5 Bikers for Valentines

by Rye Hart

  Lindy and I headed back to the bar and continued to sling drinks all night. We walked away with over six hundred dollars in tips each. So many people came in to make sure I was okay, and none of them were wearing red leather jackets.

  I guess the message the boys sent worked after all.

  CHAPTER 34

  All my things were moved into the new house as the renovations took place at the business. Carpet was being laid, windows were being replaced, and the entire facade of the building was being redone. Instead of trying to scrub off all that paint, it was going to be cheaper to lay shit over it. So that was what Lindy and I were going to do. We had one team renovating the now-office space above while the other team worked on the business below, and Lindy and I watched as everything started to come together. The renovations had been going on for a couple of weeks now, and the office spaces were almost completed.

  “We could probably start furnishing them at the end of the week,” Lindy said.

  “What do you want to put in them?” I asked.

  “Don’t know. Never had an office before,” she said.

  “You put in your two-week notice at work yet?” I asked.

  “Did it before the weekend hit. By the end of the month, I’ll be all yours.”

  “How are the advertisements for the place coming?”

  “I got us a Facebook page set up, and it already has four hundred likes. There’s a Twitter account, too. So, we can keep people updated on specials and parties and shit. The flyers around town are up, and there are signs in other people’s windows. And the jewelry makers are talking to their personal customers about our stores since we’re showcasing their shit.”

  “Perfect,” I said. “Four hundred likes already? I know that’s not a lot, but it seems like it.”

  “My goal is one thousand by the end of the month.”

  “How the hell are you going to do that?” I asked.

  “There are towns that border Lucas Corner. I’m going to ride in with Crow to put up some fliers.”

  “With Crow, huh?” I asked.

  “Can it, Emma.”

  “Just saying. He’s right up your alley and hasn’t turned into a shithead yet. Two weeks is a new record, don’t you think?”

  “You’re an asshole,” she said.

  “And you’re stuck with me.”

  “How are things with the manufacturers going?”

  “Really well. I approved the final designs, and they’re being shipped to me now. Well, the house. The guys’ and my house.”

  “How are things going there? At the house with all the guys?”

  “We’ve had to postpone a few things, actually. None of us have truly moved in yet,” I said.

  “Why not? It’s been three weeks since you started.”

  “Some things needed to be repaired before we could all move in. The house is old. There was lead paint on the walls, and the insulation needed to be changed out. Mold and shit, you know?”

  “Yikes.”

  “I know. But all that stuff was wrapped up yesterday and the inspector’s coming through again today. If all goes well, I’ll be spending my first night there tonight,” I said.

  “Let me know how it goes?”

  “Always. So, what the hell are we sticking in these offices?” I asked.

  “I mean, the stereotypical shit, I guess. Desks. Computers with our software on them. A mini-fridge with drinks and shit. Staplers. Hole punchers. Rubber bands. Pencils and shit.”

  “Sounds like a teacher’s desk.”

  “Better than behind the bar,” she said.

  “Don’t I know it. Don’t get me wrong, I liked working there. But it will be nice to run normal hours.”

  “I don’t know. I’m kind of a night owl,” Lindy said.

  “That’s why we will each have a set of keys. You can work in your office whenever you want, and I can work in mine whenever I want,” I said.

  “Sounds good to me. When do you want to order the furniture for the offices?”

  “We could get lunch tomorrow, and I could bring my laptop.”

  “Since when do you have a laptop?” she asked.

  “Since a couple of days ago. It was my first charge on our company credit card.”

  “We have a company credit card?” she asked.

  “We do now. I ordered one for you once I got it set up. Keep an eye on your mail. It’ll be getting to you sometime around Wednesday.”

  “What’s the limit?” she asked.

  “Only two thousand right now. Nothing we couldn’t easily pay back over the course of a couple of months. I figured we could request increases as we got our income stream coming in. It’s under the business name and everything.”

  “Wait, you chose a business name?” she asked.

  “Filed the paperwork and all that shit. I’ve been busy these past couple of weeks.”

  “Sounds like it. What name did you go with?”

  “Open Road.”

  I watched a smile spread across my best friend’s face before she threw her arms around me.

  “It’s perfect,” Lindy said. “I’m so excited.”

  “Me, too. Now, do you mind staying here with the construction crews? I need to go check on the house,” I said.

  “You go have fun. Let me know how things turn out.”

  I got into my car and started for the house. I wasn’t sure what kind of disaster flick I was going to be walking into, but I hoped for the best. But as I pulled up to the house, it looked pretty normal. No caution tape or “do not enter” signs were posted, and all five of the guys’ bikes were parked in the driveway.

  And there were lights on in the house.

  I got out of the car and headed up toward the porch. I turned the doorknob to see if the front door was open and was hit with a glorious smell. Steaming broccoli and sizzling steaks. Butter and garlic and cheese wafted through the air. I could smell potatoes and sour cream, and I heard bacon sizzling on the stove.

  It smelled like I had walked into a restaurant.

  “Guys?” I asked.

  “In the kitchen,” Nick said.

  I walked around the corner and came face-to-face with my five beautiful men. They were slaving over the stove and chopping stuff up on the kitchen counter. There was a gorgeous kitchen table set for six, with wine glasses that were full of red wine.

  Vases and vases of red and pink roses sat on every surface of the room and acted as a centerpiece to the dining table.

  “What’s all this?” I asked.

  “Don’t you know what day it is?” Jacob asked.

  I looked at him, confused for a second, before it dawned on me.

  “Happy Valentine’s day Emma,” Tanner said, leaning down to kiss me on the cheek.

  In all the business and commotion of the past few weeks, the date went unnoticed. But not by my boys.

  “You hungry?” Adam asked.

  “For the stuff I smell? Yes, I am,” I said.

  They all set the table, placing the food in the middle before they all sat down.

  “I take it the house has been given the green light?” I asked.

  “It was. The inspector left this morning,” Tanner said.

  “Which means these are yours,” Jacob said.

  He slid a pair of keys across the table to me.

  “Good. I’m glad I can start unpacking,” I said.

  “There’s something we want to talk about as well,” Nick said.

  “There always is with you guys. What’s up?” I asked.

  “The comment Lindy made at the bar a couple of weeks ago. About coming over whenever she wanted? Well, the house has six rooms. Which means one of us would have to give up a room if she wanted to come stay,” Tyler said.

  “Or anyone, for that matter,” Adam said.

  “I could always give up my room. That’s not a problem,” I said.

  “Or, we could take the room you were going to move into and turn it into a guest bedroom,” Jacob said. />
  “Then where would I sleep?” I asked.

  I watched all of the brothers grin as the pieces quickly fell into place.

  “Ah, I see. This is you guys wanting me all to yourselves for a night. Respectively, of course,” I said.

  “We could set up a schedule. You know, an order of sorts,” Nick said.

  “A rotation schedule for who I would be sleeping with,” I said.

  “Yep,” Adam said.

  “Well, when you put it like that,” Tanner said.

  “I’m giving you guys a hard time. I actually kind of like the idea. A schedule would help make sure jealousy doesn’t crop up with you guys,” I said.

  “We figured we could go in order of age,” Jacob said.

  “Which would put you first,” I said, grinning.

  “Yep. Me, then Adam, then Tanner, Tyler, and Nick,” Jacob said.

  “The only time I’ve ever hated being born second,” Adam said.

  I giggled as I reached over and took Tyler’s hand in mine.

  “You could still put all your clothes in the guest bedroom if you wanted,” Tanner said.

  “And it would be there in case you needed some space,” Nick said.

  “But having a schedule like this would diminish one brother hogging you all to himself,” Jacob said.

  “I think it sounds like a great plan,” I said.

  “So, you’re okay with that, baby girl?” Adam asked.

  “I’m fine with it. When does the schedule start?” I asked.

  “Tonight,” Jacob said.

  His eyes connected heavily with mine as the rest of the brothers started to dig into their food.

  “Okay, you two. Simmer down until dinner’s over,” Nick said.

  “Yeah. Let’s keep it PG. We’re eating here,” Adam said.

  A blush crept over my cheeks as a smile crossed Jacob’s face.

  As I sat there and ate my first meal in my new home, everything felt perfect. I was living with five men with whom I’d fallen desperately in love. I had a blossoming business with my best friend, and I was finally done with my mother. Things were on the mend with my body. I was free from the confines of the bar, and I was hurtling toward a life I could be proud of. The kitchen table was filled with talk about the crew and the construction work being done on the business. I talked them through potential timelines and plans and how Lindy’s advertising was working. The six of us even talked about future plans, like parties we could throw and trips I could go on with the crew to rallies they attended.

  I leaned back in my kitchen chair as I raised my wine glass into the air.

  “I would like to propose a toast,” I said.

  The brothers all looked around at one another before they raised their wine glasses.

  “To men who choke down wine because they know I like it. I couldn’t have asked for a better family,” I said.

  “Does this mean we can do beer next time?” Adam asked.

  “It most certainly does,” I said.

  “Told you,” Tanner said, grinning.

  “Here, here!” Jacob said as we all clinked our glasses.

  My smile was so wide that my cheeks ached as I sipped on my red wine. I watched Tyler get up and grab beers from the fridge, handing them out to his brothers. They chugged them down, trying to wash the taste of wine out of their mouth. I giggled at them as they all sighed, leaning back in their own chairs as dinner settled in our stomachs.

  Finally, after years of struggling to find my place, I was home.

  EPILOGUE

  SIX MONTHS LATER

  “Emma! Another order up!”

  I looked up at Lindy as she slid a piece of paper across the desk.

  “What’s this one?” I asked.

  “Another one of those pink leather jackets,” Lindy said.

  “I can feel your grin. You can stop now,” I said.

  “I told you those things would be a hit.”

  The shop had been up and running for six months now, and we were making a killing. Each month we had pulled a profit, and each month we saw a thirty percent increase in the money we brought in. Word spread quickly about many of our services, and once the ladies started wearing the pink leather, we had hordes of women at our door. Some wanted pink leather coats with tassels, and some wanted them with studs. Other women wanted pink leather accents on the jackets they already owned, and some wanted custom-made pink leather items.

  We quickly became known for two things: the caliber of our leather repair and our fucking pink leather.

  It was so popular, in fact, that several biker magazines had featured our shop. From our fully customizable lace-up boots to the repair shop that fixed everything from leather to lace. That exposure prompted us to expand our hours. We started out working a simple nine to five, but those hours were no longer enough once the magazines came along. By the time we were in our fourth month, we had to extend our hours to nine at night, making our days twelve-hour days to serve all our customers.

  But Lindy and I were making a killing, and we couldn’t have been happier.

  My mother had become a regular customer in our shop. She loved all the handmade jewelry items and the lacy numbers we sold. She had toned down her look some, especially when we introduced the leather leggings. Thankfully, she traded her cut-off daisy dukes for the customizable leather leggings, and she got rid of her crop tops and went with our brightly-colored corset tank tops. She custom-ordered several jackets and was addicted to the heels we stocked in the shop. Even though she was still flaunting her body, she was doing it in a way that was more tasteful.

  Which was something I never thought I would see.

  “Looks like someone’s got a visitor,” I said.

  “What? Huh?” Lindy asked.

  “He just walked through the door,” I said.

  “Who did?”

  I watched as Crow waved to try and get Lindy’s attention. Lindy still tried to play off her relationship with Crow, but I knew better. She hated it when I teased her about it, but that was my right as a best friend. She got to tease me for hopping on five dicks, and I got to tease her about dating an older man.

  The two of them had settled into a comfortable routine. He could drop by the store on Fridays to pick her up and the two of them would spend their weekends together. She played dumb every time he came in, but I knew better. I knew what they were doing, and it made me happy for my friend. In the length of time I’d known her, men in her life never lasted a month.

  So, to see her with the same guy for over six months made me a happy camper.

  “She workin’ you to the bone?” Crow asked.

  “Always,” I said, grinning.

  “Give me another hour, and I’ll be off,” Lindy said.

  “No, ma’am. You’re off now,” I said.

  “But it’s not even eight o’clock yet,” she said.

  “Go, you idiot. Have fun. Just make sure she’s back in here by Monday morning, Crow.”

  “Always,” he said. “You ready, Linds?”

  “I’m ready, big daddy.”

  I suppressed a giggle as the two of them strolled out of the store. I stayed at the shop until it was closing time, then I packed up and went on home.

  I knew I was walking into a candlelit meal. I could see the lights twinkling from the window. It was a tradition the guys had started. At the end of every week, they would cook me a meal, light candles, and the six of us would settle down our week with good food and great conversation.

  But this time rose petals were lining my path from the porch to the kitchen table.

  “Who blew up the florist?” I asked.

  I looked up, my eyes darting around to each of the brothers, my jaw parting in shock. They were all standing there in dark wash jeans and various button-down shirts. Their hair was slick and their faces were clean-shaven. Their blue eyes were twinkling and their shoes were shining. I had never seen these guys dressed up before, and heat permeated my neck as I took them all in
.

  “What’s all this about?” I asked.

  “Aren’t women supposed to know this kind of thing?” Tyler asked.

  “Shut up,” Adam said.

  “It’s our six-month anniversary,” Jacob said.

  I giggled as Nick pulled out my chair for me.

  “Sit down,” he said. “Take a load off.”

  “You guys don’t have to do this,” I said.

  “Oh, but we do,” Tanner said. “Who wants to start?”

  “I will,” Adam said.

  “Start what?” I asked.

  I watched as Adam pulled up a chair before he turned me toward him. His hands squeezed my knees before they traveled up my thighs. I could feel my pelvis churning for him, his twinkling eyes flickering with the light of the candle flame on the table.

  “We have something for you,” he said.

  “Okay,” I said. “What is it?”

  He pulled out a square box from his pocket and opened it up. Inside was a beautiful white gold charm bracelet, complete with a single charm on it. It was a silver and pink charm with the words ‘baby girl’ written on it, and I giggled as he wrapped it around my wrist.

  “These past six months with you have been amazing,” Adam said. “And I couldn’t imagine spending it with anyone else. The nights I get with you? Perfect. The times I get to see you smile? Wonderful. And watching you succeed with your business, baby girl? That’s priceless to me.”

  I leaned over and pressed my lips to his before Jacob took his place. He pulled out a little box and opened it up, revealing a charm that made me smile. It was a black and white charm of a salt and pepper shaker, and I giggled as he attached it to my bracelet.

  “You know I love your hair,” I said.

  “And I love you. Emma, these past few months with you have been incredible. And I’m so lucky to have you in my life.”

  I pulled him in for a kiss before Nick sat down in front of me. He opened his little box and the charm inside was perfect. It was a miniature Phoenix, the sprawling bird tattoo he had covering his chest. I loved that thing. I licked the outline of it every time it came into my vision as we tumbled around in bed. He hooked it to my bracelet, and I pulled him in for a kiss before he could even say anything.