by Chiah Wilder
“Your business wouldn’t even be where it is if it weren’t for me. Remember, your debt still hasn’t been paid. I don’t think you want to go back to where you were before I stepped in to save your ass, do you? You love money, and you squander it—that’s your weakness.”
Armand rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger. “Again, I don’t know where she is. She hasn’t called me or my mother.”
“She’s in your fucking backyard.” Frederick’s anger over the phone was palpable and Armand cursed Clotille for messing up again. She’s such a disgrace to the family, just like Dad was. “Did you hear me? She’s in your goddamned city.”
“Clotille’s in Lafayette? That can’t be true. She would’ve contacted me, or at least our mother. You’re mistaken.”
“I don’t make mistakes. She’s there with that lowlife biker. Rock’s his name. She left me for a biker. It’s so ludicrous.”
“Rock? Oh yeah, Roche. They knew each other many years ago. I just can’t believe she hasn’t called our mother.”
“I can’t believe any of this. That goddamned piece of trash has made her forget who she is. I’m not surprised at all by what she does anymore.”
“Have you heard from her?” Armand said.
“We spoke a couple days ago.”
“Did she tell you she was in Lafayette? Is that how you found out? She was probably trying to throw you off.” Armand glanced at his watch; he’d been on the phone with Frederick for over an hour listening to him lament about losing Clotille. He fucking thinks she’s the only woman around. He has so much money he could get any woman he desires. Clotille isn’t that great to carry on like he is. Mom’s going to be beyond pissed when she finds out Clotille’s been in Lafayette with Roche and hasn’t even bothered to call.
“She didn’t say where she was. I know a few guys in the Gypsy Fiends, a local motorcycle club. They told me. Seems like another club—the Insurgents—are trying to muscle in on a deal I have going. Anyway, they said Clotille came with the biker and they’ve been in Lafayette for over a week.”
“I can’t believe it. I’ll try and call her and see what’s going on. I have to end our conversation. I’m meeting my girlfriend for drinks.” Jolene had arranged a small party to meet for happy hour at a new chic bar downtown, and she would be dour for most of the evening if he were late.
“You better make this right, Armand, or there’ll be hell to pay, not just for Clotille but for you as well. I do not intend to just walk away. Clotille is mine until I tell her she isn’t. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Good, then you know what needs to happen.”
“I’m surprised you haven’t come to Lafayette.”
“I was there a few days ago on some… business. At that time, I didn’t know she was there.”
“I didn’t know you were in town. You should’ve called me and we could’ve met up.”
“It was a very short trip. There was something I had to do.”
“Gotcha. I hate to do this, but I do have to go. Jolene doesn’t like it when I keep her waiting.”
Fredrick’s dry laugh sounded through the phone. “You need to be better in controlling your woman unless your scene is having the woman control you.”
“My scene right now is getting off the phone so I can clear up my desk and meet Jolene. We’ll talk soon. I’ll try and call Clotille and see if I can’t convince her to go back to you.”
“She’ll come back to me,” Frederick said in a low, hard voice. “Either dead or alive, I will have my pet. Remember that.” The phone went dead.
Armand shook his head, cleared off his desk, and scampered out of the office.
Chapter Twenty-One
Rock walked back into the kitchen and grabbed a paper towel to dry his hands. “This time the water ran clear, so I put some salt in with it to make sure the crawfish are totally cleaned.” Rock had watched his mother prepare crawfish boils since the time he could walk, and while he was in the back rinsing and filling the tub with water several times to clean the crawfish, he felt as though his mother were watching him.
“We’re almost done with cutting up the vegetables. We’ll have to boil the craw in batches.” Isa rushed around the kitchen while Clotille cut up the potatoes and halved the corn on the cob.
Rock liked watching Clotille make Cajun food; her eyes always lit up. A few nights before, she’d been humming while she’d blended the spices for the killer jambalaya she’d prepared. Watching her sway her hips to the tune had made him damn horny, and if Isa and her kids hadn’t been in the next room, he’d have had Clotille bent over the counter, licking some sweet paprika and cayenne pepper off her firm globes as he slammed into her pussy.
Fuck, just thinking about it makes me hard.
“I hope your friends will like the food,” Isa said as she placed the cut-up potatoes, celery, corn, mushrooms, onions, and garlic in a big bowl.
“They’re easy—they like anything that has beer as an accompaniment.” Rock popped the top of his beer can. “And I bought a shitload of it.”
“Clotille made a hot and spicy blend of seasoning for the first pot, and I made a milder one for the other pot. Not everyone likes it hot.” Isa wiped her hands on the dish towel.
“Fuck, will you calm down already? It’ll be fine. Hot and spicy is just the way I like it,” he said in a gravelly voice, winking at Clotille when she looked up and met his gaze. He groaned inwardly when the tip of her pink tongue touched her top lip. What he wouldn’t do to be able to suck it into his mouth and play with it.
“I’ve just never entertained a bunch of bikers before.” Isa laughed nervously. “Charlie’s so damn excited to see all the motorcycles. He’s been dying to get one but I won’t let him. I have enough to worry about without him having an accident.”
“He must be bummed. Hell, if you wanna ride, you gotta do it. It’s in your blood. You should let him have one.” Rock drifted his gaze back to Clotille and watched how her tits bounced up and down as she chopped the parsley vigorously. I wish she were bouncing like that on my cock. I’m pitchin’ a damn tent. Fuck, I didn’t know it was so hot to watch a woman cook.
“I got Charlie to let it rest, but since you’ve been here with your badass bike he’s started up again about it. Now he’ll be impossible after seeing all the bikes tonight.”
“Yeah, and Hawk—he’s our vice president—has a wicked Harley. He customized it all himself. It fuckin’ rocks.”
“I didn’t think I’d like riding on one, but I have to say that I love it. At first I was scared shitless, but now I enjoy the ride.” Clotille pushed a fallen strand of hair off her forehead with her forearm.
Rock chuckled. “The first road I took you on was hairpin turns all the way. It wasn’t a good introduction to riding.” I love the way you put your arms around me, your fingers slipping down on my dick whenever I hit a bump. Definitely enhances the ride with you clinging onto me.
Charlie walked in and stole a stalk of celery from the vegetable bowl. “I heard my name. What things are you telling them about me?” He came behind Isa, wrapped his arms around her small waist, and pulled her back to him. Nuzzling her neck, he said, “Are you saying good or bad things about me, chouchou?”
Isa giggled and pretended to be embarrassed, but Rock knew she was loving every peck Charlie was bestowing upon her. “She’s telling us you want a Harley, dude.”
A big grin broke over his face. “I’ve been thinking about getting a motorcycle.” He kissed her neck again when her brow furrowed. “Not sure about a Harley.”
“What the fuck? A Harley’s the only bike to get. Man, if you get a fuckin’ rice burner, I’m going to have to act like I don’t know you.” Rock laughed when concern crossed Charlie’s face. “Dude, I’m just shittin’ you. But Harleys are the best machines. When my brothers come over later, you can check them out. Some of them are beyond wicked. They’re the best on the market.”
“If yo
u ever need to supplement your income, you could get a job at the Harley-Davidson showroom,” Clotille said, a smirk on her lips.
“You little vixen, I outta spank your ass for that.” He threw her a lascivious grin, and her eyes darted to Isa and Charlie. He glanced over and saw their discomfort as they fidgeted in place, pretending to be busy wiping imaginary crumbs off the counters. He guffawed and then rose from the table. “I’ll put the pots on the propane burners.” He swaggered out the door.
A few hours later, the crawfish boil was in full swing as the Insurgent brothers stuffed their faces with the star of the event, along with boiled potatoes, spicy sausages, boiled corn on the cob, mushrooms, and crusty toasted French bread slathered in butter. The multi-colored paper lanterns Rock had hung up earlier under the eaves of the patio’s roof swung in the night breeze, casting a warm glow on the lawn. Cajun music interspersed with Zydeco and hard rock as everyone enjoyed the chance to eat good food, share stories and memories, and guzzle a bunch of beer.
“I can’t fuckin’ believe I’m eating mudbugs,” Axe said as he popped another piece of crawfish in his mouth.
“We’re eating bugs? What the fuck do you serve in the south?” Chas laughed and Rock joined him when Isa’s face fell.
“Biggest damn bugs I’ve ever seen. But they’re tasty as hell,” Wheelie joined in. “Throw me another can of beer so I can wash them down.”
“Actually, they’re not really bugs.” Isa stood with her arms wrapped around her. “They’re freshwater crustaceans.”
The men stared at her, then burst out laughing. “Well, that fuckin’ cleared everything up,” Bear said.
“They’re like small lobsters.” Isa, red-faced, looked at Rock, who was smiling at her. “Roche. Help me out here.”
“They’re freshwater lobsters, so you fuckers are eating high-class grub.” He looked at Dogface and the other officers of the Devil’s Legions MC. “Am I right?”
“Fuck yeah. These fuckers are the best.” Dogface slurped the meat out of the shell, the buttery juices running down his chin. The other Devil’s Legions bikers grunted their approval.
“Ma’am,” Catfish, the VP of the Devil’s Legions, said to Isa, “this is one of the best fucking crawfish boils I’ve ever tasted.” The rest of his brothers voiced their agreement.
A big grin spread over Isa’s face. “Well, thank you. I didn’t do it all alone. Clotille helped me. You can taste how delicious her spicy blend is.”
Dogface winked at the women. “You both did a kickass job. We appreciate being invited over.”
The Insurgents agreed that the crawfish, mudbugs, freshwater lobster, or whatever the hell they were called, were lip-smacking good. And they ate a ton of food. Rock hadn’t seen his brothers eat that much since the charity poker run they’d done six months before. It gave him a warm feeling to see his brothers gathered at his sister’s house sharing in his heritage. It made everything come full circle: being with Isa, his niece and nephew, Clotille, and his brothers.
The talk turned to a biker’s favorite topic, motorcycles. An excited loudness hovered over the backyard as anything related to Harleys and riding was discussed. Rock noticed Charlie had pulled his lawn chair closer to the group, his eyes shining. Poor bastard’s got the bug. Isa’s going to kill him. But he knew Charlie would get a bike. He had to. When the need to ride grabbed ahold of a person, there was no letting go.
As the men talked, Rock watched Clotille go into the kitchen, and he jumped up and followed her. When he walked in, she was rolling her hips and swinging her arms to one of the songs playing outside as she kicked one of the cupboard doors shut. He caught her in his arms and whirled her around as he danced with her in the kitchen and family room. She felt so light in his arms, and she smelled of vanilla, cayenne pepper, and sweet paprika. He pressed her closer as they two-stepped around the room.
Clotille laughed breathlessly and he put his hand behind her head, holding it while he covered his mouth over hers, kissing her deep and hard. Then they were all lips, teeth, tongue, and hands as they groped each other fiercely like it was their last time together.
“You’ve been driving me wild since you started cooking, chérie,” he breathed against her shoulder as he licked, sucked, and bit it. “Every fuckin’ time I see you, or even think about you, I get so hard. What’re you doing to me, woman?” He sucked on her lower lip and she moaned, melding her body into his until there was no space between them.
She caressed his face and locked her gaze with his. Her green eyes shimmered with desire, love, and fire, pulling him in deeply. It was as though he were inside her, feeling everything she was, and they were one. It was damn mind-blowing, and it was something he’d never felt with any other woman. She did things to him with her eyes that most women couldn’t do with their entire body.
With an intensity burning through him like an inferno, he filled her mouth with his tongue, pushing in as deep as he could. It was as though he wanted her to swallow him whole. She whimpered and he swallowed it, their breaths passing through each other. “Je t’aime, ma chérie,” he murmured against her lips. “I really love you.” And he did. He always had. It’d been pushed down and buried by bitterness, cynicism, and hatred, but it’d still been there, just waiting to be revitalized.
“I love you too. I never stopped loving you. Ever.” She peppered kisses across his face, murmuring, “Je t’aime, cher,” over and over. “I want to tell you something special even if it makes you mad.”
“Ssh… chérie. We’ve got time to talk. Tonight is for love only.” He cupped her ass and squeezed it, his hardness rubbing against her as he grunted and pushed his fingers into her flesh.
“Is this the entertainment?” Henri’s voice boomed from behind them.
Rock looked over Clotille’s shoulder. “Only if you watch.” He then kissed his red-faced woman. “Don’t let him bother you, chouchou,” he whispered. “He’s always been an asshole.”
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your lady, or is it just a one-night thing?”
Rock growled deeply from his throat and the veins in his throat pulsed. “Shut the fuck up! Why the fuck are you still standing there? You aren’t getting enough action from your woman?” He heard a woman’s gasp and looked more closely at his brother. Behind him stood a blonde woman with a long face that was heavily made up. Her false eyelashes made her look like Lamb Chop, and if he didn’t know better, he’d have mistaken her pink, silicone lips for a toilet plunger.
“Henri, Suzette, I didn’t think you were going to make it. Lille went back to the Hamptons with her new guy. Come on back, there’s still plenty of food.” Isa rushed over to them.
“I’m guessing you got a bunch of bikers out there. I saw all the motorcycles lined up and some creepy-looking guy watching them.” He bent over and kissed Isa on both cheeks. “Whatever possessed you to have that type of people over to your home?” He curled his lip while shaking his head. “I suspect Rock’s had a bad influence on you.”
“Don’t be talkin’ shit about my bro,” Bones’s voice bounced off the walls. Henri stepped back and the terrified look on his face made Rock feel it was almost worth having Henri and his plastic surgery pinup show up.
“Bones, this is my older brother, Henri. He never caught on to the whole respect thing.” Rock walked into the kitchen, his arms snug around Clotille.
“That’s no fuckin’ good.” Bones glared at Henri who seemed to shrink a little more, especially when the back screen slammed and Puck walked in.
Puck was tall, muscled, and tatted over every inch of skin except for his face, and with a face that rarely smiled, he was an intimidating figure. “Hawk wants a bottled water,” he said. Rock laughed, opened the refrigerator, and tossed him the bottle. Puck caught it in one hand. “Everything good in here?”
“Yeah, just catching up on shit with my big brother.” Rock turned to Henri. “Wanna meet my brothers?”
“No. Suzette and I are leaving.”
“Are you Suzette Terriot? I remember you from high school.”
“Hi, Roche.” She smiled widely and it frightened the hell out of him. “I heard you moved to Colorado.”
“Yeah. I didn’t recognize you.” Fuck, Isa was right. She made her big tits even bigger. Something’s all kind of crazy with this chick.
“Is that Clotille Boucher next to you?”
Clotille straightened her shoulders. “Yes, I’m Clotille. I’m sorry, but I don’t remember you.”
“I didn’t think you would. I was in Armand’s class. How’s he doing?”
Rock noticed a glint of anger in his brother’s eyes when his date asked about Armand. “Did you used to go out with him?” Rock knew asking the question was childish, but he took delight in the visible flush in Henri’s face.
Suzette nodded and giggled. “The last year in high school, and then on and off for a bit.”
“When did you get in town, Clotille?” Henri said, and Rock smirked at him to show he knew Henri was diverting the conversation away from Suzette’s interest in her ex-boyfriend.
“Not too long ago,” Clotille answered.
“She’s leaving real soon. Just a passing-through trip, right?” He darted his eyes to her and she nodded.
“So you two are dating now?” Henri smiled thinly.
“Just hanging out.” Rock motioned to Bones to throw him a beer. “And the question and answer session is fuckin’ over now. Come on, chérie, let’s go back outside.” Rock latched his fingers around hers and they walked out back with Bones right behind them. He laughed when he overheard Henri tell Isa he didn’t want to stay. Rock didn’t want him to stay either; they were like oil and water, and always had been. It’d be better if Henri came by after Rock went back to Pinewood Springs.
Later that night, after everyone had left and all the dishes and pots had been cleaned and put away, Rock sat on the chaise lounge on the patio, Clotille between his long legs, leaning back against him. A soft breeze ruffled her hair, and Rock smoothed it down with his hand before returning his arm to her waist. The Spanish moss moved gently in the warm breeze, and the lights from the paper lanterns softened the darkness. Behind them the house was dark—everyone had gone to bed. They sat for a long while holding each other and listening to the constant chirping of the crickets.
