Rough Rider

by Harley Fox

  So I get there and order a beer, and decide to just stand off to the side. For one thing, everybody there’s younger than me — it seems like they’re all celebrating their 21st birthdays on the same night. For another thing, I can tell just by their clothes that this is not the place for me. Tight dresses; polo shirts; shiny shoes. I’m still wearing what I’ve been wearing all day. So I survey the area, thinking maybe I’ll try to find a place better suited to my tastes after this beer.

  And then she walks in. This drop-dead bombshell of a woman. She’s wearing this red dress that hugs her body tight and makes my cock get hard just by looking at her. I see her speaking to another girl — probably a friend. The one I’m eyeing looks scared and timid, and that somehow just makes her hotter. I eye her up and down and watch them go get something to drink. Then her friend leaves to dance while this woman just stands there, all on her own.

  I don’t know what it was about her, but I knew I had to have her right then and there. Forget about taking this girl home with me. I needed her now.

  So I step forward and just as she downs her drink and turns around, she spots me.

  I freeze, and so does she. We’re like two deer caught in each other’s headlights. But I take her in with my eyes, going slowly now that she’s facing me, and damn does she look good. My cock is telling me to keep going so I go, walking right up to her. By the time I reach her my cock is pushing up hard against my jeans.

  I ask her to dance — something I’ve never done before — and then take her down to the dance floor. Anything to get closer to her, I guess. We start dancing and I pull her into my cock. I can tell she feels it because she looks at me with those gorgeous green eyes and I swear I almost cum on the spot.

  That’s it; I can’t take another minute. I take her out back with me, out into the alley, and then I’m on her. There’s no precursor; no foreplay. Before I know it she’s straddling my cock and I’m fucking her right there in the alley.

  And let me tell you: this woman was good. She knew exactly what to do, exactly how to hold me and slide on my cock. Even now just thinking about her grinding down on me gets my cock hard. That woman had the moves, and curves to match.

  My kinda woman.

  I’m surprised I lasted as long as I did, but when she came on me I couldn’t hold back any longer. Fuck, I even had to jerk off again after I got home. Hell, I could probably jerk off right now just thinking about her and be done in ten seconds.

  But something weird happened … not while we were fucking, it was after. After she and I both came, and I was still holding onto her, catching my breath … I feel like we had a moment.

  Now, I’ve had my fair share of women. Most of them like me for what I’ve got down inside my jeans, but these women mean nothing to me. Fuck ’em and leave ’em, that’s my motto. Most of the girls come back for more, and there was even a time or two I thought I might be in love. But it always came down to the same thing in the end: nothing.

  But this girl … there was something different about her, I could tell right away. Usually if I fuck a girl behind a dumpster I’m outta there before she can even get her pants back on. But this time, instead … I kissed her.

  I kissed her right on the mouth, after we finished fucking. Huh. Figure that one out.

  And this girl, she kissed me back. It was weird, and it made my stomach and chest kinda … hurt, I guess. That was what made me stop. I put her down and put my cock away, and when I looked at her I felt like I wanted to tell her something, but I don’t know what. So I just left.

  But when I’m halfway down the alley she calls after me, and she asks me my name. And instead of just ignoring her like I usually would, or giving her a fake name to shut her up, I tell her my real name instead.

  And when it was done, I got on my bike and went home. I couldn’t sleep because I kept thinking about her, and I had to jerk off again, like I said. But even though it’s the next day she’s still there, still in my thoughts.

  Fuck, and I know nothing’s gonna happen anyway. How could it? I’m not going to that bar again, and I don’t even know anything about her. Not even her first name. Nah, there’s no chance in hell we’re ever gonna meet again. But if we do, you can bet I’ll fuck the living daylights out of her.

  I hear the crunch of tires over the sound of sparks hitting the ground and look up to see the nose of a car park outside of the shop. I can tell at a glance that it’s a fancy fucking car.

  Great. Just what I fucking need: debt collectors.

  Or maybe they’re from the IRS, or maybe they’re just fucking Jehovah’s Witnesses. Either way, whatever it is they’re selling, I ain’t buying.

  I go back to my welding, but tune my ears in for sounds beyond the spray of sparks. I hear the car door open and close, then high heels clacking on the concrete floor as whoever it is comes into the shop.

  I’m still not looking, not even when this chick clears her throat.

  “Excuse me,” I hear her call out. “Are you the owner here?”

  I roll my eyes and shut off the welder. Tilting my head, I look up over the top of the bike. The dark glass of my visor makes it difficult for me to make her out, but one glance at that body and I feel my cock getting hard. She kind of reminds me of … her.

  “Hi there,” she says. “Are you the owner? I’d like to talk with you a second.”

  That voice. I’ve definitely heard it before.

  No. It can’t be.

  I drop the torch on the ground and slowly lift myself to my feet. The same figure, the same height … it’s all too much to be a coincidence. I even see her eyes widen after I stand up and I’m looking down at her. I grab onto the bottom of my welding mask and pull it up, peeling it off my face. Now I can see clearly. Now I see her, dressed like she’s selling real estate, standing right here in my shop.

  Her.

  She looks as stunned as I feel. She opens her mouth to say something, but no words come out. And my lips curve up into a smile.

  “Well, isn’t this a surprise,” I say, looking her up and down. Her cheeks flush but she doesn’t move. All I can think of is that body underneath her suit. “Back for round two?”

  She looks shocked, like I just slapped her, but I step out from around the bike and see her eyes drop to the front of my jeans. Her eyes go even wider than before, and that just makes me smile again.

  “I know some women,” I tell her, “can’t help but want a second go. Just to make sure they weren’t dreaming it up the first time.”

  “I, that’s … that’s not why I’m here,” she manages to get out, tearing her eyes from my hard cock and up to my face. She shifts on the spot and I wonder if she’s as wet right now as she was last night.

  But as my eyes travel down, following those sweet curves to where I want to be, I see the file folder in her hands. And plastered there on the front is a familiar-looking logo, and a company name that I thought I’d seen the last of fourteen years ago:

  PharmaChem.

  The smile on my face drains away immediately.

  “What the fuck is that?” I ask, indicating the folder. She looks down at it. “And what the fuck are you doing here?”

  She clears her throat.

  “I um,” she begins, and has to swallow. “I’m here representing PharmaChem. And I’m looking for …” She opens the file folder and I see a smile appear on her face as she reads: “Jake Hawksley.” She looks back up at me, still smiling. “Jake.”

  But I don’t return the smile. I don’t react. My cock is battling against my pants. One part of me wants her, wants to be with her, but the other part just wants to know what the fuck she’s doing here if she’s coming from there.

  I clear my throat.

  “I said,” I say slowly, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

  The smile on her lips drops and her cheeks color. She opens the folder again and gives it a scan. It’s obvious she hasn’t read it yet.

  “Um, well Jake, like I said I’m here representi
ng PharmaChem.” She looks back up at me. “And we, um, we’re looking to expand our, um, production locations, and so we would like to offer you a cash settlement in exchange for the remainder of your lease.”

  I can only stare at her, breathing in the fumes I’ve been breathing in these past many years. She swallows again, seeing that her words had no effect, and glances back down inside the folder.

  “We know that you have, um, only three months left on your lease and that rent prices in this neighborhood are going up. You can consider this a friendly gesture from PharmaChem, and our way of saying ‘Thank You’ for cooperating with us. If you’d like to go ahead, we’ll just need you to sign this form stating that you’re willing to hand your lease over to us.”

  I feel my upper lip start to curl. That stupid fucking folder with its stupid fucking logo is staring at me.

  “Fuck you,” I say to her, my voice low but loud enough that I know that she heard me. She blinks and her lips part.

  “W-what?” she asks, and part of me hurts for saying that to her, seeing her confused face. But that anger is in me. That anger I swore I would never let myself feel again. Not after these fourteen long years.

  “Fuck you,” I tell her again. I take a step toward her and she looks like she wants to run away, but she doesn’t. There’s fear in her eyes, and in the way she’s tensing her muscles, but still she doesn’t move. Somewhere inside of me I’m impressed.

  I stop right in front of her, my head dropped almost all the way down, her own craned right back up to look me in the eyes. I can smell her again, like I could last night, and my cock goes hard in my pants. But I can’t let my desire to fuck her again get the best of me.

  “Get out of here,” I say, my voice low, threatening. “Go back to fucking PharmaChem and tell them I said no.”

  She struggles to keep herself composed but I see her shaking nonetheless.

  “No,” she finally says and I raise an eyebrow. “My job is to convince you to sign over your lease, and that’s what I’m going to do. I’m not leaving here without a signature.”

  I narrow my eyes at her.

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?” I ask her, and she winces at my words. “Huh? Tell me right now.”

  She sets her jaw as she swallows.

  “I’m Merryn Wellington, and I’m here representing PharmaChem.”

  “To do what, exactly? Wave money under my nose to get me to give up my lifeblood? This shop, that I’ve slaved at for years? Huh?”

  She swallows again.

  “We’re prepared to offer you upwards of two thousand dollars in exchange for your—”

  “Fuck your money,” I snarl. “What about my life? This is all I know. What would I do if I didn’t have my shop?”

  “I … that’s not our concern.” She opens the file folder and I see a typed-up sheet of information. My information. “Perhaps you could attend a trade school with the money, or instead use the money to—”

  “Shut up,” I say, and she does. “Turn around and get the fuck out of here.” I can still smell her. “Unless,” my mind becomes twisted as my lips curl into another smile, “you do want to fuck again, for one last hurrah.”

  Now her professional demeanor slips away as she opens her mouth in disgust.

  “Ugh!” she says, and actually steps back from me.

  I feel myself tense up. Nobody’s backed away from me, least of all some chick I’ve slept with who obviously wants some more. This girl’s nerve makes my cock hard as a rock, and it pushes out against my jeans.

  “I’m not here to sleep with you, Jake,” she says. “I’m here to try to convince you—”

  “You don’t have to convince me of anything,” I say to her, and I take a step forward, shorten the distance between us again. “I remember last night as much as you do. And I know you’ve been thinking about it, too.”

  She opens her mouth but doesn’t say anything — doesn’t deny it. So I lift a hand and trail my fingers along the side of her neck. I see her close her eyes and I smile. I take another half-step toward her and the end of my cock pushes up against her.

  Her eyes fly open and she looks down. She freezes like a deer in headlights, and I know I’ve got her where I want her. I cup my hand around the back of her neck and tilt her head so she’s looking at me. I smile again. I start to lower myself down, turning my head, aiming my lips at hers.

  SLAP!

  I reel back in pain, my head feeling as though it’s bouncing around like a fucking pinball. It happened so fast it takes me a moment to register, even after the fact. When I look I see Merryn’s hand hovering in the air. She’s breathing hard and she has a fire in her eyes. I just stare at her. I’ve never been hit by a woman before, but every time I get into a fight with a guy I become furious.

  But this … this just makes me see her in a whole new light. She’s fierce, this one. Fiery. She’s got some spunk in her.

  And if I have my way, I’ll give her even more spunk to take home.

  My cock is hard now almost to the point of pain. I see her take a deep, steadying breath and let it out.

  “I said I’m not here to sleep with you, Jake,” she says. “I’m here to negotiate your lease. Now, what do you want us to pay you for it?”

  I lower my hand back down. My smile is gone, replaced by hatred.

  “Nothing,” I say to her. “Because I’m not giving it up.”

  She sighs. “There must be something we can pay you,” she says, her voice softening. “Something you want, or that we can do for you.”

  “Something that PharmaChem can do for me?” I let out a short, sharp laugh. “Your company has done plenty for me already.”

  Merryn narrows her eyes.

  “What are you—”

  “And just who the fuck do you think you are?” I say, cutting her off, feeling that anger build up in me again. “Huh? You come in here, trying to use your body to convince me to sell this place. Is this why we met last night? So you could fucking butter me up ahead of time?”

  “What? No Jake, I’m not … I didn’t know it was you I was coming to see,” she says. “And if I did know then I …” Her voice trails off.

  “You what?”

  “I probably would have turned it down.” She looks at me. “Last night was something I’ll never forget, Jake. And I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. But if I knew I was going to, and it was going to be under these circumstances, well … I just would have wanted it to be nicer.”

  My heart is pounding in my chest but I can’t say why.

  “Yeah well, tough fucking luck,” I say. “Because here we are, and there you go,” I point to her car, “out of here and out of my life for good.”

  “Jake, please,” she says, definitely pleading now. “Please, I need this to go well.”

  “Fuck you, why should I help you?” I ask.

  “Because … if I screw this up I’m going to lose my job.”

  All the fight has left her and she really is asking for my help. Something inside of me wants to step to her, and hold her. But seeing that PharmaChem logo there keeps me sober. Keeps me sane.

  “Fuck your job,” I hear myself tell her. “And fuck you. PharmaChem is scum, and if you had any decency or respect for yourself you would quit working there today.”

  She looks at me.

  “You don’t know anything about me,” she says in a soft voice. “How can you say that to me?”

  “Because I know PharmaChem,” I tell her. “And I know the types of people who work there. And you’re not one of them. But if you’d rather work there than listen to me, then you’d better just leave right now. Because you’re dead to me.”

  She looks at me — those big, beautiful green eyes stare right up at me — and then they start to water. She keeps herself together and clenches her jaw, but those eyes of hers betray her. And when she blinks a tear forms and starts to roll down her cheek. She quickly wipes it away.

  “Fine,” she says, her voice on the v
erge of cracking. “Fine. I guess then that means I’m done here.”

  She turns around before I can say anything and I want to call out to her. I want to tell her I’m sorry, that I didn’t mean it. But I can’t. Because she works for them, and I can’t make myself hate them any less for what they did to me and my family.

  Merryn starts walking away, wiping at her eyes as she does, but amid the sullen click-clack of her high heels I hear an all-too-familiar sound: motorcycle engines.

  This is a tiny street where people hardly go down, so when you hear engines it means that somebody means business. And I know it’s way too early for anyone in my gang to show up, so this sound can only mean one thing:

  Trouble.

  I start to move forward, reaching out to grab Merryn’s shoulder, but the sound of the engines makes her stop walking anyway. She looks around as the sound becomes almost deafening — it’s now engines mixed with yelling and laughter — and just as I predicted, trouble appears.

  There are a dozen of them, most of them on their own bikes, some doubled up on one machine. They all pull up outside of my shop, their engines revving, causing the inside of this place to sound like an airport runway. I scan the group and see that each of them looks thin, emaciated, and they’re all wearing ratty leather jackets. Most of them have sunglasses on, and most of them are carrying either a bat or a knife or a gun.

  And then I see somebody I recognize: the sickly smile and arm in a makeshift sling gives him away immediately. It’s the same piece of shit who tried to stiff me yesterday, riding the bike that I fixed up. And judging by the looks on their faces and by the weapons they’re carrying, he’s called the rest of the Slingers in to help try to teach me a lesson.

  Oh yeah, this day couldn’t possibly get worse.

  Merryn

  I was angry. Upset. I was all ready to leave Jake and go back to work in an attempt to convince Will not to fire me. Jake turned out to be much more of a jerk than I realized, so I guess last night was just a one-time thing and if I never see him again then it’ll be too soon.