MC: Brighton

by L. Ann Marie

  “Find the leak,” Tiny says.

  VP stands. “Workin’ on it.”

  “We need to cover Digs?” Bob asks.

  Danny laughs. “Digs can cover Digs. He’s got tracking, Security at night, Penny’s covered, and all the feeds are working on his house again.” I stand when everyone else does. We have a job soon and I want to get home to slow dance, then get working on the college file again.

  At the door VP stops me. “Politicians first. Bigger threat. College is CK for now. Justice’ll have to wait.”

  “Got it, VP,” I say, thinking he’s right. I should have looked at the bigger picture.

  “You’ll get it,” he says. I hate when he does that. He laughs.

  “He knows you’re all in for Pres. That’s what matters,” Bob says. I nod and follow Danny into Surveillance. I guess we’re starting early.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Penny

  I wake up on his chest and wonder if he pulls me over him in the middle of the night. I like that thought and smile, reminding me of my count, another added to the waking up with a smile days. I turn my head, kissing his chest as a thank you.

  “I like that you do that every morning,” he says.

  I lean up and kiss his lips. “I like that I could add another day of waking up with a smile.”

  “That’s good too. Your ass isn’t sore?”

  Oh dear. “No. At least I don’t think so. I haven’t sat down on it yet.” I try to keep his eyes, but it’s embarrassing.

  He smiles. “I’ll put more oil on it before you do.” He slides out from under me and gets up, going into the bathroom. I’m smiling like a ninny. He spanked me with the leather string things and I’m smiling. I really liked it. His hands make circles on my bottom, rubbing gently. I moan. “You like that?”

  I’m glad he can’t see my face. “Yes.” I must look like an apple.

  “I love to see your ass pink for me, babe. I’ll be hard all day thinking of how much you liked it.” He swats my bottom. “All set, Pen.”

  “Thank you,” I say, going into the bathroom to put cold water on my burning face. Jiminy! So far he’s cuffed me, tied me, and spanked me with his hand and the leather thing. Why am I so embarrassed? He always takes care of me after, making me feel like a princess.

  He knocks and comes in. “I need to go. What exactly is that look on your face?” He smiles.

  Hmmm. Just tell him. “I was just thinking you always treat me like a princess.”

  He bends to kiss me. “You are, babe. My princess, if you’re feeling it, then I’m doing it right.” His lips touch mine and I melt. “I’ll be home early. I got dinner.” He turns and is gone that darn fast. Holy Moses!

  I’m his princess. He says something like that and just leaves. I want to cry happy tears because I’m a princess. I could make a shirt with Digs’ Princess on it. Oh, dear Lord, I don’t think he’d like that. What am I thinking? I’ve never been a princess before. I need to talk to Tess before I do something crazy.

  I get dressed and feel tingles on my bottom every time I move. It doesn’t hurt, but I’ll be reminded of what we did all day long. I smile, running out the door because I like it. In the kitchen I get my travel mug and fill it while I call Security to let them know I’m going to work. With my keys, mug, and purse in my hands, I sit hard on the seat and feel my bottom even more. Jiminy!

  Driving the couple of minutes to the shop, I’m still smiling. My new car is so easy. I see everything around me. My finger has a new ring on it, I’m getting married in two days, and I’m a doggone princess! I need to talk to Tess. As soon as I’m in the shop, I call her and make a date for lunch. Then I make a big soft purple T-shirt with Digs’ princess on it.

  I have a couple of walk-ins but still get the order for tomorrow done. I like the new fusion method, but it’s kind of hot standing over the iron. When I’m finished I start at the beginning and fold the shirts by size, then box them up. I’m getting the invoice ready when Tess comes in. “Perfect timing!” I pull the invoice from the printer and drop it in the box.

  “I’m so glad you’re ready! It is perfect. You got your haircut just in time for the wedding! I love it.” She’s talking so fast, I just smile and hold out my hand. “It’s beautiful! He even got the perfect color for you!” She hugs me so tight. “I’m so happy for you! This works out so well for you, Penny, you will be so happy!” Wow, she’s almost as excited as me.

  A Prospect brings our lunch and I lock the door, bringing it to the back. “Today Digs said I was a princess, then just left. I couldn’t believe he said it, then I couldn’t believe he left.”

  She nods, pulling the trays out of the bag. “Start at the beginning so I understand.”

  I feel my face heat. Just say it. “Last night Digs came home and caught me dancing in the craft room. He pulled me to the living room and moved the furniture and we danced. It was so sweet and romantic, then it got hot and naughty. He is good at naughty.” I take a drink of my water, thinking she’ll say something, but she doesn’t. “We went to the bedroom and did other things that were naughty, but I liked them.” I look at her.

  “I love sex toys! Patches and Rich are naughty boys too! But I can’t talk about it, I get embarrassed too. Skip that part and tell me about princess.” Her face is red too.

  “This morning I told him I liked it. He takes care of me and I thought he treated me like a princess. He asked why I was smiling and I told him, then he bent down and before his lips touched mine he said ‘you are. You are my princess.’ Then ‘I got dinner’ and he left.”

  She’s nodding. “Who would have thought Digs was so sweet? That is awesome, Penny!”

  I jump up and get the shirt I made. “I wanted to talk to you because I didn’t want to do anything stupid. Then I made this.”

  I open it and she giggles. “That’s perfect! You can wear it to bed!”

  I sit back down. “It’s not stupid? He didn’t think much of it.”

  “If he said it, he meant it, Penny. To you being treated nice is special, to him it’s just how it’s supposed to be. When I first got here I cried because they treated women nice. I couldn’t believe people were like that. You’ve been here forever and see how they are. You can have special, you deserve it.” She’s got a serious look on her face, so I know I should listen. Tess is so smart, but people miss that because she’s so darn happy all the time.

  “I love him and hope he’s always so nice to me. I feel like I’m in a dream sometimes. I’m getting married in two days! Jiminy! Two days!” I feel like I’m going to pop.

  Tess stomps her feet and squeals, then giggles, hugging me. “It’s going to be so good! Kate is sending over a dress for you. Digs can’t see it, though.”

  “Okay.” I’m still smiling when we clean up and she goes back to work.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Two days later...

  Digs

  Riding back from Bristol, Danny stops for lunch at some Italian place. “Love this place. They have every kind of noodle you can ask for.” I look at him and he shrugs. “Kate likes pasta. I called it noodles to make her laugh and it stuck, still call it noodles for her.”

  I think about Penny and the princess thing. She looked like she was going to cry, so I left. She brought home a shirt with ‘Digs’ Princess’ on it. I guess a word can mean something for women. ”You still say noodles all the time?”

  “Every time.” He tells the girl we’ll sit at the bar and walks that way.

  I should use princess for her every day. I think I know how to make it special and pull out my phone, walking toward the end of the bar. The guy says he can have it done and get them wrapped before we pick them up. I sit on the side of Danny and look at the menu. They do have a lot of noodles.

  We get our food and he looks at me. “You’re not nervous at all. That’s good. The women are always surprised we’re calm for the weddings.”

  I think about that. They are always calm. I’m glad I fit in. “She�
�s already my old lady, this just makes it official. She was worried about having a kid before she was married. I don’t want her stressed about stupid shit. We fight fuckin’ wars regularly. If she’s going to be stressed, it should be about that shit.” I don’t think it will stress her out, though. It hasn’t yet.

  He nods. “She’s going to be fine during those times. She had no problem in the van. If she was going to fall apart, it would have been that night. Even VP said she’s the one for you.” I throw him chin and eat, thinking he’s right. She hasn’t had a bad dream in a while.

  “Let’s get this day finished and get you married, Brother,” he says, standing and throwing money on the bar. He throws chin to the bartender and I follow him out.

  Outside he stops before we get to the parking lot. I look over. “Shit.”

  “Yeah,” Danny says in that deadly voice, then he starts walking toward the three Outlaws. They’re like fuckin’ cockroaches. We keep killing them and more come out of the woodwork.

  “Looky here, we found us some Officers,” the smallest pussy says. I want to laugh. Danny does.

  “That would imply that we were incapacitated in some way,” Danny tells him. He looks at me. “You feeling okay?”

  Fuckin’ Danny. I smile. “Feeling fine.”

  “You won’t be for long. Got the gimp and the geek.” How the fuck does he know I’m IT? And who the fuck would ever consider Danny a gimp?

  The little pussy lifts a tire iron and Danny laughs. His gun is out and he shoots the guy’s foot before the pussy closest to me registers he moved. The long-haired pussy takes a swing at me and I smash my gun across his head, right at the temple. We both have our guns pointed to the third guy.

  “Your move, pussy,” Danny says, sounding friendly. I look at him and see the little pussy move for his gun. I shoot his other foot and kick his chest, knocking him down, then take his gun.

  People are starting to come out of the restaurant. A waiter yells at the Outlaw. I want to laugh. We have guns trained on him, one is out cold sprawled between the curb and road, and the other is whining about his feet. I pull the duct tape from my cargos and tape the standing pussy’s hand behind his back, going almost up to his elbows, then I tape his mouth shut, going all the way around his head like VP told us. He said it hurt like a bastard to get it off. Right now I’m all for that.

  I shut the little pussy up too, then I tape the tire iron to his arms, telling him it’s so he doesn’t drop it again. The people standing around laugh with Danny. When I stand up I’m surprised by how many people are watching. PD hasn’t shown either.

  “Tommy, they’re secure. My Brother here is getting married later today. I’d appreciate if you handled these three so we can make that happen for him,” Danny says to the waiter.

  “Sure thing, Mr. LaPonte. Congratulations. Bring your new bride for dinner on the house.” I throw him chin and walk toward my bike. People are yelling congratulations to me as I’m swinging my leg over.

  “The most interesting things happen to me when I’m with you. How the fuck does he know your name?”

  Danny looks back at the crowd. “I built his house, and me and Bob helped him out with some pussies trying to shake him down. He’s a good guy, works hard, takes care of his family. He’s good people.”

  I nod and start my bike. Riding straight to Security, we let VP know what happened in Bristol. He’s concerned they knew I was IT and didn’t know about Danny. I am too. He wants us to stay close just in case, but he’s putting HS on us for the four days we’ll be in Newport. Great, I needed someone logging my every fuckin move while I’m on my honeymoon.

  We should have gone to Greece. Penny has never flown, so that got thrown out right away. She’s only been to Newport once or twice and wants to see the mansions. Since it’s her honeymoon too, what the fuck could I say?

  I point my bike toward the jeweler’s and try not to think about our shadow for the next few days. I sigh as Danny pulls in on the side of me. I might as well get used to it. Fuck! He walks in right behind me and the jeweler greets us both by name. I wouldn’t mind a minute alone to get my girl her jewelry, but Danny stands on the side as the jeweler pulls out the necklace and earring set. He switched out the stone for the purple one to match her ring. The earrings were already the right stone, but now they match the necklace.

  “Princess?” Danny asks.

  “It means something to her.” Is all I say. The jeweler shows me the wedding band. He inscribed ‘Digs’ Princess’ and the date. “Perfect. Thank you.” I hand him my card and Danny walks around, looking in the cases.

  “Our anniversary is coming up,” he says while he’s bending closer to a pale pink bracelet.

  “I thought that was around New Years?”

  “No, that’s all of us. For our anniversary I get her jewelry every year. That’s next month. This will give Geek time to get tracking in it.” He tells the jeweler to box it up and send it to Geek. It just hits me they were married before Pres was with them. That was a crazy time, but it was a while ago. That’s got to be hard. He gets Kate jewelry for that day. I wonder what the hell Pres does on that day. Patches and Rich married Tess on the same day.

  As we’re getting on the bikes, he stops me. “You’re at the Club until you leave with Penny. The women are at the house and you can’t see the dress. So we’re going to the Club.”

  “Why didn’t you just take the necklace with you?”

  He smiles. “It makes him happy to bring it to the Club. He has a beer with the Brothers every time he goes up. I figure at his age I need to give him that. His wife is a bitch.” I nod. I guess it’s nice then.

  As we crest the hill, I crack up. There’s a Prospect standing at the middle of the gate bare assed. Well, he has his cut on, but that’s it. Tiny is behind him, arms crossed over his chest. He has a fierce look on his face that would scare me if I were the Prospect. Danny isn’t laughing. I look over. He has a smile on his face, but his eye has a hard look to it and he’s staring down the Prospect. Shit. I hope he doesn’t shoot his fuckin’ foot. The Prospect opens the gate for us, but we don’t get more than three feet in when Danny gets off his bike. “What’s up?”

  “Fuckin’ Prospect thinks it’s okay to leave the gate. Was open while he was inside fuckin’ a whore!” The Prospect stands at the center of the gate again, looking out. “Fuckin’ threat against Pres and this asshole walks from doing his part.” Tiny’s voice is booming. Fuck.

  “Outlaws in Bristol just interrupted our peaceful day. VP should have put someone out here with him by now,” Danny says with a question. It’s not like VP to let something like this slip.

  “That’s what brought me out here. I was going to get a Brother with asswipe here. Thought I’d do it myself since I need to baby fuckin’ sit the Prospect. Pres is in and he walked the fuck away! I’m not feeling it for this motherfucker.” He tips his chin toward the Prospect.

  “You need Racks up here. Same Prospect that didn’t report Penny being taken. He was looking the other way at Amanda’s,” Danny says.

  Tiny’s head swings to the Prospect. He’s standing stiff as a board. He knows something’s coming. I want to beat the fuck out of him but wait for whatever Tiny is going to do. He pulls his phone. “Racks, get me a Prospect for the gate, working for the night.” He hangs up and walks in front of the Prospect, staring him down. The Prospect’s shoulders drop. “Can’t watch out for the women, can’t man your position and watch over Pres, drop your cut and get the fuck out of the yard. Whatever you have will be brought to the line, pick it up there.”

  The moron opens his mouth and Tiny hits him so hard his feet come off the ground. “Maybe you don’t get it because you’re a fuckin waste of space, but we take care of our own. Everything comes before ourselves. Pres, women, and kids is what the job is and you’re fuckin fired!” The pussy just looks up at him with a malicious look in his eye.

  Ricky comes out of the Club, jogging toward us. “Dad, Geek needs you. I got the
shit for brains Prospect.”

  I stand watching, thinking they made a good family. Tiny walks toward the Club, then turns back. “Brother, you’ll watch the gate while I’m gone?” He’s looking at Danny. Something passes between them. Whatever is going on isn’t good.

  “We got it,” Danny says.

  Ricky kicks the pussy. “Get the fuck up. You would have never made it anyway. Someone hits you and you stay down means they own your worthless ass. No matter what, you don’t give in, you stupid fuck.” Ricky turns, looking at the guard shack. I walk over to see if his clothes are in it. As I’m walking, I hear a growl and spin back around just in time to see Ricky lift his leg and kick the pussy in the stomach as he’s talking to Danny. He puts his foot down but doesn’t look at the pussy on the ground until he finishes saying whatever he was talking about. I continue to the shack, shaking my head, and find his clothes. Patting them down, I pull his keys and phone. I take the bike key off while I’m walking back. The pussy is still on the ground. What a waste.

  “What are we going to do with him?” Ricky asks.

  “Since he was supposed to be manning the gate we should show him what that means,” Danny says. Oh shit, the poor bastard. “We need yellow rustolium.” Ricky runs back to the Club while Danny pulls his duct tape out. I smile at the pussy. If it were me I’d be down the hill already, but he’s still sitting where he landed, so this ought to be easy. “Stand at the gate,” Danny says in that monotone voice that used to scare the shit out of me.

  The idiot does. Again, I’d be down the fuckin hill by now. I pull my tape and help until I get to the end of my roll. Danny finishes and tells Ricky to let everyone know what kind of pussy they’re looking at when they pass through.

  A new Prospect rides up and pales looking at the pussy. Ricky has him help paint the asswipe. Once they’re done, Ricky tells us he has the gate until the Brother working it shows. I hand him the key and phone, then Danny’s duct tape. He wraps it around the pussy’s middle and sticks the key and phone on it. They land at his hips, but Ricky goes one more round, catching the pussy’s dick with the tape. Now he looks like a yellow version of Jesus on the cross.