Zisa Chapter 7
What in the hell was I thinking, agreeing to ask my mama to go to dinner with Moose and his president? I should’ve lied and told him Mama said no. But I knew the reason I didn’t. The truth was, as stunned as I was to see him on my porch, I wanted to be near him.
When Milan came to find me, I was cleaning the bathroom with the music playing on my earbuds. It made housework more enjoyable if you did it to music. I hadn’t heard the doorbell. When she walked in and informed me there was a man at the door named Moose, I was too shocked that he was there to reprimand her for answering the door. Both of them knew not to do it. Thinking she had to have misunderstood the name of who was there, although my heart was racing at the idea it was him, I’d stripped off my gloves, and after a quick look in the mirror, ugh, I went to see who it was.
Finding it was him and he was on my doorstep, looking totally edible, I had to fight to string coherent words together. His insistence we needed to talk made me apprehensive. Was he here just to tell me off? Riding four hours to do that seemed overkill, but guys were weird.
It was the hope that it was something more that made me agree to ask Mama to go to dinner with him and Carnage. Knowing his president was with him made me wonder why. He said for support, but what kind of support? And why would he want to take us all to dinner? When I contacted her, I knew she’d be full of questions. Ones I wasn’t willing or able to answer.
“Azisa, who is this man? You’ve never mentioned him. And why would the president of his gang want to take us and the girls to dinner? What did you get yourself mixed up in?” I heard the panic in her voice.
“Mama, calm down. First of all, I haven’t gotten mixed up in anything. I’m not Zuri. As for who he is, I met him, his president, actually his whole club, not gang, at MMM a couple of weeks ago. They’re friends with the club that author Sara is part of. We met, had dinner, and hung out.” I prayed she accepted what I said without asking for more.
“Bullshit. There’s more to this. Two bikers don’t come rolling up to your house based on acquaintance. Something else happened. Since you’re not Zuri, I know it’s not drugs or gambling. You don’t owe them money. So what is it that they want?”
I’d always been able to tell her everything. She didn’t judge, usually. She knew I was a woman who enjoyed sex, not that I went around sleeping with men willy-nilly. Typically, I’d tell her if a guy and I got to the stage of sleeping together. However, in Moose’s case, I hadn’t. For one thing, it hurt too much to talk about him. Second, he was the first guy I’d ever jumped into bed with after knowing him for less than a day. I didn’t want her to think I was a whore. Although women who did that weren’t ones, most people judged them as such.
“Mama, I’ll tell you about him, but it has to wait. Will you go?”
She didn’t say a word for a good minute or more. I thought I’d dropped her call at one point. Finally, she sighed.
“Alright, honey child, I’ll go. But if those two bikers don’t behave or they say or do something I don’t like, we’re out of there. You hear me. I won’t expose my family to danger.”
“I swear, I don’t see them doing anything to endanger us. They’re not like that. They can be crude and such, though.”
“Well, fuck, so can I,” she sassed.
We ended up laughing. No one could accuse her, or me, for that matter, of having clean mouths. Milan and Imani were used to hearing swear words. They knew they weren’t allowed to use them, or at least not until they were adults.
That was how we ended up here, driving into the parking lot of Marco’s Steakhouse. It wasn’t a snobbish, highfalutin place, but it was nice, and they served a mean steak. We’d been here a few times on special occasions. It wasn’t something we did on a regular basis. The money could be used for better things, but I’d done well at MMM, so I’d splurge tonight.
When we told the girls we were eating out and where they cheered. They loved it when we did things like this. They insisted that we get all dolled up, which for them meant we had to wear dresses. I didn’t mind, and neither did Mama, so we wore some of our nicest clothes. Mama and I had on makeup and heels. Our hair was in its usual curls. I inherited mine from her. We were lucky they were nice curls and nothing too frizzy. That same hair had been inherited by Imani and Milan. They had bows in theirs and wore cute dresses they got at Christmas.
We found parking toward the back of the lot. We’d taken my van. The temperature was cooling off fast, so we had worn our coats. Getting two excited girls out of the van and reminding them to be on their best behavior one more time took a few minutes. I was so into telling them this with Mama that I wasn’t aware we had company until he spoke. When he did, a shiver of awareness went sliding down my spine. I twirled around to face him. In doing so, my heels caught on a crack in the pavement. I lost my balance and would’ve fallen if it weren’t for Moose. He reached out and grabbed me, then brought me closer to his body.
His scent surrounded me. I could’ve stood there inhaling him for an hour. “Whoa, watch it. Are you okay?” he asked.
I was saved from making a bigger fool of myself by uttering what I was thinking by Mama. “I hope to God you’re the ones we’re here to meet because if you’re not, I’ll have to beat you simple. Thank you for saving her from a fall, but you can let go now,” she said to Moose as she leveled her basilisk-like stare at him and his arms around me.
His arms eased their hold, but he didn’t push me away. He calmly answered her. “Ms. Adams, I assure you, we’re the ones you’re here to meet. I’m Moose, and this is my club president, Carnage.” He paused as he pointed to his president. Carnage was studying my mama intently. I couldn’t figure out what his expression meant.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you. I see where Zisa gets her looks. I would’ve never pegged you as her mom, more of a slightly older sister,” Moose added.
“False flattery won’t get you shit with me, Moose. I’ll wait to see if meeting you two is a pleasure. You can call me Shantel. Ms. Adams makes me think of a stuffy old woman. These are my granddaughters, Milan and Imani. Do you speak?” she asked Carnage.
“I do when there’s something to say. I gotta tell you. He wasn’t blowing smoke up your ass about your looks, woman. You’re damn fine, and you know it. I’m Carnage, as he said. I’m the president of the Norfolk, Nebraska chapter of the Devil’s Regulators MC. It is a pleasure to meet you. And I hope by the end of the night, you’ll think the same thing about us.”
He held out his hand to her. I waited to see what she’d do. His cockiness might set her off, or it could intrigue her. You never knew with her. Slowly, she extended her hand. He took it and then shocked me by raising it to his mouth. He took his time kissing the back of it. I saw the flash of surprise on her face before she masked it.
Checking the two men out, I was amazed to see they were both dressed in what appeared to be new jeans and nice shirts, not their regular T-shirts. I wondered if it was due to the place or if they wanted to impress us. I could’ve told them they would do that wearing rags. I might find Moose mouthwatering and irresistible, but Carnage wasn’t far behind him. He was older, but he was a sexy man, too. I loved his hair up in that partial knot.
When Mama finished having her hand kissed, she glanced around as if she didn’t know where she was or what to do. Ah ha, I guess bikers sent her into a tizzy, too. It was a shame they lived so far away. It would be fun to see if Carnage could get her out on a date. Although he was probably used to women throwing themselves at him, like Moose, I had news for them. Mama didn’t jump into bed with anyone. I couldn’t recall the last time she went on a date, and as for sex, I had no clue. My daddy did a number on her. Trusting men wasn’t high on her list.
“Shall we go, ladies? Oh, and before I forget. Imani and Milan, you both look beautiful in those dresses,” Moose told them.
They giggled. He hooked my arm over his, then held out the other toward the girls. Milan took it. Imani wasn’t left out, though. Carnage had gotten Mama to latch onto his arm and was presenting the other to my second niece. Oh, Lord, they’d be having little girl crushes before the night was over. We were escorted into Marco’s. It was crowded, which I expected. They did a lot of business no matter what night of the week it was. The hostess gave us wary looks as Carnage stepped up to her stand.
“I have a reservation for six people, for five-thirty. The name is Carnage,” he said gruffly.
The hostess’s eyes widened with astonishment. She quickly glanced down at the computer screen in front of her. It only took her moments to answer.
“Y-yes, here it is, Mr. Carnage. If you’ll give us a minute, we’ll make sure your table is ready for your party.” Without another word, she hurried off.
We weren’t the only ones waiting to be seated. More couples and small parties were sitting and standing across from the hostess stand. I caught them giving us wary, curious, and disdainful glances. I ignored them.
Carnage had his head lowered, whispering in Mama’s ear. I couldn’t hear what he was saying, but she was listening intently. They were interrupted by the return of our hostess. She was calmer and had a smile on her face. She grabbed several menus and then waved for us to follow. “If you’ll just follow me. Your table is ready. I hope you enjoy your evening. If we can get you anything, just let us know.”
When we got to the table, both men were gentlemen, and chairs were pulled out for all four of us. My nieces seemed in awe of it. They were so rarely around men. They hadn’t been treated this way before. After we all sat and had our chairs situated by the guys, they sat so the hostess could pass out the menus.
“Your waiter will be with you momentarily. Enjoy,” she said, giving us a final smile before walking off.
Moose was on my right, and Milan was on my left. On the other side of her was Imani, followed by Mama and Carnage. The girls eagerly opened the menu. I leaned over to review it with Milan while Mama did the same with Imani. As we did, Carnage spoke again.
“Girls, I want you to get whatever you want tonight. I think steak and lobster are in my future. What do you think? Do you like seafood? They have burgers if you don’t. Have you been here before? If so, you’ll have to tell me what’s good.”
His inclusion of them warmed my heart, and I could tell Mama wasn’t unaffected either. As for the girls, they opened up and began to chatter away. They told him what they had to eat here before and how good it was, and they loved seafood. I smiled when they told him to save room for dessert because it was delicious, which was no lie. A hand on my arm brought my attention back to Moose.
The instant it was, our waiter came swooping up. He was a guy in his late thirties or early forties, and he was a good-looking guy with a charming smile. He didn’t do a thing for me, but I bet he got good tips from the ladies. He kinda reminded me of the bartender at the hotel in Frisco.
“Good evening, I’m your waiter, Franco. We have a few specials tonight. Let me go through those. Then I’ll take your drink orders. If you have any questions, just ask.”
I let him ramble on about the specials. I’d seen them when I was reading Milan’s menu. When he was done, none of us had questions, so he took our orders and left.
“What’re you having?” Moose asked.
It was weird to be here with him, acting all normal. I wanted to know why he was in Salina and how he found me. But the bigger question was why. I knew now wasn’t the time or place for it, so I swallowed my questions.
“I’m not sure. It all looks good.”
“Tell me what you’ve enjoyed before.”
“Well, I’ve had a couple. We haven’t been here often.”
He gave me a puzzled look. “Then where in this town do men take women on a date? Is there somewhere better we should’ve gone?”
“No, no, this is great. I don’t actually know if there’s a place where men usually take women. I don’t go out much. Mama, me, and the girls have come here a few times for special celebrations. That’s how they know what they like.”
“Well, you’re with us tonight. Anything you want is yours.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I kept quiet. As I studied my menu, with him pointing out various things he thought I’d like, I heard Carnage teasing the girls and talking to Mama. He was so much more animated than when I was with them in Texas. I caught him smiling.
When Franco came with our drinks, we placed our food orders. I ended up ordering a steak and shrimp. My mouth was watering at the thought of how good it would be. We launched into a conversation about our work, the girls, and other safe topics while we waited for our food. They shared as much as we did. I was surprised by how comfortable it was.
I thought everything was going great. We’d gotten our food and were eating it happily. Franco came to our table and was attentive but not pushy. I was looking forward to dessert, too. The amount of food Moose and Carnage ordered had us staring in disbelief. They assured us they’d finish it, though, if anyone wanted some of it to speak up. They have steak, shrimp, lobster, baked potatoes, grilled asparagus, a side of mushrooms, and crab cakes.
As we ate, I made the mistake of asking Moose how his crab cake and mushrooms tasted. The next thing I knew, he was putting them on my plate. He didn’t just leave them there, either. He raised his fork with the crab on it to my mouth. I automatically opened it up, and he slid it in. As I was chewing and enjoying it, he got a forkful of mushrooms. I swallowed and took the next one. Moose watched me chew, and I swear, he had this gleam to him like he was savoring the fact I was eating from his fork.
“Moose, thank you, but I can feed myself. They are delicious. You didn’t have to give me any. I was only asking,” I told him when I was done.
“I knew you wouldn’t ask to taste them, but based on your expression when you asked, I knew you liked them. Eat up.”
“I think I have more than I should as it is.”
He leaned close and whispered in my ear, “Baby, I don’t want you to lose an ounce of this exquisite body. If you do, it would be a fucking crime.”
I heard the desire in his voice, and it was burning in his gaze. I gulped. I didn’t know what to say. I was afraid if I spoke, I’d beg him to take me to my house and fuck me all night. My nipples were rock hard. My panties had been damp since he walked up to us in the parking lot. It was like he was emitting some pheromone that flipped a switch inside of me. And from the looks women were slyly giving him from around the room, they were affected, too. I disliked that immensely. I wanted to growl and tell them that he belonged to me. What was wrong with me? When I didn’t say anything, he smirked and then went back to eating. I struggled to continue, but the food was too good to waste, although I’d take leftovers home.
Several minutes later, Carnage addressed the table. “If everyone is almost done, I think it’s time to get dessert. Imani, Milan, what would you like? You told me so many things, I can’t decide. Maybe you can help me pick mine.”
They eagerly told him what they loved most. As they were debating with him and Mama, Moose was back whispering. “What dessert will I see pass through those sweet-as-fuck lips of yours?”
“Moose, stop it. I don’t know what game you’re playing, but it’s not funny,” I hissed.
“Zisa, I know you still have to get to know me, but I don’t lie, and I’m not playing a game. And if you think you’re not having dessert for a stupid reason like watching your weight, it’s not happening. If you don’t speak up, I’ll choose.”
Stubbornly, I kept my mouth shut when Franco came by and the others placed their orders. I’d seen Carnage and Mama whispering, and she was frowning at him, and he was doing the same back.
As we waited, my attention was diverted by a trio of women sitting close to our table. I’d caught them checking us out several times. They’d been whispering and giving Mama and me disgruntled looks while panting over Moose and Carnage. My only assumption was they were attracted to the guys and were upset we were with them. I almost told them not to be, that the two bikers were free agents, but the idea angered and depressed me. The arrival of dessert distracted me. A selection was given out. Moose had a large one in front of him. I shouldn’t have been surprised when he held a spoonful up to my mouth.
“You know you wanna taste it. Go ahead. I dare you not to,” he said with a wink.
I should’ve stayed strong, but it looked and smelled so good that I broke. That was how I ended up spoon-fed something called Rocky Road bread pudding. It was butterscotch bread pudding with chocolate chips in caramel sauce, topped with toasted marshmallow and walnuts. It was decadent and so worth the calories. I moaned at the taste.
“Christ, don’t do that in here. You’re making me hard,” Moose said.
To get him back, I slowly licked the spoon clean, making sure to exaggerate my tongue movements. I made it like I was licking something else. A low growl escaped him. I had to remind myself we were in public with my mama and nieces. His growl made me hotter.
It wasn’t long before the check was brought. When it was, both Mama and I asked what our shares were for the four of us. Carnage had been handed the bill. He scowled.
“It doesn’t matter what it is. You’re not paying a dime. We asked you to dinner. Men pay.”
“This isn’t a date,” I protested.
“Even if it wasn’t, which it is, that doesn’t change the fact that we pay. Call us old-fashioned, but we don’t believe in going Dutch,” Moose added.
“I insist on paying our portion,” Mama told him firmly.
“You can insist all you want, Shantel, but it’s not happening,” Carnage told her gruffly as he shoved his bank card into the folder and held it up. Franco came hurrying by and snatched it up. It was as if they had coordinated it. This caused low squabbling between them and Moose and me. However, it did no good. After Franco returned, Carnage signed his name, and we had our leftovers, something else Franco had done with help from another server. We were ready to go.
Despite the disagreement over the bill, the evening was delightful. Moose pulled back my chair, then Milan’s, while Carnage did Mama’s and Imani’s. We were putting on our coats when I heard it.
“Well, I don’t see what those two have that attracts men like them. For God’s sake, they brought their kids along. Who does that? And did you see them eating? They should have some salads and no dessert with asses like theirs,” snickered one of the women at the table.
She was a skinny White bitch. Nodding their heads in agreement was another skinny White woman and a woman who, although skinny, was Black. I was disappointed in her. She should embrace her body and not conform.
I would’ve never said anything if they had kept their mouths shut, but I saw the looks on Milan and Imani’s faces. They were upset, and I didn’t want their heads to get filled with negativity about their bodies. We came in all shapes and sizes, and there were enough girls and women out there killing themselves to look the way society made them think they had to be in order to be considered beautiful and desirable. It was a bunch of fucking bullshit. I whirled around and then marched right up to their table to face them. They were shocked.
“It’s women like you who give us a bad name as a whole. You run down and ridicule your own sex just to make yourselves feel better. I’ll have you know that I love my ass and curves. They may not be for everyone, but I’m happy with them. I don’t want people like you filling my nieces’ heads with the nonsense that they have to weigh a certain amount or look a certain way to be appreciated and gorgeous.”
“I second what my daughter just said. It’s outrageous that you’d say something like that. You all three need to eat a cheeseburger and put some meat on your asses. Real men don’t want a bone. I suggest you wipe the drool off your chins. You’ve been eye-fucking these two men like their juicy steaks all evening. It’s shameful. As for why they’re with us, that’s none of your damn business,” Mama snapped. She’d come to stand next to me.
Loud clapping grabbed our attention. It was Moose and Carnage. They had come up behind us.
“You tell ‘em, Shantel. You’re right. Men appreciate real women, and, babe, you and Zisa are real women. It’s a privilege to have you with us,” Carnage said, shocking me.
Moose slid an arm around my waist as he glared at the three mute women. We weren’t overly quiet and had attracted the attention of several other diners. “Let’s get out of here. The girls don’t need their negativity, and neither do you and your mom. These three are just jealous they don’t have what it takes to get or keep a man, unlike you two.”
Both of their defense of us made me melt. I wanted to throw my arms around his neck and kiss him, but I shouldn’t do it. He was being nice by defending us, but I shouldn’t read anything into it. One last glance at the trio showed they were still sitting there, speechless. Turning our backs on them, I heard Milan say to Imani, “Our amie and Auntie Z told them, didn’t they?”
We had a lot of eyes on us as we walked out with our heads held high. I had never been one to let people make me feel bad about myself. I might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but they could be civil and keep it to themselves.
When we got outside to my van, the reality set in. Dinner was over. Moose would want to talk. I was torn. Did I go to his hotel, or have him come to my house? I instantly shied away from the hotel. At least at the house, we’d be able to talk without a bed in front of us. If I went to his hotel room, we’d end up in bed together. My attraction to him had grown, not lessened. I had to keep my cool for a while longer.
“We’ll follow you ladies home. Then you two can decide where to meet for your talk,” Carnage said.
“Wait. What talk? And while it was wonderful of you to invite us to dinner, which we thank you for, there’s no need to follow us home,” Mama told him.
“Yes, there is. We have to be sure you get there safely,” Carnage responded.
“Zisa, where will it be?” Moose asked.
“Zisa, what talk is he referring to?” Mama asked insistently.
“Shantel, your daughter and I need to have a discussion. She left Texas without giving me a chance to discuss something important with her. I promise you on my cut and club that I don’t intend her harm. She’ll be safe with me. However, I do need to talk to her. I came all this way and can’t return home without doing it.”
Mama stood there pondering what they both said. I unlocked the door and gestured for the girls to get in, which they did, though they watched us avidly from the backseat. Finally, when I was about to end the tense silence, she nodded.
“Okay, I’m going to trust you both. However, if I find out you’re liars, or you harm my daughter in any way, I’ll hunt your asses down, and when I’m done with you, you’ll wish you were dead. My family is my life. I’ll do anything for them. Understood?”
“Goddamn, why did you have to go and say that, woman? Shit, that does it,” Carnage muttered. I had no idea what he meant, and neither did Mama based on her expression, but the way Moose was smirking, he did. I’d have to ask him when we were alone.
“Alright, you can follow us if you must. I’ll be dropping these three off first. Moose, if you want to talk, then you can follow me home.”
“Sounds good to me. Let’s go,” he said.
He and Carnage didn’t go off to their bikes. Instead, they opened the doors and held them so we could get in first, then they sauntered off. The roar of bike engines caught my attention after starting my van.
As we waited for them to get over to us, Mama whispered to me, “You have an awful lot of explaining to do, Azisa Adams.”
“Yes, I do, Mama. Yes, I do.”