Biker Chick

by Dakota Knight

  “Thanks. I’ll think about it,” I said, looking at the door.

  “I know. I know. You want to leave.” She backed away from me and I rose from my chair. “I hope you’ll think about our conversation.”

  I looked at the postcard again before heading for the door. “We’ll see.” I tried to mask my sigh of relief. I was finally going to get to go home. “Oh, and Mrs. Phillips . . . you sure you don’t want me to hook you up with a purse?” I couldn’t resist.

  She frowned and looked at her bag. “Why would I want you to do that?” she asked.

  I chuckled. “Hey, you buy a purse, and I’ll go to this Blast thing.”

  “Is that a promise?” She asked.

  “My word’s as good as gold.”

  “We’ll see about that, Crystal. Have a nice afternoon.” Her tone was dismissive, kind of like, “You don’t have to go home, but you’ve got to get the hell outta here.” I didn’t need any encouragement.

  My girls were already gone, as I suspected. I wasn’t too pressed because I knew I would catch up with them later. As I straddled my steel and prepared for the trip home, I heard a roar coming up the street. The bell of familiarity rang in my head. The Cruz. My heart froze as they neared, coming up from my rear. I didn’t dare look back. Instead, I revved up my engine and headed for the street. The first Cruz steel, a Suzuki, sped by me as I waited at the intersection. He was followed by flash often other motorcycles. None of them acknowledged my presence. I felt a tinge of disappointment as the noise from the Cruz’ engines began to fade. Unfortunately, none of those steels belonged to Ray.

  As I rode home, thoughts of Ray began to fill my mind. Keep busy and look good. Mom’s advice pierced through the lingering thoughts of my ex. I thought about going up to the mall and doing some window shopping. But when home came into view, a wave of tiredness flowed through me. I parked and went in the house, opened up the garage and parked Foxy Baby inside.

  I found my way into my bedroom and dove onto the bed. As I stared at the ceiling, my eyelids started feeling heavy. An image flashed in my mind. Ray. I loved him. Now I needed to decide if that love was worth trying to get him back.

  Chapter Eight

  But I realized that the sun would shine again . . .

  What’s that saying? If you let it go, and it comes back, then it was meant to be . . . or something like that. I happen to believe that “it” came back on the night of my graduation. That loving feeling. Mom decided to have a little get-together for the Trio. She was so happy I had a diploma, she had purchased one of those large, expensive wooden frames for it and had it encased in glass before the first guest arrived. The get-together turned out to be a large barbecue, with a much larger turn out than we’d expected. People I didn’t even know were hanging out in our backyard.

  I was a hustlette in Heatherette. My hair was pulled back in a bun. Mom went all out and gave me a pair of Blahniks for graduation. I couldn’t have thought of a better gift and I wanted to show Mom how much I loved them by wearing them too.

  The music was bumping, people were well-fed and happy. It was a good time all around. Of course, Dymond was up under Shadow. She was starting to show, big time. And she was only a couple of months pregnant. “What you got up in there, girl, twins?” I asked jokingly.

  “You better go knock on some wood,” Dymond replied. “I’m not trying to push out two babies.”

  I noticed Shadow looking at me as if I had something weird on. I instinctively patted my dress. “I got something on me?” I asked.

  “Naw.” Shadow grunted out. Dymond glared at him.

  Suspicion crept up my spine. “What’s going on?”

  “You trippin’,” Shadow responded.

  “Baaabbbbyyy,” Dymond said, rubbing his hand.

  I wasn’t going to let anyone get an attitude with me in my own backyard. “What do you mean I’m trippin’?” I asked, placing a hand on my hip.

  “Girl, don’t listen to him. He just had too much Heine,” Dymond said.

  “I don’t believe it, Dymond.” I trained my eyes on Shadow. “If you have something to say, just say it.”

  “You did my boy wrong.” Shadow spat out.

  “I did what?” My voice rose. “You need to get your facts straight.”

  “Please don’t start,” Dymond urged. “We’re here to celebrate, not argue.”

  I shook my head. “Why you in my business anyway?” I asked Shadow. “If you want to check somebody, you need to check Ray.”

  I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned my head. It was Lala.

  “Come on, Crys. Don’t get into the past,” Lala said softly.

  I noticed other people looking at us. There I was talking about Shadow being in my business and I was putting my business out in the street by talking so loud.

  I started to walk away, but snapped my head back one more time. “Get your facts straight next time.” I had to get the last word.

  Just the thought of Ray put me in a foul mood. And I had just started having fun.

  “Want a ReVerse?” Lala asked me.

  Normally, I wouldn’t have passed up a chance of Rum and Coke. Mom was so happy I had a diploma, I doubt she would have cared if I ended up drunk, even with her man, Gregory, ‘showing her a new way to live.’ But I didn’t want any alcohol.

  I shook my head. “I’m not ready to get lit just yet,” I told Lala. “I think I’m going to go in the house and chill for a minute.”

  “You sure?” she asked, concerned.

  “Yeah. I just need to exhale for a minute.”

  “Want me to come with you?”

  “Nah, I just need some time alone. I’ll be back in a sec.”

  I left the partygoers outside and went into the house. I went to my bedroom and sat on the bed. Just as I was beginning to relax, there was a knock at my door.

  “Lala, I told you I need some time. I’ll be back out there.”

  “This is Dymond, chick; let me in.”

  “Like I told Lala, I need some time alone. Give me ten minutes or so.”

  Dymond knocked on the door again. “Girl, would you let me in? I need to talk to you about something.”

  I huffed and smacked my lips. “I don’t want to hear about Shadow being sorry and so on, okay.”

  “Girl, I ain’t trying to defend him. This is about Ray.”

  “I don’t want to talk about him either.”

  “What if I told you I know about the note?” Dymond asked.

  I inhaled deeply, surprised by her revelation. I rushed to the door and yanked it open. I pulled Dymond into the room and shut the door.

  “How did you know?” I asked.

  “You’re probably going to curse me out, but I was being nosey and trying to find out about you and Ray. You know how dudes don’t like to talk about their shit and Shadow was keeping the goods like it was classified gov’ment info, so I had to put something on him so I could find out what was going on.” She put up her hand and inhaled deeply before continuing.

  “Anyway, girl, he told me you left Ray out in the cold with a note that had ‘BITCH’ printed on it and then wouldn’t take his calls . . .”

  “I didn’t want to talk to him,” I said.

  “Okay, well, anyway, he said you had just left. Ghosted him when he really needed you. From what Shadow said, a couple of the Cruz almost got caught by some cops and they had to hide out. The cops been trying to clamp down since the mayor declared a local “War on Drugs.” Everybody’s green is low.”

  I slumped down on the bed. “That’s not how it went down.” I patted the space next to me on the bed, motioning for Dymond to sit down beside me. I then told her about what happened the day I found the letter at Ray’s house. Her eyes widened as I weaved my tale, and she had to cover her mouth to contain her shock.

  When I finished, she shook her head. “That’s a trip, girl, but I have one question.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “With as much time as you and Ray
spend together, when would he have time to have a bitch on the side?”

  I got frustrated. “Obviously some bitch cared enough to take the time to send that note.”

  Dymond rolled her eyes toward the ceiling. “Look, I remember Shadow telling me that Ray was messing around with this girl named Trina a little while before you. She was sprung on Ray, to hear Shadow tell it.”

  “What?” I exclaimed. “You didn’t tell me about that before!”

  Dymond waved her hands in the air. “Please, girl. They had already broke up. I didn’t think it was important. Anyway, maybe she heard about you and was trying to break you and Ray up.” Dymond smirked. “Of course, it obviously worked.”

  I shook my head. “That seems a bit too neat.”

  “Okay, think about it. Has Ray ever got weird calls at his house?”

  I shook my head again. “He doesn’t have a land line. He only has his cell phone.”

  “Oh, well, has he ever been on the phone talking low or acting funny or saying, ‘Could you not call me anymore?’ ”

  I thought about it for a minute. There were times Ray had been talking on the phone low. There were also times he sounded funny. I had always thought maybe he was dealing with Cruz business, but there was always the possibility . . .

  “Do you think he was still messing around with that bitch?” I asked seriously.

  “Naw, girl. Shadow would have told me. But he did say that Trina was crazy. And you know only somebody crazy would put a letter like that in the mail.”

  A feeling passed through me. A mixture of surprise, regret, and something else I couldn’t put my finger on. I lowered my head into the palm of my hands and said, “I think I’ve totally fucked up.”

  I felt Dymond’s hand touch my back. She gave me a supportive rub. “Girl, we all make mistakes. But what you going to do about it?”

  There was never a question of what I was going to do. I stood up. “I’m about to go . . .”

  I was interrupted by a knock at my door.

  “Hey, Crys, it’s Lala, you okay?”

  “Lala, I’m cool,” I said. I walked to the door and opened it. Lala peered into my bedroom.

  “I thought you were in here taking a break,” Lala said, frowning.

  I put a hand on her shoulder, “It was a break, believe me.” I went to my closet to get my jacket and then proceeded to my dresser to get a pair of jeans and a shirt.

  “What’s going on?” Lala asked.

  “Crys made a mistake, that’s all,” Dymond said. “And I think she’s about to make it right.”

  I nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Lala, me and my jealous ass. I just hope I’m not too late.” I pulled off my dress and slipped into my jeans.

  “You’re not thinking of going back to Ray, are you?” Lala asked with a surprised tone.

  “Sure am,” I replied as I zipped up my jacket. “When I’m wrong, I’m wrong. Mom told me that a woman should never be afraid to admit when she’s wrong, or a man too, for that matter. I’m going over to his place.”

  “Why would you do that?” Lala asked in a tone that kind of shocked me. “I’ve seen you here moping around and shit. You want to go back to that? He obviously isn’t the one for you.”

  “Look, Lala, I wish I could fill you in on the whole story, but I don’t have time right now. I’ve got to leave.”

  “But it’s your party!” Lala exclaimed.

  “It ain’t like I never left a party before. I’m just going to say I’m sorry, and then I’ll be back. It’ll be an hour, tops.”

  Lala folded her arms across her chest and pouted like a child. I walked over to her and gave her a tight hug. “You know I love you, Lalique, but I’ve gotta do my thing,” I said before releasing her and heading for the door. “Hold down the fort for me, okay,” I told both of them as I walked through my bedroom door. I didn’t even bother looking back.

  Chapter Nine

  And the light would brighten my spirits along the way . . .

  Air fused with hope, love, fear, and opportunity swirled around me as I rode my steel to Ray’s house. I took the long way, navigating the east side streets so could muster up the strength to face my man. For some reason, sincere apologies were never easy, particularly when I didn’t know how Ray would react. I didn’t want to go over there and get the door slammed in my face.

  There was another possibility I hated to think about—that he had already found someone else. How stalk-ish would I look going to Ray’s house to beg for forgiveness and he have some honey by his side? Perish the thought. I had to block all the negative stuff out if I was to have a chance of accomplishing my goal.

  How would I do it? I thought up a scenario. He would answer the door and I would say, “Hey, Ray, I know you didn’t expect me to come over here, but I’m so sorry for leaving. I shouldn’t have assumed you were doing the wrong thing. I shouldn’t have assumed that you disrespected me. I should have waited for you. I should have asked. I should have returned your calls. I’ve been so stupid! I’ve missed you over these past few weeks. Our separation has hurt me more than you know. Will you accept my apology?”

  When I turned onto Ray’s street, the sound of my heartbeat began to overtake the sound of my Ninja’s engine. It thrashed against my ribcage as it seemed to circulate the nervousness coursing through me. His house was the fourth one to my left on Concord Lane. Light illuminated the curtains in Ray’s living room window. That was no guarantee he was home, though, because he sometimes left the light on anyway for security.

  I parked the Ninja in Ray’s driveway and took a few deep breaths before making my way to his doorstep. If he was there and awake, there was no way he wouldn’t have heard me ride up. I reached for the doorbell. The moment of truth.

  The sound of chimes echoed through the air. I tapped my right foot rapidly, hoping to release some of my tension. Even my hands shook. I waited, with only my nervous energy as company. A minute passed. Then two. Then eternity. I didn’t hear footsteps. The knob didn’t turn. The door didn’t open. My heart sank into the dark regions of my chest. Tears began to well up in my eyes. Damn.

  Just as I was about to give up, I heard a lock turn. My heart lurched. A light came on, bathing the porch with light. The door opened. I felt a presence, eyes on my back. The tears that I held back fell. I turned around. Ray was in front of me, his broad shoulders filling the doorway. He was wearing a wife beater, which showed off his well-toned arms. His jeans were baggy, held up by a large leather belt. His eyes were hooded, his expression guarded. He didn’t speak.

  We stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity before I finally got my mouth to move. I clasped my hands together so he wouldn’t see them shake. I thought about my speech again. I inhaled deeply and got ready to deliver it. I exhaled and said, “I’m so . . .”

  So much for best-laid plans. Before I finished my sentence, the first part of my grand speech, Ray was reaching out for me. He pulled me into his arms. I melted into his warmth as he held me. My body shivered at the strength of his embrace. I felt his hand under my chin, gently lifting my head. His kiss . . . it was gentle at first. He teased my lips with soft kisses, silently asking me to yield to the sweet pressure. I complied, of course, reveling in the electricity that shot through my body as he deepened our kiss with his lips and his tongue.

  Our tongues twirled and twisted in an ancient dance. He pulled me even closer, and I felt his arousal. The heat resting in the pit of my stomach and flowing down between my legs let me know I was feeling aroused too. It seemed that at that moment, I wanted him more than I ever had before. I felt weightless as he lifted me off of the ground and carried me across the threshold into his house. I moaned in disappointment as our lips unlocked and he lowered me back to the ground. He closed the door and glared at me. His eyes displayed an expression of passion I had never seen before.

  He reached for me again. His kisses were more passionate, his caresses more forced. His fingers seemed to be everywhere at once, making
my body tingle with pleasure. And then something came over me . . . over both of us. Our gentle foreplay turned into a ravenous display of lust. I ripped off his beater and he ripped open my jacket. He twirled me around and pushed me up against the door. When my jacket fell to the floor, he reached for my tits, teasing my nipples as he continued kissing me deeply. The sensations were almost too much for me. I dug my fingers into his skin as the warmth began to spread through me. Ray ravaged my neck, my tits, my stomach, devouring me with his lips and tongue. I couldn’t do anything but enjoy what he was doing to me . . . showing me what a woman should feel like when she’s with a man.

  I don’t know how I ended up naked and on the floor of Ray’s foyer. I was so caught up in the pleasure of being led, that nothing else mattered. I yelled out when Ray took one of my nipples into his mouth, squeezing and sucking on it while at the same time, reaching down to rub the heart of me. That was the first time I exploded. But it wouldn’t be the last.

  As Ray’s lips traveled down my stomach, leaving a trail of wet warmth I savored, I trembled with anticipation as his head nestled between my legs and his tongue went to work again. I held on for dear life as Ray tried to take me to another world, moving in and out, sucking and lapping. He didn’t let up until I shivered again. The release was exquisite. And there was more in store.

  As Ray relaxed to remove the final barriers between us, I stared at him through pleasure-filled eyes. He looked at me too, and our eyes held a conversation expressing apology and regret. I reached for him, ready to help him take his jeans off, but he pushed my hands away. His eyes sent another message: that he was the man, and that he was in control. It was his turn to take the reigns. I let him.

  Finally, when we were both bare and heated, he spread my legs and pressed against me. Ray was big and thick, but I was ready, and when he entered me, I couldn’t contain my emotion. I yelled out his name as he began to stroke in and out of me. I tried to match his pace, but he overwhelmed me. I gave in to the essence of it all, let him fill me up. He began to move faster, and I thought I would split in half. He shifted me into different positions, but still kept up the pace, making up for all the time we’d been apart.