by Davida Lynn
I wiped away a tear as my best friend spoke. “Thank you.”
“Now, let’s go get that aggression out. Then we’ll figure out what to do with your car.”
As usual, Alana knew exactly what I needed. The kick boxing session was sweaty, but at the end of it, I felt amazing. I felt like there was hope.
Harvey, on the other hand, was looking like a lost cause. We discussed the hood for the entire drive to and from the kickboxing studio, and at the end of it, neither of us had come up with any solution.
When we got back to the apartment complex, Alana did the best thing she could think of. After we parked the car, she got out and threw her gym towel over the hood. It covered enough of the word to save me the embarrassment of looking at it.
Monday and Tuesday were my days to rest. I caught up on reading, shopping, and relaxing. Jason hadn’t contacted me since Saturday night, and my fears were beginning to ease. I thought more about Tanner than anything else.
I wondered if he would show up on Wednesday like he’d said. I hoped he would. I couldn’t drive around with a towel to cover the hood much longer. I needed a permanent solution.
Wednesday night came, and I was filled with nervous energy. I hadn’t felt that way since my first dance months before. I thought I’d trip from my heels or fall off the pole.
After my first song of the night, I calmed down, but only a little. I spent the entire dance scanning the crowd for the skull-covered bandana and the leather vest. It was early, only eight in the evening, and he’d said he wouldn’t show up until midnight. I kept hoping.
Backstage, Alana checked in with me. “No news?”
I shook my head as I tied the straps of my next pair of heels behind my calves. “It’s been quiet, thank God.”
“And your biker?”
I smiled. “It’s been quiet, goddammit.”
“The night is young, my dear Charity. Keep your spirits up and your panties down.” She laughed and headed down the hallway toward the front of house.
Around ten, a bachelor party came in, and we all put on new outfits. Parties always meant big money, and it meant all hands on deck. A few other girls who had just started their shifts threw on some clothes and headed out, as well. Lap dances for all the guys, but extra naughty ones for the groom-to-be.
All the girls got into the spirit of the night, and we were having a good time. Beyoncé was imploring everyone to put a ring on it as the girls took turns climbing all over the man of the hour. I was having a good time, but still kept an eye out for the biker. I told myself that Jason could strike at any moment, and even if things were quiet, it would be good to have Tanner on my side.
When eleven o’clock came and went, I began to think he wasn’t going to show. I told myself again and again that it wasn’t even midnight, but the anticipation was killing me. Maybe he didn’t even want anything to do with a stripper in the first place. Hell, maybe he had a wife. It’s not even midnight yet. Calm down, girl. I repeated the second part over and over in my head.
As I stepped out for my third stage dance of the night, I put Tanner out of mind. That made it even more shocking and thrilling when I saw him at the end of the runway, dead center in front of the pole.
I danced for him. No one else was even there. I didn’t see their money, and I didn’t hear them calling out to me as I reprised the naughty schoolgirl outfit for a striptease to Hot For Teacher by Van Halen. All I could see was Tanner. His eyes were all over me, but he wasn’t eating me up like Jason. I could almost see a hint of admiration in his gaze. He enjoyed what I was doing, rather than just letting it set him on fire.
After I finished up, I rushed backstage to change and tidy my makeup. Alana was busy with table service, but Ellen was still backstage. I rushed up to her at the makeup table.
“He’s here. He came back—the biker!” I couldn’t sit still. Changing into a gold bikini and boots, I touched up my lipstick and ran back out to meet him. My heart was pounding, and a feeling of happiness came over me that I hadn’t experienced in some time.
Out through the thick curtain separating the reality of backstage with the fantasy world of the club, I stepped pasted Calvin, who gave me the brotherly nod. Tanner had moved back up near the bar. He sat at a small table next to the railing. From there, he could see the entire club.
I stood in front of the DJ booth for a moment, watching him. There was a calm confidence about him. Jason was cocky. Tanner was sure—of himself, and who knew what else.
I cut a path directly to him. There were plenty of other customers, even with the bachelor party gone, but I could only keep focused on him. He caught sight of me and watched as I made my way up the stairs. Without saying a word, I came up behind him and bent over at the waist. My face was almost between his legs. I dragged my nails up his chest as I got vertical again.
“Good to see you again, too.” He gave me a dry smile and took a sip from his drink.
I winked at him. Heaven was busy with several customers at the counter and wouldn’t notice me, so I sat down. Tanner was dressed in the exact same clothes as he had been the night we’d first met. It was probably his uniform the same way my skimpy bikini was mine. He still looked good.
I leaned in close, making sure no one else could hear. “Can you stick around until closing? I need to talk to you outside the club.”
He nodded. As strong and silent as they come, I thought.
“Thanks. I’ll get you another drink.” He nodded again, and leaned back to reach into his jeans. I waved him off. “The first one’s on me.”
I headed over to the bar. Heaven turned from a customer to me, and gave me the “what can I get you?” eye. “Whatever the biker’s having, make sure he’s well taken care of all night.”
“You got it.” She smiled and looked past me. I could tell she was eyeing Tanner. I couldn’t blame her. She was watching out for me, but I saw that she was checking him out, too.
As I headed back to him, Tanner spun his head around, making it clear he’d been watching me at the bar. He had been checking out my ass as I leaned over to talk to Heaven. I smiled, charmed by his exaggerated attempt to disguise what he’d been doing.
I laughed. Once he was back in earshot, I told him, “This is the one place you’re allowed to look, you know.”
“I know. I just don’t want you to think I’m not a gentleman.”
“Honey, I know you’re not. I wouldn't talk to you, if you were.” In response, Tanner rose his glass toward me, then tipped it back, emptying it. “I’ll see you in a bit.”
I walked past him, running a finger across his broad shoulders. As I headed toward a few guys just coming inside the club, and I figured out a way to keep him interested until I could get off the clock.
For a Wednesday, I kept busy. There was a steady stream of customers in the Cherry Stem. I did my job well, but my eye was on Tanner the entire time. I gave dances to other men, but I kept glancing back at him, mouthing filthy things to him. It was hard to make him crack, but I managed. While I was giving an older man a lap dance, I mouthed, I want your cock inside me just as he was taking a drink. He coughed up and quickly reached for a napkin.
I got dirtier and dirtier as the night went on. I’d walk past him at his table and whisper, “I’m so wet for you,” and then I’d go dance for another group of guys. I was worried at first, but he played it cool, if he played at all. Tanner gave the impression that he didn't mind me giving other guys lap dances. It was my job, after all. I acted like I enjoyed it, just like I had acted like I enjoyed the handjob I’d given Tanner a few days earlier. Business was business, and I was doing a great job keeping him intrigued.
After my last dance, I headed backstage. After pulling my legs out of the thigh-high boots, I grabbed a makeup wipe and began the process of de-glittering my face and chest. Four wipes later, I looked like Jenny, the girl next door again. My bag was full of my stripper clothes, and I was wearing jeans and a Texas A&M hoodie. If Tanner liked me in my in my da
y-to-day clothes as much as he liked the stripper attire, I’d know for sure I had him where I wanted him.
I said goodbye Alana. She wished me good luck, and with that, I stepped out the back door to meet Tanner. The parking lot was almost empty. Harvey sat next to Alana’s SUV, the street light casting a protective orange glow over them both. It also reflected off the cold steel of a knife buried in one of my tires.
My heart jumped into action, and every fear about Jason came rushing back to me. A noise made me jump out of my skin, and I turned to run back into the strip club. I’d bolt the door, and Alana and I would call for Calvin or Darius.
“Hey, hey, it’s all right. It’s me.” The soothing bass of Tanner’s voice froze me in place.
I whirled around to see him with his hands up in a nonthreatening manner. I put my hand to my chest and closed my eyes. I got angry at myself, and then at Jason for making me live in constant fear. All the fun teasing of the evening was gone. I didn’t feel powerful or sexy anymore.
“Somebody decided to give you the ol’ Roadhouse,” he said, jerking a thumb toward poor Harvey.
“Huh?” My mind was a blur, my heart was still pounding.
“The movie Roadhouse? Never mind. You okay?” He took a step toward me, but watched my reaction as he did.
I nodded and attempted to swallow. “My ex-boyfriend is having some issues letting go.”
“Ah.” Tanner walked over to Harvey and peeled back the towel from the hood. “Some issues?”
I headed over to him, my eyes darting in all directions. “Mmhm.”
The biker pulled the knife from the deflated tire. It was six inches long, and it looked sharp enough to be used in surgery. He turned it over in his hands. I hugged myself and stood beside him. I felt safer standing next to him. The fear was still very real, but it was better than nothing.
“You got a spare?”
I nodded, “In the trunk, I think.” I tried to remember if I’d ever gotten a flat tire in my own car.
“Pop it, and we’ll put it on.”
I did as he said, but we didn’t do anything. Tanner pulled the spare out, fished for the jack, and changed it all himself. I stood back and watched as he worked like an expert. He made it look easy, like he was on a pit crew or something. I alternated between fascination with his skill and panic at any sound outside of his grunts.
After lowering Harvey back down, Tanner stood up and wiped his hands on his jeans. He threw the flat tire in the trunk, then slammed it closed. I jumped, letting out a nervous laugh.
The large biker stood in front of me, “You’re coming home with me tonight.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good—”
Tanner shook his head. “Wasn’t a question. You are coming home with me.”
My mouth dropped open. I couldn’t speak, but my mind raced. Out of instinct I almost said no, but something stopped me. It was exactly what was after, and maybe that’s what caught me off-guard. Maybe it was doubt, or renewed fear of Jason. That might have been part of it, but I knew exactly what it was. It was the command. Tanner didn’t ask, and he didn't try to convince me. He told me exactly what was going to happen.
There was something about his tone that made my heart race. I saw Tanner in a different light, after that moment. Until then, I had hoped that he would be able to protect me. After hearing him tell me what was going to happen, I knew he would. I knew he had that power, and I knew he wanted to. I had achieved my goal.
The fear wasn’t gone, but I felt far more secure than I had in almost a month. I thought my words wouldn't sound any different, but the emotion of the moment betrayed me.
“Okay. Thank you,” I managed, turning away out of embarrassment. He quietly laughed.
“My ride’s around front. Go ahead and hop in and pull around. You’ll follow me home. It’s not far.” Without waiting for a reply, Tanner stood and watched as I got in.
I threw my bag into the backseat and fired Harvey up. I pulled around to the front as he walked beside my car. I parked and watched Tanner’s hulking body climb on a motorcycle that matched his size. I always thought of them as small things, but his bike was huge. The handlebars were way up high, and it was almost as long as my car. With a nod, he made a left onto the road.
Alana’s words rang in my head as I followed him. You always have a choice. I also felt like I owed Tanner something, though. I wasn’t even at his house yet, but I felt like he had earned it. I didn’t want to sleep with him just because I had nothing else to give him, but I also needed him to keep me safe. He had already changed my tire. God, seeing that knife embedded into the rubber had been terrifying.
Thinking about Jason messing with my car brought another horrid thought into my head. Maybe he had been inside the club, and I didn’t spot him because I was so preoccupied with Tanner. If my ex saw me talking and flirting with the biker, it could have driven him to action. My heart sped up, and that safe feeling vanished.
I followed Tanner as he made each turn, but I didn’t pay attention to where we were going. A crippling fear was gripping me by the throat. By the time he flicked on the turn signal one last time and pulled into a driveway, I was having a full-blown panic attack.
I slammed hard on the brakes in his driveway and threw Harvey into park. My vision was a blur as I stared past the steering wheel. I began to feel lightheaded. The tips of my fingers started going numb.
Deep breaths. Deep breaths, I told myself over and over again, but I could feel the world closing in around me regardless.
I almost didn't hear the car door open. Tanner reached across my body to undo my seat belt. It was all a blur, but I knew I was being lifted from the car.
My headlights lit up a small brick house with a garage that looked to be twice as large as the house. Then blackness consumed me like a cold wave.
I woke up in the middle of a large bed. Sunlight streamed through a window, letting me know it was nearly noon. Sheets and a comforter had me well tucked in. I rolled over, expecting Tanner to be there beside me. The thought warmed me, despite my fears from the night before, but I was alone.
I remembered the panic attack, and I tried to piece it all together, but it wasn’t working. I scolded myself for letting something like that happen to me, but I remembered that it was Jason doing it, not me. He was burying himself deep in my brain, and I couldn’t take it anymore.
I looked around. The room was bare except for a few framed posters on the wall. One was an event poster from last year’s Sturgis Festival. Another was a movie poster for Easy Rider. I laughed to myself. Tanner was a biker through and through. Besides the small nightstand next to the bed, the room was bare.
I lifted the sheets to see that I was in my underwear. Seeing the simple VS cotton set made blood rush to my cheeks. Tanner had stripped me down to put me to bed. I imagined him taking my clothes off with care. Then I imagined him ripping them off with reckless abandon. Shaking the thought from my head, I slid to the side of the bed.
I saw my socks, jeans, and sweatshirt in a pile near the footboard. I thought about him pulling my jeans down my toned legs. I lifted my hands above my head as he pulled the sweatshirt off of me.
Stop it. I wasn’t interested in Tanner. I didn’t date white guys, and I certainly wasn’t interested in dating this one. He was my protection and nothing more.
I decided a shower would be just what the doctor ordered. Inside the closet, I found a large blue towel, and wrapping it around me, I crept out of the bedroom. I wasn’t sure if he was asleep, or if he was even home, but as I stepped into the hallway, I could hear loud snores coming from the living room. I tiptoed down the hall, looking at more automotive posters along the way.
