Exposed

by Sapphire Knight

  “I love you, too, sister. Later.”

  “Later.” I hang up my cell and stare it for a few seconds until I start bawling like a four-year-old who dropped her ice cream cone. I miss my family. I miss my mom always being up my ass and I miss my idiot brother always annoying me. We have never grown our relationship past the age of twelve. We still pick on each other and try to get each other in trouble. We pull pranks and call each other any name we can think of, but he’s also one of my best friends. My mom would be cooking something right now if I was there and probably reading one of her smutty books. I need to plan a trip to visit soon. Cain. I wonder if I will run into him if I do visit. I doubt it. I went for years and didn’t see him. I could probably stop by and see Twizzler. I bet his crazy ass misses me and would want me to bring him his favorite Subway sandwich. I don’t just miss Cain but I also miss his MC brothers too. He’s probably moved on a long time ago. I was so dumb to leave things like that. It’s too late now though.

  I jump in the shower because at this point if I don’t shave, I may need the help of a weed eater. I get cleaned up and dolled up to head down to Tainted. I need to stop in and find out if I need anything for my new job and when my hours are. I can’t wait to start working, I’ve been so bored. I’m used to working a lot and doing school work at the same time. The past week I’ve been a total bum. I guess being sick is a valid excuse to not accomplishing anything. At least I’ve gotten caught up on my books in my Kindle. I jump in my car and make my way over to the club.

  I absolutely love Tate’s clubs, they are always huge and have awesome decor. I walk into Tainted and see the walls are painted to look like blood is dripping down from the ceilings. There are booths along two of the walls that surround the dance floor. The dance floor is painted so it looks like it’s tipping when you walk on it. There is a large grand staircase leading upstairs. The kind that you see in those beautiful homes on TV. On the second floor is the VIP deck. I’ve never seen it but probably will once I start working here. It’s early, about eight p.m., so there are not very many people here. The Eagles’ ‘Hotel California’ is playing and it gives the building a really creepy feeling when you walk in. It reminds me of a horror movie. I’m sure that was Tate’s plan though, he seems to love theme clubs. I walk up to the bar and give the bartender a look over. He’s freaking beautiful. He’s really tall, probably 6’3” or so, with a spiked bright blue mohawk. He’s wearing a plain white t-shirt and you can see he’s covered in ink. He’s got on dark wash jeans and bright red Chucks. I get closer and notice an eyebrow piercing. Yummy. He looks me up and down. Yup, I’m your type, I know. Too bad I have a bun in the oven or I’d test that shit out in a heartbeat. I smirk at that thought.

  “What can I do for you, baby doll?” he asks and his voice is a sexy rumble. Hmm, he sounds like he could be a singer.

  “It’s London, Spike, and I need to talk to the manager here 'cause I’m supposed to start working here soon.” When he hears me call him Spike, he beams a gorgeous smile at me and chuckles. I love a man with bright white teeth and sexy, plump lips.

  “Alright, Miss London, well, I’m not Spike, but you can call me Hawk and that manager would be me, ma’am.” He grins and winks at me. Oh, he’s gonna be a flirt. I bet I have fun working with him. Just the eye candy alone is a bonus.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Hawk. When do you need me to start working and what do I wear?”

  “It’s more chill here than at OO7. Get a black leather mini skirt and a sexy top. We like simple but sexy. I’m sure you will figure it out. The first night, wear what I tell you. You will see what the other girls show up in and can go from there. Just play up your assets so you make more tips. The girls change up their outfits nightly. As for when, how about you start on Wednesday at seven? Get you a night of slow training in before it picks up on Thursday. I’ll be able to figure out where you will work best, too. Sound good?”

  “Yeah, that sounds perfect, actually. Do you need me to fill any paperwork out or anything before then?” He passes me a bar napkin and a pen. When his arms get closer I can really see all the colors in his tattoos. It’s like looking at a comic book on his arm, it’s gorgeous. He must have spent a lot of time in sessions to get ink like that. He shakes his head and nods at the napkin.

  “No, you do that on Wednesday before your shift. Just write your number here in case anything changes, I can call and update you.” I write my cell and name down and slide it back across the bar to him. I look up at his handsome face and bite my lip. He just exudes hotness.

  “Okay, great, thanks!”

  “No problem, see you Wednesday, London.” I smile widely and nod. He winks at me and I turn to leave. As I’m walking away I hear “Mmm. Mm. Mmmm.” Yep, I still have it. I do a fist pump inside and give my hips a little extra shake as I walk outside. I am headed to my car when I hear a familiar voice. I duck down so they don’t see me beside my car. Damn it!

  “Cameron, you’re so crazy! Here in the parking lot? But someone could see us! Hahaha okay, okay, you win.” She has an annoying high-pitched voice. I peek over at them and can see him kissing her neck. Ugh. Fucking dog. I’m pregnant with his kid and he’s busy with some stupid hussy. Screw this shit, I’m so out of here. I swear, if he shows up when I’m working, I’m calling Tate’s ass to kick him out. I drive back to the apartment quickly since I’m pissed off. Men are so freaking stupid. I know I left him and haven’t talked to him since, but geez, at least wait a few days. I decide the best therapy is for me to exercise. I kill myself doing lunges and squats for thirty minutes then stretch out my muscles for a while. Easy way to tire out a pregnant lady for bed is through leg punishment. I take a warm bubble bath and smooth Paris Amore lotion all over my skin. There’s nothing like taking a relaxing bath and smelling good. I don’t need a man, little one. I have you, and I’m content with us. I finish off my night with a bowl of ice cream with fresh strawberries cut up, and another movie. This time I fall asleep with a smile to one of my favorites, the movie, Stepbrothers.

  It’s around lunchtime when I get a text from the last person I was ever expecting to hear from. My heart flutters and my tummy twirls inside when I see his name. I blink a few times quickly and I inhale a deep breath then open the message.

  Cain – Hey baby. I’m in Knoxville for a week. r you here at the college?

  Holy shit, he’s here? For a whole week!

  Cain – Come on and talk to me London. Twist is here 2 and wants to visit youMe – Cain? Why are you in town? Is it just you and Twist or all of your brothers?

  Cain – Hey baby

  Cain – Twist 2 pce Capone & Ares

  Me – Okay I can meet you at a coffee shop called A Sip of Heaven by the college?

  Cain – Okay

  Me – When do you want to meet?

  Cain – 30 good for you

  Me – Yes that’s good, I’ll see you there.

  Oh my God. That was the last thing I would expect to happen today. Thank God I showered last night after my workout so all I have to do is change my clothes. Shit! What am I going to freaking wear? I haven’t seen him in three months. Ahhhh, I need more time! I would wear one of his favorite outfits but it’s freaking cold outside right now, and I would freeze. I settle on some three inch black suede booties, leopard print leggings and a black sweater dress. I leave my hair down and straight because it’s his favorite. I spritz myself with my green apple-looking bottle of DKNY and check my makeup one last time. I apply my Beauty Rush red Sparklemint lip gloss and smack my lips a few times. That’s as good as it’s going to get, time to go meet Cain.

  On the drive to A Sip of Heaven, I’m so excited or nervous or something I feel like I want to puke. I hope he’s not still angry with me. His text message didn’t seem angry though. I wonder if his brothers will be with him. They would look kind of out of place in the coffee shop. I chuckle out loud at that thought. I wonder what we will talk about. Will he hug me? I wonder if he has a chick with him. No, I kno
w Cain would never make me uncomfortable like that, even if he is pissed off at me. I pull into the parking lot and see I’m just on time.

  I look over and his black custom-made baby is parked in a parking spot a few over from me. God, I miss being on that bike with him. Okay, you can do this London, deep breath. I look up and jump in my seat. He must have been watching for me, because he’s standing right outside the door waiting for me to get out. Shit! I stumble out of the car a little and grab my bag. I’m so nervous to see him and I don’t know why. When I turn around, he’s beside me and he closes my door for me. He lightly grabs my elbow to help keep me upright. I breathe in deeply at his touch and close my eyes tightly for a moment. He used to always hold my arm when I walked in my super tall heels. Holy fuck, he looks good. God, is he buffer? His smile, oh, how I missed that beautiful smile of his. I look up into his eyes, he’s less than a foot away from me and I can feel his body heat radiating off him in waves.

  “Hi,” I say softly. He looks down at me like I’m water in the middle of the desert.

  “Baby,” he says and I feel warm all over just with that one little word. I smirk up at him; he knows how I feel about that word and get rewarded with a brilliant smile from him again. God, how I missed his warmth, his deep timbre voice when he calls me baby, his radiant smile he always saved for me, his steel grey eyes, just his…everything. I sigh inside and finally feel like I can breathe again.

  “I missed you,” I say softer than before and my eyes start to tear up. I can’t cry. He’s only said one word. Don’t you dare cry, London! Geez, I forgot how much this man means to me. His eyes soften at my tears and he licks his lips.

  “Shhhh, sweet cheeks, I missed you, too,” he says huskily and pulls me into his strong chest to hug me. I wrap my arms around him tight and squeeze. I plant my face in his leather jacket and sniffle a few times. I take a deep breath full of him. His cologne, the lingering smell of his bike ride here, the smooth scent of his leather jacket, and I’m able to start to pull myself together. I lean back but keep a tight hold on him. I look up and meet his stormy grey eyes. He’s wearing such a serious expression and I can tell he has missed me. His eyes tell me he has been waiting for this moment, waiting to hold me closely again.

  “Come on, let’s go inside, I’m fuckin’ freezin’ out here! Can’t believe this place is colder than Texas, I figured it’d be the same, ya know,” he says and I smile at his choice of words. One thing I had to adapt to hanging around his motorcycle club was their lingo. It seems like majority of every word is shortened and every other word is a swear word. I curse like a sailor but around the club I sounded like a school girl. I snuggle into him and giggle a little. He makes me feel so free and happy.

  “It’s because we are more east and surrounded by lakes,” I say, but I know he won’t care about the lakes right now since we can’t skinny dip in them like he enjoys.

  “All I know is it’s colder than a witch’s tit. I’d like to keep my balls thawed and have some babies someday, come on.” He lets me go but keeps his arm around my shoulder and walks us inside the coffee shop. Avery no longer works here but I still like to come for their coffees sometimes. I pale at his baby comment, I really don’t want to tell him about my pregnancy right now. I want to hear all about everything with him before we delve into that big secret. I sit down and he stays standing. I look up at him, curious.

  “Whatcha want and I’ll order,” he asks while looking me over from head to toe. I guess he missed my loud outfits.

  “Ummm, I’ll have an orange juice, please.” He looks at me like I’m crazy and I smirk up at him.

  “We came to a coffee shop so you can have orange juice? You sure you don’t want your usual?” When he asks, my heart flutters a little to know he remembers my favorite drink I used to order all the time. I shake my head.

  “No, juice is good. I cut out caffeine and could use some Vitamin C.” He nods and orders our drinks. I know he won’t question my vitamin comment. He’s always been a little health conscious. It’s probably from all his working out and fighting. He definitely stays in shape, and even more so now it looks like. He sits across from me and I’m struck speechless. I forgot how good looking he was. He gets that cocky little panty-dropper smirk on his face.

  “So you missed me, huh? Why didn’t you just come home and see me?” he asks me playfully. I love when he’s happy and playful.

  “I was just thinking about making a trip home soon, actually. Things here with Emily finally calmed down not too long ago. I didn’t think you’d want to see me though. I honestly was really surprised to get a text from you. Good surprised.” He flicks me a little irritated look but it quickly passes.

  “Of course I want to see you. I was pissed with the way you left shit, but it was fucked up. That was months ago though, so I’m over it.” He shrugs and as he says this the barista brings us our drinks. She sets my orange juice with a banana nut muffin and Cain’s plain, black coffee down in front of us. He remembered my favorite muffin! So sweet. Probably because it’s his favorite too, punk. I smile big and grab for the yummy goodness.

  “Thank you for this,” I say as I unwrap the muffin and eat half of it. I hand him the other half and he eats it in two bites just like we used to. It reminds me of our happy memories from the weekends we would spend together. We were always together when I wasn’t at work, but every weekend we would go to a little bakery and load up on muffins and coffees.

  “You’re welcome,” he says as he finishes chewing his last bite and takes a sip of his coffee. He licks the muffin crumbs off his thumb and I feel my pussy muscles contract at his thumb leaving his mouth. He takes another drink, and his lips look so good on that coffee cup. All I can imagine are the things he used to do to me with that mouth and those thick, tattooed fingers.

  “So why are you in town and for how long?” I ask curiously. I know he can’t tell me club business and I would never ask, but he will give me a general answer. He reaches across the table and holds my hand that isn’t wrapped around my juice. I give him a small smile and thread our fingers together. His large hand dwarfs mine and I love it.

  “Club shit and I don’t know, a week for sure.” His answer is vaguer than I was expecting, but I don’t mind. I’ve always respected the club rules and his dedication to them. I think about his brothers and know he will appreciate me asking about them, they all mean a lot to him.

  “Cool, how’re the boys?” I smile inside thinking that I should have called them kittens, it would have made him laugh.

  “Good, Twist wants to see ya while we are here if that’s cool with you?” He tilts his head after he asks and I think it’s crazy he even feels the need to ask me. Of course I want to see him, I want to see them all.

  “Yes, that’s definitely okay, I miss the guys, too. I wasn’t sure if you’d be here alone or not.”

  “Oh, did you want them to come too?” He looks a little let down when he asks.

  “No! I wanted it to be you. I mean, it would be okay if they came. But I’m glad I got to see you first, you know, alone.” I ramble on, I don’t normally ramble much but I want to see him happy again. “I was talking about you know, umm, a female person with you. I wasn’t sure if you came alone, alone,” I mumble quietly. I’m such an idiot. He looks at me and his eyes widen like he wasn’t expecting me to assume that.

  “The fuck you talkin’ 'bout? Of course I didn’t bring no female round here. I ain’t bringin’ nobody when I’m planning on seein’ you. Plus, I don’t let any bitches ride on my bike. You know this shit, London,” he says grumpily. I beam a smile. I can’t help it, I love the fact he just admitted he doesn’t let anyone on his bike. I know how important that is to a biker, and I rode on the back of his bike all the time. He sees my smile and starts to chuckle while shaking his head like he’s exasperated with me.

  “So you stay with Emily or by yourself?”

  “I stay alone, Emily lives with her boyfriend so I took over her little apartment. How did
you know I wasn’t staying with someone else?” I start to get snarky. He’s not the only one who could have been seeing someone. It’s like the thought didn’t even cross his mind and it irritates me. He puts his hands up in a placating gesture and tries to back track a little to get me unwound.

  “You don’t need to be staying with anyone else, sweet cheeks. I just figured since you moved here to be with Emily and go to school that you’d be livin’ with her, is all. Get your panties untwisted, I ain’t tryin’ to butt into your business or anything, just askin’, baby.”

  “Baby, huh? You seem to be pretty brave with that word today.” He starts chuckling and I smile at him.

  “Come on, London, you know damn well you are my baby.” I smile even bigger. Fucking right I’m his baby and those club bitches better remember that shit too.

  “I know,” I say and wink at him. He’s the only one I let get away with that pet name.

  “Say, can we go chill at your place? I was hopin’ you’d let me crash with you while I’m in town.” Cain with me for a whole week? Staying at my place? Hell yeah! I don’t want to come off as too excited so I just shrug a little. I agree calmly even though I want to jump up and down excitedly.

  “Yeah, I guess we could head over there.”

  “Good. Tonight you can put some warm clothes on and get on the back of my bike again.” He knows how much I love riding on his bike. That became one of our things. We would get on his bike and just cruise for hours. I loved being that close to him. I’m surprised he’s so quick to let me back on it. Especially after he just declared no females ride on the back of his bike. He must really be over me leaving him like I did.

  “Now that sounds like a plan, hot stuff! Do we need to stop by anywhere to get your stuff before we head to my place?” I’m definitely excited to see everybody and get his stuff to the apartment.

  “Naw, sweet cheeks, I can do that later, let’s just go.” I nod and walk to my car. He seems like he’s excited to get to the apartment and hang out.