Consume Me

by Ryan Michele

  “Sweet lips? Are you serious?” Her hand latches onto her cocked hip, showing off her curves as she tries to give me attitude. Little does she know, I love the fucking attitude. I eat that shit up. Sweet lips. I can’t wait to fucking kiss the shit out of them.

  I have a difficult time taking my eyes off her body, and when I reach her face, they lock with her glittery blue ones and the fire blazing inside them. It’s there, hot and vibrant. She shuts her eyelids then opens them up a second later and the fire is almost extinguished. Fuck that. I will have that fire back.

  “Give me a taste of those luscious lips and I’ll tell you if it’s true or not.” Her mouth opens slightly as she sucks in a breath so deep her tits rise, her nipples pebbling under her shirt. Gotcha.

  Her arms wrap around her body protectively. Scared? Horny? The puzzle pieces aren’t coming together yet on her.

  “No. What do you want?” she blurts out, but the small hitch in her voice is not lost to me. She feels this shit, this connection, but she’s fighting it. I need to find out why.

  “To talk.” For now.

  “So, talk.” Her demeanor screams I am a confident woman hear me roar, but her damn eyes tell a whole other story. What that is exactly I can’t put my finger on, and damn, I wish I could. But that is part of the fun. Challenges turn me on like no other.

  “You want to talk here?” I quirk my brow, hoping to remind her several dancers are watching our interaction. Not that I give a shit, but I want her alone.

  Her forehead wrinkles and she tilts her head. “Yes, where else are we going to go?”

  “There’s a diner up the road, let’s go have something to eat and talk.” A sinister chuckle leaves her lips and damn it if isn’t one of the sexiest noises I’ve heard in a long time. I have no doubt I’ll be turned down. I expect nothing less.

  “Not happening. You’ve come to me every night for the past week, aren’t you tired of being shot down?” She pauses. “And I’m sure your idea of talking and mine are two totally different things.”

  I won’t dispute that fact one bit, but I ignore the other comment. I place myself directly in front of her, bending my knees to be eye to eye with her.

  “Honey, I’m not throwing you up against the wall and fucking your brains out until you beg for it.” Her arms tighten around her body and from the corner of my eye, I see her pebbled nipples tighten to tips. Fuck yeah.

  “Good thing I’m not begging.” That’s what spews from her mouth but it isn’t what her body is screaming. I’m going with her body; her mind can catch up later. Being this close to her, I’m dying to crash my lips to hers, but Pops’ warnings flash through my mind and I resist. Barely. I need her to want it. More like admit she wants it, but she’s not there yet.

  Her eyes shift over to Cali, who stays silent and pretends to ignore us, though I know damn well he’s listening to every word.

  “This isn’t going to happen. No dinner, no coffee, no nothing anywhere. Stop wasting your time. I need to get home, it’s late.” She steps back and starts to shut the door.

  “Congratulations are in order, I hear,” I say, remembering a conversation between Princess and Casey the other day.

  The door stops mid-swing and I raise my brow, knowing I have her attention. I will get her full attention one way or another. It’s a bit more effort than I’m used to, but it’ll be well worth it when my cock is plunging into her tight pussy.

  “Where’d you hear that?” Her eyes narrow, probably thinking I had the guys check up on her, but that’s not the case. Being Princess and Casey’s tag along means that I overhear some interesting conversations. They gab all kinds of shit, not thinking about the listening ears around them. Everything they say, I file away. Never know when I’ll need it.

  “Princess and Casey talk a lot.” I shrug. Her face heats to a rosy blush. “I overheard. Graduating college is a huge deal.” Way huge in my book since graduating high school was hard enough, but I did get that far at least. It was touch and go there for a while.

  A smile like I’ve never seen before graces Blaze’s face, lighting up everything around her and making her already beautiful face gorgeous, extraordinary. So much so, it’s punching me in the fucking gut, but I don’t allow it to show. This smile is not the forced shit she gives on stage. No. It’s pure and genuine. Fuck, I will make sure she does it over and over. “Thanks. I’m pretty proud of myself.”

  “You should be. I went into the service right after high school. After I got out, the military said they’d pay for my school, but it just wasn’t for me.” It wasn’t. Nothing interested me anyway, but no way in shit do I want to go into too many details about my time in the military. Not exactly the best time in my life, though not the worst either. Just prefer it stay under lock and key.

  She leans against the doorjamb and puts her hands in the front pockets of her shorts, her posture somewhat relaxed. A halo of light glows around her long brown hair as it falls below her breasts, landing like a veil across her shoulders.

  “What branch?” Her question surprises me, only because I didn’t think she’d care and the fact she has an interest in me is a good sign. Patience and determination can get anything.

  “Army.” Memories of my times there creep through me, stilling my actions, but I tamp that shit down fast and change the subject. “Did you go to the ceremony?”

  Pain sweeps across her face, contorting it in a way I never want to see again, and I instantly regret the question. She abruptly masks it, the clouds in her eyes clearing. Not quick enough that I’ll be able to forget it, though. “No. I just got the certificate from the office the next day. Really your transcripts are all that matter.” Her flippancy regarding the subject eats something deep down in me.

  “You want to talk about it?” I ask, not wanting her to relive the pain, but wanting to know her.

  She waves her hand nonchalantly, flapping it up and down. “Nothing to talk about. There’s no one to celebrate with, anyway.” Shock registers all over her beautiful face. No way did she intend me to catch that little tidbit of telling information. Too damn bad.

  “I have to go.” Rapidly, she tries to shut me out with the door. I place my black-booted foot in its path, bringing it to a halt. None of this shit will get rid of me. She needs to learn that lesson quick. Blaze starts to talk, but my phone rings inside of my prospect rag and I hold up my hand. She silences instantly, surprising me and giving me a rush. The display reads Dagger.

  “Yeah?”

  “Where are you?” Dagger clips impatiently. When I first met Dagger over a year ago, we instantly clicked. I don’t know why, he was just a guy that I could talk to. He made it easy. Each prospect has a member for a sponsor that teaches them the way of the club and club life. They kick your ass if you go too far. Luckily, I haven’t had that problem. With Dagger being mine, I have no doubt he’d put my ass in line at the slightest misstep.

  “X,” My eyes lock on Blaze’s unreadable ones. What is going through your head?

  “Good, get as much whiskey as you can carry on your bike and get your ass back to the clubhouse now.” Dagger’s short, low words tell of the anger inside of him. Something must have happened.

  “On my way.” When I first started prospecting, I learned quickly to never question a brother’s request. I never have from day one. They tell me to do something, I don’t care how shitty it may seem, I do it in a heartbeat. Each thing they have me do is to prove my loyalty and respect to the club as well as each brother. I will never let them down.

  I swipe the phone off. Worry lines form around Blaze’s silver blue eyes. It’s nice to know she actually gives a shit. So close, almost there. “Everything okay?” The concern in her voice is the icing on the cake.

  “Always. Gotta run. We’ll continue this soon, sweet lips.”

  “There’s nothing to continue, Tug. Take care.” She tries shutting the door, obviously forgetting my boot is there halting it. She lets out an aggravated sigh. “You can move your boot
now.”

  “Babe, there’s a lot to talk about. Later.” I wink, moving my boot from the door. Blaze says nothing, but closes the door, giving her the escape she thinks she needs. If I didn’t have to go to the club, I wouldn’t have given her such an easy out tonight. Smirking, I lift my chin in Cali’s direction and make my way back into X.

  Luna, one of the dancers I’ve fucked before, saunters up to me as I step through the red curtain.

  “Hey there, stud. Wanna have some fun before you go?” she coos, trying to be seductive. At one time, it would have worked, but Blaze has her beat by leaps and bounds. Luna’s blonde hair is cut into a short bob that frames her face. Her blue eyes sparkle, but not like the radiant ones I had mine on a few seconds ago. The clothes she has on leave little to the imagination. My dick doesn’t even harden a bit. Fuck me.

  “Nope. Gotta run.” I sidestep her. I barely hear the huffs and puffs behind me. This leather attracts women like bees to honey. It’s been damn nice for over a year. I have no complaints about the amount of pussy thrown my way. Now, there seems to be only one my dick wants. Fucking shit.

  After getting the booze, I ride directly to the clubhouse. The wind whips all around me as the roar of my bike soothes me. When I was in the service, I rode in Humvees all the damn time. All boxed in and, at times, suffocating due to the amount of men jammed inside. I told myself that if I got out, which there were times when I didn’t think that shit was gonna happen, I’d get a bike so nothing would be around me and I wouldn’t be confined or caged. So, I’d be free and damn if that isn’t true. Being on my Harley is the best possible high in the world. Nothing else matters but me, my bike, and the open road.

  The large gates of the clubhouse are open and Doc, the club’s doctor, scurries across the parking lot carrying his big black bag. The clubhouse is on the left side of the lot and the garage, where we work on cars to earn the club’s legit money, is further toward the back with a separate entrance there for customers. Next to the clubhouse is a large courtyard filled with tables and chairs surrounding a fire pit. There’s also a huge playground that I helped build when kids started coming around more often.

  I park my bike in the prospect lot, hop off, and clutch all the booze. Buzz and Breaker’s bikes are already here so I go in search of them. What the fuck is going on?

  As I enter the clubhouse, a flurry of activity surrounds me. Men are moving every which way, most covered in dirt and grime.

  “I’m fucking fine!” Rhys barks from the couch when Doc approaches him. From this distance, nothing appears to be wrong; he’s just covered in black soot of some kind, but judging from Rhys’s temper, who the hell knows.

  “About fucking time.” Dagger approaches, snatching one of the bottles from my arms. I hold tight to the others, not wanting to drop them. He turns the cap and swigs from the bottle, not flinching though I know it has to burn going down his throat. Must have been a hell of a night.

  “What happened?” I ask as we amble over to the bar.

  I give the bottles to Buzz who nods and gets right to pouring shots. “Bomb exploded. Knocked us on our asses, but everyone’s fine. Rhys is too big of a son of a bitch to stay down for long. Knocked him out cold though for a bit. Fucker’s being a jackass not getting treated, but that’s him.” Dagger pulls from the bottle, the liquid swishing against the glass as he drinks.

  “I take it ya didn’t find Paine.” The guys were going out to find that asshole while Buzz, Breaker, and I cleaned up the mess from Jace. Pops told us to hang behind and he would call if they needed us. Guess shit got rough.

  “No. Fucking son of a bitch. Jace gave us an address. We went and it blew. I’d love to dig that fucker up and put a bullet in his head,” he growls, gripping the bottle so tight his knuckles turn white, his expression contorting into one nobody wants to be on the opposing end of. I’m surprised he doesn’t crush the fucking bottle or throw it across the room, but that would be a waste of perfectly good whiskey. Dagger’s smarter than that.

  “What do you need me to do?” I scan the room, taking it all in. Rhys is sitting up on the couch, wiping his face with a rag, some of the black coming off his skin. His anger radiates through the whole room like shockwaves seeming to set everyone off and put everyone on edge.

  “See if Doc needs anything, after that, get us some food.”

  I nod, and head off to talk to Doc.

  I slam the door and lock it as soon as Tug removes his big ass boot then sag against it, my head hitting the hard wood with a thump. God, that man is gorgeous, like he should be modeling in some biker magazine for the world to see, gorgeous. His shoulder-length dark hair and smoldering chocolate eyes lure me in every time. Damn man. It’s getting harder and harder to escape the fog that seems to envelop me each time he’s around. He doesn’t hide the fact at all that he wants me. A huge part of me wants to give in, wants to feel his hands on me, his soft lips kissing up and down my body in what I imagine is the most sexy thing ever. Unfortunately, I can’t. I won’t allow anyone to get close to me. Even if he wants a quick fuck, I can’t. To me he’s different. I don’t know why, but inside somewhere deep is telling me so.

  It’s already hard enough that I’ve become friends with Princess and Casey. I love them and would do anything for them. If I have to leave all of a sudden, it would kill me to split from them, but that is always a possibility for me. I’ve been lucky for the past four and a half years, staying low.

  Princess helped me out huge when I showed up at X for the first time, without even knowing my name. I don’t know how she did it, but one day I went into her office as Paige McMillion and the next came out at Taryn McKnight. That’s who I pretend to be. Since dancing, my X name is Blaze and I go by it more than anything.

  I actually like the name. At first, I didn’t think it fit me at all. I was so damn scared to get up on that stage and show my body off to men. It felt like my old life was trying to creep into my new, having my body exposed for men’s pleasure. I even threw up when I got off the stage, but I kept at it. I didn’t have a choice. I didn’t puke after that, but panic attacks set in at times. I made it through and now it’s like second nature to me. I flash my tits at the very end of whatever song is playing and wear a thong to cover that part of myself. The men at X don’t get all of me. No one gets all of me, but me.

  At the same time, I realize that I’m on fire when I’m up there. I may not like it or get off on it at all, but when the music plays and the lights flash, I’m on top of my game. The money is what keeps me going, though. The tips have allowed me to have some security in this life as Taryn.

  I stand and grab for my things, and slowly open the door. My shoulders sag; Tug is gone. I can’t handle another run in with him tonight. Every night for the past week has been wrecking my defenses. Each time, I want to give in. If he keeps this up, I’m not sure my resistance will.

  I motion for Cali to follow me. The air around me smells exactly like Tug, sending my hormones into hyper-drive. I’ve gotta get out of here.

  As I walk through the brightly lit dressing room, the other girls glower at me from their seats along the mirror-lined walls. I couldn’t give a shit less. I straighten my shoulders and stiffen my spine, not allowing anything they dish out to faze me. None of these women are my friends, and I wouldn’t even consider one an acquaintance. I’ve gotten a reputation over time of being standoffish and not wanting to be part of their clique. Truth is, I didn’t want to deal with their shit, deal with their entanglements, or get close to anyone. Every woman here has some sort of problem they want help fixing and I’ve got enough of my own to deal with. I sure as hell am not the one to ask advice from—I can’t even figure out my own life, let alone someone else’s.

  When Princess recently cleaned house, she got rid of some of the women who were the bane of my existence for a long time. They were caught with drugs, but their attitudes were what got me. The holier than though bullshit. They were always better no matter what. Me, I didn’t care. I
just wanted them to shut the hell up.

  The new girls aren’t any better with their cattiness, but I brought that on myself. My purpose was clear for doing it and I still stand by it. When those women were still at X, I requested my own dressing room, so I could lock the damn door and get away from them. I wasn’t running, I just didn’t think that beating the shit out of those women every night was healthy, for them or me. I may not want the entanglements, but I wouldn’t let their words get too far and they were getting to that point. It’s also why I didn’t find out about the drugs until right before Princess did; I was never around them.

  I may not like conflict and will avoid it as much as possible, but when pushed to my limit, I will fight back, hard. I didn’t want that at my job or in my new life. When I requested my room, Princess needed a reason. The one I gave her was pretty lame. Just the fact that the men in the club wouldn’t leave me alone and I needed privacy. She knew it was a load of shit. Men can’t get into the dressing area because of the bouncers, but she gave it to me anyway and never asked about it again.

  When I first showed up at X, I lied to her. Which I swiftly learned was something you didn’t do to the Princess. At the time, I had no clue who she was, but followed my aunt’s advice. When I left home, I went to my aunt. She told me to come here. I listened.

  Princess knows so many people and I’m not sure how she did it, but she gave me a completely new identity.

  She took one look at me and for some reason, decided to help me. I have never been questioned about it. She never asked of the past and I didn’t offer the information. The less people that know, the better.

  I’ve never actually thought about it until this second, but I’m sure Princess has searched. Shit. Wonder if she’s ever pieced me together. If she has, she’s never let on in the years I’ve been here. I never gave her my real name, but with her connections, who knows?

  Coming to X has proven to be my saving grace and I am nothing but grateful.