by Zara Teleg
“Tiny just loaded up cases in the coolers. Can I get you a Witcher’s Way?” she asked, gesturing to the giant coolers lined along the wall.
“That’d be great,” I accepted with a smile. Juliet remembered. She handed me a frigid bottle and popped off the top using a bottle opener on her key ring.
“Wow, you carry an opener. I like that.” I grinned in approval as I watched her shove her keys back into her tiny shorts pocket.
“I don’t have it just to run around and open beers,” she laughed. “My favorite ginger Kombucha from the farmer’s market has a pop top, and too many times I had to wait until I got home to drink it. I’m very impatient.”
“Good to know,” I nodded before our conversation was interrupted.
“Juliet, I need help!” Ivy, who had a full-on biker chick outfit, called as she rounded the corner.
Ivy was quite the opposite of her best friend. She ran her long red, white, and blue nails through her hair as she complained about the heat wearing off her makeup, which would have been a good thing, in my opinion. She played with the small piercing in her eyebrow, which glinted in the sun. When she turned around, her tank revealed her wing tattoos, which covered most of her back. These two were total opposites.
“Hey, sweetie,” Juliet replied to her friend, “how can I help?” After Ivy blurted out several instructions, Juliet nodded and turned to me. “Well, I guess I’ll see you later?” she said, hopeful. Ivy took her hand and dragged her into the clubhouse where large foil-covered trays were brought out to a makeshift buffet. The girls made trip after trip and soon there was food on all the tables lined up.
After a while, when most people had had their fill, I made my way to the buffet where Ivy and Juliet were in line. I asked about the food on her plate. “Veggie burger,” she answered with a grin. She added corn on the cob and roasted potatoes to her plate. I watched as she piled the burger high with all the fixings before sitting down at one of the picnic tables. Ivy, Hawk, Leo, and Shelly were already seated there.
“Rage, are we partners again in the horseshoe tournament?” Hawk asked. “You know we can take ‘em all again this year. I heard Kai invited a ringer to team up with him. He was so pissed at Ledge last year when he got too drunk to even hit the pin.” He laughed as he remembered that fiasco.
“Wow, you guys take this stuff seriously,” Ivy said.
“Hundred bucks and the trophy that gets passed down each year. Our dads started it way back, and it’s been a tradition ever since.” Hawk explained. “Rage and I used to play in the weekly league at The Ridge before he relocated. Shit, we should totally do that again.”
Taking a long draw from my beer, I nodded. “Sounds good,” I said, still watching Juliet digging around her plate.
Ivy began to get up from the bench, but Hawk pulled her back down in between his legs. She giggled, “I was only getting dessert.” He pouted his bottom lip. “Could you get me more potato salad?”
Hawk’s next words got my attention. “Juliet, you still coming into the studio this week?” He asked, sticking his fork into the large portion of potato salad that Ivy just put in front of him. “Thanks, doll.”
“Yes, as long as Thursday is still good for you.” Juliet licked the barbeque sauce from her fingers. I almost grabbed her hand and did it for her.
“You know, I’ll always make time for you, babe. Drop the sketch off Monday.”
I interrupted, “You’re having work done?” I turned to Juliet.
“Yeah. A few years ago, I had my sister draw me a Tree of Life. I have always wanted to get it tattooed, so I showed Hawk a picture and he said he would do it.”
“Fucking right I did, and it’s going to be amazing. Just like your hamsa!” He smiled, proud of his work. I just glared at him.
“And,” I cleared my throat, not liking the thought of his hands on Juliet, “where is this new ink going?” I asked, sounding more annoyed than I wanted it to.
Her words were low, practically a whisper, “Uh…on my pelvic bone.” She fiddled with a napkin, tearing at it as she spoke.
“Your pelvic bone?” I said slowly, my eyebrows were probably on top of my head. I could not believe what I just heard, probably because of the steam that must have been coming out of my ears. The thought of Hawk inking her, with her pants down, showing him all that beautiful skin.
“I had an accident a few years ago, and I want to cover up the scar.”
“No,” I said flatly. The word just came out.
All sets of eyes looked at me as the conversations stopped.
“Did you say no?” she asked, but I could tell, what she really wanted to ask was, “Who the hell do you think you are?”
I shrugged my shoulders. “I just think, you know, you should…think about it longer, so you’re sure you won’t regret it someday.” Smooth. Nice save, jackass.
“Dude, not cool.” That’s all Hawk said as he shook his head and threw a cherry tomato at me.
Thankfully, that was the exact moment Kai joined us. I was relieved to change the subject, although I would be talking to Hawk later. There was no way he was touching her skin without me present.
Kai set his plate on the table while he made room for himself to sit. He straddled the bench, squeezing into the last spot next to me at the end. Kai’s plate was covered in pie with only enough room for the scoop of ice cream on the side.
“Geez, big enough piece of pie?” I said to him as he shoveled a large bite into his mouth.
He licked his fork seductively. “It’s Juliet’s pie,” he said with a devilish grin. Ivy smacked his shoulder.
I shot him with a deadly look. He raised his hands in the air, surrendering. “What? She made the pie.” He turned to her and said, “Babe, it’s the best blueberry pie I’ve ever tasted.” He winked at her as he shoveled another bite.
Shelly agreed as she tried hers, “Wow, this has a flavor I can’t quite figure out. Damn, it’s amazing, girl. You need to share the recipe.”
Juliet looked appreciative of all the compliments. “Thanks, guys. The secret is just a little freshly grated nutmeg. Not many people use it, but that’s how my grandmother taught me.” Juliet smiled, happy they were enjoying it.
My stomach leaped at her words. My mind flashed back to Preacher James’ bake-off when I was a kid. Preacher James loved Grandma’s blueberry pie; he used to keep it for himself and say, “I bought it and it’s just for me.”
“Stella, you have to tell me. What do you put in this that makes it so special?” Preacher James asked Grandma, but she just shook her head no.
“Please,” he begged.
Her finger went to her lips, the universal sign for “be quiet.” She looked around, making sure no one could overhear, and continued in a hushed voice, “Don’t give away my secret, but, it’s the freshly grated nutmeg.”
I shook my head, clearing the memory before a grabbed a fork. I looked at Shelly’s dish.
“One bite?” I asked.
She narrowed her eyes at me. “A small one. If you want some, better hurry. There’s a line forming. It will be gone soon.”
“What?” Juliet craned her neck. “I made six. Last year I made three, and they went so fast, so I thought six would be enough this year.”
I slid Shelly’s plate across the red, white, and blue tablecloth. I dug my fork into the crumbly top crust, through the thick layer of blueberry filling, and then into the flaky bottom crust. My mouth watered as the fork came to my lips.
Memories were like sparklers firing off in my head as the single bite took me back to my childhood. It was exactly like I remembered. I tried to be casual as I turned to the group, waiting for my verdict. I just smiled and said, “Yeah, it’s amazing. Where did you say the desserts are? I’m going to get some before they’re gone.”
Great, just great, as if I needed another reason to fall a little deeper into the web that was Juliet.
Juliet
I smiled and waved as soon as I saw Rage enter the pavi
lion. He licked his lips, running his hand through the damp dark curls as he took me in, his eyes traveling up and down like he’d never seen me before. I could feel the heat traveling through my body as I went near him. I gave him a cold beer, but we weren’t more than a few sentences in before Ivy was calling for my help.
I saw him a few times before we finally took a break to eat, noting the number of women who flocked around him, asking him for help with something. When Rage joined us at the table, I couldn’t help but watch him the whole time. His cheeks were stained red from the sun. I tried to keep up with conversations around me, but I was quite distracted by the massive man who was taking up more space in my brain than I wanted him to. I nearly choked when Kai teased about my pie and Rage got pissed. It made me feel good that he was a little jealous.
Something came over his face when he tried the pie I made. At first, I thought he didn’t like it all that much, but then there he was, pushing his way through the line to steal the last pie plate. He got almost half a pie! He added a scoop of vanilla ice cream to it before digging in. He probably would have licked the plate had we not been there in front of him. I squeezed my legs together when he used his finger to swipe up the last of the blueberry and cream and licked it off.
I spent a few hours between getting to know some of the girls while the guys were in a competitive horseshoe tournament. I kept looking at the flat area that had four pits and a canopy with a keg surrounded by men. The clanking of the shoe hitting the pin could be heard between songs as the DJ played music and called out game results. The band was due to play at seven, so when everyone began to clean up the food area at six, I volunteered to help.
I enjoyed the afternoon, the kids bouncing, screaming, and running around everywhere. I got squirted with water guns twice. Ledge teased me about the screech I let out when the cold water met my flesh. It broke the grumpy mood he was in after Hawk and Rage kicked his ass in horseshoes.
The guys had put a lot of effort into making sure the club was super family friendly today. Everyone was at ease and just enjoying a day of fun. I always felt safe here among the MC. It was nice having a feeling of complete safety, like nothing could hurt you when you were around them.
Hawk and Rage were at a distance, next to the DJ, accepting their trophy as the other guys grumbled about their losses. When the DJ announced them as winners, a few women ran straight to them offering their congratulations, bouncing around and pulling on their arms.
Unbelievable. I shook my head and got back to folding the last two tablecloths and clearing away trash. I was looking forward to hearing the band. I was planning on heading to the area near the stage to set up a spot after cleaning up.
I held two large heavy green bags in my hands, ready to discard them. I felt his presence before the deep voice behind me asked if I wanted help. Rage took the bags from me, and we walked them to the overflowing dumpsters behind the kitchen.
I leaned against the tall white fence, kicking my leg back while I watched him organize some of the boxes and bags.
“Congratulations on winning the tournament. I hear you guys didn’t lose a game.”
“Nope. We’ve always played great together. I could never find a partner as good as him in Tennessee.”
“Hey, do you happen to have a blanket we can put on the lawn for the band? I left mine in my jeep. I meant to get it before we left and forgot.”
“Yeah, I have something. Give me ten minutes to clean up, and I will meet you down on the lawn by the band.”
“Okay, I’ll grab some beers and find us a good spot.” I bent down under his arm as he held the heavy door open.
I was glad I had chosen to wear my Chucks and not the wedge sandals that Ivy had wanted me to. “Suffer for beauty” was her motto. That and “fashion first.” The hill was full of divots that would have certainly had me twisting an ankle. Groups of people had already scattered across the lawn in chairs and on blankets. Farthest from the stage, a large pile of wood looked ready for the bonfire. There was a table set under a tent with boxes of graham crackers, marshmallows, and a cooler marked Chocolate. In front of the tent was a large sign that read Smores. Attached to the table was another sign that said Find Your Own Stick. I smiled watching the kids that were scouring the area, running back and forth with twigs and branches, asking their moms if they were good ones.
Distracted, I didn’t see the man next to me. My arm bumped him, spilling a little of his beer from his red plastic cup.
“Excuse me, I’m so sorry,” I said, slightly embarrassed.
The man stepped back and whistled as he took me in. A pair of ocean blue eyes met mine; a smile appeared on his sun-kissed face. He reminded me of a surfer, with his dark blond hair cropped close to his head, the sides shaved short, and light blond highlights filtering through. His shell necklace and shark tooth that dangled between his pecs completed the look. He wore his cut over a bare chest; it matched his black jeans.
Where the heck did they find these guys? Did they have ads at modeling agencies? Hot bikers wanted, call Stained Souls MC today! I laughed to myself as he extended his hand.
“I’m Ace, darlin’.” He extended his hand out. “What’s so funny?”
“Sorry, I just remembered something,” I blushed. “Nice to meet you, Ace. I’m Juliet.” I accepted his hand, and being the charmer he was, he took my hand and kissed it.
“Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
Reading his cut, I noticed it was different from Rage’s. Ace’s read Tallahassee Chapter under the Stained Souls logo. I felt a tiny bit of panic to see Tallahassee.
I stumbled for words, “So…You’re all the way here from Florida?”
“Yes, ma’am, a few of the brothers from my chapter come to the run every year. I couldn’t make it last year, but happy to be a part of it today.” His eyes roamed over my body as he spoke, then he sent me a flirtatious smile.
“So, Juliet,” he said, tilting his head with a sexy southern drawl, “are you looking for a seat?” He pointed to a blanket and empty chairs between some men surrounding a cooler, all wearing the same Tallahassee rocker on their cuts. They tipped their drinks toward me when I looked over to them.
“I would be happy to have you join me.” He winked and offered a wide smile of straight white teeth.
A large shadow fell from behind me, blocking the late afternoon sun. “She has a seat,” grumbled the deep voice that belonged to the shadow. I winced when I heard the annoyance lacing his tone.
“Rage, hey, man,” Ace extended his fist. Rage seemed irritated but still extended his arm to meet Ace’s fist. “It’s been a long time, how ya doing?”
“Ace, I see you’ve met Juliet.” He pulled me to his side.
I bit my lip, feeling somewhat uncomfortable. Ace looked from Rage to me and back again. He gave him a chin lift. “Can’t blame a guy for trying,” he said with a wink.
Rage handed me the blanket, pointing to an open space. I began laying it out as the two men caught up.
I placed the small cooler I filled with drinks down on the corner of the blanket. We had a great view of the stage that wasn’t so close to enormous speakers.
I couldn’t contain my smile. I was so excited to see Rebellion play again. Live music in the open air was one of my favorite things. How did they get these guys to play at such a small venue compared to where they usually play? It must have cost the club a fortune. As if reading my mind, Rage sat on the blanket crossing his long legs, watching the stage.
“Lucky for us, one of the guys in Rebellion has a brother in the MC,” he aimed his beer to the stage, pointing out the man with the cowboy hat behind the drums. “Grayson, the lead singer, and his baby brother, Blake, and I became good friends in Tennessee. We even jammed together a few times at the local bars.”
I could picture him on stage handling his harmonica and making all the girls swoon. A pang of jealousy formed in my chest at the thought.
“Ivy and I went to see them in Black Rock tw
o years ago; they were fantas—”
The tuner made a loud screech, bringing everything to a halt as people covered their ears.
Grayson’s gravelly voice was heard on the mic, “Sorry, folks. Y’all ready for a good time?” He held his guitar in the air as people cheered.
The first set lasted an hour. My body was dying to get up and dance, but I didn’t want to abandon Rage. I was enjoying the feel of him playing with my hair, twisting it around his big fingers. The last of the blazing sun was setting over the stage, the sky full of red and pink streaks with deep purple clouds separating the colors. I held my hand in my face blocking the intense light as a slightly drunk Ivy came and stood before me, holding a tray of fancy shots. She pushed two my way.
“Drink these,” she slurred. “Tropical Sunrise. They taste like Florida! They are refreshing,” she yelled over the music, holding one of the shots high in the air.
I looked at Rage, who seemed annoyed. Screw it, I thought, as I downed the drinks. It’s been a long, hot day.
The band was performing a mix of covers and originals. We sat enjoying the music and laughing for the next half hour. Ivy had her head resting on my lap and her eyes closed as she hummed along, tapping her foot to the beat.
The sky was almost completely dark when the band came back from a short break and began their next set. Lights flooded the stage, making it glow in colors. Grayson came out and introduced a woman on stage for the next song. The music started, and Ivy jumped up screaming as the woman began singing one of her favorite songs. Carrie Underwood’s Un-do it. She was up on her feet, dragging me up along with her.
“Jules, come on, we gotta dance.” I laughed at her as I accepted her hand and we both nearly fell over. It was not often that I got out to see bands and I was growing envious of the sea of women dancing. I waved a small bye to Rage as we ran through blankets and chairs to reach the stage.
It didn’t take long before nearly every woman there filled the grassy area, dancing and singing along with the woman’s powerful voice. We all repeated the words in the chorus as she turned the mic toward the crowd.
