Brawn

 

“Here’s the last of it,” I said as I slid an envelope of cash across the table to my brother, holding my hand over it to keep it from being too obvious what we were doing.

 

“Are you serious?” Shift asked as he reached for it, taking the envelope from my hand. He looked from me to Maria and then back.

 

“We’re serious,” Maria said at my side. She had impressed me every day over the last few months. She wasn’t afraid to speak up around my brothers in the MC. She also wasn’t afraid to speak up around the old ladies, which really seemed to cause some friction among them, especially since she wasn’t my old lady, just a business partner.

 

Shift looked at the envelope like he wanted to open it and count the cash, still treating me like his little brother instead of the businessman I was becoming.

 

“It’s all there,” I told him. “Just like the last two payments.”

 

“I must say, little brother, I’m impressed,” Shift said.

 

“It’s not just me, brother. Look at Maria here. She’s the brains behind the operation.” I nodded toward her to direct his attention toward my partner in crime, so to speak.

 

“Is that so?” He glanced at her.

 

“If he says so, but he’s the talent, so I wouldn’t have a job to do if Brawn here wasn’t killing it every day in his workshop,” she said humbly, passing up his praise.

 

“You two make quite a team,” Shift observed, and I could hear how impressed he was in his voice.

 

“Man, it’s like you and Ellie at the club,” I told him. Ellie pretty much ran the joint, which was what Maria did for me, giving me the opportunity just to do my work instead of having to run the business at the same time. I couldn’t have done it without her. I would have gotten myself so turned around and confused trying to do her job on top of mine.

 

I had just handed my brother the last installment on a loan for ten thousand, which we spent on rent, insurance, tools, and materials. Through Maria’s ingenuity and my work ethic, word had spread pretty quickly about our business. She built up a waiting list, which, in itself, created more buzz for my work. People dug the idea that I was good enough to have a list of people who were willing to wait until I could get to them.

 

“Well, whatever you two are doing, it’s awesome. You guys are killing it together,” Shift said, looking at both of us again. There was something in his eyes when he mentioned us as a unit. Any time he mentioned us together, it was like he was thinking about us together, like a couple or some shit.

 

“Don’t be getting any ideas, Shift,” Maria cautioned him in her almost playful tone. She chuckled. “We work great together, but it’s not like that. I’m not big on being tied down.” She cut her eyes to me and smirked.

 

“I can second that,” I agreed. “I’m also not good at tying people down, as I’ve discovered.”

 

Shift stared at us with an utterly clueless look on his face, making us laugh even harder. No one knew about the way we’d started our business relationship, and we preferred it that way. It had become an inside joke.

 

“Well, whatever the hell it is you’re talking about aside, keep up the good work. I’ve got to get going, but here’s this,” he said, pulling cash out of his wallet to help with dinner.

 

“No way, brother. We’ve got this,” I told him. And by we, of course, I meant I had it.

 

“Are you sure?” he asked.

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Maria said. “We’ll take care of the ticket.”

 

“You know, you keep up the way you talk and act around us, we’ll have to give you a name just like everyone else,” Shift said to her. “Now, I need to borrow my little brother for a moment if you don’t mind.”

 

“Sure.” She slid out to let me out.

 

“You’ve got the company card, right?” I asked her as I got up.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Okay. I’ll only be a sec.”

 

“I mean, damn, Brawn, just kiss her and get it over with,” Shift teased.

 

I shot him a look and started to walk outside with him. Once we got outside, into the night air and under the city streetlights, I turned to him and asked, “all right, what’s up?”

 

He gripped my shoulder and walked me away from the front of the restaurant. “Hey, I know things have been going well for you, and I’m glad. Don’t get me wrong. I couldn’t be happier for you guys, especially if you’re able to pay me off this quickly and not be hurting for anything.” He patted the envelope in the inside pocket of his jacket.

 

“I’m waiting on the but,” I told him, urging him to get to the point.

 

“Well, the thing is they’re talking around the clubhouse,” Shift continued.

 

I groaned. “Talking about what?” I asked. I already knew what he was going on about, but I wanted him to get to the point, spit it out. Stop beating around the bush like he was trying to protect his little brother.

 

“Well, you know, they want to see you around the clubhouse more. They want to see you involved with the MC more,” my brother told me, his tone low and serious. There was an urgency behind his words, like there was more that he wasn’t telling me.

 

“I’ve been busy with work, Shift. You know this,” I argued. “What was I supposed to do, drop everything to go hang out and drink a few beers with the old-timers and wannabes?”

 

He chuckled. “That’s a bit harsh, man. What about guys like Mark, and me? We’re not old-timers, and I’d love to see you call Mark a wannabe or poser to his face. Hell, I’d pay good money to see that.”

 

“You know what I mean, man. There are a lot of guys down there who don’t need to be.”

 

“I get it. I do. That’s why we need guys like you, who have been around for a minute, to come down and show these kids the ropes. Show them what it means to be a Twisted Ghost. Hell, you know Shank isn’t hitting on shit, and James is too damn old to do much more than call the shots. We need more young-bloods to be active. Now that you and Maria are established, and you’ve got me paid off, you can relax a little bit, bro. What good is success if you don’t enjoy it a little bit?”

 

“All right, I’ll see what we can do,” I told him.

 

“Good deal. Take it easy.” He clapped me on the back and walked over to his motorcycle. I stood there and watched as the engine roared to life and he pulled away from the curb.

 

What I had neglected to mention to Shift was that I was also trying to make as much money as possible so I could help send Maria to nursing school, so I wasn’t the only one getting to live out their dreams. We were a team, and that meant I had to look out for her as much as I looked out for myself. I felt like I didn’t have a lot of time left for the MC after work. Maria had practically twisted my arm to get me to take Shift out to dinner to celebrate paying off the last installment of the loan we’d taken out from him.

 

I took a deep steadying breath and walked back into the restaurant, trying to leave all the MC bullshit on the sidewalk where I had talked to Shift. Maria stood up as I approached the table. She was the epitome of class and beauty with her wavy hair swept up and back and an elegant black evening gown that complimented her body perfectly. Her earrings dangled and sparkled in the light of the room. She looked delicious.

 

“Is everything okay?” she asked as I walked up to her.

 

I wanted to take her in my arms and kiss her. I wanted to feel her against me. I wanted to show all my appreciation for everything she’d done, but I knew that wasn’t the right way to handle our relationship. We weren’t romantic. There may have been a chance for that if we hadn’t ended up as business partners. Even that was temporary.

 

“Yeah, everything’s fine,” I told her. “It’s just MC business.”

 

She reached out and put a hand on my arm. Her gentle touch was the most reassuring thing I’d ever felt. I knew that with Maria by my side there wasn’t anything to worry about, whether with our business, the MC, or anything else.

 

“Are you sure?” she asked me, looking into my eyes. There was more than just a friendly concern in them.

 

“Yeah,” I said, shaking my head, shaking off the worry my brother had planted in my mind. “Are we done here?” I asked her, dismissing her caring look.

 

“Yeah, I think so. I’ve paid the check and everything. Are you sure you’re all right, Brawn? You seem like something’s bothering you,” she said, running her hand along my arm. She was standing so close to me I could feel the warmth from her body.

 

“You know what? Let’s celebrate tonight,” I told her, putting my arm across her shoulders. I couldn’t ignore my desire for her any longer.

 

“Are you sure?” she asked suspiciously. “What are we celebrating?”

 

“Being out from underneath my brother. I don’t know about you but I’ve been pretty worried about it. I hate being indebted to people.”

 

“I’ve noticed,” she said slowly.

 

“Let’s get a room, get a bottle of champagne, and drink until morning,” I said.

 

“Brawn, I’m not sure that’s such a good idea.”

 

“Why not? If we get hungry we can get room service. We can watch movies. Or we can just sleep on a really comfortable bed until we wake up in the morning instead of having an alarm go off.”

 

“I think we should get you home,” Maria said.

 

I took her in both of my arms and held her to me, leaning down so our foreheads met. “It’s like my brother said tonight. What’s it worth if we’re not going to enjoy it? We’ve done really well for ourselves, and I sure as hell couldn’t have done it without you. You have worked just as hard as I have, if not harder. You need this as much as I do, Maria.”

 

“But I know you, Brawn. I know how you think. I know how you operate.” Her hands pressed on my chest through my shirt. She looked down.

 

“You haven’t seen anything yet,” I warned her. “Come on.”

 

I took Maria by one of her thin, feminine hands and pulled her with me to the front desk of the hotel attached to the restaurant. I secured us a suite near the top floor for the night. I pulled her into the elevator with me, but I didn’t pull her to me. I didn’t put her against the wall and start making out with her the way I would have done anyone else.

 

Maria Kelly was a different kind of woman. She wasn’t someone I could just use and take advantage of. I felt like we’d both earned a break, a chance to let our hair down, over the last few months, working together. I knew what she expected from me. She’d known me long enough to know the type of person I was, but I wanted to show her it didn’t always have to be that way.

 

The elevator doors opened, and we walked into the hall. I checked the room number on the key card and stepped off the elevator. She followed. I was no longer dragging her by her hand but letting her come with me of her own free will. That told me whether or not she wanted to be there. She could leave whenever she was ready.