Ridin' Nerdy

by Annelise Reynolds

  I could see the asshole in my peripheral vision; he was watching me along with another guy. They were laughing like it was the funniest thing in the world to see me doing this. I did wonder for a minute if her dad had planned to make more of an issue for me with Ox, but from his words in the locker room yesterday, I don’t think that was the case.

  I saw when he came in the front door. My calves were burning from jumping for almost thirty minutes straight. “Hey, Rock,” Ox called out “How many guys are out of the pool?”

  “That’s y’all’s shit. I don’t know who you have holding the pot, but I don’t make a bet unless I’m sure to win.” He notched his head toward me. “All you fuckers are gonna lose, so it doesn’t matter.”

  My timer went off, and I pulled my attention from the conversation. So, they had a bet going as to how long I would last here. Whoever made the bet the longest was going to win. It just gave me more of a reason to stick around. This crew had no clue how stubborn I am, but they were damn sure going to find out.

  My breathing was slightly labored as I drank some water to cool down from the rope. I worked my upper body out the day before, so I was going to target my legs today. I saw Rock coming to me with some papers in his hand.

  “Will,” he said, catching me before I started doing a set of squats, “here’s a diet plan for you. You want to bulk up, here’s what and how you need to start eating.” I looked at the plan he gave me, not really surprised by what all I saw. Lean meats, grains, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, and eggs. The only thing I saw that I needed to add to my diet was protein supplements and shakes. That would be easy enough to add in.

  “Finish your workout this morning and be back here at seven.”

  “Thanks, Rock.” It was a little weird calling someone by a nickname like Rock. The look he shot me said it sounded as weird coming from me as it did to my own ears. Either that or he isn’t used to encountering people with manners, which is probably the case too.

  “Yeah. Don’t mention it.” I shrugged and went back to my workout. I looked up a few times and caught Leah studying me with a confused look on her face. When I would look her way, she would get busy doing something else. I couldn’t tell if I made her nervous or if I intrigued her, maybe a bit of both.

  It was a game we played across the room, our eyes meeting and flicking away as I worked out. I didn’t notice we were being observed, I frankly didn’t pay attention to the big asshole, but he, unfortunately, was paying attention to me.

  I checked my watch as I finished my workout, “Fuck.” I noticed the time – I was late for work. I headed for the locker room, forgoing a shower. I just threw my clothes on, and tried to clean myself up as best I could in the sink, then dousing myself in cologne and deodorant. I would have to come in earlier going forward.

  Rushing out the door with my duffle, I didn’t see my flat tires until I was just beside the car. “Son of a bitch.” The asshole had punctured more than one, so changing the damn flat would be pointless. I grabbed my phone and was dialing a cab, when I heard a bike pull up beside me.

  At this point, I was ready to go after the asshole. Win or lose, I knew I’d at least get some hits in, but it wasn’t Ox on the bike. It was Leah.

  “How do you feel about riding bitch?” She looked hot on the back of the bike. Gone were her workout clothes, in their place was a pair of jeans and leather chaps so tight they looked like a second skin. She had on a hot pink shirt that said Road Eater, and a light leather jacket and gloves. Her tennis shoes were gone and in their place was a pair of riding boots. Her blonde hair was no longer in a knot on the top of her head, but in a braid going down her back. She looked at home on the bike. I knew she had been riding most of her life – she probably knew how to ride before she knew how to drive.

  “How do you feel about it?” I shot back and nodded to her bike.

  “You ride?”

  I nodded, and moved toward her – never taking my eyes from hers. “I do, and since I know where I need to go – it only makes sense that you ride with me.”

  She seemed to contemplate letting me take charge of her ride, but she finally moved, putting the kickstand down and letting the bike cut off, she slid to the queen seat and let me get on. When I got in front of her, I felt her slide up against me, her thighs bracketing my hips. Her arms wrapped around me, and I kick-started the bike, bringing it to life beneath us.

  I’ve ridden for years, but I typically don’t take my bike to work. I may just have to change that if I’m coming here in the mornings. Though with my tires being slashed, that didn’t exactly make me comfortable bringing my bike up here either.

  I headed for work, Leah behind me – her body wrapped around mine. The feel of her made me want to play hooky and just keep riding, and if I didn’t have a meeting, I would’ve done just that.

  Traffic wasn’t that bad, so I made decent time, pulling up in front of my office. The twenty-eight floor high rise cast a shadow over the street below. Down town was crowded with people, cars coming and going from the underground parking garages, and people getting in and out of cars on the street. I pulled next to the curb, and shut the bike off, setting it down.

  “You work here?”

  “Yeah, up on the twenty-seventh floor.”

  “What do you do?”

  “I work in real estate and property law.” It was the truth, but there was more to it.

  “Alright.” She looked confused again, more pieces to a puzzle she didn’t understand. “What time do you get off?”

  “I should be done with my meetings about four thirty. I’ll call a tow truck to get my car.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll get my dad to replace the tires.”

  “It’s not your dad’s fault.”

  “No, but he sure as fuck will pay for it and make damn sure Ox pays for it.” She was angry on my behalf. I liked that. I was pissed as hell. Those tires weren’t cheap. Special ordering original parts was a pain in the ass and cost a small fortune, but I couldn’t let her dad pay for something someone else had done.

  “Are there security cameras in the parking lot?”

  “No.”

  “Didn’t think so. No way to prove it was him.”

  She looked at me incredulously. I shrugged and explained, “In a court, assumption won’t hold up. We have no proof it was him, and it’s not fair to make your dad pay for it. I’ll report it to the insurance and let them know I have no idea how it happened. I’m just glad he didn’t mess with the body.”

  “Are you always this optimistic and glass half full?”

  “No.” I looked at my watch, I was late, and my boss was most likely going to be an ass about it. “I’ve got to get going. Thank you for the ride.”

  “I’ll be here at four thirty. It’s the least I can do,” she added on when she saw I was about to protest.

  “Ok. See you later.”

  Chapter Five

  Leah

  This guy was so far out of my norm, I didn’t know whether to run or see where this insane attraction led. It was crazy, this guy was champagne – I was beer or at most whiskey. How the hell was I ever going to fit in the world he was from? How was he supposed to fit into mine? He stuck out like a sore thumb at the gym. I’m sure at one of his office parties, I’d be the one out of place.

  I was far from a normal woman. I was pretty much a failure at the whole girly thing, much to my mother’s dismay. I watched football on Sundays with Dad, and fights on pay-per-view. I owned a blow dryer and a brush; flat ironing my hair and curling it never even crossed my mind. If it wasn’t down, it was braided or in a knot on my head, and truthfully it was hardly ever down. What would a man like William see in a woman like me?

  Real estate and property law, and he’s interested in hooking up with the daughter of a MC President? The concept of the two of us together was so unimaginable, but I couldn’t help but want to try.

  I made a quick call to Dad telling him what happened. He was furious, as I e
xpected him to be. He said he would take care of it, so I hung up and got back on the road. I rode around a bit – not really wanting to go home, even though I probably needed to go to sleep since I had to be back to pick Will up and because I was working the closing shift tonight, but I knew if I went home, sleep would escape me.

  At that moment, I really needed to relax more than anything, and a long ride out of the city would do the trick. I pointed my bike north, and just went. I didn’t worry about where I was going. It didn’t really matter – the destination wasn’t the answer to quieting my mind – the journey was.

  I was out in the suburbs before I knew it. I found a little diner and had some lunch before heading back to town. There wouldn’t be enough time for me to go home and rest or shower, so I was going to stop off at the mall for a change of clothes. Will didn’t know it yet, but tonight we were going to take his revenge on Ox the only way he could – me.

  I made it back to the mall by two, and I went straight to my normal shops. From the lingerie store, I got a new underwear set, complete with garters and hose, the tiny thong was made with the minimum amount of fabric.

  The next store, I grabbed a red leather micro mini skirt that had slits cut over my thighs and a front zipper. The back barely covered my ass; in fact, the underside of my ass cheeks were clearly visible. I tried on a stretchy black halter top that had a deep plunge in the front, but decided against it when I saw the black leather halter-style vest. It was perfect. I grabbed it and went to try it on together. The vest left my midriff bare and my belly ring visible. It was also so tight enough that my C breasts had massive amounts of cleavage. It’s not something I would normally wear, but it was definitely something the Sweetbutts would pick out.

  I figured, after tonight, I’d drop it off at the club and let them take the outfit off my hands. I was more a jeans and T-shirt kind of girl.

  Next for shoes, I found a pair black strappy stilettos, with a red bow that tied around the ankle. They were shoes that screamed ‘fuck me!’

  I took my new outfit – minus the shoe box – back to Charlie and put it in the saddle bags. I would shower at the gym, then change from riding clothes to this outfit when we got there tonight, that’s assuming he says he’s up for going to the bar.

  The ride back to his office from the mall was congested. I ended up being late, but he was ok with it. From the tension in his shoulders, I would guess his meetings didn’t go well. I handed him the extra helmet and waited, he expected me to slide back and ride, but I shook my head no.

  It was a battle of wills, and the fact that he stood up to me, not backing down, was hot. He may look like a preppy nerd, but there was a spine of steel beneath his dress shirts and suits. He was a mystery to me – one that I found intriguing and tempting as hell.

  We stood there for several minutes, our eyes locked, having a silent conversation. I rolled my eyes at him realizing he wasn’t going to back down. He was every bit the caveman that the guys at the club were, maybe he would do alright around them. I guess only time would really tell.

  Like I did that morning, I slid back on the seat and let him get in front of me. His body surprised me. He was lanky and tall, but he was all muscle. I kind of hated him for the fact that he could probably eat whatever the fuck he wanted and still stayed trim. Me, I jogged a lot to stay in shape and a couple times a week Dad would get me in the ring with the practice pads, letting me do a good boxing workout. I know I could cut back on the workouts if I stopped eating so much junk food, but unfortunately, junk food and I are in a long term satisfying relationship. Cutting out junk food would be harder than cutting out sex.

  I watched where he was taking us. It wasn’t a part of town I was exactly used to. The houses weren’t doublewides, but rather something that looked like they came out of a movie. He pulled up into the driveway of this massive Colonial-style house. It had a detached two story three car garage – that was by itself bigger than the house I grew up in. The pristine white color of the home was accented with dark green trim and shutters. The front door had opaque glass that in my neighborhood was just asking to have a rock thrown through it.

  “You live here.”

  “Sort of.” He nodded toward the garage. “I live there. This is my parents’ house, and I have the apartment over the garage.”

  He started walking toward the main house instead of the garage where I expected him to head. Maybe his parents weren’t home? I hoped. Why would he take me to meet his parents, he didn’t even know me? He met my dad of course, but that was totally different – he came into our gym.

  “How long you gonna be?” I asked, leaning against Charlie, preparing to wait outside.

  “We won’t be long, and no you aren’t staying out here.” He didn’t even give me a chance to protest. He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the back door of the house.

  “I’ll be fine.” I tried to pull my hand away from him, but he held tight.

  “But I won’t. My mom already knows you’re here, and if I leave you waiting outside, she’ll skin me alive. I like where my skin is, so you’re coming in.”

  “How does she know I’m here?”

  He laughed. “I guarantee you she knew we were here when the bike pulled up.”

  I looked down at my jeans and leather chaps; this is not an outfit for presentation, but protection from the road. Fuck. “Why did you bring me here?”

  “Because I need to get clothes and a shower. I didn’t have time to take one this morning because the hot girl at the gym kept distracting me. On top of that my tires were flat because of an asshole, so I was still late for work. Thank God, you in your leather chaps and jeans gave me a lift to work.” He grinned and winked at me over his shoulder.

  Will pulled me through the back door of the house, into the kitchen. Sure enough, his mom was waiting there. She was dressed in jeans and a T-shirt and had flip flops on her feet. It wasn’t designer. It was very much something I would wear.

  “Hey, honey,” she said, greeting Will.

  “Hey, Mom.” He went in and gave her a sideways hug.

  “Who’s your friend?” She looked in my direction, but not directly at me.

  “Mom, this is Leah. Leah, this is my mom, Janine.”

  I took in a deep breath, then held my hand out to her, “Hi. Leah Slate.” She didn’t move to take my hand, and my stomach clenched. Fuck. If rejection into his world was starting already, I was doomed.

  “Mom, her hand’s out,” Will said. She immediately reached out blindly for my hand – enclosing it in both of hers. The warm smile on her face said all I needed to know.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Leah,” she said as her eyes looked vacantly past me.

  Chapter Six

  Will

  I watched as understanding dawned on Leah. She smiled at Mom even though Mom couldn’t see, but the smile could be heard in her voice when she returned the warm greeting.

  “Are you two hungry?” She was no different than any other mom, always trying to ply me with food.

  “No, thank you,” Leah said at the same time I said that I was about to head to the gym.

  “I just wanted to come in to check on you and see if you needed anything before I left.”

  “No, I don’t, but where is your car? And that is not your bike out there.” They say your other senses take over when you lose one, and for Mom it was completely true. She might not have been able to see after her accident, but I still didn’t get away with shit because her hearing was better than a bat’s.

  “My car had to go to the shop, and no it’s not my bike. It’s Leah’s.”

  “Oh. You ride, Leah?” she asked curiously.

  “Yes. I grew up in an MC. I’ve ridden on bikes since I was six years old, and I’ve been riding since I was sixteen, legally anyway.”

  “Like that TV show about bikers.” Her face looked horrified, and I couldn’t help but laugh.

  “No, ma’am. That is all Hollywood; well, for the most part anyway.�
�� I don’t know whether that soothed Mom or not. She had listened as Dad watched every season of that show – whether she admitted it or not, she found it entertaining.

  “My father owns a boxing gym. It’s the only one in the city, pretty much, and it’s definitely the best in this area.” She tried to put Mom at ease about her connection to an MC. I couldn’t help but grin. “Trust me, it’s not all the shooting, kidnapping, and guns that the show portrayed. It’s mostly a whole bunch of drama. We aren’t one percenters.”

  “I’m not sure what that means.”

  “It means that we follow the law, mostly. We don’t go out of our way to break the law. It’s basically just a group of guys that love to ride.” Her grin was adorable as she told Mom about the club. I don’t really know how much she left out and how much she watered down, but it seemed to appease Mom’s curiosity.

  “What about your mother?”

  “My Mom’s around. She owns a nail salon.”

  “How lovely. I love going to the salon. It’s so relaxing. Will hates having to take me, but he won’t let me go by myself.”

  “I don’t hate taking you,” I piped in.

  Mom laughed. “You don’t think I can’t hear it in your voice?”

  I winced. Fuck, I thought I hid it; guess not. “I’ll take you, Mom. Anytime you want to go, just let me know.”

  “I’d love to take you,” Leah spoke up with a smile. She kind of looked shocked that she offered so quickly, but her eyes flicked to me, telling me she was sincere in her offer.

  “I’m going to run and grab a change of clothes from my apartment. I’m not sure what time I’ll be back, so if you need me, call. Dad was dealing with a client when I left.”

  “Ok. I’m sure I’ll be fine. If I need anything quickly, I can call Martha.”

  “Alright, well if she doesn’t answer, call me.” I kissed her on the cheek. Leah stepped forward and took her hand, lightly squeezing it.

  “I will see you soon. We will go to the salon and stay all day if you’d like.”