Obsessed (13 page)

We traded places again. He shoved me hard into the corner of the couch. I spread myself to accept him. He plunged into me. I didn’t know how much more I could take.

Long, deep penetrations took my breath away. At first it hurt, but I got used to it quickly. As big as he was, I still wanted to drive him deeper. And he felt the same. With sweat pouring from his brow, he pounded into me. Each stroke made the wave grow a little bigger. A guttural sound escaped my lips. I tried to maintain my focus.

James moved my legs to his shoulders. My feet bobbed helplessly behind his head. In and out, harder and harder we went. He was like an animal.

He grabbed me by my hair and pulled my head back. “Tell me baby…”

“Fuck me,” I cried. “Fuck me like a biker. Ride me until I hurt.”

His thrusts jolted through my entire body. I reached for his neck and grabbed his chain, I don’t know why. I couldn’t think straight.

“I want you to come with me,” he said breathlessly.

“I’m there!” I moaned. “I’m there!”

He grinded into my pelvis and we both released. I shook with ecstasy. My orgasm came in long, driving bursts. The energy seemed to flow through the ends of my fingers. James writhed on top of me and grunted. His fingers dug into my upper arms.

***

I don’t remember falling asleep. I think it happened sometime after midnight. We were just laying there, staring at each other…I was trying to figure out what would come next.

This morning he was gone. He left me wrapped in a blanket in the center of his bed. His vest was on the floor next to me. I hope he’s okay.

***

“And then what happened?” asked Jenn.

“There was a letter,” I said.  “It was like he was in a hurry.  The paper was ripped, and it looked like he scribbled it out quickly.”

“What did it say?” asked Brooke.

They were leaning over me, eagerly.  “Yeah, what did it say, Katie?”

“Remember, you guys, you can’t tell anyone.  I shouldn’t even be telling
you
this, but I had to say something or I was going to go crazy.”

“Okay, okay, we promise.  Now what was it?”

“Do you wanna read it?” I asked.

“Yeah!” They yelled in unison.  Then they fell into each other in a fit of the giggles.

I pulled the letter out of my back pocket and unfolded it.  They both looked so eager.  Like a couple of little kids who couldn’t wait to know the secret.  I thought one last time about telling them to forget it, but Brooke yanked it out of my hand, making the decision for me.

“Lemme see!” squealed Jenn.

Brooke set it on the table in front of us.

Katie-

I have to leave.  I can’t tell you why right now, but I don’t have any other choice.  It’s for your own safety.  Stay at the apartment for two more days and then go home.  Try to keep a low profile when you leave.  Everything should be fine, but be careful.  Whatever you do, don’t go to the police.  I wish I could explain more. 

There’s some food in the refrigerator and I left you money for a pizza or something.  I hope I will get to see you again.

-J

“That’s it?” asked Brooke.  “What does that even mean?”

“It’s complicated, I think,” I said.

“Katie, that sounds creepy.  We need to go to the cops.”

“I agree,” said Jenn.  “That’s weird.”

“That’s the one thing he specifically said not to do.”

“And you trust him?” asked Brooke.

“He saved my life.  And he risked his and his friends while doing it.  So...yeah.  I trust him.”

“It was
his
fault you got involved in this in the first place,” said Jenn.  “Plus, haven’t you ever heard that when someone tells you not to go to the cops, that’s the exact thing you
should
do?  I mean, c’mon, what is all this?  A biker gang war?  Really?  That’s what you’re in the middle of?”

She stomped over to the corner of my bed, kicking an empty shoe box out of her way.  I was really starting to doubt my decision to talk to them about this.

“It wasn’t his fault, okay.  It was mine.  So I’m going to do what he told me, and neither of you are going to tell anyone either, got it?”

They looked at each other and nodded solemnly.

“Okay, good,” I said, falling back onto my cool pillow.

“So, what was it like?  Did they do anything to you?” asked Jenn.

I pushed a full breath from my lungs and closed my eyes.  “I don’t know.  I mean, they drugged me and kept me locked in a room, but I don’t remember too much.  I know they were planning to, but I don’t think they got the chance.  They came for me before then.”

“Oh,” whispered Brooke.  The tension was back in the room and I could tell they were trying to tread lightly.  “Was that it?”

“I guess.  It was scary, though.”  I was trying to keep my responses as broad and unspecific as possible.  The less they knew, the better.

“Oh...okay.  Well, I guess we should let you rest, then,” said Jenn.

“Yeah, and we won’t tell anyone,” assured Brooke.  “But call if you need anything.”

The two of them walked silently from my room.  They weren’t the boisterous pair they had been a few days ago.  It was like they were looking at me differently.  Like there was something wrong with me.  I heard my front door click shut and they were gone.

I had been home for almost a week.  I did as James told me and stayed in his apartment.  It was the longest forty-eight hours of my life.  The thought of my friends and family wondering where I was made my stomach churn.  Putting them through that felt horrible.

On the third day, I called my mom.  She was crying, but ecstatic to hear from me.

“Where
were
you?” she had cried.  “Why didn’t you call?”

I had made up some excuse about going out of town with friends and forgetting to tell her or anyone else about it.  I told her about how I quit my job and just needed to blow off some steam.  Normally she talked my ear off when we were on the phone, but as the conversation wore on she became more subdued.

“Why are you lying to me?” she asked.

“What...what are you talking about?”

“It just seems like you’re telling me a story.  You went out of town with your friends on a whim?  That doesn’t sound like you at all?  And who are your friends?  Don’t even think about telling me it was Jenn and Brooke, because I checked with them and they hadn’t heard from you either.”

“Mom, why would I lie?  You’re being paranoid.  It was nothing.  Just a little trip up to the mountains.  I told you, that’s why my phone didn’t work.  There was no reception up there.”

“And the people you went with?  Who are they?”

“Just friends mom, you don’t know them, okay?  Trust me.”

She didn’t say anything for a long time.  I could tell she was considering my story and trying to find holes in it.  Finally, her tone relaxed.  “Was it a man?”

“Mom!  What?  No, it wasn’t a man.”

“Mmmmhmmm,” she said.  “I think I figured you out young lady.  You went on a sex weekend with some man and didn’t want to tell your mother about it.”

“A sex weekend?  What’s a sex weekend, Mom?”

She giggled.

“Never mind!  Don’t answer that,” I said.

“Okay, okay, I’ll leave you alone.  But don’t do that to me
ever
again.  You need to tell someone when you’re going away with a stranger.  Someone needs to know where you are, no matter how comfortable you feel with him.”

“Mom, I said it wasn’t a-”

“
Sure
it wasn’t dear,” she interrupted.  “I just want you to promise me you’ll tell me next time before you disappear like that.  I don’t care how handsome he is.  You almost gave your poor mother a heart attack.”

I couldn’t argue with her anymore.  Anyway, if she wanted to go on believing I had a nice romantic weekend, a
safe
weekend, then that was the best I could ask for.  At least it would get her to leave me alone.

“Okay, Mom.  I promise.”

She prattled on a little longer about her job and then we hung up.  It felt good to get that weight off my shoulders.  But since I talked to her, all I could think about was James.

All these questions ran through my head.  Why had he disappeared like that?  Why didn’t he wake me before he left?  What worried him so much?  Those, and a million more haunted me every day.  I wanted to be with him.  Besides, his gang looked bigger and tougher than the one he rescued me from.  Why was he running?

***

James fiddled with the corner of the plastic menu as he waited for his coffee.  Two weeks had passed since he had any contact with The Guard.  Word on the street was they wanted him dead.  But he couldn’t believe that.  Not yet, anyway.

The man he was meeting was an ex-member.  Charlie Reynolds had been like a father to James after he was accepted.  Charlie was also one of the only men to ever make it out alive.  After voicing his displeasure with the direction of the gang, he decided to go his own way.  The only reason Hayes let him was because of his long-time devotion and the respect he garnered from the other members.  If anything were to happen to him, Hayes knew he might have a mutiny on his hands.

Charlie would give him the right advice.  He would have to.  James needed a way out...a way to make things right...a way to help the girl.

The little bell on the door jingled behind him.  James didn’t even have to turn around to know it was him.  The way his boots slapped the floor gave him away every time.

“How ya doin’ kid?” he said, as he patted James on the back with a heavy hand.

James looked up at him, his grimace told the story.

“Not so good, huh?” asked Charlie.

Before he could respond, the waitress brought James’s coffee to the counter.  “Get you anything else, hun?” she asked.

“No.”

“She took a step back and looked at Charlie.  “Uh, how about you sir?  Can I bring you a menu?”

“No thank you...Kristen.”  He squinted to read her name tag. “ If you could get me a plate of eggs and bacon, it would make my day.  Oh, and please forgive my rude friend here, he can be a real sonofabitch in the mornings.”  He gave a playful shove and James forced a smile.  He was in no mood for this back and forth with the waitress but Charlie had always made a point to treat civilians right.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but I don’t want any breakfast.  Didn’t mean to be rude.”

“That’s better.  Isn’t that better, darlin’?” said Charlie.

She shuffled her feet and gave a nervous smile before high-tailing it back to the kitchen.  It was obvious that a couple of rough looking bikers weren’t her usual seven in the morning clientele.

“C’mon, man, out with it,” said Charlie.  “I know you didn’t drag my ass down here at the crack of dawn to share some eggs with me.  Now, what is it?”

James took a long drink from his cup.  The hot liquid numbed his tongue, but he craved the caffeine so he kept on anyway.  He set the empty cup on the counter and pushed it to the far edge.