I take a couple of tubs. Even with what he’s managing to carry there’s still more left. I do get carried away when I’m nervous, and nervous is an understatement for how I’m feeling today.
“Wow.” He studies the amount I’ve brought. “You cooked for an army, anyway.”
“Too much? We can leave some…”
“Never too much, darlin’. These will all be gone in a flash. Come on in. I’ll take you via the kitchen entrance so we can drop these off and I’ll find a prospect to bring the rest. Then I’ll introduce you to whoever’s around. After which,” he waggles his eyebrows, “I’ve got some etchings to show you, up in my room.”
I’d rather skip straight to the part where I’m showing off my own artistic skills to him, I tell him as we walk, making him laugh.
“Hey, like that look on you Skull. I suppose this is your Melissa who’s responsible for that?”
“Jeannie.” Skull raises his chin. “Yeah, meet Melissa. Melissa, Jeannie. She’s Bomber’s.”
“Bomber’s mine,” Jeannie corrects with a growl. “Pleased to meetcha, Melissa. What have you got there?”
“Muffins, cupcakes, some cheesy biscuits, er…”
Jeannie peers in for a closer look. “Christ, woman. You make all these?”
“She cooks when she gets anxious,” Skull replies observantly, making me realise he hadn’t been fooled at all.
As I’m about to protest that I may have been a little apprehensive about meeting these women today, Jeannie winks at me.
“Don’t blame you at all for feeling a little on edge. Bit daunting meeting all of us. Hey, Vi, meet Melissa, and look what she’s brought.”
Violet, Demon, the prez’s wife, I remind myself, my teeth worrying my lips. Got to stay on the right side of her. “Have a muffin,” I suggest. “Or a chocolate chip cookie.” Then want to slap myself around the head at my display of the limit of my conversation.
“I don’t mind if I do,” Violet smiles as she replies easily, opening up a tub. “Ooh. These look good.”
Another woman, well, teenage girl by the looks of her, walks in carrying a baby. “Theo’s good, Vi. I just changed him.”
“And this is how the club works.” Vi winks at me. “Someone’s always around to help with the messy jobs.”
“Messy it certainly was.” The girl twitches her nose, but she’s smiling. “I’m Jayden, Jay,” she introduces herself, still holding the youngster in her arms as though reluctant to relinquish him. “I love babies and I really don’t mind helping out.”
“When are you and Pal going to have one of your own?” Jeannie presses her.
“Got plenty of time to start a family.” Her eyes light on what’s on the table, and once again her lips curve. “I enjoy giving them back.” To make her point, she passes Theo to his mother, then starts opening containers and looking at the goodies I’ve brought.
Skull tugs my hand. “Want to meet Prez?”
No, but I suppose I have to.
“It’s alright. He doesn’t bite,” Vi tells me with a smile. “Well, not too hard, anyway.”
“I don’t think I want to know,” murmurs Skull, pulling me out of the room.
“They seemed nice,” I remark as he leads me across a room I view with interest. A couple of men are playing pool, completely engaged in their game, and not watching us. The whole of one wall is taken up by a bar, and there are matching sofas, chairs and tables. It’s better furnished than I expected a biker’s clubhouse would be. Strangely it smells of fresh paint and can only recently have had a makeover.
Skull knocks at an office door, waits until a voice calls out permission, then pushes it open. “Prez, this is Melissa. Melissa, Demon. My prez.”
The women were welcoming. The prez though, his glance is assessing, as if I’m yet to prove myself. His eyes look me over, then meet Skull’s. “All good?”
“Yeah, she’s met Vi, Jeannie and Jay. Oh, and she brought cookies and shit.”
He grins, his face transforming. “Trying to bribe us, Melissa?”
“I, er…” That’s exactly what I’m doing. So, I shrug. “I like cooking.”
He comes around and perches on his desk. I notice there’s a huge flag behind it carrying the same insignia as Skull wears on his cut, Lucifer with a scythe hovering over three little devils.
“Now Jeannie can cook and get the sweet butts churning out good grub, but they don’t bother with the fancy stuff. Reckon we can find a place for your talents.”
“I do work,” I tell him, defending myself.
“She’s got a good job in the government offices, land registry or some such shit.” Skull sounds proud.
Prez nods and grins, “So you said, but if Melissa has got any spare time…”
“I’ll keep you in muffins,” I laugh.
“Good enough. Skull, you’ve got that job on later…?”
“Yeah, I’ll be there, Prez. It shouldn’t take long.”
“While Skull’s working, Melissa, you’re welcome to hang around and get to know us.”
As Skull had explained, if I’m going to be accepted here, I’ll have to show my face. “I’d like that. Thank you, Prez.”
“Nah, Demon to you. Only these fuckers have got to jump to my word and give me my title.” He laughs, jerking his head toward my man.
“I like him,” I tell Skull as we walk out. “I wasn’t sure I was going to, not with a name like his. But he reminds me a bit of my Chief Exec.”
Skull chuckles. “Probably describes him well. Though I’d say he was a CEO with an edge.” His face tautens momentarily, then is masked quickly by a smile. “Want to see my room now?”
I nudge him. “Your etchings?”
A chuckle. “Yeah, right.” He winks.
He leads me up an industrial looking staircase with doors off to the left and the right. Halfway down he places a key in a lock and turns it. The room he reveals is pleasant enough, larger than I expected.
Walking in I look around, knowing you can tell a lot from a person from the way he lives.
“Tidy,” I comment, noticing there are no dirty clothes on the floor, and through the open door to the small adjacent bathroom, I see towels hanging neatly on the rail.
“Um, yeah. Might have cleaned up.”
“Well at least you know how to.” He should see the state of my house before he comes over.
He clearly doesn’t want to waste time as he demands, “Want you naked.”
“You do, do you?” I grin.
“Well someone’s got to take care of this.” He rubs his hand over the bulge in his jeans, drawing my attention to it. “You being here in my club? Fuckin’ sexy as hell.”
“Me being here with my man turns me on too,” I respond in a hoarse voice. Not that it takes much with Skull. One of those looks full of promise and I get a tingling inside.
He goes over and lies on his bed. “Now show me what you’ve got, babe.” He’s been controlling before. Here, in his element, there’s even more of an edge to his voice.
For some reason Skull thinks I’m beautiful, he’s told me so often I’ve started to believe it. To him my tits are just the right size, my thighs meaty enough to hold on to, and my cushioning around my waist a softness he admires. With him I’ve become far more confident, knowing baring my body will turn him on rather than off. Now I’ve no hesitation stripping for him, putting on a show which makes him groan.
As I divest myself of my tee and jeans, he removes his cut and his shirt.
“Get over here, woman.” Impatient, he moves forward, takes my hand and yanks me down onto the bed. “Need your lips.”
We kiss, then he strips naked and gets to work. An orgasm on his tongue, followed by one with his fingers. I’m completely sated and languid when he enters me in one thrust. Momentarily unable to be an active participant, all I can do is give in to the sensation.
Part of me retains enough sanity to stuff my hand in my mouth, but he pulls it away. “Don’t care who hears
you screaming, Mel.”
Soon, neither do I. Christ he feels good. He’s long enough to touch my cervix, not too thick to cause a burn, but he knows what he’s doing with what God endowed him with. As normal, I use my hand to make sure I’m there with him at the end, and yes, I do scream. It feels so good, I can’t hold back.
He grunts and groans, and then it’s all over.
He pulls out. And swears. Instead of leaving for the bathroom, he sinks back on his haunches and drops his head into his hands.
“Skull?”
“Didn’t use a fuckin’ condom.”
I go cold as I feel our combined juices leaking out of me. “I’ll go clean up.” I get up jerkily as my brain tries to process what we’ve just done.
“Yeah.”
I leave him sitting on the bed as I go into the bathroom, washing myself with a cloth, knowing there’s no chance in hell I could remove all the sperm left inside me. I take a second, silently questioning the mirror in front of me.
I always saw a kid in my future, probably more than one. Not as a single mother, though, I wouldn’t want that. But would I be single? Skull’s brought me here to the club to meet his brothers as he said he’s serious about me. We’d never spoken about kids, but Demon and Violet have Theo, and downstairs young Jay talked about having a family in time. It’s not as though there’s a law against members procreating here.
If Skull wants me as his old lady, and if in his world that’s as good as taking a wife, then a family must eventually figure into the equation. If we’ve made a mistake, maybe all we’ve done is moved it up the agenda.
How would I feel to have Skull’s child? I place my hand on my stomach. I’d feel good.
The face reflected in the glass frowns. Skull didn’t look happy.
I’ll just have to convince him this could work. I’m not getting any younger, and my biological clock is ticking faster than his.
Breathing a deep breath, I return to the bedroom to see Skull exactly where I left him, with the same angry expression on his face.
He looks up as I enter. “Fuckin’ sorry, babe. I totally forgot.”
His ire is directed at himself, not at me. “I should have reminded you.” I take some of the blame, to which he just nods. I’m not totally exonerated. Moving closer, I take his hand. “What will be, will be, Skull. You and me, we’re together aren’t we? If there’s a result of the carelessness today, we’ll cope.”
“There’s the mornin’-after pill,” he offers, suggesting he’s been doing some thinking.
“You’d want me to take that?”
“You wouldn’t?” He seems surprised I haven’t jumped at the chance. “Ain’t a thing at all at the moment, babe. That shit would just make sure it stayed that way.”
“You don’t want a baby with me?” I go still.
“Not what I’m saying. All I think is that now is not a good time.” His hands swipe at his hair, pushing it back from his face.
“When is?” I ask, pragmatically. “I love you, Skull. I’d love our baby. In nine months, in a year, two years from now. I’m not getting any younger, I’m not some flighty young girl.” Then I remember he isn’t as old as me, most times now that’s something I forget. “Are you saying it’s too soon for you to be tied down?” Suddenly I’m the one who’s angry, thinking he might have been leading me on. “Are you saying you don’t want me to be your old lady? Because, if you are, I’d rather know now. Before I get involved any deeper.”
I start putting on my clothes.
“What are you doing?” he asks, sharply.
“Getting dressed and going home.” I choke back the sob that arises.
“No! You can’t do that!” He’s off the bed, and soon we’re having a tug of war with my jeans. “Mel, I need time to get my head around this. Didn’t see myself as a dad, or not so soon, anyway. But if you don’t want to take precautions, we’ll let the cards fall where they will. I’ll deal, okay?”
Do I want him to deal? The expression on my face must be a window to my thoughts.
“Fuck, I’m saying everything wrong, aren’t I?” Allowing me custody of my jeans, he again rubs his hands through his hair. “It’s a shock, that’s all. Never thought I’d be careless like that. You want the pill? We’ll get it. You want to take the chance? I’ll be behind you all the way. Whatever you want, Mel.”
“What do you want, Skull? Do you really want a relationship and all that entails?”
“I want to claim you. Told you that, so yeah, I want it all. A relationship, which would probably include a kid or two further down the line. Just a shock that it may be sooner rather than later.”
I feel relieved that he does see us together. “It’s highly unlikely that I’m pregnant, Skull. But if I am, I don’t want to do anything about it.” I don’t know why. I’ve no real feelings one way or another, always thought the woman should have the choice. But if fate has stepped in and decided now is my time, I don’t want to do anything to prevent it.
I wouldn’t even have predicted my reaction had anyone asked me.
Children are a blessing in any relationship, doesn't matter how they are conceived. Out of one? A totally different picture. But I’ve a man who’s promised he’s going to be there for me.
Again, his head bows into his hands, but when he looks up, he’s smiling. “Okay. Let’s let things ride. You’re pregnant? That would be amazing. Yeah, this would have happened at some point. Just a bit earlier than I expected.”
“And from now on, you’ll be careful?” I’d rather a pregnancy was planned. I suspect the chances that one mistake would bear fruit are highly unlikely.
“You don’t need to ask.”
Chapter Eight
Melissa
That first evening, while Skull was at work, I am thrown right into the thick of things with the other old ladies. The whores, I notice, keep their distance.
I’m entranced by the kitchen which, it appears, has for many years been Jeannie’s domain. I’m informed that even while Hellfire was the prez, his old lady, Moira, rarely came to the club, so Jeannie had become the de facto head old lady. Not that there were so many of them then, just her, Moira and Sindy. Jay and Vi have only joined the club recently.
Jeannie’s had the kitchen fitted out so she can cook easily for all the members, and there’s an industrial-sized oven the size of which I hadn’t seen before. My eyes gleam as I look at it.
“Anytime you want, hon, feel free to use it. I suck at desserts and cakes, and many here have a sweet tooth. You want to cook that shit? You’re welcome to do it.” Seeing my interest, she opens cupboards and drawers, showing me that the place is well stocked with every item of equipment I could wish for.
At home I’ve got most of the items I need but have to cook for events like Beth’s party in batches. Here, I could get more done at once.
“I sound boring, don’t I? Saying my hobby’s cooking?”
“Not boring at all, doll face,” a rough voice sounds, “I ate one of your cookies earlier.”
“What Pyro means,” Jeannie glares at him, “is that he ate one tub. One fucking tub. All to himself.”
Pyro, a tall, muscular and heavily tattooed biker is uncontrite and just shrugs. “You handed it to me.”
“For you to take one.”
He winks at me. “Not what you said…”
“Get out of here, Pyro. Haven’t you got some fires to put out?”
“Got to start them first.” His shoulders shake as he laughs. But he moves off quickly when Jeannie bats him with a cloth.
She smiles fondly at his retreating back, then turns to me. “They’re a good bunch. A bit rough around the edges, but fairly easy to keep in their place. Which is outside of this kitchen unless they’re being fed.”
“A women’s domain?” It sounds a bit sexist.
“We need somewhere to ourselves.” Vi’s gentle voice sounds from behind me. She’s carrying Theo in her arms. Suddenly I remember how indiscreet Skull and I had
been, and that might be me in another year.
“Can I hold him?”
“Help yourself. He’s getting really heavy. If Skull had brought you around earlier, maybe you could have baked his birthday cake. He turned one last week.”
Taking Theo, I realise why Violet was so keen to hand him over. He’s a solid baby, much heavier than he looks. Spying a chair, I go sit down and hold him on my lap. He’s a lovely boy, all smiles and chuckles as I bounce him on my leg. Within moments though, he wants to get down.
Vi nods, I place him on the floor where he holds onto the chair leg, then takes a couple of steps, weaving like a drunk. It’s not long before he collapses.
“He took his first step last week. I’m going to need eyes in the back of my head soon,” his mother says proudly.
Jeannie puts her arm around her. “He won’t be allowed to get into trouble. You know everyone will be watching out for him.”
“Especially Jay.” She turns to me. “Jay’s training to be a nanny, she’s always loved kids. And she’s really taken to Theo.”
“That’s because the Tucson club is overrun with children. She misses them,” Jeannie explains. “She misses her niece, Faith. Such a shame she can’t be with her sister.”
I wonder why she can’t, but don’t want to pry.
There could be worse places to have a baby than in this club, I realise. I suspect the same support Vi’s getting will be offered to me. I file what they’ve told me about Jayden away. If I’m pregnant, I’ll need some childcare while I’m working.
When Skull returns from whatever he’s been doing, he takes me up to his room, and this time, remembers the condom.
“Mel,” he starts, when afterwards I’m lying cuddled in his arms, “how did you get on while I was gone?”
“It was good,” I reply, truthfully. “I met some of your brothers who all treated me with respect.”
“As they should,” he butts in. “May not have voted on you, but they know that you’re mine. How did you get on with the old ladies?”
Devil's Dilemma: Satan's Devils MC Colorado Chapter #4 Page 6
