Reaper's Till Death

by Glenna Maynard

  Forever yours,

  Mr. X

  He’d leave lingerie. Sometimes a dress.

  Then the notes would ask me if we could meet. There was never any contact information on the notes. I suppose he expected me to write back. I trashed everything he sent me. Weeks went by with no contact until the first condom showed up in my car.

  “Are you even listening to me?” Reaper waves a hand over my face.

  I blink. “I’m sorry, what?”

  “I said when we get inside you do as I say when I say. No ifs, ands, or buts.”

  “Yeah. Sure. Whatever, Dad,” I reply flippantly.

  “Don’t get smart with me.” His low voice grates in my ear as he leans in close. The earthy scent of him mingled with the scent of his leather envelops me and my knees go weak when his strong arm circles my waist. Reaper’s other hand grabs my chin, holding me firmly in place. I close my eyes in defiance. “I’m far from your daddy, sweetheart. I won’t take no lip from you unless you’re sucking my dick which won’t be happening.” He squeezes my face. “Look at me when I talk to you.”

  Opening my eyes, I stare into his dark chocolate pools that threaten to drown me as his tongue darts out and wets his bottom lip. For a moment I wonder if he’s going to kiss me as he returns my gaze.

  “You show it to her yet?” A guy with dirty blonde hair that reaches past his shoulders slaps Reaper on the back breaking the electric charged moment. Reaper immediately drops his hands to his sides and leads me through the door.

  Black Sabbath plays loudly from a jukebox in the corner.

  The bar is full. I take it all in being reminded of the Roadhouse, feeling nostalgic for home. For a different time in my life when someone wasn’t out to get me. A time where my biggest worry was if I remembered to take my birth control pill and if I thought Kyler would think my clothes were sexy. How pathetic is that?

  “Sit here. Don’t move. I’ll get you a water.” Reaper pushes down on my shoulder until I am sitting in a chair at an empty table. He looms over me from behind, placing his hands down on the table as he looks down at me. “Are you gonna behave?”

  I mock smile at him. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Good,” he grunts and pushes off the table.

  I can feel eyes on me and hear hushed whispers coming from a nearby table. The chair next to mine scoots out and a woman with dark bob cut hair plops down. “Hey girl, I’m Amber. That asshole at the dartboard is my old man.”

  “Hi.”

  “You must have a golden pussy to get Reaper to bring you here and make such a display of claiming you.’

  “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

  “Pfftt. Please. The way he was standing over you all possessive letting the other men in the room know you’re with him. It was hawt. Rawrrr.” She purrs, and I can’t help but laugh.

  “You’re funny.”

  “I know but still…”

  Reaper interrupts, sitting a bottled water down in front of me, keeping her from pressing me for information. “Don’t be trying to corrupt Harley here. She’s a guest from Drag Creek.”

  Amber purses her lips together and says, “Oh. Well stick with me and I will make sure you have fun while you’re here.”

  “The hell you will.”

  “You aren’t still mad over the whole chili thing, are you?” I can tell she wants to laugh but is trying hard not to as she sips her drink through her straw.

  “Chili thing?”

  “Oh. It was glorious. MaryAnn had made a big pot of chili for the guys, and I thought it would be funny to put plastic wrap over the toilet seats.” She shrugs.

  I scrunch my nose. “Eww.”

  “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

  “I bet.” I twist the cap off my water and take a long drink. Reaper’s eyes are trained on me.

  “Think the two of you can stay out of trouble while I go kick Terror’s ass at darts?”

  “Go on. She’ll be fine with me. Better she sits with me than those twats.” She hooks a thumb toward the table I heard the whispering coming from.

  Reaper grunts and lights up a cigarette before leaving the table.

  “So why don’t you like them?”

  “Who? Oh. Them.” She frowns. “They are judgmental cunts who think their shit doesn’t stink. Think that being an old lady means they are better than everyone else around here.”

  “Well they sound fun.”

  “They wouldn’t know fun if he shoved his dick down their throats.” She smirks and sips on her drink while bouncing in her seat to the music.

  I take another drink of my water wishing I had something stronger.

  Terror, Amber’s old man shouts and pumps his fist in the air when he hits a bullseye.

  “That’s my man,” Amber says. He blows her a kiss.

  When Reaper hits the center, I don’t cheer for him and he doesn’t look in my direction. Not that I expected him to.

  “Reaper may act like a hardass, but I bet he only needs the right woman to soften him up a little.”

  Holding my palms up, I tell her, “Oh no. Not even.”

  “You don’t see it now, but you will. I’ve never seen him look at a woman like he’s looking at you right now.”

  I start to turn in his direction but Amber tugs on my hair.

  “Don’t look. Ignore him. It will drive him crazy.”

  “I don’t want to drive him crazy.”

  “Of course you do.” She laughs. “I have a good sense about these things. You like him.”

  “I don’t even know him,” I breathe the words out feeling a tight sensation in the pit of my stomach.

  “Where are you staying while you’re just visiting?”

  “At Reaper’s,” I tell her knowing how it must sound. “But it isn’t like that.”

  “Not yet,” she quips. “Reaper isn’t going to let just any woman sleep at his place. I’ve never known him to allow a woman on the back of his bike let alone take one home with him.”

  “He has to. Hades assigned him to look after me.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I know so.” I look over at Reaper. He’s laughing at something some woman is saying as she latches onto his arm.

  “Right,” I whisper to myself as Amber excuses herself to go for another drink.

  Chapter Six

  —Reaper—

  “You free tonight? It’s been a while since you were in my bed.” Regina, one of the clubwhores approaches me. I know she’s got a thing for me but I never double dip. Meaning I don’t stick my dick in the same cunt twice. There’s always one who thinks she can change me. Make me want her again. Make me want something more. That ain’t me though.

  Her fingers stroke my arm. “I’d bring a friend. She’s fresh.” She means fresh as in none of my brothers have hit it yet—fucked her.

  I laugh. Does she really think a threesome is her way back in the sack with me?

  “Tell your girlfriend she can hit me up some time, but you and me, baby doll, that was a onetime deal. I don’t do seconds.”

  “Whatever.” She flips her skirt up over her bare ass. “You won’t get to fuck this later.” She smacks her manicured hand on one of her cheeks as I laugh harder.

  Terror’s old lady walks up and kicks her in the ass and she falls over. “Get out of here with your pasty ass. No one wants to see your used-up pussy.” Regina huffs but knows better than to raise a hand or her voice to Amber. Instead she stalks off toward the bar looking for another poor soul to latch onto.

  “I gotta go to the ladies’ room.” Amber leans up on her tiptoes to give her man a kiss.

  “How’s babysitting treating you?”

  “She’s got a smart mouth on her.”

  “Fuckin hot,” Terrors observes.

  “Don’t let Amber hear you say that. We’ll have another nipple gate on our hands.”

  “Fuckin’ A, brother.” He chuckles. “You gonna be able to have that sweet little puss sleep
ing over and resisting nature.”

  “We’ll be fine. Thanks for the concern.”

  “Just saying if I was single and that hot ass was staying with me, I’d be tapping that.”

  “She’s a child. Barely legal.”

  “Doesn’t seem to be stopping Cocky from trying.” He motions his head toward the dance area.

  Looking in that direction I catch a glimpse of Cocky rubbing all up on Harley. I left her alone for a total of five motherfuckin’ minutes tops. The only dick she will be rubbing on is in her dreams or mine. Where in the hell that thought comes from I don’t know. My nostrils flare. Red flashes through my mind and a rage I have never felt before consumes me as her ass grinds against his crotch. His hands move up and down her sides as he nuzzles her Goddamn neck.

  Two maybe three seconds pass before I am across the room and wrapping a hand around his thick throat. “If you want to be the owner of a ball-less cock touch her again.”

  “Easy, brother.” He knocks my hand away. “Somebody needed to show her a good time. You certainly aren’t going to. Maybe I should ask Hades if I can takeover looking out for her. Then she wouldn’t be sitting by herself looking miserable while you try to wet your dick in that loose cunt, Regina.”

  “This is your one and only warning. Stay the fuck away from Harley.”

  “Unless you put your patch on her. She’s fair game.” He smirks.

  “She’s not one of your whores,” I warn.

  “Maybe I’ll claim her.” He winks at Harley and I snap. Next thing I know my fist is in his face as I straddle his chest on the floor.

  One. Two. Three. Four. Five. That’s the number of punches I get in before Terror and Cupid are pulling me off him.

  “The fuck you doing, man?” Cupid asks as he attempts to hold me back. I maneuver from his hold and stomp my boot down on Cocky’s ribs.

  Terror and Cupid move to help Cocky up from the floor. MaryAnn gives me a weird fucking look then rushes to take care of Cocky’s bloodied lip like he’s so Goddamn special.

  Harley is standing off to the side with Amber, but her eyes are on me.

  I point toward the door. “Outside.”

  There’s no sassy remark. She soldiers out the door.

  The door clangs shut behind me as she stands by my bike waiting for an order.

  “The fuck was that shit, huh? I told you to stay out of trouble.”

  “It’s called dancing. Sometimes people dance alone. Sometimes they dance with a partner. It’s called having fun. Something I need after some psycho leaving a dead cat on my doorstep and being forced to come here and be talked down to like I am two by you since the moment I got here. I get that you aren’t happy about being saddled with me. It’s not my idea of a good time either. I didn’t ask you to go all whackadoo on that guy. I don’t even know his name. But why in the hell do you care who I dance with?”

  “I don’t.” I’ve been in a raw mood all day. I don’t have a problem with Cocky getting laid. Harley isn’t mine but there’s this drive within me that I can’t explain that has the urge to possess her. “I came here tonight for two things, to kick some ass and get laid. I already kicked ass.” I take a step toward her and she takes a step back. “Don’t worry your pretty head. I’m not interested in taking you to my bed.” Even as the words leave my lips I know they are a lie.

  Harley doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t show me any emotion. “Then Don’t worry. I won’t stand in your way.” Her shoulders push back, and she turns back to go inside once more.

  Chapter Seven

  —Harley—

  I don’t know what crawled up Reaper’s ass. I can’t believe he went after his brother like that for merely dancing with me. It meant nothing but furthermore I mean nothing to him.

  If he thought telling me he came here tonight to get laid would bother me—he’s wrong. Dead wrong. I don’t care where he sticks his dick as long as it isn’t in me.

  I’m done with bikers—period.

  Sure, that guy who asked me to dance was cute, but he isn’t my type. Right now, my type is not a tattooed motorcycle riding club belonging to alphaprick.

  I don’t wait for him to follow me. I go back to the table I was seated at before and sit down with Amber.

  “Holy shit that was hot as fuck. I went to re-apply my lipstick for like two seconds and you had Reaper fighting over you.”

  I lift my shoulder in that I don’t care way, knowing that deep down it was totally hot. So primal. “That wasn’t hot. He’s got issues.”

  “Okay,” she muses. “If you say so.”

  Reaper walks in and goes to the bar without looking at me. Good. I hope he finds that skanky bitch from earlier and lays it to her. Maybe I can catch a ride out of here when he does. I thought being here and seeing Sara could be fun, but I don’t want to stay with Reaper. Dude has control issues or something.

  Amber’s phone rings.

  “Hello…yeah. She’s right here. It’s for you.” She extends her phone to me.

  “Who is it,” I mouth the words at her.

  “It’s Sara. I think.”

  I accept the phone. “Hey.”

  “Hey, sweet thing.”

  I hold the phone out from my ear. My breath catches in my throat. What if it’s my stalker and he is already here waiting for the right moment to grab me? “Um. You’re not Sara.”

  “I know. I had MaryAnn ask for you. It’s me. Cocky. Wanted to tell you thanks for the dance. We’ll have to do it again sometime.”

  I can’t help the smile that spreads over my face. “That wouldn’t be a good idea.”

  “I’m not worried about Reaper, darlin’. Unless there is a reason I should be worried about him. You got something going on with him?”

  His question shouldn’t catch me off guard and give me pause but it does. I look to the bar and see Reaper off to himself smoking a cigarette and drinking a beer. Why does the jerk have to be so damn good looking and tempting? He’s an asshole, but I don’t know how long I am here for. I don’t know how long I will be stuck staying with him. I mean, my plan was to get the hell out of here, but I don’t know what to do.

  “I take your silence as a yes.”

  “No. It’s not that. I just…” Fuck me. I shouldn’t be encouraging this guy.

  “Alright. I gotta go, but I look forward to seeing you around.”

  The call ends.

  “Shit,” I whisper more to myself.

  “My my Cocky and Reaper. You vixen. You look like you could use a drink.” Amber smirks at me.

  “Like Reaper will let that happen.”

  “Tell you what. You do something for me and I’ll make sure you get a drink.”

  “Like what?”

  “You see that bitch by the pool table?”

  “Yeah, I see her.” She’s talking about that whore who was hanging after Reaper earlier. She looks so desperate for attention. It’s sad. I know her kind. I’ve seen plenty like her rotate in and out the doors of the Roadhouse.

  “So last week MaryAnn found her in the kitchen masturbating with a hot dog wiener.” I make a sour face because that is just fucking weird and nasty. “Well, the story is it was from Reaper’s food and she had planned on sticking it back in the package in hopes of him eating it. MaryAnn wanted to kill her, and no one has told Reaper because he is real particular about his food and they are afraid of what’d he do to her for it.”

  I let out a breath. This is not what I was expecting to hear. “How bizarre.” I let out a laugh. “But, I’m not following. What’s this have to do with me getting a drink?”

  She continues. “I dare you to stick a hotdog wiener up her skirt and tickle her ass with it. But wait till she’s distracted and there are few people around her, so she won’t know it was you.”

  “Are you crazy?”

  She leans forward, circling her mixed drink with the straw. “Do you want that drink?”

  I can’t believe I am doing this. I’m standing by the jukebox waiting for
the perfect moment to tickle a whore’s ass with a wiener all for a drink I’m not even sure I want. I should have asked for that drink first for liquid courage. I know this is a terrible idea and yet here I am ready to do it anyway simply for the hell of it. What else do I have to do right now.

  I look around the room trying to gather my nerve.

  There are a lot more people here than there was earlier.

  Reaper isn’t paying attention to me. He’s sitting at the bar with some old dude and looks to be deep in conversation. I should make a run for it. Make my way onto the next bus out of town but I can’t help but look back at Reaper and wonder what Hades would do to him if I got away. I don’t know why I care but I do. So, I do the only dumbass thing that I can. When Regina bends over the pool table to take a shot in the current game I crouch down like I am fiddling with my shoe then I poke her ass with the wiener like an idiot.

  At first, she giggles, then she says, “You change your mind, Reaper?” That pisses me off. I know it shouldn’t, but it just does.

  “He sure as hell didn’t, you sick wiener fucking bitch!” I pop up and smack her across the face with the meaty stick when she turns around.

  This bitch grabs me by my hair and it is the last straw. Fuck her. Fuck what Reaper said. I do what I want when I want and right now I want to beat this ho’s ass.

  Somehow in our scuffle I manage to shove the wiener up one of her nostrils. I don’t have any self-control as her nails dig into my arm. My mind goes blank and my vision is black as I punch her face and rip out a patch of her hair.

  Next thing I know Reaper is pouring a pitcher of ice water on us and throwing me over his shoulder.

  I kick and claw trying to break free from his hold, but his hand comes down on my ass in a hard-spanking motion, stinging me with his touch.

  “Calm your ass down.” He spanks me again, and I wiggle wanting to punch him too.

  I slide down his body and his nostrils flare as he stares at my chest. I look down to see half of my boob hanging out the top of my shirt.

  “Sorry,” I mumble and tuck my exposed skin back in my bra.

  “God! Fuck. Shit. Damn!” He roars and kicks the side of the building with his hands clenched in his hair. “What the fuck was that shit about?”