Thursday afternoon, I was walking out to Cal's Mustang and saw him fold out of the driver's seat as I approached. Cal was wearing a heather grey long-sleeve Jacksonville Jaguars shirt with faded blue jeans and his black motorcycle boots. I felt my face split into a goofy grin at the surprise. I couldn't remember the last time I had a goofy grin for someone, besides Greg or Landon. I looked down to hide my goofiness. The little black dress I was wearing had a mock turtleneck and a print of a Japanese bonsai tree on the left shoulder. I was wearing my herringbone tights and black high heels again since my unpacked bags did not include my high heeled boots or any other appropriate stockings.
I looked up to Cal, and then said, "What are you doing here? Where's your bike?"
When I was close enough, Cal hooked me behind the neck and pulled me to him, "Christ, can’t remember if I told you or not, but I really like this dress, woman. My bike is back at my place. Had Blood drop me off here about ten minutes ago. It's trivia night, let's get a move on. But first, you need to give me a hello kiss."
While elevating on my toes, I put my arms around his neck. I touched my lips to Cal's and thought I'd just give his tongue a light swipe with mine, but then he took over and kissed me hard and deep. His arms around my waist moved down and he squeezed my butt as he pulled away from me.
"Now that's a decent 'Hello.' Get in the car, babe. Time to go."
We showed up at trivia right on time. The guys were all there, but we had just missed the server taking drink orders. Gavin's light blond hair was askew as if he'd been rubbing his head in agitation. He gave us a troubled look, though I didn’t know why. Bobby slid his eyes to me and gave me a miniscule chin lift when I said hello. Quinton was grinning at me like a loon after I said hi, but James was looking at me hard. Specifically, he was looking hard at Cal's possessive hand wrapped tight around me. Cal's hand was so tight, the tip of his left middle finger was practically pressing into the left side of my bellybutton. It was a very dominating position.
I was starting to feel self-conscious and began to fidget as a result. Cal tuned into this, and leaned toward my ear to whisper, "Chill out, hon. He's had months to make a move on you. It's a cliché ‘cause it's true: you snooze, you lose."
This set my teeth on edge. I had known the guys for over a decade. If they snoozed, it was because they were trying to read the signs from me. They didn't need some overbearing Alpha-type to come in and rub their noses in their own miscalculations. I could tell that I was getting into deeper waters here with Cal. I needed him to let me lead the way in this uncertain territory. I didn't want to hurt James. I didn't want to lead James on, either. I didn't want to lose James as a friend. I had known the guys for so long, they were like family. I hadn't treated them like family in over seventeen months. That was on me. I hadn't had to examine this aspect of my life in a while, if ever. Hell, I hadn't even known that James had any feelings toward me until about a week ago. Things had been changing at a rapid-fire pace over the past three and a half weeks. I didn't want to throw away a form of family because of a cliché.
I gently pulled Cal's fingers from my abdomen. I looked up at him, and I gave him a small grin. I tossed some of my hair over my left shoulder, and then said, "Please. Give me a moment." Cal acquiesced, and he gave me a slight nod. I hung my purse on a hook under the table, and then I moved to the other side of the table where Gavin, Bobby, and James were seated. Before I could reach James, Gavin slipped off his stool and steered me by my upper arm toward the table where Ray was ready to emcee the trivia game.
Once Gavin stopped us, I glared up at him, but before I could say anything, he launched right in, “I know you're going to tell me this is not my place, but I don't give a damn. I'm not sure this guy is good for you. I know Cal is tough and all. I see all the chicks droolin' over him. But, I've also watched James the last seven or eight months. He's been biding his time. Hell, for a while I was biding my time, but we're better as friends than anything else. I won't do anything to jeopardize it. James told me about the night out, shooting pool. That guy asked if James was making a play, and James said he might be. Then we don't see you for days, and if he wanted to make a play, how the hell could he?"
I grimaced at Gavin, but said, "Some people tried to abduct me Saturday night. I've been laying low because of that."
Gavin's eyebrows shot up, "Yeah. Another primo reason to think twice about Cal. James is a great guy. In fact, he's as good as Greg. I just don't know if you and he will fit the way you and Greg did. Don't get me wrong. I get you wanting to go slow and shit, but Cal seems like bad news. Seemed that way since the moment he laid eyes on the photo of you and me and Greg at your wedding."
My head tilted, my eyes widened and I felt my shoulders tense. That photo was one of Greg’s favorites from our wedding. Gavin was best man, and the shot was taken during the best man speech. Gavin had said something hysterical. Gavin’s eyes were alight with mischief and his smile was huge as he watched Greg and me. Both of us had our heads tilted back in laughter. I blinked to try and relax my eyes, but before I could ask Gavin anything, I heard him mutter, "Shit. I wasn't supposed to mention that."
I righted my head, and asked, "What do you mean? You weren't supposed to mention that?"
Gavin looked uncomfortable, but said, "The day Cal came in for his consult to hire us. He was in my cube and saw the framed pic of me, Greg, and you on your wedding day. It's a good picture. He was looking at it hard, and when I caught him, he pointed at Greg in the picture and said, 'That's one damn lucky bastard.' I couldn't stop myself before I said to him, ‘You really think so? Because he's dead.’"
I closed my eyes imagining the pain Gavin must have felt at telling someone Greg was no longer part of this world. I instinctively wrapped my arms around Gavin's wide waist and gave him a squeeze.
I stepped back and then said, "I'm sorry, Gav. I miss him all the time during every day."
Gavin took my hands in his and said, "I know, Mal. And I don't want to give you guilt or anything, believe me. We all want you to move on with your life. You can't sit around and let it pass you by. It sucks without G-man, but ultimately we all know life goes on. I just want you to be sure Cal is the right guy to start moving on with. None of us want to see you waste more time if he breaks your heart. You know what I mean?"
I sucked my lips in, and nodded my head. I looked up at Gavin and said, "I know what you mean. However, can I tell you that Cal met my parents unexpectedly? Don't ask me how, but some way he managed to get my mother and my father's approval. I'd say that's a good sign. I'm aware that I’m getting so close to the fire that I might get burned, but I'll make you a deal. If I get my heart broken, I promise I won't sit around and lick my wounds the way I did after Landon and Greg were killed. Does that sound good?"
Gavin's baby blue eyes were hard, but after a beat they softened and then he said, "Sure, Mallory. You're a big girl. I know that."
I gave a quick nod, and said to him, "Now, let me have a word with James, okay? Cal is about the only domineering man in my life I can handle at one time."
Gavin and I strolled away from the corner. When we returned to the table, Cal and James were both missing. I looked to the side entrance where many smokers went to fulfill their addiction, but they weren't out there. I moved toward the bar area. There was another door that led to a very small patio type area for smokers, and I could see Cal and James through the glass door that led to the patio. They were both in defensive stances and it didn't take a lip-reader to know heated words were being exchanged. It might have been self-centered to assume it was about me, but common sense said I was definitely in the top five subject matters at hand.
I shoved the glass door open with more force than was necessary, but certainly not more force than I intended. I wanted to make an entrance, and I wanted it to be dramatic. I scored on both counts because I managed to shut them both up and get their full attention. Before the door closed behind me I planted my hands on my hips and glowered at both of them.
I heard the beginnings of statements from both men, and snapped, "Save it. Both of you."
I pointed at Cal, "You. I asked for a moment, and that moment was meant for James. So, I can see where you might think the moment was meant for any of the guys, but Gavin caught me unaware. I need a moment to talk to James. And James! What's with laying into Cal? You can't tell someone to leave me alone. And I can't imagine you were trying to give him IT advice, so what's with the aggressive posture? Actually, don't answer that."
I took a deep breath, and then looked at Cal, "Please. I need a moment, and when I'm done, you and I need to have words also. Please, let me talk to James. I've known him for over ten years, and he's one of the four best men I've known in that many years, so if you give the first damn about me, give me that."
Cal's hazel eyes glittered at me for a moment while his lips thinned. He took a deep breath, glanced at James and looked back at me. After a moment he said, "Fine. I don't understand why you and I need to have words, woman, but I'll give you a moment with James."
Cal moved back into the restaurant and James and I were left alone on the patio. I was guessing that the heated conversation he had with Cal had cleared any other smokers from the vicinity. Even with Cal gone, the air was thick with tension. I moved my head from side to side in an effort to crack my neck, but it didn’t work.
I moved in front of James and then said, "I'm sorry. I don't know, nor do I care what the two of you said to each other, but I was nearly abducted Saturday night."
James's eyes got a little big at that and his nostrils flared, but he didn't say anything. I continued, "I've been laying low, and I don't want to involve any other people I care about in it, seeing as how Natasha was there when this happened."
James asked, "And she's okay?"
"Yes. And so am I."
James gave me a derisive look, "I can see that, Mallory. You're so okay, you're practically glowing, with Cal's fucking hand around your belly. You heard me tell him that I might make a play. You didn't care about that?"
I stifled a snort and then said, "I told you that I had no idea you had feelings toward me, and further, Cal made his initial play right after he met me. I'm sorry, James. Really, I am. The chemistry with Cal is like nothing I've felt before, even with Greg, which it pains me to say. The guilt I've felt the last couple weeks is enough to make the Pope cringe. I don't want to lose you, because I consider you like family. I get it if you need to cut me out for a while or something..."
I couldn't finish the rest of that statement. The fact was, that I wouldn't understand if James needed to cut me out of his life for a while. Intellectually, I might, but deep down, no. James looked up to the cloudless sky. He looked back at me, taking a deep breath. His lips thinned, and his brows crinkled a little bit. He seemed to be in deep thought, and then he closed his eyes. When he opened them again, his expression cleared.
James pursed his lips at me slightly, but said, "I still think he's bad news. He told me you were almost abducted when we first came out here. I blamed him, but he said it had nothing to do with him, and everything to do with your mother-in-law. Loved Greg like a brother, but I didn't know shit about his mom. I didn't think you should've given her any money, but you did. Cal says she needs more because she took it to the poker room to make more of it, but couldn't. Tell me you did what Cal told you, and you didn't give her anymore?"
I gave him a semi-smile, and then said, "No, hon. I didn't. Had quite a few men tell me not to do that in the past few days. So, message received."
James's steely blue eyes were still slightly hard as he gave me a steady gaze. "I'm glad to hear it. He breaks your heart, I'm gonna kick his sorry ass. Hardened biker or not, I'll manage to do it, Mal. Then I'm gonna push every thought of that bastard out of your head. You understand?"
I gave James a small chin lift and then said, "I understand, Kemosabe. I think we’ve got a trivia game to get back to."
James preceded me into the building, but held the door as I followed him inside. Before I could take three steps into the restaurant, a tall, blue-eyed, sandy-brown-haired woman stood in my way. She was about three inches taller than me, and her face was narrow with pencil-thin lips. Her features were harsh individually, but together she made a striking appearance. Her boobs were large and overly perky. Definitely some plastic surgery was performed. She was wearing a sheer white floral embroidered blouse with a very deep V-neckline and self-ties, which had been left untied and loose. The sleeves were long with elasticized cuffs, and there was a scalloped hem at the bottom. She paired her semi-see-through top with skin-tight jeans and brown cowboy boots. Her large sky blue-eyes moved up and down over my body. Her lips formed an ugly sneer at me.
“Trixie told me about your poser yuppie ass. I cannot see how you landed Cal. You don’t deserve him.”
I briefly pressed my lips together. “And who are you to tell me who I do or don’t deserve?”
Her lips tipped up in a slight smile. “I’m Melissa. Best old lady material at the Riot compound. Cal and I always got together on the regular until three weeks ago. I’m sure when he’s over his taste for yuppie pussy, he’ll be begging to lick mine again.”
I knew I shouldn’t even give this person the time of day, but my temper was fully in control.
“Don’t hold your breath. He’s offered to upgrade his master bath shower for me if we go the distance. Dual showerheads. It’ll be sweet after a day on his boat and a dip in his big-ass pool.”
Melissa’s mouth popped open. “You have not been to his house, and you’re just guessing he has a boat.”
I did a marginal nod canting my head to the side. “You’re so tight at the club, ask Blood or Abby about how we were being exhibitionists on his boat this past Sunday.”
Then to my utter dismay, her hand shot out and smacked me as she screamed, “You bitch!”
Her other hand went into my hair and yanked. After the run-in with Bush, I wasn’t letting anyone abuse my hair. I launched a swift ascending right elbow at her chin, and was satisfied to hear her teeth clatter. Her hand in my hair dropped and I was lifted in the air from behind.
Suddenly, I found myself standing outside the two front doors to Rounder’s. Volt was telling Jackie to get my purse, and I could hear Melissa nearby yelling for the manager.
“Cal, you saw what that cunt did!”
Cal rumbled, “Yeah, I saw it was self defense after you bitch-slapped her. Tell you for the last time. You have no claim on me. I mean none. Haven’t touched your sorry ass in over a year. Pull more shit like this, I’ll put it to a vote to ban your ass.”
I felt a presence to my right and looked up to see Vamp grinning.
Then he murmured to me, “Mal, I’m thinkin’ you need to read How to Win Friends and Influence People.”
I narrowed my eyes at him and said, “Don’t be a smartass, Vamp.”
I realized that there were other things going on around me, and I suddenly cried out, “Wait a minute! How did she know I’d be here? For that matter, how did she know who I am?”
Melissa gave me another sneer. “I heard Jackie say she was going to trivia with Volt and that Cal was going to meet them here. I got a table, and then I watched you walk in here with him. What the hell he sees in you, I’ll never know. You are not old lady material.”
Volt stepped up to Melissa and I could just barely hear him say, “With this behavior, you can bet your ass that every brother in the Riot MC will hear about how you aren’t old lady material. You’ve let your mouth overload your ass, Melissa. If Cal makes Mallory his old lady and you bitch-slap her again, it won’t take a fuckin’ vote. You’re out. Now, get gone.”
Melissa looked like she wanted to say something to either me or Volt, but she kept her mouth shut. She turned and walked into the parking lot. Jackie came out of the restaurant with my purse. Cal took my purse from her, and then, putting an arm around my waist, he steered me to the Mustang.
* * * * *
I was sitting in my favorite armchair with an ice pack on my elbow. Turns out hitting someone on their jaw with your elbow hurts like hell afterwards. I was waiting for Cal to come into the living room. We had just finished the burritos we picked up from Moe’s on our way home. We ate in silence, and I couldn’t decide if the silence was an effort on Cal’s part to calm his temper, or if it was just uncomfortable to talk about this woman. I had questions about him and the picture of me he saw on Gavin’s desk. I also wanted to know why it was Volt who carried me out of Rounder’s and why Cal had to carry Melissa out of the restaurant. It seemed like it should have been the other way around. Had he really been with her just three weeks ago? For some reason, I thought I heard something different when we were standing outside Rounder’s, but I was so amped up on adrenaline that not much was making total sense. I definitely needed to know what the story was on Melissa, first and foremost. That was a straightforward conversation. I was contemplating how I was going to ask him about the picture business. It seemed kind of stalker-ish. Who sees a picture of someone on their wedding day, and says, ‘There’s a lucky bastard.’? The problem was, I wanted answers, but I didn’t want a confrontation.
Cal had offered to take out the trash for me when we finished eating, so I was waiting for him to come back in from my garage. I heard the door open and close.
“You want another beer, Mal?” Cal asked from the entryway to the kitchen.
“No, thanks.”
He turned, and I heard the refrigerator door open and shut. He came into the living room and propped a hip on the arm of my chair. “What gives, sweet cheeks? Don’t let her get in your head. That’s exactly what she wants.”
I took a deep breath. “I wouldn’t say she’s in my head. I’ve got a few things I want to ask you about, but I don’t want it to get confrontational.”
Cal let out a long exhale, and then said, “You can ask, but I can’t guarantee that it won’t get confrontational. This question have to do with something Melissa said? ‘Cause I can straight up tell you, she’s a pathological liar.”
Putting the ice pack on the arm of the chair, I tucked my legs under me and looked up at Cal. “The first part has something to do with her, and the other thing has nothing to do with her. She said you and her had been getting together regularly until three weeks ago. She said once you get over your taste for yuppie pussy, that you’d be begging for her again. Is that true?”
Cal took his hip off the chair arm, and then deftly scooped me out of it. Then he sat himself on the chair and arranged me on his lap. I squirmed and tried to get away from him, but his arms tightened like a vice around my torso.
“I ain’t havin’ this conversation with you sitting across from me or in some other way. You said you didn’t want a confrontation. I want you with me when we talk about this. That means you sitting right here with me for this. You got it?”
I took a very deep breath. I let it go slowly and said, “I got it.”
“Now, hear this, Mallory. I don’t want you bringing it up again later. I like sex and I like it frequently. It’s rare that I’m exclusive, but since I met you three weeks ago, you’re the only person I’ve been with. I’m always careful, and I’m clean. We covered that Sunday night. I haven’t had a damn thing to do with Melissa sexually for over a year.
“I mentioned it outside the restaurant, but you didn’t catch it. She wants to be an old lady, badly. The thing she can’t understand is that she’s not old lady material. She’s impulsive, and she runs her mouth. In my world, I make someone my old lady, that woman is a reflection on me. She’s mine. She’s my property, but she’s still a woman and if she steps out of line no man’s gonna fuck with her. They’re gonna fuck with me, because like I said, what an Old Lady does is a reflection on her Old Man. I’m not about to take on that kind of shit for a skank like Melissa. Does that clear this up for you?”
“In a way. I mean, the ways of your ‘world’ are still a little Neanderthal to me, but whatever. Next: why did Volt physically pick me up and move me out of Rounder’s, and why did you move Melissa? I don’t get it, cause it seems like that should have been reversed. And third, what about you having a taste for yuppie pussy, and you’d get over that? Am I just some kind of conquest for you? Needing a little variety in your sexual repertoire?”
I felt Cal’s body get rigid. He squeezed the middle of my right thigh, and then he said, “Volt and I saw Melissa approach you when you came back inside. I know she’s a good three inches taller than you, and I’ve seen how she eats and drinks. Figure, she’s got to weigh more than you. Volt’s strong, but whether he wants to admit it or not, I’m stronger. Melissa’s good at catfighting, and I had no idea how you would respond. Volt said he had you, and for me to take care of Melissa in case she kept at you. It had nothing to do with any prior history or some bullshit. It just made sense in the moment.”
I gave Cal a slight nod since that made sense to me.
He continued, “As for the last part of what you just said, you are not some kind of conquest. I told you six nights ago, when we had sex, you became my woman. I meant it. You’re the only woman I’ve put on the back of my bike. You’re the only woman I’ve taken out on my boat alone, and you’re the only woman who’s driven my car. I want to see where this can go, Mallory. And I’m thinkin’ it might have what it takes to go somewhere really fuckin’ good. Like I said, don’t let her get in your head. Sayin’ bullshit like what she said to you is exactly how she hopes to weasel her way into your thinking. Do not let her do it. Can you do that?”
I pressed my lips together. Everything he said was good. It didn’t sound rehearsed, but it did seem a little too pat and more than a little too soon. Seriously, after just three weeks, he thinks we have what it takes to go somewhere really good? I could feel myself falling for him, but it was hard for me to believe the same of Cal.
Before I could mull that over any further he asked, “What’s the other thing you wanted to ask me about?”
I tilted my head down slightly and then said, “It’s about the day you hired the guys. You said something to Gavin about a picture of me and Greg. I mean, is that why you goaded me into trivia? You saw my picture on Gavin’s desk and he told you my husband was dead, so you thought you’d give it a go with a widow?”
He ran a hand down his face and then he said, “I gotta stop you right there. You don’t want a confrontation, I get that. But if you don’t want a confrontation with me then don’t talk to me in a confrontational way, and let me tell you, you’re close to doing just that. To answer your first question, yeah. It’s part of why I goaded you into trivia. The fact is, you’re easy to rile up, and don’t ask me why, but riling you up is a shitload of fun to me.”
He looked at me hard and sighed. “I shouldn’t tell you this next stuff yet, but seriously, I saw that picture of you laughing. You were so damn gorgeous, but what woman isn’t on her wedding day? So, I had to calm my first impression. Then you were hemmin’ and hawin’ at Gavin about not coming to trivia ‒as usual‒ according to Quinton. I took Gavin’s phone and your voice hit me hard. You arguing with me right outta the gate was a one-two punch. You stormin’ into Rounder’s, almost takin’ me out doin’ that, and then you gave me that shy sweet ‘excuse me’. I felt that in my dick.”
I was pressing my lips together in an attempt to not grin at him. I took a breath to speak, but Cal put a finger on my lips.
“Then, you went and argued with Blondie like nobody’s business. Sayin’ what me and my brothers already knew to be true, but quotin’ the ladies’ fuckin’ handbook. That was fuckin’ spectacular in my mind. I spent over a week trying to forget about having you on the back of my bike. I had never had fender-fluff on my bike before.”
“Fender-fluff? Are you serious?”
Cal gave a slight snort. “I don’t make up the slang, woman. Anyway, that’s why I hassled Gavin for your number. You know all the rest, babe. Now, do I still sound ‘stalker-ish?’”
I grinned at him. “Not especially. It’s almost cute.”
Cal’s hand had been rubbing my ass absently. After my comment, he pinched my right buttcheek, hard.
“Hey! What was that for?”
Cal pecked my lips. “I’m many things, baby. ‘Cute’ isn’t one of them.”
“I have one more question.”
“Shoot.”
“We’re going to Bike Week, for a whole week.”
Cal looked at me askance. “That’s not a question, woman.”
I exhaled dramatically. “I know that. But how are we going to fit my luggage and whatever luggage you have on your bike. There’s no way it’s going to fit in those saddlebags.”
Cal chuckled. “You forgot that your girl, Tasha, is coming with us too, so my bike is out. Don’t you worry about it, sweet cheeks. We’re takin’ a cage and towing my bike behind us. Not sure if we’re ridin’ with Volt or Blood yet. Pretty much up to Volt. He’s not sure if he can take a full hour in the Hummer with the three of you. Think he said you’re a bad influence on Jackie.”
I gave Cal’s shoulder a playful swat. “He did not!”
Cal chuckled again. “No, he didn’t, but you’re cute when you’re mad.”
I stood up and my hands immediately settled on my hips. “I am not.”
“Whatever you say, but I’ve got a serious question for you.”
I gave him an almost-sideways glance and then I said, “You do?”
“Oh, yeah. Where did you learn to throw such a powerful ascending elbow?”
My eyebrows furrowed as I almost didn’t know what he was talking about, and then I remembered my confrontation with Melissa. I could feel my face relax and I had to fight off the smile threatening to breakout.
With slightly tipped-up lips, I said, “I learned it from my kickboxing instructor. Though to be fair, we never do one-on-one combat or even work with heavy bags, but nevertheless, he was always very good about painting a verbal picture about an opponent right in front of us and possibly one behind if need be, and all that jazz. It’s a really great class. You should come with me some time.”
Cal leaned forward in the armchair and aimed his hazel eyes up at me. “I’ll keep that in mind, sweet cheeks, but seriously, I’m the Sergeant-at-Arms for my club. I know a thing or two about throwing punches and elbows if need be. If I go to that class with you some time, it will only be to watch you and your magnificent hips move to the music.”
Reflexively, my head tilted to the left, and then I was shaking my head while I said, “You are something else, Cal. Heaven forbid if you came to a class at my gym in order to stay in shape or work muscles you don’t normally use.”
Cal went from leaning forward to standing directly in front of me. His hands clamped on my hips and he dipped his head toward mine to say, “Not too many muscles I don’t use, woman. Don’t need a class at a gym to figure that out. Let’s go to your bedroom so I can demonstrate how skilled I am with all of my various muscles you think I don’t normally use.”