by Nicole Fox
I beam out at them, gesturing to the boxes.
“Someone was kind enough to donate all of these to the department yesterday,” I say. I don’t want to give away that a biker who wants to knock me up is trying to vie for my favor and that’s why they’re here—that would be asking for gossip. This is a safer option. And to be honest, I like it more.
Mrs. Cunningham, one of the older teachers, thumbs through the books.
“We’ve been trying to get things like this in for years,” she says, amazed at the titles and the brand-new quality of all the books that are in the boxes.
“I know. Principal Walters wasn’t having any of it … But at least now he doesn’t have to worry about this eating into his precious budget.”
We all laugh, and together, we get the boxes of books distributed between the teachers. We get done a little before the first bell rings, and I go into the rest of the day with a pep in my step.
If nothing else, this little interlude with Booster has helped more than just me. When I see him next, I plan to thank him for that. He might have personal, possibly selfish, reasons, but the results are utterly selfless.
The week goes by, and we get good use out of the new materials for the classrooms. I haven’t gone by to tell Principal Walters about the donation, but word gets to him anyway. He gives me furtive, somewhat annoyed looks in the hall when I pass him, but he dares not say anything against the donation—too many of the teachers and the students, even, are appreciative of the new materials. He wouldn’t dare speak against them after having called the investment a waste.
Well. Now he can see that he was very, very wrong, and he doesn’t even get the credit that would have come from boosting the quality of the English department.
With school straightened out, it opens up my mind to more thoughts about Booster. I don’t see anymore of him, and I find myself looking for him intentionally. I’ll head to the café early in the morning before school and sit at the window, trying to see if I can get a glimpse of him. I take my lunches in my classroom, trying to see if he’ll be out in the parking lot at some point, waiting for me.
I have no means of contacting him, and shy of showing up randomly at the bar he took me to, to ask around about him, I’m at a loss.
“There’s more where that came from, doll.”
Maybe he was just saying that? Maybe he found another woman to fulfill his needs quicker and decided not to bother with me. It’s odd how the thought pains me when I know that it shouldn’t.
By Friday, I’m convinced that that’s what’s happened. That I’ve been left in the dust, and I wake up that morning a little annoyed. I’ve gotten all in my head over nothing.
Ugh.
Though the day is gorgeous, my mood is downcast. More so when the doorbell rings, and there’s a knock on my front door.
Who on earth could that be?
I don’t let myself hope that it’s Booster, and therefore I don’t feel disappointment when I open up the door in my bathrobe and see that it’s not him. It is, however, another delivery person. My brow rises as his eyes rove over me.
“Good morning?”
He snaps out of whatever stupor he was in and nods behind him.
“Car delivery for Lena Hedlund?”
Car what?
“P-pardon?”
The delivery man steps aside and lets me see. There’s a gorgeous, gunmetal silver car sat parked in my driveway. Just looking at it, I can tell that it’s brand new, and way, way out of my pay grade. I gape at it, and the delivery man laughs.
“Your husband must love you a lot,” he comments. “Sign here, ma’am.”
I take a few moments before I do so, still gaping at the fact that there’s a car in my driveway that I didn’t even pay for. But I don’t question it. I know exactly who sent it to me.
“Yeah … yeah, I’m very lucky.”
He hands me the keys, which I take with shaking hands. I’m … in utter shock. This is definitely a huge step up in price from schoolbooks.
Booster is very serious about this whole thing.
The delivery person laughs a little before he heads back to the trailer he’s driving—his last glance at me not lost, but utterly unimportant to me. I clutch the keys in my hands. I have the urge to run over there, jump and holler like a child, and another to never touch the car, because what on Earth am I going to do with it? What am I going to tell people?
My inner child outweighs the adult I should be right now.
I bound over as the delivery man pulls away, unlocking the car and sliding in. There’s plush leather inside, and I can scent that it’s new, untouched. Everything is black, from the dashboard to the floor boards. It’s sleek and elegant.
Everything that I would want out of a car, had I bought it myself.
I don’t know the first thing I want to do. Take it for a drive or sit back and admire it. Considering the fact that I’m still in my robe—
I do the adult thing and go inside. But I’m quick in getting ready and getting right back down to the car in question. I’ve had a license since I was a teen, have driven here and there if a friend or my mom will let me drive—but my own car? That’s something that I haven’t actually had for a few years since my last one broke down and I didn’t have the money to replace it.
I’m positively, undeniably floored with how wonderfully she handles. I drive through town, getting a feel for the car, getting acquainted with all the controls and the fancy functions of the car. It’s more equipped than any car I’ve ever driven in; I have to wonder where Booster could have found the money for this, let alone all the books, and come to the conclusion that being president of a motorcycle club clearly has its perks.
I arrive a little late at the school, but it’s all right—I’m still here before the first bell rings. My car gets the attention of students, who eye it with covetous eyes, and I can’t help but blush when I remember what the delivery man said earlier.
“Your husband must love you a lot.”
No, not husband. Not even boyfriend—not even loved from afar. But I suppose that it doesn’t hurt, having Booster’s interest. I wonder what more surprises await me before he’s back around to claim what he wants.
I don’t honestly know if I’ll tell him no.
Chapter Five
Booster
I get the email notification on my phone—confirmation of delivery and signature on the car I bought Lena. Good. The second breadcrumb has been dropped for her, and now that her palate is wet and her curiosity likely starving for some attention, all I need to do is come in again and seal the deal.
I smirk to myself.
Easy as cake.
“You listening, Booster?”
Ah, magical moment, ruined.
I put my phone away and turn my attention back to the company at hand. I’m out and about with Happy, my vice president, stopped for lunch at a diner. We’ve known each other a long time, coming up around the same time in the club. When I made him my VP, it seemed a good idea at the time. He looked up to me enough to follow me and not enough to try and overthrow me. But his boot licking got tiresome after a while.
“What were you talking about?”
Happy sighs, as if I’m supposed to be enraptured by whatever’s got him ticking today.
“We have some business to do later. Got a call in from Jenna—”
“The one that keeps trying to rope Fallon in with a ring and the whole shebang?”
“Yeah, her.”
“Let Fallon deal with it.”
“All right, you got it.”
“Anything else?”
“Well, I was gonna ask you what you thought of the new club girl. She’s so tiny—tight, too. I bet—”
“I don’t really give a shit about some club girl, Happy.”
He looks shocked and a little affronted at the statement, as if I’ve gone and offended him somehow. I don’t really care—and I don’t care about a club girl. My thoughts drift off to Lena
… Supple, fertile Lena, who tasted like candy when I kissed her and whose skin was so soft I just wanted to dig my hands into her hips and feel it give beneath my fingers while I fucked her.
“You never used to turn down talk about club girls.” Happy tries again at conversation while I take a sip of my drink. “They all like you, you know. They all want to be with you. You can have any one that you want—”
“I already have someone in mind for what I want, Happy, and it’s not some used up club girl.”
I’m not in the mood to have this conversation with him. It’s silly and childish—only the young ones trying to practice and the old ones trying to feel young again fuck around with club girls—that, or they’re in that in between where they think they own the world and they need all the pussy and tits offered to them to help prove it to themselves.
I would know. I used to be like that. But I have more important things on my mind these days, and they don’t include getting my dick wet in temporarily flings and tramps that just want to get close to me for the security.
I want someone like Lena. A fine woman and a mother.
Happy stares at me from across the table, as though what I’ve just said was done so in some kind of alien language. His expression is stupid, open-mouthed, and wide-eyed, like he can’t imagine living in a world where used-up pussy isn’t the center of the universe. When I made him VP … it made sense. Now, though, I know that he hasn’t grown as the club—as I—have grown.
All the more reason to secure Lena and a child. For my club’s future. There’s no way in hell I’m going to leave it to Happy if I need to.
“What do you mean, Booster?”
“I mean what I say.” I took another drink. “I have a woman I want to have a kid with. What use would I need for a club girl?”
Happy sputters. “A—a kid?” He laughs as though the idea is impossible—insane. “I didn’t even think that you were wanting to have a child like that, Booster—”
“Just because I don’t share every detail of my life with you doesn’t mean that it’s not something that I want. Stop trying to shove C-grade pussy on to me. I don’t fucking want it.”
There’s a look that crosses Happy’s face that’s a bit affronted at my comment. I don’t give a shit; he can be offended all he wants, but that’s what he gets for getting on my nerves like he’s been doing for the last few months with this dumb shit.
I finish off my drink and toss down enough bills to cover mine and a tip.
“I’m gonna roll out,” I say. “I have some business to attend to. Stay out of trouble and out of pussy you don’t need to concern yourself with, Happy.”
I know the admonishment annoys him as a frown carves his face, but he doesn’t talk back. That’s the perk of being the president—what you say? It goes. Happy knows it, everyone in my club knows it, and soon enough, Lena’s gonna know it, too.
I leave the diner and slide onto my bike. Checking my watch, I know that school’s already let out. With how late Lena usually stays, I know that by the time I hit her street, she’ll be on her way home.
I smirk.
I want to surprise her.
What surprises me, however, is the downpour that comes out of nowhere when I get about halfway to Lena’s house. I’m not opposed to riding in the rain; I can ride in any weather, rain, snow, hail—it doesn’t matter to me. However, it’s heavy. I wonder if Lena’s used to driving in such weather, if she’s had enough time to get used to the car to handle something other than clear conditions.
I look up at the sky as I ride on.
I don’t have a good feeling anymore.
Chapter Six
Lena
I’ve had about a week to learn this car. It’s not hard to handle, and its features are easy to pick up. The only downside is, it’s been a long time since I’ve actually driven, and it shows when it starts to rain on my way home.
At first, it’s just a drizzle. A light pat, pat, pat, on my windshield. Then, the rain picks up. I turn on the wipers and the lights as it starts to get a little heavier. I slow down a bit—what any smart person would do in the event of bad weather.
I don’t have any issues with driving in the rain, even as it picks up. I start to slow my driving, however, as I turn down the long road that will eventually get me to my house. I don’t want to tempt fate—after all, I just got this car, and I’m not going to drive myself into a ditch over a little bit of rain!
I turn the music up, figuring that I can listen to some tunes. I’ll get home, grade some papers … I doubt that I’ll see Booster, considering the fact that—
Boom!
My car is jolted, my head smacking painfully into the steering wheel. A screeching skid sounds out somewhere, but I’m not paying attention to that as my car is lurched forward, sideways—down.
Suddenly, the windshield glass shattered, and a flood of water comes rushing into my car. I don’t know where it has come from—has it been raining so much that it’s flooding already? The water is freezing, shocking me as it rushes into the car, slowly filling it.
My mind freezes too. I’ve never been in this situation, and I don’t know what to do. I struggle, trying to get out of my seat.
I need to get my seatbelt off. Right.
Except it doesn’t come off. I can’t get the buckle to work, and as the water continues to rush into the car, it’s slowly followed by grass and mud.
Oh god … I’ve crashed into one of the ditches! They line the road to my house; they’re deep; and they collect water—quick.
“Shit … Come on!” I yank at my seatbelt again, but I have no luck in getting myself out. I try and try, but I can’t. The water continues to come into my car, coming up to my waist and freezing me to the point that it’s hard to think. It doesn’t help that my head is pounding, thump, thump, thump.
Suddenly, my car door is wrenched open. I don’t get a chance to see who it is that’s pulling me out. All I know is that there’s a strong pair of arms wrapping themselves around me tight, and pulling me from my seat despite my stubborn seatbelt not wanting to cooperate with me anymore.
There’s a grunt, and a groan, but I’m pulled out easily. My rescuer and I trudge from the ditch. It’s a little hard, and with the way that I’m disoriented, I have a hard time helping. He gets me up and out of the ditch though, with a little bit of slipping and sliding. We come up to the side of the road and when I get the chance to see who it is, I’m shocked.
It’s Booster.
He’s soaking wet in the rain, and so am I. He’s staring at me keenly, however, and I think that I see a flash of concern, intense worry, furrow at his brow. I have so many questions on my mind, but I don’t ask them. Instead I look to my car, crashed into the ditch.
It’s a cruel irony; I’ve only had it for a week—not even something that I bought myself—and it’s already gone. I imagine that Booster’s going to be mad about that, having invested money on that only to have me screw it up—
“Are you all right?” His hand is uncommonly and unexpectedly gentle on my shoulder, making me turn around. “Forget about the car. Are you all right? What happened? How’d you end up in that ditch?”
It takes a moment for me to answer, because they aren’t the questions that I expect to come from Booster. I take in a breath and spare one last glance to the car in the ditch; I’m annoyed and somewhat near tears as I realize the rain is starting to let up.
“It was another car,” I explain. “They sideswiped me and I ended up crashing into the ditch. I don’t know where they went, but they obviously weren’t interested in staying around and seeing if I was okay …”
It occurs to me then that had Booster not shown up … I wouldn’t have been able to get out of my seat, and all of that water and mud would have continued to seep into the car and drowned me.
I suddenly feel very, very woozy. I tilt where I sit, and Booster’s arms come around me, to hold me up. He’s warm beneath the chill of rain against his skin. Instin
ctively, I lean into him and rest my head against his chest. My eyes flutter.
His fingers brush over my head. I don’t realize it immediately until he says it.
“You’re bleeding.”
I breathe in and out. The lightheaded feeling hasn’t gone away yet.
“I need—I need to get home.”
“Home? No. You’re coming with me.”
I’m so out of it, I don’t have much a desire or opportunity to protest. Booster pulls me up in his arms and I stand up with him.
“My home—”
“I’m going to take you to mine. I’m going to take care of you.”