Crotch Rocket: A Bad Boy Motorcycle Club Romance (3 page)

“You know, pick up the phone, punch in a few numbers, ring, ring?” He said with a devilish grin.

“Thank you, I understand how to use a telephone.  It’s just that you’re the last person on earth I would ever call.”

“Oh, not back to this again.  I thought we took care of that.  You know, just a minute ago when I was fucking you senseless.  Look, you don’t have to want to call me, but if these guys get more serious you’re going to be really glad the club has your back.  This is obviously a club matter and I’m just trying to help look out for you and your family.”

“In exchange for what?” I demanded.  “Is that why you fucked me?”  There was no way he was just doing this out of the kindness in his heart.  Sure, they may run some stuff through the store and get their booze supply here but there’s a million other places they could move to if something happened here.  They didn’t really need us, we’ve just been convenient and it looked good to the rest of the town that they were helping out a small business.  Made them seem less like the bad guys hanging out on the outskirts doing scheisty stuff.

“I fucked you because you’re beautiful and I like you.  I’m helping you in exchange for nothing.  This is a club problem so it makes sense for them to handle it for you.”

“No, I don’t believe you.  I know you don’t do anything for free.  What will you want in return?” I said steadying him with my gaze.  I meant business, I know his club doesn’t do favors for free and there will always be a price to pay.  “I have to get back out front,” I said stepping around him to exit the storage room. 

He followed me the rest of the way to the registers and then stepped closer again, his tall body loomed over mine and I could see his muscles tight and developed beneath his shirt.  I longed to reach out and feel them again.  I wanted to remember what his built body had felt like to the touch, but I kept my arms clasped tightly over my chest.  “If you’re determined to give me some sort of pay back, then ok – come out on a date with me,” he said as he cocked a hip and leaned against the counter.

“A date?”

“Yep.”

“You want to go out on a date with me?” I said trying to stifle the laugh that was barreling up my throat and threating to snort out my nose.

“I do,” he said.  “Let me take you out.”

“As payment for help with these other bad guys?” I asked hesitantly.

“Sure, if that’s what you want to call it.”

“Where on earth would you even take me?  I know you like to hang out at those disgusting dive bars and I’m not into that.”

“Wherever you would like to go.  Name it and I’ll take you.”

I dropped my arms and considered the offer.  I did like him, as much as I tried to hate him and the club that he stood for…he was charming and he seemed genuine, and the sex had been amazing.  Plus, I did need him to help with the threats.  I would never forgive myself if something happened to my parents or their business because I wouldn’t go on a date with the guy that could fix it all.  He reached out and grabbed my hand from my side.

“Come on, let me take you out.” 

“I don’t know…,” I answered wanting to let him dangle a little longer.  The waiting was good for him and I was getting a kick out of his begging.

“Shit!” he said suddenly dropping my hand to reach for his pocket.  I could hear a low buzzing and figured it must be a cell phone.  Seconds later he pulled the phone from his jeans and held it to his ear.  I turned my back and tried to pretend that I wasn’t eavesdropping.  Truth was, I was curious about his conversation and was straining to take in every little word.

“Hello?  Ok, so they’ve come to a decision?  Alright.  Ok.  I’ll be back over in just a few.”

That was it and then he hung up.  Nothing much to go on but my mind reeled with the possibilities.  It had to be the club.  I wondered if they were about to go and stir some shit up.  I felt strangely excited by the thought of Jacob kicking ass.  All the years I’d despised him for what the club does and now here I was already reconsidering, all because of a quick bang and some nice words about taking me on a date. 
Great, I’m hopeless
, I thought as I rolled my eyes and turned back to face him.

Just as I opened my mouth to speak he interrupted me by blurting out, “Do you have a piece of paper and a pen?”  I thought he must need to make a note of whatever had been discussed on the phone but I was wrong.  I watched curiously as he jotted down a phone number – his phone number.  “Here.  I gotta get going.  Something important I have to get back to the club for,” he said as he leaned forward and kissed me on the cheek.  “Give me a call when you decide where you want to go,” he said with a wink as he shoved the paper into my hand.  As an afterthought he leaned back in and added quietly, “That was really nice in the back room, and I’d love to know your name before we go on our date.”

“But I…” I began intent on telling him I hadn’t even decided we were going on a date, but he was already heading towards the door.  Whatever he had to get back for he must need to get there quickly.  “Lauren, it’s Lauren,” I yelled after him. 

He turned and smiled, “It’s a beautiful name!” he said and then walked out the door.   

I distractedly watched the shape of his ass moving in his jeans as he headed towards his bike.  He had never even picked up the beer that he’d come for, but I guess that wasn’t that important compared to what he did get.  The club could always just send someone else back for it, it wasn’t as if he was going to stock up on a bike anyway.  At most he’d have been able to take a couple of twelve packs.  Hardly enough to hold over all the guys at the club for more than an hour.  Usually when they came to stock up they brought one of their trucks and filled the back. 

As he was climbing onto his bike I turned around to look back into the rest of the store.  I had been certain that we were alone but I was mistaken.  There among the aisles of soup was Ms. Richards, a frail elderly woman from the neighborhood.  She came in several times a week and rarely bought more than chicken noodle soup.  I imagined her sitting at home alone heating up the same soup over and over every single day.  It seemed like such a sad existence.  The more I watched her the more I thought about how that could become me if I never gave anyone a chance.  I glanced down at the note in my hand. 
Could I really agree to go on a date with him?
 
What if he ended up wanting more? 
I knew what had happened in the back room had felt different, special, but I don’t know if I was ready to the girlfriend of someone so closely attached to a motorcycle club.

Ms. Richards approached the check out.  She held up her hand conspiratorially and whispered, “At least he’s a cute one.”  She held her hand over her mouth and giggled gleefully as if she were a small schoolgirl.  I had never seen her so animated before and it brought a smile to my face.

“You think so?” I asked as I began to scan her soup.  I waited to her the beep before placing each in the reusable grocery sack she’d brought in.

“Oh yes!  He’s very handsome.  Don’t you think so?” she asked getting a heavy crease across her wrinkled face.  “Surely you must see it.  He looks like he’d be quite a catch.” 

“Sure, I can tell he’s good looking, but it’s more complicated than that,” I added as I scanned her oyster crackers and placed them in the bag on top of the cans of soup so that they wouldn’t be crushed to smithereens. 

“He gave you his number didn’t he?” she asked growing nosier by the second.

“He did,” I said glancing over to the piece of paper I’d placed atop the register.

“So you’re going to call him then?”

“I don’t know.  I haven’t decided yet, but I think I have to.”

“You don’t want to?” she asked as she handed over a ten-dollar bill.

“Like I said, it’s a complicated situation.”

“Well I’m sure it doesn’t matter, but I think you should.  You’re a pretty young woman and you deserve to be taken out by a nice handsome man.  Don’t wait until you’re my age to find someone.  Go out with the good looking ones now while you still have your figure.  They say that sort of thing doesn’t matter but it does,” she said matter of fact with a wave of her arthritis ridden finger.  “Trust me.  Give that man a call!” 

I handed her the change she was owed and bid her good bye.  I knew when I saw her again in a few days she would be begging to know all the details about whether or not I had called and where we had gone.  It pleased me to be able to add a bit of excitement to her life but I didn’t want to disappoint her if things didn’t go well. 
Maybe I should make him take both of us on a date
, I thought with a quiet laugh to myself. 

Climbing onto Hogs bike I began to consider what the El Diablo Rojas could have against the Mischief Makers.  For the last few months we’d been ok with one another.  We used to cross paths regularly but we’d worked it out, they would stay in their neighborhood and we would stay in ours.  If we had to cross into each other’s territory, we would make it known that we were coming through and the club would do it quickly and quietly.  It was working…at least I thought it was.  Granted, I only heard about how well it was working from the actual club members since I hadn’t been permitted to tag along on any of their dealings.  Maybe they’d been exaggerating the truce and things were heating up again.

The thought that they could attack the store had me worried.  The El Diablo Rojas are known for being brutal and what they could do to the store, to Lauren’s family, to Lauren…  I knew I had to do whatever I could to help.  Just as I was about to start the bike, the perpetrators of the threat came to us.

The rumbling sound of their motorcycles could be heard from a mile away.  I could tell they were speeding, the vibrating sound approached faster and faster until it felt as if it was nearly upon me.  I considered that it could have been a couple of Mischief Makers but I knew that didn’t make any sense, not right after an important meeting.  They would all still be at the club kicking back some beers.  No one would be out here on their motorcycles yet.  That meant it could only be the Diablos. 

By the sound of it there were only a couple, but out in the parking lot was not the best place to take them on.  I hopped off the bike and ran back into the store, the whooshing of the electric doors and the wave of air conditioning hit me as soon as I entered.  My mind reeled through my limited options.  I had no intention of ignoring these men but I needed to go at them where I would be most effective.  Lauren looked at me with a strange look on her face. 

“I thought you were leaving.”

“Yeah, I thought I was too but take a quick look outside,” I said as the three Diablos rounded the corner into the parking lot.

“Oh shit!” Lauren exclaimed as she turned towards Ms. Richards.

“Take her in the back where you’ll be safe.  I’ll take care of them out here.  Do you have any sort of weapons?”

“No…sorry.  I’d told my parents to get something a million times.”

“That’s fine, it doesn’t matter now.  Is there a way to lock the doors?”

“Yeah there’s a key.  It’s right here,” she said as she began to rummage below the counter.  She threw the ring of keys to me and then gave me a frightened look, “Don’t do anything stupid ok?”

“I’ll do whatever I have to so that you and your customer stay safe.  Go in the back now!”

She released Ms. Richards hand and ran to me, her soft fingers cupping my face to pull me down.  She kissed me lightly as she looked deep into my eyes.  “Be careful,” she said as she kissed me again and then hurried back to the elderly woman.

I headed towards the door and started to work the keys in the lock.  It took me several tries before I found the right one.  I tried to ignore the three large men as they pulled up to the front of the lot and jumped off of their bikes.  The looks on their faces indicated they meant business.  Well, so did I.  There was no way they were going to get in here.  I was not going to permit them to hurt anyone in this store.  They might get through the front door but that’s as far as they were going to go.  I grabbed a broom that was left leaning against a shelf.  It looked as if Lauren had been using it to clean up before I had arrived.  I held the wood firmly between my hands and broke the broom over my knee creating two jagged pieces.  I held one in each hand and waited for the fight that was coming. 

I stood before the door and watched as one of the men, the largest of the three, grabbed an outdoor trash can, hoisted it over his head as if it weighed no more than a watermelon, and flung it at the glass doors.  Normally the sensors on the doors would have pulled them open but with the lock firmly in place they remained absolutely still save for the slight bulge when the can hit them.  They shimmied and shook but managed to hold.  He sneered, stepped forward and grabbed the can for a second throw.  This time he turned the can so that the rounded metal lid was facing forward and would be the main impetus when the can hit the glass again. He pulled backwards and shot the can forward like a missile.  On the third try, the can hit and the glass shattered into a million shards.    

I could feel my heart pounding, and the blood rushing through my veins.  Three of them and one of me.  I don’t know why I felt so bound to Lauren.  It wasn’t the store; we could get other stores.  It wasn’t her family.  It wasn’t the rival gang.  It was something about her.  There is something about her that I can’t put my finger on, something about her riles my instincts.  Despite my commitment to remaining a free man, I found myself wanting her.  This powerful feeling that was growing inside of me cemented the fact that I would do everything I could to keep these thugs from ever laying a single finger on her.  In that moment, despite the fact that we hadn’t had the opportunity to even go on our date yet, I knew I was fighting for her and her alone.