Her Ride

  “Right. Okay. I won’t tell anyone, but I think it’s a shitty idea for the record. I’m dropping it for now, but I’m not letting this go.” Patrick leaned down and kissed the top of my head. “So, I guess you’ll be staying in the house for a while. Those bruises are going draw a lot of attention.”

  “I know. It’s okay. I don’t have anywhere I want to go anyway.” I lifted one shoulder in a shrug. Patrick nodded and left my room, shutting the door softly behind him. That was his way. I was sure we’d have a fight over it at another time, but he wanted to process and think about how to get me to change my mind first. I got up and changed into a pair of workout shorts and a tight t-shirt with a sports bra. No better way to feel better than to work out. I left my hair down just in case I ran into someone in the halls. I was sure most of the guys had heard by now, but that didn’t mean I wanted to talk about it. Once I made it to the weight room, I pulled my hair back into a high ponytail and slipped on my headphones. After running for a few miles, I got off the treadmill and used the weights until I literally couldn’t lift anymore.

  “Hey, I’m going to start working out a whole lot more if I can come in to find this in here every day.” Monk’s voice broke through my music as I was putting up the weights I’d last used. I turned and pulled off my headphones. “Oh shit.”

  “Yeah I know, I look much better from behind.” I shrugged, knowing my bruises were quiet ugly. I had taken off my shirt and only had on my sports bra since it was soaked with sweat from my run.

  “Hey, at least we know the guy looked just as bad, if not worse.” Brew laughed. They never took anything too seriously.

  “Yeah, well, I’m gonna get outta here. See if I can find some food.” I looked towards the ground and brushed passed the pair as they started joking about how the guy had gotten his ass handed to him by a girl. I closed the door and leaned back against it, closing my eyes. Don’t think about it. I reminded myself over and over in my head.

  “You hungry?” Ellis’ voice broke into my internal chanting. I opened my eyes and gave him a half smile.

  “Yeah. Unless you’re cooking.” I couldn’t help but notice that it was the first time Ellis saw the bruises, but he didn’t comment or act as if anything was different, which I appreciated. I didn’t want to keep being reminded of what had almost happened.

  “Girl, you wanna get sick?” Ellis joked as we walked side by side towards the kitchen. “You cook. I’ll be your taste tester.”

  “Deal.” I dug in the fridge and the pantry until I found what I needed to make pancakes and scrambled eggs. Knowing the smell of food would draw anyone else in the house, I made more than the two of us could ever eat. As I cooked, Ellis kept me company, talking about anything that he could think of. Sure enough, before long, there were at least ten guys in the kitchen elbowing each other to get to the food. I laughed and stayed back while they dug in.

  “Damn, Ryan. Who fucked you up?” One of the guys asked. I couldn’t recall his name, not that I cared to with his manners. I shrugged and pulled the tie from my hair so my hair fell down in a shield around my face. I had pretty much forgotten them and the fact that I was wearing only a sports bra and shorts since Ellis had never even mentioned either thing.

  “It’s a long story.” I crossed my arms under my chest in an attempt to hide the bruise there, feeling more exposed now that everyone was looking at me.

  “Yeah, you should’ve seen it. She kicked his ass.” Brew spoke up from his spot at the counter where he was shoveling eggs into his mouth. "The guy tried to get in her pants.”

  “No. He tried to rape me. There is a huge fucking difference asshole.” I glared at him. I heard him sputtering an apology and saying something about that's not how he meant for it to come out, but I was already stalking down the hall to my room. Lovely, now everyone would just think I was a frigid bitch that lashed out when guys hit on me. Why that bothered me, I don’t know. I didn’t want any of the guys in the house anyway. Slamming my bedroom door, I moved towards my bathroom when I heard a soft knock on my door as it was opened. Ellis slipped in and clicked it closed behind him.

  “Hey. Stop.” He spoke softly but held up his hands like I was a cornered animal about to attack.

  “I’m not some rabid fucking animal that attacks when someone tries to get in my pants. Put your fucking hands down.” I snarled. His hands fell to his sides.

  “I know that; Brew didn’t mean it that way either. And no one took it that way. I’m sure Patrick will make sure everyone is clear about what happened. He was walking in when you were down the hall. He overheard everything.”

  “Great, so now even more people will know I’m the weak girl that some guy tried to rape in a parking lot.” I turned away from him, kicking off my sneakers and yanking off my socks.

  “Calm down.” Ellis’ arms came around my waist from behind, pulling me tightly to his chest. “I’m right here for you.”

  “I was so scared.” I looked down at the floor as my shoulders slumped forward. “I thought he was going to succeed… I’d fight him till I couldn’t fight anymore. I never told anyone, but I was raped before and I refuse to let it happen again. Never.” The angry words were out of my mouth before I even realized it.

  “You were raped before?” Ellis pulled back from me, spinning me in his arms so he could look down into my eyes. “When? Where? Who was it? I'll kill the motherfucker.”

  “I had gone out with a few people from my unit, drank too much..you know what, it was a while ago; don’t worry about it.” I sighed letting my fingers slide over his cheek. I didn’t want to think about the past and the horrible experience. “I don’t want to talk about it. Just know that I’m not as fragile as everyone thinks. I’ve been through my share of shit and made it through to the other side. I just need a few days to get my shit together again."

  He leaned his face into my palm and closed his eyes briefly. “You know, sometimes I wish you weren’t so tough. I wish you’d break down like most women and let someone help you carry the burden of life.”

  “But then I wouldn’t be me.”

  For the next couple of days, I stayed camped in my room, bored out of my mind. I would sneak down to the gym for a few hours when I could, but as soon as anyone else showed up, I would return to my room. Their looks of pity drove me nuts and only made me want to bash their face in. Every night Ellis would bring me dinner. I never asked who did the cooking or if it was take out, it didn’t matter anyway; it was just food. There was nothing special about it, but it was nice to spend the time chatting with just Ellis while we ate.

  Once day five rolled around, I was about to go crazy being locked in my own room, so I decided to brave the living room for a bit. After putting on a pair of jeans and a plain black t-shirt, I walked down the hall with my knee high boots on. Hearing the gravel and shit crackle under my boots as I walked, I changed my destination when I got to the bottom of the stairs. I hated the way Ellis barged into my room all the time, not to mention the sight I got to see the last time I was at Patrick’s office, so I knocked and waited for an answer. When Patrick said to come in, I pushed open the door and closed it behind me.

  “Baby sister, what can I help you with?” Patrick leaned back in his office chair, his leather cut rubbing against the leather of the chair, arms folding across his wide chest.

  “Someone needs to start cleaning the floor; I can’t take it anymore. It’s driving me fucking nuts. The shit is filthy." I put both my hands on the back of a chair in front of his desk.

  “What?” His tone of voice told me just how crazy he thought I was.

  “The floor! Dirty! Me, Crazy!” I yelled slamming the chair against the floor in emphasis. “I’m not kidding, Patrick! It’s horrible! I walk around barefoot a lot and that shit is so nasty. Make one of these fucking guys clean it up! They are the ones dragging the shit in anyway.”

  “You are really this upset about the floor? Why don’t you just clean it?” Patrick shrugged.

  “H
ave you seen this house? Fuck that. Have you seen the sheer number of men that come and go daily? No, I will not be cleaning the floors.” I sighed and crossed my arms across my chest, kicking my hip out in defiance.

  “Fine. If it makes you happy, I’ll have one of the guys clean the hall floor. Anything else I can do for you, my queen?” Patrick used his most sarcastic tone. I picked up the pen holder on the corner of his desk and threw it at him.

  “Shut up. I don’t ask for much. And thank you, I really do appreciate it.” I smiled and left his office, his laughter following me. Strolling into the living room, I found a couple guys playing darts and others betting on some race on television. I found Monk and Brew waiting for their turn to play darts. I slid up between them from behind, wrapping an arm around each of their shoulders, “Fellas.”

  “Woman.” Both replied at the same time.

  “What’s going on here?” I asked even though it was more than obvious. Monk turned around and let his eyes take in my face, every single inch of it, before pulling me into a tight hug.

  “Girl, you are looking much better.” Monk quietly spoke as he patted me on the back in a manner that didn’t match his soft tone. Gotta keep up the tough appearance around all the guys; I got it.

  “Better? You call that better?” Brew laughed having caught what Monk said. “I think the purple looked better than this sickly shade of green and yellow shit going on now. Looks like someone puked on your face. Or like you need to puke.”

  “Wow, thanks. It makes me want to go back to hiding in my room. Puke, just what a girl wants to hear she looks like.” I shook my head. Some guys were just bound to be single for a long time… or the guy you fucked and didn’t talk to. Brew was one of those guys. He always let the oddest and grossest things slip out of his mouth.

  “Well, you don’t normally look like that at least. I gotta tell you, this lady I saw at the bar last night wasn’t so lucky…” I turned away from him and walked right into a hard chest. I looked up with a smile on my face. Not only did I immediately recognize the chest, but the woodsy, clean scent that slammed into my nose matched only one person. Ellis.

  “Look at who ventured out of her room.” The half-smile that was tugging at Ellis’ lips brought a smile to my own. There was just something about that smile.

  “I know. Scary, right? Might have to get some order in this house.” I glanced around. During my time here, I hadn’t really spent a whole lot of time in the common areas. The exact reason for that was across the room. There were three women throwing themselves all over a couple of the club members. I didn’t care if the men slept around or the women slept around, but it became a soap opera trying to remember who had slept with who and if it had ended well or if the wife had found out. I’d just rather stick to hanging out with the guys. They knew where they stood with me. The women always seemed to think that I wanted to challenge their place, whatever that may be, in the lives with the man they were with. Women were so catty, which might explain why I had no female friends. Never really had.

  “Nah, this isn’t anything. Just wait till this weekend. We are having a big ass party here. Shits gonna get crazy, so be prepared to spend the night locked in your room. Patrick wanted me to make sure you knew.” Ellis laughed when I immediately crossed my arms and pursed my lips. “Not my rules. I’m just the bearer of bad news.”

  “Yeah. We shall see about that. Love that the fucker thinks he can control me. Maybe I’ll just sneak down here after he’s had a few, then he won't notice.” I said jokingly but then the idea actually took root in my mind and it didn’t sound so bad. Why go and have a fight with Patrick that I know I’ll lose when I could just show up a little late and him not even notice? This idea had promise.

  “I’m going to pretend that I didn’t hear that so I don’t have to report that back to your brother.” Monk put his hands over his ears and turned back to the game of darts. Brew shrugged, but gave me a thumbs up before turning back to the game as well.

  “So, what are you planning on doing now?” Ellis moved away from the group and sat on a couch that was a few steps away. I followed suit and sat down next to him with my knees towards him. I tucked my hair back behind my ears since I knew he wouldn't say anything about the ugly, healing bruises.

  “I don’t know. Wasting time. It’s a lot more boring here than I remember. Probably ‘cause I’m sober more often and not sleeping off a hangover every day.” I laughed softly as I crinkled my nose at the memories. Ah, the days of staying up all night drinking, sleeping late only to get up and do the same thing all over again. I don't know how I passed school when half the time, I was asleep, still drunk or hung over for more than half the day. That was before I was even 18 years old too.

  “Wanna go for a ride?” Ellis leaned forward like he was sharing a secret. I dragged my eyes over his handsome face as I thought about it.

  “On your bike or mine?” I turned and pushed off the couch. I looked over my shoulder, nodding towards the door that led out of the room. He followed until we were both standing at the base of the stairs. “Let me just grab my jacket and keys.”

  I ran off without waiting for a response and was back a few minutes later. Ellis simply gave me a nod and led the way to the garage. While he went to retrieve his bike, I got my helmet on and backed my bike out. We didn’t need words. This was about the road, the freedom, the independence from everything else in life. Ellis got that about me. He understood that sometimes words had nothing on riding for me. It was better than a massage, psychologist appointment and sex all wrapped into one. It relaxed me, cleared my head and put me in a better mood just from feeling the power between my thighs, the wind in my face, and the control of everything in the moment.

  As we rode, I’d look over at Ellis briefly, and each time it was like he felt my eyes on him. He’d meet my eyes, smile, then turn back to the road. I have no idea how long we rode or how far. We just rode and it was the best day I'd had since I got back. Eventually, we pulled off the highway to a small rest area. Looking at the setting sun, I knew it was time to turn around and head back home. Ellis went in and used the restroom first, I took my turn when I saw him coming out, not wanting to leave the bikes alone. As I walked out, I stopped to grab a bottle of water for us to share from the vending machine then headed towards our bikes. There was a twig of a girl leaning up against Ellis, flirting with him. Rolling my eyes, I walked up and stared her down.

  “Your bike is so sexy. This,” she dragged her fingers down the opening of his leather cut to the top of his jeans, “is so sexy. I could just imagine holding onto it while I ride you.”

  Nearly gagging at the girls over the top advances, I grabbed her wrist gently. “Mind keeping the hands off the goods. Those are mine. Right, babe?”

  “Um, right.” Ellis was fighting a smile because he knew I was just trying to get rid of the bimbo. I stepped between his legs and put my hand flat against the center of his chest, under his cut.

  “You can go now.” I looked over my shoulder at her as Ellis’ hands came to rest on each of my ass cheeks.

  “He didn’t say anything about having a girlfriend.” The bimbo looked offended.

  “Let me make it clearer for you.” I flicked a glance at her before leaning up on my toes, tilting my head and pressing my lips to Ellis’. I'd only meant for it to be a quick peck, but my body thought differently. The instant my lips met his, my entire body melted into his. My hand slid up his chest to sink into his hair. His hands gripped tightly onto my ass, pulling me against his erection that was digging into my belly. As his tongue gingerly slipped between my lips, one of his hands firmly slid up my back till it was wrapped around the back of my neck, pulling me into his body.

  I couldn’t believe the sensations flowing through my body. I’d never felt so on fire, so wanted, so needed. I could almost feel his desperation to have me closer although I was already pressed as close as I physically could get. It wasn’t his palms pressing into me, it was his fingertips; like he
was holding on with all he had.

  His mouth pulled from mine to press hot, wet kisses down my neck, I couldn’t contain the moan that exited my mouth. I slipped one of my hands between our bodies to cup his large erection through his jeans. I wanted more, needed more than this. My body was crying out to be filled, washed over with the bliss of an orgasm; it was all I could think about. I tugged on the button of his jeans while he continued to nip and suck on my neck, his grip on my ass never wavering. When I slipped my hand down under his boxer briefs, he jumped. His hand came down and gripped my wrist, removing it from his pants. His eyes were locked with mine while he quickly buttoned and zipped his jeans.

  “We can’t. I fucking wish we could, but we can’t. This is wrong. You have a boyfriend and you told me you wouldn’t cheat. I can’t go against that, not in the haze of lust. As bad as I fucking want to, and trust me, I want to fuck you bent over my bike right here, right now, no matter who sees. But I won’t.” Ellis moved to the side till he could move a few steps out into the parking lot and then back up to the side walk, running his hand over his short hair, breathing deep and hard as he returned to his bike.

  “I’m sorry. I got carried away.” I murmured before opening the bottle of water that I still had in my one hand. It was a half-truth. I still couldn’t say where all of that had come from. Sure, I had a crush on Ellis when I was younger, but I thought I was over it. And sure, we’d have a few run ins where semi sexual feelings had come up, but nothing like what that kiss was. The emotions, the power, the everything was just… intense. I’d never felt anything like that ever before. And trust me, I’d kissed my fair share of men before. I chugged the whole bottle of water and threw it in the trash, giving both of us time to cool off.