Cole: A Bad Boy Romance (25 page)

I thought Leland was different. But he was exactly like every other damn biker that I fixed up over the years. I couldn't believe I was so naive. How could I be so stupid? All men are the same—stupid boys that only think with their dicks.

I could barely see the sidewalk through my water-filled eyes as I tried to search for a ride home. It was late and they're weren't many cars on the road. It would be hard to find a taxi this late. My fingernails dug into my palms as I remembered that slut with her hands all over Leland. I'd like to wring her neck out if I got the chance. The rage inside surprised me. How could I be so angry when I barely knew Leland?

My hand still hurt from the slap I gave Leland. Was that too harsh? I didn't usually let my emotions control me like that. But it felt so damn good giving him hell. I'd slap him again if I ever saw him again.

I didn't want to scare Rachel but I couldn't walk all the way home. I reluctantly took out my cellphone and dialed her number.

It took Rachel over an hour to finally find me which I was thankful for because it gave me time to gather myself. I was always the strong and collected sister. I didn't want her to see me all broken down.

The first half of the drive was all silence. She knew my date had gone horribly wrong but she was too polite to ask about it.

“I'm sorry you had to drive all the way out here,” I said, finally breaking the emptiness.

“You kidding me? Gone with the Wind is a super long movie and I was on my fourth viewing. There's only so many times a girl can hear Rhett Butler say he doesn't give a damn. I needed the distraction.”

I blankly looked out the window at the passing streetlights. “I thought he was good for me, Rachel.”

She reached over and took my hand, concentrating on the road. “I'm sorry, Constance. Do you want to tell me what happened?”

I didn't want to relive the experience so soon afterwards but I'd have to tell her eventually. “First he took me to the dirtiest dive bar I'd ever been to. The bathroom was co-ed and there was literally shit everywhere. I could only stand to be in there for a minute or two. This black dress was definitely the wrong attire.”

“But at least you look fucking incredible in it,” Rachel interrupted.

I gave her the best smile I could considering the circumstances. “When I got back to Leland, his ex-girlfriend was all over him, kissing him and whispering in his ear.”

Rachel's grip on the steering wheel tightened. “That motherfucker. I'm going to kill him.” Rachel got so cute when she was deadly.

“I just ran out after that.”

Rachel gasped. “And Leland didn't even try to chase you down?”

“Well he did, but his excuse was that she meant nothing to him.”

“Typical male.”

“I feel a lot better already from talking to you about it.”

Rachel patted my thigh. “I'm your sister. I'll always be there for you.”

I leaned over and put my head on her shoulder as she drove. Rachel turned into a Walmart parking lot. “Where are we going.”

Rachel grinned. “This type of situation calls for two things: a big bucket of ice cream and a romantic movie to cry our eyes over.”

“That sounds perfect,” I replied.

“But can we forget the romantic movie. I think I've overloaded on those.”

I laughed so hard snot came out my nose. “Let's just do something else then. How about Wizard of OZ?

Rachel nodded and grabbed my arm as we skipped to Walmart. “We're off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of OZ!”

My head was pounding and no amount of sheets over my head could protect my eyes from the blinding sun. I clumsily reached over to my nightstand and grabbed my watch. It was already two in the afternoon but it felt like I barely got any sleep. Time to finally get up.

I sat up in bed and the room began to spin. It took every ounce of power in my body to keep from hurling all over the comforter. After two deep breaths the intense headache calmed down. I realized that I wasn't at home but at the MC clubhouse in the spare room. What happened last night?

“Good morning, sunshine,” a voice said next to me. I didn't remember sleeping with anybody.

I glanced over hoping it to be Constance, but the curly brunette hair gave it away instantly—Skylar.
Fuck.
The sheets barely covered the tattoo that bore my name and a used condom wrapper lay on the nightstand next to her. How could I be so stupid?

Skylar leaned over and kissed me on the shoulder. “Last night was absolutely amazing. I'd forgotten what you tasted like.”

I suddenly remembered the beginning of the night with Constance on the motorcycle and the date at the bar. If only Skylar wasn't around to fuck everything up. After Constance left me, I made Randy give me a whole bottle of whiskey. I'd never drank that fast before. It was all a blur after that. Skylar probably didn't even have to try to get into my pants.

I got out of bed and threw my wife-beater over my head. “I need you to leave, Skylar.”

Her jaw dropped along with the sheets that were wrapped around her chest. “What the fuck are you talking about, Leland?” Her large tits looked perfect and I had to turn away from her to hide my growing erection.

“Just get out of here now. Last night was a mistake.”

Skylar smiled and crawled across the bed towards me. “That's not what you told me last night. Those words I've been waiting to hear came out of that hard mouth of yours. You told me that I was yours and that you loved me.”

Fuck. Damn. Shit. Alcohol can really screw a man over. I needed to go apologize to Constance. See if I could fix the mess I made last night. First things first—get rid of the Skylar.

“Skylar, I didn't mean a word of that last night. I was drunk and stupid.” I grouped up her bra and panties from the floor and tossed them at her face. “You better be gone in ten minutes.”

I grabbed my jeans and went to the bathroom, closing the door and locking it. Skylar screamed and cursed at me for a full five minutes. I stared at myself in the mirror, wondering how I got to this specific moment in my life. Did I always make the wrong decision? Did I even deserve someone like Constance.

Finally Skylar left and I was able to escape from the bathroom. I went downstairs to find Slade sitting at the bar nursing a beer.

“Rough night?” he asked, his head swaying back and forth. He was still drunk from last night and still going.

“You could say that,” I replied, sitting down next to him.

Slade cracked open a beer and slid it over. “Kill that hangover.”

The thought of more alcohol made me want to empty my stomach all over the bar. But Slade was right, this would get rid of my hangover. I shut my eyes and took a few sips, suppressing the urge to throw up.

“Feel better?” Slade ran his fingers through his long dark hair. Why he never got it cut was beyond me. But the girls go crazy over it.

I set the beer down and wiped my mouth. “A little. Do you remember what I did last night?”

Slade laughed. “You mean you don't remember?”

“I remember being with Constance and drinking a ton after she left.”

Slade laughed harder, choking on some beer. “Let's just say that you went a little crazy. Tried to pick a fight with anyone who walked by. Eventually Randy had to kick you out. Took five of us to drag you out of there. Your ex-girlfriend followed you home like a lost puppy.”

Embarrassment flooded my cheeks. “Randy is going to kill me.”

“Don't worry about it, we left him a big tip. At least you didn't get stabbed again.”

“Cheers to that.” We clinked our beer cans and continued drinking.

Sawyer came over and draped his arms across both of us. “Cole said we have a meeting in an hour.”

“Better not be one of those boring financial meetings with Isaac. We don't need to know all that shit,” Slade said.

I downed the rest of my beer in seconds, hoping it would erase the memory of Constance. It didn't.

—

Cole slammed the gavel into the wood table. “I know everyone's busy but we need to talk about the Sacks County Annual Picnic.”

A collective groan echoed through the meeting room. Every year Mayor Rimbull put on a big picnic to get Sacks county together. And every year, the Rabid Dog MC donated a sizable contribution. It was the one time of the year that we could really make our presence known. To show the community that we were a force of good and not evil.

Cole turned to Isaac. “How are the coffers doing?”

Isaac licked the tip of his finger and flipped through pages. “We're down a lot from last year.”

Slade leaned over to me. “Told you it was going to be a financial meeting.”

Isaac sneered at Slade and continued, “We can only donate about half of what we gave last year.”

Cole nodded. “Well it's better than nothing. Hopefully some of the richer members in the community can make up the difference. Sawyer, try Jonathan who owns the strip club and see if he wants to help out this year.”

Sawyer nodded and took some notes.

One of the prospects knocked on the door and opened it up slightly. He must have been new because I didn't recognize him. We went through prospects pretty quickly around here. They tended to have a short lifespan.

“What is it?” Cole asked annoyed.

“Mrs. Kramer is still here waiting.”

Cole rubbed his eyes. “I totally forgot. Tell her we'll have a decision in a moment.”

The prospect retracted his head and closed the door.

Cole folded his hands and began, “Mrs. Kramer came to me this morning with a problem.”

“Mrs. Kramer?” Isaac asked.

“She's the one that owns the coffee place on Main,” Cole replied. Isaac nodded. “Her husband has been a little rough with her lately. Her two black eyes and bruises confirm the story.”

“Why did she come to us and not the police?” I said.

“She doesn't want him arrested. Mr. Kramer runs half of the coffee shop and she can't do it without him.”

“So what does she want us to do about it?” Big Mike asked.

“Just give him a little scare. Make sure he doesn't do it again. Normally I'd turn this over to the police but Mrs. Kramer is willing to pay us for it.”

Isaac shook his head. “Even though we need the money, this doesn't feel right. We barely know Mrs. Kramer and we've never even met Mr. Kramer. I don't think we should start lending our services out like mercenaries.”

“You're overreacting,” Cole said, his fingers resting on the gavel. “She's a member of the community and needs our help.” Cole picked up the gavel. “Everyone in favor of helping Mrs. Kramer?”

The Rabid Dog MC raised their hands in unison except for Isaac. It was good for him to be cautious but I'd never turn away from a damsel in distress—especially one that is being beaten by man.

Cole pounded the gavel into the table. “Now that we have that settled. Mrs. Kramer says her husband likes to hang out in the back of the coffee shop after it closes. Sometimes he has his buddies with him so we need to show up in force. Now I want it known that we are not to use lethal force. Got it?”

Everyone nodded. Slade cracked his knuckles and grinned. That man was a boxer in another life.

Cole smiled. “Good. We meet back here at nine.”

“I'll meet you there. I have some things I need to do first,” I said.

Cole hammered the gavel. “Dismissed!”