33. Zoe
33
ZOE
Two Months Later…
“Watch the corners!” I call out, trying to give Cash and Tito a heads up for the sharp turn they’re about to make.
The men each have an end of the treadmill as they heave it up a flight of stairs, around the corner, and then carry it inside my otherwise empty apartment. Sweat slicks their faces, necks, and shoulders, but somehow they’re both still in high spirits.
“Don’t worry, we wouldn’t dare mess up your precious treadmill,” Cash grunts on his way in. “Oz told us it’s your most prized possession.”
Tito’s dark eyes flash in amusement. “?Dónde está mi cerveza, hermosa?”
I laugh, hands on my hips. “Relax. Pizza and beer are on the way. Just don’t break my treadmill. Deal?”
Ozzie strides in behind them, hauling my nightstand over one shoulder like it weighs nothing. He pauses just long enough to dip his head and steal a quick kiss. My heart stutters in response, warmth spreading through me at the easy affection. A few months ago, I never would have imagined this—any of it.
The family-like community I’ve found myself in. The man who can’t seem to get enough of me (and vice versa). The seemingly limitless and hopeful future laid out before me.
I watch as the men of the Steel Kings MC set down my things and then head back downstairs to grab the rest, and I know this is the right decision for me.
Washington, D.C. had become a dead end, suffocating me until I couldn’t breathe and didn’t even realize it at first. I was numb, some robot on autopilot who didn’t let myself feel anything. I had no existence outside of my role as a federal agent and told myself that if I fixated on taking down Boone, I would magically heal from old wounds.
It took the botched ending to my undercover operation in Vegas to make me see that it wasn’t that simple. Boone was finally off the streets, yet I felt emptier and more numbed than ever. I woke up to the fact that I couldn’t escape into fixating on my parents’ mess either. If I had stayed any longer, my well-being and sanity would be compromised. They’d suck the blood out of me like vampires ’til there was nothing left.
For once, I’m going to focus on myself. I’m going to do what makes me happy and enjoy myself along the way. If that means quitting my job and exploring a new direction in life, then that’s the road I’m taking.
Pulsboro was never part of the plan, but standing here now, watching these men unload my life into a space that already feels more like home than anywhere else has in years, I know I made the right call.
The memory of the phone call with Duchovny flickers through my mind, and I can’t help but smirk as I replay it.
“Strauss,” he’d said over the phone, his version of a hello. “Your leave of absence has been lifted. The board expects you back in D.C. immediately.”
I leaned against the counter of Ozzie’s kitchen, where I’d been staying at the time, staring out the window at the ravine. “Thanks, but no thanks.”
A beat of silence passed before he snapped with irritation. “What do you mean, ‘no thanks’? You’re a federal agent. Get your ass back to D.C., Strauss. I expect you on the first redeye available.”
I took a deep breath, feeling lighter than I had in years. “About that, boss. Effective immediately, I’m resigning. Don’t worry, I’ll type up an email to make it official. I’ll make sure to CC everyone on the board.”
“This isn’t a joke, Strauss. You’ve had enough vacation,” Duchovny barked. “If you do this, you should know, you will never be welcomed back.”
“Don’t worry, I wouldn’t ever want that,” I’d said, then ended the call before his temper could truly implode.
I don’t regret the decision to resign. I’ve done all I can do as an FBI agent. It’s time I explore other avenues.
“Alright, that’s the last of it,” Mace says, wiping at his brow as he and Big Eddie set down the final stack of boxes. He eyes me, smirking. “Welcome home, Federal Agent.”
I laugh with a roll of my eyes. “Not anymore. Haven’t you heard? Resigned, officially, as of today. The date on the email.”
“You think you’re going to miss it?”
“Not one bit.”
The rest of the guys laugh as Ozzie joins my side and pulls me toward him. He cracks a joke about how I’ll have my hands full as the new weapons specialist for the club.
Silver offered me the job not long after I was discharged from the hospital. He said I could start whenever I felt well enough to and that I would be an asset for the club. I would be in charge of running the armory, ensuring the club has an arsenal of weaponry at its disposal. The work was right up my alley and a proposition I gladly accepted.
Now that I’m finally healed and up and active again, I start next week.
“Knock, knock! Pizza delivery!”
We turn our heads to the propped open front door to find Sydney and Korine clutching a case of beer and some pizza boxes between them. Tito steps forward to steal the case from Sydney while Moses and Cash take the boxes of pizza from Korine and peel away the first slices for themselves.
Sydney grins surveying the stack of boxes filling up my living room. “I see the Steel Kings Moving Company already took care of business.”
“Perk of being a biker’s old lady,” Korine laughs. “They handle all stuff like this.”
“That includes flat tires,” Sydney adds.
Korine wedges herself between Cash and Tito at the kitchen counter and helps herself to a slice of pepperoni pizza. “I can change my own tires. But it’s real convenient having Blake to fix other things around the house.”
“I’m glad I provide some use,” Cash answers, his blue eyes glittering as he looks at his girlfriend. They share a sweet peck on the lips that makes Tito tell them to take their PDA to the motel down the block.
It’s yet another moment of fun ribbing that I can’t help joining in on, laughing along with the others.
My heart is so full of warmth that moments like these still amaze me. What was supposed to be a stressful moving day has been the opposite. It’s been nothing but me and the others making the best of moving my things into my new apartment and then indulging in some pizza, beer, and good company after it’s all said and done.
The men naturally break off with each other while me and the other women do.
“So,” Sydney says between sips of her can of beer, “what do you think? Is Pulsboro officially home?”
I give a half-shrug, fighting the smile that’s forming. “It feels a lot more optimistic than anywhere else. I think it will be, at least for a little while.”
“I felt the same way,” Korine says. “I grew up here but never imagined returning.”
“Are you happy you did?”
“It wasn’t my choice. That was my ex-husband, Ken. But it was a blessing in disguise. Otherwise, me and Blake probably never would’ve reconnected.”
“You two are…” I pause, searching for the words to describe the couple.
“Nauseatingly perfect for each other?” Sydney offers with a wrinkle of her nose and a teasing glance at Korine. “Meanwhile, me and Mace fell in love by biting each other’s heads off and somehow… it works.”
“Sounds like me and Ozzie in Vegas.”
“We’ve found other ways to—how can I put it—channel our energy.”
“We get it, Sydney. You fuck each other’s brains out and he rearranges those guts on the regular. Moving on,” Korine gags, making the two of us laugh. “Ahem, anyway, I heard from Silver you’re going to be working at the club! Congrats!”
“You heard right. I’m the new weapons specialist for the armory. Silver said my skills were too good to pass up. I could teach the guys a thing or two about the weapons we have in our inventory,” I explain.
“How about you teach us ladies how to shoot?” asks Sydney. “I’ve always wanted to learn. I know Logan started giving Teysha lessons, but they had to stop because of the pregnancy. She’d love to pick them back up with you.”
Korine nods. “We could do a ladies’ night. Invite all the other old ladies.”
“And club girls?” Sydney snickers.
“Uh, sure. And club girls. Zoe can show us the ropes. It’s about time we all learn how to defend ourselves. Especially since we know the Road Rebels won’t hesitate attacking the saloon.”
“Let’s make it happen,” I say. “Then we can do drinks and greasy food after.”
The other two are on board, coming up with different ideas like making each occasion themed. They rattle off everything from pizza to sushi to tacos as I stand by and smile at the fact that I might finally have girlfriends.
It would be the first time since high school I’ve had friends at all. Sydney and I didn’t start off on the best foot, but she came to me and apologized. I understood and quickly accepted, reminding her that she and some of the others were under stress and I was a stranger suddenly popping up.
We’ve been cool ever since. I’ve gotten to know her and the others, like Korine and Teysha (when she’s not preoccupied with her adorable newborn baby), and it turns out they’re some of the most down-to-earth women I’ve ever met.
“Hang on. I should take this,” I say, glancing down at my phone. I excuse myself from our conversation and step into my bedroom, snicking shut the door.
“Hello, I am looking to speak with Zoe Strauss.”
“This is she. May I ask who is calling?”
“Hello, Ms. Strauss, I’m Fernando Ragoza. I’m the case worker for your parents, Christopher and Tina Strauss.”
“Case worker?”
“Yes, they’ve recently been detained after a neighbor phoned the police over a domestic dispute. They were both found to be far over the legal limit for alcohol consumption as well as under the influence of several narcotics.”
“That…” I sigh. “That sounds like them. So, are they in jail right now?”
“They’ve been released, but a deal has been worked out between your parents’ defense attorney and the DA’s office. They are requesting your parents attend a court-ordered six month drug rehabilitation program… separately, of course. I am in charge of facilitating the process and I needed to reach out to their next of kin to let them know what has happened.”
“Oh.” I blink, completely thrown by what I’m hearing. I walk the space of my bedroom, ending up by the window that overlooks the street lined with more homes and some small businesses. “Yeah, I mean… that sounds like what would be best for them.”
“Excellent, we will put you down as their emergency contact in the event something happens where you need to be notified. You are also allowed visitation on a weekly basis if you are interested. I can forward you all the necessary information about their treatment program. Is [email protected] the correct address?”
“You can send it there. Thanks.”
“No problem, and be assured, we’ll do our best to rehabilitate them.”
I thank Fernando for his call and then pocket my phone, feeling strangely conflicted. On one hand, the possibility that Mom and Dad might finally get clean sounds amazing. But on the other hand, it’s still a sensitive subject for me. I’m still not ready to forgive them or even attempt to repair our relationship.
If they’re serious about making a change, they’ll have to do the work and show me over time. I won’t be enabling or doing any handholding this time.
There’s a knock on my door. Ozzie pokes his head in a second later. “You okay?”
I smile at him. “Very okay. Am I too late for a second slice of pizza?”
“Better hurry. Moses is eyeing his fourth.”
“Sounds like you’ve come to get me just in time.”
Ozzie holds the door open for me as I walk out, then pulls me against his side. We return to the others for more pizza, beer, and good company, and for once, I’m happy to put the past behind me.
Moving Day comes to an end once it’s dark out and the last of my visitors leave. I wave at Mace and Sydney as they climb into his truck and drive off. After a tense introduction, the two have really come through for me, along with the rest of the MC. I step back into my apartment with a satisfied sigh, sliding the latch into place.
“All gone?” Ozzie asks, appearing from the hall.
“All gone.”
“Good. Thought they’d never leave.”
I chuckle, raising a brow. “Have you forgotten they’re your friends?”
“Uht, uht. They’re our friends now, babe. You’re officially one of us.”
“That’s a first. I’ve never had more than two friends.” I’m joking, but also entirely serious as Ozzie steps toward me and slides his arms over my hips.
“You mean to tell me you weren’t Miss Popularity in school?”
“You’re kidding, right? Have you met me?”
“Yeah, I have. And you’re pretty fucking awesome, like I’ve told you a million times,” he says, dropping a kiss on my lips. He squeezes me closer, his hands feeling so good on my hips. “Which means I’m still shocked you’re giving me a chance.”
I smile against his lips. “What can I say? You wore me down.”
“So accosting chicks in hospital beds does work.”
We laugh together as I loop my arms around his neck and I realize he’s put on some music. The volume’s on low, the smooth R&B jams serving as background noise. It’s such an Ozzie thing to do, I laugh all over again.
“Did you turn on music?”
His mouth slants in a crooked grin. “It’s your first night in your new place. Figured we should celebrate.”
It’s in that moment that I realize we’ve gradually begun swaying in place. We’re slow dancing .
My cheeks ache from how hard I’m smiling. With anyone else, I’d find it corny, maybe even stop altogether, but it’s different with him. Like the night he got me to hit the casino and gamble with him, I’m letting loose. I’m no longer beholden to the old rigid rules I’d set for myself, where anything remotely fun wasn’t allowed.
“Smooth, Gallagher. Real smooth,” I tease. “Turn on a little R&B. Get your girl slow dancing. Next thing you know, the panties come off.”
“Don’t hate the player, Special Agent. Hate the game. Besides, it’s working, right?” His hand roams ’til it’s palming my ass and giving it a playful squeeze. “It’s not my fault if I want to dance a little with my girl.”
“You know what’s funny? This is probably the first real time I have slow danced.”
“Not big on school dances, eh?”
“Not a single one. I wasn’t a joiner.”
“Same. You could usually find me out back lighting up.”
“That doesn’t surprise me one bit.”
“But you know that makes tonight even more special,” he says. “I’m giving you your first slow dance experience.”
“Better late than never.”
“If we were in high school together, you know I would’ve been all over you, right?”
I snicker as we sway to the music. “At your own risk. You know I once got suspended for punching a boy in the face? His crime? Smacking my ass.”
“Yeah? And what do I get now?”
Ozzie taunts me with another firm squeeze of my backside, amusement gleaming in his gaze. My fingers slide to his nape and I pull his mouth down to mine. I let my tongue lick at his lips, then push inside his mouth for a deeper kiss, returning the favor.
Accepting his challenge and upping the ante.
He gets it right away, releasing a low growl from his chest. His grip on my ass tightens, groping the curved flesh harder, instantly making me want more. More of his rough hands on me and more hungry kisses like this.
We forget about the slow dancing we’ve started and instead lose ourselves in the mounting foreplay. Ozzie fondles my ass, hips and thighs, slipping a hand down the back of my jeans.
Inside my panties.
I drag my nails up his nape, across his tattooed scalp, flicking my tongue against his. He plays along, our kiss hot and deep. We’re breathing harder, growing impatient the more we taste and feel each other.
I’ve never desired a man like I do Ozzie. Sex has always been a practical necessity that I engaged in to satisfy a basic human need. Never for anything pleasurable or satisfying. Never because I enjoyed the act with the man I was with at the time.
Those men could’ve been almost anyone.
But it’s the opposite with Ozzie—the kissing, the touching, the foreplay, the sex itself are all things I crave. All things I only want from him and him alone.
It’s deeper than a practical necessity. It’s carnal desire that makes me ache to feel him in every way possible.
He kisses me ’til neither of us can stand another moment like this.
“Bedroom?” he mutters, nipping at my jaw.
“Now,” I answer, just as flushed and overcome.
It’s as we start toward the bedroom, trading kisses and tugging at each other’s clothes, that I notice the door is already slightly ajar. Through the crack I can see the glow of some dimmed lights. Considering I had left the room pitch-black with the door closed, it makes me realize why Ozzie wasn’t by my side when I saw Mace and Sydney off.
“What’s that?” I ask.
Ozzie merely grins, then kisses me all over again on the mouth.
I nudge the door open once it’s within reach and then stop in my tracks at what I find inside. Candles lit around the room and a welcome basket of adult goodies—including everything from vibrators, handcuffs, blindfolds and what seems to be whipped cream flavored lube.
A surprised laugh leaves me. “So this is what you were doing.”
“I told Mace to keep you and Syd talking. Worked like a charm.”
“It did, did it?” I fist at his t-shirt and drag his mouth to mine for a quick kiss. “I should’ve been suspicious the second you weren’t by my side.”
“I figured I should get you a housewarming present and since you said you never owned a vibrator before…”
“Now I have three,” I say, stepping forward to look at what else is in the basket. I grab the anal plug from the basket and hold it up with a raised brow at him. “Really, Gallagher?”
“Don’t knock it ’til you try it, babe.”
“I want to try everything with you… eventually.”
I’m talking about more than just sex and fun in the bedroom. Though that’s what we’re in the mood for right now, my relationship with Ozzie already means more to me than any other relationship I’ve ever had.
I’ve never been the type to envision bright futures and happy endings, but being with Ozzie has changed my perspective. It’s shown me that sometimes you don’t have to stand alone. You can have a partner by your side and be just as strong.
Ozzie seems to understand what I mean. His eyes spark and he gives me that stare of his where it seems like he’s thinking about how amazing I am. It’s an adoring look, an intense look, a look that makes me feel special.
“We’ve got plenty of time, Special Agent,” he says before cupping my face. “And don’t think I’m not looking forward to what you can do with handcuffs.”
It’s such an Ozzie thing to say that I laugh and reach for those next out of the basket. I spin them on my finger almost threateningly.
“You’ll find out. But first…” I drop the handcuffs to grab a different item out of the welcome basket. “I want to suck some whipped cream off your dick.”
Within a few minutes, we’re making it happen.
Ozzie’s throbbing hard dick is smothered in fluffy whip cream and I’m like a kid at a candy store as I lick and suck him up. A string of curse words falls from his lips as he groans and cups the back of my head.
I make it sloppy. I make it nasty. I take my time, swirling my tongue along the most sensitive parts of him as I lick up the whipped cream and then suck on his balls. Edging Ozzie to the point he’s about to explode has become one of my favorite games.
A form of power and control in and of itself.
But Ozzie makes sure to get more than even—as I’m seconds away from finishing him off, he’s flipping the script on me. He’s pulling me toward his mouth for a messy, deep kiss, and then he’s pushing me back and grabbing the can of whipped cream lube.
I’ve rarely allowed men to go down on me. Mostly because it always seemed like something that was done more for fun and pleasure than basic necessity.
Ozzie’s obviously changed my outlook on that too.
He’s got me flat on my back, thighs spread wide, head tipped as he and his tongue torture me. The whipped cream is cool on the skin, his tongue warm. I thrash against his mouth as he laps me up and seemingly traces the shape of my pussy.
Warmth spreads from the inside out ’til it feels like I’m burning. I’m on fire feeling Ozzie’s mouth on my pussy. He works his tongue with ease, stroke after stroke, applying just the right amount of pressure.
He edges me like I edged him, where he brings me so close, I’m panting. I’m grinding my hips back against him, seeking more. Then he’s backing off, switching it up to kisses on the inside of my thigh. Light love bites that still make me shudder and throb.
I grow so impatient that I try to sneak a hand to my clit.
“I don’t think so,” he says, snatching it away. “If I have to suffer, so do you, Special Agent.”
We find a compromise… or another means of torture.
Ozzie on his back with me on top of him. Except we’re facing opposite directions. I’m sucking him off and he’s tonguing my pussy.
More burning hot pleasure washes over me as I try to focus on sucking his dick while he’s eating my pussy. It’s both pleasure and agony. Both heaven and hell.
His long fingers splay out on my ass cheeks, gripping a real handful, as he makes the most of it and tongues me deep. His lashes come in so many patterns, so many different intervals that I don’t know what to expect. I’m shocked as he ventures to my other hole and tongues that too.
It’s a game that I quickly lose. My orgasm erupts from within. The heat burns through me like an explosion of fireworks. I cry out, the sound garbled by Ozzie’s dick in my mouth.
Before I’ve even finished coming, I’m flipped around. I find myself spread open, legs folded back, Ozzie sliding straight into my quivering, slick pussy.
As if I weren’t already hyper sensitive. As if my pussy wasn’t already tingly and swollen.
Ozzie sets me off a second time, sending me rolling into another orgasm. I’m coming as he’s fucking me deep.
It’s an erotic sight that only intensifies my pleasure. I’m still reeling from my orgasms watching the man I desire lose himself inside me. He’s raw and animalistic as he drags his hips back, then strokes deeper into me. He gives into the urge taking him over and comes with a throaty groan.
A satisfied smirk spreads onto my lips as he crashes down beside me and I start peppering him with kisses.
“Now about those handcuffs.”
He barely registers what I’ve said before I’m snatching the pair from the basket and climbing astride him. I slap a cuff around his left wrist and hook the other around the iron bar on the headboard. Can of whipped cream back in hand, I spray a liberal amount down his abs, his pelvis, straight to his warm, throbbing dick.
“Time for some payback.”
Ozzie’s caught between the heavy breaths he takes and the laugh he gives. Then he’s groaning once I’ve swiped some of the whipped cream on his abs clean off with my tongue.
“Fuck,” he breathes, his eyes snapping shut. “The handcuffs were a mistake.”
He’s right as I proceed to give him one of the best, sloppiest blowjobs of his life. And then the cycle repeats itself as he finds a way to turn the tables and pleasure me some more.
By the end of the night, we’re aching and exhausted with an empty bottle of whipped cream. As we finally regain enough strength to get up and strip the bedsheets and shower, I can’t think of a better first night in my new home.
I can’t wait to make many more memories just like tonight with Ozzie by my side. I’m grateful for the undercover operation that led me not only to the closure I needed taking out Boone on my own terms. But the man who I can’t wait to experience life with.