It seemed to take a decade for him to cross that room, and Star for the first time in her life was completely unable to move. She was frozen to the spot as she watched him, held there by his gaze, and by those intense eyes.
He stopped when he was about three feet away from her and stared at her with a dark smile.
“Hi neighbor,” he said.
Star felt a chill run up her spine, and she wrapped her arms around herself protectively.
“Hello,” she smiled. “It’s a surprise to see you here.”
Chains’ harsh composure broke and he smiled warmly. “How was your first night in your new home?”
As Star stood looking at him, she could see there was an edge to this man. She could tell that below the surface, he had demons.
“It was fantastic.” Star smiled. “And what about you?”
Chains considered her for a moment, his eyes never breaking hers, then he flashed her a wicked smile. “Mine was fantastic too.”
They stood and looked at each other for a moment. Star didn’t know whether she should speak or let the silence build. Being this close to him was both unnerving and exciting and she felt a little twinge between her legs as he looked over her, his eyes drinking her in.
He was turning her on, and he hadn’t even touched her.
She swallowed hard and had to look away.
“This is the first night I’m in here properly,” he said as he turned and began to walk away. “You’ll have to show me the ropes.”
He looked at her over his shoulder as he disappeared into the crowd. Star’s heart beat so hard she thought it may leap out of her chest.
When he was out of sight and she had a moment to compose herself, she ran towards the back of the room, out of the swing doors and down into the changing room. Her hands were practically trembling. She didn’t know what the hell was happening to her, but she couldn’t keep a coherent thought together.
Since Chains had walked into the club a few nights before, he had played on her mind, and since she had spoken to him properly the previous evening, he had done nothing but dominate her thoughts. She had hoped she was going to bump into him again, but now that she had, she felt torn and conflicted inside, because she knew exactly what was happening to her.
“You like him,” she whispered to an empty room. “Oh man, you’re in so much trouble Star.”
She put her head in her hands and cringed. “Now you really are screwed.”
As the night wore on she found herself looking for him at every available opportunity. Every time the door that led out toward the office opened, she would instantly flick her eyes up to see if it was him emerging. She felt such disappointment when it turned out to be one of the other bikers.
She could tell Jill had noticed the shift in her mood and she was half-waiting for her to say something. However, she just quietly observed and let Star go about her evening without a grilling.
As the last of the truckers trailed out and the sun began to rise again over the desert, Star retreated to the changing room to gather up her things. It had been an average night, but she had been so preoccupied with thoughts of Chains it had flown by and had all been a bit of a blur.
She pulled on her jeans over her bikini bottoms and a t-shirt over her top half before she hung up her robe and tied her hair into a ponytail.
Renee and Candy had long gone. They had left after a night full of dancing at around three am. Since then, it had only been Jill and Star wandering the floor of the club, Star urging the men to buy drinks and Jill serving or clearing them. She was tired and ready for bed. She heaved her bag up onto her shoulder before she flicked off the lights before stepping out into the hallway.
The hall was dark, but the pink glow from the sunrise was filtering in through the small window in the door. As she pushed it open to step out into the morning light, she heard the slam of a door behind her, which made her jump.
She looked over her shoulder and saw Chains standing there.
“You keep scaring me,” she said with a little laugh. “That’s the second time you’ve made me jump.”
“When was the first?” he asked with a cocked eyebrow.
“Last night,” she said. “When you hammered on my door and I wasn’t expecting you.”
“Well, technically, I thought it was my door,” he said as he stopped a couple of feet in front of her.
He was so tall, and he dominated the space. It made her take a little step back so that she didn’t feel so caught beneath him. He exuded power, and it was intimidating. However, it was also more than simply capturing her attention.
“Do you have a car here, or do you need a ride home then… neighbor?” he asked in his deep tone of voice. It was raspy and so incredibly sexy, it made her shiver. Her heart skipped a little beat. She hadn’t expected him to suggest anything like that, but she suppose it did make sense.
She opened her mouth to speak, but the words wouldn’t form. She watched how his face twisted into a kind of amusement, as if he knew what kind of affect he was having on her and was enjoying watching her squirm.
“I don’t have a car,” she stammered. “But I don’t mind walking.” She went to turn to leave him standing there, but he was right behind her, marching towards the door and stepping out into the light with her.
“Well, it’s up to you,” he said with a flash of amusement. But you know the offer is there.”
He began to walk away and Star watched as he approached his big, glistening bike. He lifted his leg and sat astride it before he brought it thundering to life and revved the engine. It was so loud it made the ground tremble beneath them. Star stepped back a little, trying to hide how intimidated she was.
Come on Star, she said to herself. You’d be a fool to walk home. You’re exhausted, he lives right near you, and he’s hot as hell.
She thought on it for a moment and then lifted her hand to signal for him to wait.
“Okay,” she called to him over the roar of the engine. “It does make sense. You’re right.”
She crossed the dusty ground to stand beside him and the machine and he nodded his head back over his shoulder to motion to her to climb aboard.
She put her hand on his leathered shoulder as she swung her own leg over while he helped her get into position. She wrapped her arms around his waist and she could feel the ripple of abs beneath his t-shirt. It made her pussy twinge and her heart flutter with desire.
She had never been on the back of a bike before. To be sitting on one with a man like Chains, it was almost too much to take in. She bit her lip and tried not to show how nervous she was. She kne he couldn’t see her face, but her body language was screaming nerves. She was stiff and rigid, and every time she tried to act natural, she found herself stiffening up even more.
“Hold on to me tight,” he said over his shoulder as he revved the engine. She was tempted to tell him she had every intention of holding onto him, but she found herself blushing into his back instead.
The bike surged, and it felt as if they were gliding on air. As they pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway, Star had never felt so free and alive.
She clung to him and breathed him in. He smelled of the club; a mixture of booze, smoke and sex, but he also had the underlying tones of gasoline and cologne. All of this mixed together was sexy and erotic, making her entire body swoon. The bike was flying down the highway and toward Main Street. Star knew they didn’t have far to go. She wanted to savor the moment so she could remember it for the rest of her life. Up until now, she never thought that she would be seduced by the life of an outlaw, but while she was riding with Chains, she really could see the appeal, and also why it was so addictive.
It was liberating, and it felt dangerous. Not only that, there was also so much power in the machine and in the person controlling it. It was the biggest turn-on she had ever known.
By the time Chains pulled onto their street, Star’s heart was pounding harder than ever. She could barely catch her breath. She was completely consumed by desire and her head was a mess of want and need. She had never had this kind of reaction to another person before.
Sure, there had been boyfriends, but this attraction was on another level altogether. It was powerful, it was deep, and it was alarming her. She didn’t want to feel this way. She knew it could only lead to her to having her heart broken. Still, there was something that made her want to embrace it anyway.
He stopped the bike at the bottom of her driveway and he got off before she had chance to, then held out his hand to help her climb off too. She knew his eyes were on her and she wanted so badly to look up into them, but she forced herself to look down at the ground as she clutched her bag to her shoulder and turned to walk to the house.
“Thank you,” she said over her shoulder as she gave him a little wave.
When she reached the door, she knew he was still standing there. She struggled to find her keys, feeling all the more nervous because he was watching her. She finally stopped and turned around and he shrugged his shoulders and smiled.
She bit her tongue and tried not to laugh. It was funny to her, because she was clearly in such a state around him and it looked as if he could tell why.
“You really are scared of me, aren’t you?” he asked with a glint in his eye.
Star waited for a moment before she replied. “I don’t think I’m scared specifically of you,” she said. “I’m scared of liking the wrong person. I’m scared of how I feel when I look at you.”
His eyes widened a bit, as if she had caught him off-guard. She looked down at the ground and felt her cheeks burn bright red. Had she even just been that forward? She didn’t think so. She had never said anything like that to a man before, and she took her clothes off for a living!
She shook her head and cringed her eyes closed. “Sorry,” she said. “Too deep… but you did ask.”
He took a step forward and went to open his mouth to speak but she lifted her hand to silence him.
“I’ll see you at work,” she said. She finally let herself look into his eyes. “Thank you again for the ride.”
She managed to grasp the keys in her fingers then quickly shoved it into the lock. Without looking back, she slammed it behind her and locked it again before she breathed out, and took a huge sigh of relief. Her heart was still pounding away, as she was so nervous she didn’t know how she dared even say what she just told him.
“You’re a goddam fool,” she whispered to yourself. “The guy just moved to town and he was probably just being friendly. You go and bark a load of dramatic, intense words at him. Urgh.”
She rubbed her forehead and closed her eyes. “You’re never going to be able to be around him again without blushing, Star. Nice one, you complete idiot.”
She crunched up her face and moaned slightly. She couldn’t believe she had just done that. He had made a little bit of chit-chat and she had turned it into something serious. She just wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole.
Ahead of her through the back windows she could see that the sun had fully risen and the morning had truly begun. Her arms and back ached. All she could think about was her crisp, new sheets that were waiting for her upstairs. She kicked off her sneakers and began to slink toward the steps.
When she pushed open the door to her room she breathed a big sigh of relief. She had never been so happy to see her personal comforts. Even though the house was new to her, it still felt damned good to be home.
She walked across to the bathroom and flicked on the light as she peeled off her clothes and began to remove her make-up. After she had spent all night reapplying it, it had gone sticky and gooey all over her eyelashes and her eyes felt caked together.
“Maybe Renee was right,” she sighed as she swept the moist cotton wool over her eyelids. “Maybe it’s time for a real job.”
Even as she said it, she knew she didn’t mean it. However, now the thought had crossed her mind, it was something she knew would keep bugging her.
You’ve just locked down a new house, maybe a new career can wait a little longer, she thought as she splashed water on her face then patted it dry.
When she crawled into bed with the curtains closed, she let her eyes close. She had never felt so comfy in her entire life. All she could think about was what happened last evening. Her mind whispered over all she learned about Chains, and of all that had happened between them.
He had only mildly flirted with her and given her a ride home, but it was all she could think about. It was all she could replay over and over in her mind. He was the first man in a long time who had come along and completely caught her off guard.
After working in Tanner’s for so long and becoming a permanent resident of Slate Springs, Star really thought that she had seen it all when it came to the bikers. Then Chains had arrived and had turned it all on its head.
Now she was intrigued… and hooked. She couldn’t get him out of her mind.
She rolled onto her side and breathed in deep. She could still smell him in her hair and it made her smile. She wrapped her arms around herself and held tightly, imagining that they were his arms.
“I wonder why they call him Chains,” she whispered to herself as she began to drift off to sleep.
Before she knew it, her weary body and mind had given over to the dark side, and she was fast and gently asleep.