Lucy takes awhile to wake up. I can’t blame her after the night we had. I’ve made her a coffee and place it on the bedside table. I’m tight from sleeping on the hard carpet last night but her looking up at me with those adorable, tired eyes puts me at ease.

Every part of me wanted to lay next to her last night and hold her, tell her how much I want to learn about her, apologize for our timing being so off. Another life, I’d like to think we might have had a chance.

I’ve thought over why I feel obliged to return to a biker club I can barely remember. Maybe I just want to show them my respect. Maybe I’m hoping coming back will help spark my memory.

Maybe I owe it to Mia… Whoever she is…

“You fix the TV?” Lucy asks, noticing the new set in the corner.

“Room eighteen guests checked out and may have accidentally left their door open.”

“Landon…”

“Hey, now. That ain’t stealin’. I’m borrowing it.”

I switch the channel to some morning news show. Lucy watches it attentively while curling up beneath the sea of blankets. I walk to her and perch myself at the foot of the bed.

“I’m headed to that place on the matchbook in a bit. You down to join me?”

“Nah. I’ll stay here.”

“You sure about that? Not much to do around here…”

“I don’t want to go out there. I know what’s out there and I know it’s all crap. So I think I’m gonna sit here, watch the news, go for a swim, order some Chinese food and relax a while.” I must give her a look of concern because she tilts her head that cute way she does. “What?”

“Please come with me.”

“Aw, Landon, you scared to go talk to a bunch of big mean bikers alone? Last I checked you’re the one who wanted to come back here.”

I present her my middle finger and an amused grin. She climbs out from the covers, dressed only in a slouchy top and panties and crawls towards me. She lifts higher on her knees, takes my dirty collar, puts her pouty lips a breath away from mine and whispers, “…Or you scared I might leave without a goodbye?”

I don’t really know what to say. This girl keeps spinning my wheels. Last night she seemed ready to run for the hills, and this morning she seems ready to fuck me senseless. It’s like flipping a damn switch. She’s off or on, no gray areas…

“That’s what I thought.” She pushes me away with a wink, knowing she won this battle.

The worst part is, she’s right. Goddamn, I want her to stay with me. I’m afraid if I walk out that door she might not be here when I get back…

I watch her hold her gaze with mine, no longer as intimidated by me it seems. “I want to kiss you again,” she tells me, bright-eyed. I take my thumb and drag it down her lip. It’s tempting. It’s fucking tempting.

“I…I want the same thing… But I need answers first.”

“Right, of course…Mia.” She’s back under the sheets in a flash.

“I just need to know what kind of man I am before I drag you down with me, Lucy…You’re playing with fire, darlin’. You’ll get burned.”

My cock is hard as a fucking rock. I want Lucy. I want her every hour of every day.

I don’t give her a chance to respond. I throw on my leather jacket, give Lucy a kiss on the forehead and head out the door. I need to step away from the situation before I end up the one burned.

A short walk later, I’ve finally arrived.

Big Sal’s.

Its sign is lit up in the day with blue neon lights that follow right on into the dark bar.

Stepping inside, the rest of the run-down joint is a relic of some forgone, cocaine-fueled time long past. It’s dark and stinks like tobacco and foul men at play. Hints of women’s perfume catch my nostrils as I listen to the metal blasting on the stereo. It’s instantly familiar to me. I sense no imminent threat here. When I catch the attention of the security guard and the young, pretty ginger thing behind the bar they seem completely comfortable with my arrival.

The music’s blaring so loud, I gotta shout for my order when I reach the bar. Little Red pours me a shot of whiskey and a beer before I’ve even opened my mouth. “How much?”

“Huh?” she says, confused.

“I said ‘How much?’”

“On the house, honey,” she says with a laugh, her hand atop mine that holds a few dollar bills. She stands back up and gestures her head to the back of the room.

Someone whistles. The music turns off. Some faceless bodies slide out from their vinyl booths, moving beside me and the stripper poles and out the door. Squinting through the dim, I notice some guys have stayed behind. I take a step back towards the door.

“That’s some big fuckin’ balls you got,” comes a powerful voice. He approaches with arms open wide and I receive his embrace.

“Y…Yeah.”

“Landon. Look at me, bro. Did you find Lucy?”