CHAPTER FOUR
——
ERIKA
BLINDING LIGHT SLIPS through my curtains, and I wince, closing my eyes as I turn away from it. My body aches in more ways than I knew was possible, and what’s worse is waking up to an empty bed. Dominic’s gone, and the realization leaves a hollow sensation in my chest. Last night I learned a shit too many positions to remember. The culprit for my overly exhausted muscles.
A shower and aspirin. That’s my remedy. Easing out of bed, I traipse out of my room and into the shit storm that’s our living room. The stench is disgusting. I dodge a used condom and a spilled beer on my way to the bathroom, raising my hand to my mouth in an attempt to keep the vomit at bay. My house has turned into a crime scene with blood on the walls, broken glass, dirty clothes, and an endless supply of butts and empty beer cans. I hate living here.
After a shower, I put on fresh clothes, and rummage through the disaster of a kitchen and make myself toast and scrape the last of the jam out of the jar. Opening the milk, I take a whiff and gag. Tossing it into the trash, I lean against the refrigerator and close my eyes, wishing this wasn’t my life.
The door to my sister’s room opens and Ditch stumbles out, his cock half hanging out of his briefs. Gross.
“You should clean this shit up,” he barks at me, making his way to our bathroom.
“Don’t talk to her like that,” Amberlee snaps, ambling out of her room in Ditch’s tank and a tiny thong.
“She needs to make herself fucking useful if she isn’t going to give ass.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Amberlee replies, tossing cans and a jacket on the floor as she searches for something.
“E, have you seen my cigarettes?”
The front door pops open after the usual jiggle, and Dori walks in with a grocery bag and a carton of cigarettes.
“Shit, Mom, you’re a lifesaver,” Amberlee beams.
“Yeah, yeah, you’ll owe me.”
Dori is unaffected by the mess as she carelessly walks over it, tossing a pack of cigarettes at Amberlee as she passes by.
“I’ll be in my room until work tonight. Don’t disturb me.”
Dori strolls past me without any acknowledgment. I’m invisible to her, and that’s fine with me. Any feelings of love I had for her have been slapped out of me. Over the years, I did my best to stay out of her way, but in her eyes, I’m a waste of room and board, a drain on her miserable existence, and she enjoyed reminding me of it time and time again.
Ditch walks back out of the bathroom, a grimace on his face, making the diamond tattoo at the corner of his eye narrow.
“Why the fuck are you still standing there?”
I can’t take this shit.
Stopping in my room, I grab my bag and rush out. Beyond the closing door, I hear Ditch yelling.
“This shit better be cleaned up when I get back.”
I go to the one place I can truly have peace, the city library. With their free WiFi, I use their computer to scour the area for jobs. I’ll take anything that’ll help me get out of my house quicker. The day I got my acceptance letter to community college was a beautiful day, but there’s no option to live on campus. I have to stay at home and that realization crushed me. My desperate search brings up a couple results for jobs and I spend the next forty minutes applying to both.
Walking back home, a lump rises in my throat. It’s the last place I want to go back to, but I have no money and I need something to eat. The house is silent when I enter, and it’s a relief. I avoid the mess all over the floor and start looking through the cabinets. With nothing but crackers and peanut butter I close them and hope to find something in the fridge. Dori’s grocery bag has been unpacked. A bundle of bananas and a new loaf of bread sits on the shelf. Maybe she doesn’t hate me after all.
I’m just finishing my peanut butter and banana sandwich when Amberlee, Ditch and another Serpent bulldoze through my front door. I don’t make it to my bedroom quick enough.
“Why isn’t this shit cleaned up?”
I ignore Ditch’s comment. “Alee, can I have some money to go to the grocery store?”
Ditch scoffs, separating from Amberlee’s hip. “You wanna tell me why you think you can ignore me and parade around here like you’re too good to get your hands dirty? Just because Dominic used you for a piece of ass, doesn’t mean shit. That’s all you were. A good fuck. Maybe now, you can actually make yourself useful.” Ditch grips my arm, forcing me to face him. “I’ll give you some money, you just need to spread your legs a little.”
His tongue whips across his lips and lingers, playing with his lip ring as he stares anticipatively at me. Amberlee shoves him in the back and I glare at her. The bitch told him.
Instinctively, I want to rip my arm from his grasp and slap him, but Dominic’s words come to mind. Use your head, not your knuckles.
“I’ll get the mess cleaned up.”
“Now that’s more like it.” Ditch releases my arm and grins like he’s won the battle.
Amberlee mouths “I’m sorry” as Ditch and the other guy flop onto the couch and turn on the TV.
An hour and a half later, I have all the disgusting trash filled into two black bags and drag it out to the end of the driveway. Returning inside, I’m eager for another shower. Passing the couch, Ditch grabs my arm.
“Order a couple pizzas.”
My temper rises a notch, but I remind myself, this is temporary. Play nice to survive. After the order, I disappear into the shower. The warm water relaxes my muscles and washes away the filth. There’s a knock at the door, and I jump, startled out of my daze.
“Hurry up, I need in there,” Dori grumbles.
Drying and dressing quickly, I leave the bathroom for her to enter. She slips in without another word to me. The doorbell rings and Ditch nods his head to me.
“Get the door.”
That request I’m willing to do. That means I can be the first to eat the pizza before everyone’s grimy hands paw all over it.
“Bring me a plate and a beer,” Ditch orders.
“Get me one too,” the other Serpent requests.
Irritated, I set a few slices aside on a plate for me, then gather plates and beers for them. The other Serpent, a guy who looks the same age as Ditch, early to mid-twenties, with a bright blond man bun, winks at me as I hand him his plate and beer.
Don’t even start, man bun. Rolling my eyes, I walk away, and he grabs my wrist, yanking me onto his lap. Putting his plate in my hands, his expression turns arrogant.
“Feed me.”
“What?!”
“Drake, are you serious right now?” Amberlee asks in disgust.
“Hell yeah, I am. I want her to feed me. I want you to straddle me as you do it,” he says to me, eyes challenging.
Dori walks into the kitchen, takes a look at my plate of pizza, picks it up, and takes it back into her room. My blood is boiling at this point.
“I’m done with this shit.”
Pushing off man bun, I head toward the kitchen. Behind me, someone stands. My wrist is yanked, and I’m turned abruptly. “If you know what’s good for you, you’ll sit on my lap.”
Amberlee shoves at Ditch. “That’s enough.”
Ditch grips her jaw, turning her attention to him. “Watch yourself, Alee.”
The light in Amberlee’s eyes dim. Mine don’t. I knock Drake’s hand off my arm. “Fuck off. I’m not sitting on your damn lap and feeding you, you perve.”
Drake shoves me onto the couch. “You’re gonna do whatever the hell I tell you to.”
“Erika, sweet Erika,” Ditch laughs behind him. “You should learn your place.”
Unbuckling his belt, Drake eyes me viciously. Fear crawls up my back and takes residence in my body. I move quickly, bolting for the front door. Drake yanks my hair, spinning me around. With a swing as hard as my arm will go, I slam my fist into his face. I don’t know where my knuckles hit, but my hand bounces off his face in so much pain, my eyes water. The next several moments are a blur as my adrenaline pumps wildly. Drake swings, backhanding me, and I drop to the floor, the shock trembling my body.
“You little bitch,” he seethes between his teeth.
Amberlee’s off the couch, screaming. “Leave her alone, you dick.”
“All right, all right. Cool it, Drake,” Ditch tells him.
Drake licks at his lip, there’s a bit of blood. His eyes are ruthless as he stares at me, slowly backing away.
“She has to pay for that, Ditch.”
“She will. Just not right now.”
I catch the look Ditch gives him, it’s a promise. Bile pushes its way up into my throat.
Ditch’s gaze switches to me. He pats the couch next to him. “Erika, come’re.”
Amberlee storms off in search of a cigarette, I assume. Reluctantly, I take the seat next to Ditch, holding my hand to my swollen, throbbing cheek. As I sit down, Ditch puts his arm around me, resting his hand just above my breast. He leans close to my ear.
“We’ll get you broke in.”
A shiver creeps along my spine. His finger dances across my skin, inching closer to my chest.
“Alee won’t always be here to protect you.”
My eyes narrow at him, then widen when the front door swings open. Dominic enters, surveys what’s in front of him, his eyes darkening, his jaw flexing tightly.
Ditch removes his arm from around me. “Sup, Dom? What are you doin’ here?”
“None of your fucking business what I’m doing here. Erika, room, now,” he orders.
Shaking, I rush to my room. As soon as I’m behind the closed door, I collapse against my bed, fighting so hard not to cry.
Voices carry an echo into my room, but I can’t make out the exact words when my heart is still pumping wildly in my chest. Minutes later, heavy steps lead to my room, and I clam up. Dominic enters my room, sees me on the floor, and lifts me to my feet.
“Ditch says you were all having a good time and things got rough. Now I want you to tell me the truth, all of it. Don’t lie to me. Did you fuck him?”
“No! Ditch has been treating me like I’m his bitch all day, ordering me around. I took your advice. I did everything he wanted. I didn’t argue. Then Drake wanted me to straddle his lap and feed him. I refused. He shoved me onto the couch and started removing his belt. I ran for the door and he yanked me back. I punched him, then he backhanded me. Ditch told me they’d get me broke in. I know exactly what the fuck he means. If he touches me, I’ll cut his damn dick off.”
The anger he possesses molds his expression into the lethal gaze I saw the night he beat up the other Serpent. His boulder muscles tense up. A part of me hopes he goes into the living room and rips Drake and Ditch’s throats out. His expression changes when he sees me reach for my head. Feeling woozy, I sit on the edge of my bed.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, a hint of worry in his firm tone.
“I haven’t eaten much today and I just got smacked around.”
“C’mon, we’re leaving.”
Dominic takes my arm, gently helping me to my feet.
“Where we going?”
“To get you something to eat.”
As quickly as my body will allow, I gather shoes, a bag, and jacket. Dominic takes my hand, surprising me. With me in tow, he walks us through the living room. I expect an altercation between him, Ditch, and Drake. Dominic scoffs as we enter the empty living room.
“That’s what I fucking thought. Cowards,” he grumbles.
“Where’d they go?”
“To run with their tails between their legs.”
“You believe me, don’t you?”
“Yes,” is all he says, tone resounding.
Outside, he stops us in front of his Harley. The royal blue shines against the gleaming silver. He takes care of his bike. That much is obvious. Hopping on, he dips his head for me to climb on behind him. I do, happily, enjoying the feel of his warm body as I wrap my arms around his waist. The engine roars to life, rumbling beneath my legs, vibrating the tension from the day out of my body. I lay my head against his back, feeling safe, relieved to be with him.
I expected a drive-through at McDonald’s. Dominic laughed at my surprised reaction when he pulled into a steakhouse. Through dinner, I devoured everything put in front of me, especially since Dominic insisted the meal was on him. Relaxed and sated, I look over the table at him. His colossal arms are folded on the table in front of him. He’s a hell of a specimen of a man. The confidence he exudes turns the eyes of every woman he passes, but their gazes don’t linger too long. He’s equally intimidating and the Serpent jacket no doubt frightens them further.
Tilting his head, he leans back in the booth. “Come sit on my side.”
His arm stretches out along the back of the booth as I slide in next to him. Warm fingers graze my damaged cheek and I flinch.
“He hit you hard, didn’t he?”
“Looks that bad, huh?”
“Yeah, I don’t like seeing your face like this. That shit won’t happen again.”
Ferocity seeps through his voice and it turns me on hearing it. I think dangerous Dominic likes me a little bit.
“I’m glad you came over when you did. I was happy to see you for multiple reasons,” I share, leaning my head against his arm.
“I came to see you. I wanted you to ride me before I took you out to dinner. I’m not thrilled my plans were interrupted.”
“You were coming over to take me on a date?” I beam.
Dominic’s mouth curves. “Something like that.”
“You like me, don’t you?”
With his hand on my back, he slides me closer. “I’m still deciding.”
“Now who’s lying,” I tease.
A chuckle slips through his lips as he gives me a side glance.
“You’re cute, Sparrow. Real cute,” he counters.
I giggle and nuzzle up against him. His arm rests on my back, warming my body.
“You ready to head back?”
A frown tugs at my lips. “You mean home?”
“Yeah, I have business to take care of, but I’ll be back later.”
“Can you take me with you? I’ll stay out of the way.”
Dominic studies my face. His brows narrow in thought. “It’s club business. You can’t be around. I’ll come back later,” he promises.
His tone brooks no argument, so I don’t push it. “Thank you for dinner and for coming to see me. If you hurry your ass back, I’ll make it worth your while,” I wink.
Dominic’s hand clasps the back of my neck. Leaning to my ear, he whispers, “I know you will, baby. I’m anxious to feel that tight pussy around my cock as much as you are.”
With a kiss to my cheek, he releases his grip on me.
“Now let’s get moving so I can get shit taken care of.”
The brush of his warm lips and wicked words instantly light the fire that burns for him. I’m eager for him to return from his business. When I’m with him, I feel like an actual person, like I actually give a damn, rather than the trash everyone else treats me as.
Pulling up the drive, there are two other motorcycles sitting in the driveway. I recognize one of them—Ditch’s and my stomach coils.
Dominic takes my hand, walking us inside. A grey cloud of fog greets us as we enter followed by the sound of grunting and two people slapping together just beyond Amberlee’s bedroom door. Dominic takes me with him, busting through the door without a care. On the bed, Ditch has Amberlee bent over, fucking her from behind as her mouth slides up and down Drake’s dick.
“What the fuck, Dom?”
“Finish up and get your asses out here,” Dominic orders.
Dominic takes a seat on the couch and pulls me into his lap. I’m still stunned at what I just saw. Dominic places his fingers on my jaw, turning my face to his.
“You all right?”
“Yeah, I just—”
“Saw your sister getting double penetrated.”
My stomach churns. “Yeah.”
Dominic laughs. “I’ve seen worse.”
“With her?” I question, my voice elevated.
“Yeah. Your sister’s a slut. But you two aren’t anything alike, are you?”
“No,” I reply adamantly.
“That’s good. I won’t have my girl touched by anyone else but me, ever.”
The words my girl linger in my head, thrilling me.
“What the fuck? What do you want?” Ditch snaps, hitching his pants over his hips as he walks out the door.
Drake follows behind, zipping his fly, and Dominic’s eyes narrow to slits. I see a predator in his gaze. I know it’s wrong, but I’m glad to see that look directed toward Drake.
“Drake, you’re joining me on a run. We’re leaving now. Ditch, I’m leaving Erika in your care. Anything happens to her while I’m gone and I’ll hold your ass responsible,” he emphasizes the word responsible and Ditch’s eye twitches.
“She yours now?” His tongue darts out, playing with his lip ring. I can’t read his expression, but there’s something about it that sends chills up my back.
“Exactly what that fucking means. Let’s go, Drake.”
Dominic squeezes my ass, indicating I need to stand. When we do, he clutches my neck and hair, pulling me to him. His kiss is aggressive, provocative. I feel like it’s for a show as much as it’s for pleasure.
“See you later.”
His thumb grazes my cheek, a brief gesture of affection. My body responds, tingling all over.
The moment Dominic and Drake walk out the door, I head toward my room. Ditch blocks my path.
“You think you’re hot shit because Dom likes fucking your cunt? It won’t last, little sister, and when he’s had his fill, he’ll toss you aside without a care, but don’t worry, I’ll take real good care of you after that.”
My teeth clench as his hand caresses my arm. Amberlee walks out of her room, and Ditch winks, leering at me.
“What are you two talking about?” she asks, irritated.
Ditch’s devilish gaze peels off my face and looks to Amberlee. “Just welcoming her to the crew. She’s Dom’s property now.”
I shove past him, my shoulder hitting his as I force my way to my room. Slamming it behind me, I lean against the door, taking several slow deep breaths.
The door pushes open and I move, letting Amberlee in. She looks me over, her eyes lingering on my damaged cheek before squinting away from it. “You know what that means? Being Dom’s property?”
“What?”
“That means you don’t ever lie to him or betray him. You belong to him and do whatever he wants. This is why I warned you about sleeping with him. He owns you now, and there isn’t shit I can do about it, so don’t ever piss him off because I can’t protect you if you do.”
“I’m not property. I’m a fucking person.”
Amberlee shakes her head. Her wavy, short, red hair swishes back and forth. “You’re so fucking naive. The Serpents, they kill people, they do whatever the hell they want without a care for the law. These aren’t your high school bad boys, E. They’re animals. So do yourself a favor and keep Dom satisfied.”