“Sorry. I don’t mean to pry.”
Lucy held up her hand to stop his apology. “It’s okay. I’m proud of it actually. I used to be a people pleaser.”
“And now you don’t give a shit?”
Lucy laughed. “I never said that. I’m a massage therapist. I like taking care of people, especially if they’re having pain or health challenges that I can make a difference with. But I don’t give a shit what people think of me anymore.”
“Do you catch hell for being in a ménage in a small town?”
Lucy nodded her head. “Yeah, the usual judgmental assholes. When I first opened my massage therapy clinic, my business suffered because of it.”
“Is it worth it?” Val asked as he and Ransome drew to a stop outside the restroom.
“The ménage?” she asked, a smile spreading across her face as she thought of her men. Yeah, they’re my men. “It’s worth any challenges we have. They make it worth it.”
Jayne pulled Lucy into the restroom and whispered, “I hope there’s not a line. I’m about to pee my leather drawers.” They slipped into stalls right next to each other and while they did their business, Jayne said, “I’m a happily married woman and all but rowr. Ransome and Val are lickalicious!”
Lucy snickered as she struggled with her skirt. “That ain’t no lie.”
After finishing and washing up, and making sure all the goods were once again encased in leather, the girls rejoined their escorts. Val was noticeably silent as they walked back until they were within sight of Seth’s table, which was lined with onlookers.
“Does it wear you out?”
“What?” Her cheeks heated up, thinking he meant the sex. Um, no, but you’d have to ask them if I wear them out. That thought made her giggle softly.
“Crap. I didn’t mean what you think I mean. No disrespect, Lucy. I meant…the relationship. Everyone has baggage, and in your case it’s two men’s baggage instead of one.”
“Yeah, there’s definitely baggage but it’s in the past. We try not to let it affect us. Patrick has a son who’s turning five this summer. It’s not always easy but I love them, and to me it’s worth it.” She sucked in a breath at her admission.
Jayne leaned around her with big eyes as if to say, “What the fuck?” and Lucy grinned sheepishly.
Val chuckled. “Just realized that fact?”
Lucy shook her head and looked up at him. She was tall but he was a skyscraper. “No. Just the first time I’ve said it out loud.”
Val raised his chin and nodded perceptively. “Two other men should hear that then, I think.”
“You’re right.”
Val stopped her right before she scooted behind the table again. He quietly said, “Lucy, you are a damn fine woman. I hope those men appreciate what they have on their hands. If we didn’t already have a woman in our sights, you can believe we’d be giving them some fierce competition.” The oxygen was sucked out of Lucy’s lungs at his honest admission. “We’ll check back with you girls every hour to see if you need anything. Seth has our numbers if you need us quicker than that.”
He smiled at her and winked and she had to laugh, looking into his chocolaty brown eyes. “You’re a sweetheart, Val. Good luck with your woman.”
He chuckled and slipped his sunglasses back on. “Thanks. We need all the help we can get.”
They spent the rest of the day talking to a steady stream of people interested in Seth’s work, and booked his schedule at Divine Ink all the way into the following year. Many more rally-goers admired Jayne’s ink. One lady in particular asked Jayne questions about how many sessions the tattoo had taken to complete.
After Jayne answered the questions, the woman, a biker’s old lady, judging by the guy with his hand possessively slung around her hip, turned to Lucy.
“Has Seth done work for you?”
Lucy cringed inwardly. The question made her feel disloyal because she’d never had him tattoo her before. “No. He hasn’t.” She wasn’t opposed. It’d never felt like the right time. That thought gave her pause and she suddenly grinned.
The woman grinned. “But you’re thinking about it, aren’t you?”
Lucy couldn’t keep herself from smiling broadly. “I am now.”
The woman nodded and smiled back at her man and then looked back at Lucy. The biker smiled down at his woman and squeezed her gently. “It’s a guy, isn’t it? That’s what changed your mind?”
Lucy nodded and Jayne put her arm around Lucy’s shoulder and said, “Two actually.”
“Oh!” the woman replied. “Then you need to have your brother design you matching tattoos. You should have him design the three of you a tribal tattoo.”
“Tribal?” That wouldn’t have been the first design style Lucy would’ve gone for and she was curious why the woman thought that.
“You could handle it. You’re tall and you seem to have this inner strength,” the woman said, looking directly into her eyes. “But you’re also a caregiver, aren’t you?”
“In a way yes. I’m a massage therapist.”
“You radiate those qualities. I’m a hospice nurse and I guess that’s what I was picking up on. I’m also a cancer survivor.”
“Me, too,” Jayne whispered as the woman showed them the pink ribbon tattooed on her inner arm. Her old man released her and she and Jayne hugged each other across the table and shared a few quiet words.
Lucy turned to the biker who stood there watching his woman like she was his reason for breathing. He’d looked so tough earlier but she could tell by the tenderness in his eyes that he was a big old teddy bear. She noted the gold band on his left hand.
“I liked your wife’s suggestion. I’m going to talk to my men about getting a matching tattoo.”
He nodded and smiled. “My favorite tattoo is the one that pairs my wife’s.” He showed her the tattoo on his shoulder and then pointed at the tattoo on his wife’s shoulder and laid his hand over it. Lucy gasped.
The tattoo on his shoulder was a delicate, life-size, woman’s hand gently cupping his shoulder joint as though holding on to him from behind. On his wife’s shoulder was a large, masculine hand cupping her shoulder in a gentle-looking grasp. His hand.
Lucy caught her breath and felt tears sting the backs of her eyes. The shading and the details were so lifelike. Jayne and the woman were distracted by Lucy’s gasp and then the woman smiled and slid her hand around her husband’s shoulder. The hand was obviously hers.
The man explained. “When she was declared cancer-free five years ago, we had them done. You never know how many days God has allotted for you. Her having cancer brought home that the amount of time we have together is limited. We both wanted something from the other tattooed on our bodies, so that when one of us finds ourselves alone again, we’ll still have each other.”
Jayne sniffled and whispered, “That is the most beautiful thing. Can I take a picture?”
“Of course you can,” the woman said with a smile. “And we want to take a picture with Seth, too, since he’s the one who did them.”
Jayne grinned. Looking closer, she said, “I should’ve known. The work is definitely his.”
While they were talking, Seth joined them and greeted the man and woman as friends and talked with them for a few minutes and took the pictures before they excused themselves.
The rest of the afternoon progressed with a steady stream of traffic to Seth’s booth. Late in the afternoon, Val and Ransome took Lucy and Jayne for a bite to eat at one of the concession stands while Charity and Justin stayed at the table with Seth to talk to any other rally-goers who came by.
Music had been playing in the air-conditioned exhibition hall all day and as the sun began to set, the volume increased a bit. Outside the Expo Center, the bands who were playing in the various venues around the huge grounds were doing sound checks and getting ready for the evening’s entertainment before the parade got started late that evening.
Conscious of the way she was dressed
, Lucy had been resisting the beat of the hard rock music that had been playing all day, not wanting to draw even more attention to herself. She’d discovered during the day that parts of her could blush from being stared at that she had no idea would do that. But once it was clear that she was there with Seth, and being escorted by protective men, no one groped her or made advances. None of the men would’ve tolerated it.
It seemed to be that way with all the women who were there. If they were single, like Lucy, they were looked after by their male friends. There were no gangs of youths wandering around anywhere, like she’d seen at county fairs or even at the Divine Trade and Craft Fair, making everyone uncomfortable. These bikers came together at these events and they were a close-knit community. They didn’t abide that sort of activity, not with hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of bikes, and beautiful women, all around.
Chapter Seventeen
The sun set and Lucy’s anticipation grew as the time when Beck and Patrick said they’d be arriving approached. Ransome and Val turned out to be great companions and conversationalists. They treated both Jayne and Lucy with deference as they found them a picnic table to sit down at and eat their food, and never left their sides.
“When are your men arriving, Lucy?” Ransome asked before he took a bite of his sandwich.
“Any time now.”
“This place is huge. Do they know where to go?”
“I told them where we’d be. They may already be at the table. Patrick will have to find someplace to park his truck.”
“He’ll probably have to park way in the back in the vehicle parking. Beck brought his bike?”
Lucy nodded. “He said he would. I’m hoping for a ride tonight.”
Ransome shared a look with Val. “You ever ridden on the parade loop before? You know how it can get at these events after dark, right?”
Lucy smiled. “You mean women going topless or near naked? And the poles that are set up on the parade route for dancing? Yeah. And I know about the drinking and…other stuff, too.”
Val chuckled. “You planning to earn some beads on the parade route?”
“Huh? Beads?” Jayne asked from her spot beside Lucy. The adorable clueless look on Jayne’s face made her giggle.
“If you go topless on the parade route or show off your breasts, the guys will give you beads, like at Mardi Gras.”
Jayne giggled. “Oh, Seth told me once the sun went down that a few of the women might go topless. But I didn’t think they really…”
Lucy replied, “A lot of them will go topless—or more—especially on the parade route.”
Jayne got big eyes as she looked at Lucy. “You mean naked? Oh boy. Are you going topless, Lucy?”
Lucy wished Jayne hadn’t asked the question quite so loudly because now she was getting lots of curious male looks, including from Ransome and Val.
Lucy shook her head. “Probably not, Jayne. I’ve no desire to show off ‘the girls’ but I kind of admire the women with the guts to do it.” What would it be like to have the kind of confidence she’d need to walk out topless at this gathering?
Some of those women would even pole dance if they got the chance. The thought made Lucy smile, the only women she’d seen pole-dancing the year before had been mostly too drunk to accomplish much more than shaking their asses.
Ransome and Val both opened their mouths at the same time and Ransome spoke first. “Okay, Lucy, listen to me, honey. You said ‘probably not.’ If you change your mind about taking your top off, will you please make sure that you’re not alone at any time, even if it’s just to go to one of the port-a-potties? Promise us? You’re comfortable at this gathering because you know we’re watching out for you but do not tempt fate. Okay? Please?”
He sounded so serious and Lucy nodded her understanding. “I promise. But you don’t have to worry about that, guys. I doubt either Patrick or Beck would like it very much if I did that.”
Val chuckled and shook his head. “No, I don’t think they would. But if you go for it and want me to give you a ride around the loop, you just let me know.”
Lucy laughed. “You’re full of it. I thought you had a woman in your sights.”
“I do. But I’m still a guy with needs.”
“You’re full of shit is what you are,” she said with a laugh before she sipped from her beer.
Ransome nodded solemnly and gestured at Val, sitting next to him, with his thumb. “Horndog. Watch out, Lucy.”
“Whatever,” Lucy said with a smile as Val winked at her, letting her know he was full of bull. He and Ransome were her friends. She knew that much. Very tall, very sexy friends. But just friends.
Her core tightened with anticipation to see Patrick and Beck. If she was lucky, maybe they’d already arrived at the table in the Expo Center.
The blazing hot sun had finally set and Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. The day had been a hot one just as predicted. It seemed that the number of people at the gathering also swelled as the sun went down.
They walked back from the concession stand area, near the parade route, and through the maze of tents set up selling all sorts of items the bikers might be interested in.
There were booths that stocked leathers that could be custom sewn for bike seats and accessories, leathers for wearing, and there was even a man set up to do custom paint jobs on bikes. His unique hook was that his paints were purported to have authentic pirate’s blood mixed into them. Lucy wasn’t sure how he could prove it but thought it was a rather ingenious selling point nonetheless.
She and Jayne paused in their walk to look into a booth that was crowded with people.
“What’s happening in there?”
“Body painting,” Ransome said in his raspy voice as he pointed to the banner hanging from the tent. “She and her partner are well known. Lee sells sex toys and her partner does the body painting.”
“Sex toys?” Jayne asked. “Body painting?”
Lucy chuckled and said, “Come on, Jayne. Let’s get you and your virgin eyes back to the exhibition hall.”
“Hey, I do not have virgin eyes,” she said with a giggle. “I’m as big a pervert as any of you.”
All four of them laughed at her insistent statement. They stopped at another booth that displayed body jewelry.
She asked the guy behind the table how to apply them and he told her having someone suck her nipples to peak them first would get the best application. Lucy fought laughter when he eagerly offered to show Jayne how the temporary stick-on nipple jewelry worked. Jayne gasped and held her hands over her breasts but wound up buying two sets, without the demonstration. She was beet red by the time they walked away with her purchase but she laughed and looked very lighthearted for the rest of the walk back to the Expo Center.
Jayne gasped moments later as an all-terrain vehicle rolled past them with people standing, holding on to the frame in back.
“She’s nekkid!” Jayne said softly with a gasp, her eyes bulging at the woman riding proudly on the back of the vehicle.
Lucy said, “Actually, she has on a G-string. See?”
“She’s painted from neck to ankles.”
“That’s Lee, one of the owners of the body painting booth we passed,” Val murmured as they kept walking.
“Oh, there’s more!” Jayne said with a giggle as a whole group of topless women strutted past. All of them sported designs painted on their bare skin. Some of the body paint camouflaged their nudity while others made their nudity blatantly obvious. Lucy noted every one of them had a man nearby watching. Men walked past and looked their fill but not one of them reached out to touch. To do so would’ve invited an ass-beating from one of the men.
The women were all different shapes and sizes, all different builds, and even disparate ages.
“Hmm…” Jayne said as she walked alongside Lucy.
“Are you thinking about it, Jayne?” Lucy asked quietly. She wouldn’t fault Jayne if she wanted to. She had a fantastic, curvy body. None o
f the women in the group were any better built than she was. And lack of support garments was a great equalizer. Jayne could hold her own, Lucy was willing to bet.
Jayne stroked her tattoo and shook her head. “I don’t want to cover up my ink. This is the first time I’ve ever been able to show it off in public.”
The walked back into the exhibition hall and Lucy couldn’t help it when the heavy beat of the song playing over the sound system took hold of her. She blamed it on the striptease lessons. And the pole-dancing lessons she’d recently started taking privately with Camilla’s friend, Charlotta.
The urge to dance was easily quelled because they were still walking across the exhibition hall but she let it affect her walk. She knew she was getting looks but that was part of the culture in this event and she didn’t mind. Ransome and Val kept them safe and moving forward. She glanced at Jayne and caught the knowing smile on her face. Jayne was coming to striptease lessons, too.
“You feel it, don’t you,” Jayne whispered softly.
“Hell yeah. I can’t help it.”
They indulged for the walk and Lucy’s mind settled in to the after-dark mood of the rally as she anticipated wrapping herself around Beck and Patrick the moment she saw them.
Her conversation with Val and Jayne from earlier came to mind. She’d been waiting for the right time to tell her men that she loved them. She’d wanted to do it with them individually, when they were alone, but that suddenly didn’t seem so important.
She wanted them both and she decided that she’d ask them for her first true ménage that night and she’d tell them that she loved them both then. Her pussy quivered when she thought of taking them together and she was instantly wet.
They were walking past a couple of RVs that had a good-sized above-ground pool set up between them and Jayne said, “They bring their swimming pools with them, too?”
“Yes,” Ransome said as he nodded to several bikers and their ladies that were either playing in the pool or basking topless in the dwindling sun. “There’s a water truck that comes by and will fill pools, provide water for RV tanks and ice for coolers.”
Lucy's Revenge [Divine Creek Ranch 15] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 27
