Misled (27 page)

One arm around her waist, he kissed her deeper and Meggie kissed him back, allowing him to guide her hand to his bared penis. Sh
e caressed the slippery head, spreading his moisture, then fisted him, doing everything Christopher taught her. His hand slipped into her panties and he tore his mouth from hers.

“You’re fucking soaked. For me,” he
growled, caressing her clit and slipping two fingers inside her. Her pulls and strokes on his penis grew harder while the in and out motion of his fingers sent shivers through her and she cried out against his mouth.

His grunts lowered and harshened with each thrust
into her hand. Meggie could hold off no longer and shudders racked her body, his fingers massaging her slippery inner walls, his thumb circling her clit. He swallowed her soft cries, her orgasm tipping him over the edge and hot semen gushed from him, raining onto her fingertips and his Henley.

Slowly, he backed away from her and she stood there, trembling fr
om the aftershocks of her orgasm and his overwhelming passion. Their heavy breathing punctuated the silence, but Meggie didn’t know what to say. He used his shirt to clean her fingers, then tipped her chin up.

“Christopher is one lucky fucker.” He sighed.
“I’d fight an army to have you, Megan, but you don’t want me. You want him.”

Unable to dispute that, she whispered, “I’ve never lied to you. But it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t want me.”

“If Christopher doesn’t come back soon, I won’t rub your pussy while you jerk me off standing on a fucking porch. We’ll be in my bed. You’ll be fair game.”

“It seems like I was fair game, anyway.”

He smiled and knuckled her lips. “Not really. Besides, you’re underestimating my cousin.”

“What if I am? I’ve just betrayed him. Christopher doesn’t know who to trust because whoever he tr
usts always seem to let him down.” She lowered her lashes. “Like this. Me. Us. He deserves better than what I’ve done with you tonight.”

Johnnie hugged her and sighed. “I know, Megan.
Being in the club, though, we always shared girls.”

“I’ve heard and seen more than I care to
in the club,” she admitted, then shifted her weight. “Do you really think I’ve underestimated him? That he’ll return?”

He patted her hair. “
Yes. Sooner or later. I can’t guarantee what he’ll say to you or want from you. Just remember—if you two end up together, this is our secret.”

It wasn’t as if she’d advertise she and Johnnie had masturbated each other to orgasm. Nor was it likely Christopher would care even if she did advertise it. Johnnie would only defend Christopher, so she nodded.

“I’m serious, Megs. If you like my pretty face attached to my head, you won’t ever mention this to anyone.”

She snorted and rolled her eyes. “Now, you’re being dramatic.”

“And, now, you’re underestimating not only Christopher but his wrath, too. He’d fucking kill me if he knew I seduced you.”

Meggie shrugged, not believing the sentiment. ‘It’s our secret.
Besides, you didn’t seduce me without my participation.” She only wished the orgasm she’d had had taken away the agony of Christopher’s continued absence.

“All right, M
egs,” he said and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. ”I’ll see you tomorrow.” With that, he backed away, went down the steps and soon disappeared into the darkness, leaving Meggie to dwell on her life until this point and wondering what her next move should be.

Christopher leaned his back against the headboard of his bed
in his room at the clubhouse, drinking a beer and listening to
Apologize
by OneRepublic. That song, along with one of Megan’s favorites,
When I Was Your Man
by Bruno Mars, and
Meant
by Elizaveta—a favorite of Mortician—played on repeat. Regret rode him hard. He wished he’d never left Meggie at his mother’s house. Several times, he thought of rejoining her. Then, he remembered his predicament caught him between a partial truth and the murder of her father, and he didn’t have good answers for either, so he ignored her calls and stayed at the club. It was time well-spent. He checked inventory, and double-checked the books. He sent “gifts” to the police chief and extra money to the hospital for their pediatric ward for the kids to have an extra special holiday.

Business went on as usual. But he missed Meg
an and regretted not being with her to carry through on all they’d talked about. Everything at the Club was the same, except she wasn’t there with him, and everything felt different without her.

All around him, Ellen, Kiera, and some of the other bitches were d
ecorating, planning a big meal but without Megan included, as she had been for Thanksgiving. It wasn’t as if there were old ladies around, who the boys had to hide the whores from. If it wasn’t for the bitches who hung around, it’d just be a bunch of dicks there for the holidays. When Christopher saw the Christmas tree in the main room, he winced, remembering what he’d promised Megan. He’d left her in Johnnie’s hands, but, as the days passed, he realized he’d made a mistake and hoped Johnnie hadn’t seduced her yet. Megan was a light in Christopher’s life, the shining star he was doing his best to extinguish.

A knock sounded on his door.

“Come in,” he called, grabbing his smokes from the table and lighting one as Kiera pushed the door open.

He blew out smoke through his nostrils and eyed her long legs in a tiny, frilled skirt and cropped tee. It was obvious she wore no bra.

She leaned against the closed door. “I figured since Meggie’s gone, we could fuck.”

Silent, Christopher took a drag of his cigarette, then gulped some beer. Kiera wouldn’t move without him urging her forward. He could fuck Kiera, just like he swore to Megan he would. It’s just that he couldn’t really. He didn’t want twenty-five-year-old pussy anymore. He wanted eighteen-year-old pussy and not just any eighteen-year-old pussy, but the one belonging to a beautiful little bitch who skirted the edges of bratdom.

“Ain’t interested,” he said.

Kiera’s eyes widened. “Is she coming back?”

He shrugged, wanting to be with Megan more than anything. He prayed to God she’d come back. He prayed to God Johnnie hadn’t touched her. After warning Johnnie to keep his hands to himself, he’d pushed her right into his cousin’s arms. “We’ll see. I ain’t sure right now.”

“Then—“

He squashed his cigarette. “Then, nothin’. I ain’t gonna have her walkin’ around here with you smilin’ in her face, knowin’ you fucked me and
would
fuck me whenever she’s gone.”

She wrinkled her nose. “Isn’t that what usually happens with old ladies?” she asked, sounding genuinely confused.

“Yeah. Don’t make me a difference. It ain’t happenin’ to
my
old lady.” No matter if she thought that was exactly what would happen. “Just go, Kiera. I have shit to work out in my head.”

“I like Meggie,” she said quietly. “She’s a good girl. Don’t seem like she’s cut out to be an old lady, though. Especially your old lady. She’s a real good girl.”

“She’s tougher than you think,” he snapped, her words getting to the heart of the matter and playing on all his fears. Some of the same fears his mother had played on.

“You love her?”

He glowered at her, refusing to even entertain the notion. “Go.”

Thank fuck. She left.

For the next three days, Christopher took care of club business, disappearing two of the fuckers who’d been with Snake that day at the mall when Meggie had gone with Ellen and Kiera. He had his boys see to a shipment while he collected the money. He met with the president of the club from the next town over, assuring the man’s allegiance against Snake and the other dissenters. Except for smoking Snake out of his pit, he’d gotten shit done, making it relatively safe to get Meggie back.

The wind whispered through the trees edging the cemetery, the breeze cool against Christopher’s face. An arc of color—magenta, orange, purple, red—painted the evening sky, but a lone ray of sunlight burst through the coming dusk and glimmered off the black marble he faced.

He stared at the gold lettering
.
“Big Joe” Joseph “Boss” Foy. A man amongst men.

Before he brought Megan, Christopher w
anted to make sure everything would suit the man she’d loved. He’d never expected
his
emotions to well up, unfeeling motherfucker that he was. He’d thought he’d want to piss on the monument, not fall on his knees and howl with rage at the same time he begged forgiveness.

He
aving in a ragged breath, he traced the inscription. The date of Boss’s birth. The date of the man’s death.

“You motherfucker,” he snarled
. “Why?
Why you make me fuckin’ do that to you
?” A sob escaped him and everything knotted up inside of him. He hated Boss so much, but he loved him, too. Despite everything, the vileness of his last months, the jeopardy he’d put the club in, the way he’d let down Megan, Christopher loved Boss. He leaned his head against the headstone. No, not a headstone. Nothing so simple for Big Joe. Christopher had insisted he wanted to impress Megan, so he’d ordered an obelisk with a leaf top carving. It stood alone, on a small rise, towards the back of the cemetery. But, standing there, he knew he believed, somewhere deep inside himself, Boss deserved such a tribute. Or the man he’d once been.

Angry tears. Bitter tears. Tears of grief and guilt, sorrow and an
guish. The water leaking from Christopher’s eyes and raining down his cheeks contained so much welled-up feelings, he thought he might go mad, as hollow as the empty grave the obelisk rose above.

“Go
ddamn you. You hear me, Joseph Fuckin’ Foy? God fuckin’ damn you. You turned into a fuckin’, goddamn monster. You deserved puttin’ down like a fuckin’ dirty dog. But why me? Why you gotta make
me
do it?
YOU HEAR ME, MOTHERFUCKER?
”

His yell echoed in the eerie silence, where only the trees, the sky, and the souls of all those buried
there absorbed it. He drew in ragged breaths to calm himself, relieved as fuck he hadn’t seen this for the first time when he brought Megan. Right now, Christopher couldn’t be sure when he’d let her see this. She needed closure, needed to grieve, but, fuck,
this
brought his grief on.

He was such a selfish fuck, trash, like Zoann said. He’d gotten this to show Megan. To win brownie points with her, he guessed, hoping she’d somehow overlook the fact
he’d
killed her daddy. As if she’d ever forgive him if she found out. He couldn’t stay away from her, though, needing her now more than ever.

“Megan’s here,”
he blurted, not having the strength to be ashamed of his pussy-like behavior. He sniffled. “She’s everythin’ you always said and more. You’d be so fuckin’ proud of your beautiful baby girl. I know you said she wasn’t for me. Long time ago. Remember, Prez? When I asked you her name? You said don’t worry about it cuz she ain’t for you, asshole.” He laughed through his tears and thrust his fingers through his hair, agitated. “I tried to leave her alone. I swear I did. I even left her with John Boy. He’s better than I can ever be for her. Motherfucker has a heart and a soul. But, Prez, I can’t let her go. I just can’t. And she want me, too. She thinks I’m worth somethin’. Don’t know why cuz she’s smart as fuck, but the way she look at me…Prez, I’m gonna take good care of your baby girl. As long as she want me, I’m gonna lay the world at her feet. I’d kill for her and I’d die for her.”

Christopher blinked away the last of his tears.
He’d bring Megan here. One day. Now, he’d let this remain his secret. He’d forget this place to enjoy the rest of the holidays. With only ten days left to Christmas, he had one more order of business to see to in the morning, then he’d ride out, back to Megan, away from
this
. As he hurried to his Harley, he hoped Boss found the peace in death that had escaped him in life.

When Christopher walked into the boardroom the next morning, he sat at the head of the table, anxious to get this behind him. Digger, Mortician, and Val sat close to him as they discussed their plan of
action. Christopher had decided Val would hang with Rack. He’d stick to that motherfucker like a leech and Rack would let him, too, because everyone was going to think Val had gone over to Rack’s side. In turn, Christopher hoped the ruse would get them closer to Snake.

At least, that was the plan. Patricia’s words ate at him and he missed Megan with a fierceness he hadn’t expected.

Mortician leaned back and folded his arms. “You hanging round for Christmas, bro?”

“Nope. Promised Megan we’d spend Christmas together.”

The door swung open and Rack sauntered in, helmet held under his arms. He nodded to everyone and set the helmet on the table.

“Showtime,” Val mumbled.

Christopher acknowledged the word with a thinning of his lips. Val was one of his best friends, but to pull this shit off, he’d have to focus on the here and now, not anticipate seeing Megan again.

Rack’s perpetual smirk deepened as he shoved his chair back and dropped into the seat at the end of the table.

Christopher didn’t have to pretend to glare at Rack. He disliked the motherfucker more and more with each passing day. When he buried him, he’d burn his fucking cut, patches still attached. He didn’t want anyone tainted by Rack’s stink.

“Yo’, Outlaw.”

Christopher nodded. “Rack, I been needin’ to talk to you about Boss—“

Right on cue, Val snorted
. “Like you been fucking talking about him for months, Prez? You put Boss to ground to save your own fucking ass. Case fucking closed.”

Mortician and Digger frowned, shift
ed in their seats. Real discomfort hung in the room. Anything to do with Boss was a tough fucking topic.

Rack smiled nastily
and nodded to Val. “Be sure you around when that little bitch he’s fucking find out.”

Just as predicted, Rack couldn’t resist the jab.

Val sniggered. “I feel sorry for him to be honest. He’s too pussy-whipped to get in her face and tell that bitch he killed her father.”

Christopher gritted his teeth, reminding himself of the long-term goal and ignoring the nerve Val hit.

“Val, shut your fuckin’ mouth before Outlaw shoves his foot up your ass,” Digger warned with a grimace.

“Outlaw?” Val echoed, eyes wide. “Who’s Outlaw?”

Rack barked with laughter. “Spot on, Val. He ain’t no fucking Outlaw no more.”

Val smiled. “Sure isn’t. Nowadays, he’s
Christopher
.”

A muscle ticked in Christopher’s jaw. This ad-libbing shit was about to get a head fucking busted. Yeah, Val was goading him but he was going too fucking far
by bringing Megan into this and enjoying himself too fucking much.