Allie:
“Hey.”
Duke came through the doorway in the kitchen, crossing his heavy arms across his chest as he leaned against the frame.
“We should talk.”
After finally finding some edible food in the kitchen of the clubhouse, I’d taken a seat at the table to enjoy a bowl of cereal. It was sad to say but these cheerios were the best things I’d tasted in days. You never realize how quickly you get sick of fast food until that’s all you’ve had to eat.
I looked up at him, stunned in silence again as I took my last spoonful to avoid answering. My eyes scanned the room through the large wall window looking into the bar, and I couldn’t see my mom anywhere. Was I supposed to do this alone?
“Allie?” He asked again, expecting a reply.
Guess this was as good a time as any.
Standing slowly, I placed my bowl in the sink, rinsing it out to delay this a little further but I knew I couldn’t. Drying my hands on the towel, I motioned my arm forward for him to lead the way and followed him into their chapel room.
The room was large. Enough to fit all fourteen large men around the engraved table but now it just felt claustrophobic. Duke waited for me to walk in before he closed the doors behind us. I swallowed, hard. I folded my arms across my chest as I leaned back against the hard leather doors. Unsure of how this conversation was going to take place. When I was younger, I imagined it going really well. We’d profess our love and how much we’d missed each other. It would end with hugs and forgiveness. But that was then. Now, being in this same room with him. I knew that wasn’t going to happen. There was too much pain. Too much baggage.
I never planned on taking myself from one bad situation to the next but that’s what had happened by coming here. I had no intentions on reconnecting with Duke. I no longer had that fantasy. I was just going to be here and keep to myself until mom and I could find a place to start a new life under the radar.
At least that was my plan. Mom on the other hand was perfectly happy here. Already in bed with the president, running around and taking over the place like it was her palace. She was jumping back into the lifestyle she told me about as Duke’s Old Lady and all of the privileges that came with that. She wasn’t any good at holding grudges. I guess that’s why I had such a problem with it, I could hold grudges for the both of us.
He walked to his seat, but he didn’t sit. He stood behind it, resting his hands on the back of the chair and hung his head trying to think of what to say before he looked up at me.
“How are you holding up?” He asked, after a few brief moments of silence.
“Same way I’ve always held up.” I shrugged my shoulders. “I see you and Vivian are back to whatever you were before.”
“Getting there.” He admitted, holding my eye contact to gauge my reactions. “We’ve got a lot of bullshit to work through before we get things back to how they were. We’re both different people now. Twenty two years apart will do that do you.”
“No shit.” I muttered.
Duke sighed heavily, his head falling again as he stared down at the marks on his dark leather chair.
“Look Allie, I know you’re mad. You have every right to be, but you have to believe that it was the best move for the cards we were dealt with. It wasn’t easy for me to let you guys go. I loved you and your mother more than anything. I still do! Not one day passed in all this time that I didn’t think of you. Of how you’d turn out to be.”
I felt a lump in my throat as he spoke but I needed to hold it together. I don’t know what he expected bringing me in here. Maybe that I would feel bad for him, see how much he’d suffered, or that I’d forgive him and we can put this all behind us, but I couldn’t. I wasn’t going to do that. He didn’t deserve that.
“You know why I find that bullshit, Duke? Because if that was the case you would’ve found a way to call. You would’ve made an effort to find us. You have connections all across the country, you have a guy hacking databases to find Leo, but you couldn’t do that for your own kid.”
“I couldn’t!” He raised his voice. “I wasn’t going to risk putting you and your mother in danger. Not with everything that had been going on. Your safety was my priority!”
I let out a small laugh and looked down at the ground, shaking my head. “Cut the bullshit Duke. Just stop. You know just as well as I do that it might have started that way, but from what I gather that ‘war’,” I made air quotes with my fingers. “didn’t last too long since you had to explain it to half the men at the table. You could’ve easily came to find us after five maybe ten years. Twenty two years isn’t about protection. It’s negligence.”
He lowered his head and let out a heavy sigh but I wasn’t done yet.
“How safe do you think living out of a car was? You can’t even fathom the shit mom had to do – had to put up with – just to put a roof over our heads week after week. I didn’t get it when I was a kid. I didn’t understand any of it! I didn’t understand why I’d find my mom bleeding and hurt after one of her ‘friends’ came over. Do you know what it’s like to take care of your mother after she’d been raped? No. You don’t. Do you know what it’s like to have to defend yourself from those same assholes that would come into your room after they were done beating the shit out of her? To live in constant fear that if I fell asleep, I’d most definitely wake up with to a strange man on top of me? I had a plan to kill a man – to take his fucking life – just so we could finally fucking escape! Do you know how much shit you’d have to go through to get to the point where murder is your only option?! No, you have no fucking idea!”
I felt the wetness of my tears as they streamed down my face. I hated myself for crying. For allowing him to see a side of me he didn’t deserve. I’d never said any of that aloud before. Not to anyone. I couldn’t express any of that to mom. It would crush her to hear how all of that had affected me. She saw it, to some degree, but she had enough to deal with so I’d always focused on keeping myself together. If not for her sanity, then for mine. It felt like a weight lifted of my chest but only momentarily. Everyone always wants you to talk about things, saying you’ll feel better afterwards but this wasn’t the case. This didn’t solve anything. It didn’t make any of my demons disappear. Everything that had happened to me didn’t just magically disappear. It was all still very real.
Duke’s eyes were filled with tears of his own as he watched me break down. There was pain, anger, and regret written all over his face. I’m sure this was news to him. I doubt mom filled him in on any of it but this was reality. He stood up and made his way over to me, wrapping his arms around me but his touch burned my skin. It was filled with too much anger to deal with it. With all the strength I could muster, I shoved him off of me, causing him to stumble back
“Don’t you fucking touch me!” I pointed my finger at him as he looked up at me stunned. “I’ll get us out of here as soon as I can. Until then, I’ll continue to stay out of your way. And if you really love Vivian, you’ll leave her alone too. It’ll make all of this easier when you decide you’re bored trying to play family man again.”
Maverick:
Nate and I had walked back inside after a few minutes. He kept trying to question what had happened between her and I but even I couldn’t wrap my head around it enough to reply.
One minute I come out to check on her, the next I’m ready to take her right up against this wall. What the fuck was wrong with me? I wasn’t a dumbass teenager that couldn’t get his dick wet. I could go in there and fuck the first bitch I see. Any of them. So why did she have this effect on me?
I’d never seen anyone, let alone a girl who wasn’t a club rat talk so openly about fucking a guy she hadn’t known more than a day? More than a few hours, if we’re counting the times we’d actually spoken. It had turned me on in a way I never thought possible. That – and the thought of her touching herself at the thought of me.
I couldn’t keep thinking this way. Allie didn’t know what she was getting herself into. She’s just like all these other bitches that talk about “no strings attached” bullshit then get all mad when they catch feelings. She didn’t know this lifestyle. I had no doubt she’d been through a lot. You could tell by how she carried herself. Tough little thing. But getting in bed with me was no good for anyone. I’d never take her side over Duke’s. Fuck. If he wanted her dead I wouldn’t hesitate to pull the trigger, but it didn’t seem like she cared about any of that.
When we walked inside we heard yelling coming from the Chapel followed by a crash. Instantly all of us were up and at attention. Out of the corner of my eyes I saw Duke’s old lady rip the door open and we all looked inside. Duke was against the table, surrounded by a few chairs he must’ve knocked over and Allie stood in front of him. Her back towards the door. .
I didn’t get a good look at her face until she turned around. Tears streaked down her face. Her eyes were bloodshot, further deepening color of them.. Without a word, she wiped the tears from her face, turning to see her mother.
“I’m going to find a store. Pick up a few things. Get some air. I’ll be back.”
Her tone was calm, like nothing had happened. Vivian nodded silently and Allie walked past all of us, eyes focused solely on the door like no one else was even in the room.
Duke brushed himself off, physically he was fine, but we’d all heard what was said, that man had just taken one hell of a beating and none of us could help him out with this.
On a side note – we really should get a more sound proof room for our meetings but then again we’re not usually yelling like that.
“She’s gone.” Pyro said peeking out of the front doors.
“Goddammit!” Duke slammed his hands on the hardwood table, causing his old lady to jump. She didn’t seem half as stable as her kid and that wasn’t saying much. “Anything could happen to her out there. Bomber. Pyro. Go follow her.”
“No!” Vivian protested. “It’ll just make things worse. Let her breathe. She won’t go far. I know Allie. She’s been doing this since she was fourteen. She just needs air and she’ll be back soon.”
“She’s not from around here.” I spoke up. “Duke’s right, it ain’t safe for her to be out there alone.”
“She’s fine.” The woman said firmly. Her response wasn’t directed towards me at all, it was meant for Duke.
With a heavy sigh, he reluctantly agreed before calling us in for church.
We still had a club to run. The Tribe was closing in on our area. A few of their dealers had been seen around local businesses. We didn’t deal drugs but that didn’t mean they could. Nothing in this city went on without us knowing about it.
“Washington having the same problem. Trig said they’ve caught a few patches around schools and shit. They took care of a few of them but they’re not backing down. Something needs to be done on a larger scale.” I filled everyone in.
“This bullshit treaty isn’t working anymore. They ain’t honoring it. We can’t let this slide.” Nate grunted.
“We’ll arrange another meet with Aarons and Mackey. This isn’t something we can rush into.Carver replied, turning to look at Duke.
Carver was always the voice of reason at this table. Both Duke and I were hot headed, it was a dangerous combination when the two of us were together but Carver always kept a clear head.
“Alright.” Duke nodded. “Set up a meet with them tonight. They pull their men back or we start killing anyone of them we come across.”
“You sure tonight is a good night, pres?” Tex asked cautiously.
“Why the fuck wouldn’t it be?”
“You know… with everything going on with your kid. Just think you should take some time to cool off. Fix things with them. “
Duke placed his palms in the table, leaning closer beside me to look furiously at Tex. “You saying I’m distracted? That’s a serious allegation brother.” His low voice, laced with venom. Made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
“No! No-” Tex back peddled immediately. “ I’m just saying, you might want to take some personal time since you ain’t seen ‘em in years.”
“You let me worry about that.”
I looked at Tex as he leaned back in his seat and nodded. Duke was an intimidating man, there was no doubt about it but this side of him hadn’t come out against a brother before. This just confirmed that having a family don’t mix with the club. Duke judgement was definitely clouded but there was no way he’d admit it.
“Anything on Leo Walters?”
Hawk leaned forward from the other half of the table to address us. “Guy’s clean. Not so much as a speeding ticket on his record. Owns a few bars, few strip clubs, other than that he’s also got his hands in politics. Friends with the mayor. Has dinner dates with the DA. I reached out to our charter out there. See if they could find out anything more.”
“So he’s good at covering up his tracks. You think he’ll go so far as following them all the way across the country?” I asked.
“If he is as bad as she says he is, he seems to have a pretty good setup going to jeopardize it all for some payback.” Boonie offered.
“I don’t know man. If some bitch stabbed me and tried to blow me up I’d hold one hell of a grudge.” Nate added.
Duke sighed heavily. He had a point. Any of us would. We’d killed men for less. But this wasn’t so black and white. He’d beat the shit out of them for years. I’m actually surprised it had taken one of them this long to do anything about it but then again not many people turn to murder first.
“We can’t be too safe. This is the last time Allie’s out there alone. Maverick, I need you to keep eyes on her. She goes no where unattended. Vivian will listen to instructions, clearly Allie has a mind of her own on this matter.”
No way. No fucking way.
“Fuck that, Duke. I ain’t a babysitter. I go where you go. I’m not leaving your side.”
That and your daughter wants to fuck me and I’m way too tempted to say no but there’s no way I was saying that out loud.
“Look Mav, you’re my Sergeant at Arms, there’s no one I trust more to have my back than you. That’s why I’m asking you to do this. There’s nothing I want more than her to stay safe and until I can get her to listen to me, I need my right hand to do that.”
“This is bullshit, pres.”
I mumbled under my breath but his hand on my shoulder, giving me a gentle squeeze, made me nod.
This wasn’t going to be good for any of us. I couldn’t be around the girl without a raging hard on and now I had to follow her around all day long. I did not become a member of this club to be a babysitter.
He banged the gavel and we all stood, filing out of the room. My eyes wandered the ever busy venue before they landed on her at the bar. A hand stopped me before I got passed the doors and I knew Duke had seen her too.
“I need you looking out for her brother. Carver can’t keep up and she don’t want to be anywhere near me. I need to know she’ll be in good hands.”
“You owe me, man.” I replied with defeat. This wasn’t how I wanted to spend my time but not for the reasons he thought.
I looked up to see Duke again, staring at the other side of the room where the old ladies were. Vivian was in the mix with them laughing and catching up. Mixed emotions crossed his face. Somewhere between nostalgia and regret. Viv had come in and fit right back into her position with the old ladies. There was clearly a lot of history between them all but they were all like family. I nudged Duke again, pushing him towards her.
“Go spend some time with your Old Lady, brother. They’ll grab you when it’s time to go.”
He nodded at me appreciative and made his way forward, leaving me to find Allie again. She was still at the bar, her hand caressing the arm of another man as she laughed at something stupid he must’ve said. I felt my anger flare up again, unexplainably. Was this jealousy?
No. I don’t need to get jealous over a bitch. I walked across the club house and grabbed the hand of the blonde from yesterday, pulling her back towards the stairs. She shrieked in excitement but my eyes meet with Allie’s and she smirked at me.
She fucking smirked. What was I supposed to do with that?
Well I knew what I wanted to do but that wasn’t going to happen right now.
I walked up the stairs to my dorm and pushed the girl inside, my lips meeting hers hungrily as my hands made quick work of her clothes, ripping them off within the minute. She had my shirt off kissing her way down my chest while her hand undid my jeans, her free hand stroking my hardening length. When she finally got them off, I pushed her down to her knees, her mouth taking me in as she began to suck. She was like a goddamn vacuum, massaging my dick with her tongue as she worked the length with her hands.
I threw my head back in a low groan from the sensation but when I closed my eyes all I could see was Allie. Allie with that fucking smirk on her full lips that I wanted to wipe off of her face. I pictured her in front of me, sucking me off while she looked up at me with those eyes.
My dick hardened more than I thought possible and I grabbed Scarlett by her hair, pushing her back towards the bed. She giggled, trying to be sexy as she pushed off her skirt, no underwear (shocker), I grabbed a condom from my nightstand and slid it on before grabbing her legs and turning her around on her hands and knees.
I had a pretty decent length, most girls couldn’t take it without some pain. Some days I gave a fuck, others I didn’t. Today I did the gentlemanly thing and spit on my hand before sliding it through her slit for some extra lube before I pushed myself in all the way.
She moaned in pain as her body slowly adjusted but this wasn’t about her. I needed to blow off all this steam before I killed someone over sexual frustration.
My hand grabbed her hair again, causing her to arch her back as my free hand grabbed her hips, thrusting into her harder and harder with each stroke. Her moans filled the room as her pussy would clench around me. The warmth enveloping me was enough but I kept going.
The cheeks of her ass were red from the contact of my hips slamming against them aggressively, I’d felt her come twice by now and the extra wetness definitely helped. I closed my eyes tightly as I approached my release and all I could see was her again.
Her, just the way she was up on the roof last night. In her barely there tank top. Her skin glistening in sweat under the starlight. Her chest heaving up and down with every breath she took. And the thought of her touching herself while she thought of me was enough to push me over the edge.
I groaned louder as I came, leaning down against the girl’s back while I caught myself for a moment.
“Wow!” She let out a satisfied breath. “You’ve never fucked me like that before. That was amazing!”
I smirked and pulled myself out, removing the condom and walking to the bathroom to toss it out.
“Glad to be of service, babe. See yourself out.”
I nodded my head towards the door and she happily grabbed her clothes before getting dressed and leaving.
See this is what club life was about. No hassle. You fuck and you move on. It leaves space for your mind to focus on business while your dick still gets some action. Why the fuck was I thinking of Allie?