What the fuck just happened?

Ginger was a junkie for my kisses. Oh, sure, she tried to regain some control, but that’s her gig, and I expected her power move. What I didn’t expect was for her to walk away without saying a single word and then just leaving the fucking location.

I watch her ride away and literally shake my head as if trying to knock loose my confusion. Accepting she’s in fact gone, I walk back inside and look at what’s left of our dinner.

Going through the motions of collecting the food and dumping the half-used beers, I still smell Ginger in the room even with the overwhelming stink of paint. She doesn’t have a floral or fruity scent. She smells like the soap I used growing up. Something simple like Irish Spring or Dial. Nothing to impress me, Ginger offered a raw, unashamed version of her.

Then she ran away without saying a single word.

I think about how she gained her power. Well-adjusted wouldn’t fit someone with her past. No doubt this freak-out is her way of coping. Or her way of making me work harder for what I want. Difficult to tell with Ginger, but I won’t give up even if she might be considering doing so.

My life might not seem like a picnic to some fancy fuck like the mayor, but I’ve been luckier than most. I inherited good looks and an impressive size from my parents, ensuring I wouldn’t suffer the fate of a lot of non-white kids in Arkansas. I gained the attention of the Rawlins Heretics without doing shit. The former president, Cell, more than recruited me. The man mentored me as much as a lazy fuck like him could muster. Then he got killed and caused the loss of most of the club.

Now I’m running things with no members willing to challenge my leadership. Joker offered help when I needed it and the Everything Nice Crew brings money along with power. It all fell into my frigging lap.

Even my sweet kids were ditched by their mothers, meaning I can raise them with Mom rather than sharing custody with unstable women.

I’d always respected my life’s bounty. Though I wonder if I’m now punished for taking for granted that I’ll win over Ginger. I’ve never put effort into seducing a fox into my henhouse. They flock to me, crazy for a taste of attention. Even my kids’ moms were horny from the get-go, and I could barely get my pants off fast enough for them.

With Ginger, I had her right where I wanted until she suddenly changed gears. Now I don’t know if I’m in or out.

I drive past Hildy’s B&B even though the massive house isn’t on my way home. Ginger’s Harley sits between two others, so I know she arrived safely. Is she inside talking shit about me? Or is she laughing at how I thought I was in charge only to end up left hanging? I stare up at the house, studying the lighted windows and wondering which room might belong to Ginger.

A shadowed figure looks out of a second-story window. The hair is too short for Ginger, so I assume one of her super bitchy sidekicks is giving me a dirty look. Pulling away from the house, I ride home in the darkening evening.

I don’t think I’m depressed or angry when I park my Harley. No longer shocked or even horny. My dick quickly accepted Ginger wouldn’t be welcoming it tonight.

Climbing off my bike, I figure maybe I am a little depressed. At the very least, I’m pouty from thinking too hard about a problem I never expected to have with a woman. I mean, Ginger licked my lips at the hardware store. Her engines revved hot for me tonight.

Seriously, what the fuck happened?

I enter my house, hoping my family will distract me from my gloomy confusion.

“I have leftovers,” I announce to the kids who jump up from the floor where they’re watching Power Rangers. “We have fried rice, Chinese noodles, and chicken with broccoli.”

Mom looks up from her book and gives me a frown. “You’re home early.”

I ignore the question behind her comment and set up the kids to eat at the living room table. They bring forks and juice.

“Share, so I don’t have to make you share,” I tell them before they can fight over who gets more chicken and less broccoli.

“How was your date?” Alani asks, smiling up at me with her front teeth missing.

“She didn’t seem too happy and then ran away.”

Makoa laughs with a mouth full of food. “Did you fart?”

“Yeah, but I was real stealth about it. She didn’t notice.”

“She probably did,” Alani says and pats my leg. “She smelled it and ran away to get fresh air.”

They laugh at the thought and then Makoa begins a symphony of fart sounds. His sister shakes her head in disgust before grabbing the rice container and climbing on the couch next to me.

“Is she pretty?”

“Yeah, real pretty.”

“Do you want to kiss her?”

“Sure, but my farting probably scared her off.”

“You can say you’re sorry and give her a flower.”

“No man should apologize for farting,” Mom announces. “Farting is natural, and any woman worth liking would understand that.”

I give my mother a dirty look, and she frowns right back at me. Alani ignores our scowling because she notices Makoa’s discovery of an egg roll.

“Share,” she says, sliding onto the floor. “Dad said.”

Her brother rolls his dark eyes before tearing it in half and handing her the slightly smaller chunk. Alani likely notices his move, but she doesn’t complain. She’s got the big sister routine down.

“I think I’ll send Ginger something to say I’m sorry for farting,” I announce while kicking off my boots and stretching out on the couch. “Something that a girl would like.”

Alani announces, “Flowers.”

“Candy,” Makoa says. “Give her a cat.”

“She’s staying at a hotel right now, so a cat won’t work. I don’t know about flowers. Candy might work. I notice she likes Starbursts.”

“I like candy too,” Alani reminds me.

“Halloween isn’t too far off. Why not wait until then to ruin your teeth?”

“No.”

Smiling at her tone, I close my eyes and rest my feet on the couch’s arm. I know Mom is eyeing me in her all-knowing, mother way. She thinks I’m a fool to chase a woman like Ginger. She doesn’t understand, though. She is a woman and my father chased her. She can’t imagine the other side of that dance, and how a man like me needs to possess a woman like Ginger. All the dirty looks in the world won’t stop me. Neither will Ginger’s runaway routine tonight.

I’m lucky in life, and she’s the prize I’ve been waiting for.