Sitting in the cool night air, Margaret rubbed her tender wrists. They were still raw from struggling to get herself untied from the chair. Though Jet and Gunther had been reprimanded, they were still joking about it days later. It sucked that her regularly assigned backups were complete idiots.

The wind picked up slightly, chilling her legs and arms. The short wrap skirt covering her skimpy bikini was doing little to keep her warm. Everything on the outside was slow and easy compared to the life she’d been living for the last year.

The sound of a match being struck to the right drew her attention. The handsome man lit his cigarette and took a long draw before speaking. “You enjoyin’ your freedom?”

“My thirty days will up in no time.”

“The fucking mobster only sprung you for thirty days? Fuckin’ unbelievable.”

“He says he’s still working on it. My name’s Margaret Henson. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

“I’m Dark. You met my boy, Darkness. My son ain’t never been turned down by a woman. That makes you a first.”

“He can’t have been hitting on women all that long. What’s he, eighteen or nineteen years old?”

“Twenty-two. And been hitting on women since he was fourteen.”

“Just between you and me, he’s not all that fascinating. Can we talk about something else?”

“Like what?”

“How about his sexy father. You married?”

“Widowed. My wife overdosed herself about thirteen years back.”

“I’m really sorry to hear that. It must have been hard raising Darkness all by yourself.”

“I guess most would say I wasn’t fit to be a dad, but I’m the one God gave him, so we made the best of it. Tried my best to do right by him.”

“He seems real nice, but we were talking about you. What do you do?”

Shaking his head, he took another long draw on his cigarette before answering, “Our club has a lot of irons in the fire. Most of it ain’t fit for a lady’s ears.”

“Mister Dark, I’ve been killing people for a living for almost a full year now. Granted, they were some of the worst people on planet Earth, but that doesn’t excuse me for putting a bullet through their head. Don’t be shy about telling me you run drugs, ‘cause the CIA ran drugs in Central America for years and no one ever thought a thing about it. You got a right to run your business. I’m not judgmental about stuff like that unless you’re selling to kids or something like that.”

“Well, we ain’t doin’ anything quite that bad. We run drugs, guns, and team up with Johnny and his stupid ass friends from time to time.”

“Ever done anything nice?”

“What the fuck kind of question is that?”

“When I have to shoot someone, I try to balance out my karma by doing something good.”

“Give me an example of that shit, cause it’s not computing for me.”

“I always try to make a clean kill shot to the head, so the person doesn’t suffer. I give most of my stipend away to charity because it doesn’t feel right keeping it. Sometimes I share my food with the homeless and stuff like that. I once went to kill a guy and he had a woman trussed up in his basement. I cut her loose, so that’s something I guess.”

“The club helped Johnny rescue a half dozen people from some asshole’s basement a while back. That felt good. We robbed the place and gave the women jobs and start-up cash to get back on their feet. I never thought of it was a good deed or anything.”

“It was a very good deed.”

“We take in women who don’t have any place to go and let them hang around our club. I don’t think that counts as a good deed, ‘cause they earn their keep by cooking and cleaning up the place. One has a steady job in the garage, keeping the books.”

“Do they seem happy with your club?”

Grinning, he replied quickly, “I’d have to say yes. They’re so happy at the MC that we can’t seem to get rid of them.”

Grinning, she quipped, “I’d say that counts.”

“You’re easy to talk to.”

“Did you think that because I’m a sniper, I’d be super strange?”

Snubbing out the cigarette in a potted plant, he crammed the butt in his pocket. “Nope. I thought you’d be super strange because you’re a woman.”

Laughing, she replied wearily, “You shouldn’t smoke. It’s bad for you.”

“Gee, I ain’t never done nothin’ that’s bad for me before.”

“You’re a sexy bastard with a good sense of humor. That makes you one in a million.”

Looking embarrassed at the compliment, he lifted his chin. “Enough about me, tell me about yourself. What did you do before that company nabbed you?”

“Sarah and I shared a life.”

“Come again.”

“We were in the military. People couldn’t tell us apart and they thought I was dead anyway. We just took turns with each deployment. One time she went and the next time I went. Whoever wasn’t active, took a little vacation. It might sound strange but it worked for us.”

“If you ever get ready for a real life instead of a half-life, give me a jingle.”

“I never thought about it like that, but you’re right. We were living a half-life, not a double life like we thought. You’re smart to pick up on that right away.”

“Yeah, that’s me. The brightest boy in the fuckin’ class.”

“You’re not all that bright.”

“Just how’d you arrive at that conclusion?”

“You’re all the way over there and you should be over here, with me.”

Seeing a smirk slip onto his face, she watched him close the distance between them in three strides. “What do you need?”

“You?”

“If you don’t mind me saying, you don’t sound very sure of yourself.”

“I’m not at liberty to make promises or even have hope about my future, but that’s not going to keep me from reaching for what I want in the moment.”

“You sure that you don’t want to take things nice and slow? You’ve been through a lot.”

“I’ve been in a holding pattern for the last twelve months. They kept me in a real nice two-hundred square foot room. I had a private bath, nice clothing and lots of high-speed weapons to entertain me. They took me out of the box long enough to shoot someone and then put me right back in there. No one beat me up, raped me, or anything like that. I felt like a doll kept on the shelf until someone came to visit.”

Pulling her to her feet, his arms came down around her like steel bands. Instead of panicking, she felt right at home. Pulling her head to his chest, he murmured soothingly, “Everything’s going to be okay. We won’t let them anywhere near you ever again.”

“Don’t make promises you can’t keep. Dragonfly is a multinational corporation with a multitude of killers for hire. Johnny can’t hope to take them down alone.”

“He’s not alone, and neither are you.”

“For once, I don’t feel so alone.”

Dipping his head, Dark paused right before he got to her lips. In that brief moment, right before her lips rose to meet his, the world suddenly coalesced into something she understood. This was the one thing that felt right. When their lips met, he started out gently then she could feel the excitement building for him, just like it did for her.

Swiping his tongue boldly against the seam of her lips, he silently demanded entrance. Opening to him felt as natural as shucking her shoes after a long hard day. She did it without thought and then found herself bowled over by the emotions he pulled out of her.

After what felt like forever, he pulled back. Shaking the hair from his face, his pale blue eyes peered into her very soul. “I’m going to fuck you and you’re going to let me.”

Biting her bottom lip, Margaret tried to remember the last time she’d been with a man. Well over a year, maybe even two. None of them had been half as sexy as Dark.

“That’s me asking permission, by the way.”

She looked up to find him staring down at her expectantly.

“You can say no.” His voice held a note of sincerity that pulled at her affections.

Pushing aside the tender feeling, she responded with more bluster than she felt, “I know that. What the hell kind of women are you used to dating that you even have to clarify something that obvious?”

Pressing his lips together in an attempt not to smile, he finally replied, “Fairly stupid ones, which are the only kind of women I seem to attract.”

“Well, I’m not stupid.”

“I noticed that. You are a good kisser though.”

“Glad you think so. Maybe we can get back to that, someplace a little more private.”

“How private do you need?” He was right there in the moment with her, she could tell by his tone.

“I’d love to get totally away from this place. I’m not used to being around so many people.”

Pulling her by the hand, he headed towards the front of the house. “I know a place not far from here.”

“Where are we going?”

“About ten miles from here, I own property. Trust me...”

Tossing her hair behind her shoulder, she cut him off, “I don’t have to trust you. I trust me.”

“What the hell does that even mean?”

“That if you try anything unpleasant, I’ll make you regret it.”

“You know this whole idea is getting less romantic by the minute. You said they didn’t beat or rape you, but you’re sounding like a woman who’s been abused.”

Curling around his side, she grabbed his arm. As they walked to his truck, she mused over how to explain things to him. “When I was at Dragonfly, the guys there would do things to me.”

“What the fuck kind of things, sweetness?”

Pulling the door open, he waited for her to climb in or maybe to answer his question. Instead, she waited until he was seated behind the wheel.

Holding up a wrist, she showed him her marks. On my last assignment, one of the bad guys got the jump on me and dropped me down a twenty foot well. It was disgusting. My backup team thought it would be cute to just leave me down there and take bets on how quick I could claw my way out.”

Cursing under his breath, he started the engine and slammed the truck into gear. “Stupid fuckers.”

“They did stuff like that all the time. They weren’t allowed to actually harm me, but Dragonfly docked their pay for mishandling company property.”

“First of all, you’re nobody’s fuckin’ property. Secondly, I’d like to have ten minutes alone with the pair of them.”

“It would be a waste of time. They’re too ignorant to learn from their mistakes.”

“We don’t do shit like that to each other around these parts. A brother will have your back when everyone else abandons you. Always remember that, sweetness.”

“God, it’s been so long since a man was nice to me, I don’t know how to act.”

Shooting her a heated look, he replied tightly, “I’m sure it’ll come back to you.”

Grinning, she acknowledged, “I’m sure you could give me a little refresher course on being treated...”

“Cherished. If you were mine, I’d cherish every minute with you.”

Tearing up, she glanced away. “That would be real sweet, Dark. Honestly, it would.”

His hand closed over hers, though he didn’t take his eyes from the road. It felt protective and reassuring. Within minutes, they pulled up outside an abandoned mountain tunnel. It threw her for a loop. Dark jumped out, came around the vehicle and jerked her door open.

Feeling betrayed, her throat closed up and she felt tears stinging the backs of her eyes. “I don’t understand. This is the kind of place where Dragonfly takes people to make them disappear.”

Reaching in, he picked her up. “Hush now, sweetness. I give you my word that nothing bad is going to happen.”

As they approached the huge, rickety, metal door, she could see that it was rusted in places and appeared dilapidated. A man wearing a black leather vest stepped out and opened a small door to the side. Following them in, the man’s voice sounded panicked.

“We weren’t expecting you tonight, sir. “Is everything okay? Should I call Doc Stevenson? Has there been an incident?”

“Calm the fuck down, Dawg. Everything’s fine. I just wanted someplace private to bring my friend. Tell the brothers to clear out. I want the perimeter covered tonight. If anything pops off here or anywhere else, you come for me.”

“Yes, sir. Can I get you anything else?”

“Brandy would be nice.” Looking down at her, he added, “Bring Amaretto for the lady.”

“Yes, sir. There’s ice stocked at the bar.”

Carrying her into a huge converted room, she realized it was some kind of hideout. The brick interior of the tunnel had been painted a nice shade of moss green. Large comfortable pieces of mismatched furniture had been strewn around. There was a long bar and a big screen television. The decorations were vintage auto and motorcycle license plates and such. There was a huge pool table off to the side. It was kind of cool.

He deposited her on a spacious wrap around sofa and dropped down beside her. Pulling each foot into his lap, he removed her shoes and began massaging her feet.

“So, is this your version of a man cave, an evil lair, or do you think of it as more of your own personal bat cave?”

Laughing, he kicked off his boots. “I use it for a warehouse.”

“That’s a little less intriguing but still mysterious.”

“Several of us have secondary rooms here. You might consider that a man cave. I come here to get away from the stress of running the club sometimes.”

Dawg rushed in with the liquor and began to make drinks for them. As they watched the man, Dark commented casually, “I also have a wine cellar here. We keep cases of our nicer liquor and some other luxury items for our own use.”

When Dawg brought their drinks, he served them on a piece of slate with a small ice bucket, both bottles, and a small tin.

“Are you hungry? I noticed you didn’t eat your food earlier.”

“I guess I missed my opportunity.”

Jerking his chin to Dawg, the man responded smoothly, “I’m on it, boss.”

She watched the other man walk behind the bar and begin preparing food. Glancing back to Dark, she mused out loud, “So, that’s how things go with you? Just insinuate you want something and your men jump?”

“Dawg is a prospect. Prospects guard, run errands and do odd jobs to prove their value to the club. He’s coming up on the end of his year. Once he’s a brother, all that bowing and scraping is behind him. Another prospect will take his place. We lose brothers fairly regularly to other charters and military service. Some die or even end up in jail. New brothers take their place.”

“That sounds harsh. Does it ever get to you?”

“It doesn’t matter how I feel about losing a brother, that’s the way it has to be for outlaws. We all knew the score when we joined up.”

“How many brothers are there?”

“I couldn’t tell you with complete accuracy. Being the club president, I’m responsible for every charter. We have thirty-eight charters in fourteen states. Each charter has roughly thirty fully patched brothers, six to eight prospects, and about a dozen affiliate members.”

“So, you can call up over a thousand fighters at any given time?”

“Well, sure I can. On the other hand, I’m also responsible for seeing that every fully patched brother earns enough to live comfortably and support his family. We pay medical and legal fees for our members, and enforce our bylaws throughout the entire MC.”

Pulling his feet into her lap, she took off his boots and began to massage his feet like he was doing for her. “I can see why you might need a break every now and then. Does your son help out?”

“That fucking boy can’t keep his pants zipped long enough to be helpful. Besides, motorcycle clubs don’t work that way. We vote on officers. I have a VP, Treasurer, Sergeant at Arms and Secretary. Those men assist in keeping everything tucked in around the edges.”

Dawg walked up with a huge round acrylic tray. Setting it down, he refilled their drinks. Dark thanked him and he slid out the front.

“Isn’t that sweet? He made hors d'oeuvres.”

Shaking his head, the man picked the tray up. “That’s all he ever makes. Something’s wrong with that man.”

“What are you talking about? They look delicious.” Grabbing a toothpick of cheese and fruit, she tasted it.

“What kind of man lives on appetizers? It ain’t normal.”

“Maybe he thinks real food is too much of an investment of time and energy.”

“Who knows what motivates that kind of behavior.” Popping one in his mouth, he grudgingly acknowledged. “Little fuckers taste good. I’ll give him that much.”

“You’ve got a nice place here, Dark. You guys are sweet.”

Looking up at her, he smiled, “Now that just goes to prove you don’t know us at all.”

“You know we’re missing the race, right?”

“I’m aware. It’s killing me, but...”

“But nothing. Shut your pie hole and turn the race on.”

Grabbing the remote, he clicked on the big screen. “Fine, we can fuck later.”

“Under one condition.”

Raising an eyebrow, he asked suspiciously, “What condition?”

“We cuddle now and maybe fool around during the infomercials.”

His expression smoothed into something resembling excitement. “That’s the way I roll anyway. Now get your sexy ass over here.”

Crawling over to him, she leaned her head on his chest. Hidden away in the bikers’ top secret hideout, she curled up to the dangerous man. It was a strange place to find that feeling of safety and contentment she’d always longed for. Running her hand up his jean clad leg, she cupped his manhood lightly.

“You’re being a very naughty girl, and naughty girls get fucked here.”

“You keep saying that but...”

Reaching down with one hand, he unsnapped and unzipped his pants. “Go on, sweetheart. Go exploring and tell me if you find anything you like.”

He was being playful and irreverent, which she suspected was very out of character for him. It struck her as kind of adorable. Slipping her hand into his pants, she felt him growing hard in her hand. Going from half-mast to full throttle in seconds, blew her away. The man was definitely a sexy handful. In fact, she couldn’t fit her fingers all the way around him.

“I definitely like this.”

“Most women do, it’s the rest of me they find offensive.”

Stroking him with one hand, she used the other to turn his face to her. “They’re wrong about you. You have to know that.” Shifting she straddled his lap, kissing him as she stroked him with both hands. His hands untied her bikini top and she felt it slide from her body. His big hands palmed her breasts, gently squeezing them before teasing her nipples. Kissing his way down her neck, he mouthed one as his other hand skimmed up her leg. His gigantic hand covered her mound, testing her responses.

“You’re warm here. Tell me, are you getting wet for me?”

“Any woman would, baby.”

“Fuck talking about other women. I asked about you.”

Running her thumb gently over the tip of his exposed cock, she murmured, “I’m soaked.”

Nudging his thumb under her bikini bottoms, he gently grazed over her tender skin, making her buck under his touch.”

“You’re responsive. I like that in a woman.”

Sliding his thumb over her tender bud, he rubbed, becoming bolder when she collapsed against him. Something about that set him off. Tossing her onto her back, he pulled at the strings until the bottoms came off. Before she could object, his mouth was on her. The decades of experience, pleasuring what she guessed to be hundreds of women, led to the most mind-blowing orgasm of her entire life. It took him seconds to discover her sweet spot and his fingers tapped it as he sucked her bud into his mouth, lashing it with his tongue. The second orgasm was even more pronounced than the first.

When he began crawling up her body, she wrapped her legs around him and guided him home. His hands were on either side of her head to brace his weight. One slight roll of his hips and he was breaching her in a way she’d never felt before. He was taking it slowly, but she felt every single inch of him. Pulling back slightly, he surged forward again, literally bullying himself into her body. The thing was, it felt great.

Grabbing his hips, she pulled him forward.

“Easy, sweetness. We have all night long.”

“You feel really good.”

His expression went from concerned to heated in an instant. Another gentle roll of his hips and he bottomed out inside her. “You feel like a slice of heaven too, sweetness. Hang tight.”

Pulling out, he surged back into her, making her squeal with delight. “That’s what I live to hear.” From that moment on, it was all about the pleasure. Kissing and nipping her neck, he braced himself with one hand and used the other to slowly circle her clit. His thrusting increased in intensity as he lost himself to the feeling of fucking her. Seeing him enjoy himself, only increased her pleasure at being pounded by him. For once, she was going for what she wanted and it was more fantastic than she ever could have imagined.

Her body clenched around him as another orgasm ripped through her overwrought body. This time, it pushed him over the edge as well. Stilling, she knew he was emptying himself in her. Her head was buzzing from multiple orgasms and she couldn’t easily organize her thoughts. Pulling out, he curled around her pulling her close. As her eyes closed, she realized that he was gently stroking her hair. Strangely enough, he did make her feel cherished.