Chapter Seventeen
Friday morning, one week after Rai pulled into the parking lot of the club, Tannin told Rai she didn’t have to worry about helping out in the kitchen that day. They were going riding with Gorgon and Legs.
“You mean out in public?”
“No. On the trails.”
“Are they dry enough? It rained for three straight days.” He’d told her earlier in the week that although the trails had once been paved, the blacktop was cracked in places. Most of them were now filled in with gravel, and were barely wide enough for two bikes to ride side-by-side.
“They’re dry,” said Phenex. He was their Road Captain, and part of his duties when the club wasn’t out on the actual road was to walk the property and check for any signs of intrusion. He also checked the trails for the members. Rai and Tannin were in the dining room, eating breakfast with the Brothers and most of the women who lived in the building.
“What should I wear?”
“Don’t worry about that,” said Tannin. “We won’t be going very fast or very far. Wear whatever you’re comfortable in outdoors, as long as your legs are covered and you can straddle the bike.”
Rai was so excited to finally be riding with him that she smiled more that morning than she had for days. They hadn’t heard anything from Russell or Donny, but Tannin had assured Rai that didn’t mean there was bad news. It merely meant Donny was doing his thing in the background, and when he had news to tell them, he would let Vassago know.
Just to be outside after a week, in the warm sunshine, sent a thrill through Rai. She closed her eyes and turned her face upward, sucking in deep breaths of fresh air. “I can’t remember the last time I stayed indoors for this long.”
Tannin put an arm across her shoulder. “Come on. I can’t wait to show you my bike.”
Rai knew nothing about motorcycles, but it was obvious from all the bells and whistles Tannin described for her that this bike was special to him. He’d done a lot of custom work on it, and spoke about it as if he was bragging about a child.
“Weren’t you worried about it getting wet in the rain?” She didn’t recall tarps over them the first night she was here and had glanced out the window.
“The prospects covered them later that night,” said Gorgon. “We try to get to them if we know it’s going to rain. It doesn’t really hurt them to get wet, but it can wear down the leather over time if it stays damp.”
Tannin raised the kickstand with his boot and sat on the bike. “Get on behind me.” He showed Rai where to place her feet. “You can hang onto the backrest, or wrap your arms around me. Keep your feet on the pegs, even when we stop. We’re not going to be riding fast, so I should be able to hear you if you need to tell me something, but if it’s urgent and you need my attention, tap my right shoulder three times quickly, okay?”
“Okay. Don’t I need a helmet?” He wasn’t wearing one, but he was wearing goggles.
“On the road, yes. Out here, no.” He handed her a pair of goggles. “But put these on to protect your eyes.”
She frowned.
“You’ll be okay, Rai. This is just to get you used to being on the bike.”
“And we’re coming along for fun,” said Chloe.
Rai was glad they were. Not that she didn’t trust Tannin’s skills, but she’d feel more secure with others around. “Okay,” she repeated, after climbing on behind him. The bike wobbled a bit as she positioned herself on the leather seat.
“That’s normal,” he said. She decided to hang onto him instead of the back of the passenger seat. “Are you ready?” he asked.
“I think so, yes.”
The engine roared to life, and when he put it in gear and eased it out of the lot, she giggled. Next to her, Chloe watched her carefully from behind Gorgon.
“What’s so funny?” she shouted.
“The vibrations,” said Rai. It was like riding a six-hundred-pound sex toy. No wonder women loved to hang out with bikers.
Chloe laughed and gave her a thumbs-up as Gorgon opened the throttle and rode out ahead of them. Tannin eased his out a bit more slowly, but it still gave Rai the illusion she was flying. “This is amazing!” she shouted next to his ear.
He gave her a quick thumbs-up and sped up. Soon, they had caught up to Chloe and Gorgon. Rai closed her eyes, but that made her dizzy so she kept them open and enjoyed the tall grasses and wildflowers blowing in the wind they created as they rode past.
The trails were a bit bumpy in places, but not so much that she was uncomfortable. Quite the contrary. Warm leather, Tannin’s muscled body to hang onto, and a gigantic vibrator between her legs that went on and on. What more could a girl ask for?
She had no idea how long they rode. Rai lost track of time and simply lived in the moment, taking in the new sensations. For the first time in a week, she didn’t think about Vito, her staff, her company, or her own future. Instead of the guilt she’d have expected to experience, it was liberating to let go.
It had been a long time since she’d done something entirely for her own pleasure, without worrying over the consequences. Even the casual sexual relationships she’d had in the past had been wrought with what-ifs.
For all her independence and business savvy, her personal life was a mess of trying to live up to expectations, while at the same time giving the appearance she had her shit together and didn’t need anyone. It was easy now to look back and realize she’d never successfully pulled that off.
Maybe, when all this was over, it was time to consider a new direction? One where she could be herself, and in which she could do something that made her truly happy? To hell with Ronnie and Lori. And to hell with Timmy, Jennifer, and Wade.
She was sick and tired of living every second of her life, either trying to prove something to two people who likely never gave her a moment’s thought, or trying to please clients who had used her for their own gain, and then turned a blind eye when a criminal decided to have her killed. Why the fuck should she give a rat’s ass about any of them?
This man, the one she clung to as they sped along blacktop and gravel at a dizzying speed, was the one person in her life with whom she’d dropped all her defenses and tossed aside her inhibitions. Wasn’t that a clear sign he was special? Important? Worthy of more than her body while she hid out in a strip club?
But he didn’t do happily-ever-after. He’d told her as much. And he was forty years old, which meant he likely wanted no part of a long-term relationship. What if, once this was over, he bid her farewell and wished her luck?
There you go with the what-ifs again!
Ah, hell. She had fallen in love with Sterling Tanner. Fuck, fuck, fuck. How could she have let this happen? At least he didn’t know. She’d keep it to herself and that way, she’d never have to see the fear or disgust in his eyes.
He has feelings for you, too.
That much was true. He said he wanted her, but what exactly did that mean? Still, it was impossible to ignore the long looks he gave her when he didn’t realize she was watching. But that didn’t mean he loved her. It didn’t mean he wanted something long term.
No. It was best to hold this in her heart and never breathe a word of it. No one else would be hurt that way.
So much for doing something selfish, with only her own pleasure in mind. Leopards don’t change their spots, and Raiyana Parente doesn’t change her ways, either.
****
When they stopped, she had no clue how far away from the building they were. No traffic noises broke the silence. The occasional birds chirping and insects buzzing were the only sounds. Tannin told Rai to wait until he’d dismounted. He held the bike steady while she climbed off onto shaky legs before pushing down the kickstand with his boot.
“It feels weird to stand.”
“Just give it a second or two.”
The care with which he treated her nearly broke her heart in two. She mentally shook away the negative thoughts. This day was to be embraced and enjoyed. She’d need the memory of it once she left the club for good.
“Better?”
“Yes.”
“Come on. Legs packed a picnic lunch.”
“You’re kidding. I wish she had told me. I could have helped her with it.”
Tannin took her hand. “It was spur-of-the-moment.”
“I feel like a moocher.”
They stopped walking and he frowned. “What? Why? You’ve done plenty of things to help out.”
“It doesn’t feel that way.”
Tannin brushed a finger down her face. “It’s the stress of everything else going on, Rai. That’s all. Let’s enjoy this day.”
She gazed up into his ice blue eyes, mesmerized as always by his powerful, protective aura. “Okay.”
“That’s my girl.” Tannin took her hand. “Come on. I smell homemade chicken salad.”
Rai laughed. “Really? You must have a super-human sense of smell because all I smell are flowers, grass, and leather.”
“What did you think of the bike ride?”
“I loved it.”
“When all this is over, I can’t wait to take you out on the open road.”
Which meant he intended to spend time with her in the future. Was she wrong about him? “I can’t wait for that either, Tannin.”
As they rounded a bend in the trails, Chloe waved to them from a large blanket she’d spread over a patch of low grass. “There you two are. We thought you’d stopped for some fun before lunch.”
Tannin squeezed her hand. “Later. First, we need to eat.”
They sat down and took sandwiches and bottled beer from Chloe. “I made cole slaw and brownies, too.”
“Thank you for doing all this,” said Rai.
“It was nothing. Dig in.”
While they ate, Chloe entertained them with gossip she’d heard about some of the women who hung out with the Outlaw Dogs. Rai only half-listened. The talk consisted of who was in jail now, or who had been arrested for misdemeanors lately. Too much like a bizarre, alternate reality high school for her taste, but Chloe and the guys got a kick out of it.
Once they finished, Rai helped Chloe pack up everything in one of the leather saddle bags. “You’re quiet today,” she said.
“I’m all right. Just enjoying being outdoors.”
“Gorgon thinks we should hear something soon.” The guys had gone off into the grass to use the bathroom, which she and Chloe would need to do, too.
“Why do you say that?”
“Vassago told him this morning that one of Donny’s men called and asked if he could stop by Sunday afternoon.”
Her pulse raced. “Why wait? Why can’t we talk to him today?”
“Because Fridays and Saturdays are the busiest nights in the club, and Donny knows that. If it was too important to wait, he’d have stopped by already. Don’t worry, okay?”
Chloe pointed. “Here they come.” She dug in the bag and pulled out a roll of toilet paper. “I came prepared. Don’t know about you, but wiping myself with leaves is not something I ever want to have to do.”
Rai laughed all the way into the tall grass.