by Hope Stone
Ten seconds later.
“OMG! You have it! Can we meet near McDonald's downtown in the next few hours?”
“Sure I can meet you. I have a request though.”
“What is it?”
“Are you up for a coffee? I would love to spend some time with you.”
Twenty seconds later she responded.
“I would love that. “
“In 20 mins ok?”
“Perfect see you then.”
I showered and took the opportunity to shave up. Not bad for thirty-six. I held the strong jawline of my father. My ice-blue eyes came from my mother. Time to meet the Puerto Rican princess.
Merced in the evening had it going on. People were out doing their thing. A few other guys on bikes, I noticed. Ducatis. Harleys. All of this bode well for me. I took it as another sign I was in the right place. I would take her home in a heartbeat, that was how fine she was. I would override that voice that told me I needed to focus on the chapter first. No questions asked. If she was down so was I. I picked up my second helmet which I always carried with me and put it in my carrier bag on the back of my bike. I pulled up to the McDonald’s minutes later and waited. Cars moved in and out of the parking lot. it was only half full. The stars were out and shining bright. It was about nine o’clock. I watched as Misty stepped out of her Honda and made her way over to my bike.
“Hey. Thank you so much! I didn’t even know it was missing. Imagine if someone got a hold of it,” she gushed.
“It’s all good. In safe hands with me. I only spent ten thousand. You’ll be okay.” I broke into a corny grin. She laughed and lightly tapped my forearm in response. I was still sitting on my bike and resting there. Her touch made me want to drag her into me and take over her lips.
“You’re a funny guy, huh?” She tilted her head with interest.
“Sometimes.” A moment went by, the still cool of the night making me think she might be getting cold. She was dressed the same as when I saw her earlier. The McDonald’s light pole shone an amber light right on her pretty face.
“Soooo, do you want to get outta here and we can go grab a coffee?” I asked. She looked at me for a minute as if considering her options.
“I don’t know. Can I trust you? I mean—I don’t know you so well to be getting on the back of your bike.” The subtle pick-up of the wind had her moving strands of loose hair from her face.
“Sure you know me. I’m the guy from the diner who picked up your black card and returned it to you the same night,” I ventured. Shyly, she crossed her legs over and breathed out loud.
“Okay, you got me… Fuck it!” She gestured with defeat. “Let’s go. Get me to the coffee shop alive, okay?”
“You think I wanna get killed? I’m all about safety. Check back there, your helmet awaits.” I gestured to the back of the bike. A light hand pressed on the top of my shoulder as she maneuvered to sit behind me and I put my helmet on.
“I can’t believe you! How did you know I would want to get on the bike with you?” she exclaimed.
“Haha. I didn’t.” She didn’t ask me any questions. She knew about bikes, I could tell. No fear at all. “Do you know the rules?” I spoke through my helmet, turning side-on.
“For sure. Lean when you lean…and hold on tight,” she replied.
“Good lady. Let’s do this.” I flicked the plexiglass of my helmet cover down and waited for her to get situated. Her arms wrapped around me, her fingers splayed across my abdominals. My body responded with an increase of fire running through my veins. A few streets over, I pulled up. I saw an intimate coffee shop with dim lighting. We parked and entered. I opened the door for her like the gentleman I was raised to be. Soft jazz music played in the background with golden light enhancing the space. More like a lounge bar than a coffee shop. We found a spot near the front window that faced the street. We slid into the front and ordered our drinks.
“So are you from here?” she asked.
“No. I just moved here today.”
“Oh really? Why Merced?” she quizzed. The waitress came to our table not long after with our coffees.
“Why not?” I replied. “Why medicine?”
“Why not?” she retorted with a smirk. Sassy and could keep up with me. She was starting to tick a lot of boxes for me. “There you go with that funny guy business again.”
“You started it,” I challenged.
“No, really, why did you move here?” She didn’t let up about it. She possessed that fire in her eyes. I wonder if she had that same fiery energy in the bedroom. My dick was dying to find out.
“I wanted a fresh start to spread my wings. Plus, I think it’s a good place to ride.” As soon as I mentioned riding, her demeanor changed drastically. “What, you don’t like bikes? You seem to know your way around one,” I responded.
“I do for sure. I know a few people who ride.” Her eyes grew distant as she said it.
“Okay, that’s a good thing. Nothing like being on the back of a bike,” I said. Her hands were tapping the side of her cup and she appeared to be agitated by my comments. I switched it up.
“Do you have a special field you want to work in as a doctor?” Her eyes went dreamy and the mood shifted right side up.
“I want to be a cardiologist. To work on people’s hearts.”
“Admirable. I like it.”
“Just means I’m going to be in school for a loooong time.” She rolled her eyes.
“It sounds like it’ll be worth it in the end.” What didn’t she have going for her? But right now I had a firm no-strings policy. This one looked like she had some strings in her bag.
“For sure it will.” We skipped around the way of things, keeping the conversation light. My conscience was telling me not to take her back to my hotel room. The lady was trying to become a doctor, after all. I knew I would see her again. That was a given.
After some silence and staring out the window, I said to her, “Okay, little lady. Are you ready to go?” Misty rubbed her hands over her thighs. She was shivering a little even though she had a jacket on. I shook off my jacket and put it around her shoulders. Just me and my T-shirt left. Truthfully, I didn’t feel the cold that much.
“Here. Stay warm ‘til I get you back to your car.” I gazed into those cat green eyes. She beamed in appreciation.
“Thank you, you’re a gentleman.”
I paid at the counter and we headed out the door. I handed her the helmet I had for her. “One more time for the road.” Her sensual lips curved into a cute smile. Merced was a place this man could definitely get used to. The navy blue sky was lit up with stars for us as I enjoyed the freshness of the night air hitting my face. The parking lot lights were out when we got back. I let the engine die down and Misty got off.
“Thank you so much for tonight. I had a great time. You’re sweet.” If she only knew the wolf inside of me wanted to drag her back to my hotel bed. I let her run with it. She unzipped my jacket and gave it back to me.
“You’re welcome.” Goosebumps were raised on her arms. I could see them in the moonlight. I didn’t want to hold her up. “I won’t beat around the bush. I want to see you again.” She held my gaze in the moonlight.
“Let’s see,” she purred. The sexual tension was right here, hanging in the air. I didn’t move an inch. She stepped to the bike and I reeled her in with one arm. My lips sought out hers and made a deadly assault, opening the vault. She returned the intensity and our tongues explored. Her breasts pressed against me, making me want to lay her down on the bike. Before it got too heavy, I released her.
“How’s that for seeing?” I said huskily. She lingered, fingering my jacket.
“That works,” she replied, breathless. “You know how to find me, Diego.”
“No doubt.” Her sexy tight ass walked to her car, leaving me enthralled. Right on, Merced.
Misty
The next few days after meeting with the hottie Diego floated by. My feet felt like they didn’t tou
ch the ground. I was in such a euphoric place. My classes were not a problem, and any annoying lecturers weren’t an issue either.
Diego had shoulder-length dirty blond hair tied back. All tousled and wild like him. Rugged manly features and a face kissed by the sun. He had a three o’clock shadow, not five o’clock. His toned, thick muscular thighs and well-defined arms would wrap around me soon enough. I planned on it happening. Ever since I saw him sitting on his lonesome in the Black Bear diner. My study friends were salivating over him, but I was the one to approach. When I saw those piercing ocean-blue eyes, that cemented it for me. I had to go talk to him.
We had a date coming up, a day trip to Yosemite. I decided Diego was worth taking the day off for. My panties were wet just thinking about him. One thing was bothering me and it included my knucklehead brother.
“Hey, sis. What you got going on today?”
I grabbed my piece of toast as it popped up from the toaster. “I’ve got class. How about you?” I probed. His eyes were cagey, moving around like darts. He didn’t answer straight away. “Palo,” I asked again, expecting an answer.
“I gotta take care of some business, you know, then I’m heading into work,” Palo relayed softly.
I narrowed my eyes at him. “What kind of business do you need to take care of?”
Palo rubbed his shaved head back and forth, avoiding my gaze. “Business… Do you really wanna know?” he responded with his slight Spanish accent. I put my hand on my hip and blocked him from leaving the kitchen. The rage was building inside of me. My brother wasn’t that tall. He stood a few inches over me. But nothing that would make me scared of him.
“Yeah. I do. That’s why I asked you.” I glared at him.
“Look. I’m in the lead for the presidency. The vote is tonight,” he said with a guilty expression. Shockwaves ran through my system.
“What the fuck do you mean, presidency, mano? El Diablo just got murdered!” Palo had the same greenish eyes as me, except with more hazel accents. He tried to soothe me by grabbing my arm.
“Hey. I want to change things. The other guys listen to me. I can make it better. That’s part of my familia too. Just like you are.” My eyes welled up with angry tears. I didn’t want the same fate for my brother as El Diablo.
“You’re stupid! You’ll get killed! What have they ever done for you that’s so great, huh?” I pressed.
“Don’t start this mess again, Misty. You’re taken care of, aren’t you? I’m paying your way through medical school. Without the club, you wouldn’t have been able to get there,” he responded with passion. A wave of emotional guilt washed over me.
“Don’t you dare!” My Spanish fire raged in my blood, ready to burn him. “I would have bagged groceries if I had to so you didn’t have to be part of Las Balas. I never wanted your dirty money to cover me. You fool!” I spat back. His jaw clenched and he gritted his teeth. I didn’t care. My brother wouldn’t harm a hair on my head.
“I’m going to do what I want, when I want, and that’s just it. Hypocritical of you since you accepted the gifts from Carlos!” He came back at me. A low blow. The glare of try-me was written all over his face. I let it drop. Every time we got into an argument, it was about Las Balas. I had to focus all my energy on my studies, so I refused to go back and forth with him for too long.
“My thing is that...I’m scared because now I feel you’ll be a target. I didn’t know what Carlos was doing. But I didn’t ask either.” I softened. “Why can’t you understand that? Why now?” My spirit was vexed. Behind Palo was this sense of urgency that irked me. We were pretty close, but this time, hidden secrets were in the mix. I ate my toast and drank down my juice quickly. I didn’t want to be late for class. Palo kept rubbing his head.
“I’m sorry. That was wrong for me to say,” he sighed. “This club is a community though. We stand together; a few rotten eggs don’t mean we fall apart. I’m going to end up president. It’s happening.” His eyes were like a tiger’s. When he spoke, people listened. Ladies loved him as well. I waited, wanting to hear him out. “I’ll fix it. Make it right. I’m not about violence in the club. But sometimes you have to do what you have to do.” As soon as the animated version of my brother emerged, I got ready for a major speech. I crossed my arms, anticipating it. “El Diablo had to go. He put a black cloud over the whole club.” His arm reached out to span in a circle. “Now. Me.” He beat his chest with his fist. “I will be the man to restore us. All of my brothers will stand with me. Legit business dealings. Family rides. Helping the community. When we stand together, we can achieve much. We can move mountains. But divided, we fall.”
I paused. All of his points were valid. I let him continue:
“If we crumble now, the street hustlers win. We must crusade for the right causes, Misty. Just like you want to save lives, so do I.” That hit hard. I had no rebuttal.
“Two sides of the coin, aren’t we? Passionate about family,” I responded softly. His tight face softened, and he pulled me in for a hug.
“I love you, little one. I get it you’re worried. It’s going to be fine though. I swear.”
“Promise?”
He held out his pinky finger and tugged at mine. “Pinky swear.”
I smiled. “I can’t stop you, but know I’m not happy about it,” I grumbled. He chuckled and grabbed my cheek.
“I know. See you when I’m looking at you.” He winked and left me standing in the kitchen. I sighed and looked to the heavens, asking God to protect my brother.
I made it to anatomy class right on time. My study partner and African American friend Shauna squeezed in beside me. We were in the lab today, looking at anatomical models.
“Hey, girl! How are you? Did you end up getting your card back from Mr. Hottie?”
I fanned myself in response. She laughed.
“Yes, I sure did. And hottie is right!” We clasped hands together. We had about twenty people in our class and we were set to look directly at dead bodies and examine them. The life and times of a medical student.
“I hope the smell of formaldehyde doesn’t make me barf.” She held on to my arm dramatically.
“How the hell are you going to be a doctor if you can’t handle bad smells?” I threw back at her.
“Umm. Good point.” She wagged her finger at me. “Yep, I concur. Might be time for me to reassess.” Other students from our class rolled in and Mrs. Sinclair spoke.
“Hello, all my bright and beautiful med students. Today we’re going to go straight to matters of the heart. We are going to take a look at some healthy hearts and some not-so-healthy hearts.”
Shauna wrinkled her nose in disgust. I tapped her lightly. Mrs. Sinclair, a lady in her late fifties and the former head of a surgical ward, was someone I had respect for. I really wanted to pay attention to this class. She’d worked at one of the most renowned hospitals in the country.
“Put your gloves on at the front of the class and we’ll wheel them out one by one. I want you to dig deep today and tell me what’s wrong with each of them. Time to put all that theory into action,” she said.
I concentrated hard and was able to pick up most of the defects with each case and scenario presented. I missed a couple of things, but that was about it.
After class, I scrubbed the essence of dead hearts from my body. Sometimes it took a while to shake off the stench. Students poured out of the class one by one. Shauna and I stepped out and onto campus grounds.
“Hey!” Shauna grabbed my elbow. She had a lot of spunk and loved to party when she could, like me. “Why don’t we go to The Partition on Friday night? Get Rob, Celine and Michael to come with us?” she asked eagerly. I had my date on Saturday with Diego, so plenty of time to sleep in on Saturday and recover.
“Hell yeah! Let’s do it. They have the best cocktails there too.”
“I got class with Celine and Rob today and I’ll let them in on it.” Shauna beamed.
“Sounds like a plan to me for sure.”
“Hey beautiful. Checking in. See you at 10 this Saturday?”
“Looking forward to it. Heart emoji.”
“Wear your hiking boots!”
“Stilettos work?” I giggled out loud.
“That's for later in the night… devil emoji.”
My heart started to beat fast. I’d never seen anything like him. Pure power, I could feel it in him. Every fiber of my Latino being wanted to be taken over by him. The man was yummy. I made something to eat, grabbed a coffee, and resumed the books until midnight.
California brought on the sunshine and good vibes the next day. I had a bounce in my step and I knew Diego had a lot to do with that. Friday, as far as college was concerned, was my favorite day. A half-day. If I worked hard, my motto was to play hard. I’d seen and talked to my friends who’d made it through their residency and worked in the emergency room.
“Girl, we are on call twenty-four-seven. Make the most of your college days now.”
After arriving home from the day, I pulled out all my potential outfits that I wanted to wear. I FaceTimed Shauna.
“Hey, girl, what are you wearing? How about this one?” I asked as I put the phone on my dresser drawers. She put her nose close to the phone. I could see up her nostrils. She stepped back.
“Girl. No. I can see your va-jay-jay. Try again.” I stifled a laugh.
“You’re no fun. Okay, wait! Lemme see.” I held up a classy black dress with the shoulders cut out. She gave me a thumbs-up.
