TWENTY-SIX
Lisa
Lisa hadn’t known what to expect when the girls arranged for a night out at the Devil’s Pour—a bar owned by the MC—but she was pleasantly surprised that it wasn’t a dive overrun with hostile masculine energy.
Still feeling shaken up earlier, she’d almost canceled, but Nina persuaded her to come out to relax.
And as he’d suggested, she wanted Ryan near, so he walked into the place with her, his hand resting low on her hip, possessively aligning himself as her man as every pair of eyes, male and female, came at him like he was a celebrity.
Lisa couldn’t explain how the air suddenly shifted with his presence, making everyone sit up straighter and his staff work more diligently. One came over to him instantly.
“Boss. What can I get you?”
“My girl is gonna be sitting over there with her crew.” he jutted his chin to where Nina and Joelle already were. “They will have table service all night, get it?”
“Sure thing.” The guy smiled.
Ryan turned to Lisa and angled his palm across her cheek. “You sure you wanna be here?”
“There’s nothing I can do at home other than worry. I can do that here with the girls.”
“I’ll be right over there. If anything or anyone bothers you, you call for me. If you feel uneasy about something, don’t hesitate, okay? I’m gonna have my eyes on you.”
“Sweet boy.” She smiled up at him and buffed his hairy chin.
With a little kiss on his lips, she left him on a barstool. The girls were congregated in a VIP corner booth when she worked her way over. Nina moved across the seat so Lisa could slide in. As she did, she glanced over, and sure enough, Ryan was watching her with his hot, hooded gray eyes.
Oh, that man! She trembled a little, easily feeling safer in his presence.
“This wasn’t what I was expecting.” She shared. “I like it.”
“You thought you’d have to dodge flying glasses and fists?” Grinned Kelly.
“Something like that.”
Even the jukebox music wasn’t that bad. The 90s had the best songs.
“The boys wouldn’t even let us step in this place if it wasn’t safe.” Said Scarlett. “I can only go to the Den if Axel is with me.”
“That’s more to do with the male strippers and not about trouble.” Teased Joelle. “Your man doesn’t want you gazing at gyrating butts unless it’s his.” Everyone laughed, and Scarlett didn’t deny it.
Slipping out of the little jacket, Lisa left it on the seat and reached out for the wine waiting for her. It tasted fruity and crisp, just what she’d needed after the day from hell.
“Nina filled us in on what’s been happening. That fuckstick needs his balls cut off, whoever he is.” Casey hissed.
“Castration is too good for someone who thinks it’s okay to threaten women.”
“He’s threatening Ryan, though.” Lisa input. “That’s what I don’t get.”
“Could it be your ex?”
“Rowley? Hardly. He couldn’t fight his way out of a paper bag; I say that kindly.
It’s not his nature. And he’s happily married.
Plus, this happened ten years ago, the first time.
I didn’t know Rowley then.” Lisa’s head had been going around it all day, driving herself mad with who it could be.
She’d come up with precisely zero answers. “Ryan is looking into it. I trust him.”
“I’m glad,” Kelly said sagely, patting Lisa’s knee.
Lisa was surprised at the gesture because Kelly was the one Lisa was least close to.
Not that the woman was unfriendly, but Nina had told her earlier on in their group friendship that Kelly took a while to warm up to new people.
And she especially didn’t like outsiders who judged the bikers and their lives.
“The MC won’t let this go unchecked. You belong to Splice now.
To threaten a clubwoman is a black mark against anyone. ”
Oh, wow. Yeah. She hadn’t thought about it that way.
He was so damn gorgeous sitting there, an arm resting on the bar, one leg on the rung of the stool, the other flat to the floor. He looked like a model who had just come from a photoshoot. And he affected every cell of her being.
She was so wildly attracted—no; it was worse than simply lust. She was becoming deeply addicted to Ryan.
The kind where she wasn’t happy if a day went by without them seeing each other.
Though he never missed a phone call, checking in throughout the day, or sending random texts.
She thought his pursuit might dial down now that he had her, but if anything, Ryan was more focused on their relationship.
She’d asked the universe that tipsy night with Nina for an attentive man, hadn’t she? And they’d delivered Ryan Gold in a gift basket. Thank you, Fates!
He was fulfilling all her desires, leaving her a giddy mess, overwhelmed by the new emotions that surfaced whenever she gazed at him.
“Okay, stop sending googly eyes at your man,” Nina said. “He’s playing guard dog, but we’re here for girls’ night, and that rarely involves penis-havers.”
“Price is here for me, too.” Said Scarlett, mentioning the probie, “Axel wouldn’t let me come out alone. And I’ll probably only stay an hour. I had FOMO.”
“You should be at home nesting,” Lottie said.
“Or riding the hubby to bring on labor.” Advised Kelly.
As Lisa listened to everyone talking, she looked over at Ryan, needing to see him from time to time.
Sometimes men were chatting with him. Other times, she saw women trying to gain his attention.
Though she felt a flicker of possessiveness stirring in her belly, she trusted him.
Thank God, because what was she going to do?
Start a bar fight? Not in her white jeans and red-bottomed shoes.
She’d have to undress first. And then there were her silver hoop earrings to take out.
Nah, better not to fight over her man, she thought, chuckling to herself.
“What has you cackling?” Nina asked.
“I was imagining how much I’d have to take off before I could fight women over Ryan.”
“Hell! Are we gonna fight?” Nina blinked, looking over at Ryan, too, who was flanked by two brunettes. The women weren’t touching him, so it was fine for now.
Lisa laughed at the horrified yet prepared look on her best friend. Damn, she loved that lady.
“Not in these shoes.” She lifted the pair to show her expensive footwear, and they all made agreeing noises.
The conversation turned to a fundraiser Kelly was planning for the local women’s shelter. As the girls discussed their roles, Lisa discreetly texted Ryan from beneath the table, her phone on her lap.
It was the most daring text she’d ever sent anyone, and her cheeks were burning by the time she let the text go.
Lisa: Don’t forget to tell those barflies you have a very possessive woman who thinks you’re so fuckable, she can’t wait to get you home tonight to wear your sexy body out.
He lifted his head and gave her an incredibly intense gaze. He tried to move off the stool, and Lisa just shook her head, telling him to stay put.
Ryan: My goddess owns every inch of my body. I already told them I’m taken.
Lisa: My sweet boy. I might let you come a little sooner.
Ryan: Woman, you’re killing me. Do you really want me to spring a boner when other women are near?
Lisa: Good point.
Ryan: You are so fucking beautiful. And all mine.
Leaving the texting there before she went deep and sent other filthy things.
Lisa’s inhibitions were definitely lowered by alcohol because never in a month of Fridays would she have ever sent a risky message, and never in public. Maybe within the confines of her own home, if she were held at gunpoint and her life depended on it.
But being with Ryan, she felt so sexually liberated, and knew he would never judge her for what she fantasized about.
“As a female gathering,” Lisa started, slipping her phone back into her purse, “where do we stand on talking about sex?”
The table erupted into chuckling girls.
It was Casey who said, “Well, before you got here, we were talking about pregnancy hemorrhoids. So, nothing is off the table as a topic.”
Lisa blinked. “Is that a real thing?” Thank the holy sheep that she never wanted to experience pregnancy.
Nina nudged her with a shoulder, “Did you have some sex talk to put on the table?”
All eyes turned to Lisa, and she felt squirmy.
“Nooo. I was just curious about the conversation status: was it a free-for-all or a more modest get-together? Book club or crocheting type of thing.”
“We talk about everything,” Kelly said. “For instance, I can no longer look Tomb in the eye after Nina shared about their hot tub shenanigans at the lodge.”
Nina dreamily sighed. “Make Splice take you to the club-owned lodge one day soon; you’ll have a blast.”
“Do I really want to have sex where you and Tomb have had sex?”
“Avoid doing anything at the clubhouse then,” grinned Casey. “Everyone gets to hear about it. In our early days, Denver and I went wild in that place.”
“Same,” Kelly replied.
“Axel and I still do.” A nonchalant Scarlett said. Being the youngest old lady, Lisa would have assumed Scarlett would be the more reserved one, but she was always so unfiltered in what she said. She found the girl so refreshing to be around.
“I think we know more about Casey and Denver’s sexcapades than we volunteered to know,” piped in Scarlett, a cheeky grin on her face as she lifted a lemonade to her lips.
“Can you blame me? My man is stacked.”
“Lisa, if you ever have time to see Denver working out with his skipping ropes, make sure you’re sitting down.” Joelle fanned her face, and Casey laughed.
“Oh, God, yes. Don’t tell Bash I saw Denver that time when I was over at your house; he’ll hit the roof, but our Casey is very blessed.”
Lisa went along with the chuckling, but she wasn’t sure she wanted to perv on any man that wasn’t Ryan. In her opinion, he had the best physique.
Then Nina said, “Our cougar has a younger buck; she doesn’t want to look at any other body other than Splice’s.”
“Finally, we’ve waited enough; it’s been more than an hour!” huffed Kelly. “Nina said we couldn’t bombard you with questions, but spill.”