Minus

“You wanna hear more?” I asked in disbelief.

She raised an eyebrow. “I’m here, aren’t I?”

“Flyin’ baby Jesus, Cricket. I can’t for the life of me figure out why?”

“Would you make up your mind please, Minus,” Cricket ground out. “Do you want me to be a part of this, or not?”

“Actually... I don’t know,” I admitted.

“That’s not an answer!” she snapped.

“What do you want me to say here? To be honest, no I don’t want you involved in my club, because I don’t want you to get hurt. I’d burn the world down if anything ever happened to you, and I’d burn myself with it if it was because I dragged you into this. I don’t want you involved with guys like Viper, or guys like me, for that matter, but I think Cutter may be right. I think together we could save this club from extinction, and turn it into something good.”

“Then, trust me enough to let me all the way in and tell me everything. I can decide how far down the rabbit hole I go,” she said.

“This isn’t Alice in Bikerland. This is real life.”

“You just let me be the judge of what I can and cannot handle, and spill the beans.”

I filled her in on everything we knew about Los Psychos, Viper, and today’s meeting. I also went into further detail about my conversation with Cutter, and his new vision for the club. She sat quietly, absorbing every word I said, taking notes on hotel stationary.

“Why Cutter’s change of heart about the club?” she asked. “Is it because he’s dying?”

“I think the diagnosis gave him the final push to act, but it sounds like he’s been thinking about this move since before he sent me to Savannah. In fact, him sending me there was apparently all part of his masterplan.”

“You’re joking, right?”

“Dead serious. He told me himself that sending me to Savannah served two purposes. It got me out of your brother’s hair, and that was good for our relationship with the Dogs of Fire. Cutter wants us to partner with the Dogs and learn what we can from them. His vision of the Saint’s future looks a lot like the Dog’s present.”

“Okay, but why the Dogs? Trust me, it’s not like that club is perfect. Believe me, they have plenty of their own internal issues,” she replied.

“Sure, but as far as clean clubs go, you have to admit they’ve done well in most respects,” I countered.

“Maybe, but let’s not put them up on a pedestal. I mean, honestly, what fucking idiot gave Cutter the hairbrained idea to use the Dogs of Fire as some sort of ideal template on how to build a club?”

I cleared my throat. “I did. Six years ago.”

“What?” Cricket’s eyes were like saucers.

“It’s kind of what sealed my fate, and led me here right now.”

“What are you talking about?” Cricket asked.

“Shortly after Clutch and I’d been patched in, I challenged Cutter publicly at Church. It was only my third or fourth meeting, and I overstepped my bounds, big time. The topic of the day, per usual, was how the old revenue streams were drying up one-by-one. Everyone was bitching about it week after week. It was all these old guys fucking talked about, day in and day out, but no one ever offered up any good solutions. Their ways of doing business were as stuck in the past as a stegosaurus in the La Brea tar pits.”

“So, what did he say should be done?” Cricket asked.

“Nothing! He seemed as clueless as everyone else, as far as I could see. He’d mostly just sit in silence as his officers bitched about how tight the streets had become over the years. He’d nod and stroke his beard, and then the meeting would eventually be ended, and everyone would scatter back to the wind. It was fucking chaos, and to me the solution to surviving the game was simple.”

“How’s that?” Cricket asked.

“Stop playing it. Get the fuck out while we still could. As far as I could see, we had no choice. The game had become unwinnable; if it ever was in the first place. In fact, we weren’t even playing the same game as everyone else on the streets anymore. The criminal world had moved into the twenty-first century, and we were still dragging our knuckles. Either way, by continuing to follow the same old rules, we’d all end up in prison or dead.”

“So, your solution to him was, what? Disband the Burning Saints?”

“No, but that’s how he took it when I told him what I thought our club should look like in the future.”

“What exactly did you say?”

“Something to the effect of ‘the club was like an old bike, with good parts, that needed to be rebuilt with newer, better parts,’ etcetera.”

“He didn’t much care for that analogy?” she asked.

“I believe his words were, ‘Boy, you ever refer to my club as an old pile of garbage again, I’ll skin you alive, starting with your patch.’”

“I see,” Cricket said, shifting in her seat. “The other side of my uncle that I’ve heard so much about.”

“I’m not gonna lie. Cutter is tough. Probably the toughest guy I’ve ever met. He’s one of the few men I both respect, and fear. I thought my days in the club were fuckin’ numbered the day of that meeting. Every time I saw Cutter after that, he’d be lookin’ at me with a fire in his eyes. I was convinced he hated me and wanted me gone. To be honest, it broke my heart because all I ever wanted was for the Burning Saints to have a future. I felt like we could learn something from clubs like the Dogs. I just wanted Cutter and the other officers to broaden their minds to new ways of doing things.”

“So, what happened?”

“The next thing I knew, Cutter, Red Dog, and three other Saints were dangling me over the side of the Burnside bridge at four in the morning, wearing nothing but underwear and handcuffs.”

“Jesus, did they really do that to you?”

“Indeed, they did. I was then told I was to drive a truck containing a load of club cargo and all of my belongings, including my bike, to Savannah, Georgia. I was instructed to stay there until otherwise notified, or hell froze over, whichever came first. I was also told to, and I quote, ‘Stay out of Portland, and stay out of Cricket Wallace.’”

“Charming,” she said.

“So, that’s it. That’s why I was out of your life so suddenly and completely. I had no choice but to do what I was told. I was loyal to my club, and besides, it’s not like I had any other options. The club was my life, my source of income, and the only family I had.”

“Was your life. Is that not true anymore? Do you not feel the same?”

“The club is still my family and I’d die for any of my brothers, but no, I don’t feel exactly the same as I did back then.”

“Why the change?”

“The answer’s not so much a why, but a who,” I replied with a grin. “His name’s Duke. He’s the other reason Cutter sent me to Georgia, but that’s another conversation entirely. Let’s just say, that I understand Cutter a lot more now, and that he agreed with me far more than I could have ever known back then.”

“Really, how so?”

“Cutter built the Saints from nothing with his bare hands. It was the wild fucking west back then, and he was able to tame a handful of misfits, and make them profitable in record time. He also managed to keep his crew alive, and out of jail in a time when that took deep pockets and an iron fist. The Burning Saints were born in the wild, but the world around them was becoming civilized and he knew it.”

“If he agreed with you, then why did he treat you like shit? Why did he break us up, and exile you?” Cricket demanded.

“Because, knowing the direction not to sail isn’t enough information to take a boat into open waters. A good Captain charts a course and has the experience to know how to steer clear of waves when they come,” I said.

“Did Cutter teach you that?” she asked.

“No, Duke did, but I now see that it applies to Cutter, and how he dealt with me.”

“How so?”

“Cutter knew most of the money had moved off the streets and onto the web, and that his way of doing things was coming to an end. He was also wise enough to know that he didn’t have a viable solution yet. I, on the other hand was full of piss and vinegar and would surely go out and get myself killed trying to change the world; or so Cutter thought at least.”

“Was he wrong?” Cricket asked.

“Of course, he wasn’t. I probably would have gotten Clutch, Grover, and our guys riled up, and embarked on some half-assed scheme that would have gotten us all shot or pinched.”

“Still, to hang you off a bridge, not to mention what he did to us...”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not at all happy about the way he went about things, but knowing what I know now, he probably saved my life, and maybe even yours.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

“I was crazy about you back then, Cricket. I was more focused on you at the time than I was on the club, and that put you in a dangerous position.”

“How?”

“If you’re not paying attention to your enemies, you’ll never know when they’re coming for you, and the people you’re closest to; the people you love are always the most vulnerable.” Cricket’s eyes met mine. “Cutter didn’t send me away because of you, but I’m glad he did. I was young, angry, and too impulsive back then. I would have fucked everything up between us one way or another. At least now, maybe we have a chance.”

“Slow down, tiger,” she said. “Just because I’m listening, doesn’t mean I’m down with the cause. And just because we fucked, doesn’t mean there’s a we.”

“Is that all that was to you? A good fuck?” I asked.

“I just said it was a fuck, I never said it was good,” she deadpanned.

“Ha, fucking, ha, Cricket. You know what I mean. We’ve both admitted how we felt about each other back then, and how hard it was to be apart. I think it’s safe to say that whatever flame we held for one another back then is still burning now. I think it would be a little difficult for you to deny that at this point.”

“It’s not difficult for me to deny anything. My reason for talking to you last night was the same for fucking you; I had unresolved issues.”

“And you don’t anymore?” I asked, a little shocked by her response.

“I never said that, but let’s just say that I’m good for now.”

“Oh, how nice it must be for you,” I said.

“What do you expect from me, Jase? Just because I have a better understanding of what you went through and why you left, doesn’t mean I’m willing to forget about everything. Obviously, I still have some sort of feelings for you, but it’s not like I’ve been sitting around pining for you all these years, or that just because we screwed, I’ve fallen in love with you again.”

“Well, damn, Cricket. Tell me how you feel, no need to hold anything back now,” I said sarcastically.

“I’m very curious to know why you think we’d have any kind of chance, romantically or otherwise. We’ve been down this road once before, remember? Trying to balance our love life with your club life didn’t quite work out for us last time.”

“I wish I could show you all the ways I’ve changed in the past few years. I’m aware that I’ve done a spotty job so far, but with a little time, and some patience on your part, I hope to prove myself to you, and show you how much I’ve grown as a person.”

“I hope so too, because if you hurt me you’ll never hear from me again,” she said, once more using her ‘all business’ tone. “And Hatch’ll probably kill you.”

“I understand,” I said and leaned in for a kiss. I wanted more, but right now I needed to focus on getting our money back, and how to deal with Los Psychos. I broke our kiss and said, “I’d like to continue this conversation later tonight if you’re free.”

“I’ll have to check my schedule, but I think I can make myself available,” she said, unable to hide her smile.

“Good. I’ve got to go pick up Cutter and go over some last-minute details with Clutch about today’s meeting.”

“Be careful, Jase. You up and getting yourself shot wouldn’t quite be a ringing endorsement for your proposed business venture.”

“All I ask, is that you continue to keep your mind, and legs, open to me while we figure this out.” I slid my hand between her thighs and kissed her again. She moaned and pulled me closer.

Club business would have to wait.

* * *

Cricket

“You want my legs open, Jase?” I asked, pushing him onto his back and straddling his hips.

“Yeah, baby. I do.” He slid his hands up the outside of my thighs, squeezing my ass once he reached it.

I ran my thumb over his bottom lip, then slid my finger into his mouth. He sucked on it and I slid it to my clit, pressing the wetness against it. I felt him shift and I shook my head. “Don’t move, Minus.”

He grinned, slipping his hands behind his head. “You want control, Cricket?”

“I already have it.” I raised an eyebrow. “And I’m gonna continue to have it, hear?”

He raked his eyes over my body, his mouth turning up slightly at the corners.

“Minus.”

His eyes met mine and he grinned again. “You want Minus, Cricket... or Jase?”

“Whoever’s gonna behave.”

“I’ll surprise you, then.”

I shrugged, leaning down to run my tongue between his pecs. God, I loved the taste of him. I kissed my way down his body, stopping at his cock, already hard and waiting for me. I wrapped my hand around the thickness and licked the precum off the top, before wrapping my mouth around the tip then taking him deeper.

I slid my hand up and down, cupping his balls with the other, and drawing him in so deep I nearly choked. I couldn’t get enough. I wanted him as much as I did before... if not more. I might not be willing to admit it out loud right now, but I loved this man. More than life. The feelings had never gone away, and I realized pretty fucking quickly that the reason none of my relationships had worked after Jase was because none of them were Jase.

I gave a gentle suck and without warning, found myself hauled up and flipped onto my back. “I was in the middle of something!” I snapped.

“Minus doesn’t give a shit,” he growled. “On your knees, Cricket.”

I wanted to argue. I wanted to smack the smirk off his face, but I also wanted Minus to fuck me... hard. That desire won out and I scrambled onto my knees, ass high and ready.

I heard foil rip and then his dick was blissfully buried so deep in me, it pressed against my womb. I cried out, pressing back against him.

“You okay?”

“God, yes,” I breathed out.

He grabbed my hips and squeezed, moving slowly at first, then slamming into me until I knew I couldn’t wait another second. “Minus!”

“Hold it,” he growled.

“I can’t!”

His palm landed on my ass and I came... hard.

“Minus,” I whimpered out, falling to the mattress.

He fell with me, rolling us so we were on our sides, and continuing to move inside of me. One hand slid between my legs and he cupped my pussy, palming my clit as he buried himself deeper inside of me. Even though my orgasm wasn’t fully over, he built me up again and he bit my shoulder gently.

“I’m gonna come,” I warned.

“I can feel it, baby.”

“You slap me again, it’s gonna be all over... just F.Y.I.”

“But you love it.”

“I do.” I closed my eyes. “So, so much.”

His hand left my clit and he gripped my hip as he slammed into me twice more, landing another slap on my ass, and we came together.

He kissed my shoulder, whispering, “Come to Savannah with me.”

“When?”

“Monday.”

“That’s in two days.”

“I’m aware,” he said, as he slipped out of me and headed to the bathroom.

“I can’t just run off to Savannah, Jase. I have a job.”

I heard the toilet flush, then he walked back into the room. “It’ll only be for three or four days. In fact, why not take the whole week off, we can spend some time getting to know each other while I take care of wrapping up some loose ends back home.”

I watched him walk toward me, my body wanting him all over again. “I do have a shit ton of vacation and no critical meetings next week.”

He climbed back onto the bed, hovering over me, running his tongue over a nipple, before kissing the sensitive spot just above my collarbone. I reached up to run my hands over his beard.

“So?” he prompted.

“Yes, Jase, I’ll go to Savannah with you.”

He grinned, kissing me deeply. “I’ll make all the arrangements.”

“I like that.”

He chuckled and kissed me again, then he showed me just how much he appreciated my answer.