CHAPTER TEN
“I can do this,” Addy said to herself. She was in the ladies’ room off the lobby of the Hastings Hotel. It was the night of the Hall event and she was there to make sure everything went smoothly, like she did for all her events. She hadn’t seen or heard from Lincoln since she’d had her initial meeting with Ashley and Ainsley. Taking several deep breaths she looked at herself in the full-length mirror. She looked good. She had on a little black dress, with black silk stockings and black four-inch heels. She had used her makeup artfully to cover the dark circles under her eyes. She finally stepped back and took another deep breath. “You’ve got this.” Then, she left the room and met Heather outside her office.
“Addy, you look beautiful.” Heather said as she joined her. Together they went up to the ballroom and they spent the next half hour making sure everything was done and in order. “So, when are the clients supposed to be here?” Heather asked as they made one last trip around and was nervously straightening the flowers.
“We’re here,” came a voice from behind them. They turned and saw the expressions of the four people before them. Heather and Addy looked at each other, grinned and gave each other a high five.
“That’s what I like. The expression on your face. What do you think?”
“Oh my god! Addy, it’s perfect. Just like I pictured it. Ainsley, what do you think?”
“Perfect,” came the whispered response. Addy let the girls walk around, and when they came back to join them, she had to ask, “So, how are you getting your parents here?”
“No clue.” Ashley laughed nervously. “Greaser said to let him and the guys handle it. The other guests should be arriving soon. Like I told you, everyone accepted. So, we’re going to have a full house. I’m not worried about the party, I’m worried about how the guys are going to get my parents here, formally dressed without spilling the beans.”
“Who’s in charge of them?”
“The road captains. Whatever that means.”
Addy giggled. “Road captains lead the way. They’re the two riders in front when they go on a run. Behind them is the Sargeant at Arms and VP. Followed by the President and then the secretary and treasurer, after the officers come the rest of the people. In the back of the pack, behind the patch holders are the strikers, then behind them, bringing up the rear, are the prospects.”
“How do you know this?” Heather stared at her in shock.
“Lincoln is my ex-husband.”
“Who? Who’s Lincoln?” Ainsley frowned at her.
“You guys call him Abe.”
“Oh my god, you’re Addy, Addison Murphy. I never put it together. But he’s telling everyone that he’s married.”
“He’s refusing to sign the divorce papers. But tonight isn’t about me and my broken marriage, it’s about celebrating your parents twenty-five years of bliss,” Addy said, and continued to change the subject away from her by distracting the girls to look at the different decorations and how the food would be served. Thank goodness it worked.
*****
Across town, Mary Maddison answered the front door and stared at the three men dressed in expensive suits and wool overcoats. “Can I help you?” She scowled when her immediate thought was that her husband had tangled with the mob somehow and they were knocking on her door.
“Hey Mary, Burt home?” one of the men asked her and held out a garment bag.
“Who was at the door Mary?” Burt asked as he came up behind his wife. He looked at the men standing there and stared. “What are you guys doing here dressed like that?”
“Who are they?” Mary asked in confusion.
“The one in the middle is Greaser, then Randy and Chad.” He pointed to them as he named them.
“Holy shit! You guys clean up nice. But what are you doing here and why are you dressed like that?” She stepped back, and said, “Come in, come in.”
Greaser took the lead. “The guys and I have decided to take the two of you out for your anniversary. You’ve said that you didn’t have any plans, and because it’s your twenty-fifth, we couldn’t allow you to sit home alone. We’ve got reservations for seven thirty. So you have a little over an hour to get ready. And, Mary, we were finally able to get ahold of Ainsley and she dropped this off to me.” He held out the dress bag.
Mary took it with numb fingers. “But...”
“No buts, now we’ll go fix coffee and wait for you. We’re your drivers.” When they continued to stand there, he turned them and gave them a gentle push. “Times a wasting. Chop, chop.”
“But I have a case I have to get ready for.” Burt tried to defend his staying home.
“That’s next week, today is Saturday. Now get going, remember the reservations are for seven thirty.” He looked at his watch to show that he was on a time limit. They hurried away and Greaser called out, “Oh, Burt, wear one of those power suits you have. A shirt and tie are in the bag with Mary’s dress. We’ll be in the kitchen.” He turned on his heel and the other two men followed him. Once in the privacy of the kitchen he put his hands on his knees and drew in several deep breaths. “Shit, I hope that was okay. Thought he was going to kick my ass.” He stood and grinned.
“I think us showing up dressed like this shocked them into doing what we want them to do,” Randy said. “Thanks for being here with us.” Greaser held the position of vice-president with the club, and Randy and Chad were the Road Captains.
“So, now that we have them changing, what’s the next step?” Chad asked. “Christ, planning the route for a run isn’t this stressful.”
“We’ll take them out to the SUV, but before we put them in, we’ll blindfold them and tell them it’s all a surprise. I’ll drive around to get them lost, you know how well their sense of direction is. I think I’ll circle back a couple of times on the way, really throw them off. Then we’ll go to the hotel. I’ll send the text to Abe when we arrive and he can get everyone quiet at the ballroom.”
Upstairs Mary turned to Burt. “What’s going on? Our anniversary isn’t until next week.”
“I know.” Burt sighed and opened the dress bag, he took out the shirt and tie and when he saw the dress he whistled. “Very nice.” He grinned at his wife. “What the hell, if the guys are willing to take us to a fancy dinner and pay, who are we to argue?” He began to strip and it wasn’t long before the two of them were sharing a shower. Burt decided to show his wife how much he did still loved her, and it was a very relaxed Mary that emerged from the shower. At ten to seven they went downstairs and joined the others.
“Wow,” Chad said as he saw the older couple come into the kitchen. “Mary you’re a knockout in that dress.”
“Thank you. Ainsley always had better taste in clothes than I did. I love the color.” She ran her hand down her silver encased hip. “And look, Burt’s tie matches the dress.” She smiled at her husband and his black suit, black dress shirt, and silver tie. “So what now?”
“We’re going to drive you to the restaurant. But we want it to be a surprise, so we’re going to have to blindfold you,” Greaser said and held out two silk scarfs. “Didn’t think you’d want a shop rag or bandana so I sprung for these.” They laughed and went along with the plan. But they waited until they were in the SUV before they were blindfolded.
Randy did the honors and distracted them as Greaser drove and Chad sent a text to Abe.
*****
Lincoln pulled his phone and grinned. He looked up and sucked in his breath when the first thing he saw was Addy dressed in that sexy black dress. He was surprised by how thin she’d become. He looked around and couldn’t find who he needed so he headed in her direction.
“Hey. They’re on their way.” He held up his phone and showed her the text.
“Okay then,” Addy said, and looked around. She put her hand on his forearm and stood on tiptoes and then pointed. “There’s Ashley.”
Lincoln nodded. Then he looked at her and grinned. “Trust me?” When she frowned he sighed, turned, and let out an ear-piercing whistle. That got everyone’s attention. He held up his phone, and said loudly, “They’re on their way.”
Ainsley and Ashley were quickly by their side. “So what’s the next step?”
“No one but Greaser, Randy and Chad were privy to how they were going to get them here. Loose lips and all that. But this next step everyone knows about. Jackson’s going to make his way down and wait for them, he’ll be with Heather who will escort them up here. When they arrive, I’ll get a text and that’s when we all get into our positions, dim the lights and hide or whatever you have planned. We probably have fifteen minutes.”
Addy saw shock on the girls’ faces, and said calmly, “Okay, this is what we do.” She looked at Lincoln and mouthed. “Thank you.” Lincoln stepped back and watched her in action. Thirteen minutes later he received another text and let out the whistle again. That propelled everyone into action and they were ready two minutes later. Just before the main lights went out, Lincoln positioned himself to be directly behind Addy for when the doors opened. There would be no way for her to get away from him.
Standing in the back, Addy watched the main lights dim, then go out and the twinkling lights come on. She gave a small smile when she heard all the indrawn breaths, then the sounds of people shushing each other. She took a step back and bumped into someone. “Sorry,” she mumbled, and tried to turn.
“I’m not,” Lincoln said, and took advantage of the situation. He put her hands on her waist, and backed them further into the darkness. He knew he had limited time. He quickly turned her and kissed her. At her quick intake of breath, he slipped his tongue inside her mouth. With his arms wrapped around her he groaned when she wound her arms around his neck and sank into the kiss. They were interrupted by the explosion of three hundred plus people yelling surprise. Then the lights came on.
Addy quickly lowered her arms away from Lincoln and couldn’t look him in the eye. “Excuse me,” she mumbled, and hurried away. She didn’t have anything to do, but she had to get away from her husband before she did something stupid. She rushed to the ladies’ room and splashed cold water on her face. She stayed there for several minutes, until Heather came in to find her.
“Are you okay? You don’t look too good. You’re all flushed. Are you coming down with something?”
“No, no I’m fine. It’s just that when the lights went out, Lincoln backed me in a corner and kissed me. It brought everything back to me. All our time together. God, I miss him so much.”
“So, why aren’t you together?” Heather asked as she wet a paper towel and dabbed at some mascara that Addy had smudged.
“He cheated on me. I can’t get over it and he’s refusing to sign the papers. My lawyer says he has that right. I don’t know what to do, so I take one day at a time. It’s all I can do.”
“I know we have a great working relationship, but if you ever need me for anything I’m only a phone call away. I know what you’re going through. I was engaged and he cheated on me, I couldn’t go through with the wedding.” Heather gave her a hug and made sure Addy’s makeup was again flawless. As they were leaving the ladies’ room, Heather giggled. “So, what do you know about that Jackson person? He’s smoking hot.”
Addy snorted a laugh at her statement. “Not much. He came into the club when I wasn’t going there as often, since my business had started taking off. I know he’s Lincoln’s lawyer for the divorce, and last I knew he was single.” They were laughing when they came back into the party.
“Addy!” Ainsley called her name and she and her family hurried over. “Addy, this is Mom and Dad. Mary and Burt Maddison. Mom, Dad, this is Addy Murphy, she’s the one that did all this.” Ainsley waved her arm around the room.
“I only followed her directions. Good to see you again, Mary, Burt. I hope you have a wonderful time.”
“Addy, it’s good to see you too,” Burt said, and hugged her, followed by Mary.
“What I’d like to know is how Burt and I lost a whole week.” Mary frowned at her husband.
“We could have sworn our anniversary wasn’t until next week.”
“Ash and I conspired with your offices and we did your house. We messed with your calendars. And your secretaries or assistants did the same at work. It was hard at first, thank god you didn’t have any court appearances, Dad. Or we would have been screwed.”
“Did anyone tell you that you are a brat?” Burt laughed.
“You and Mom do all the time.” Ainsley grinned as her parents hugged her. Addy slowly backed away and made a round of the room to make sure everything was running smoothly. Hours later, she stood in the shadows watching the guests of honor dance to the song from their wedding. When they finished the DJ continued with a slow song.
“Dance with me,” Lincoln said from behind her.
“I’m not a guest. But you go ahead.”
“Sorry, the only woman I want in my arms is standing right here,” he said, and stepped up and wrapped his arms around her and began to move.
“Lincoln, I don’t think...”
“Good, thinking is overrated at best.” He continued to move around the space they were in. It wasn’t until he reached up and laid her head over his heart that she relaxed and gave in. They danced through that song and the next and when the music changed to a faster number, Addy started to pull away, but he backed her into a room. Once inside he closed the door behind him, and because he had checked out the room prior to this, he backed her up against the wall and bent his head and captured her lips.
“Lincoln, we can’t do this.” Addy moaned between kisses. But she didn’t bring her arms down from around his neck, break the kiss, stop playing with the hair on the back of his neck, or push him away.
Lincoln reached one hand up and began to caress her breast, but dropped his hand quickly when she winced and tried to jerk away from him. He knew immediately what was wrong. “I’m sorry. Did you have your test?”
“I did, yesterday. I’m still sore.” Every year after her mammogram her breasts would be sore, bruised and tender for at least three days afterward. Some years there was actual bruising.
Lincoln reached down and began running his hands up the outside of her thighs and it was bliss to Addy. He lifted her and used his lower body to keep her pinned to the wall. While kissing her, he ran his hands up under her dress and moaned when he felt her bare ass cheeks, meaning she wore a thong.
“God, I’ve missed you, Addy, missed you, missed us.” He wouldn’t let her say anything because his tongue was in her mouth.
Addy felt his erection and began rubbing herself against it. In her mind she was screaming at herself to push him away, but in her heart she was pulling him toward her. Her heart won out. She reached down and fumbled with his belt and zipper. Before long her thong was off and his pants and boxers were around his thighs.
Lincoln’s mouth covered hers as he plunged through her slick folds until he couldn’t go any further. Neither one of them said anything. They were too busy with their hands and mouths.
“Lincoln!” Addy yelled against his mouth when her first orgasm overtook her. Unable to hold back, he began pounding into her, and as she released her second orgasm, he shot his seed into her. In the back of his mind he hoped like hell he made a baby with her. He knew that if he did, this time he would be with her every step of the way.
“Addison, I love you.” He breathed against her neck as he continued to jerk inside her. “Let’s throw all this ridiculous divorce stuff out and start over. I love you and miss you. I want you back.”
“I can’t.” Addy began to struggle against him and he set her down. “This never should have happened. You caught me at a weak moment. I’m sorry, Lincoln, I can’t.” She struggled to lower her dress and felt around frantically. “Have you seen my panties?”
“Sorry, they got destroyed in my hurry to get to you.” Lincoln actually grinned in the dark.
“Shit,” she said, and made sure she was well covered and made her way to the door. “Goodbye, Lincoln.” And before he could say anything, she hurried out the door.
Lincoln stayed where he was and turned on the light to put himself together. He found Addy’s panties and grinned when he stuffed them in his jacket pocket. Once he was put back together he opened the door and strode out without a care in the world. He knew after what just happened, it would only be a matter of time before he had her back.