by Terri Lane
She sighed, “I get that. I’m not running, and I ain’t making no promises about what goes on here. I got a few weeks to give my mother my honest opinion and then it’s up to her.”
“Well then maybe we should all go say nothing but good things about the place,” he mumbled before leaving the office. She could hear his footsteps as he walked further away but after the door to the bar slammed and there was an eerie silence.
Whitney got up from the desk and went into the kitchen. There was no one there. The guys that were supposed to prepping for the afternoon service were AWOL and the waitresses weren’t lacing up their boots and aprons. She poked her head out to see a bar full of bikers looking around, seemingly waiting for their orders to be taken, but the staff had disappeared.
The pounding of her heart against her ribs was deafening as she wondered what she was going to do. They were hungry, paying customers who needed to be served. Panic was beginning to set in.
Pulling out her cellphone, Ben was the first person she called. He answered the phone. What he said wasn’t reassuring. “Listen kiddo, I spoke to Dave, one of the fry cooks. Duke got the staff to walk out in hopes that you’d understand he was much better at running the place than you. Essentially he proved his point, but they won’t go back to work until Duke tells them to. Duke won’t tell them to unless you hightail it and your Mom signs things over to him.”
“What about you?” she asked, frantic.
“I’m on my way in already, but you know I only run the bar, right? We still need a staff to wait and cook. Other than a miracle, we gotta shut down for the day which won’t sit well with people. Just hold tight. I’ll make a few calls and see what I can do. Try to make nice with a few folks and get some help. Do you have any friends left in Cedar Breeze?”
“I’ll figure something out, just get in here,” she demanded and hung up. The last thing she wanted to do was run to Julian but she had little choice.
***
The Great Danes Auto Repair shop was only a few blocks away from the bar but still far enough that Whitney didn’t want to walk. Time was ticking and she needed to get to Julian as soon as possible. Abandoning her pride to speak with him was worth it just to stick it to Duke. He was purposely making her job difficult. Did he want the bar, or did he just want her to go back to school? It would be easier for him to talk her mother into anything if she weren’t there, that was the one thing she was certain of.
She wondered if Julian, or anybody else, was inside the shop. She hopped out of the car and made her way toward the first door she saw. The sound of machines tightening bolts, metal clanging, and sparks flying greeted her as she tiptoed around the shop floor. Men eyed her with grins and greedy eyes as she scanned the place for Julian. He was nowhere to be seen.
A man approached her in a dirty overall, smiling a sparkling white grin. “How ya doin sweetie? Can I help you?”
“I’m looking for Julian Danes,” she said, looking over the man’s shoulder, searching for a reason to get away from him.
“He’s a bit busy right now, under that truck over there, but I’m sure I can help ya if ya want.” He ran his tongue over his teeth, which made her skin crawl.
“No thanks,” Whitney shoved passed the man, heading for the pickup truck with a pair of legs sticking out underneath. The tinkering from the vehicle’s undercarriage wasn’t a foreign noise to her, but it didn’t do much for her patience.
One of his legs dropped and something crashed to the ground. A few curse words soon followed. She snickered and nudged him with her foot.
“I’m busy right now, Ed. That taillight ain’t even come in yet. Work on the Honda,” he barked.
Whitney sighed. “Well if I were Ed, I’d be mighty disappointed. But if you’re sending him away, I’m guessing you ain’t got time to help me either.”
He slid out from under the front end of the car with a peculiar expression on his face
“What are you doing here, Whit?” a smile spread across his lips, and she didn’t know why, but it felt good that he was happy to see her.
Putting her pride to one side, she smiled back at him. “I need your help. Is there somewhere we can talk?”
Julian led her to the small office near the back of the shop. The space was pretty clean in comparison to the rest of the garage. Whitney watched him grab a towel to wipe his hands and face off. He tossed his cap onto the desk, letting his hair fall to the sides of his forehead. She swallowed hard. She had almost forgotten how attracted to him she was.
“So?” He smiled at her again.
“Right.” Whitney shook off the fantasy of them being together, and told him the reason she had come to him. “The staff walked out on me.”
“What do you mean?” he raised an eyebrow, and leaned back onto the edge of the desk.
Her voice cracked. “I just came from the bar. Duke was holding a meeting. Marco was in the back office paying tabs of all things, but when I came out to open up for lunch the cooks and the girls were gone. I spoke to Ben, and he told me that they ain’t coming back until your father tells them to.”
“And you want me to do what exactly? Talk to my dad?” he said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. “You know how that’s gonna go over.”
“No, leave Duke to my mother. I want you to tell me if you know anyone who needs a job for the day. If they’ve ever flipped a burger or pancake, I need ‘em to come in ASAP!!”
“Calm down,” Julian grabbed her by the shoulders. “Those bikers ain’t going nowhere. Besides, no one else in this town will feed ‘em without a police escort in the building. I can loan you Greg, and I’ll shut down for an hour or two until you get the people you need to get the place going.”
“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Whitney’s words ran into each other and she threw her arms around Julian. His hands clasped behind her back, holding her for a minute longer than she expected and when she backed away to see his face she could see the look in his eyes. It was one she hadn’t seen in years, but its meaning was unmistakable.
The simple motion of his tongue moistening his lips sent chills down her spine, and the heat between them intensified. Her breathing hitched and her bottom lip quivered right before Julian took it into his mouth. He kissed her like they were lovers who had been separated by war and time.
Whitney fell deeply into the passionate embrace, forgetting that she was there to handle a crisis. Caution about the gossip mill flew into the wind. She no longer cared about their family ties. They belonged to each other.
Her tongue swirled around his passionately. It was a reminder that she was in desperate need of a man in her life, but no one she’d dated prior to this measured up to the way she felt with him. The air could have swept her off her feet as she ran her fingers through his hair.
It felt like an eternity had passed but Whitney finally got a grip and pulled away, gasping for air, “What the fuck? I can’t do this right now, Jules.”
He grabbed her by the arm before she could storm out of the office. “We have a lot to talk about. You can’t just leave like you did before. I only kissed you to prove to you, and to myself, that I wasn’t crazy for feeling as I do. You felt that. I know you did. Don’t run away from me again.”
“I’m not running,” Whitney’s eyes shot to the ground.
Raising her eyes up to meet his, she steadied her demeanor. “Okay, I am running but only to the bar. I really need to do this. I need Duke to see how wrong he is about me. I need for everyone to see that. I’m not running away from my family. I left before because of—”
Whitney could see the look in his eyes, pleading for an explanation. They were interrupted by the loud, cantankerous voice of Tara shrieking through the garage. Whitney’s shoulders slumped as Julian pushed past her and went out onto the shop floor.
“Where the hell is Marco’s bike? Why ain’t it ready Julian?” Tara screeched.
She saw him raise his arms in a placating gesture. “Take it easy, Tara. It’s getting a det
ail and polish. I’m almost done with your truck’s tune up. So, give me ‘til the end of the day and I’ll have it back to you.”
Whitney desperately wanted to stay in the office and be with Julian, but she needed to go down to the local hardware store to see if she could drum up some cheap labor. Her list of friends in Cedar Breeze was short, and the few she had were far away at school.
The town was small, and with The Shadows of Chaos practically running everything, it seemed even smaller; especially with Duke’s influence evident everywhere she went. It was almost like a tradition amongst the kids in Cedar Breeze. You only hung around if your family, was associated with the club. The few who weren’t associated with the club, stuck to themselves, on their side of town, and settled for peaceful country living. They didn’t bother anybody, and in return, no one bothered them.
The tension was thick enough for Whitney to feel it in her gut, twisting like a sharp blade. Rolling her eyes, and biting her lip, she stepped out where Tara could see her.
Those brown eyes shot to her, and her face turned almost as red as her hair, “What the hell are you doing here? Don’t you got a bar to ruin?”
“I was just leaving,” Whitney mumbled, as she quickened her pace toward the door. But something inside of her wouldn’t let Tara just scare her away. She slowed down as she passed Julian, grabbing his hand giving it a squeeze and kissed him on the cheek, in lieu of a thank you. It was enough to make Tara swear and to make Julian’s cheeks redden as she moved towards the door.
“I don’t know what you two got going on, but it’s disgusting! Cut it out and get back to work! Marco would hate to know that you’re wasting time on this nobody, when you should be spit shining that hog and delivering it on time.” Tara yelled. Then she dropped her voice so that only Whitney could hear. “Besides, if he knew what kind of helpful person you really were, he wouldn’t be dropping everything for ya, now would he?”
“Don’t,” was all Whitney could muster as she made her way out of the shop. Her courage disintegrated.
“Keep away from him, Whitney. Jules belongs to me.”
***
Julian stared at Whitney and Tara as they whispered to each other wondering what it was about. Whatever it was, it was enough to scare Whitney away. And then there was that kiss. He’d been waiting a long time for her to come home. They had so many unresolved issues, he was scared she’d run again before he could let her know how he truly felt.
As Tara approached him, he wondered if what he felt for Whitney was authentic, or if it was simply because Tara walked away.
“I see the way you’re lookin’ at me, Jules,” she smirked as she swayed her hips seductively and winked at him, “You’d better cut it out, before Marco cuts your eyes out.”
Julian pushed the image of him and Tara together from his mind. The last time was a few weeks before Whitney left. They had a cold cycle going, of dating, fighting, fucking, repeated. But Tara wanted to be queen of her domain, even if it was only the little ole town of Cedar Breeze. He knew that about her. He realized it the day the rumors started about her and Marco. It was hard for him to ignore and when his father refused to confirm or deny them, he knew they were more than just gossip.
“I ain’t lookin at you in any way,” he sighed. “I got my eyes on someone else.”
“Oh, is that so?” she ran her tongue over her teeth and then over her lips. “I think there’s a few things about that certain someone you need to know before you go fallin’ for her.”
“Oh, you mean certain things like I should have known you were screwing Marco while you were screwing me? Call me crazy, Tara, but it seems like you’re the last person to be telling me about someone else’s issues. But that’s not why you’re here. You’re here about the bike, and your truck, which will be delivered to Marco later today, as promised. And if you’re in that much of a pinch for some wheels, you can take the pickup. Just leave it at The Shock Bar for me to pick it up when I drop the bike off.”
Julian stared at Tara wondering if she was going to take him up on his offer. Sure enough she did. He led her into the office to fill out some paperwork on taking the truck out, so that if she wrecked it, it would be taken care of.
Taking a seat behind his desk, he thumbed through a stack of papers in the drawer searching for the form. Tara propped her tits on the top of the desk, practically letting them spill out of her top as she rested her face on the palms of her hands. The sides of her elbows did a miraculous job of keeping her breasts tight together forcing Julian’s eye to go straight to them when he finally looked up to talk to her.
“Just sign where I marked,” he told her.
Tara took a deep breath, her chest heaved slowly up and down. She looked down into her cleavage, before marking an x across her breasts, “And I’d like you to sign here.”
Julian shook his head, “Shit, Tara! Wipe that off!”
He fumbled around until he found the towel he’d wiped his hands off on earlier. She scrunched up her face, and sat back. “You’re not touching me with that thing.”
“Fine, whatever,” he sighed, “You explain to Marco why you have X marking the spot.”
“Hmm, that gives me an idea for a game we can play later,” her eyes travelled toward the ceiling.
Julian began waving his hands in the air, “I’m not going to go there.”
“Oh, I’m over you right now,” she smiled. “I was thinking of Marco marking the spot.”
“I’ve heard enough.” Julian stood up swiping the paper off the table. “Here’s the keys, leave them and the truck at the bar. I’ll get it in the morning, or whenever. Tell Marco, his bike will be delivered to his door by five.”
“Fine, but Jules…” she stood up and pressed herself against him while sliding her hand down his chest until she reached his crotch and grabbed firmly. “Don’t forget who your first love was. It would be a fucking shame to waste this good talent of yours on your sister.”
“I’ll take my talents where I like,” he said, coldly. He made sure to keep the chill in his voice so she knew he wasn’t joking anymore. Whatever was between her and Whitney, he had a feeling he was in the middle of it.
Asking Tara was out of the question. She only gave up information when it served her. Julian knew all too well how she operated. He’d end up with her in his lap, on his cock, before she told him anything worth knowing. He mulled over the idea of what could have possibly transpired between the two women for the rest of the day.
Between work and his ponderings, he gave up around six. The sounds of metal clanging, and tools turning ceased. Then he remembered he had failed to go over to help Whitney out at the bar. She hadn’t called him all day, perhaps she was mad. But after dealing with Tara, heading over to The Shock Bar was last thing he wanted to do.
With a heavy sigh, he took out his phone to see not a single missed call, nor any unanswered text messages. The moon was already out and he was ready to go home, but he didn’t fancy the five mile hike. He dialed a number, having the feeling that he’d soon regret it.
“Yeah Jules,” Duke answered. He sounded out of breath but Julian did his best to ignore it.
“Um, Dad, listen,” he sighed, “I’m down at the shop. Tara has the truck because I was working on Marco’s bike.”
“Oh yeah. Fantastic job on that, kid!” Duke exclaimed, glee in his voice. “Marco loves that thing, especially with the brightening up of his paint job. Superb son, superb.”
“You alright, Dad?” Julian asked.
“Yeah, why do you ask?” Duke chucked.
Julian laughed, “Well you just said superb, twice.”
“And? So fucking what? Are you mad that I learned a few new words? Do you think—I’m changing?”
“Dad, what the fuck is going on?” Julian wondered, hearing the odd pause.
“Me and Molly are nego—ow—, jeez that fucking hurt! Easy with the teeth, woman!”
“Never mind.” Julian hung up the phone before his father coul
d finish explaining himself. He thought about the kiss with Whitney. They had a lot to talk about. And he was sure it would start with an apology from him.
Julian wasn’t sure what to do. Should he wait for her to call him? He bit the bullet.
When Whitney answered the phone, he could hear the crowded bar behind her. “Yeah?”
“Hey Whit. You busy?” He laughed trying to make the conversation light.
“Yeah actually, the dinner rush just kicked in, what do ya need, Jules?” she asked.
“I was hoping to get a ride home from the shop. I’m kind of stuck here. Tara took my last truck for Marco to drive around in until his bike was done,” he said.
“Yeah, the bike’s a hit, and I don’t know where either of them are. I haven’t seen your truck, but the staff came back in!” she said excitedly. “If you give me half an hour, I can come after Ben comes back from his break. He can close up.”
“Yeah, great thanks.” He let out a breath of relief. “I thought you would have been mad that I didn’t show up today, after you left.”
“I would be if it was your job to be here.” She laughed. “But it’s not, and it was extremely selfish of me to just barge into your place of business expecting you to close up shop for me. You’ve always been dependable, even after all this time, I thought of you. So, give me a few minutes and I’ll pick you up. I owe you that much.”
Julian thanked her again before hanging up the phone. He wanted Whitney to be happy she was home, and for them to finally be free to see each other without Tara on the scene.
But he couldn’t help but think that the issues she and Tara seemed to have were because of him. He allowed Tara to manipulate him into a relationship only to find out she was dating him because she thought he was going to be a high-ranking officer in the Shadows.
The motorcycle club had a place in his heart. While he loved being around cars and bikes of all kinds, the politics, and often illegal activities, didn’t sit well with him. He’d told Tara his position on it, but for the first few months of their relationship, she tried to change his mind. Of course that didn’t work. Once she realized it wasn’t going to happen the way she wanted, everything between them deteriorated. Whitney was there for him, but only as a listening ear. That drove Tara crazy and eventually she stopped hiding that she was sleeping with Marco.
