Kristel

 

“Are you serious? They bought a houseright next to your dorm?” My best friend, Danielle Janno, is standing next to me in the lineup.

 

We’ve escaped the confines of college life and are taking cover at a local biker bar called Black Knights. I’ve always been the “good girl,” at least in the eyes of my parents, but I’m so sick of them. They have never not been in my life, and college was my way of escape.

 

“I’m totally serious. So now I have to spend another four or more years of my life with them looking over my shoulder. They’re officially moving in next month.” The line starts moving, and I walk forward.

 

“That sucks. How on earth do you manage? If my parents were like yours, I’d have fled the continent by now!” She shakes her dark hair, and the little silver pearls in it shimmer.

 

My shoulders slump, and I shrug. “Who knows? But that’s why I’m here, right? If they can’t take a hint in the traditional way, then it’s not my problem. Seriously, they’re the reason why I’m here in the first place. And we have all damn night to figure out what I’m going to do to show them I can be a big girl. I’m not a damn child anymore!”

 

“Damn right you’re not!”

 

I give her a grin after I flash the doorman my I.D. He looks it over, then ushers me inside. Danielle and our other friend, Wendy, come in behind me. The place is a lot smaller than I expected, and it doesn’t smell like sweat and cigarettes. While there’s a masculine edge to it, I don’t detect anything raunchy or terrible. There are a lot of men at the bar, and off in one of the corners is a younger guy playing guitar. Over the speakers comes country-style music, but it’s not so loud that it dominates the atmosphere. The lights are dim, but I can still see just fine. More than that, no one looks murderous. It’s a biker bar, so I was expecting guns, knives, and huge beards.

 

“Why are they all staring at us?” Wendy, more Danielle’s friend than mine, scoots closer to me and grabs Danielle’s arm.

 

“Maybe this isn’t the best idea.” I look around at all the faces, and my heart starts to pound. We should have gone to one of the other local bars that don’t involve bikers or angry men. Right now, all I can see is the potential for a kind of danger I’m not asking for.

 

“You guys are so chicken. Come on!” Danielle laughs and struts over to the bar. “What’s the worst they can do to us? As far as I can see, there isn’t one man here I wouldn’t want to take home with me. Check out the guys over there, by the radio at the back. They’re pretty fine, aren’t they?” She swings her head around and smiles. “Or the fellows right next to us at the bar. See them?”

 

I glance nervously at the men at the back as I sit down at a stool. There is no way I’m looking at the men next to us at the bar, so I ask the bartender for one of the local beers. “There are a lot of things they can do to us that I’m sure none of us have thought about. I’m pretty sure we’re asking for it, too.”

 

She sits next to me and gives me a bit of a shove. “Come on! What happened to all that ‘roar!’ from earlier?”

 

“It got swallowed whole by the idea of walking into a biker bar when we don’t know anyone. I’m all for proving to my parents that I can handle life on my own, but I don’t know if I’m prepared to put my life on the line for it.”

 

My best friend rolls her eyes. “Typical Kristel… always the good girl who never gets into trouble.”

 

“That’s not true!”

 

She giggles at me, and Wendy does, too.

 

“It’s not!” I sit up straighter, my shoulders rolling back.

 

“Okay…” Danielle has a glance around, then looks thoughtful and focuses on me. “If you say so.” Before I can say anything, a mischievous light glimmers in her eyes. “I have an idea. If you really aren’t the good girl who never gets into trouble, go say hello to one of the guys next to us at the bar.”

 

My eyes widen. “You’re serious?”

 

“Totally serious.” She smiles at me. “I think I can hear them talking about us anyway.”

 

“Lies. They aren’t talking about us.” I chance a glance in their direction, and a hard lump forms in my throat; both of them are staring in our direction. “Oh god, they’re looking at us.” I speak in a whisper and quickly brush fingers through my hair. “Do I look okay? My hair is a mess, isn’t it? And I’m probably sweating so much that I smell.”

 

Danielle giggles again and grabs my wrist. “Kristel, chill! You look beautiful, and you smell perfect. Besides, who’s going to even care in abiker bar? I mean, they’re called the Black Knights for God’s sake!”

 

“Okay… okay, you’re right.” I breathe deeply and bring my hands back down to the bar. In that moment, the bartender approaches with my beer and sets it down in front of me. “Thank you.” Perfect timing. I feel calmer already as I pay the man and take a few long swigs of beer. It tastes awful, but I don’t care. I’m going to get drunk tonight, and I’m going to find a way to make my parents back the hell off.

 

“Hon, Wendy and I are going to head to the bathroom. We’ll be back in a bit.” Danielle squeezes my arm, but I don’t look at her. I just smile and take back another mouthful of my alcoholic beverage.

 

I listen to them wander off, and watch for a moment to see where they’re going. Men follow them with their eyes, and I can’t help but imagine the lecherous thoughts that must be going through their brains. I’m almost in disbelief that my friends have left me here all alone, but I’ve never enjoyed those strange bathroom talks that some women partake in; Danielle knows that.

 

“Is this seat taken?”

 

I nearly jump out of my skin at the strange, masculine voice right above me. My beer goes flying out of my hands and clatters to the floor. It sprays everywhere and spatters its contents all over the floor, any nearby stools, the side of the bar, and a pair of beautiful black leather shoes that I don’t recognize.

 

“What the hell?!” With a gasp, I jerk my head around and stare up at the strange, but devastatingly delicious man almost within arm’s reach.

 

“Did I startle you?” His voice reminds me of warm honey; I find myself wanting to know if his mouth tastes the same. My cheeks feel flush with my own internal admission, and I glance away, down to his shoes.

 

“No.” There is defiance in my voice before I look up at him.

 

“No? Then you’re braver than you look.” An infuriating smirk flows across his mouth.

 

I try to come up with some kind of tough retort, but all I come up with is, “Thank you?”

 

“You’re most welcome.” With a smoothness I’ve only seen in big cats, he sits down on a stool next to me. “I’m Andre Zelnick. I'm in charge of the Black Knights.” He offers me his right hand.

 

“Kristel Bryce.” I take his offered hand and wonder if it’s wise to tell this strange man my name.

 

“Well, Kristel Bryce. What’s brought you to my humble establishment?”

 

A smile flirts across my mouth before I can stop it, and I push some hair behind one of my ears. “You know… just trying to get away from it all.”

 

“Now, that I do know. It’s one of the main reasons I’m all the way out here. It’s not exactly quiet, but I’m not too fond of city folk or technology. I like the old ways where it’s just the road, the bikes, and great company.”

 

My hand withdraws from his own, but before I can take it back all the way, he grips it. I hold my breath as my eyes dart down to his fingers, and my spine tightens. What is he going to do? I stare at his other hand slides over the back of mine, gently caressing. It’s much too forward for my liking, but I told both myself and Danielle that I’m going to be naughty tonight. I may as well start now.

 

“The old ways?” I gradually look up from his hand to his face.

 

“Mhmm.” He leans closer to me, and I swear I can smell the alcohol on his breath. “Just a bunch of guys and gals rolling through, never settling. Always traveling in search of the next best thing. Towns and cities eager to please us, not only because they fear us, but because they respect us. These days…” His mouth shifts into a frown, and he shakes his head. “That doesn’t happen so often these days. There are too many has-beens and wannabes for anyone to take us seriously anymore. But I’m fixing to change that.”

 

I’m interested in what he has to say despite my earlier reservations. What I perceived as a dangerous man with no thoughts about anything other than what’s between my thighs might be turning out to be one of those rare gems with sense. “How are you going to change such a huge problem? It doesn’t sound like something you can do on your own.” I turn his hand so that I can playfully entwine my fingers with his.

 

“You’re smarter than you look, too.” He winks at me and licks his lips. For the first time, I notice the gold ring there; I want to taste it just as much as I want to taste the rest of him.

 

My courage grows as I finish off my bottle of beer; I’ve always been a lightweight. “What else do you think I am?” I nibble coyly on my bottom lip and look at him. My gaze, I know, is full of invitation. Fingers slowly travel up his forearm and trace the tattoos there. My eyes trace them, too, following the coils of snakes and the angles of skulls. “Do you think I’m tough enough to hang with you and your boys?” I don’t know where the suggestion comes from, but after it leaves my lips, I feel a thrill of excitement.

 

He goes quiet for a little while. I watch him as he watches me, my finger trailing further until it tickles across the crook of his elbow.

 

“Hey, man, if you won’t take her, I certainly will.” A short, red-haired man with a scruffy beard and a lewd grin gives me a once over. He wriggles his eyebrows at me and waggles his tongue in a way that makes me want to hurl.

 

“Count me in, too, big boss.” The bartender speaks up this time. He’s heavy for his height and smells like alcohol and cigarettes. I thought he was okay before, but now something about him makes me sit up taller. He flashes me a broad grin and licks his fingers. The way he stares at me almost makes me believe I’m sitting naked before him. Now, more than ever, I want to show these men what I’m made of. If I can’t prove it to them, I’ll never be able to prove it to my parents.

 

“Are you scared of me?” I make sure there’s an inflection of play in my tone, because I want his attention more than the others. My fingers pinch the base of his bicep, and I swallow a mouthful of saliva. He really does have big arms, both beautifully covered in all kinds of tattoos.

 

“Maybe a little.” The smile he gives me is far more dangerous than sexual. He lets go of my hand and straightens, and his jaw works back and forth. His eyes, I notice, are a startling shade of blue. They seem narrowed in thought.

 

“If that’s the case… should I take my chances with one of your bikers instead of you?” I almost hold my breath when he stands. He’s way bigger than I thought he was, and now there’s an edge to him that wasn’t there before. As I gaze at him in defiance, I quietly wish my friends would hurry up with their bathroom shenanigans. If I’ve just stepped into the viper’s den, I don’t know if I can survive it alone.