Lock and Key (9 page)

“I said let her go,” said Dig. “You don’t want to do this, man.”

“You’re not being a good host, Diggy. You don’t share the house pussy with your guests?”

I struggled for air in Vig’s tight grasp. My eyes darted up and found Dig’s. The lines of his face were hard; a muscle in his jaw pulsed. He handed off my tequila bottle to a livid Boner and got in Vig’s face.

“She ain’t house pussy,” Dig said. “Now let her go.”

“Why should I? She’s here ain’t she? Why do you give a shit? You’ve had your dick up in plenty of bitches for days. What the fuck you playing at?” Vig twisted me in his arms once more. “I just saw some cunt blowing you.”

Oh, too much information.

My stomach flipped over as images of Dig getting hot and nasty with lots of different women flitted through my fevered brain. But I was in the lethal clutches of a Demon Seed who didn’t like my sister, for crap’s sake, and I really had no time to indulge in jealous fantasies.

Jealous? Of Dig and other women?

Revolted maybe. Jealous no way.

Dig and I had actually spent some time together over the past months while waiting for Ruby’s trial to come up. He had been as good as his word about looking out for me. He and Boner and a few of their brothers regularly came to Pete’s and played pool and had drinks. I knew they were there to check up on me, as he had never come in so frequently before. Dig would show up every time, the others rotated. I hated it at first. Then I began to like it.

At first he would nod at me, or give me the badass chin jerk, which frankly made my knees wobble almost every time. The guys wouldn’t let the other waitress, Mandy, take their drink orders. Her eyes shot daggers at me, and she mouthed “bitch” across the bar at me the first time that happened. It got to the point where Pete made sure that my section always included the Club’s ever-reserved set of tables.

Throughout the evening Dig and I would exchange sassy comments. He’d flash me his wicked grin, and I would roll my eyes and shake my head at him. My insides melted at each and every exchange, but I worked hard to ignore that phenomenon which only increased in regularity. I was Little Sister, after all, not biker
girlfriend
bitch material. He was just being sweet and flirty.

Right?

One night Trey had shown up at Pete’s with his pals and grabbed my arm and pulled at me to sit in his lap, and the shots lined up on my tray went flying. Dig and Boner were on him in a flash. Boner had pulled me out of Trey’s grasp as Dig yanked Trey out of his chair and popped him in the face. Blood had gushed over his shirt and hands. Most everyone in the bar clapped. Trey and his pals stumbled out of Pete’s.

Dig had turned to me, his eyes grim. He had run his bloody knuckles down my cheek, leaving behind a smear of blood that he then rubbed off with his thumb. He planted a kiss on my forehead, returned to his table and sat back down with his brothers as if nothing had happened. Trey never came around Pete’s again.

Inevitably, all sorts of women would hover over the bikers’ table, sit in their laps or at least try to, and they’d eventually leave together. Even Mandy would leave with them once in a while. But no matter how his evening ended, Dig would always find me in the crowd and flick his hand at me in goodbye.

At home very late at night or in the wee hours of the morning I would sometimes hear the roar of pipes down the street or the rev of a bike’s engine that was springing back to life. I would smile into my pillow in my bedroom in my empty house.

One afternoon I had bumped into Boner at the supermarket. He took my arm in his and said he was going to help me shop. He yapped on and on about crazy shit that made me laugh, but it got to the point where I couldn’t keep track of what I was looking for on the shelves. Then he surfed through the aisles on my shopping cart and narrowly missed several elderly ladies. We must have been in there for almost two hours.

I invited him home for dinner, and he called Dig. I cooked them chicken cutlets with homemade mac and cheese and a huge spinach salad. Dig brought the beer. Later, Boner gave me a quick hug and kiss on the cheek good night in my doorway. Dig only stared at me, his jaw set.

“Dig? What is it?” I asked.

“Hmm? Nothing, baby.” His hand reached out, and his knuckles stroked my cheek. My breath snagged. He had never called me “baby” before. I was always “Peanut” or “Little Sister.”

“Lock up, okay?” he said softly.

“Yeah, okay,” I said. He turned and strode down the front walkway. I closed the door, bolted it, and peeked through the curtain to watch them get on their bikes. Boner waved at me. Dig busied himself with his bike. Suddenly their engines exploded, and they zoomed away into the night.

But now those happy thoughts couldn’t keep me from gagging when Vig’s tongue slicked over my neck. Dig’s eyes blazed.

I had to do something to flip the balance. I didn’t want to be responsible for some kind of battle or war between two bike clubs already in a tenuous truce. Pete’s voice infiltrated my brain:
“Always be respectful and polite with these guys, and they’ll show you the same. Don’t ever sass them, or you’re asking for it.”

Somehow, I didn’t think respectful and polite was going to save my ass right now or defuse the situation. By now our little standoff had attracted a crowd of onlookers.

My hands pushed against Vig’s chest. “Hey, excuse me, but I’m Dig’s woman! We got into a major blowout last week, and I took off,” I said. “Of course he’s been banging everything in sight! He does it to get back at me, like all the other times we’ve broken up. He’s a man-whore and I’m a mouthy bitch, but I’m back now, and I’d like to fuck my man tonight, show him what he’s been missing, if that’s alright with you?” I gulped in air and grimaced at Vig.

Vig looked at me as if I was an alien who had just landed on Earth.

“Sorry,” I said. “But I don’t think he’d like it if we fucked right now, do you?”

Laughter and snickers rose around us. Vig cursed under his breath and pulled on me again. My head twisted towards Dig. His eyes glittered over me, his chin high.

“You heard her, man,” Dig said, his voice cold and hard like iron. “Get your hands off my property, and there won’t be any trouble.”

Holy crap, he called me his “property” in front of everybody. That was quite a social step up from a mere “bitch” in biker-speak.

“You wait one more second and there’s gonna be a shit storm, motherfucker,” said Wreck. My eyes shifted in the direction of his voice. Wreck was the One-Eyed Jack’s Road Captain and one of Dig and Boner’s closest friends at the club. He was a real old time 1%’er who had been a club member since his teens.

“Vig!” a rough voice cut through the crowd. A stocky, burly man who had to be in his early fifties glared fireballs at our little clusterfuck. My eyes went to the patches on his worn-out cut. It was Cowboy, the Demon Seed president.

Not good.

Vig cursed under his breath, and shoved me hard into Dig with a grunt. I immediately flung my arms around Dig’s torso and planted juicy kisses on his pecs over his tight grey t-shirt.

“I’m sorry baby, it’s all my fault,” I stage whispered for effect. Dig’s arm slammed me against his body, his hand slid down my back. I took the opportunity to throw my arms around his neck, hop up and hook my legs around his waist. His hand landed over my ass under my short cotton skirt and rubbed my curvy flesh over the thin fabric of my pink panties that, I was sure, were now plainly visible to our audience.

After my harsh imprisonment by Vig’s foul body, I sank into Dig and reveled in the sensation of his hands on my flesh and his masculine spicy scent. His touch and smell became my elixir of life in that moment of sheer relief. My fingers raked through Dig’s soft caramel hair, and I nuzzled his neck and face, doing my best impression of a property chick horny for her man. I loudly murmured sweet skanky nothings in his ear. His hold on me tightened.

“What the fuck?” Cowboy asked.

My stomach rolled. I shut my mouth and pressed my fingers into Dig’s back.

“We’re good, bro,” Vig said, his voice controlled, even. “It’s all good.”

“Oh, yeah?” Cowboy’s blood shot eyes narrowed over us and shifted between Vig and us.

“Yeah,” Dig said flatly. “We’re good.” Macho chin jerks followed all around, and Vig turned and pushed through the crowd, the bulk of Cowboy at his side.

My grip on Dig’s back relaxed.

“Can I get down now?” I whispered in his ear. His hand continued to burn right through my panties, plus my crotch sat right on the side of his waist at an angle making it hard for me to breathe, let alone think coherent thoughts.

He exhaled on a hiss. “You’re not going anywhere.”

“Huh?” I jerked my head back to face him.

“They know who you are now, you little idiot!” His eyes flashed at me. “Ruby’s a fuck-up to them. Don’t think they wouldn’t take the opportunity to take it out on you.” He slid me down his body and held me as I found my footing. Dig grabbed a fistful of my hair and tugged my head back. His face leaned into mine.

“What the fuck are you doing here anyway?”

Shit, he was mad at me.

I pushed at his chest, but his free hand gripped my bicep, and he yanked me closer to his body. My eyes stung with unshed tears.

“Peanut, what is it? What the hell’s wrong?” he asked, his voice softer.

“Ruby… Ruby got sentenced today. And I couldn’t hug her goodbye, I couldn’t do… anything… All I could do was get in my car and go back to that house. That… h-h-house. She’s in a cell with God knows who… and… and… you’re all partying ‘cause she’s going down for you. This is a victory party isn’t it?” I rubbed at the edge of my eyes and sniffed. “So, yeah, I thought I’d come here and join in on the celebration just to top off my day. Got any champagne on tap?”

Dig’s eyes tightened. “You knew the score, Little Sister.”

“I knew, but it’s something else to actually live it, Dig!”

“Shut it, Grace. Now, you’re gonna be really living it,” he said. “You show up here tonight on your own and get into it with Vig of all people, and then even their prez catches wind of our little scene. Thank fuck, Boner and Wreck found me, and we got to you in time.” He dragged a hand through his hair.

“Well, thank fuck your blow job finished up when it did!” I said.

His hand wrapped around my upper arm, and he tugged me close. I winced at the pain.

“You better forget the attitude and the tears and get your sweet ass in gear, Little Sister,” Dig said. “You just put a whole new concept in motion, and now you got to play it.”

I scowled at him. “What concept?”

“Babe,” He shook his head at me. “The concept you planted in Vig’s pea brain about you being my woman. It was smart and well-played, but now you got to follow through on it. Actually, it’s a damn good idea. It’ll make you totally hands-off. For a while at least.”

I was lost. “What?”

“Look, it’s Friday, the Seeds are here until Monday. Which means you got to stay with me so we can play happy couple until they clear out.”

I rocked back on my boots. “Excuse me?”

He grabbed the sides of my face and crushed our mouths together. Electricity coursed through my body, and I lost my mind along with my breath.

“Would it be that difficult, Peanut?” he murmured against my lips.

Hell no, it most certainly wouldn’t be hard to pretend I wanted his hands on my body and his mouth on me. I only shook my head at Dig, knowing I would give myself away if I even attempted speech. My heavy gaze fell to his lips. I really liked the way they felt on mine. Demanding, rough, giving.

I was in trouble.

“I didn’t think so,” Dig said. “So play along, baby. You’ve been around us long enough to know the drill.”

My eyes shot wide open. “Wh-what do you want me to do?” I whispered. “Drop to my knees and suck you off right here, right now so they can see?”

“Jesus, Grace!” He frowned at me. “Relax. Just go with it. And I mean it, go with whatever I throw at you, no pulling back, no hesitation.” His stern face suddenly relaxed. His tongue licked around my ear and then slid down the side of my neck, erasing any memory of Vig on my skin. I let out a small cry. Dig’s hand cupped my breast and pressed into my flesh. My eyes flew open once more.

“Can’t you pretend you want to fuck me, Peanut? That you can’t get enough of me?” My breathing came to a complete standstill, and the blood rushed through my veins like a tidal wave.

“Can’t you pretend you’re hungry for me, baby?” he whispered hoarsely.

My insides clamped together.

My fingers gripped his taut biceps in a death lock. “I’ll try.”

“No, Sister. You fucking do it. We put on a believable show, even make my brothers believe it. You got that? There’ll be no room for anyone to make a move on you as revenge against Ruby or the Club’s decision for her to take the fall.”

“You mean the Demon Seeds aren’t happy with the outcome?” My voice quaked.

“I can’t get into it with you, but, yeah, a few of them have been grumbling, especially Vig, so we need to nip any potential hazards in the bud. You being one of them.”

“I’ve never been called a potential hazard before,” I said. “In fact, just the opposite.”

“Think of it as a new adventure in your formerly quiet life.” A smile curled the edges of his mouth, and he stroked my lips with his thumb. Sparks flew over my skin under his heated gaze and his feather-light touch.

“Great lips by the way,” he murmured.

I rolled my eyes at him. “Glad you like them.”

“I do. Which is a very, very good thing, huh?”

“I guess.”

He smirked. “So, did you come here tonight to punch me out?”

“Something like that,” I said.

He took me in his arms and filled his hands with my ass and squeezed. “Now you got all weekend to take that aggression out on me in other ways. You just showed us you got it in you. Am I right?”

I nodded.

“That was really sexy, by the way,” he said into my hair.

I blushed from head to toe and punched him in the chest.

Dig chuckled. “You ready?”

“Sure.” I let out a sigh.

He smacked my ass.