch!

  “After the birth of my sister my mother was diagnosed with postpartum depression. She became very emotional, had difficulty sleeping and generally couldn’t cope with us. To prevent us from going into the system, we came to live with my aunt, here in England. We lived here for ten years and by the time we went back to the U.S, I was in my early teens.”

  I noticed that her expression had changed slightly and she looked a little sad, even bitter.

  “I didn’t want to go back. I’d bonded with my aunt and uncle and had made friends here making it my home but I understood my parents desire to have the family reunited and that it would help with my mom’s treatment. After that, I visited at any given opportunity and spent all of the summer holidays here, hence my mixed accent and love for anything English.”

  “I did wonder about the dodgy accent!”

  “Ha-ha!” She said dryly.

  “So like I said, not very interesting. What about you?” She asked adjusting herself on her elbows so that her face was level with mine. I didn’t want to share anything personal. I was a private person and wanted to keep it that way.

  “Have you got any siblings?” she asked, to start the conversation.

  “Yeah, I have a sister Katie.” How did I go about telling someone that I hadn’t seen my sister for twenty years? She’d run away when she was thirteen and although I’d tried to find her over the years it was to no avail. I’ve never got to the truth of why she ran away but have always hoped that one day she may return. I decided to change the subject quickly as this was something I didn’t wish to discuss.

  “I’ve been with the Aces since I was seventeen and have worked my way up through the ranks becoming VP at the age of twenty seven. After the death of Viper I was voted in as President which made me the youngest ever leader in the clubs history.” A flicker of something crossed Ash’s face but it was gone as quickly as it came.

  I said this with pride. I’d worked fucking hard over the years to prove I was worthy of wearing the clubs colours. I didn’t want people to think that I’d been handed anything because the president was my uncle. And because of that I’d worked harder than any other member over the years to earn the respect of the guys. Being made president was one of the happiest days of my life it’s just a shame that Viper wasn’t here to see it.

  “So what does it mean by you being here Ash?”

  She shrugged her shoulders and I could see her skin redden under my questioning.

  “I told you last night that this, whatever this is can’t be exclusive.”

  She looked at me intently, “If you’re with me, you won’t have any reason to want anyone else.”

  Her bold statement took me by surprise but she was right. I’d grown fond of her and enjoyed having her around. Could I really do exclusive?

  “Why don’t we see how things go?” I started to kiss around her navel, “Anyway, why are you still wearing these?” I said gently tugging at her black panties. I moved back slightly allowing myself room to remove her underwear to reveal her waxed pussy. Placing gentle kisses around her navel, I worked my way down moving slowly towards her pubic bone. Ash was now lying on the bed withering under my constant assault. She placed her hands either side of my head encouraging me to go lower.

  Every time that I’d been with Ash was different which made these moments even more special. It was as if I was slowly tapping away at her inhibitions and she gave a little more of herself to me, each time we were intimate.

  We were interrupted by a loud knock on the door. For fucks sakes!

  “Someone better be fucking dying!” I shouted waiting for a response.

  “Pres, can I have a word?” I didn’t recognise the voice but they were fucking brave for interrupting me.

  “Stay right there, I’ll be back in a minute.” I kissed her pussy one last time which made Ash giggle. That was a fucking heavenly sound which made me smile to myself as I stomped over to the door still naked as the day I was born. I flung the door open, “What?” I asked taking in Ramsey’s unease.

  Ramsey stood inches away and to my amusement turned red as he took in the sight before him lingering at my arousal.

  “Is it important or do you just want to get off at the sight of my cock?”

  “Erm…There’s a lady at the door…I think she said her name was Amber.”

  That bitch had a death warrant! “Right, don’t let her in. I’ll be out in five minutes.”

  I stalked back into my room looking for my jeans.

  “What’s up Duke?” Taylor asked concerned. She’d now covered herself over with the blanket. Fuck! I wasn’t getting any now that was for sure.

  “Diesel’s ex-wife has turned up. I’ll be back in a minute.” I quickly put on some jeans and stalked in the direction of the front door as I fastened my belt.

  “You were told never to come round here again. Now fuck off!”

  I got to the door as Bear was shouting at the little skank.

  “I need to see him. Where’s Diesel? I really need to see him.” She continued to cry as Bear and I looked at each other in disbelief that she’d actually come here.

  “Well you aren’t fucking seeing him.” I shouted as I slapped her with the back of my hand across her face, the force sending her flying to the ground.

  I detested abusers of women but this skank sent me to the brink of self destruction and was lucky to even be alive after what she had put us all through. She had also been given plenty of opportunity to stay away and she knew the repercussions. I looked around the now small congregation outside the club house. “You have 10 seconds to tell me what you want?” I said through gritted teeth. “1, 2…”

  “It would’ve been Shaun’s birthday today.” She spluttered as snot and tears ran down her face.

  “Fuck!” I ran my hands through my hair and paced as the gravel dug into my feet. I hadn’t realised. I’d been an arse to Diesel earlier this morning. He must think I’m such an inconsiderate prick!

  “How much money have you all got?” I looked around the group as they emptied their pockets and wallets. They handed me the bundle of notes. We’d put together over £500.

  “I obviously pay you lot too well!” I said to the chuckles of the guys.

  “Get her up Ramsey.” He placed his hands under her arms and raised her to her feet.

  I placed the money forcefully into her hand and leaned in close so that my mouth was directly by her ear. “Now I want you to take this money and fuck off out of our lives. Go and get your drugs, take an overdose, I don’t really give a shit. But I mean it this time Amber and you better fucking listen. If you ever show your face around here again, I will take my knife
and cut your throat myself. Am I making myself clear, you fucking skank?”

  She turned towards me petrified with tears still streaming down her face but nodded indicating that she understood.

  “Ramsey, take the van and drop her anywhere she wants to go but she better leave soon otherwise she’ll end up in Epping Forest!”

  I stalked back to my bedroom not stopping for anyone who tried to engage in conversation. There was only one place I wanted to be and that was in bed with Ash.

  I entered my room to find Ash curled up in the covers fast asleep. She looked so peaceful that I didn’t wake her. I got in behind her, quietly grabbing my phone so that I could contact Diesel.

  How you doing Diesel?

  Okay! Why? Do you need me to come to the club house?

  This is what I loved about our club. He was probably in bed now wrapped around his old lady but he would drop everything if I needed him too.

  Sorry man, just realised what day it is!

  That’s okay. Wouldn’t expect you to remember.

  No I should’ve and I’m sorry. If you need anything let me know.

  A late start Monday?

  Cheeky shit playing on my good nature. Go on then. See you at the garage at 12.

  Thanks man J

  Taylor

  It was still early when I woke but I’d panicked not realising where I was. I wasn’t in a habit of waking up in strangers’ beds. I could hear Duke’s steady breathing but couldn’t see his face as his back was to me. I looked over at him checking out his physique again. I could get used to waking up to that every morning!

  Thoughts of last night’s conversations sprang to mind. Duke had woken me during the night and we had continued our conversation among other things! He made a point of trying to justify his decisions of why he couldn’t be in a relationship. I found it amusing because it sounded like he was trying to convince himself rather than me. I took this opportunity to express my concerns about his line of business and agreed to have an open mind but one thing we both agreed on, was to have some fun and see where this, whatever this was took us.