Betrayed (2 page)

“Born and raised in Trinity.”

“Let me guess…Golden Acres, the gated community on the east side of town…?”

Ginger blushed. “Is it that obvious?”
Damn,
she thought,
now he won’t be interested.
“But I went to public school.”
Stupid! Shut up, Ginger!

Justin smiled. “Well, it’s obvious because you’re a classy and smart lady. I got in two years of community college before trade school…Well that probably just makes you think I’m a bonehead.” Now it was Justin’s turn to blush and shake his head.

“Not at all.” Ginger put her silky fingers with perfectly groomed dark red nails on Justin’s sleeve. “I’m really tired of being around a bunch of pencil necks at work whose idea of adventure is playing fantasy football or throwing snowballs down my blouse. I’d love to hear more about some of the things you’ve done.”

Their eyes met, and all of their trepidations and skepticism evaporated in that moment. From then on, there was an instant and natural rapport that came easily to both of them. Ginger’s smile and sincere words put Justin at ease. He felt like he could be himself without having to put on airs. And she didn’t seem put-off or afraid of him like most business women. She liked his humor and his edginess, something that was missing on most of her recent dating escapades. She craved a little adventure and reckless abandon in her all-too normal and scheduled life.

They laughed and talked like old friends as they ate their lunch at Gabe’s Deli and lingered over coffee, not wanting the experience to end. Ginger knew she should get back to the office, but she’d rather stay and continue her conversation with Justin about how the Wicked Warriors Motorcycle Club evolved into a legitimate social community since its criminal days. She found it captivating how Big Red had turned the club into a positive force for the community and how he and Justin built their business around a family of miscreants and misfits into a new generation of productive families.

Justin was happy to talk about it too. Most women he dated didn’t want to talk or have the intellectual ability to hold down a conversation.

“People are still afraid of us, but the truth is, unless you’re a Warrior, you have nothing to fear from us.” Justin realized that he may have said too much for a girl like Ginger to be comfortable with.

“What do you mean? Why would the members be afraid of the group they belong to?”

Justin knew he had to be careful. “We take a blood oath to have each other’s back. If one Warrior wrongs a brother or anyone in our family, well…we handle it. We better get going.”

It was a refreshing change to actually have a smart discussion with a woman besides his sister. Plus, both of them were enjoying the view. Ginger was captivated by Justin’s emerald green eyes and his three-day growth of manly stubble, and he was mesmerized by her full lips, dimples, and dancing brown eyes that twinkled when she smiled.

The two were having a wonderful time, something neither one had had for a long time. Unfortunately, their time for “getting to know you” butterflies would be limited as a tragedy was unfolding. It would start with the ring of Justin’s cell phone later this evening.

Chapter Three

“Hey, Lily, where’s your worthless fiancé?” Trick asked.

“Right here,” Connor answered as he walked through the office door at Big Red’s.

“About time, dick face.”

“Hey, lay off my baby. He had a fever this morning. You feeling better, babe?” Lily asked.

“Yeah. You feeling better, baby?”
Trick teased in a phony falsetto.

“Yes, I am,” he said to Lily. “And fuck off, Trick.”

Big Red walked in from the waiting room where he had been visiting with a few customers, his portable oxygen tank trailing behind him.

“You been ill, Connor?” Big Red asked.

“No, Dad, just a 24 hour bug. I’m ready to get at it.” Although Big Red wasn’t his biological father, the boy asked if he could call him “Dad” when he was 8 years old. Big Red felt honored that Connor would bestow that privilege upon him, so the moniker continued into adulthood.

“Are you sure?” Red asked Connor. “You can take the rest of the day off if you need to. You’re a hard worker, and you deserve it.”

“Naw, I’d be bored. Besides, I’ve got to keep an eye on these jerks so they don’t try anything with my girl.” The men were in the shop, just beyond the doorway from the reception area.

Lily laughed. “Don’t worry,” she shouted out from her desk, “I can take care of myself…and these boys know better than to mess with me.”

But Trick didn’t see the humor in Connor’s remark. “Who you callin’ a jerk, Mr. big shot, teacher’s pet, asshole?” Trick was a big, scary-looking dude, but he was not very bright. His arms were covered in lewd and gruesome tattoos, and he had a rap sheet as long as his scraggly beard before Justin took him in. He stood chest to chest with Connor, looking down on him, and spoke softly and deliberately. “You sayin’ I’m a jerk, jerkface?”

Connor couldn’t show that he felt a little intimidated by the bigger man. “Fuck off, Trick.”

He pushed Trick away with two hands to the big man’s chest. Trick charged back, grabbing Connor’s shoulders, and they began to scuffle.

At that moment the front door opened, and Justin and Ginger walked in.

“You boys cut the crap!” Big Red hollered, wheezing and breathing with difficulty.

Justin put both of his hands on Ginger’s arms and stooped a bit to look into her concerned brown eyes with a reassuring smile. “Hold on a sec.”

He strode through the doorway into the shop and pushed the two men apart. Connor stopped immediately, but Trick was still trying to get his hands on Connor.

“Connor…” He motioned to the front lobby with his head. “Go talk to Lily.”

“Get out of my way, Justin,” Trick said angrily.

Justin was just an inch shorter than the big biker and grabbed the collar of Trick’s leather jacket, pulling him in, face to face. “Cut the shit, or I’ll knock you into next week, Trick.”

Trick just grinned with his broken smile. “You ain’t never been in a fight in your life, Justin.” He moved his face even closer to his boss and issued a challenge. “You really think you could knock me out?”

Justin never spoke of it, but he had more than a little experience as a street brawler, and he earned a stack of medals for his martial arts skills in high school and junior college. He was strong and trained, but most of all, he was fearless. He tightened his grip on the man’s collar and lifted him off the ground. Then he raised him higher with one hand, pushing Trick’s chest out with his forearm. Trick’s face with right above Justin’s now. “You want to find out if can?”

Trick was silent for a moment; then all the fight went out of him and he shook his head. Justin set him back down on his feet.

“Now go out there and take a red lollipop from the fishbowl on Lily’s desk. Then sit down where everybody can see you, and lick it until it’s gone.”

“But…”

“But nothing. Do it now, or I’ll make you sing
I’m a Little Tea Pot
while you’re licking.”

The rest of the crew had gathered around to watch the action, and Merlin and some of the others were starting to snicker.

“And anyone who laughs will be right out there with him,” Justin barked. “Now everybody get back to work. We still have to get a clear coat on that Dodge and get the dents out of the front quarter-panel on that El Torino. Let’s go!” The crowd broke up immediately, and they all went back to their stations.

Trick walked into the front with his head down and went to the fishbowl. Connor put his fist out and Trick gave him a fist-bump. “Got any smokes, Connor?”

Connor flicked his flip-top box, and few thin blue cigarettes poked out.

Trick waved them off. “Your junk is going to fall off if you keep smoking those chick sticks, dude.”

“Hey,” Connor protested, “they’re imported from Italy.”

“They don’t even grow tobacco in Italy, man. All they grow there is spaghetti and pepperoni sausage. Hey, Justin – can I have an orange one instead?”

“Sure, Trick.” Justin winked at Ginger and came back out to the lobby.

“This was really nothing, Miss Lawrence,” Lily said to Ginger, “just kids playing. I’m Lily, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you!”

“Sorry, Ginger,” Justin said with a grin and a shake of his head. “These guys like to work hard and play rough. It’s just what happens when you get a lot of alpha dogs on one team.”

“But, good thing for us, we’ve got a good lion-tamer to keep us in line,” Trick said as he unwrapped his Tootsie Pop and sat in the chair closest to the front door, giving it a lick. “Hey – this is pretty good.”

Justin introduced Ginger to Big Red and Connor.

“I’ve been hearing a lot about the both of you, and Justin’s sister, Amy, too,” Ginger said with a smile.

“Except for the talk about Amy, that had to be a boring lunch,” Big Red laughed.

“Not at all. It was quite interesting, especially about the club’s origins and how you’ve guided it through the years.”

Big Red liked her immediately. It wasn’t just her kind demeanor or that he thought she was trying to say all the right things. Red could spot a bullshitter a mile away, and Ginger wasn’t one. She was genuine, and he could see already how his son’s eyes lit up when he looked at her. Big Red didn’t like to jump to conclusions, but he had an inkling that she might be the one for his son…if the boy didn’t mess it up.

“Well, I better get back to the office. I’m late already,” Ginger remarked. She said her goodbyes, and Justin walked her to her car.

“I hope I’m not being too forward…” Justin hoped he had been interpreting the signals correctly, and knew he had to take the chance before she got away. “… but would you like to have dinner tonight?”

“How about I cook something at my place?”

Good answer!
“Oh, I don’t want to put you out.”

“No, no, I love to cook, but it’s hard to do for one person. This way I can test out a new recipe I’ve been wanting to try. Do you like Italian?”

“Love it!” Justin said quickly and enthusiastically. How could he refuse? “Your place, it is!” Ginger gave him her address and phone number. Their journey was just beginning…and it would be a tumultuous one.

*****

Ginger was excited. She hadn’t felt this stimulated by a man in, well…forever. She thought of Justin, his dark brown hair softly touching the collar of his leather jacket, the bulging abs under his T-shirt, and those stunning green eyes. Ginger shook her head to clear her thoughts.
What’s wrong with me
? she thought.
I’m acting like a schoolgirl.
But the excitement pounding in her chest was difficult to beat down. And she rather liked it.

She chopped and diced the tomatoes, onions, and garlic for her lasagna and the lettuce, cucumbers, and hard-boiled eggs for the salad. Cooking provided comfort for Ginger. Some people grow gardens, others paint or create crafts, but Ginger’s passion was cooking. Her mother taught her how to cook at a young age, and it was something that bonded the two closely together. She felt her mother’s presence whenever she cooked, and that brought her peace. However, this evening she could barely keep her mind on the recipe’s instructions. “I better get this recipe right, or he’ll never be back,” she told herself.

Before she knew it, time got away from her. Ginger looked at the clock on the stove. She had 15 minutes to get ready before Justin got there.
Crap!
She tore out of her housecoat and into a low cut blouse and jeans. As she was applying her lipstick she heard a knock at the door.

Ginger stopped and took a moment to collect herself. She took in a long breath and let it out slowly as she looked in the mirror and pressed her lips together.
Just be natural,
she told herself as she practiced a relaxed smile and tugged at the hem of her blouse.

“Coming!” she sang sweetly and walked casually to open the door.

Justin was there holding a bottle of wine. His smile dropped slightly and his eyes grew wide when he saw her. He didn’t have to say a word, as his expression told the story of what he thought of her appearance.

“I hope this is alright. I’m not up to date on wines, but it’s red,” he laughed.

Ginger laughed too. “It’s perfect – just what they recommend to go with lasagna.” She took the wine, and Justin took off his jacket and hung it on the wooden coat rack by the door. He was entering into unfamiliar territory – the home of a beautiful, educated, professional woman. He wasn’t quite sure how to handle it, but he didn’t want to screw it up.

There was a gentle fire crackling in the fireplace, and candlelight set a perfect mood, with a little help from Marvin Gaye in the background.

“Lasagna, you say? Wow. You went to a lot of trouble, Ginger. I would have been fine with hotdogs.” Usually when a woman invited him over, it was sex first, then pizza and beer in bed, and then another round of sex. And there were often screaming children, barking dogs, and kisses that tasted like stale cigarettes and lunchmeat.

But this had a very different feel. There was something so hopeful and exciting about their first private moment. They got lost in each other’s eyes, silently standing near the open kitchen in the nicely decorated little apartment. A minute went by without a word, and Justin wanted nothing more than to ravish this black-haired beauty. He wished she would take her eyes off of his so he could slide his hungry eyes down the voluptuous curves of her perfect body. It was hell restraining himself from putting his hands and lips on this magnificent woman. It was hell for Ginger too.

The oven dinged. “Dinner is ready!”

Ginger served the salad with lettuce, grape tomatoes, and black olives and then grated a little fresh Parmesan on top. Then came the main course, served with breadsticks and a ladle of extra sauce – homemade and not from a jar. Justin ate like he was starving, and Ginger loved watching him. At one point he looked up from his plate and said, “I’m sorry…it just tastes so good! It’s not very often that I get home cooking.”

“Don’t be sorry, I’m glad you’re enjoying it. As I said before, I love to cook but it’s difficult to make lasagna for one.”

“I cook for my dad and me, but I have to admit it’s not that great. I do well to open a can and heat something up on the stove.”

“Maybe I could cook for your dad sometime.”

“He’d love it. Sometimes my sister Amy will fix us a home cooked meal, but she’s busy with her job and son, so it’s not often we get such a treat.”

They talked for a bit then moved to the living room with their wine glasses in tow, sitting beside each other on the couch in front of the fire. Conversation was sparse, as there was only one thing on both of their minds. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife.

It wasn’t long before Justin, who was used to moving fast, slipped closer to Ginger. He put his arm around the top of the couch behind her and then tilted her chin so her eyes met his gaze. He always took command of a situation like this, but he was doing his best to move slowly.

He didn’t want to rush things with Ginger, but he couldn’t help himself. He took hold of her face with both of his hands and helped himself to large helping of her tender lips. He kissed her tenderly at first, and then slipped his ravenous tongue into her eager mouth.

Ginger opened her lips willingly, sparking that flame in her chest to a higher intensity. Normally it wasn’t in her nature to move so swiftly, even though to most women this was scarcely more than holding hands. But for Ginger, kissing and fondling on the first date were far from the norm. She was no prude, but intimacy had to mean something to her. She was used to setting the pace, but she loved the way this powerful man took what he wanted, awakening a part of her she never knew existed.

Justin slowly moved his hand from her face down to the V of her low cut shirt. He rubbed between her breasts, his fingertips testing the limits and silently asking permission for more – a first for Justin. Ginger could feel that flame burning into a bright blaze as she became ever so wet, trembling slightly as she thrust her chest snugly against his hand. Justin dug his tongue deeper into her mouth. He could taste the sweetness of the wine on her tongue and lips. His desire was burning deep as well.