by Simone Elise
My hand was wrapped around my bourbon. I watched her laugh to something Ruby was telling her. But my eyes were drinking her in, her blonde hair pinned to the side. It was at my favorite length. I could twist it into a ponytail as I fucked her.
Fuck. I did not need to be reminded of that right now.
I was an addict when it came to her; a sex addict.
I watched her make her way towards us. She had every man in the club staring. They knew not to linger too long, otherwise I got involved. Just as she was nearly to our table a freshly patched member stood in her way.
“Hey baby girl. You thirsty?” His back was to the table. “I’ve got something you can drink if you get what I mean.”
And just like that I threw the rest of my drink back.
“And here comes the entertainment for the night.” Lit smirked, sitting back with Vod and Jacob in the booth. They all shared a look.
This wasn’t the first time Autumn and one of her little dresses had scored the attention of a rookie, who didn’t know she was mine.
Standing to my height. Fuck how much had I had to drink? I was actually unbalanced on my feet. Then I shook it off. Walking the small gap towards them.
Autumn went to step around him, he blocked her.
Fucking bastard was playing with fire.
“She’s not interested man,” I said confidently, causing him to turn around. He gave me a look, then looked me up and down, sizing himself against me. His eyes then landed on the patch on my chest.
“Maybe we should let her decide,” he said. The bastard must be drunker than I.
The boys laughed behind me in the booth.
I looked at Autumn. “Why do you attract dickheads?”
Then I looked back at the guy who was prepared to get into a fistfight over one night with Autumn. Hell, I got it. But the bastard should know I wasn’t backing down. But neither was he by the looks of it.
“You want to be able to walk tomorrow?” I said, and his eyes were already narrowed on me. “Okay. I’ll put it this way. Do you want to be able to see tomorrow? Cause if you don’t want a swollen eye, or to be limping, ya will turn and fuck off.”
Don’t know what made him think that he would get away with it, but his fist connected with my jaw. Fuck me. I spat out a mouthful of blood. Wiping the blood off with the back of my hand.
Now things got serious.
I smirked, and there weren't many times the bar would go quiet, but when this rookie punched me you could only hear the music.
Autumn stepped in my way. “Babe, don’t.” She batted her long eyelashes at me. Normally I would be a sucker and back down. If he hadn’t of punched me I would have walked away. But now my pride was on the table.
I looked at him with a glint in my eyes. “You fucked up when you punched me. But…” I paused watching his eyes go for the glass bottle. “But you really fucked up when you implied for my girlfriend to drink your come.” And with those words, I tackled him before his hand wrapped around the glass bottle.
Autumn
Cage and his bloody pride. I applied the ice to his knuckles, he flinched from the coldness, scoring a glare from my eyes. He could beat the shit out of that man, but couldn’t take the ice on his knuckles?
He laid his hand down on the bed, leaving the ice on it. While I straddled him.
My hand going under his chin, looking at his cut lip. “You and that pride of yours.” I muttered, and then pecked his sore lips.
I pulled back, only for him to lift his hand to the back of my head, pushing me back to him. I gave his lips another quick kiss. But he was quick to steal my lips again.
I nearly jumped when the coldness of his hand touched my cheek. I scowled at him. Because he was meant to be icing those knuckles. But his lips twitched up, a smirk on his face. As his hands run down my back he flips me. My back sinking into the mattress.
My hands going to his swelling jaw. I swear every weekend Cage was in a fight. I was beginning to wonder if I was the cause of them, or if he just loved to fight.
He sat up, taking his top off, and my eyes ran over his detailed tattooed body. His stomach tattoos were still healing from his session last week with the tattooist.
“Checking me out darling?”
I heard the amusement in his voice. My eyes lift from his dominant and chiselled chest, looking him in the eye. “Just wondering,” I said keeping my expression innocent.
“About?”
“How many times…”
He arched his eyebrows for me to continue.
I go up on my elbows, one of my hands going to his chest. “How many times you imagined taking me out of this dress?”
His expression darkened. “Ripping it, shredding it, unzipping it, peeling it off. Trust me baby girl, I’ve gone through each scenario.” He leaned down, his mouth going to my ear. “You do crazy things to me darling.”
As I stared up at him. I couldn’t help the sharp inhale. “Right back at you baby.” I managed to get out before his lips were back on mine.
Just when I thought we had reached the point of him taking my dress off, he pulls back.
“I’ve got something for you,” he says while reaching over the bedside drawer pulling out a box.
“You bought me something?” God even saying the words sounded wrong. Cage didn’t buy gifts. Well, apart from one hell of an expensive car.
“Saw it and it reminded me of you.” He had a jewelry box in his hand. It was a long rectangle shape. He popped it open. A beautiful long bracelet which had to be made of white gold had diamonds decorated along the band.
“It’s beautiful,” I said barely managing to get the words out. As he unclipped it from its case he wrapped it around my wrist, clipping it together.
“Just like the owner.” His words were so soft, and sweet.
It was me who closed the gap between us. My lips crashing on his.
They say lies tear us apart. That lies can ruin the life you thought you had. Because that’s all it is, a understanding of the world around you. When someone lies to you, it paints a different picture other than the other truth in your mind.
Tears rolled down my cheeks, as I reread the information. It was a homicide investigation into my father’s death. There was prime suspects. But all the information including a statement from an informant, stated that the club killed my father.
Cage’s bedroom door opened, and I looked up. It then hit me, so quickly that I nearly choked on the air in my lungs. The woman. The one that gave me this information. Was the police officer. The same one that I saw in Cage’s bed… and just when I thought my heart couldn’t bleed anymore.
He knew.
He fucking knew that the club killed my father.
When the woman said they wanted her to stay quiet, I knew now that it was Cage who was the one keeping her silent.
It hurt that he knew. It hurt that he slept with her. But what drove the knife of steel through my relationship with Cage, wasn’t even that he lied. It was that he knew the truth, knew this would change my world, and he kept it from me.
“Autumn, what the hell is wrong?” he panicked seeing me. I rose my hands up, getting off the bed.
“I’m done.” I said the two words that I had never meant more in my life. Done with the lies. Done with the club. Done with my so called family. But more importantly, I was done with him.
He could have told me.
He could have…. Tears choked me. How could he keep that from me?
I went to leave, only to have him stand in my way. His dominant eyes locked on to mine.
“If you think I’m letting you leave this room, you are sadly fucking mistaken.” His voice had never scared me, but that sentence, his tone- scared the hell out of me.
Suddenly I realized I was trapped in the room with a murderous biker.
Chapter 8
CAGE
I saw the fear flicker across her eyes, and I realized now, while I was freaking the fuck out, I couldn’t let my anger
get the best of me. I was nobody before her, and I’d go back to being a nobody without her.
I couldn’t watch her move on.
I couldn’t watch her be with other men.
I couldn’t fucking live watching someone else have her.
Fuck, I had it bad.
But right now this position needed to be handled with care, and if I didn’t say the right fucking words in this moment, right now- she would run and I’d never see her again. Perhaps when I did she would be married and moved on. While I would be stuck in the past, clinging to what I had with her.
Okay Hurley, pick ya words wisely.
I realized now, that the only way to keep her here with me was to make her feel something for me and get her to feel that something over her current rage.
“I’m not innocent Autumn.” I never would say I was. I played a part in keeping that secret from her.
Her eyes hardened on me.
“I love you.” I cupped her cheek. Knew it was taking everything in her not to push me away. “The clubs actions aren’t my actions. I did that with the cop before I realized how much it would affect you.”
She was inhaling sharply and exhaling sharply. Had to take it as a sign, that she hadn’t left yet.
“Club life isn’t black and white, you know that darling.”
“You want me to accept the fact you killed my father.”
“I didn’t fucking kill him.”
She waved a hand at my chest. “You ride, will protect and die for the people that did!”
“What do you expect me to say?” I tilted my head, wondering what were the magic words to be said, for her not to give up on us.
“I don’t expect you to say anything. I expect you to let me go.”
I chuckled. “Darling, I ain’t letting you go.”
“Kidnapping me?”
I took a dominant step towards her, and she went to take one back away from me, when my hand landed on her back, forcing her to stand still.
“You saying you don’t love me?” I challenged her. “You saying that you’d rather walk out that door and never see me again. Forget what the club did. That shit ain’t on me. This is you and me, and I need to hear you say you love me. Because that will influence my next decision.”
I lived a period without her, managed to end up fucked up with The Severed Sons. She had no idea the power she had over my life.
Her hand went to my cheek. Feeling her touching me sent delight across my skin. She had to know that I wouldn’t let anything happen to her. I thought her hand on my cheek was a good sign, but then I looked into her eyes and I realized – I lost her.
TWO MONTHS LATER
Autumn
I lit up a cigarette while I thought about life. Some decisions you make. Some decisions make you. I watched Nate unload the truck at the back of the gym with my latest shipment of ‘gym equipment.’ Which Fate and I were going to spend a good few hours pulling apart to get the drugs out.
Fate stood to my side.
I knew what was happening.
But I couldn’t stop it.
I was beginning to see grey. The business I ran, I knew two gym members had overdosed from the cocaine. But my care factor was at zero.
In some ways finding out that the club had killed my father, had numbed me. If not killed the person I was, and now I had risen from the ashes.
“Wanna explain the new quantity amount?” Fate asked, before stomping out a cigarette.
I didn’t trust anybody with my plans, blowing out a mouthful of smoke, I looked at my cousin. Knowing blood could be trusted. “I’m expanding gyms. Bought one on the other side of town. Planning on renovating it.”
“How you afford that?”
I cracked a smile. “Got smart and realized the bank likes to use titles to give out money. This one is in my name, so I used it to back me.”
Fate shook his head. “The club owns this Autumn.”
“The club won’t come near it.”
He wanted me to explain.
“Let’s just say, the club is keeping it’s distance from me. Now let’s start getting the drugs out of this equipment.”
I flicked my cigarette to the curb.
Fate’s hand wrapped around my arm. “We’ve got a party tonight. If you are so certain that your ties are cut with the club, come hang with the gangsters for a bit.”
I didn’t know that little offer would change everything. After all being cold was one thing but having that encouraged was another.
Chapter 9
CAGE
“There is someone at the gate.” Lit’s eyes were on the monitors. I looked up, seeing a figure trying to get in. Lit grabbed the baseball bat.
“I’ll go.” I volunteered because Lit had already assaulted one drunk this week. I pushed open the clubhouse door, walking to the gate. The wind from the cold night, whipped across my body.
Opening the side gate, a slim body tumbled in, and I caught her before she hit the ground.
Her scent hit me. But it was tainted with the smell of weed and liquor.
“Opps sorry.” She slurred and she turned in my arms, her eyes widening. “Cage.”
“You’ve been drinking.” Wasn’t a fucking question. It was a statement. “You know you can’t drink.”
She was leaning on my shoulder, taking her heels off. And unbalanced on her feet, she went to walk past me.
“Autumn!”
I went up behind her, just as she tripped over her own damn feet and I caught her. Scooping her up.
“I’m tired.” She blew into my chest.
She might be tired but she was also off her face on weed and liquor.
“God you smell good,” she murmured. Knew she was drunk but it still made me feel good hearing her say that.
“Come on let’s get you inside.” I walked her into the clubhouse.
Sad thing? This wasn’t the first time she had showed up in this state. Normally she was worse. I knew she was partying with N and F’s crew. She had changed. She wasn’t the carefree loving girl now.
Jacob didn’t know what she got up to, neither did Hawk. As for me, she would have a conversation with me, but that was about it. When it came to the club and her, she had pulled right away.
Jacob didn’t know she knew about her old man, she hadn’t told a single soul apart from me.
“Another big night I see,” Hawk said when I walked in carrying Autumn, who had passed out in my arms. He looked at her then me. “Starting to get worried about her.”
“You and me both Prez.”
I walked her up the passage, she still let me have a key to her room. So I unlocked that balancing her, and then placed her on the bed.
She was so close as I lowered her to the bed, then my eyes ran over her. Something was wrong. But what was it? I hadn’t been this close to her in some time. I then realized perhaps it was the makeup, she never really wore makeup.
Then I saw the tint, it was barely visible. I could only see it because I was so close. I licked my thumb then ran it over her jaw and the bruise came to light. She sighed and stirred rolling over.
Why the fuck would she have a bruise on her jaw? Did she have a boyfriend that was abusing her? What the hell was going on with Nate and Fate’s crew. Something was off and I was going to get to the bottom of it.
Autumn
“Vomit or pass out?”
“Vomit.”
“I’m going with pass out.”
I gritted my teeth hearing Fate and Nate going back and forth. I wasn’t passing out, nor was I going to vomit.
“Give you twenty if she passes out.”
“Make it fifty and you have a deal.”
I continued to ignore them while doing my reps. Then as I lowered the weight down, to do the last set, my stomach started to twist.
Fuck. I had done it again. I rushed to the side grassy area emptying my stomach of my protein shake.
“I knew she would vomit over passing out,” Fate said.
&
nbsp; I was panting, bending over. Whose fucking idea was this again?
A firm hand patted me on the back and I leaned back up. Looking at Fate I wasn’t sure what else to say. “I have never been this unfit in my entire life.”
“Well you’re twenty next week, think ya starting ya twenties fit and healthy.”
I scoffed. “Fit would mean I could complete my workout.”
“Come on Autz that workout was what you did when you were in prime shape and a hell of a lot younger,” Nate said and my eyes sliced into his.
“You calling me old?”
He raised his hands. “And this is when I’m going to tap out.”
I was basically blowing fire as I watched him walk away from their gym set up.
“You know what I find amusing?” Fate said to my side, I gave him a look to continue. “That you own gyms but train in our backyard.”
“I work out in the gym.”
“Not like you do here. You go into beast mood.” He gripped my chin, turning my head to the side. “Fuck she got you good the other night.”
“I know I want a rematch. I had to get stoned and drunk to surpass the pain.”
He cracked a grin. “How did the club take you coming home bruised, high and drunk?”
I shrugged. I wouldn’t admit that I had slipped away this morning before anyone woke up. My eyes dropped to my wrist, seeing that scar. The pain was a good feeling, meant I was alive.
“Does Jacob know you are fighting again?”
I paused. Up to when the depression hit, I was in trained boot camps, weekend fights in competitions had been my childhood. I was always the underdog because I was the little blonde who they thought couldn’t throw a punch.
My undefeated record soon taught them to shut up before talking shit to me. I was little, but I was also quick. My cardio was letting me down, as well as my strength.