Chapter 28 Trikk
Trikk
I'm hopping around like a psychotic bird on crack. I've planned the perfect romantic date for Bambi, and I can’t wait to see her face.
After I've eaten, and made sure she did too, I hustle to her room, whistling the whole way. I've retrieved a large bag from my room, stuffed full of things we need for the date.
“Knock, knock Bambi,” I sing-song as I rap on her door.
“Trikk. What's in the bag?” Bambi opens the door with a dazzling smile and reaches for the large duffle; but I pull it out of her reach, tutting.
“Would you accompany me on a day date, Bambi? I have a surprise for you.” I know she’s a sucker for surprises.
“Surprise, you say? Well... I’ve got no other plans. I'd love to, Trikk. Come inside while I change. What do I need to wear?” She's off to her closet already, rifling through it.
“Dress for the outside,” is all I tell her.
I clam up before mentioning a swimsuit. It will be a dead giveaway. Good thing I shoved a bikini into the bag.
It only takes her a few minutes to change, into an adorable tank top with ruffled straps, and a pair of denim shorts with her Chucks. She put her hair into a high ponytail.
Turning to me, she grins. “Ready.”
I smile back, gathering her into a hug then bending her back over my arm dramatically to give her a movie-worthy kiss.
“Swoon,” she mutters, fanning her face.
“I’m going to sweep you off your feet today, my love.” I kiss her on her cute little nose, and she follows me out.
“Does Jax know we’re leaving?” Bambi asks from behind me.
“Yep. I cleared it all first. Harris knows, too. No worries.”
Tossing the keys in my hand, I let us into the parking garage, entering the code. I carefully chose the flashiest vintage car out of them all. I had to beg my ass off, but it will be worth it to see her face.
It's parked behind a fleet of SUVs in the back, so it’s hard to see. It's one of Jax’s beloved collection, and he threatened to string me up if I damage it.
Bambi gasps behind me, emitting a girlish squeal. “Oh my God. Is this...? No way. I must be dreaming. This is my other dream car!”
She lovingly runs a hand down the side of the sleek, red machine. It sparkles in the light. There's a black stripe down the side and it has a convertible top.
I open the door for her. She peers inside the 1987 Trans-Am, noting the all-original parts. The black leather seats are still soft and supple. It's spotless inside.
“This is awesome. Start it up, Trikk,” Bambi says enthusiastically.
I turn the key, and she purrs like a dream. I put on some gas, and the throaty growl fills the garage.
“I’m in love,” Bambi groans, making me laugh.
“My competition is a car,” I say, earning a giggle from her.
We head out, and I turn the machine eastward. Our date location is about thirty minutes from here, which I let her know.
“It’s fine.” Bambi fiddles with the radio, cranking it up when she finds an 80s station. “Oh, hell yeah.”
She fist-pumps, singing at the top of her lungs.
“We are the youth gone wild,” we sing together.
My smile is so big, it hurts. Her reaction is going to be the best ever.
We're almost to our destination, so I slow down, looking for the parking area. Finding it, I slide into a parking space and shut off the car.
Reaching into the bag, I pull out a blindfold.
“No peeking, okay?” I tell Bambi as I tie the bandanna around the back of her head.
“Hurry up,” she complains.
I go to her side, opening her door like a gentleman. Taking her hand, I help her out and whirl her to face the direction I want her to see.
Bambi takes a deep breath. “Trikk... is that?” I whip off the blindfold, and she screams, dancing in place. “No fucking way... Am I dreaming? The beach? Oh my God!”
She throws her arms around me and kisses me hard. I pick her up, spinning her in a circle. Taking her hand, I lead her to the sand.
I chose a secluded area near Atlantic City so there's no people around, just us. It's gorgeous. The waves gently lap at the shore, the sound of seagulls the only other noise. The sand is littered with seashells.
Bambi tears up, shaking her head in wonderment. “I love you so much, Trikk. This is something I thought I’d never see. I can’t believe you remembered.”
I gently touch her face in a caress. “I remember everything you’ve ever said to me, baby.”
We spent many nights discussing our dreams. Seeing the beach was one of her top wishes.
I go into the bag again, pulling out two beach towels. I lay them out in the sand. Then I take out the sunscreen, the bikini, and even sunglasses for my girl. Lastly, there’s snacks and water.
With misty eyes, my girl doesn’t hesitate to drop her clothes, quickly donning the bikini. And damn—she is shit hot in it.
“Let me help with the sunscreen,” I offer, rubbing it into every inch of bare skin.
“Trikk? I don’t know how to swim,” Bambi says, biting her lip nervously.
“I got you. Just wade in—we don’t have to go in too far.”
Her first steps in the water send her into tears again. She stands there, watching the water hit her feet with a look of awe on her face.
“It’s so warm, and soothing,” Bambi tells me. “Thank you, Trikk. This is everything.”
“Aw, Bambi. No more tears, okay? Time to have some fun.”
I lean down and splash her, and she laughs in pure joy. She splashes me back, and we have a small water fight.
“I think I want to go in farther,” she says with a nod of determination.
Wading out, she goes in up to her waist, and waits, watching the incoming wave with wide eyes.
I get right beside her, taking her hand. The wave reaches us, washing over us and hitting us in the face. The spray makes her giddy, and she claps in happiness.
“That is so cool. Again,” Bambi announces.
We play in the water for a while, then she gets out, drying herself off.
“I want to collect shells,” she calls to me, grabbing the empty bag.
She doesn’t even wait for me to catch up. She just hoofs it down the beach. Bambi oohs and ahs over every shell she picks up, depositing each one into the duffel I brought with us.
I help her, and we manage to fill it up in no time. We head back to the towels for water and a snack.
Bambi looks me deep in the eyes. “Trikk, make love to me. Please. I need you.”
I’m already meeting her in the middle, our lips smashing together. I kiss her slowly and deeply, letting her feel every ounce of love I have for her.
We both shrug out of our wet suits, and I very softly brush my thumbs over her erect nipples.
“Oh. Don't stop.” Bambi’s eyes are already glazing with arousal.
I lean in to take a rosy bud in my mouth, suckling gently. Her spine curves, and she thrusts her chest in my face.
“More, more,” Bambi chants.
I lower her onto the towel, on her back.
The love I have for this woman is beyond anything I've ever imagined was possible. I am going to show her—right here, right now.
I take my time, making love to every inch of her.
When we come together, I use slow and languid movements.
We make love for hours, my girl and me.
This is paradise.
Phoenyxx
Somehow, I fell asleep on the way back from the beach. The beach...
I’m literally speechless at the date Trikk planned for us.
I feel giddy, like a teenager in love is supposed to feel. I never had this, so I revel in it. There’s so much love in my life now, I'm overflowing with it. I’m so damn grateful for everyone in my life.
“How did it go?” Hunter greets us as we get back inside the compound.
I shoot him a joy-filled smile. “Amazing. The beach is perfection. Trikk really outdid himself. My guy is such a romantic.” I lean over to give Trikk a peck on the lips.
Hunter nods once. “Good to hear. He's not the only romantic in the bunch, though. I'll romance you so thoroughly, you’ll see stars.”
Whoa. Hunter rarely shows jealousy.
Except that moment in his office when he dominantly tried to claim me and freaked me right out. I flush now thinking of it. Looking back, I can appreciate how hot it was. He wanted to stake his claim.
“It’s not a contest, Hunter,” I laugh.
Hunter snorts. He goes to say something else when a female voice calls to us.
“Hey wifey. Can I talk to you?” Cynthia jogs up to us, a nervous look in her eyes.
“Sure. Is everything okay?”
“I guess so. I just need to talk.”
Turning to Trikk and Hunter, I say, “I’m going to go to my room with Cynthia. Thanks, Trikk. I love you both.”
Trikk kisses me hard and leaves with a grin.
Hunter leans in to whisper in my ear, “Please take care of her. We have her in therapy, but it’s a long road ahead.”
“Always,” I promise, kissing him too.
Cynthia grabs my hand, and we go to my room. When we get inside, I notice Sam isn’t here. He must be with the others. I'm glad they all seem to be getting along better.
Cynthia pulls me onto the mattress, facing me with crossed legs. “Um... I’m confused. About guys, about love. I really like Thor, like a whole lot. But I also like others too. I want a harem, like you.”
Oh boy. “I can tell you if your heart bursts with happiness whenever you think of him, and his needs come before yours, you’re likely falling in love.”
Cynthia's face goes red, and her mouth flops open. Her eyes sparkle as she says, “I’m in love with Thor?” Her hand goes to her mouth. “How do you love more than one guy, wifey?”
“Your heart is capable of loving many, bestie. Never try to force it; it will happen naturally.”
“Wow wow... okay. So, I really like Maverick, Bill... and Jax.”
I jolt a bit at that. “Bill? Jax? That is... unexpected.”
Cynthia smiles, tears shining in her eyes. “Yeah. I think Bill likes me, but I haven’t talked much with Maverick. And Jax, well, he’s tough to talk to. I'm kind of scared of him.”
My heart goes out to her. She's so innocent. I remember being just like her not too long ago. I wrack my brain for the best advice I can give her.
“Get to know them, Cynthia. Conversation is a perfect start. Make sure you let Thor know how you’re feeling, though.”
“Okay, I am going to do that. I can be brave.”
I chew my bottom lip, following that up with, “Does Thor feel the same way about you?”
“Yeah, Thor tells me how much he likes me. He gets this look; like you get around my brother.”
I blush a bit. “Well, there you go. Like I said, don’t try to rush anything. You're going to be fine.” I hug Cynthia tight, patting her back.
“Thanks, Phoenyxx. You're such a good friend. You saved me in there, and you still are in here. I'm such a lucky girl.”
She called me by my name, which makes me emotional. She really is progressing.
“You help me in the same way. I may not have survived The Morgue without your friendship.”
We both cry a bit together, hugging each other. I feel my heart open even more for this girl. I love her.
She jumps up after a minute. “I’m going to talk to Bill now. He's probably at his computer as usual. I bet Thor's in there too.”
Cynthia darts out my door, her contagious optimism making me chuckle.
Bryan
I'm aggravated as hell. I feel like a faded picture in the background.
Watching the rest of the guys play hero is pissing me off. I'm a man too. I want to help them instead of being relegated to the shadows.
I'm ecstatic I can spend so much time with Valley, but it’s not enough.
This has been eating at me for a while now. I haven’t had the courage to speak up. I'm disgusted with myself for being such a pussy. Those guys intimidate me, but I need to get it together. All I have to do is go talk to them.
Nodding to myself, I decide to do just that right now.
Valley is busy watching a movie. She wanted to be alone for a while, to catch her breath after everything we’ve been through, which is completely understandable.
Striding down the hall, I check the media room first. It seems all The Six are in there, which is exactly who I was hoping to find.
Clearing my throat, I speak up. “Hey, guys. Can I talk to you?”
My heart beats erratically in my chest. Sweat forms on my palms. I’m not used to being assertive or even confident.
Synn looks up from his pinball game. “What’s up?”
I swallow hard. The scariest one.
I can do this.
“I want in on what you guys are doing. I can be an asset. I need to help.”
A controller clatters to the floor, and Razor starts to laugh. “You can’t handle what we do.”
“You don’t have a violent bone in your body, man. You'll just be in the way,” Purge says from his position in front of one of the TVs, playing a game with Ghost.
I see red. Refusing to back down, I steel my spine. Raising my voice, I clap back.
“Bullshit. I'm a man, same as all of you. I can learn. I want to fucking help. There are still many things in play. An extra set of hands should be welcomed.”
“Bro... you just cursed!” Trikk’s eyes are wide with his exclamation.
“Yes, I fucking did,” I say, holding my head up.
Synn chortles. “Okay, man. You want in? You may not be able to stomach blood and torture, but we can give it a shot.”
My stomach roils, but I shove the feeling down. “Good, thank you. What do I do first?”
“Nothing yet, man. When we have more on The Camp to actively go after, we’ll let you know,” Frost says from the other pinball machine.
That makes me feel a bit better. Frost isn’t the type to bullshit me.
Harris follows that up with, “We will include you, Bryan. It's best to mentally prepare yourself beforehand.”
“I will!” I say confidently.
“Score. Ha!” Razor yells from the game he’s playing with Ghost. “Want to take over, man? Ghost needs someone he has a chance against.”
Ghost smacks Razor upside the head. “Fuck off, asshole. Come on, Bryan, let’s play.”
My legs carry me over, and I plonk down where Razor was sitting. Ghost hands me the controller, and we start to play. Some kind of shooting game. I can learn this.
My heart is full of hope as I hang out with the guys for the first time. I've never had a guy friend. Hopefully, I'll gain six now.
Razor
That boyfriend of Valley’s, Bryan, is never going to hack it. I saw quite clearly how gun shy he was during The Morgue escape. The guy’s scared of his own shadow.
I don’t know what possessed Synn to okay it. Everything we are preparing to do is dangerous. Bryan’s life will be on the line.
Shaking my head, I think about what Fiasca told us earlier. She said she wanted to take all her fears back, and I couldn’t be prouder of her. I know my girl can handle it. Hell, maybe she’ll even enjoy herself along the way.
Fiasca amazes me more every day. I never had the courage to stand up to my parents. It felt wrong to go after my mother, since she’s a woman, and mentally fucked in the head. And my father... well, mafia leader—enough said.
I've hated myself for most of my life. I've always been tight-lipped. The guys don’t know much about my feelings. I hide them behind the crazy, tough exterior. I want to change that, though. Maybe taking Fiasca’s lead can give me the courage to finally stand the fuck up.
I really hope so.