Taking a Dare

by J. A. Hornbuckle

  I tried to see his eyes as he lowered me to the floor and took a half-step away but he kept his head down.

  No words though. Nothing to let me know what he felt or whether his brain was doing some fast cycles. Which it had to have been because mine was running at full speed.

  I'd gone through four or five different emotions in the space of ten or so minutes before being willingly screwed up against an office wall. And he still wasn't talking.

  He wasn't gonna admit what I needed him to, what my heart was begging to hear.

  What. A. Damn. Dick!

  After he dabbed at me and pulled back even further to clean himself, I twisted so I had room enough to put my pants back on. Once I was put back together, hair fluffed and everything, I moved to the door.

  "Ryley, wait…" I heard him call.

  I turned to look back at him, waiting to hear whatever it was he wanted to say. But he didn't speak. Not about us. Not about our bare-backing it. Nothing.

  He wouldn't say the words I needed him to, words that would help us to find a future together. And his continued silence kept adding fuel to my anger.

  Dare just continued to look at me, regret so evident in his face. He knew what I wanted, what I needed to hear and yet he wasn't going to give an inch.

  So I twisted back to the door, unlocked it and exited.

  Leaving broken pieces of my heart littering the floor of his office as I resentfully stormed into the wide hall.

  *.*.*.*.*

  In the whole of his sexual life, Dare had never, not even once, forgotten a condom. It had been drilled into him by the men at the club again and again.

  "You don't want none of them diseases pussies can carry," Zip had told him over and over.

  "You knock somebody up then you fucking step up to the plate, little dick." It was a common talk from many of the brothers about getting caught by some girl that wanted one man all to herself.

  He'd made the decision to never get trapped or have to watch for sores and the like as soon as he'd been given the approval to take a Honey for play.

  Christ!

  Dare plopped into the chair but couldn't help his eyes as they stared at the open doorway. He hadn't even considered a condom in his haste to be inside his Ryley! All he'd known was that he wanted her, had fuckin' needed her in a way that defied all his former teachings, his experience. And her stupid motherfuckin' rules.

  Being with her, even up against the wall of his office, had been more than perfect.

  Something he'd wanted to tell her before she left but she never gave him a fuckin' chance.

  What the fuck was that? Walking away without even fuckin' talking about what they'd just done? Or was she upset because he hadn't wanted talk to her about what he felt? Why the goddamn warning didn't mean diddly-squat when it came to her and him?

  And, for that fuckin' matter, why did he need to say it? Shit! Didn't she know? Wasn't she able to tell?

  Balancing his elbows on the desktop, he scrubbed at his face before dragging his fingers over his mustache.

  Could his day get any worse?

  Watching Trey stomp towards his office, he realized it could and probably would before he turned his eyes to the computer screen.

  Where he saw a full-blown picture of him and Ryley taken back in the day. When he was seventeen and she'd only been fifteen. But so fuckin' into each other that the camera hadn't had a choice but to capture what was between them.

  Dare couldn't tear his eyes away from the snap that was front and center on both the monitor and in his heart.

  Christ!

  He quickly right-clicked and hit 'save' knowing he'd be looking at the gift Ryley'd left for him again and again.

  Chapter Twenty

  "Talk to me, brother," was Trey's opening gambit as he settled across from Dare, his pres's big body almost hiding the chair he sat in. The younger brother took a second and realized Trey was asking about Jim and not Ryley.

  Dare took a deep breath before speaking. "Told you about it before. Parents killed. Me and Jim sent to different fuckin' foster homes. Lost touch. Yaddy-yaddy-yada." Dare shrugged on the last bit but found he'd also turned his eyes away as he'd talked.

  "But then you found him in Billings?"

  "Yeah. Saw him from behind and wondered how I goddamn knew him. Niggled at me, you know?" Dare confided. At Trey's nod and open expression, he continued. "He was with a blonde girl and seemed all caught up in her but then when they were done, he came to our table and gave us a warning as Hellions."

  "And that warning was…?"

  "That we could expect fuckin' hassles every time we went into Big Horn county."

  Trey seemed to take that info on board and Dare gave him the time to do it. "So he called you to get the skinny on what the Black Czar's are up to over here?"

  "Yeah, that's what I got from it anyway," Dare answered. "Didn't tell him hella anything and didn't promise squat. But I did say I'd be in touch."

  "So let's reach out and fuckin' touch him, bro'," Trey said with a smile. "Call him and put him on speaker."

  Jim answered at the first ring. "It's Dare. I've got you on speaker in front of Trey Jackson, president of the Missoula chapter of the Hellions."

  "Sheriff Gentry," Trey greeted.

  "Mr. Jackson," Jim replied.

  "Heard you wanted info on what the Hellions know of the Black Czar's, is that correct?" Trey asked with a squint as if concentrating on what he might hear back.

  "Yes, sir. Did Josh tell you about our bust? The meth we'd found?"

  At the name 'Josh', Trey's eyes shot to Dare as though surprised to be reminded of Dare's legal name. Dare couldn't remember if Trey had ever called him by Josh. "Not the particulars, no."

  Trey's eyes remained on his pres as Jim went over the semi, the manifest and what his officers had uncovered.

  "Is meth a problem for your community?" Trey asked as the other man's voice wound down. "The Crow rez is in your area, right?"

  "In our area, yeah. Part of our jurisdiction, no. We have to get tribal council approval to even cross into their land and to work with their tribal police. But meth, just like prescription pills are a problem for us here, both on the reservation and off."

  Dare knew exactly what Jim was referring to. With morphine tablets going for $30 a pill to the addicts, a lot of the folks of Missoula had decided that they could get by on less meds and handle more pain if only to relieve the stress of the money-crunch their illnesses had brought. Meth on the street went for a lot less and was much easier to transport.

  "What kind of info are you looking for, Sheriff?"

  "The search warrant and subpoena kind," Jim shot back.

  Dare couldn't prevent his soft whistle at Jim's open admission. That shit was huge and hard to come by in the best of circumstances. Something he wasn't sure even the Hellions could get.

  "Need to think on it a bit. But, we get you something then the Hellion's are going to want something in return," Trey warned.

  "Lemme guess. Free access through Big Horn?"

  "Geez, you and your brother aren't as dumb as you act!"

  Polite but bitter laughter rang out.

  "We'll be in touch, Sheriff, yeah?" Trey said when their chuckles finally died out.

  "I'll look forward to it, Jackson."

  Dare couldn't push the button to disconnect fast enough and when he raised his face, he found Trey eyes were on him which had him squirming in his chair. "If you had half his damn seriousness and he had half your ass-clown humor, you fuckers would probably rule the world," his Hellion brother said with a sigh. "The bar-b-que is canceled for tonight. I'll get the word out."

  Expecting Trey to leave, Dare's eyes went to the monitor again and felt his heart skip a beat at the pic that was still front and center.

  "You working it through with your girl?" Trey's question was offered on a quiet rumble, causing Dare's eyes to shoot back to his pres. When he received no response, Trey went on. "Gus only gave you two choices
but that doesn't fucking mean there ain't others."

  "I'm not fuckin' running and there's no way in hell I'm giving up my cut," Dare affirmed through clenched teeth.

  "So does that mean you're gonna fucking pull your thumb outta your ass and go for what you want, brother?"

  Their stare, brown eyes to brown eyes, held for more than a few seconds before Trey nodded, rapped his knuckles on Dare's desktop.

  And with that, Trey, like everyone else that day, left.

  So Dare could get on with whatever shit he was supposed to be doing.

  *.*.*.*.*

  "Is there some place I can rent a car?" I whispered to Lulu at the front desk of the Hellion Construction building after leaving Dare's office. In my walk down the long hallway and into the reception area, I'd determined that being near Dare was a temptation I couldn't resist. But I had to because I knew my dad was dead serious about getting him gone.

  I'd seen Lulu in the clubhouse and she'd even been at Lock's house the previous morning, but I hadn't yet had an opportunity to talk to her.

  Blinking her big blue eyes up at me, I saw her bright red lipsticked mouth open and close a couple of times.

  "Forgive me, but you're Ryley, right? The princess of the Spokane team?"

  At my nod, I saw the girl with her blue-black hair coiffed in some fifties-style stand that made me quickly take a step back. That was until I saw her hand shoot out across the desk. "I'm not really a Honey and I'm just with a guy that's still a recruit so I'm not sure how to act around you," she said and I saw pink infuse her cheeks. "But, I'm happy to meet you, nevertheless."

  Holy shit! Was she for real? I took in her whole look as my palm met hers, the dress that was form-fitting at her waist and then poofed out. Was she wearing petticoats?

  "A pleasure," I mumbled, my eyes following the heavy lines of her black eyeliner. Shit, she must've spent twenty minutes applying that stuff, I concluded. "Now, about that rental car."

  "I can get you a car. You're staying at the Rosemont, right?"

  "Ah, not exactly."

  The blinking started again and I couldn't help but wonder if she wore false eyelashes or just did eighty coats of mascara to achieve that look. "I was, ah. I was staying with Lock but she has…"

  "Blaze. Yeah, I both heard and saw how they were together," she said with a coy smile. "Do you need a place to stay, too?"

  I hadn't thought about where I'd be sleeping. If I wasn't staying at Lock's (and there was no fucking way in the world I would be since I needed to sleep and couldn't with the noise she and her man made) and not at the motel (which because of my dad, Leif and March was a no-Rye zone) where would I go? "Yeah another place would be good too."

  "I hope this isn't too forward, but I moved in with Mel. I mean, Hardwood. And I still haven't cleaned out my old apartment. If you want, you could stay there. Free of charge, of course!"

  I looked her and her desk over. In my opinion, you can tell a lot about a person from the way they kept their desks. Messy is as messy does, I think the old saying goes. And Lulu appeared to be a clean kind of girl. "That would be awesome."

  She beamed at me and I got the full affect of her and her crazy style. For her, the look she sported worked in a big way.

  Calling for a car from the yard, she then gave me a list of codes for her security system as well as a key to her place. "You might have to restock the fridge. I haven't been there in a while," she advised with a cute nose scrunch.

  "Can do. I really appreciate this Lulu," I said, hoping she recognized my sincerity. She had literally saved me a ton of money as well as time in getting myself sorted when it came to a ride and a place to lay my head. And to avoid Dare, my head reminded. "Can we keep this just between us girls?"

  She leaned towards me and whispered, "I don't tell none of the others anything. But if Trey asks me, I won't lie."

  "And you shouldn't," I shot back. "What's your cell number, just in case?" As we exchanged info, I realized that even though we were miles apart in our fashion statements, I may have made a new friend.

  *.*.*.*.*

  Trey went back to his office and turned his chair towards the huge windows that were normally behind him when he was sitting at his desk.

  He'd followed Dare from the conference room, seeing how upset his brother seemed to be after their meeting. Actually how on edge the man had been since the Spokane chapter had come to town and Trey was determined to get to the bottom of it.

  But from the slam of Dare's office door and then the resulting sounds that had echoed from inside, he'd slowed his roll. As the sounds had hit the upper registers, he'd moved to Huff's office, acting like he'd just come by to say 'hey' although he knew the blonde man wasn't fooled. Not if how Huff's eyes shot to his doorway too as Ryley had gone sailing by, her feminine boot heels echoing in staccato-fashion as she went towards reception.

  "She's the fuckin' reason he's off his game," Huff had said in a low voice. "The right fuckin' bitch will bring even the best of us to our knees every damn time."

  "And have our dicks dragging in the dirt behind us," Trey replied, echoing the sweet misery of Huff's rueful grin.

  But, he'd been surprised when he'd cornered Dare in an office that smelled, almost reeked of sex. And when he'd gotten the story about Dare's brother, the full of it, Trey's heart had felt a tug inside. Dare'd always been special, almost like an adopted sibling after his mom and dad had taken the kid in when he'd been on his own.

  Shit! Hit hard on two different sides. He couldn't blame his Hellion brother for leaving the conference room as he had. After talking with Jim, and being reminded of Dare's legal name, Trey'd high-tailed it back to his 'big dog' space as his woman liked to call it.

  To think how best to support his obviously in pain brother.

  Trey pulled his cell from his pocket and called his girl. "Dallas? Got a minute? Yeah, just needed to hear your voice, honey."

  Their talk meandered until he finally told her the full story of Dare and Ryley, or what he knew of it. He'd been around for a lot of it when they'd all been so young, so goddamn vulnerable and yet thinking they were the baddest motherfuckers in the world. But it had not proven to be true because the state Dare had fallen into when Ryley and her club had left had been a train wreck. Showing how vulnerable even the toughest boy-man was on the inside.

  "And they're still working on it in spite of her dad? Damn, sweetie. That's a lot of years to carry a torch," she'd breathed. "How's our guy holding up?"

  "He's lost his laugh, Tex." Which was the absolute motherfucking truth. There hadn't been a day that had gone by, except for that horrible time when Dare had gone off the rails and had earned the smack-down Trey had given, that he hadn't heard the man break into laughter throughout the day. Something Trey hadn't even realized lifted him up from the shit that tried to claim him as he worked all his Hellion responsibilities.

  "Oh, sweetie," she moaned into the phone and Trey felt his crotch twitch at the sound. "He'll be back. I'm sure. Ryley seems like a fighter. Maybe together, they can work things through."

  But Trey was done talking about other people when he could be using verbal foreplay to get his woman in the mood for a little something-something after she'd clocked out. "Which bra today, Dallas? The scary shit or the fuckin' good kind?"

  And as his fiancé laughed down the line, Trey counted his blessings even as his cock flexed hard inside his jeans.

  *.*.*.*.*

  As soon as Trey had left his office, Huff had called his Carly. "What's doing, beautiful?"

  "Hey, babycakes. Good to hear from you!"

  Most people never got how sweet his Carly was, how incredibly feminine she could be in spite of her military background. To a lot of his brothers, she was just one scary broad.

  "Was thinkin' about goin' out to eat tonight. Think you could shake off the Honeys for an evening and spend some time with your biker-man?"

  He heard her gasp as she made it to the page he was more than already on. "How about
pizza and beer at our place? Cell phones off and a bottle of baby oil?" she said in a sultry whisper that meant there were others nearby that she didn't want listening in. Working for the Uni in the Security section, Carly took her responsibilities seriously. But once she was off the clock, his woman was completely his.

  "Curtain ties or handcuffs?" he asked, dropping his own voice in case of the occasional walk-by outside his office.

  "How about rope, you luscious hunk of male junk? Have a hankering to be completely immobile while you have your nasty way with me," she breathed into the phone.

  Almost four years on and the woman still had him damn-well shivering with her naughty talk. "Absolutely fucking can and will do."

  "Love you, Huff."

  "Love you back, baby. Real and true."

  Hanging up, Huff couldn't help but reach to adjust himself. His fucking wife was the hottest girl on the planet as far as he was concerned.

  *.*.*.*.*

  "How is your day, my draga?" Brand rumbled into the phone. He didn't often call Reese when he was working but today, for some reason, he'd felt the need to connect with her.

  "Good. I weeded the front flower beds and then took Tops for a long walk into the back property," she said in her naturally whiskey-rough voice and he could hear her moving throughout the large downstairs space. Tops was their new little blonde lab puppy that Brand had lost more than one pair of boots to as she'd chewed her way through her milk teeth. "Was just going for a glass of ice tea before sitting down on the porch to decide what we'll have for dinner. Any preferences?"

  "You. Either in the shower or on our bed but with the puppy in her crate," he immediately responded.