Chapter Fifteen
Garrett
What in the fuck is that prick doing?
No matter how many times I watch the video feed, I can’t shake the rage at seeing Caleb talking to Calli in their lobby.
That I’m even still watching this footage is a problem I’m not willing to think about. My blood is boiling as I stand outside the shop, leaning against the wall. After a long session with a regular, I needed the air.
Being distracted when I’m working pisses me off. Why is this woman invading my brain? Why do I care who she talks to?
That’s easy enough to deduce. Caleb must be bad news given Nero had me follow him around. Calli shouldn’t be getting involved with someone like that. Maybe it’s time to call in the favors I’ve done for Nero and find out.
Telling Nero it’s about a woman is a bad idea. I’ve known him a long time and never seen him with a girlfriend, or Old Lady. He has power and women are drawn to that. Nero doesn’t flaunt it, I doubt he’s hurting in that department.
Women are notoriously second class when it comes to motorcycle clubs. Who the fuck knows where that started but it’s well known women don’t get a say in anything to do with the club. Old ladies are different. When a brother claims a woman as his own, she’s treated with respect.
The more it plays on my mind, the more I want to know about the asshole.
Is he a danger to her? From what I saw, nothing leads me to think that is the case. Nero was more interested in the other guy. Being on Nero’s radar means there is something there.
She’s none of my business. I’ve made that clear. So why did I ask her about her drawings? Why do I care that she was completely fucked over by her family?
Of course, I looked her up after what she confessed. It wasn’t hard to find. I get why she didn’t want to tell me the partner who fucked up her business is her husband. Not gonna lie, that stung a little. More digging confirmed they’re divorced.
It’s good to know I didn’t fuck a married woman. I’m not a cheater and would never get involved in that shit.
Calli is here to make a new life for herself. I don’t need any stress. Calli comes with a lot of baggage that I don’t want to deal with.
So why do I keep watching a video of Caleb talking to her?
Because she looked uncomfortable as fuck. What the hell did he say to her?
The roar of a motorcycle engine breaks me out of my thoughts as the bike draws closer to the shop. I haven’t seen Phoenix for a couple of days now. He went up to Bethesda to check on the rehab place.
Out of the corner of my eye I see Lucky at the window. She watches as the bike comes to a stop and Phoenix removes his helmet. She sees me looking and ducks away from the window. He walks over, holding the helmet down at his side. I lift my chin in greeting.
“What are you doing out here?”
“Waiting for you, honey-pie.”
“Missed you too, sweetness,” he laughs.
“You get everything sorted?”
“Yeah. Two months stay, if she won’t put up a fight about it.” He sighs, looking across the street.
People are staring at us. That is nothing new, so I ignore them.
“You can get Nero to kick her out.”
“I’ve thought of that. There is no guarantee she’ll stick around in Baltimore. That’s worse.”
“If you need any help, I’m here.”
“Well, I know you’re good at kidnapping.”
He gets a solid glare for that comment. I wouldn’t let anyone else get away with saying that shit. Phoenix knows it’s true. It seems like a drastic last resort to kidnap his own mom.
“I need to not think about it for a few days,” he runs a hand through his hair and glances into the shop, then back at me. “Things good here?”
“They always are,” I shrug.
We’ve had to turn away some clients given we’re a man down. Katja is out of town because her dad is sick. It’s nothing that hurts the business. Phoenix definitely doesn’t need to be worrying about that. His focus goes back to the window, and he blows out a breath.
Two guesses on who he is looking at.
“Don’t give me that look,” he says.
“What look?”
“That one,” he points at my face.
“Pretty sure my expression hasn’t changed.”
“You forget I know you. That twitch in your eye says you’re pissed.”
“You know why,” I say, shifting to lean back against the wall, side on to face him.
“I’ve been thinking a lot. It’s time to do something about it.”
“Meaning?” my voice comes out gruffer than I intended.
“Don’t get your balls twisted. I’m talking about moving on.”
I don’t hide my surprise, which is rare. It’s not often I’m shocked by anything.
“I need to get laid.”
I grunt out a laugh. “You’re telling me.”
“This chick has been reaching out. We’ve hung out but I’ve put her off.”
Phoenix needs to move on. I’m down with that. “Pining over her is not doing you any favors.”
He nods, not having anything more to say. I’m not the guy to talk about this with. Especially given how I feel about him and Lucky.
“I’ll give her a call.”
“You do that. Might help with stress relief too.”
He hums and focuses on me. I don’t like the way he is staring at me.
“Talking of getting laid.”
“Not doing this,” I turn and head into the shop before he can say anything else.
It was a mistake chatting with Calli at the Festival the way I did. No one has mentioned it since, but I’ve seen how my staff look at me. Sumner was the only one who said anything, but he’s not brought it up since.
Phoenix hounds after me. He gives Lucky a wave and slaps hands with Shane as he passes the reception desk. I would go in back but that gives Phoenix more chance to ask shit I don’t want to hear. The dick follows me to my station. I don’t have another client for an hour.
“Come on, something happened, right?”
“It’s none of your fucking business,” I growl in a low voice.
“I don’t want details,” he scoffs, settling his ass against the cabinet where I keep my equipment. “I’m not blind, neither is anyone else. We all saw the two of you the other night. How far has it gone?”
“I’d rather dip my dick in candle wax than talk about this,” I push him out of the way so I can check my stock levels.
“Kinky.” Phoenix laughs. “Not saying it’s a bad thing. The girl, not the waxy dick.”
“Go away.”
“She’s hot.”
It takes a lot not to turn around and smack the smirk of his face.
“She’s probably too good for the likes of you.”
I ignore him.
“If you get to interfere with my personal life, vice versa.”
“I’m not interfering. I’m thinking about our business,” I throw over my shoulder.
Phoenix goes quiet, so I straighten up to face him. He smirks. Little prick, making me think that shit upset him. Should have known better.
“Don’t self-sabotage. From what I’ve seen, she’s a cool chick.”
The look on my face must finally register with him. He slaps my shoulder and strolls away. Not toward Lucky. I can’t help but glance at her to find her watching him. Shit, they have got to move on from one another.
Something tells me Phoenix’s decision to hang out with another woman will cause more trouble.
Two days later, I’ve seen out the last of our clients, and am getting ready to call it a night. Everyone besides Sumner, left over an hour ago to head to the pub on the corner. They’ve long since stopped asking me to go, but something really fucking stupid has come over me, because I’m contemplating joining them.
I’ll never hear the end of it, but it’s the only way I’m going to see Calli. Besides stalking her at the coffee shop. Or watching her on her apartment building camera.
Something I’ve found myself doing a lot, because I want to make sure Caleb isn’t fucking with her. As in bothering her. Or trying to fuck her. Jesus, I’m losing my shit over a woman. Big fucking mistake.
I want to see her. Fucking admit it instead of coming up with all this bullshit. The question is, do I want to do it with everyone else watching or do I seek her out elsewhere?
Making a snap decision, I flick off the lights and go out of the front of the shop instead of the rear up to my apartment. It’s Friday night, so the streets are busy with people heading out to enjoy the start of the weekend. There are a few bars along here so it’s never quiet.
Second guessing myself all the way there, I can’t change my mind when I pull back the door. The decision has been made. It’s heaving inside, and the music is loud.
I’ve known the owner for years so when he spots me making my way through the crowds, he waves me over. After getting a drink, and shooting the shit for a few minutes, he points me in the direction of the rest of the motley crew from Blackhawk Ink.
They’re behind one of the partition walls, in the corner by the old fireplace. I can’t see them, but a loud laugh lets me know Shane is there.
I’m not ready to go over yet, so find a small table out of the way and sit down to gather my shit. Coming here was a big step, hiding in the corner is stupid. A couple of women a table over keep shooting what they assume are surreptitious looks my way.
Making eye contact will only bring them over here. That doesn’t work though because one of them sidles along the bench seat, so she is closer to me.
“What is a guy like you doing all alone on a Friday night?” she asks.
“A guy like me?” I question.
She’s taken aback by the gruffness of my tone but undeterred, apparently.
“Would you like to join us?” her voice is suggestive.
I know what she’s implying. If the way her eyes roam over my arms and chest are anything to go by. Her friend uncrosses her legs, showing off more of her thighs as her skirt rides up.
Over the top of her head, I spot Calli. She is walking from the direction of the bathrooms, brushing her long hair back over her shoulder. I don’t know whether she feels my stare, or she is just glancing around but her eyes lock on mine and she grounds to a halt.
The woman beside me is saying something but I don’t give a fuck about what it is. Calli spares the woman a brief glance, but her focus comes back to me almost immediately.
She looks sexy as hell in skin-tight black jeans and a loose silk top that dips low between her breasts. Now that she is over the shock, she is watching me like I’m some kind of weird science experiment.
This could go one of two ways. I know which one I’m hoping for, but I’ll never let that show on my face. Instead, I lift the glass to my mouth and take a sip, never taking my eyes off her.
Indecision creases her brow but after a brief hesitation, she changes direction and heads toward my table.
The two women watch her as she steps around them to stand in front of me. I kind of like how she towers over me, and I make no attempt to hide my perusal of her body.
“I didn’t expect to see you in here,” she says, a little crease forming between her eyebrows.
“It’s not that big of a surprise,” I tell her.
She mutters something I don’t hear, glances around, then takes the chair opposite me.
“Why are you hiding in the corner?”
“I’m not hiding. I’m having a quiet drink.”
Her head tilts and the expression on her face says that is a load of bullshit. Before she can respond, we’re interrupted.
“Excuse me,” the snarky voice comes from beside me.
Calli eyes the woman, but mine never leave her gorgeous face. The two women are inconsequential to me. All I give a shit about is her.
“We were talking to him first.”
I scoff out a quiet laugh, drawing Calli’s attention. There is no mistaking the understanding on her face. She knows I’m not with these women. Sitting back, I wait to see what she is going to do.
“Is that right?” she asks. It’s aimed at the women, but she is still watching me.
Keeping my mouth shut is hard, especially when the woman makes a comment about Calli walking away.
“Sorry to disappoint you ladies, but take it from someone with experience, he isn’t with you. And I’m not walking away.”
“What the hell?” the woman in the short skirt starts to back up her friend.
She is about to say something else, but I’m done with this shit. Downing the drink, I get to my feet and step around the table, blocking them from Calli. Her head tilts and I lift a brow. Without losing eye contact, Calli gets to her feet.
She might be expecting me to lead her back to the others but that isn’t what I have in mind. Reaching out, I grab her hand and pull her toward me. This is her one chance to back out and walk away. It isn’t what I was planning, but I’d be a fucking idiot to pass up on it.
Calli wastes no time making her choice, and she steps around me, heading for the door.
One of the women says something that makes me snap back around, ready to lay into her, but the warm palm wrapping around my wrist stops me. She does the one thing that is sure to piss the women off. She ignores them.
I can’t hide the smirk. This woman is something else. She doesn’t let go as she weaves through the crowded bar area. People move out of the way when they see me behind her, and I eyeball every man as they watch her pass.
Now who is being territorial?
Usually, I wouldn’t let a woman pull me around like this, but for her, I can make an exception. This may not have been my plan when I walked in here tonight… ah fuck who am I kidding. This is exactly what I wanted.
I’m surprised by how it came about. In my mind, it was me walking in there and taking her out of the bar.
We head into the street and the cool air hits me. And Calli too if the peak of her nipples is anything to go by. That thin fabric is doing nothing to hide how she’s reacting to the cold.
“Tell me why you really came tonight,” she releases my arm.
There is no point in playing games anymore. We both know why. And I’m done messing around. I crowd into her until her back is pressed against the wall putting one hand on her hip.
My fingers glide over the silky fabric and without hesitation, I lift the hem and move my hand beneath it, to touch the soft skin of her waist.
She lets out a little whimper of surprise and grips the front of my shirt. Unsure if it’s to keep me back or pull me in, I go with the latter.
Not wasting any time, I bend my head down to kiss her. Calli doesn’t stop me. Against my better judgment, I press her harder into the wall, our bodies align as I kiss her deeper, gripping her hip with one hand, propping my other forearm up against the wall at the side of her head.
She’s breathless when I pull back. Just the way I like her. I’m hard as stone, which Calli is definitely aware of, if the way she arches so her hips meet mine says anything.
People are passing by around us. It’s a fuckwit commenting about getting a show that tears me away from Calli. I glare at the little asshole, who shits his pants, ducks his head and almost runs away.
Calli’s hand rests on my lower back, the heat of it practically burning through the fabric. She tugs me and moves out from behind me.
Guess she doesn’t care what other people think because this is not a ‘stop him from hurting someone’ kind of tug. This is a, ‘get me where I need to be so we can continue this’, kind of move.
She’s right, public displays of affection are not my thing. Grabbing her hand, I head down the sidewalk to the shop. Calli follows, not batting an eye when I bypass the front door and head to the side alley which leads to the private entrance to my apartment.
Neither of us says a word but all bets are off when I get her inside and close the door. Calli practically lurches into my arms, and I press my mouth to hers in hunger. This is what I’ve been craving for the past few weeks.
Watching her with our friends, or on a video feed is no longer enough. Our tongues are as frantic as our hands, clawing at one another. I’ll be fucked if I’m pressing her up against a wall to fuck her. No, this time she’s going to be in my bed.
Calli shrieks when I pull back, bend over and grab her by the back of her thighs, throwing her over my shoulder. I expect her to object and tell me to put her down. All she does is grab a handful of my ass to keep her steady.
Inside, I head straight to the bedroom, stopping at the end of the bed, I bend forward and lower her to the ground. Her eyes track the movement when I grab my shirt at the back and tug it over my head. Flexing my muscles I watch her, with what I’m sure is a predatory gaze.
Her back straightens, and she stares back defiantly. We both know this is crazy. It should have been one time and move on. She licks her lips as her gaze dips lower. Who am I to leave her wanting?
Snapping open the button on my jeans, I pull down the zipper, toeing out of my shoes and dropping the pants. There is no hiding how hard I am and if the way she is staring is anything to go by, she fully appreciates it. I drop my underwear and grab my aching cock, bringing a little gasp from her parted lips and a groan from me.
I want her naked. I want her on my bed, with my cock buried deep inside of her. Calli has other ideas. She walks forward and drops to her knees.
“Fuck,” I ground out. Her eyes lift as she shuffles closer. She doesn’t protest when I grab a handful of her hair and guide her forward. “Open,” I tell her in a gruff, low voice.
She does as she’s told without hesitation, and I press my cock into her mouth. Fuck that feels good. Her teeth tap against the piercings, but she doesn’t stop, her mouth gliding down and back up, her tongue swirling, tasting metal and flesh.
My head tips back as she works, but I don’t let go of her hair, guiding her up and down the length of me. The noises she makes are driving me crazy. I want nothing more than to paint the back of her throat with cum, but the urge to be buried inside her when it happens far outweighs that desire.
I tug her hair, harder than she is probably used to and her teeth clack against the piercing as I pull her off me. With my other hand, I take hold of her chin and tilt her head back. Her lips are swollen and her cheeks flushed.
She looks unsure about why I stopped her. A look I don’t like on her one bit. It’s not what she thinks, in fact, after I’ve had my dick inside her, I’ll definitely be putting her mouth back on my cock.
“Take off your clothes,” I step back, leaning against the wall. Shit, seeing her kneeling there like that is going to make me lose my shit. “Now, Vixen.”
Her lips press into a thin line, but she does as she is told, lifting the silky top over her head. Her thin, strapless bra is removed in seconds, baring those gorgeous tits to me. I can’t help but stare at the piercings. She’s changed them from the regular beaded barbell to a more delicate one with tiny crystal stars cascading around her nipple.
My cock throbs and twitches at the sight of them. A strange urge to slide them out and push them back in takes over me. I’ve never thought about doing anything like that before, but the blatant sexual imagery of it turns me all the way on.
When she gets to her feet, it takes every ounce of strength not to go over there, or grab my weeping cock. I watch as she removes her jeans and panties.
Calli moves backward and sits on the end of the bed, then pulls herself backward, into the center of it. Waiting. Challenging me. She hasn’t said a single word since we came in here.
Why the fuck are we having this stare off, daring the other to make the first move?
“Spread your legs,” I tell her, walking toward the end of the bed.
She does it without hesitation. Her pussy is so wet I very nearly lose it.
“Have you touched yourself lately?”
In answer, she glides her fingers over her lower stomach and through the neat patch of hair, straight to her clit. My first instinct is to grab her hand and pull it away. That is my job.
Instead I watch, working myself up into something desperate, that is surely going to unleash on her.
“Who do you think of when you put your fingers inside of yourself?” I ask.
“You.”
I wasn’t expecting her to say it so readily. My lip twitches at the thought of her lying in bed alone, fucking herself as she imagines it’s me. Moving, I press one knee onto the bed and run my hand up her thigh. Her hand stills and I tut at her.
“Don’t stop,” I order. “Show me what you do when you think of me.”
Her chest heaves on a shaky breath but she dips two fingers inside, all the way to the second knuckle, causing her to cry out. Damn. She doesn’t stop when I bend down and run my tongue up her thigh, caressing it with my hand as I nip and lick at her warm skin.
The scent of her makes my erection slap against my abs, throbbing in desperation as I move further onto the bed, getting closer. I put my other hand on her lower stomach, fingers spread so my thumb is resting above the top of her clit. She is moving with more urgency now, plunging her fingers in and out.
“Would you ever pierce this?” I ask, lightly touching her clit.
She moans loudly, arching her back at the touch but that isn’t an answer.
“Would you let me pierce you?”
She pauses for a moment, her eyes heavy with lust, clear for a moment. Her head shakes no.
“Why?” I ask.
“Because it takes too long to heal.”
Fuck , I like that answer. Even more than the idea of being the one to pierce her. I move forward without warning and press myself between her legs, taking her mouth like my life depends on it. Her hand is trapped between our bodies, my cock now on top of it, keeping it locked there. I grind my hips and she lets out a sharp cry as my weight pushes her fingers inside of her.
I do it a few more times, then lift slightly, reaching down to grab my cock.
“Keep them inside,” I whisper in her ear.
“What?”
“Don’t take your fingers out,” I instruct her.
Guiding myself forward, I press against the side of her finger. She moves them slightly but does as she’s told. It takes some effort, and I grit my teeth as I push inside but once I’m all the way in, my eyes practically roll back, especially when her finger twitches.
There isn’t any room, now that she has my cock and two of her fingers in there but one slight shift and thrust of my hips sends her spiraling over the edge.
“Oh, God,” she moans as her legs start to shake.
I thrust in further, circling my hips as she moans and thrashes beneath me. Her walls are so tight, it’s hard to move as she ripples around everything stuffed inside of her.
When she flops back, I pull out, take her wrist and bring her fingers to my mouth. Calli’s eyes pop open and she watches as I suck both fingers into my mouth, licking the taste of her. Then I slam her hand down on the bed and thrust back into her.
She squeezes my fingers and wraps her legs around me as I pound into her. Completely fucking mindless about what I’m doing, only wanting one thing.
To fuck her as hard as I can.