Chapter 14
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
STEVIE
“Okay, you are all checked in. Enjoy your stay.” I smile at the guests I just booked in.
They are here for an anniversary weekend. Lucky woman. Her husband phoned ahead to have some items added to the room for her: roses, chocolate, and some champagne. Plus, he has her booked in to have a full body massage, while he chills by the hotel pool.
I watch them walk off and my heart feels full that there are people out there who are truly in love, and not afraid to show it.
With Logan and I being new, I have no idea what the future holds for us. It was crazy how it felt right in my heart for him to take my virginity, even if we do not work out.
My chest tightens at the idea of us not working out. He told me I was his when he broke through my virginity. When he said those words, it was like a million little Pop Rocks explosions in my chest.
Heat floods my cheeks thinking of the way he took me, and how I got lost in the moment and was not acting like my usual self, which Logan seemed to enjoy.
I do not know what took over— the way I was speaking to him, how bold I was when I sucked his dick, but I am not ashamed of it.
Quite proud, if I am being honest with myself.
Reading books and watching porn helped me out.
And it is not like I have never given myself an orgasm before, just never penetration.
The way he looked into my eyes, like I was the only woman on the planet to him, I was all he saw and it made me feel special and wanted.
Past boyfriends showed me that not all men will wait for sex, or respect what a woman wants, but I believe deep down that if I told Logan I wanted to wait, he would have had no problem with it.
We have not seen each other since that day, as he has been busy for the club, but we have communicated through text frequently and he called me yesterday afternoon, but he seems distracted, and I know that he couldn’t talk about club business with me.
“You ready for lunch?” I look over to see Aunt Cass smiling at me.
We planned a lunch date today, as we have not seen much of each other since I moved out.
I check the time and nod. “Yes, I am starving. Let me go and grab my things.”
Rushing to the back to the staff lounge, I greet my co-workers, who are on their break.
“I am out, bitches. My aunt is taking me to lunch.”
“Go, go, we all know what you are like when you are hangry,” Benton calls out.
I wave him off. “I have no idea what you mean by that.” I pull my purse out while they laugh behind me.
“Do I need to go into story time, Miss Merrick?” he replies.
“Pft. Whatever.”
He winks at me, his chocolate eyes glistening with mischief.
“Oh, no you do not. I have some stories about one, Miss LaTisha.” His eyes narrow at me, but they only hold humor.
“Fine. But only because I do not want her name to be tainted.”
I scoff, and fold my arms across my chest.
“Oh, dude, there will be no tainting. She was far too good for you. She has morals.” The room whoops and laughs, and he flips me off with a bright smile on his face.
“Fuck off and go eat.”
I wave goodbye, then go and meet my aunt, who is now chatting with a couple I do not know.
“The Science Center is amazing for kids, plus the Desert Botanical Garden.”
They thank her and lead the three children out of the hotel.
“Ready?” I approach her.
“Yes, my girl. Let’s go and catch up.” She links our arms and we walk out of the hotel.
We chatter about random things until we reach the diner that we love. This was the one place we would come if I was upset, if something happened at school, or with Valarie. Or when I was on my period and seeing Logan and Val together got to be too much.
“My favorite ladies. Grab a booth and I will be right there,” Jackie calls out.
We slide into a booth by the window; something we have in common is that we love to people watch and make up their life stories.
“What are you thinking of getting?” Aunt Cass asks.
I tap my finger on my chin, thinking. “Maybe the club sandwich and a cola. You?”
“I am thinking the chicken Ceasar salad with extra cheese.”
“Oh, you rebel, you.”
“So, my girl. Fill me in on what has been happening.” My cheeks instantly heat up from her question, even though it was an innocent one.
Flashes of what Logan did to me, and how he made me feel fill my head.
Before I can answer, Jackie comes over to give us our water and takes our order. We nod our thanks and I sip from my ice-cold drink. The ice cubes clang against the side of the glass and the sound seems amplified as I get lost in my thoughts about my time with Logan.
“Stevie, are you okay? You look a little flushed. Are you coming down with something?”
I blink and take a big gulp. “No, I am okay. Just tired, been working some extra shifts,” I explain, which is not a lie.
I have taken some extra shifts, covering for one of the women at work whose little one fell ill.
“Are you sure it is just that?” I nod.
“Yeah. How is living with Cale?” I ask. “It is a huge adjustment.”
Her smile is wide, right, and full of love for her boyfriend. She deserves it. Taking me in when I was younger put a hold her social life, so I love that she has Cale and they are moving forward toward a good future together.
I want that someday— a man who will love me. Who will see and support me like I will him. An image of Logan flashes in my mind again, making my heart stutter in my chest.
We are new, so I do not know what the future holds, but I could see us together for a long time. The club is a non-issue for me; I have heard some things that they are not exactly on the up and up, but from what I have seen, they are not dangerous.
“It is.” Her voice brings me back to the booth. “He is so attentive, and makes me so happy. We have clicked like we have lived together for years. The coffee pot is already on when I wake up in morning and get this, he puts his dirty clothes in the laundry basket.”
Her voice is dreamy as she explains how they have been.
“Damn, he is a good egg.”
“Good egg?”
I shrug. “I heard it on some British TV show.”
“So, how is living on your own? You feel safe? Are you eating enough?”
“It is nice. I feel safe, and content there. Yes, I am eating enough.”
She studies me, her gaze penetrating into my soul like she is trying to get a read on me. We can usually read each other pretty well, as we have built a tight relationship. I like that we have always been there for each other, through the good, the bad, and the ugly.
“I slept with Logan.”
Her glass stops midair, while her eyes shoot wide as she looks at me. Slowly, and with a steady gaze, she lowers her glass to the table.
“Here you go, ladies, enjoy.” Jackie drops off our food, but neither of us reaches for it.
“You.” She clears her throat. “You had sex?” I nod.
Heat licks at my face; I can feel it rising like a thermometer. Licking my dry lips, I sip some of my cola, while finding the words to say. We keep nothing from each other, we talk things through, and we find a way to fix things, or gossip.
Once the shock wears off, she smiles. Her eyes light up at this new information.
“How was it? Did he take care of you? He didn’t hurt you, did he?”
“Whoa. Slow down, there.”
I explain how we have been thrown back in each other’s lives, and other things may have happened without going into much detail but she got the gist of it, and that made her smile.
I also informed her of how he charmed me into a kiss and then hurt me.
The information about Valarie makes her gasp in shock, but also, she is not surprised.
That makes her mad.
“Oh, he needs to hear a piece of my mind for that.”
I wave her off. “We are fine now. We talked and well, clearly things worked out okay.”
“Clearly,” she says. “He hurts you again, you come to me; I know some herbs that will make his day uncomfortable.” She winks.
“You are the worst, but I will definitely take you up on that if he hurts me again.”
“Good. Was he good?” She wiggles her eyebrows, making me burst out laughing, before I tell her some of what happened between Logan and me.
Some people would say that it is strange how open our relationship is, but if you cannot talk to your parent about things that scare you, then who can you speak to?
We talk some more, having a good time catching up for my lunch hour. I need to make sure that I go back home to see her and Cale more often. Family sticks together, and I am one lucky girl to have these two in my life.
Maybe I need to give Cale a little push to get a ring on my aunt’s finger.
“So, my baby girl is finally a woman,” Cass jokes.
“Um, I think I have been a woman for a while now, Aunty.”
“I know.” She looks at me wistfully. “I know that you were waiting for someone special. Things with you and Logan were never like that back in the day, so that is a little surprising that he is the one who got the honor of taking it.”
“It happened so fast. He was taking me on a date, but things got really hot between us and it felt right. If it did not feel like the perfect time, I would have told him, and yes, before you ask, I think he would have respected my wishes to wait. My crush for him has always lingered; he was the one I had hoped to see me, to feel something for me, but that was a stupid teenager crush. What I feel now, feels more intense.”
“What about him and Valarie?”
“He says he is done with her. The trouble she is in, the club is trying to get a handle on. He hates who she is now.”
“Club? What am I missing, Stevie?” Her brows dip in concern.
I fidget in my seat, popping a chip in my mouth thinking that I had already told her who he belongs to.
“Stevie?” Her voice is stern.
“Logan is with the Rugged Skulls MC.”
“He is? Well, I never saw that coming.”
“I know. He said that when he left here, he ran into some of the members in Fort Lauderdale and they helped him. It was only when he moved back here, that he got patched in for something he did for the club.”
“Okay, well, I have not heard bad things about the club, but please be careful, okay.”
“I will.” We chat and eat our lunch, as I need to get back to work to finish my shift.
Then a hot bath, some cold beers and a pizza are waiting for me. I would like a hot biker waiting for me, but I have not heard from him today.
We hug and I get a kiss on the cheek, before we part ways with the promise that I will go over this weekend for a Sunday roast, which apparently is Cale’s favorite meal, from his time spent in the UK.
Unlocking my phone, I text Logan.
ME: Hey, miss you. Are you free tonight?
I scroll through my phone as I walk, seeing friends’ posts and liking them, adding a comment here and there, but also screenshotting book recommendations, because I will not remember them all.
There are way too many good books in the world.
“Hey, Stevie.” My step freezes at hearing who is calling my name.
Looking up, I see Valarie walking toward me like she freaking owns the street. In tight dark jeans and a red sparkly halter top, her heels look uncomfortable to wear but she always did like to put on a show.
Her now black hair is pulled back in a high-tight ponytail, her bright red lips setting off her dark makeup.
“What, Val? I have to get back to work.” I keep my tone flat.
I do not want to fight with her again, or even entertain an argument with her. I am over this crap that she is doing with her life.
“I see that you are still chained to a desk job at that dead-end hotel. Sad really, I thought you would go far in life.”
“Like you, you mean? Selling drugs for a living. Yeah, you went so freaking far.” I move around her, but she grips my bicep, her long nails digging into my skin, making me hiss.
“You think you are better than me?” she states. “You were nothing without me in high school, and clearly you needed me to make something of yourself now, but you are weak, Stevie. Everyone can see it— Logan can see it.”
“Why bring him into this? He is done with you, Val, so have some self-respect and leave him alone,” I argue back, making her lips part in a smile so wicked it churns my stomach.
“Done with me? He is far from done with me, bitch. He was with me last night, sucking on my tits while I rode his cock. My nails were digging into that chest, looking at the tattoo on his collarbone.”
My hand goes to my stomach as the food I just ate threatens to expel itself. He was distant when on the phone last night… was he with her then or going to her, or had he already fucked her?
She laughs seeing my reaction.
“Bikers can never be trusted to stay faithful and will do anything and anyone to get what they need.” She smirks.
I rip my arm from her grasp, making her laugh. Well not laugh, but cackle like a deranged witch.
“What happened to you?” Tears fill my eyes, seeing my long-time friend as a criminal and someone who now bullies others.
“I grew up and learned that you have to look out for yourself, or you die. We all can’t have families to look out for us, Stevie.”
“So, you hate me because I had a family who loved me? Do you not see how fucked up that is?” My hurt and anger bubble to the surface.
She just told me she had sex with the man I am dating, but is also now criticizing my family life.
Hell no.
“Wow. Look at you being a big girl and cussing at me.” She spreads her arms in a mocking way.
Bitch.
“Oh, fuck off, Valarie. I am done with this shit,” I scoff. “Do you know what? You can keep Crash, he is not worth it.”
I walk away, needing to lock myself in the restroom to catch my breath and calm myself down before I burst into tears that no one wants to see.
“I plan to,” she shouts after me.
That jab sends razor blades into my heart.
I can’t believe he would do this, after declaring I was his when he was still inside of me. Did I look at this all wrong; was he just after one thing?
Was this some game that they played, knowing how I crushed on him in high school? My stomach churns, so I place my hand over my mouth and run inside of the hotel, making it to the restroom just in time to vomit.
I puke until dry heaves hit me, and my body aches. My heart hurts.
I can’t believe this.
There is a niggling voice that is telling me to talk to him first, but she mentioned his tattoos, which he did not have when he was in school. So, he must have had the collarbone tattoo done after he left. She would only see it if he were naked.
Sitting on the floor I contemplate what to do next, but my mind is racing in all different directions. I do not know what to think.
Why can’t life be simple?