by Addison Jane
“I’m off duty, but I’ll be back in a few hours,” I told him as I continued digging through my old clothes at the bottom of the closet.
“Such a shame, ‘cause your ass looks damn fine right now.” He groaned, and my whole body stilled. Shit. “Come find me when you get back in ‘cause I’m dying to get my hands on it, but Kev has been fucking greedy with you lately.”
“Yeah, sure.” His heavy footsteps retreated down the hall, and I could already feel my sister’s dark glare. “Don’t judge me, Em,” I said with a heavy sigh as I climbed up off the floor to face her. “I do what I do, things are different—”
“You let them have your body? Not just him? How many of them?” she asked, looking at me with a mixture of disgust and horror. “Sapphire—”
“That’s not my name!” I snapped, instantly feeling bad for getting worked up. But it’s hard not to when I’ve finally got her back, the one person who had my back growing up, and she’s sitting there looking at me like I’m a horrible fucking person.
“It’s filthy,” she hissed, turning her nose up at me like she’s a fucking princess.
“It’s life, Em. These guys treat me with respect, they look after me, and they protect me. Can you say the same about where we come from?” I challenged her, knowing full well the Brothers did more for me than the Colony ever fucking did. I took a deep breath. “I’m happy here. Because of the Brothers, I’m going to school. I have a job. I get to have fun and go on adventures and live my life the way it was meant to be lived. And now I have my sister back, I want to share it all with her.”
I saw her processing what I’d told her. The thing about Emerald was she liked to have facts, she liked to have information before she made decisions about anything. The girl was smart, so advanced for her age that while most of us went to school until ten, they pulled her out at eight because she’d already learned what they needed to teach. It was the reason why we always tended to get into trouble because the both of us were continually asking why.
Finally, I let out the breath I was holding when her mouth turned up in a gentle smile. “School you say?”
I inhaled sharply as Dice slammed into me, filling me to the point where I could almost feel his cock in my throat.
Dice was new to the Athens chapter, he’d transferred here from Vegas—hence his name—so he could be closer to his mother who was very sick and lived not too far away. I wasn’t sure how long he would be here, but I was making the most of his company while he was around.
The man knew all the right buttons to push to set my body on fire, and right now I felt like he’d lit a match inside me and I was about to explode.
He braced his body above me, my legs curled tightly around his waist, and my hands threaded through his long blond hair that hung down around his shoulders.
“Shit!” I cried out as he pushed with another powerful thrust, enough to make my body bow off the bed and throw my head back. He took advantage of my exposed neck, ducking his head and taking the sensitive skin in between his teeth.
I moaned loudly. The sharp sting of his teeth and the increasing speed at which he was pounding his cock inside me came together detonating my orgasm.
“Yes, God, yes!” I groaned, my body shuddering and quaking beneath him.
“So. Fucking. Good.” He grunted as he slammed away inside me. “Like a damn vise,” he hissed, and with one last forceful thrust, his body shook while he pressed himself deep inside my pussy, holding there, stretching me to my max and almost setting me off again.
I held on tightly, both our bodies covered in sweat after what was a heavy and hard session. I knew I’d possibly have bruises on my ass tomorrow from his fingertips and sore muscles from the way he had twisted and contorted my body for his pleasure, but holy hell it felt amazing.
“Shit, baby girl.” Dice laughed as he pulled back, hovering over me with a gorgeous smile. I couldn’t help but laugh at the cute nicknames he used for all the woman around the club—club girls and old ladies alike. He was a real charmer and had the pretty boy smile, the bad boy tattoos, along with his deep husky voice which was enough to make any woman melt on the spot.
He was also sweet, respectable and not a total asshole. I guess that was why he fitted in so well here. Sure, some bikers could be obnoxious, misogynistic douchebags—I’d had to screw my fair share of them when friendly clubs and other chapters were in town. But for the most part, the Brothers by Blood treated their women well, or at least, they treated them how they deserved to be treated.
There were a few girls here who were out to be bitches and start drama, and in turn, the boys tended to stay the hell away from them unless they were really desperate for a piece of something.
Dice leaned over and pecked me on the lips, before pulling out of me and climbing off the bed. I watched as he snatched off the condom, tying it and tossing it to the waste basket, then in one fluid movement he pulled on his jeans, no briefs, totally commando, before dragging his cut on over his naked shoulders and grabbed his shirt up in his hand.
I propped myself up on my elbows as he headed for the door.
He turned and looked over his shoulder, flashing me a model-worthy smile. “Think I might really like it here,” he said with a dramatic wink, making me giggle and shake my head.
“Welcome to the club,” I replied, wiggling my eyebrows.
His laughter was deep and throaty as he pulled open my door and headed out into the hall. “One hell of a welcome, sweetheart,” I heard him say as he pulled the door shut behind him and I collapsed back onto the bed, inhaling deeply but unable to stop from smiling.
I loved that feeling you got after having great sex. It was euphoric and addictive, and I just wanted more and more of it.
Growing up in the Colony, as we got older, we were taught about the ways in which a woman was meant to please her husband. We were to keep the house orderly, we feed them when they were hungry, and we provided what the elders made seem like just another one of those services—our bodies for them to use as they pleased.
The catch?
We should never enjoy it. It was for them to gain pleasure from, not for us. If we were taking pleasure from sex, then we were being selfish as it should be preserved only for our men.
I shook my head as I climbed off the bed, a shudder running up my spine as I headed for the bathroom. I closed the door and turned on the shower, waiting impatiently for it to heat up so I could wash the sweat off my body and get clean, knowing I didn’t have long until the club meeting Optimus had demanded we all attend.
My muscles ached in the most delicious way as I slipped under the hot water, letting out a satisfied sigh as it trickled down over the curves of my body. I’d gone from a trapped young girl who was afraid to ever touch my own body in fear that I might like it, to a strong young woman who felt empowered and beautiful knowing I owned my own sexuality.
It had taken me a long time to reach this point though, and I’d had to go through hell to get here.
“You look so pretty, Sapphire,” my little sister Emerald gushed as she sat on the floor of my bedroom, staring up at me with wide eyes. The white wedding dress I wore had long lace sleeves with an elastic band that hooked over my middle finger. It cinched just slightly at the waist and then flowed outward with fluffy tulle and a lace overlay. “I hope I look as beautiful as you on my wedding day.”
I was the eldest of my father’s daughters, the first to be given away.
It was customary for this to happen anywhere between the age of sixteen and eighteen, but I honestly hadn’t expected it so soon. I thought I’d have more time, and now, my time was up.
Tomorrow was my wedding day.
The man in question was, a forty-two year old man who already had five wives and thirteen children—his eldest the same age as me.
My stomach churned. His daughter and I, we were friends, we grew up together, and now I was to be her father’s sixth wife?
This man was almost the same age as m
y own father.
Young women were always given to older men, they were meant to take over our father’s job of turning us into a respectful lady. You belonged to your father until you belonged to your husband.
In my case, had I been offered into the life of a man my age. A man who I could see myself growing old with, who looked at me as if I was important and not just another tick on his sheet to get him through the pearly gates. Maybe I would have found some kind of escape from the hell I endured under my father’s roof.
With that thought, I reached up and lightly touched my cheek, the area still tender and slowly beginning to yellow as the bruise faded. It matched the ones my father had given me hours after he hit me across the face.
Those were for disobeying him and making him look like a fool to the progression.
The Colony did not believe in makeup on any normal day, only for days like weddings where we were expected to look our most beautiful for our husbands. For the last week, I’d worn my bruises as a walking advertisement for what happened when we argued with our elders’ decisions.
“You still look pretty,” Emerald whispered, her eyes darting to the door where I knew our mothers and women from the Colony were in the large kitchen, beginning to prepare a feast for the five marriages that were to happen the following day. “I just can’t believe you’re getting married.”
I didn’t let the words fall from my lips. Scared because if I said them out loud, someone would most definitely hear them and try to stop me.
Because there would only be one of two things happening tomorrow.
I would be far away from this place, hiding and making plans for a new life.
Or…
I would be dead.
There was no way I was getting married to that man, and if it meant going to hell, then so be it.
I palmed my chest, rubbing away the ache I felt inside.
I guess you could say I was one of the lucky ones.
My grandmother was seen as the Colony crazy lady. An example of how the world outside tainted the soul, given that she wasn’t born and raised inside those walls and had stories of the outside. The only reason she was there was because my father was her only living relative and only child. If she didn’t join, she would have been alone, and she would have missed out on the lives of all her grandchildren.
She sacrificed her sanity to be with us.
My grandmother taught me about history and fueled my love of science. When she died, I took whatever I could get my hands on before the elders destroyed it, which mostly consisted of hidden books, newspapers and her own personal diary, making sure that I held onto them and didn’t let my father know I had them.
If he’d known, he would have burned them, destroyed them, and then punished me for thinking differently than the way in which we’d been taught.
With my grandmother passing away a few months before the letter came announcing my engagement, there was nothing left for me at the Colony other than my brothers and sisters, who I knew were not ready to believe what I had to say.
So I ran.
I left that world behind, knowing I might never see my brothers and sisters again. And if I made it out, I would be classed as dead to them, cast out never to speak with my family again.
It was dangerous and scary, but I knew if I didn’t do it that my soul would slowly be suffocated, and those people inside the Colony would try to break me down and drown me in their teachings until I had no fire left inside and succumbed.
So I fought my way out.
I fought for this life I had now, one where I was able to make my own choices and had people behind me who would help me stand when I felt weak.
This was my family now, and I couldn’t wait to show Emerald just how beautiful the world could be when you were free.
There was a knock on the door as I was pulling on a clean pair of jeans, my hair still damp from my shower. “Coming!” I called out as I hopped around, trying to pull the jeans up over my ass and button them.
I pulled the door open to see Jess standing outside. “We need to go to the meeting,” she said simply.
“Yeah, I’m ready,” I answered, stepping out and pulling the door closed. We walked down the short hallway together, I could already see everyone filling the main room, waiting for Optimus to come and speak.
Jess continued to stand beside me as we found a place against the back wall. Jess and I had joined the club around the same time. I guess you could say we formed somewhat of a bond even though our personalities and aspirations were vastly different. Jess was a straight talker, and I often found her attitude around the club a little too brash, especially when it came to speaking to the other club girls.
She definitely didn’t hold back, and in all honesty, could be a total bitch.
But she’d never really been that way with me, or maybe it was just because I saw through the hard shell she’d created around herself, and had seen how caring and soft she could be behind closed doors. She’d been a friend to me when I needed it, listening late at night when I’d be worked up about college assignments or when the danger surrounding the club had become all too real.
She always managed to stay calm and collected.
While Jess didn’t go to school like me and some of the other girls did—working at the club as more of a way to get by until we graduated—she did do work online and had a pretty popular online fashion blog. The club allowed her to take time to work on it like a job or school, as long as it was done anonymously, and she never shared with her following, who she was, where she was, or what she actually did there. And as long as it didn’t interfere with her duties.
“All right, listen up,” Optimus called over the chatting crowd that had gathered, instantly making people shut their mouths and pay attention. I tiptoed up, seeing him standing over by the pool table, cradling one of his baby boys in his massive arms. “As you should already know, we’re heading out on a charity run the day after tomorrow. Attendance is compulsory unless already discussed with me.”
I sighed, happy that Optimus had warned us about this ride a couple of weeks ago as I’d had a paper due during the time we’d be away, and had to make sure it was finished early so I could hand it in this afternoon.
“Since the club girls are coming, here’s who you’ll be riding with. Any issues… I don’t give a fuck, suck it up,” Optimus continued before he listed off which girls would be riding with which brother. “… Jess, you’ll be with Camo, and lastly, Skylar, you’re gonna be with Eagle.”
I looked to my right and found the man in question staring back at me. I threw him a small smile, and in return, he nodded his head before turning his attention back to where Optimus was discussing how long we would be gone.
This would be interesting, to say the least.
I’d never really had any kind of interaction with Eagle other than to serve him drinks when I worked at the bar, and even then, the most he offered was the type of beer he wanted and a grunt in thanks.
While all the men who were part of the club were scary in their own ways, Eagle was the one that I found the most intense. I’d yet to see a soft side from him like I’d seen from the other guys. He always seemed so broody and unapproachable, even in the rare times where I’d seen him smile while chatting with his brothers or one of the old ladies.
“At least with Camo I know I’ll be getting laid,” Jess said with a snort, and I turned to look at her, noticing her gaze had been in the same direction as mine. She continued to watch Eagle as he listened intently to Optimus’ words. “Eagle doesn’t touch any of the club girls.”
I frowned. “I wonder why.”
Jess shrugged. “I’ve seen him with girls at clubs and shit, or on runs like these. So I know he doesn’t play for the other team.” I cringed slightly at her brash use of words and shook my head. “I think he feels like we’re below him,” she continued, narrowing her eyes on the man before looking back at me.
The crowd began to thin out as the mee
ting finished and Jess instantly skipped off, making a beeline for Camo. He turned and greeted her with a sexy smirk, delight in his eyes. I stayed where I was, allowing the chaos to die down around me before I made a move.
“Hey, Sky!” I smiled as Sugar headed toward me, a bright and energetic grin on her face. She looked great and had been really thriving since she and Wrench got back to the club. I’d watched over her store while she was away. Thankfully Optimus had cut my duties back for those few months so I could keep the store running, and also still attend classes without having to worry about being kept up all night by drunk brothers looking for a lay. Doing it all at once would have been far too stressful, but fortunately, Optimus and the boys are understanding and respectful of these kind of things.
“Are you looking forward to having a break away?” she asked cheerily. Sugar had booked me the time off so that I could go away with the boys. Har was still too young for these type of runs, so she had to stay behind with her and help Chelsea with the twins. “You’ve been working so hard between the shop, the club and school, you deserve some time out.”
I laughed. “I guess when you put it that way, yeah, it will be nice to get away for a little while. Even just the ride there and back will be peaceful,” I told her, butterflies starting to flutter in my stomach as I thought about getting on the back of a bike. Excitement washed over me. There was something about riding that made me feel… free. And that was a feeling I wanted to embrace as often as possible. “I’m a little worried about leaving Emerald though.”
Sugar didn’t seem surprised by my confession. By now news had got around about her, and I knew there were a lot of questions floating around the club about Emerald and me, and the place which we’d come from. I guess it wasn’t every day you met someone who’d made a run from a religious cult and survived.
That sounded a little dark, but for the most part, it was true.
I’d done the research myself, watching documentaries about other survivors and how they had managed to escape by the skin of their teeth, and even some about people who were allowed to pack their things and their families and just walk away.
