Mercy's Angels: Elizabeth

by Barbi Barnard

  I like how easy going Kenneth is. I think his charm just rolls off him. Kenneth just doesn’t suit him as a name and for once I have no problem with a road name. Smiling like a school girl I follow him and get a helmet on.

  The sound of his bike sends a little thrill to my bones. Knowing I will feel the wind in my hair, I tie it up and shove it down the back of my shirt. Pulling a jacket on I close it up tight to help keep me warm. I watch as he leans his bike over to make it easier for me to get on. He holds his hand out and winks at me as I get my leg over the seat and adjust myself. Never sure where to put my hands I relax as he takes them and places them low on his stomach. Good lord this man is a tease. I could picture so many things about him. One day, maybe I will have the confidence to have a relationship with a man and be able to enjoy a touch.

  As Kenneth throttles the gas I brace for the jerk that never comes. There was no showing off with a peel out. Smoothly, he drives with care and we turn towards town. It’s easy to talk to him as we aren’t speeding at a rush. I point out the eateries and other things he might like. As we near the four-way I hear a siren behind us. I feel him stiffen and we pull over. I can’t remember ever being pulled over in this town. I see Kenneth pull a plastic pouch out of a holder and dig for the paper work he knows the Sheriff will ask for. It doesn’t take long before I see Sheriff Lester pale as he sees me sitting on the bike.

  “Hello Miss Elizabeth, didn’t expect you to be on the bike.”

  “Hello Sheriff, how is your day? Must be slow to pull us over when we didn’t do anything.” I watch his eyes and know he feels caught. This must be a regular thing for him. I wonder how often he pulls people over for no reason. Is it everyone or just the guys on bikes?

  “I…I was just going to ask if you had seen a young man on a dirt bike? He has been riding here in town and doesn’t look old enough to have a license. Dirt bikes aren’t permitted on city streets. He’s a bit reckless, also.”

  I can see he is trying to cover up his reason for pulling us over. Kenneth is still stiff and not speaking. It makes me a bit mad that we were pulled over in the first place. Do the guys get pulled over all the time just because they ride instead of drive? Is it the leather they wear? I can’t think of one good reason to harass an innocent person for their choice of transportation. “Have you been introduced to Kenneth? He works for the Bails Bond Company at the backside of the Play Pen. A great service to you, I’m sure.”

  “Uh, no I haven’t met him yet.” I watch as he holds out his hand to shake with Kenneth. Kenneth glances at him and holds his papers out. He never speaks or offers to shake hands. A complete snub to the Sheriff. It doesn’t go un-noticed. “Oh I don’t need your paper work. I’m sure it’s all legal and proper as it should be. I was just looking for the kid.” Kenneth turns his head and puts his papers away.

  “Well we haven’t seen anyone, but I’ll be sure and report any un-safe activities if I see them. Maybe you should come by the bar and meet the rest of the crew. Then if you have a question you could just call. You interrupted my ride. I don’t have a lot of time for a good ride and I’d like to continue.” I can feel Kenneth shaking and I think he’s laughing. A cough confirms it and I squeeze his hips with my legs. We both know it was a bullshit move by the Sheriff.

  “I’ll just be on my way then so you can enjoy your time off. Have a good day ma’am, sir.”

  In a matter of seconds, I hear him close his door and pull away. Kenneth looks at me over his shoulder. “Gutsy move to mouth off to the Sheriff like that. People end up having to wait hours in lock-up while they figure out it was a mistaken identity and get let go. Then pay a nice price to get their ride out of impound.” I hear the disdain in his voice and know he is speaking of past times.

  “Sorry, but we both know he was full of shit. He comes into the bar sometimes and tries to pick-up women knowing he has a wife and kids at home. I don’t have any respect for that type of man.”

  Maybe letting the Sheriff know they work out of the Pen will help. I wonder how often they get pulled over in town. I need to call the judge again and ask. After the Angels left years ago, the sheriff tried to have motorcycles banned from the town. It was laughed out of the town meeting when Judge Butler let them all know he enjoys a ride also.

  I place my hands on his hips as he fires up the bike and checks for traffic. I think we need to go on the back roads if he wants a nice ride. “Take a left up here and then the fourth left about twenty miles down.” I see him nod and we pull out.

  The turn South lets us take the scenic route. Wild flowers are dotting the highway along with the clover. Small hills and curvy roads make for an enjoyable ride. After hitting the town line, the speed limit is cleared and I feel the bike speed up. A familiar rumble is vibrating the bike and I feel it all over. Leaning with the bike we take the curves and the twists of the road with ease. I get that warm feeling building and try to stop it. I try to not squirm or wiggle as every move you make on a bike goes straight to the tires. I see a smirk on Kenneth’s face as he steadies the bike. He takes the curves wide and we travel over the rumble strips, this does not help my problem. It in fact intensifies the sensations running through me. Does he know what he is doing to me? I hope not.

  Our second left is coming up and I could slap myself for not remembering the road better. It’s a new road with rumble strips on both sides and the middle. It's very curvy with a clear line of sight. This all means he can increase his speed and take the curves wider. That will lead to crossing the middle and coming back again. I hope I can control myself.

  The ride is beautiful. I can smell fresh mown hay and the clover growing along the side of the road. We disturb a few rabbits having dinner and I watch them scamper off to the safety of the fields. He slows for the turn and I can feel him settle into the seat deeper. He has noticed the clear sight line and the curves. Every biker loves the curves. The one thing all women and roads have in common to a man that rides. He leans back a bit and to the side. “Do you trust me?” The glint in his eyes and the smile on his face lets me know what he wants.

  “Of course, go for it.” His smile gets bigger and I feel him pat my thigh. He pulls my hands around to tighten my grip and squash me against him. Oh geesh, this is close. I feel the first swerve and don’t lean enough with him.

  “You okay back there?”

  “Yeah just wasn’t ready. I’m okay now.” Giving him the go ahead he again starts swerving across the road. From left to right and back again. Just enough to make the ride fun. When you add in the curves and the small hills it’s exciting. The rumble strip with the little yellow bumps are doing things I’d rather not have happen. I can feel the vibrations climbing through the frame of the bike straight to my seat. The bumps in the road cause a friction that is best left in the bedroom. I hope he doesn’t notice.

  I feel my legs closing on his hips and try to relax. I loosen my grip on his abs and put my head on his back. The feeling is like molten lava in my lower belly. It’s climbing higher and I so want to let go with it. Will he notice? I feel flush and a slight dampness covers my body. I am trying so hard to stay still and not grind on the seat. My legs don’t obey me and I feel I am holding his hips again. I turn my face and place my cheek on his back to get the air on me. It’s not helping. I feel my fingers gripping him. I can’t relax my muscles without letting go into the bliss of a long overdue orgasm. I‘m losing the fight and I lean back a bit and bite my lip to keep quiet. My body quivers and I can’t hide the reaction. I feel him pulling over and riding the bumps continuous. He has to know what’s happening to me. I am so embarrassed but too far gone to stop it. As my body starts to settle I notice he is slowing down to pull over.

  He stops the bike and kills the engine. I can feel his hands on my legs. He is rubbing circles on my thighs. Oh god. He knows what I did. It’s too far to walk home. There is no one around to beg a ride from. I know my face is red. I can feel the flush all over. I have to get control of this. I slowly uncurl my fingers
from the leather of his vest. I let my legs relax and stretch them down. With my legs hanging down it throws me off balance and my head bonks into his back. I hear him laugh and it doesn’t help with the embarrassment at all. “Sorry.” I can’t manage to say much more than that.

  “I’m not. That was beautiful to watch. Do you feel better now?”

  “Oh geesh, you did not just say that?” Raise the embarrassment factor into high now.

  “Doll, watching you let go has to be the hottest thing I have seen in a long time.”

  “Kenneth! Just stop talking. It’s bad enough it happened, I don’t need the comments about it.” His laugh is loud and jolts me. I feel the bike move and grab on.

  “You’re okay. Just setting the stand. I get balanced again and he sets the bike. I feel him stand and I am now going to hell for watching him adjust himself. Will this never end? Please let a strong wind come and take me away. I get off the bike and turn my back. I can’t face him. It’s just too much. Why does this have to happen with him? If I ever had a fantasy about a man he could be it. His strong good looks, chiseled jaw and closed eyes make him a damn fine specimen of man. I can feel his heat on my back and am enclosed in a warm loose hug. I instantly stiffen my body. He must notice because he drops his arms and walks around to me.

  “I would never hurt you. I will never do anything to make you uncomfortable if I know about it. I don’t want you to ever feel like you need to run from me. Tell me how to do that.” I look in his eyes and see the sincerity there. How do you tell someone that you just had the best orgasm of your life because he was driving the bike? How do you tell someone you barely met, that being alone with a man willingly is a difficult thing to do? Trusting a man to not hurt me is like asking me to cut my fingers off. Not something I want to do.

  “Please Elizabeth, let me in. I can be a friend.”

  “I can’t. I’m embarrassed. That has never happened before.” I feel him take my hand. He leads me to the bike and I sit. I watch as he squats down by my knees.

  “You’re a beautiful woman who survived a nightmare. It’s been a long time since you had your choices stolen from you. You have the power to let it all go and be happy. You have the right to do and say anything you want. I haven’t known you long, but I can see the strong woman shining through when you let her. Don’t hide her. She is spectacular. And dammit you’re sexy as fuck. If you want to have orgasms while riding behind me on my bike, I’m all for it.”

  My eyes snap to him. I search for the hidden meaning there. What the hell. Why does he say these things? I know he hasn’t drunk anything. He said he knows everything from my past just yesterday and now he says this. Maybe he’s crazy. Should I just pacify him to get back home? Does he have multiple personalities? Geesh, only I would have a crazy guy in the middle of nowhere.

  “Get out of your head. I’m not crazy. I have eyes and can see very well. You! Are! A! Beautiful! Woman! Yes, you have an ugly past, but that doesn’t change who you are. It makes you, you! Can you understand what I mean? Own it Elizabeth. Let out the woman who you are hiding behind. Let her dance and shine bright. And if you don’t mind, call me so I get a front row seat for the show. I can guarantee it will be epic!” He pats my leg and stands. I can see he believes what he says, but I don’t know if I can. How can I be beautiful with a life like mine?

  “Come on, lets finish our ride. There’s a lunch we need to get to and I for one don’t want to be late.” Damn, I forgot today is Sunday. Lunch at the Play Pen with everyone. I can’t miss it without it being a dire emergency. I stand and move so he can straddle the seat and get it started. I feel him take my hand and gently tug me closer. He lifts my chin and watches my eyes. I gasp as he moves closer never looking away. He places the gentlest kiss ever on my lips. I watch him to see what he wants from me. He just turns and cranks the bike. Holding out a hand for me he leans the bike over and I climb on. My head is in the clouds. Trying to figure out a man is hard work. I just need to hold on for the ride back.

  Chapter Seven

  The ride back is quiet. Nice, but quiet. As we pull into the parking lot of the Pen, we catch the eyes of a few. He takes the side road and pulls up to the patio. He doesn’t turn the bike off but does lean it over and holds my hand to help me off. As I gain my footing, he doesn’t let go of me. I search his face for the question I feel he has and he surprises me by lifting my hand and placing a kiss in my palm. I fumble one-handed to remove the helmet, as I don’t know if I want him to let go of me yet. As he lets my hand go he winks and I give the helmet to him and step back speech-less. I don’t know what to say or do. Is this flirting? Do I need to say anything? Without a word he places the helmet in his lap and drives on around to the back. I slowly make my way inside. Hiding in my room sounds like a good idea right now.

  I can’t get the look of him kissing my hand out of my head. He showed tenderness and caring. That is not something I am used to coming from a man. I can't recall a single time a man has ever showed me tenderness. Not unless I count my dad, but I was just a child then. Searching my memories does no good since it just brings the horrid ones up and slams me into the past.

  ***

  Standing in front of the broken mirror I can see the marks of many hands all over. Some are dark and others haven’t reached that point yet. I can see dried and fresh blood on my face, legs and back. Every part of my body hurts. I have learned to push past the pain and to keep my mouth shut. The men were celebrating something last night and I was once again the entertainment. I don’t ever look around so I don’t know who all was there. I don’t know if I want to know. Do I really want to see someone like Greg or Lauren here? Could I deal with knowing that they sit and watch my humiliation? Or even worse, participate. I hope Lauren is far away from here and found her a safe way of life. I never want to see her here, having to live this way. I hope she got far, far away.

  I hear voices in the other room and they are talking about me being here. I think it’s Axel. I really hate him. He is cruel. Not just mean, but really cruel. They are saying they need a private place to keep me. Too much talk in the club going to the president’s ears. Richard tells him he has me under control now. He can get me to keep quiet without staying here. Do I get my hopes up? Am I really going to leave this place. They mention another girl, Jenni. I hear them saying she could be used to keep me in line. I hope she can get away. If I can’t get away maybe I can help her.

  They are going to leave and find a place. Richard says it needs to have room for me and the other girl. Axel makes a crude comment about the girl and I hear Richard tell him not yet. I can’t hear what Axel says, but he must not have agreed because Richard tells him it’s up to him when he can visit her. For some reason Richard isn’t sharing the other girl. Maybe her life isn’t as bad as mine.

  I get woke up by Richard. He throws a bag at me. “Get up, shower and put these clothes on.”

  This is new. I never get clothes. Looking in the bag I find a dress and flip flops. It isn’t the prettiest thing I've ever seen, but it’s clothes. I turn to hurry to the bathroom and stumble. Looking back, I see him standing on the chain with a smirk. “Behave yourself today and I might allow you to get out of here.” I see the hard glint in his eyes and don’t believe him. I nod my head and go into the bathroom to get dressed. Just as I walk out in the oversized dress, Axel comes in grinning. “Here, I found a bow for her. Think the kid will like it on her.” A huge pink bow is slapped on me and I am pushed out the door. I hear a lot of voices and we head to the main room. It sounds like another celebration. I don’t know if I can deal with this again. I’m still bleeding from yesterday. I hear women’s voices and some babies crying. Please don’t let these sick bastards hurt babies.

  As we round the last corner I see a Christmas tree all lit up and food laid out on a table. It’s a Christmas party. There are children running around and the women are dressed in jeans and sweaters instead of being naked. I had no idea it was December already. I’ve been here seven mont
hs and didn’t realize it.

  Richard pulls me over to a table and sits me down. He puts me by the wall and whispers in my ear. “If you behave and keep quiet you can enjoy today. Screw up and I’ll slit your throat right here in front of everyone.” All I can do is nod my head. I have heard that threat every time we leave the room. I sit quietly and keep my eyes down. I feel Richard get up and I tense. Now what?

  Axel sits beside me and his body odor is awful. He leans into me and I have nowhere to go. “You be a good girl and do what is asked of you and you can get a couple days alone. I need you to agree to what Richard wants. Don’t tell him I talked to you either.” I have no idea what’s going on. I have never been brought around children or even what amounts to a family-like atmosphere. This has to be a family thing since it’s Christmas. Right? Now Axel is acting weird. Something is going to happen and I have no clue what.

  Richard returns and he has plates loaded down with food. Oh goodness it smells so good. I watch through the curtain of my hair as he slides a plate in front of me. Is it for me? Do I get a real plate with fresh food? He passes me a fork and a spoon. He pushes my hair off my face and leans in. “What do you want to drink? They got beer, soda and water.”

  Without thought, I look at him and smile. “C..ca…can I have a soda?” My voice is hoarse from not using it. I sound strange.

  “Yeah girl, you can have a soda.” He tells Axel to grab a few.

  I feel my mouth water at the thought of food and a soda. I drink from the sink faucet in the room so I get liquids, but a soda, a fresh one…not one left from someone by accident. Yes. Please yes.

  I try to eat slow so I don’t look like an animal. I can feel my belly rumble from hunger. I hope I don’t get sick. The food is hot, fresh and reminds me of home. I blink the tears away before they can fall.

  Richard slides a soda in front of me just as I finish my plate. I watch carefully to see if he's going to take it away again. He thinks it’s funny to jerk things away just as I reach for stuff. I watch as he opens it and offers it to me. Please don’t let him be teasing me. Please!