by J. C. Allen
That’s the easy part.
“I can drive myself though, it’s not a big deal.”
“Okay, good,” he said, his tone much more upbeat. “So, now that that is out of the way. I had something weird happen today, and it’s part of why I called you. Well, among other things.”
Hmm.
“Okay, what was it?”
I wasn’t sure what to expect, but when he said it, I nearly choked on the food I was eating. The terror and nervousness I felt was very real.
“I had a guy call me, an old prospect. He asked me if I was seeing a ‘brown haired girl, pretty hot.’ I didn’t really say anything, and then he hung up.”
Oh shit…
“Um… what did he look like?”
I regretted the wording of the question as soon as it escaped my mouth, and unfortunately, Jaxson spoke exactly as I thought he would.
“What happened, Isabelle?”
Jaxson hardened his voice, and it almost scared me, even though I knew his anger wasn’t directed at me. I knew that before we even dated or even knew each other; now that he knew me and has had me, claimed me as his in his mind… I didn’t even want to know what he might do.
“I don’t know, it could be unrelated.”
“Isabelle.”
I swallowed hard and licked my lips as I slumped on the couch. I could have either had Jaxson angry at me or the guy at the store, and unfortunately for him, it wasn’t a particularly difficult choice.
“This guy at the grocery store tried to ask me out, I said no. He had asked me if I had a boyfriend and I just said that I did so he would leave me alone. I mentioned your name and he backed off just like that.”
I knew many in the town probably had a healthy fear of Jaxson, but the way that guy had looked was something that I wasn’t about to forget anytime soon. It was just so different than anything I’d seen before.
“He had asked me not to tell you. I don’t know why, but I could take a guess. And he had this ugly healing bruise on his jaw.”
I sighed. I was thinking that identification would rule him out, but it only made Jaxson curse angrily.
“Fuck. Yeah, that’s him.”
“Well, it isn’t a bad thing, I don’t think,” I said, although I knew I was well past the point of calming Jaxson down. “He left me alone as soon as I mentioned your name.”
“Yeah well, he should have.”
I took a long pause, wondering if I even wanted to ask him this. I knew it might lead to an answer I didn’t like, but at this point… I had to become more acquainted with the life that Jaxson led, including the uglier parts.
“Why? Why would he back off that easily?”
Jaxson sighed. I was getting more afraid of the answer before it even came.
“You know why.”
“Jaxson, I don’t.”
I was trying not to be difficult. But at this point…
“Isabelle, don’t worry yourself about this—”
“I do worry. Jaxson,” I said, my voice starting to get emotional. “I know you’re not a bad guy. But if you’ve done bad things then I deserve to know, you can’t just keep me in the dark and let strange men hit on me and then run away at the mention of your name.”
But Jaxson wasn’t getting empathic. He was getting frustrated with me.
“How do I know you don’t have enemies that won’t try to get back at you by going through me?” I said, continuing my rant. “I don’t. So you can at least tell me why this particular guy was ready to grope me in a grocery store but didn’t know right from left once I said your name.”
I heard silence on his end, and then only his breathing. Finally, Jaxson spat out the truth.
“He was the prospect that got in a fight at the club that night we met.”
That guy? At least he was a former club member.
Or would that make him more disgusted with me and the rest of the club?
“I told him not to come around or go near the club, that I never wanted to hear his name again. Or I would end him.”
Jaxson spoke so simply and with such ease, it was a little terrifying.
“Oh. Okay. That isn’t that bad, but what about the others?”
“The others?”
I knew I might have been making a bit of a presumptive leap here, but it was a fair assumption all the same.
“Yeah. Other people that might have pissed you off and you’ve gone after. With the club and everything… aren’t you worried all your enemies might catch up to you?”
I kept getting worried that he would end the conversation at any point and shut me out, because he was like that at first.
What he didn’t know, though, was that he could have turned the tables and it probably—though not assuredly—would have been just as awkward.
“I don’t have any enemies, Isabelle, because they’re all dead.”
It was hard for me to respond because I knew I didn’t have the right thing to say. He was honest, so I couldn’t discount that by saying just anything. And I know that I shouldn’t.
But still… he had basically just said that anyone who feared him was killed. Maybe not at his hand, but certainly at his command. If that didn’t put the fear of God in me…
But he was my man, my boyfriend. I had to make sure he understood that I was there fo rhim.
“Jaxson… you don’t have to worry about—I won’t judge you.”
The words seemed right—though I couldn’t say for Jaxson if they were right enough. I closed my eyes, wishing he was here, wishing that I could look at him and assure him with a hug or a kiss. My voice, frankly, wasn’t that convincing.
Then again, what the hell could be convincing when facing such a confession like that? What could be other than to kill someone on his behalf? Nothing could, really. It was… it was certainly well beyond anything I had seen in plays, let alone in real life.
“You should be.”
It was a gruff statement, one that seemed more reflexive than authentic.
“I don’t though, and you can’t force me to.”
I wasn’t trying to be difficult, but I struggled to find that balance between blunt and difficult.
“I’m not, just… I’m not used to anyone accepting me like this, okay?”
“Well, I’m not either.”
I hated how it sounded like I was comparing myself to him—something Jaxson picked up on immediately.
“You haven’t done what I have. It’s different.”
I made sure that I chose my words much more carefully, because it was evident that if nothing else, Jaxson sure as hell was on some sort of edge.
“I know, Jaxson. All I’m saying is that it doesn’t matter. I’m here for you.”
“Okay,” he said. “Thanks, baby.”
I smiled. It was as much progress as we could make for something as serious as what we had just discussed. More could come later, but for now, we’d take what we had gotten.
“Okay, I definitely have to go into this meeting now, but I will see you later. If you don’t see me when you come in, just ask anyone for me and they’ll come get me.”
“Okay, I’ll see you later.”
“Be careful.”
In my head, with those words, he might as well have said that he loved me, but that ws way too soon and I knew that. The craziness of the day was probably just getting to me in a way that I couldn’t account for. Any other night, I probably would have just gone to bed and said it was time to move on.
I spent a bit more time on the couch before I moved to the desk in my bedroom to look over all the notes on my play. It was probably a bad idea, but I had to get through it at some point, and I figured now that I was a little more grounded, I’d be able to better handle some of the harsher and more brutal criticism. And if I couldn’t?
Well, I’d just go and get drunk at Jaxson’s party.
Fortunately, the remaining feedback wasn’t nearly as glib and harsh.
The instructor gave detailed feedba
ck and seemed to care a lot about the story. I had never written anything like it, or anything in the genre before, so to have done well enough to get real feedback was like a new day for me.
But for now, what I read was enough. I’d act on it later and make edits to it tomorrow and Sunday. For now, I had to prepare for the club party—and impress Jaxson a bit.
The club was weird to me in that even now, I didn’t know what to wear. I could have worn regular club clothes… but it wasn’t a regular club. I picked some of my best lingerie and then wear my tightest pair of jeans, a cropped sweater and jean jacket, and a brown pair of knee-high boots. I checked myself in the mirror and decided that I look hot enough.
If nothing else, Jaxson would love it, and so long as that man liked what he saw, I didn’t much care what anyone else thought.
The drive to the club was long, filling with my nerves and unease.
I pulled up to the entrance of the club and found it lined with bikes, pretty much all Harleys, big and small, customized and just ordinary. I could easily pick Jaxson’s out because of the president logo he had on it. I definitely, though, wasn’t going to part by the bikes, no matter what my relationship to Jaxson was, so I parked by other cars, likely driven by people who must have driven themselves or didn’t ride on the back of bikes.
As soon as I cut my engine, I could hear the loud party music. And the closer I got to the door, the louder the sounds of bargoers alike, music, glasses clinking together, and chairs scraping got.
I walked in to the smell of beer, the salt of peanuts, and possibly fries. The place on the whole smelled old, but like it has character, not like it hadn’t been cared for in ages. I was seeing it in such a different light than the first time, one, because I was without Riley, and two, because I was without worry of what I would see.
But mostly, I wasn’t scared because I had Jaxson to protect me.
Still, I hugged my purse tight to my side as I started to feel roving eyes. The club members were easily recognizable because of their cuts and an aura around them that screamed dangerous biker. Some of them were young, maybe my age or in their thirties, and others were older, pushing gray hair and wrinkles. I stopped by the bar for a drink, for some courage to go up to Jaxson when I saw him in front of all these people. It was packed and it took a bit for me to get a simple vodka cran. It was simple enough for me to down and not take too long.
And then, I had my first visitor.
“Hello miss,” a man said to me.
Fortunately, unlike the one at the grocery store, this voice was friendly. I looked up to one of the older guys who had a kind smile and a cut that looks decades old.
“Hi.”
“I hope you aren’t here alone.”
He didn’t say it in a suggestive way, but rather, as someone that just simply wanted to make sure I was safe and secure.
“No, I’m meeting someone—my boyfriend.”
I’m… not sure I should have said that here. If Jaxson hasn’t said anything to the club yet and I’m the one saying it’s a thing…
“Is he in the club?”
Don’t say who he is.
“Uh, yeah. I don’t know where he is though.”
“Oh, nice. They’re good guys, the MC members. Don’t let them intimidate you.”
He winked, chuckled, and walked away. As far as first conversations went, it was hard to have it be much better—respectful yet formidable, chivalrous yet properly protective.
When I finished my drink, I figured I had waited long enough. I texted Jaxson that I was here, but he didn’t respond yet. The bartender came back around and I figured he might know.
“Hey, I’m looking for Jaxson, have you seen him?”
The bartender smiled in a way that… well, it confused me.
“A bit too much, yeah.”
I made a face. Did people in the club not like him? Was that why Jaxson was always on edge?
“He’s my brother. I’m Zeke,” he said, holding out his hand. “Last I saw him, he was in the billiard room. Right back there through the left.”
I didn’t need to hear anything else. I thanked him and headed for the billiard room before Zeke had a chance to say anything else.
“Wait, who are you?”
“Um, Isabelle.”
Shit!
I hadn’t meant to blurt my name out, but it was just… well, it was one thing not to say Jaxson’s name to an obvious club member, but it was very different not having to say my own name. I hadn’t thought that through well enough, and what was I supposed to say, anyways? I didn’t have a good answer—I just hoped it didn’t come back to bite me in the ass.
I weaved through the crowd, spotting women all dressed differently. It was interesting to see who was obviously with someone and who were the ones trying to get one of the men. I might as well have seen two very distinct groups of girls accidentally come to the same party.
I found the billiard room and turned a sharp corner. I smiled when I saw Jaxson.
But my feelings were a lot less positive when I looked a little bit closer.
His back was to me, at first, but then a giggle came out from near him. He turned to the side. A woman appears who was… glaringly, blatantly sexy.
Tall, lithe, with ample ass and tits and a tight dress on. The way she touched his arm and leaned in close to him…
It made me sick.
She gasped, “Jaxson,” as if in love with him. It took everything I had to hold back a growl.
I turned and prepared to leave in a huff, but my heel hit something on the ground, creating a loud echo sound that everyone in the room noticed. Everyone, including Jaxson and the woman.
Jaxson’s eyes widened when he saw me. For the briefest moment, I held eye contact, and for just a split second, I wanted to ask “why?” Or, perhaps more bluntly, “what the fuck are you doing?”
But, instead, I turned and dashed out of there before I had to see anything else.
13
Jaxson
“You know Stacy is in the back.”
When I heard those words from Zeke, it was pretty much my worst case scenario. I knew that Isabelle was coming, and for Stacy to show up…
It was something I had to deal with now before Isabelle showed up, before it became a real problem.
“Fuckin’ hell.”
I walked back there, not expecting her to have shown up. Stacy was… an old fling. She would come into town and we would get together sometimes, but it had been a good two years since she came here. I had honestly forgotten about her, and it would have been for the best if it had stayed that way.
She was hot in the obvious way, but not beautiful like Isabelle, whom I kept wondering about. I was antsy to see her, especially after our conversation today.
But I had to deal with Stacy first. I found her in the billiards room and told her that we couldn’t be together anymore. I couldn’t say I was surprised to hear that she was upset, but I definitely didn’t expect her to say my name like she desperately wanted me.
Still, I was about ready to end it. I turned away from her so that she would get the picture loud and clear that I wanted nothing to do with her.
And that’s when I saw Isabelle gawking at us. I knew immediately how fucking bad it looked.
“I have to go,” I said, not even looking at my old flame.
I moved away from Stacy and towards the door. But then I felt her hand on me, and it took more willpower than I care to admit to not hit her.
“Jaxson, wait,” she said. “I just wanted to tell you that I’m getting married.”
What…
“What the fuck?”
I turned back to look at her. I felt like I was wasting time; seconds were ticking by that were letting Isabelle get farther away. I wanted to have a nice fun night with Isabelle and show her around to my brothers, both real and in the club, but now, Stacy was ruining everything. It was really hard to give a damn about Stacy’s wedding when my current romantic partner wa
s walking out in a tiazzy.
“Yeah um, next month. It’s in the town over so if you want to come, you can. And I guess that’s your girlfriend?”
“Cool,” I said, removing her hand. “I’ll get back to you.”
I brushed by her, knowing full well that I wasn’t going to get back to her. At most, if she got back in touch with me, I figured I’d get one of my brothers to respond to her, but I myself had no intentions of communicating with her again.
Not so long as Stacy was this justifiably pissed off.
I got outside just in time to see her sedan pull off the driveway and onto the main road. I ran to my bike and started after her, barely remembering the way to her place. I thankfully wasn’t so far behind that I couldn’t catch up, though I knew that it wasn’t a great look to have more or less stalked her back to her place.
Still, at this point, I was less concerned with how things looked than in how I could actually get them fixed.
I pulled up behind her and could still feel the heat of her car. I dashed up the stairs to her second floor apartment and banged on the door just seconds after seeing her close it on my face.
“Isabelle.”
I hoped she didn’t take things out of proportion. I hoped she trusted me more than that and would let me explain myself. I hoped that she could understand how the appearance of the matter wasn’t what had actually happened.
But after today… I began to fear that she might end up using this as her way out. Maybe I was assuming the worst, but it was a fair assumption after the way she had stormed out.
“Isabelle,” I shouted again.
Eventually, the patter of her footsteps came through the door. I wasn’t sure what to expect, but I just hoped for a chance—I knew I couldn’t ask for anything more. She swung it open, and I had my first prayer answered—I had my chance.
She had tight jeans and an orange crop top with lines down the front that make her breasts look even bigger on. But right now, I wasn’t thinking about sex or anything—I was just thinking of a way to save us from what had been admittedly an ugly appearance.
