by Sara Crest
“People make mistakes” he replied “hate to admit it but that boy is one of mine, I should have never let him in and I see that now.”
He took a huge swig of his beer before continuing “I ain’t asking you for much Ash, just think about what I told you.”
I found myself staring into his eyes for a brief moment, they were absolutely tantalizing. I could almost feel myself falling into them they were so deep and green. I found myself having to snap out of yet another trance caused by Johnny. “I should go” I stuttered out “I see some drinks getting low around here.”
I stood up and started walking back to the bar, contemplating what Johnny had said to me. Part of me wanted to believe what he said was real, part of me was afraid he was trying to trick me somehow. Part of me thought that maybe this was just a physical attraction thing, and part of me definitely wanted that to be true. Sure this wasn’t my only chance at freedom, but if I said the word then I’d finally get some adventure in my life.
As I walked to the bar someone grabbed my arm. I looked down to see that it was Freddie, completely drunk out of his mind.
“Where you think you’re going beautiful?” his words came out slurred. I tried to free myself from his grasp as I looked and saw how many empty beer mugs were near him, he had clearly been drinking the gang’s leftover beer.
Before I could even respond he grabbed my hips and pulled me onto his lap, his breath reeked of alcohol as he moved closer to me with his beaten face.
I turned away only to see Johnny quickly approaching us, his hands gripped tightly into a fist.
Johnny grabbed the back of my shirt and pulled me away from Freddie, he grabbed Freddie by the collar of his jacket and hoisted him up to his feet.
“Oh what I can’t fuck bartenders anymore?” Freddie said with a huge grin on his face “oh wait let me guess you claimed this one for yourself.”
“You’re on thin fucking ice, this is your last warning. You leave the girl alone and maybe we won’t have any problems.”
“I joined this gang to do whatever the fuck I want” Freddie said as he pushed away from Johnny “just because you’re the fucking chapter leader you think you can tell me who I can fuck, you ain’t got your cronies with you.”
“I’m telling you to back the fuck away right now.” The few gang members inside the bar stood and watched, unsure of what to do.
“You’ve gone fucking soft” Freddie replied. He grabbed a mug of beer and splashed to lukewarm liquid it into Johnny’s face. Johnny winced as the alcohol stung his eyes.
Freddie grabbed me by my throat, pinning me against the bar. I turned to see an enraged Johnny rushing over, he punched Freddie harder than I have ever seen a man hit another man, the slapping sound of the hit filled the room.
Freddie stumbled over onto the floor, before he could react Johnny walked over and grabbed him by his shaggy blonde hair.
Johnny dragged him by his hair through the beer soaked bar floor until they were both outside, I quickly followed.
Johnny held Freddie by his collar as he lay on the pavement outside just inches away from where he was beaten the day before. Johnny gave him one more final hard punch square in the face before flipping him over. He grabbed the “Rolling Raiders” patch that was on the back of Freddie’s jacket and ripped it off.
“You don’t deserve to wear this fucking patch!” he yelled as the gang members who were loitering outside watched the scene in astonishment. “You fucking blew it, you’re out of the club. If I see you anywhere near another member, or anywhere near Ashley, I’ll run over you with your own goddamn bike.”
He lifted Freddie to his feet and pushed him away. Freddie stumbled towards his motorcycle, frantically putting his key in the ignition and starting the bike up.
“You won’t fucking get rid of me that easy Johnny.” He revved his engine and took off, driving down the same road the whole gang had come in on only a day before.
“You alright?” Johnny asked as he turned to me.
“Yeah, I think I’ll be fine” I replied as I rubbed the place where Freddie had grabbed me by my throat. His grip was hard but thankfully it was only for a moment.
Johnny rubbed his eyes, they were red from the alcohol.
“Here, let me help” I said as I tried to lead him indoors.
I took him into the men’s bathroom, bringing with me the only clean washcloth I could find behind the bar.
I soaked the cloth and began dabbing his eyes, trying to get out any alcohol I could.
“Thank you, for dealing with him I mean” I said.
“You don’t need to thank me, he was my responsibility. A real man deals with his responsibilities”
Johnny grunted angrily and punched one of the mirrors with his bare hand, shattering it from the center. His muscle in his arm tensed as a thick vein ran up from his wrist all the way to his shoulder.
I stood back horrified, waiting for him to calm down.
“I’m sorry, is it still stinging?”
“The burn isn’t the reason I’m upset” he said taking a deep sigh. “I’m losing control over the chapter, MY chapter.”
“Johnny it was just one guy, I’m sure your men know better” I said trying to console him.
“This hasn’t been the first time, the men who have acted up are forming their own rebel chapter. They’re deserting so they can go sell basement made drugs and undermine the Rolling Raider’s power.” He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration “fucking disgraceful… I thought that coming here and finding the bastards would assert my leadership but now? Now it just seems like it’s gotten my men talking.”
“So that’s why you’re here, to gain control of your chapter again.”
“We’ve chased the son of a bitch who started the deserter faction down to this town, he’s hiding out but we don’t know where.”
“Those four men that you were talking to, did they abandon the club or?”
“No, those are my most loyal members. They know what’s best for me, the chapter, and the club as a whole. I’ve put them in charge of finding those traitor bastards.”
He leaned against one of the sinks and sighed, clenching his fist in frustration. “I’ve brought this club too far to give up now, I’ve gone from a grunt to a chapter leader in only a few years. If I can finish off this splinter group then the gang leaders might make me a real leader, I won’t just control this chapter I’ll be in charge of hundreds of members.”
I walked to him and put my hand on his, trying to comfort him. His hand was rough, bruised from the punches he delivered to Freddie. “Well deserved” I thought.
The sounds of motorcycles rang out from outside as Johnny and I listened to his gang speed off, none of them even checking to see if their leader was ok.
“You should go home, you have no reason to get further involved in all of this. If Freddie comes back looking for me and things turn violent I don’t think you should be around.”
I thought about how he’d have to sleep alone in this bar, with minor injuries too. I wanted to offer him my place to stay but I was unsure, I did have a pullout couch that’s never been used. I wasn’t even sure how I felt about Johnny in general but the more I talked to him the more I began to feel a growing connection.
“I’ll give you a ride home” Johnny said breaking my train of thought. I nodded my head and followed him out of the bar. I was unsure about riding with him again but I didn’t want to risk walking home alone with Freddie still out there so I agreed.
5
The parking lot was completely empty, none of the dozens of bikers that were there just moments ago remained.
We went to Johnny’s bike and I reached for the helmet. As soon as I grabbed it Johnny put his hand on it and took it away from me. “If you’re going to be coming with me then you need to see what it feels like to ride without a helmet. I want you to feel what I feel when I ride this thing.”
“I never even agreed to going with him” I thought �
�and now he wants me to go helmetless?”
My heart began racing, it was only the second time I was going to be on his motorcycle and I would be going on it without any real protection.
Johnny took his seat on the bike, I climbed on behind him and wrapped my arms lightly around his waist even though I knew that in a matter of moments I’d probably be hanging on for dear life.
He started up the bike and the engine roared, I closed my eyes tight and braced myself for what was about to happen.
He pulled out onto the road and in no time we were racing down the pavement. When we stopped accelerating and hit top speed I slowly got the courage to open my eyes, moving my head from behind Johnny into oncoming wind. The wind blow my hair, the cooler fall air hit my face as we sped by the world. My fear began to subside and was replaced by exhilaration, my heart was beating faster than it ever had before. In some odd way I felt free, completely free, I felt what it was like to be in his world for that brief moment in time, to feel as if I was bound by nothing.
I felt him begin to slow down as we came closer to my apartment, I wasn’t ready for this to end though not by a long shot. “Keep going!” I cried out, pointing my hand forward towards the entrance to the nearby highway.
He smiled and took the exit, passing my apartment complex and heading onto the open road. The warmth of the setting sun and the coolness of the wind helped send shivers throughout my body. I closed my eyes again but not out of fear, this time it was to embrace the overwhelming sensations I was being gifted.
Johnny pulled off of an exit onto some nearby farmland. I immediately jumped off of the bike giddy from what I had just experienced.
“See, I do know some things about you. I may not be right 100% of the time but I knew you’d love riding.”
“I mean, it was alright I guess” I said sarcastically as I fixed my hair from the wind. I hopped up onto the farm’s wooden fence to sit down, watching the sunset as my heart finally began to calm down from the bike ride.
Johnny walked up to me, even when I was sitting high on that fence Johnny was taller than me.
The wind lightly blew through his hair and the sun reflected off his emerald eyes. As he stood before me all I could see was him and a field of golden wheat. The more I stared into his eyes the more I found myself lost in them, and the closer he got the easier it was to tell that he was beginning to get lost in my eyes too. I glanced down at his lips but only for a moment, noticing how soft they looked in the light of the setting sun. I tried to snap myself out of it but the adrenalin from the ride was still pumping through my veins, experiencing what he lived made me feel more open to him, I… I just had to snap out of it.
He was just inches away from me, he put his arms on either side of my body and looked into my eyes. I could see him leaning in, getting closer and closer to me. I had to snap out of it “he’s a brute” I thought to myself. “He’s wild, he’s dangerous… I shouldn’t I know I shouldn’t.”
He ran his left hand up my back until it was on the back of my neck behind my hair. I closed my eyes and felt the heat of his body coming towards me. He pulled me forward and I felt our lips lock together. He pulled me into him and kissed me deeper than any man had ever kissed me before. I placed my hand on his chest, feeling his heart beating through his shirt. He ran his other hand up and down my thigh as I kissed him again and again, shivers ran throughout my body as I felt him on my lips. “I shouldn’t be doing this” I thought “but everything about it feels so right.” I ran my hands over his as he held and cradled my jaw in his palm, I nestled my face in his hand and we broke our kiss for a moment. I looked deep into his eyes and he looked back at me, in that brief moment I saw more than what was on the surface. I leaned forward to kiss him again but he held me in place by my neck. His powerful grip keeping me from moving forward, in a way it made feel helpless, knowing that he could physically control me if he wanted to.
He slowly loosened his grip around my neck and stepped back, a slight smirk on his face “it’s getting late, let me take you home.”
6
When Johnny drove me home this time I didn’t hesitate to squeeze him while riding. I thought about feeling his body through his shirt but I thought it would be better if I showed some restraint. That kiss that we shared was amazing but I still didn’t know how I felt about all of this.
He pulled up outside my apartment complex. People walking by looked at us both strangely and out of fear, probably wondering what I was doing riding with him.
I got off of the bike, rubbing my hand along his back as I stepped off. Johnny grabbed my arm just as it was sliding off of his back and pulled me towards him, before I knew it our lips were together again and he was giving me a goodbye kiss. When I pulled away I was practically disoriented, there was just something about his kisses that sent my whole body out of whack, it almost made me feel guilty.
Johnny gave me a half hearted smile “well, you take care now. Need to go find a place to hold up for the night while I figure out where to go from here, I’ll see you tomorrow little lady.”
“Johnny wait” I said placing my hand on his bike throttle just as he was about to pull it. I don’t know if it was the adrenaline from the bike ride or if I was just riding the emotions of the day but I didn’t want to see him go off on his own, even if he could handle himself.
“I don’t think it’ll be safe for you out there, with what happened earlier today and all. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Johnny raised his eyebrows and grinned “I’ve handled far worse than that don’t you worry.”
“You… you can stay at my place tonight. I have a couch that’s probably more comfortable and a lot cheaper than where you might end up.”
“Looks like I’m growing on you already” he said jokingly.
I laughed nervously at his comment but he was kinda right, he was growing on me.
He got up from his motorcycle and followed me to the front of the building and the elevator inside. As we approached the elevator the doors opened and a couple walked out, they stared at Johnny as they walked by. I think part of it was in amazement at the sheer size of him, the other part was probably fear from the Raiders patch he proudly wore on his jacket. I hadn’t been out much since the Rolling Raiders came into town but I could still hear the whispers on the streets and from the halls when I walked around my complex. The people of the town not only knew about them and their takeover of the bar, but they knew about the humiliation they gave to our sheriff and small police force.
Johnny and I got into the elevator quickly and I hit the third floor button. I watched Johnny as he rubbed the bruised and but up part of his knuckle before inspecting his hand of the cut from yesterday. His face seemed tired but determined. He looked as if had a purpose but he just had to figure out how to achieve it.
The elevator opened and we stepped out into the short hall, finding my room I inserted my key and unlocked the door.
I quickly began tidying up some things hoping that Johnny wouldn’t notice. I hadn’t had company in months and my place didn’t look the best.
Johnny took off his jacket, revealing his wifebeater underneath. As he turned to me I noticed a small but fresh red stain at the bottom of the back of his shirt. “Johnny, you um have a stain on your shirt.”
He looked down “worst part is I can’t tell if it’s my own or if it’s Freddie’s” Johnny said as he rubbed the stain in between his fingers.
“I’m sure we could clean that if you-”
Before I could finish my sentence Johnny lifted the shirt up over his head, fully revealing his toned body.
“J-just throw it in the sink, I’ll scrub it out” I stuttered out as Johnny took my advice and went into the kitchen to put it in the sink.
It was getting harder to determine if my attraction to Johnny was more than just something physical. That moment we shared by the farm was one thing but how could I know be attracted to a body like that, it was driving me crazy at this point.
/> I watched as his muscles heaved with every breath, how the sun that shone through the window bounced off of his tattooed, scarred, and muscular body. His hair slicked back with just the effort of his fingers seemed to dance in the light.
I slowly approached him from behind, staring at each tattoo individually, wondering what he did to earn each one, and how each one was supposed to command respect amongst his gang.
He turned around, catching me staring at all of his different tattoos.
I stood just inches away from his heaving muscular chest as he looked down on me with his emerald eyes. I could practically feel the heat coming from his body as my heart began beating faster and faster. You have to believe me when I say that I didn’t intend for this kind of thing to happen when I invited him over, I didn’t know what was going on but just looking at him was starting to turn me wild. Maybe that’s what happens when you feel the freedom of a motorcycle.
He put his hands on my hips, running one up my body until it rest on the side of my face. He pulled me in, kissing me suddenly and deeply as I embraced him. I ran my hand up and down his muscular toned body as I finally got the chance to really feel him up.
He slid his tongue into my mouth, pulling me even closer as he held my body against his. He roughly held onto me as we kissed again and again. His lips wrapped around my own as I felt his rock hard body against mine.
“You’re gonna make me forget about everything that’s bothering me” he said.
“Oh fuck is this really happening?” I thought. Just a short time ago I would have never thought about even touching him and now I was feeling his bare body.
He picked me up by my butt and I wrapped my legs around his waist as we continued to kiss each other deeply. He walked out of the kitchen, seeing my bedroom and carrying me over.
He threw me on the bed, leaning over and grabbing my shirt by the collar he ripped it down and then completely off, exposing my body to him. He moved his hands down my naked body to my jeans, unbuttoning them before tugging them down and off of my legs.
