“That’s good, sweetheart,” Max said.
He kissed across my neck and up to my mouth. But that’s when he left me hanging. Not even so much as a peck.
He backed away from me, pulling his hand away from my body. The outlaw stood there, looking monstrous and evil. Yet I was still wet for him. My body throbbed for him. I wanted more of him.
“Now I get a little taste,” he whispered, eyes locked on mine.
Max brought his fingers to his mouth. I gasped, mouth wide open, eyes almost as wide, watching as he held two fingers up. Then, the tip of his tongue came forward and licked.
He was tasting me …
“So fucking sweet,” he said. “Just like I always thought.”
“Always thought?” I managed to ask.
Max grinned. “I never forgot you, Jade. You just changed quite a bit. From girl to woman. And now … whatever you are now.”
He side stepped and went to my nightstand. Using a pen, he scribbled a number on a piece of paper.
“If something strikes you, this number will be good for another day or two.”
Max grabbed the door and opened it, moving me out of the way.
I followed him through the apartment, my legs warm and tingling. I thought I was going to fall a few times.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
At the door, Max looked back. “I’m giving you a chance, Jade. To figure out what you want here.”
“Max, I’m telling you—”
“No you’re not,” he said. “You just let me into your apartment and into your pants. That’s all guilt, sweetheart. Figure out where you want to shovel that guilt. If you really think fucking my MC is going to get you anywhere, it’s not. And don’t confuse my eager fingers and mouth for kindness. I could smell your sweet desire from a mile away. And trust me, I’ll be back for more.”
Max left my apartment.
I walked to the couch and collapsed to it.
I’ll be back for more.
The crazy thing was that I wanted him to come back for more.
He could try to figure me out all he wanted, but he didn’t know what he was stepping into either. There was a war brewing and I was the one in the middle, dictating where it all went.
I had just wanted a calm night alone.
That wasn’t going to happen.
My cell phone started to ring.
It was Johnny, looking for answers.
11
(max)
She was bent over a stack of boxes filled with whiskey bottles. My cock ached as I thrust deep inside her. She reached with her right hand out to grab a metal shelf. The other hand flew behind her as she grabbed at my leg, groaning, telling me to take it slow.
Sorry, I don’t do fucking slow.
I thrust harder and faster, needing to get this one off and out of me. I had been all fired up since leaving Jade’s apartment. I came back to the clubhouse wanting to throw back some whiskey and call it a night. But then a reliever started giving me the eyes and my cock was still half hard from Jade.
So I took full advantage of the opportunity at hand.
“Max, fuck, Max,” she cried out.
I leaned deeper into her and grabbed her by her thick waist. My hands latched tight and I gave it to her. Our bodies slamming together, the sound getting wetter and sloppier by the second.
I gritted my teeth and stared down at a tramp stamp tattoo of two skulls, some roses, and the Back Down Devil MC logo.
“Yes, fuck, yes,” she said.
I let her voice slip away.
I thought about Jade.
She was playing some kind of fucking game and the ending was already predetermined. There was no getting to the MC, and fucking with us was a quick way to a shallow grave. That meant I had to withhold a little information from the club until I sorted everything out.
But first—
I fucked faster. I shut my eyes. There, I had Jade bent over her dining room table. Fully naked. My hands running up and down that body of hers. The sweet smell of her honey pouring down the back of her legs and clinging to the front of my legs. Goddamn, she smelled delicious and tasted just the same.
I grunted as I felt my cock thickening. With one last thrust forward, I held there, spilling into the condom. If I was really with Jade though, it would be bare. My body to her body. I’d feel everything.
I groaned each time my cock pulsed, feeling so good to get off.
The reliever whimpered each time I came.
The second I was done, I ripped myself out of her. I tossed the condom into a trashcan and zipped up my jeans. She remained bent over the boxes, knees bent, looking back at me with her face flushed.
“Drinks are on me tonight,” I said. “Get dressed before someone else comes in.”
I slapped her ass and she jumped.
I tore open the door and Cash stood there, grinning.
“What?”
“Nothing. Just admiring the sounds. And now …the sights.” He craned his neck to look over my shoulder.
I put my hand to his chest and shoved him back. I left the storage room and slammed the door shut, giving the reliever a little privacy.
“Can’t find your own pussy?” I asked.
“You got that one warmed up for me,” Cash said. “I’m ready now.”
“You’re fucked in the head, brother.”
“Before you run off,” Cash said. “Prez is in the meeting room looking for you.”
Fuck.
I found Trev sitting in his seat at the table. It was just until the rest of the guys all poured in and took their seats. Midnight meetings were never a good thing.
I sat next to Trent. To my right was Austin at the end of the table.
All our eyes were on Trev.
“Okay,” he said. “Our guy gave us all we could use. The break ins are a set up. Someone wants us to look left so they can strike right. I’ve placed calls with both Night Soul and the Hell Five. Just to catch up on old business.”
“Durango called me,” Jasper said. “He made it clear they’re not interested in breaking into houses. When they want to go at us, they’ll go at us.”
“Pussies,” Kye said.
“What about the O’Nuall family?” Duke asked.
“Yeah,” Hudson said. “Our Irish brothers have been quiet lately.”
“They’re tied down between Reno and Kansas with some logistical issues,” Cash said.
“How do you know that?” Xavier asked.
“Midwest pussy,” Cash said. “Fallen angels coming west to get a taste of the limelight.”
“And instead they taste your cock,” Austin said.
“Then they need a doctor and a priest,” Cade said.
Everyone chuckled.
“Hey, fuck yourselves,” Cash said. “This isn’t the Irish. We all know that.”
“Russian?” Trent asked.
“How about we stop throwing out names,” Prez said. “We get down to business.” That’s when he looked at me. “What do you have, Max?”
“Not sure yet,” I said. “That’s all I’m able to say, Prez. It’s clear that low life assholes are being paid off to do this. I agree about the distraction. So I say we stop being distracted. Let’s get right up in everyone’s business and see what flushes out.”
“A message has been sent with this last guy,” Jasper said. “Whoever is running him will know we got him, broke his jaw, and gave him to the police.”
“That puts more heat on us,” Xavier said.
“Should we call up our brothers from Frelen?” Duke asked.
“Not yet,” Prez said. “I’ll talk to Trev though. See if him and Gaige have anything going on down there. For now, we ride forward with everything. There’s a meet with Ivan and Peter to talk weapons. Cash, dig into the O’Nuall problem in the Midwest. Maybe we can help and earn.”
“Things are looking slim,” Cade said. “Dues are fine, but the reserves are draining out.”
“Maybe we
should pay a visit to some friends,” Kye said. “Shake down for money owed.”
“Split up then,” Prez said. “Move in groups. Earn. Eyes open. I have Chief willing to call for any break ins. He’s taking full control of it. So anything that tries to go to dispatch will be routed to him. He’ll call us. Max, whatever you’re working on, I want something soon. I’m not going to sit on my fucking hands with rats moving around us. And that’s what this is. Anyone without balls big enough to face us are fucking dirty rats.”
Prez swung the gavel.
The table broke up.
It felt strange though. Like we had accomplished nothing.
Rat? Yeah, sure. But rats could slowly eat away at shit until it collapsed.
I met eyes with Prez as I stood up.
I was pretty sure he knew that.
I may have still had Jade’s honey lingering on my fingers, but the games were getting old.
I’d find out every secret about her and then bring it all to the table… even if it cost her her life.
*
The MC had taken an empty garage bay and filled it with old, beat up weights and equipment. It stunk of musty metal, a dampness forever lingering in the air, chipped paint on the walls, the floor with years old stains. I couldn’t imagine a better place to go to rip up my muscles as I tried to settle my mind. Shit, even my heart a little.
Fucking Jade.
That night she watched me beat up Crazy Jack … that was quite the defining night for myself. Yeah, it took me on the road that would end with me getting my leather cut and being patched into Back Down Devil MC. But as crazy as it was, Jade was the last person I kissed before going inside. Her fearful kiss was all I had to taste for a long damn time as I navigated the inside world of prison.
Why did that even matter for a second now?
Because of the neighborhood, that’s why. That run down piece of shit neighborhood which seemed to swallow people up like a massive sink hole. Guys became junkies. Girls became whores. A few rose up above those flames became the dealers and pimps and would eventually end up in ashes.
Yet Jade seemed to get away from it all.
That apartment though.
I wanted to believe she was a smart and capable woman, earning something for herself, but I wasn’t born yesterday. I could smell a scam from a mile away. She wanted something from me and wanted something from the MC.
The barbell was full of weights as I gripped it, ready for a max set bench press. It was far too much weight to be handling without a spotter.
Lucky for me, VP showed up at gave me a spot.
He helped me lift the bar and weights and watched.
I brought the weight down to my chest and pushed with a grunt.
“Chief is here, Max,” Jasper said. “We need to get out there. Show face. Smile big. Pretend that we give a fuck.”
I gritted my teeth and finished my set.
I slammed the weight back and sat up. My heart was racing. My muscles were oozing with rage.
I had no shirt on and was glistening with sweat.
I stood up and grabbed my leather cut, throwing it over my shoulder. “What the fuck does he want?”
VP didn’t look too excited at all. “Shit took a turn for the worse, brother.”
12
(jade)
“Can I use the bathroom?” I asked, with that feeling of dread I used to get back in school when I’d have to ask the same question in front of a group of students. I hated the question because in eighth grade there was a creepy-ass teacher who would grin when girls would ask to use the bathroom. Then he’d make a comment about bleeding. Yeah, he’d want to know if we were on our periods. And he wouldn’t let it go.
Johnny sat across from me in his luxurious living room with the same eyes that teacher used to give me. He was a few drinks deep, his eyes glossy.
“Why do you keep letting me down here?” he asked. “Huh? What is it? Are you afraid of the bikers?”
“Johnny, I was with him twice. I explained it wasn’t going to be easy.”
“Easy? I don’t give a shit about easy or hard. I want action. I have a team ready—” Johnny shook his head. “You’re the one I chose for this job. If you can’t do it, you’re fired.”
“Then fire me,” I said.
“Jade, do you understand what my version of being fired is?”
Behind him, Ruley opened his suit jacket and showed me a gun.
Right. Death. That was Johnny’s version.
“I think she gets the point, Ruley,” Johnny said as he laughed.
“She gets the point,” the big lunk said with his mouth full of a burger.
“You keep dragging me here instead of letting me work,” I said. “I’ve done everything you asked, Johnny. I’ve helped you find millions of dollars. What happened with my father … that has to be paid off by now. You’re gouging me.”
“You came to me for help,” Johnny said. “You never discussed my terms, my interest charges, nothing. You have no idea the deal you signed with me.”
“Which is what?”
“I use you until I’m done with you. Then I discard you.”
That was sobering.
I sank back in my chair. I stared him down, trying to hold a straight face. Johnny fed off fear and loved to exploit it.
“So, tell me what we know about these bikers,” he said. “I’m trying to build this in my mind.”
“I’ve met a few of them,” I said. “I don’t get what you’re after though, Johnny. I’m not supposed to ask, so I’m not. But I’m just wondering—”
Johnny had three cell phones on the table. The one in the middle started to ring. He leaned forward to grab it and pointed at me.
“Go take your pee-pee.”
I jumped up and rushed to the bathroom.
I didn’t have to go to the bathroom. I just wanted to catch my breath for a second. I stood there in the marble-tiled bathroom, looking around. Johnny was insanely rich and just as powerful. But everyone was weak somewhere. That’s what I had come to learn in my life. I’d dealt with powerful people before, and I could always find a weakness.
Johnny would be no different.
He relied on people. He claimed a big game but he trusted people too much.
“Let’s all take a breath!” Johnny’s voice bellowed outside the door.
I locked the door and grabbed a glass of the sink. I put it against the door, my ear against the glass.
Johnny’s voice was still a little muffled but it got clearer when he paced by the door.
“No, no, no, it’s all set up,” he said. “There’s nothing to worry about. I promise you. Hey, it’s me. Right, Mr. Y?”
Mr. Y?
There was silence for a few seconds.
“I’ve got my best one on this,” Johnny said. “That’s right. Nothing big. Just enough to be annoying and confusing. Hey, this is everything we talked about. I’ll be the first to admit that my prizes are usually much bigger. This is different, but not impossible.”
Silence.
Johnny spoke again, “Mr. Y, you came to me. You have your reasons. Don’t let doubt in. That’s the worst thing that can happen. But, if doubt does succumb, then move along. But I promise you this, we’re going to rip that motorcycle club down to the core. And I’ll make sure all loose ends are tied up neatly. There’s no escaping when I start, Mr. Y. That’s why you chose me.”
I backed away from the door.
With the glass in one hand, I started to consider my options. With Johnny, it felt like my only choice was to die. But there was another choice in the matter. Trust an outlaw who had kissed me once when I was younger and quite a few times in my apartment. Not to mention what he did with his fingers.
And the highest bidder is?
I took my phone from my pocket. I had put Max’s number in my phone.
So I sent him a text message.
My place. Tonight. We need each other, Max.
I tucked the phone away.
There was a slam against the door and I dropped the glass to the floor. It easily shattered.
“Open the fucking door!” Johnny growled.
I unlocked the door and it exploded open.
“Don’t lock a door in my house ever,” he said.
“Sorry,” I said. “Just looking for a little privacy.”
“Fuck your privacy. What was that sound?”
“I dropped a glass. Sorry.”
Johnny grabbed my arm. “I guess that’s better than breaking a mirror. The last thing you need is seven years of bad luck, right?”
“Yeah, right,” I said.
Johnny pulled me out of the bathroom.
Someone went into the bathroom to clean up the mess. It was a young man, wearing all white. He had a little duster and pan and started to collect the shards of glass.
I watched the man work.
Johnny stood next to me. “Jade, there’s three kinds of people in my world. Me, guys like Jeff here, who do what I say. And the third? Well …”
I heard a click sound and Johnny suddenly had a knife in his hand. With scary precision he threw the knife at Jeff. The blade sank into the right side of his back. Jeff dropped everything and fell forward as he cried out.
“There’s that,” Johnny whispered to me. “Right now, Jade, I’m not sure if you’re on your knees taking care of me or getting lined up for a knife to your back. But I can tell you this, I’ve got the blade picked out and ready for you. Understand?”
I swallowed hard and nodded.
“The next time I see you, you better be riding a motorcycle. If not …”
I didn’t hear whatever else Johnny had to say.
I stood there, cold.
Ruley went into the bathroom to tend to the wounded Jeff.
Johnny poured himself another drink.
That’s when I knew I had to place all my trust into an outlaw.
*
I waited for what felt like hours. Watching the night takeover from the day, like a shift change into the moving forward of time. The good people of the world were settling down at night, probably spending time with their friends and family. People going out on first dates, second dates, maybe making that decision to take things further in their relationship.
Steal His Heart: a bad boy romance novel Page 6
