Biker Chicks: Volume 2 Page 12

  Nanette planted her feet and grabbed her knife from its sheath and held it in her hand down by her side. She rotated her wrist so the moonlight would glint off the knife and bring the two aggressors’ attention to it.

  The man closest to her stopped and looked back toward his companion. The man in the river still didn’t get up. Nanette stepped to the side of the path so the two men could pass without getting too close.

  “No questions here, just get the fuck out of my sight,” Nanette said to the two men.

  The man in front waited for his companion to catch up and whispered something in his ear. They walked off, veering off the path to give extra distance between them and her as they left.

  As soon as they were out of sight, Nanette ran down to the water’s edge as she stashed her knife back in its custom leather sheath, the motion as practiced as swinging a leg over Cheddar.

  “Hey!” she called as she dropped her book into the grass and waded into the water. She grabbed hold of the man’s shoulder to pull him from the water.

  He didn’t respond, limp in her arms. She dragged him out of the water, stumbling on hidden roots and turned him over as soon as they were out of the muck. She thumped on his back until he coughed and spit out the water he’d ingested. He groaned under her and she hefted him onto his back and then pulled him roughly to a sitting position. He had the beginnings of a black eye and bruising along the side of his cheek. It didn’t detract from the solid lines and angles that made up the beauty in his features. His angular cheekbones were even more pronounced by the puffiness of the bruising and the exaggerated ruggedness appealed to her from outside in.

  Nanette noted that the man wore a suit, much ruffled and waterlogged now. He stared into her eyes and she could tell, even in the moon’s light, that his dark green, almost brown eyes, were flecked with the same bronze of his hair. He swayed and she put a steadying hand on his shoulder. She could feel the muscles beneath her fingers tense.

  “It’s probably not my business to ask what that was about, but-”

  The man was shaking his head, his shoulders hunched up to his ears and his breath coming shallow and fast. Nanette always noticed ears on a man and this guy wore an earring in his left ear and it sparkled at her. She wanted to reach out and touch it and had lifted her hand from his shoulder to do just that when the man groaned and stumbled. She reached out to steady him, her hands landing on the sides and her fingers trailing down. She could feel him breathing. She could also feel that he was packing more than just bruises under his suit.

  “Let me help you to the Lounge and we’ll at least get you dry and warm,” Nanette finished.

  The man groaned again when she put one of her hands under his armpit to help him to his feet. He limped along until they got to the R&R’s entrance. Paul came out and helped Nanette drag the man into the bar and into the men’s room to clean up. She shook her head at his questioning glance.

  “What the fuck happened, Nanette?” Lee Ann sputtered, coming around from behind the bar.

  “Dunno, he was getting beat up by these two punk fucks. I scared them off with my knife. I think they were just muggers or something. A knife wouldn’t scare off a real criminal,” Nanette said.

  Lee Ann nodded and set a shot of whiskey in front of Nanette but Nanette waved it off and sat down on a barstool with a line of sight to the bathroom. As much as she played casual she was worried about this mysterious guy. She should leave now while she could still get away from him, but his presence pulled to her.

  “Where’s your book?” Lee Ann interrupted her thoughts.

  “Shit, I left my book out there,” Nanette said.

  “I’ll get it for you,” Mark offered, already getting up off his stool.

  Nanette nodded, too distracted by the stranger to protest Mark’s help. He scampered out the door, Jeff in tow.

  The stranger was still wet when he limped out of the bathroom beside Paul. Paul gave a short wave to Nanette and then went out the front door. The stranger kept walking toward Nanette and she stood up when he got close to her. She was looking into his eyes. Excitement fluttered in the pit of her stomach. He was her height at least. She smiled at him, staring into his eyes and daring him to say the first word.

  He scratched the side of his arm and took a seat, tapping a finger on the bar as he swiveled the seat to his comfort. He turned to her and licked his lip. Nanette savored the moment, staring brazenly at his lips until he blinked and said,

  “Thank you. I don’t know how I could ever repay you,” the man hesitated and looked down at the bar, running a finger along a worn scuff mark.

  “Shoot, for scaring off two-bit punks. It was my pleasure.”

  The man smiled and then winced. She continued to drink up his features, her eyes settling on his adorned ear.

  “So what are you doing out in the middle of nowhere Puyallup?” Nanette gestured to the bar around them.

  “What? This place? I was passing through when I got a flat and pulled over. Those two thugs were supposedly the tow truck company I called.”

  “Makes it easier to find them and press charges,” Nanette nodded.

  “Yeah… Uh, I’m not going to do that. Things are a bit more complicated than that.”

  The man got a faraway look in his eyes and then shook his head as if to clear his thoughts. She cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue.

  “Still have that flat though,” he sighed.

  He pulled an unblemished iPhone from his pocket and set it on the bar in front of him. The screen was dark and water streaked.

  “Can I borrow your cell?” he asked.

  “I’ll do you one better. Hey, Lee Ann!” Nanette yelled.

  “Fuck, Nanette I’m right here, stop hollering. Whaddya want?” Lee Ann appeared behind the bar, rubbing her dish towel into a set of shot glasses.

  “Paying my tab, I’m taking….?”

  “Sam,” the man offered.

  “Sam,” Nanette repeated, “to the hotel to recover. Is it ok for him to leave his car here overnight?”

  “Oh, no I couldn’t possibly impose,” Sam said.

  “Nonsense. You go ahead,” Lee Ann said as she swiped the cash Nanette handed to her.

  Lee Ann winked at Sam.

  “Now don’t you be taking advantage of my girl,” Lee Ann said with hands on hips.

  Nanette rolled her eyes and slapped the bar, making Sam jump in his seat. It was only when he winced at the motion that she felt bad, reminding herself to reign in her large and loud motions. She got out of her seat and waited for Sam to get up.

  “Are you sure you’re-” he started to say.

  Mark and Jeff stumbled into the bar.

  “Hey Nanette, here ya go,” Mark handed Nanette her book.

  “I wiped the mud off as best I could,” Mark shrugged.

  “Hey, got an extra helmet I could borrow?” Nanette asked Paul.

  “Always,” he said.

  Nanette smiled. The brothers always had a spare between them, just in case they brought a lady friend home.

  Nanette turned to Sam.

  “You can say no if you’d like, but it’s just up the road. I think you could use a good night’s sleep without worrying about your car.”

  “One of those hulking things out front is yours? Can two people ride one of those at the same time?” Sam asked.

  Mark and Jeff laughed behind them as Paul handed her the extra helmet.

  “If you’re up for the ride, and I promise to make it as smooth as butter, Cheddar can always accommodate a second as long as I’m driving.”

  “Cheddar?” the man quirked an eyebrow.

  Nanette smiled.

  “My car’s my bread and butter but my Breakout is the cheese.”

  “Cheddar, get it?” Paul interjected.

  Nanette shoved on Paul’s arm and he shrugged and walked over to his own bike, the Fat Boy, where Mark and Jeff were waiting for him. They started to argue about something amongst themselves. Nan
ette felt a pang of sadness that the boys were heading North without her, but she had already planned on staying in Puyallup for the night.

  “I trust you,” Sam said, surprising Nanette with both his candor and his words.

  “What?” Nanette stared at Sam. He smiled and stepped up close to her.

  “I’ve always wanted to ride one, never thought it would be behind such a capable woman.”

  Nanette opened her mouth to protest. She hated it when people talked about women riders, but she realized that wasn’t what Sam had said at all. She grinned at him and handed him the extra helmet.

  “Buckle up,” she said cheerily.

  She had to help him with the helmet, and help him mount the bike, and tell him where to put his feet and hands. He didn’t balk when she explained that around her waist would make for the best grip.

  “And we’re not going far,” Nanette told him.

  He nodded behind her, astride the bike with his front to her back. She turned Cheddar on and resisted peeling out behind Paul. Sam needed a gentle touch tonight. On the main road the brothers turned left to head north while Nanette took a left toward town and her waiting motel room. Every other month she made a late night of it and spent the night in town and hung out with Lee Ann the next morning.

  After helping Sam off the bike, he seemed less roughed up than she imagined, Nanette handed him the key she’d picked up earlier and began stashing the extra helmet onto her bike, the straps holding it tight to the back of the bike where Sam had just gotten off. Soft rain pattered on the pavement next to them, just enough to make Nanette inwardly curse at the hard ride coming up.

  “Wait, aren’t you coming up?” he asked.

  She shook her head. He chewed on his lip, thoughtfully and she focused in on the way his teeth rubbed on his bottom lip.

  “It’s just a queen bed. I’ll stay with Lee Ann,” she told him. No more one night stands, she told herself, but the stud in his ear called to her lips.

  “That’s not what you told the bartender,” he said.

  Nanette shrugged, but was losing her resolve. They stood as a light rain turned into a heavy pour in a matter of seconds. Nanette wrinkled her nose. Not only was it tough to ride in the rain, she wasn’t wearing the right gear.

  Sam shook his head and held out his hand. Nanette stared at it.

  “I may not know much about motorcycles, but it can’t possibly be a good idea to ride in this weather. Come up. Please. I insist. After everything you did tonight, let me do this for you.”

  He smiled, letting his lip loose from his teeth.

  “You don’t always have to be the tough one, you know,” Sam said.

  Nanette leaned back, caught surprised by the softness and truthfulness in the words. She sighed and undid the extra helmet, hefting one under each arm and indicating for Sam to lead the way. He grinned at her, a lopsided almost full grin that made the dark bruises on his cheeks ripple.

  Nanette winced at the sight. He really did look like a mess. She turned to lead them to their room. She turned on the light as soon as she opened the door to room 16.

  “Are you going to tell me what really happened?” Nanette asked as she set the helmets on the table in the corner.

  His face darkened and his eyes narrowed. He sighed and sat down on the one queen-sized bed in the room.

  “I do have a flat and I did call a tow company. I didn’t realize it was the same company my boss’s nephew works for. We’ve been having a bit of a tiff and it caught up to me tonight. I never thought they would go so far.”

  “Not just a mugging then,” Nanette said. The way he shuffled his hands and traced the floral wall patterns with his eyes made her think the tiff was over another woman.

  “I’m afraid not, but at least we should be even, as long as they didn’t feel too threatened by whatever you did to scare them off.”

  “You were going to drown,” Nanette pointed out, “how does that make you even. What’d you do to him?”

  “Long story, but the point is a man’s got his honor and I crapped on his. Word of advice, don’t sleep with anyone related to the boss,” Sam said.

  Nanette leaned her head back and laughed.

  “Not pressing charges,” she said after she’d caught her breath.

  He smiled and nodded.

  “I hope to god we’re even, I need this job. I’ve learned my lesson.”

  “Find out if the girl is related to the boss first?” Nanette pointed out.

  Sam chuckled. He got up off the bed stiffly and went into the bathroom. A moment later Nanette heard the shower running and Sam appeared in the doorway to the bathroom.

  “Enough about me. How did you scare them off? There were two of them.”

  Nanette grinned wickedly and pulled out her knife.

  “Like this,” she said with her half smirk.

  Sam whistled and she put the knife back in its sheath.

  “Can I ask you one more favor?” Sam asked with a glint in his eye. “Since I’m already in your debt…”

  “Depends,” Nanette said with another eyebrow raise.

  “My arm’s so sore I can’t get my shirt off. Could you maybe…?” Sam trailed off suggestively.

  “It would be my pleasure,” Nanette said.

  Sam blushed and looked away briefly, his shoulders tensing. Nanette hesitated. Her “no one night stands” mantra fading more and more.

  “Are you sure you need the help?” Nanette asked.

  Sam took a deep breath, coughed, winced and nodded. Nanette stepped up to him and grabbed the sleeve of his suit and helped him take his arms out of it. A sharp gasp of pain came from his lips and he squeezed his eyes shut.

  “Damn kid stepped on my arm with his army boots,” Sam explained.

  Nanette set the suit jacket on the back of a chair and helped Sam with his shirt. He had an undershirt on underneath and the sight of him in belted slacks and white tank was enough to make her pussy throb.

  She helped him out of the white shirt, careful to take in every inch of him that was exposed to her. She couldn’t get enough of him and it was all she could do to keep herself from tearing off the rest of his clothes.

  “I really would like to properly thank you for rescuing me,” he said, his eyes still closed.

  “I’m getting my thanks right here,” Nanette said again, the words oozing from her lips.

  He opened his eyes and stared into hers, daring her to say something else. The thrill at finding a man who stood up to her same height was exhilarating. He took a step back into the bathroom, his eyes still locked onto hers and Nanette sighed in anticipation.

  “As long as you’re not opposed, I could use some help reaching with the soap,” he said as he slowly unzipped his pants and let them fall around his ankles. He shimmied awkwardly out of his briefs and stepped into the shower, but not before Nanette could get a brief but delectable view of his throbbing hard cock.

  “Feel free to come in anytime,” his muffled voice came through the curtain.

  Nanette hesitated. Was this what she wanted? Another one night stand with a stranger she’d just met? Why worry herself about it, when she could put the ball in his court?

  “I’m not into one night stands,” she said as she shrugged out of her pants and set her knife on top of them.

  Sam shoved the curtain aside. His cock commanded her eyes and she lingered on his member, it was at least as long as her knife. She finally met his stare and he smirked at her and shook his head, his cock moving from side to side from the motion.

  “After today, me neither,” Sam said as she yanked off the last of her clothes and stepped into the shower next to him. She managed to shove the curtain closed before Sam grabbed her around the waist and kissed her, breathing thanks laced with so much passion that she melted under the pounding of the water.

  Rachel Barnard's greatest accomplishments have been eating an entire half gallon of ice cream in one sitting, winning a boot toss, and writing a novel about herself (
see the For the Love of Donuts Books). Rachel wishes she were taller, that chocolate had no calories, and that books could be eaten after they were read. Rachel resides in the Pacific Northwest and loves to dress up, talk about writing and books, and dance. Rachel began her writing with young adult novels, but has since branched out into romance, of which this is her first published piece!

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  Reinventing Holly

  Geri Glenn

  One

  “Hey, babe? Did you get a chance to stop at the post office and pick up that package?” My question goes unanswered as the TV blares out the newest episode of Ice Road Truckers, and my husband, Scott, doesn’t bother to look up. “Babe?”

  “What?” he snarls, his face scrunched up in annoyance.

  I take a deep breath, ignoring his tone and ask again. “Did you get a chance to grab that package from the post office on your way home?”

  He turns his attention back to the TV. “I drove by, but they looked busy, so I came home.”

  My shoulders slump. I’d had to work until seven o’clock tonight and the post office had already been closed for two hours by the time I got out of there. Scott works until three every afternoon, and I was hoping he could help me out. “Okay. I’ll see if I can sneak over on my lunch break tomorrow. They aren’t going to hold it much longer.”

  Scott snatches up the TV remote from the couch and makes a show of pressing the pause button, focusing on me with an irritated glare. “Sounds good,” he drawls, his voice dripping with sarcasm, then he flings his arm out, motioning to the frozen screen. “Now that we’ve got that all worked out, can I get back to my show?”