Chapter Six – Warren
When I walked into The Bandits clubhouse and flipped on the lights, I wasn’t expecting to see Red that day, despite wanting to. The Bandits were not a mega club. Although by the respect they had in the community and with the police, one would think they had charters all over the world, but really they only had about fifty men in Willow Springs. There was only one chapter, and that was it. None of the brothers drew their sole income from the club, so it wasn’t surprising that the clubhouse was empty in the middle of the day. The brothers were either at work or home with their family, though I knew work for some was in the garage. It was mostly a mix of older brothers who had long retired or younger brothers who had enough money to last them until their next job that stood around, smoking or working on their bikes. Only a hand full of them were hired full time at the garage as mechanics.
I fell into a mixture of the two categories. I was a full-time Bandit, making my wage between gigs, some illegal, some not, and helping out around the garage. I would have gladly spent my day helping Jerry with his bike, but with Red on the scene, I cleared my schedule. She looked different in the light of day. More worried and more anxious. I noticed how she kept looking around like she was expecting someone to jump out at her. Despite that, she was still sassy, making me regret not having her in my bed this morning.
We made quick banter, building on the chemistry from last night. I had no plans to bring it up, at least not around my brothers, but if I got her alone, I wanted an explanation. I talked her into my bed once and I was hoping to pull off the same magic. Whatever she was doing was working, because unlike the rest of the women I’d bedded, I needed seconds. Once just wasn’t enough.
She followed me into the office and wrinkled her nose. I tried to smell it how she smelled it. My brain sought the answer to her nose tingling and I breathed it from her perspective. The inside of the garage smelled like a combination of sweat, testosterone, and cheap beer. The stank of cigarettes hung in the air on top of it, mixed with the greasy pungency of oil, and I smiled because to me it smelled like it always did before I took the time to notice.
“Fill this out,” I said, handing her a clipboard, which gathered her information. I may or may not have been more excited to learn her real name than actually doing my job.
She handed it back in minutes and I smiled at the name. Alyssa Monroe. So Ally was a nickname.
“Miss Alyssa Monroe,” I said, noticing how she blushed. I liked it. She looked even sexier when her skin was flushed.
“I think I like Red better,” she said pulling on her shirt.
“Oh, I do too, Red. I was just trying it out for size.”
“Well. Yes?”
“I think we can fix your car.”
“Really?” Her eyebrows raised with hope.
“You’re surprised?”
“Well, I just figured a biker wouldn’t work on anything but motorcycles.”
I couldn’t help shrugging. “A motor is a motor.”
She nodded. “I can see that.” Something was on Red’s mind and I was hoping she would let me get to the bottom of it. Or at the very least, ease her mind. “How much do you think it’ll be?”
For a second, I forgot what we were talking about.
“I’m not sure. I have to wait for Dead Shot to get back to me on the issue.”
“Do you know how long that’ll be?”
I thought it through. Realistically, we weren’t busy. I could get it done today, but I wasn’t going to tell her that. She would get it fixed and then who knew when I would see her again.
“It’ll take some time,” I said slowly, weighing my words. I hated lies. I was always upfront, and I prided myself on that fact. What I said was true: her repairs would take some time. “I think we’re really backed up, but I can cut you a break on the pricing.”
“What’s the catch?”
She pulled her purse closer to her body, as if expecting me to grab her or take something.
“No catch. Just have dinner with me.”
She rubbed her fingers through her red tresses and huffed. “You don’t have to give me a discount. Just tell me how much it costs and I’ll figure it out.”
I slid closer to her on the couch. Why? I have no idea, given how many signals to stay away she was sending. “I want to.”
She looked at me unbelieving, but hadn’t pulled away.
“If you’ll agree to go on an actual date with me, I’ll do the repairs myself and for free.”
I kept talking for fear that what I said wasn’t enough. “And I’ll do it as soon as possible. As soon as we eat, I’ll come here and get your car back to you in a matter of hours.”
That was a gamble, given I didn’t know if we carried any of the parts her hunk of junk needed, but it was a risk I was willing to take, and it was worth it.
She didn’t need any more convincing. “Deal. I can make that, but …”
“But what?”
“I insist we have lunch. Not dinner.” I stared at her, wondering if this was a game or a way to get out of it. She chewed on her bottom lip. “It’s just that I don’t want you working late, here all by yourself, just because we had dinner and made a deal. If we have lunch, you can still get back here and if you needed it, get some help.”
She had a point. “Okay. Just sit here and wait for a sec. I’m going to change into a clean shirt.”
It wasn’t that I was wearing dirty clothes, but I was wearing clothes that had already seen the underside of a greasy motorcycle. I didn’t care if it got any dirtier than it already was.
The clubhouse had several rooms as emergency bedrooms or crash houses for the brothers. As VP, mine was much bigger than the others, but since I was a minimalist at heart, I didn’t have more clothes in the room than I did in my own house. The dresser was full of t-shirts and I grabbed the first one off the top without looking as I pulled it over my head.
Red’s lips spread into a wide grin as she saw me, and her cheeks turned a faint pink.
“What?” I asked, smiling back at her even though I wasn’t clued in.
“I like your shirt.”
I looked down and laughed loudly. Talk about coincidence. My shirt was black and had the white outline of a man’s mouth with a beard, quite like mine. The words marking the top of his face said, “My beard is the only hair that should be between your legs.”
She knew all too well that fact.
“Got a preference for lunch?”
She shook her head without thinking. “Whatever you want is fine.”
I knew this town better than the back of my hand, and I knew that the best places weren’t the most popular ones, but the hole-in-the-wall places.
“Then I know the best place for us.”
I took her hand, leading her to my bike. “You remember the rules, don’t you?”
She giggled and nodded. “Yes.”
“This is Heaven.”
“Really, Warren? You’re laying it on kind of thick.”
I laughed again, sliding my hands over my handlebar. “No, baby. Her. My bike. Her name is Heaven.”
“Oh,” she said blushing again. “Nice to meet you?”
“Well, I figure since you’re about to ride her again, it was time you get acquainted.”
“So your bike is a girl?”
“Yeah. Look at that body,” I said, admiring the sleek lines of the chrome and design. “Look at those lines. She’s beautiful. Only a woman would look like that. Plus, I only allow women to hold and touch this package,” I said, pointing to my crotch.
Red bent forward as she burst into a fit of giggles so strong she forgot to be worried. I could tell her amusement took over whatever had been on her mind.
“Let’s go,” she said, waiting for me to get on. I liked that impatience. I was hoping she felt the opposite when lunch was over.