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Maren

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The biker went behind the bar and poured me a cup. He asked how I liked it.

“Bitter but sweet, like I like my men.”

Sitting the cup down in front of me, he slid the sugar to me.

I set it aside and grabbed a packet of the artificial stuff.

Levi sat back beside me. An empty plate in front of him, he’d finished eating. With him next to me, I could barely start. We listened to Eve who practiced on the stage without her band. She sang Loretta Lynn’s, “Don’t Come Home a Drinking”.

“She found out about you, yet?” he asked as soon as I took a bite.

I’d almost forgotten I’d had her man, Hallow’s dick in my mouth the other week. My hand over my mouth, I chewed the chewiest bacon I’d ever had.

“Don’t know or don’t care,” I answered as soon as I swallowed it.

“How’s that? Folks say y’all are friends.” Levi was still trying to figure me out.

“We are,” I lied. Picking up the coffee, I washed the bacon out of my teeth.

I guess it looked like we were friends. I talked to her and everyone else here a plenty. It’s not that the women around here weren’t nice and all, but I couldn’t get attached.

I changed the subject. “It’s just, I’m more worried about your wife. Sweet Tea said she’d hurt me if I got close to you. I should probably steer clear then. That’s why you haven’t seen me around.” I played like I’d been gone too.

“Chloe? Don’t worry about her. I didn’t want to miss your shows last week, but I’ve been gone myself. Club business.”

That was all the bikers’ excuse around here.

Abruptly, Kingpin busted into the club holding a gift-wrapped box and hollered for everyone to leave. He disappeared into his office. That biker was a whirlwind. Fuck that, he was a damn tornado. When the King spoke, everyone listened. And I wasn’t talking about the old biker who had been an Elvis impersonator who sang here sometimes. Their MC President had spoken.

Levi stood at attention. Sweet Tea, took off her apron and slammed it down on the counter, complaining, but she went and shut the buffet table. Eve nearly dropped her mike and exited the stage. The small crowd of members that didn’t join Kingpin in his office filtered out from all exits. There hadn’t been many since it was before noon.

Something was going on, therefore that meant Levi had to leave too.

Showing me that rare smile again, he took my hand and kissed it before he left. The gesture hadn’t at all gone with his tough persona. I felt smitten for a moment until another biker approached me.

“Get on out,” Riff came, shooing me away. Road Captain, he acted like the boss of everyone.

At least I had the night off, but I didn’t see Leviathan later when Royal Road opened again to the public. Was I the only one to notice he was gone all the time?

I decided to ask Sky, the President’s Ol’ Lady.

She was a goth as him. Just as mysterious. She sat at the bar with her best friend Leo, a mixed girl with an ass like a dump truck. Well, they were cousins somehow, though one was just some white girl with her hair dyed jet-black, and one was darker skinned, with bleached caramel blonde waves down to her ass crack.

Leo resembled a young and beautiful Mariah Carey with a much larger ass. She stripped like no one’s business and fucked our direct superior, Opry. A biker who donned a cowboy hat and matching boots like he belonged out on a ranch roping cattle. Talked like it too. The man who hired me was twenty years her senior. There wasn’t as big of an age gap between Levi and me.

Younger than me by quite a few years, the girls were both on about something as usual. Habitually, Sky thought her new husband banged everyone in the club. Pregnancy did that to women, I heard. The whores were no help, taking joy in feeding her fears. But MC presidents weren’t known for keeping faithful. So, perhaps she was onto something.

Nevertheless, I certainly didn’t care.

I took a seat with them, a forlorn look on my face.

“Who shittled on your rainbow?” Leo asked in her usual tactless manner.

I would never live down confessing to them I’d been with a woman before. That was way before I discovered I liked dick best. Folks around here weren’t as open minded as me.

“Leave her alone. She’s looking for Levi. He’s not been coming in,” Paisley butted in from behind the bar. “He’s like that. Hit it and quit it.”

“Probably with his wife,” I said, fishing. “And I’ve not hit anything.”

Sky answered, “No, he’s helping Kingpin put out fires. Not literal ones this time.”

Someone else was behind the bar. “Memphis is causing problems,” Cece told us.

Everyone fell silent. You didn’t talk about Memphis in front of Sky. The girl’s face turned blood red at the mention of her name.

Cece went on, “What? I might be blind, but anyone could see that. She’s pissed Kingpin is in love for once.”

Sky smiled, and everyone blew out a breath.

“Isn’t Prez performing tonight? With Eve,” Paisley said.

They all got quiet again.

Cece chirped, “Sky, I thought you two were headed to the cabin for a real honeymoon?”

Leo shook her head, trying to stop the girl from mentioning it, but the poor thing was blind and couldn’t see her.

Good God. I wanted to run far away from this drama. I excused myself as the show started.

Levi appeared out of nowhere.

“Come with me,” he said.

Reaching out his hand, he led me out front to his motorcycle.

“Do you ride?”

“No,” I lied.

“You ever rode bitch?”

“No,” I answered. That was the truth.

“Well, then you’ll have to be my bitch, tonight.” He winked like no one’s business. “I’m supposed to go check out a rival club.”

My heart stopped. Had I been found out? Was he going to the Asphalt Gods MC clubhouse? What would I do? I was dead.

“Headed to a strip club named Shakey’s. You coming?”

Fucking hell. I resurrected.

“Prez is worried about something going on there.”

“I’m not sure I’m dressed for it.”

I didn’t have on the skimpy outfit I performed in, but I’d dressed for a night at Royal Road. I wasn’t exactly wearing much clothing. Nothing close to what I’d pick out for a ride on a motorcycle.

In the miniskirt, I worried about sitting on the bike. Not only was my cleavage on display, but my arms were also. Fuck, I’d be frozen by the time we got there. Besides, I’d never been on a motorcycle in heels like I wore this evening. I wasn’t that talented. And I’ve never ridden on the back with a man before. I longed for my leathers, my boots, and my own Harley.

Leviathan slouched off his leather jacket.

“Here, wear this so you don’t freeze.”

“Is it safe for me to go check this out with you?” I asked him, putting on his coat that swallowed me whole.

Warm, it smelled like him. I breathed it in, relishing the scent. And the weight of it reminded me of being squeezed by his massive arms just last week. His eyes ran up and down me. He grinned like he liked seeing me in his big jacket.

“No. Nothing is ever safe with me,” he answered me finally, all serious.

“You’ll have to protect me,” I said, playing like I couldn’t take care of myself.

Levi stepped in close. “I won’t let you out of my sight.”

I hopped on the back of his Harley and spread my legs out so he could take his seat.

Sliding in front of me, Levi started the bike. The engine roared and vibrated, sending shudders through me. Oh, how I’d missed it.

“Hold on tight.” He had to remind me since I’d never been on the back before.

I wrapped my arms around this dangerous man. Running my hands up under his cut, I pressed my cheek into his club’s logo and hooked my thumbs into his belt loops.