Fighting to Ride

by Debra Kayn

  Muff, who'd earned his name from always having his face diving between women's legs at every party whistled loudly. "Hell, there are beds in town with warm women. I'm not laying my fucking bag down on the hard floor...no matter how polished it is."

  Each man walked out of the building with Kurt bringing up the rear. There was no use trying to talk them out of going with him to town. He locked the Cyclone fence behind him. The thought of sleeping on the floor wasn't sitting too hot with him either when he could lay his head in Risa's sweet smelling bed.

  He threw his leg over his Harley and set the engine to purring. There was no reason why he and Risa couldn't work together to solve their current problem. Soon, the men would have enough girls hanging around the club to stay entertained. He wasn't against Risa and her girls sticking around and joining the other hangers that'd come, but he needed his men secured inside the Sterling Building without the Feds busting in on them for prostitution. The girls would get the protection they needed, and his men would be more relaxed to get down to business with a little side action from the opposite sex.

  He led his brothers down Cutout Road, two miles into Federal. He rode through Main Street, wanting the town to know the MC wasn't afraid of showing their faces. Unlike last night, the curbside parking in front of the Sterling Building was empty, not a soul in sight. Lights were on throughout the old brick building, though the shades were pulled, hiding what the occupants were doing.

  From outside appearances, nobody would know what activities—legal or illegal—were happening inside.

  Backing the Harley against the curb, he waited until all his men parked, and then stepped over onto the sidewalk. "Don't cause any trouble," he said, eyeing Remmy and Sawyer.

  When it came to women, Remmy's reputation exceeded him, but he'd calmed down over the years. Kurt enjoyed Remmy's actions with the girls back in Pitnam long before he stepped foot into the ring and thrust himself into the lifestyle. At least his Bantorus brother settled on one woman at a time now, unlike Sawyer.

  The kid was young and ready to do whatever a woman offered.

  "You don't have to worry about me. I got me some last night." Sawyer pitched forward when Germ kicked his foot out from under him.

  Sawyer caught himself and brought back his fist, going for the big guy. Kurt caught Sawyer's wrist. "Check yourself," he said.

  The two men separated. Kurt opened the door, wondering when working together with this group of riders would become second nature. Right now, his men were all over the map with girls on their mind.

  Chapter Six

  A soft knock, followed by Shari, Alana, Carrie, JoJo, and Monica entering the office, stopped Risa from working on the financial records. Risa set down her pen and smiled at her girls.

  Shari, always the mother hen of the group, said, "Do you have a minute?"

  "Absolutely." Risa straightened and set the papers aside. "What's up?"

  "The bikers are back," Carrie said, blushing.

  Risa let out her breath, relieved to know it was nothing more than visitors that brought all her employees into the office and away from entertaining the men. "I invited the Bantorus Motorcycle Club president here tonight to see how we run Silver Girls. I wanted him to watch one of the regular shows and learn how we run business. There's been some discussion on the legalities of how Silver Girls does business and our rent agreement—which I can assure you, we will stay in business."

  Jojo glanced sideways to Monica. "But, the men—"

  "Honey, one night, that's all I'm asking. Once Mr. Ramchett's visit is over, you won't have anyone judging your dances or how you earn money," Risa said, only half telling the truth.

  Yes, Silver Girls was an entertainment business. There was nothing illegal in charging a fee in exchange for a service within a private club, and that's what Silver Girls was...a club. Just like the Elks, the Moose, and the Odd Fellow's whatever-they-called-themselves Hall. Even her once a month show wasn't against the law. She could strip naked outside, since the Sheriff's office partitioned the streets to give her a secure area to perform. She'd double-checked all the ordinances and she'd made sure she wasn't breaking any laws.

  She'd kept a firm hand on the girls conduct, and the men visiting Silver Girls conformed to the rules. The girls depended on the money they brought in. Therefore, the men paid their money out in the open for a few moves, little clothing, and enjoyment at seeing the women perform.

  It wasn't the ballet, but it was entertainment.

  What she didn't do was rule over what the women could do after hours and on their own free time. Their extracurricular activities were none of her business. No money came from illegal activities through Risa.

  She'd learned from her mother's mistakes, and by not allowing prostitution, she was protecting herself from the damage her mother caused.

  The famous 'Lou Lou' Kohl had gone too far, and Risa was determined to erase the past.

  "Go back out to the lobby and entertain the men. I'll deal with Ku—the Bantorus MC's president." She stood and stepped around her desk. "There's nothing to worry about."

  "I'm not so sure about that." Shari giggled.

  "What are you talking about?" Risa asked. "Is there something I don't know?"

  The girls nudged each other. Shari wrapped her arm through Jojo's and swayed them both side to side. "Ink and the other bikers kicked everyone out. They're having their own party here tonight, and that doesn't include the miners."

  "The bikers paid us extra. More money than we'd even earn on a good weekend, just for tonight, if we'd hang out with them." Jojo grinned, and usually the slight overbite on Jojo's beautiful face always made Risa smile in return. "A free night from working and getting to hang out with new men who just want to party and have a good time sounds fun to me."

  This time, Jojo's words penetrated the tough exterior Risa held in place. She wanted to scream in frustration. Kurt had no right to try to run her business behind her back.

  "Is that so?" Risa ground her teeth together. "Well, we'll see how long they plan to party after I get done talking to Kurt."

  She walked around the women and marched out into the lobby. The Bantorus MC members filled the downstairs, despite having a tenth of the men present that were usually in the room on a Saturday night, the bikers were huge in size compared to the miners around town.

  Kurt stood out among the crowd, facing her, and giving nothing away. She reached out and touched the wall, suddenly unbalanced. He was more beautiful than the last time he was here and his strength penetrated her skin and grabbed the very essence of her.

  That made her sound insane and desperate, something she hated and strived not to feel on a daily basis. She pulled her shoulders back. "Can I see you in my office, please?"

  He lifted his chin and approached her. Instead of falling into line behind her, he walked beside her with his hand low on her back. She wanted to tell him not to touch her and to step away, and even knowing her girls were watching her, the heat of his hand penetrated her shirt, and burned her skin. Her stomach fluttered and she wasn't sure how she was walking on the thick carpet with her heels and not tripping, because she'd lost all coordination.

  She wanted to mention how she allowed no one to touch her, but she was afraid he'd take that statement wrong. If she was honest with herself, it wasn't exactly that she wasn't enjoying the feel of his hand on her, she did. In fact, she enjoyed it too much, and that was dangerous because her thoughts went somewhere she had no control over.

  Kurt's solid body rubbed against her. The weight of his arm frazzled her, and she wondered how it'd feel to have all his weight laying on top of her. He wasn't giving her an inch of personal space. Most of the other men who came here never got a chance to be this close to her. Sure, they tried, because they all wanted to know if she had her mother's talents, but she pushed them away. For some reason, Kurt never gave her the chance to say no. That's why she blamed her lack of control, her ovaries going wild, her tongue not working, on Kurt.r />
  He frightened her, because she suspected he had the power to tell the world to fuck off, and do what he wanted, regardless of the circumstances. Including her.

  She hurried into the room, relieved and yet missing his heat when she'd accomplished to widen the space between them. Walking around the desk, she stood behind the furniture needing something big to keep Kurt away from her.

  "I asked you to come and find out what we do here at Silver Girls." She pressed her fingertips into the wood surface of her desk. "Not close down business for the night."

  "Your girls are dealing with it, and you won't suffer for my decision." He sat down on the couch in her office, sprawling his long legs out straight and making himself at home. "We've paid the girls, though I suspect, that wasn't necessary. Your employees seem more than eager to spend time with my men."

  "Why would you think that?" She crossed her arms.

  Kurt shrugged. "Just the way it is. Women enjoy spending time with us and at some time during the evening, I can bet your employees will be flat on their back or bent over the edge of one of the beds upstairs with a smile on her pretty face."

  "That's an asshole comment," she said. "For your information, the miners work long hours, double shifts, while they enjoy an hour at the most to hang out here on the weekdays, the weekend is the one time they have to come above ground, have fun, and be able to relax the next day without having to get up and work in deplorable conditions. You're assuming we're paid to have sex with them, and that's what I want to set straight tonight. This isn't a whorehouse. My girls aren't prostitutes. We're in the entertainment business. The men pay to spend the evening with us, enjoy the snacks, the drinks, and the conversation while they watch pretty girls dance around them. In return, the men benefit from having someone of the opposite sex pay attention to them. Yes, the girls perform stripteases, lap dances, and company...the same kind you would find at any topless bar or casino in the bigger cities. There's nothing illegal about what we do here."

  Kurt's lips softened and the indention on his cheek—more a chiseled mark than a dimple, because a dimple would mean he was cute, and he was definitely not cute but beautiful—deepened, causing an ache deep inside of her she didn't recognize. He was stunning in the most manly, hard, scary way you could imagine a biker with classic good looks to be able to pull off.

  "You don't believe me," she said, surprised to find her voice a raspy whisper.

  Bantorus Motorcycle Club could ruin everything.

  "I'm saying those girls out there will have sex with my men, because they want to have sex with my men. It has nothing to do with if they are or aren't sleeping with every dick in town," Kurt said, his voice low and rough. "What I want to know is if you usually take a dick on the weekends. Because if you do, I'm interested. Though I'll tell you, I've never paid for a woman in my life, and angel, I don't plan on starting now."

  "I'm not having sex with you," she said, her heart racing. Kurt chuckled, and she realized that it was the first time she'd heard any kind of carefree noise from him.

  "There's my answer." He stretched his arm out along the back of the couch, the tension in his body eased, allowing him to look more welcoming, and not as dominating as all the other times she'd seen him.

  She lowered herself into the chair and scooted it closer to the desk. "What answer?"

  "You're not fucking any of the men." He moistened his lips. "At least not right now, I'm guessing."

  She refused to blink. He was right. Sleeping with men was something her mother had done, and Risa had paid for it her whole life and continued to pay for it. She wasn't going down that road, because she was trying to build her reputation, separate from the damage being a prostitute's daughter had brought her.

  "What's your point?" she said.

  "Typically, I wouldn't share Bantorus business with a citizen—"

  "Citizen?" she asked.

  "Everyone outside of Bantorus MC is a citizen." He lowered his arm and leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees. "Here it is straight. I need this building. I need men inside Federal city limits at all hours of the day and night. The guys need a place to sleep."

  "What about your club...the old abandoned mine building outside of town?" She tilted her head, curious to know more.

  "Our supplies and furniture haven't been delivered yet." He nodded. "That's all you need to know. Since you have our contract sealed up tighter than your pussy—he paused and his eyes softened—I'm proposing that you shut down the entertainment business and let my men bunk here. As an added bonus, you and the girls can remain here and you'll have all the protection you need from the MC."

  "I-I can't do that." She stiffened. "The girls..."

  "Angel, I understand you're trying to make a living by parading around naked—and yeah, any man I know would pay good money to have you around, swaying your ass—but that's not going to make you citizen of the year," he said.

  Her throat closed and she clamped her teeth together. He was wrong. The silver the men paid her came because they enjoyed what she provided and she was saving her reputation. Each drop of silver gave her a little more to add to her redemption.

  "Your girls can hang around, but they're not accepting money from my men while living in my building. Bantorus needs to keep a low profile, but I also understand your desire to fulfill your contract. For one year, you and the girls remain safe, rent free," he said.

  She shook her head. "The miners will retaliate. This is their town. If we refuse to let them in on the weekends, it'll only cause trouble."

  Kurt kept his gaze on her. "Why?"

  "Because the world's largest silver mines are found here. They want to suck it all out of the ground until there's nothing left," she said, barely above a whisper. "Happy miners make for good business. If the men leave, the town suffers. There's money here, we just need to keep the men happy."

  "Greed," he stated.

  She nodded. Everything came down to money.

  "I don't know why you're here. You tell me it's none of my business, but in a way—outside of my concern over staying in business—having your club in Federal is a huge problem. The town doesn't need more trouble. How do I know you're not going to turn this place into a haven for every illegal person to infiltrate our streets with crime, rape, drugs, and...and problems?"

  "That won't happen," he said.

  She snorted. "Easy for you to say, but you haven't told me why Bantorus Motorcycle Club is here."

  "All you need to know is we are here, and wherever Bantorus MC claims their territory, we make sure everyone is safe. Drug dealers and criminals have no place here and aren't welcome. Children can run the street and play in their front yard without worrying about danger." Kurt ran his hands down his thighs. "I'm not saying we won't use force or break the law to make sure this community stays safe. We will do anything we have to do to make sure our families live in a secure area where children can be innocent, women can be safe, and men can rest knowing their responsibilities are protected. That's all you need to know."

  He wanted to recreate the perfect town that molded to his needs and desires. She tapped her tongue against her top lip. Even the mayor of Federal wasn't that powerful.

  "Listen, I'll allow your girls to open the building up on the weekends only, and the customers are out of here by two o'clock in the morning. My men will be here to make sure everything stays legal." He stood. "In return, if the girls want to become hangers in their off time, they can, but we're not paying them."

  "Hangers?" she asked.

  "Women who hang around bikers looking for a good time. Sex can and will happen, I won't lie. But it's up to the girls if they want to have a few hours of a good time without any commitments or exchange of money," he said.

  She nodded in agreement, because she feared losing more. He was giving her the two main nights when business was the best. She and the girls needed a roof over their heads. Taking him to court would take money and resources she didn't need. She also didn't need the
gossip that would come from taking a biker club to court to fall on her shoulders and ruin everything she'd built. She'd talk to the girls later, and make sure they understood what was happening. If any of them wanted to leave, she'd provide a plane ticket out of Idaho.

  "What money the girls lose from working fewer days will be balanced by them having free rent. You spread that around, and I'm sure we won't have any future problems." He stepped forward, leaned over, and braced his hands on her desk. "From now on, you and the girls are under the protection of the Bantorus MC, Federal Charter, do you understand?"

  "Yes," she mouthed.

  "One more thing." He lowered his head, until they were eye to eye, and he was leaning over her desk. "You personally won't be taking your clothes off again."

  "You can't s-stop..." She gulped air, frustrated over her inability to speak her mind, to stand up for herself, and only squeak out her words. Her fear of losing control and bending to his will silenced her. She'd worked hard to reach the position she was in. Fear of losing everything she'd achieved left her mute.

  "Talk," he demanded.

  She clamped her lips together. Everyone wanted her to speak, to tell the truth, to be more like her mother. She couldn't do it.

  Her ribs compressed, hurting her chest. The warm air suffocated her. She reached out for the arms of the chair.

  Kurt's frowned, studying her too closely. "You okay?"

  She worked her lips together, pressing her tongue to the roof of her mouth, testing the muscles before she said, "F-fine."

  Dammit. Why now?

  After all these years of having no sign of a panic attack, she couldn't form a simple sentence in front of Kurt. It was all in her head. There was nothing physically stopping her from speaking, only fear.

  "Angel, don't bullshit me." He lifted her by the upper arms and hauled her to her feet. "What's wrong?"

  He transported her around the desk to in front of him before she could stop him from touching her. She gazed at his chest, wanting to hide but wanting him to do something, anything, to make the tightness in her chest, her neck, and the tingling along her scalp go away.