Merrick: Harlequins MC

by Olivia Stephens

  “Let’s do it one more time. Blake, I want you to put a little more oomph into it, okay? Remember, your dad was just killed and Abigail is being blamed for it.”

  “Will, Merrick is here,” she said then stepped back out of the way.

  Will turned away from the screen he’d been watching. “Merrick, good. As soon as we complete this shot, we’re wrapping, finishing, for the day. Good job on the crowds today and last night. Best three grand we’ve spent yet. We’re going to be shooting some second unit stuff tomorrow. Can you spare some men for that?”

  Merrick grinned. I thought bikers used a lot of slang. “Second unit? That means you will be on two locations at the same time?”

  Will gave him a crooked smile. “Yeah. First unit is this one, where the stars are. Second unit films all the other stuff. Drive-bys, establishing shots, close-ups of hands or props, anything that doesn’t have the stars in it. Second unit is pretty low key, but with all the trouble we’ve had…” He paused and shrugged. “Tomorrow we’re going to shoot establishing shots, buildings and the like, so the audience will know where we are when we cut to an interior. If you can spare the men, it might be helpful when wrangling the crowd.”

  “I think we can work something out. How many?”

  Will shrugged. “I have no idea. Probably not more than ten or twelve. Like I said, there is no star power to draw the crowds, and the shots are usually quick without a lot of elaborate setup. Even having people in the shots isn’t a problem so long as they aren’t mugging or looking at the camera. That’s where you come in.” Will grinned. “Want to give your guys some walk-ons?”

  “What’s that?”

  “We’ll put them in the scene for crowd effects if you want. You’ll have to lose the colors, but otherwise…”

  Merrick snorted then grinned. “Our faces might break the cameras.”

  Will chuckled. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem.” Most of the Harlequins he’d see so far were good looking guys. Especially Merrick. Tall and well built, with broad shoulders and a trim waist, he had the triangular shape women loved. Add in his sun-kissed skin, muscular arms, and the slight swagger in his walk, he had the classic rugged American hero look. Not only did he have the body, but with his strong chin and cheek bones, deep brown eyes and sandy blonde hair, Will knew the camera would love him in a close up. Merrick had leading man written all over him and Will wondered what would happen if he were to put the guy in front of a camera.

  Merrick nodded. “We’ll make it happen.”

  Will grinned. “Excellent. That’s a four am call at the hotel for the second unit. See Hayden Jefferies. He’s the second unit director and he can tell you what he wants.”

  Merrick pulled out his phone and typed a moment so he wouldn’t forget. “Hayden Jefferies, La Palacio Hotel, 4 am,” he muttered as he typed. “Got it. Anything else?”

  “No, that’s it. First unit has a 10 am call at…” he paused. “Shit, I can’t remember now. Patricia! Where are we starting tomorrow?”

  The woman who had come for him flipped through her notes. “At the convenience store. 2209 Jacaman Road.”

  “Know where that is?” Will asked.

  “We can find it.”

  “See you there. Oh and, Merrick, we’ll have plenty of water available,” Will said as he gave him a grin and a wink.

  Merrick chuckled. “You heard about that?”

  “Merrick…” Will began then chuckled, “everyone heard about it.”

  “Am I in trouble?”

  Will’s grin spread. “Personally, I think she needed it. Just don’t be too much of an asshole.”

  Merrick smiled and gave him a small salute before walking away.

  ***

  “Any word from Abana?” Jason asked as he lounged in his chair in the Harlequin clubhouse, sipping a beer. Katalin, his old lady, was sitting on the arm and sipping a beer of her own. Most of the brothers were gone, but a few were still hanging around, discussing the news that Abana’s compound had been hit.

  “Not a peep,” Merrick said.

  “Why the fuck did he think we were involved?” Tim asked.

  “No idea.”

  “What are you going to do?” Maria, Randy’s old lady, asked.

  “Nothing,” Merrick replied before taking another pull from his beer. “Not until I hear back from him and find out why—” He paused as the door opened.

  “Hey, baby,” Sonya said as she ambled in. “Muriel said you were here.” She planted a long wet kiss on Merrick.

  “Yeah. Just winding down and cooling off,” Merrick said. Sonya was just a club girl and she wasn’t in the loop.

  “I’m free tonight if you want some company.”

  He grinned. “I might.”

  She swayed into the kitchen and returned with a beer of her own and a fresh one for Merrick, handing him his before lounging on the arm of the chair as Katalin was doing. “How goes the security gig?”

  “Not bad. Hot as hell just standing around in the sun.”

  “I wish I had been there last night when you kicked that guy’s ass.”

  “You heard about that?”

  Sonya smiled. “Maria told me.”

  “Jesus, nothing is secret around here,” he teased, though he knew none of the old ladies would ever talk about the club’s off book activities.

  Sonya grinned. “Watching you kick some punk’s ass turns me on.”

  “Not that you need much,” Haven, Tim’s old lady, said with a grin.

  Sonya smiled back and tipped her beer in acknowledgement. She couldn’t help it if she was horny all the time. Of course, having Merrick in your bed would be enough to make Mother Teresa horny. “What can I say? I’m just a randy slut,” she grinned, causing everyone to laugh. She’d never been shy about her abundant sexual appetite.

  “I’ll shoot you a video next time,” Kyle chuckled.

  “Please do,” Sonya purred, playing to her friends.

  “There wasn’t a lot to see,” Tim said. “Hell it was over in…” He paused as there was a rap on the door. The Harlequins looked at each other as the women moved away and clustered farther back in the room. Nobody came calling on a biker clubhouse…nobody with half a brain anyway. The men rose and pulled their pistols. It was probably nothing, but better to be sure.

  As Tim, Randy, Jason and Kyle hung back, out of the line of fire of the front door, Merrick approached, his weapon up and ready. He peeked through the peep and then turned to grin over his shoulder. “Relax,” he said as he opened the door. “Blake. What are you doing here?”

  “Hey man. I wanted to come see how the other half lives. I hope you don’t mind.”

  Merrick thought about it. The clubhouse was theirs, and they jealously guarded their privacy, but how often you have a Hollywood star pay you a visit? “Come on in,” he said as he stepped back.

  “Thanks,” Blake said with a smile as he stepped into the clubhouse. “This is amazing,” he said as he looked around. The walls between the rooms had been taken down, opening up the living room, dining room and kitchen into one large area, with a wide opening into the enclosed and finished single car garage for additional space. The main room had been decorated in leather and wood, with Harley and Harlequin memorabilia on display through out the room. The kitchen, or what was left of it, housed a sink, dishwasher, and huge refrigerator, but no stove and very few cabinets.

  “You know, I’ve always wanted to do a movie where I could play a biker. Do you mind if I take some pictures of this place…as inspiration for an art director?” Blake asked as he pulled out his cell.

  “Actually, I do. Sorry,” Merrick said holding up his hand.

  Blake grinned and tucked his phone back into his pocket. “No problem. This part of your gang?”

  Merrick chuckled and gave his head a small shake. “First off, we’re not a gang, we’re a club. We—”

  Blake held up his hands in surrender and smiled. “Sorry! Didn’t mean to offend.”

 
“Don’t worry about. As I was going to say, we don’t go around mugging little old ladies, smashing windows, or terrorizing the common folk. We’re just a group of men and women who enjoy riding together.”

  “Club. Got it.”

  Merrick grinned. It was impossible to dislike the guy. “This’s Jason, my VP, and his old lady, Katalin.”

  Merrick paused as Blake stepped forward and shook both of their hands. “Nice to meet you. Blake Teagle.”

  “Over there is Tim, my Sergeant at Arms, and his old lady, Haven.” Again Blake shook their hands as he introduced himself. “That’s Kyle, my Secretary and Treasurer, and his old lady, Maria.” Blake continued down the line. “Finally, that’s Randy and his old lady, Gemma.”

  Blake finished shaking hands. “And who are you?” he asked as he took Sonya’s hand.

  “Sonya. Sonya Lynch.”

  “Nice to meet you, Sonya.”

  “Nice to meet you, Blake. Did I see you in Smokejumpers?”

  Blake grinned, obviously delighted to be recognized. “I was. I was Danny McKay.”

  Sonya’s face split with a grin. “I thought I recognized you!”

  “You saw the movie?”

  “I did! I loved it! The scene where you were racing out of the forest with Tillie while the fire was burning all around you…that was amazing!”

  Blake’s smile grew wider. “It was pretty amazing…but you should have seen it when we were filming it. All the smoke came from smoke machines, all the scenes of us in the truck were shot while the truck was on a rig so it would shake, and the biggest flame anywhere around was someone’s lighter. That’s movie magic, baby.” He gave her a leering grin as he winked and made his hands into pistols that he pointed at her.

  Sonya oozed in close. “The scene where you and Tillie were making love in the fireproof tent…that was so hot!”

  Blake nodded. “Yes, well, a little fictional license there. In real life the tents are tiny and for one person only, and if there were a real forest fire around and you thought you were going to die, I don’t know how much love-making you would be up for.”

  “I don’t care; it was still hot.”

  Merrick grinned as Sonya melted and ran all over Blake, and he had a difficult time not staring at her breasts as she pressed into him. “How did you know where to find the clubhouse?”

  Blake pulled his attention back to Merrick. “That was the easy part. Laredo PD knows where it is, and we have a couple of cops as consultants on the shoot. A quick phone call was all it took. I decided to borrow one of the production vehicles and come see what the place looked like.”

  “Want a beer?”

  “Sure, if you don’t mind.”

  Blake spent the next hour talking with the Harlequins, swapping stories, and asking questions. The Harlequins answered those they could and made up sometime when they wanted to keep what the club really did under wraps. They’d been doing it for years and their patter was natural, easy and believable.

  As they talked, Merrick noticed Blake’s hand subtly exploring Sonya, something she was encouraging. “Sonya, do you want to show Blake the rest of the clubhouse?” he asked with a grin.

  “Do you mind?”

  He shook his head. If Blake wanted a taste of the wild side, he would give it to him. “No, and take your time.”

  Sonya rose, dragging her hand down Blake’s arm until she gripped his fingers. “You want to see the back of the clubhouse?” she purred, her voice dripping sex and promise.

  He grinned as he rose. “Sure. Why not.”

  She took his bottle and sat it on the floor before tugging at his fingers as she took two steps back, then turned, pulling him along behind her. They disappeared down the short hall and they heard the door to one of the guest rooms shut.

  Merrick grinned at the rest of the Harlequins. “He’ll have some stories to tell when he gets back to his hotel.”

  Jason snickered. “Why?”

  Merrick’s grin widened as he shrugged. “Sonya obviously wanted to, and it’ll probably be her one chance to fuck a Hollywood star, so why not let her? Nobody can say we don’t treat our guests well.”

  ***

  It took an hour before Sonya and Blake appeared again. They were flushed and bed tossed, but smiling. “Enjoy yourself?” Merrick asked.

  Blake chuckled. “Yes, as a matter of fact, I did. I have to get back before they send someone looking for me, but thank you for the hospitality. I learned a lot.”

  “You’re welcome. If you get to a chance to do the motorcycle movie, let us know. We’ll offer our services as consultants to make sure you get it right.”

  Blake grinned and nodded. “I’ll do that.” He looked around again, obviously taking it all in, then gave Sonya a gentle kiss. “I enjoyed it.”

  “Me too,” she whispered.

  “If you ever get to LA, look me up. I’ll show you a little of my world,” he said, addressing the rest of the men and women.

  “We’ll do that,” Jason said as he rose to usher Blake out.

  As the door shut behind him, Merrick turned to Sonya. “How was it?”

  She grinned before pulling him into a torrid kiss. “He’s good looking as fuck, but I need you to finish what he started,” she breathed as she pulled back from his kiss and began to tug him down the hall. “He can’t eat pussy worth a shit and then came too fast.” She looked at the rest of the Harlequins. “You’ll have to excuse us, but this can’t wait,” she called as she turned and dragged him along.

  Merrick could still hear his brothers and sisters laughing as Sonya led him into the room she’d just left and shut the door.

  Chapter Six

  Merrick arrived on the set well after the barricades had been set up around the location. Sonya had been wild as shit last night and they’d spent hours fucking like rabbits in the clubhouse before falling into an exhausted sleep, only to have her wake him up for another round of hard fucking this morning. He’d come four times in twelve hours, and could have used some more sleep, but he had work to do. Slightly sore in all the best ways, he’d left her exhausted and asleep when he returned home to shower and change into fresh clothes.

  He smiled as he greeted the brothers on the line. He would find out what problems they were encountering, if any, but first things first. He made his way to the caterer’s table for some coffee to get the synapses firing.

  “Rough night last night?” Blake asked with a grin as he stepped up beside Merrick.

  “Had trouble sleeping,” he said as he took a sip of the surprisingly good coffee. “You?”

  Blake smiled. “Like a fucking baby. I want to thank you again for your hospitality yesterday.”

  “You enjoyed yourself?” Merrick asked with a smile as he blew into his coffee.

  Blake’s grin became mischievous. “Sonya was fucking amazing, man. Like nothing I’ve experienced before.”

  “I’m glad you enjoyed yourself,” Merrick said as he took another sip.

  “As soon as I’m done with this turd of a movie, I’m going to do a pitch for that motorcycle movie. There are stories to be told there.”

  “You don’t like this one?”

  Blake shrugged. “It’s fine, just a little too touchy feely for me. My agent thought it would be a good project for me to take so I don’t get typecast, so I did. The main draw for me is getting to fuck Poppy.”

  Merrick chuckled. “Really? She’s a little stuck-up for my taste.”

  Blake nodded as he drew himself a cup of coffee from the large urn. “Well, I won’t really be fucking her, of course, but it never hurts to be seen in bed with a gorgeous woman. My publicist is working to gin up a bit of a shomance buzz.”

  “Shomance?”

  Blake chuckled. “It’s nothing, just something to get the tongues wagging in the trades. It’s all part of the game. Having our pictures taken together as we gaze into each other’s eyes, all smiles and giggles, holding hands, that sort of thing. It creates buzz, which helps sell the mov
ie, which leads to more parts.”

  Merrick nodded. “I see,” he said, though he didn’t truly understand it. It was all shallow frippery as far as he was concerned. Blake clearly didn’t understand what it was like being able to trust and depend on a brother to have your back if he was concerned with creating buzz by pretending he and Poppy were an item. Of course, that’s his job…pretending, he reminded himself.