Seven Sunsets (7 page)

“Oh my god, how could you?” It was all sinking in even more. Don killed our child.

“Emery, do you think any of this has been easy for me?” He started coming toward me, to comfort me as I sobbed uncontrollably.

Picking up the skillet, I hit Don with the damn thing. He fell back, his head hitting the edge of the counter as he fell with a loud crash. “Don?” I dropped down to check on him. He was bleeding out of the back of his head. I pressed my fingers to his neck. He didn’t have a pulse. I threw up beside him. I’d killed Don.

Automatically, I went to his shed looking for a shovel. There I’d found evidence of Don’s life away from our home. He had plenty of tools, his wood working materials here. I decided to make him a coffin, the best I could. If anything, the hard work and cleaning up the mess in the kitchen kept me from rolling on the ground crying. When I finally got Don in the ground, I buried the offensive money with him. Instead of going home, I went to the beach to plan my disappearance, but as the week dragged on, my spirits sank even more. I started cutting myself again, wanting to finally go through with it, kill myself. Every time I’d tried it, I thought of my mother’s body scattered amongst the cliffs and just couldn’t do it. Then, I thought of Vickie and my baby. More than that, I thought of Manul’s warning. “You can’t run.” He’d find me. I used the information I got from Don’s cabin to hunt down Amun and ended up in Shark Bait’s, where Amun was a regular. I’d planned to kill myself right where he’d know.

I told Scar my story the best I could, trying not to really think about any of it. He hugged me tight to him, and didn’t say much. I was okay with that. “Do you still want me to go away with you after learning I’m weak and easy?”

“You’re not either of those things,” he whispered into the top of my hair.

“My whole life has been filled with death and lies. Now I’ve killed even more people. I don’t know how I can live with myself.”

“I am who I am and you are who you are. No matter how I’ve ridden, doesn’t mean I can’t turn around. Your life can change, Emery.”

Closing my eyes, I hoped he was right.

Meanwhile on the outskirts of El Paso

Only a waitress

“Your names are Tony and Bob?” It said Bones and Cowboy right on their vests. I could barely see in the horrible strobe lights, but I’d read that much. They were too drunk to realize.

“You say you’re new here.” The man’s hand was on my ass. I removed it.

“Yeah, you could say that.” I was only filling in for a friend because I desperately needed the money. You’d never know from the hot pants, bra and hooker boots, but I’d never stepped foot in a strip club before last week. It’s not that I was an angel, but I thought I’d never be caught dead exposing myself on stage, no matter how desperate. Tonight I was only a waitress, but tomorrow night I’d go on stage for the first time. The girls here said they made even more giving lap dances with extras. Extras being blowjobs and sex. I hated to stoop this low, but you do what you have to just to survive. My time was running out, and I’d just have to take the bullet. Take one for the team. “I’m only a waitress, boys. What can I get ya?”

“Only a waitress?” The broad shouldered blond man gave me a smolder. “They keeping the pretty girls off the stage?” I swallowed, trying not to let the compliment go to my head. He was the kind of man women fell on the floor and flailed around for, but he was also here to see the strippers. Not to mention he wore a leather motorcycle vest and had bones tattooed up his neck and down his arms. Skeleton hands were tattooed on his large hands that had a sinister looking ring on every finger. His hand touched mine. “So you mean I can’t get a lap dance from you?”

“No,” I said steadily and walked away from him and his buddy wearing the cowboy hat and plaid shirt under his vest. He’d barely looked my way.

Cowboy             

“Cowboy, what the hell does that name mean anyhow? I used to think it meant you were a cowboy, being from out west and all this shit you wear, but now I see you’re all quiet most of the time—until you go off. You’re a fucking loose cannon, took those Mutherfukers down without blinking an eye. Saved the lot of us, but they’ll be hell to pay back home. I’m going to make sure you get some pussy tonight.” Bones was drunk, patting my back and hugging me close. He needed a woman before he fucked me.

“What about her?” The stripper in front of us didn’t leave much to the imagination with one strip of fabric between her legs and tasseled nipples. Any of the women here would do. All of them had smoking bodies, iffy faces and probably heaps of daddy issues. Knowing how fucked up they were didn’t make my dick less hard. I’d be someone’s daddy tonight, have a bitch or two before the night was over. I didn’t need Bones’ help.

“Nah, I want some filling. I want to take that pretty little waitress back to the hotel and fill every hole she’s got. You gonna help?”

Bones wanted to us both to fuck the waitress. The thought sent a longing through me too. It was always more fun if the girl didn’t think she was a porn star. Speaking of porn stars, I thought of Anarchy, wondering who she was fucking now. Fuck—I didn’t want to think of that woman. “Tails.” I called it first.

Bones grimaced, slamming his fist down on the stage.

I laughed. “That’s if you can score her.”

“No problem.”

“Did you look at her?”

“I sure did, coming and leaving.”

I’d watched too. I’d called her ass after all. “Didn’t look like the kinda girl who’d fuck two strangers. What do you plan to do? Get her drunk?”

He got up and walked off. Fuck—he was full of himself.

Suzi

Vic, the bartender cocked his head. “Looks like you got an admirer.”

I followed his gaze to see the gorgeous blond Viking of a man strolling my way. His eyes were locked on me.

“Suzi’s a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” Bones kissed my hand, his lips lingering before his tongue darted out.

I fought a smile. “Thanks.” Shit, I was waiting for my drinks from the bar, so I couldn’t just walk away again.

“You wanna get out here?”

“And go where?” It was late. The only things opened other than the Super Walmart and the Circle K were strip clubs and bars.

“Go have some drinks?”

“Can’t. It’s my first week.”

Bones smiled, making himself ten times more irresistible. “When you get off?”

I’d had men hit on me all week, but none were as hot as this guy. Nevertheless, I wasn’t stupid. The girls told me not to fall prey to flattery. The men here were looking to get laid and nothing else. It was part of the job too, putting up with constant harassment. If a guy got too persistent though, I could tell our bouncer and have him thrown out. My voice more assertive, I told him, “Going home to sleep.” Finally! Vic slid me my long island ice tea. I turned away from my admirer to grab my drinks.

Bones didn’t give up. “My buddy and I have a bet. He says I can’t get a kiss from you.”

I huffed, steading my tray of drinks up over my shoulder. “You can’t.” I headed over to the stage booth full of business men with loose ties hanging around their necks. They’d ordered a large round of drinks only to hand me a dollar that had probably fallen out of a stripper’s twat. “Fucking tight wads,” I said under my breath. Turning around, I bumped into the huge man, landing against his hard chest. He smelled of leather and beer, but damn it didn’t matter because when I peered up, he wore that sexy grin again. He steadied me, grabbing my waist, his hand almost wrapping around half of me. As butterflies tickled my insides, I stepped away. “Are you following me now?” I asked over my shoulder, walking back to the front.

He followed me back through the club, closer and closer until he was looming over me. I turned around to find him towering over me. He bent to my ear. “Look over there. My buddy’s watching. Just one kiss,” he whispered, handing me a one hundred dollar bill.

Taken aback only for a second, I shoved it in my pocket. I tilted my head way up and closed my eyes, waiting. Nothing happened. I opened my eyes to see he’d gone back to the second stage. Mandy had her ass in his face, but he was looking over his shoulder back at me. What a weirdo! I wasn’t giving back the money.

For the next hour, I didn’t see the two bikers again. Figured they went to the back for a lap dance. Too bad I wasn’t stripping tonight. I really hoped for one high roller tomorrow, so I wouldn’t have to do it too long. God let him be as sexy as Bones. Leaving for the night, I pushed open the back door to see the man leaning against his motorcycle, waiting for me. His eyes blazed, cutting through the early morning darkness, finding me. He wore a mysterious look on his face that was broken by his charming smile. His friend was on his bike, the engine running. Crossing my arms, I looked around for Mandy, my ride, with no luck. I turned my head back and forth, searching for her car.

“I sent Mandy home,” Bones voice came through the rumbling engine noise.

“Why?” I sounded pissed, but truth be told, I was scared. Two motorcycle men, no matter how handsome, and one woman—this was what my pepper spray and whistle were made for. I put my hand on my purse, knowing both were deep inside beneath a mountain of receipts, makeup and my big can of hairspray.

“I’m waiting for my kiss.”

Oh! Is that all he wanted? “You didn’t take it.”

“I didn’t say when I was going to kiss you.”

“Fine, go ahead.” I closed my eyes and puckered my lips. Hell, he could tongue me as long as he wanted. As nasty as I felt about stripping, being around so much sexual energy had left me frustrated. No, as I waited for his lips, I knew he’d started it earlier. Now, I wanted his one kiss. I waited a little longer, but the kiss never came.

Bones’ mouth hovered above mine. “I wasn’t talking about your mouth, sweetheart.”

“Ugh,” I said aloud. “Really?” I rolled my eyes, digging in my pocket for his hundred dollar bill. Like I was going to let him kiss me there? I pulled out my money, looking at it in the little bit of light from the street lamps. I only saw one dollar bills on the first pass. I flipped through frantically, looking for the bill he’d given me, but it wasn’t there. “Fuck! I don’t have your money. Sorry.”

“Then you better get on your knees.”

“What, me?”

He laughed, coming in close again. “You think I’d pay one hundred dollars to place a kiss on your pussy?” Bones had a smart ass smirk. “Must be one hell of a pussy.” Trapping me against the back door in an instant, he had his long arms on either side of me.

Burnie came around the corner. “Thank god,” I breathed, my eyes meeting the black dots under our bouncer’s thick brow, but Bones waved him away, and Burnie left. What the fuck just happened?

Bones’ face was inches from mine. “Like I was saying—get on your knees. I want my kiss.”

“You have to pay one hundred dollars to have women suck your cock?” I challenged with my own attitude. I was buying myself some time.

Bones only seemed to like me more, his charming smile returning. “No, but I’d pay you a thousand to come back to me and my buddy’s room.”

“No thanks. I like breathing.”

He leaned into me even more, his body against mine as he laid a kiss on my neck. My whole body responded, screaming
take me right here.
I held my breath.

“I’m not a sicko, love. I’m not going to kill you,” he said into my skin, kissing it again. “If I wanted to kill you, I’d take you and put you on the back of my bike right now. I want to fuck you. Well, actually, me and my buddy want to fuck you.”

Glancing over at the other guy, I found he was hot too but something about Bones spoke to me or at least my body. This was crazy. “Why me? There were thirty girls in there tonight who would have said yes.”

“Why are you here if you don’t want to make some money?” Bones asked the obvious question.

I didn’t have an answer for that. “I told you before. I’m not a stripper or a whore. I’m a waitress. I don’t fuck two guys at once.”

“See, I didn’t say you had to take us both at once. Two thousand if you take us both at once.”

The image in my head didn’t frighten me like I thought it would. I’d never done two guys before. My ex had wanted a threesome, but with another girl involved. A threesome sounded so offensive to me when he’d mentioned it, but now confronted by two fine men, it only turned me on. Still, it wasn’t happening. Besides, two thousand dollars wasn’t enough. “Five thousand.” That ought to shut him up.

“Done.” Bones smiled that smile that would make an angel fall out of the sky.

“Seriously?” I crossed my arms, squinting.

“Seriously,” Bones purred, satisfied with himself already.

“Up front?”

“Yeah.” Bones backed off and pulled out a wad of cash, counting it.

“Okay,” I said slowly. I couldn’t believe this was happening. “On one condition.”

“I’m all ears, love.”

“I’m putting the money inside before I leave with you.”

Bones handed me the money as I studied his vest. I went inside and grabbed a piece of paper. I wrote down everything I’d seen and a quick description of the two men. I had to stop myself from writing
Asphalt Gods MC, but looks more like a fucking sex god
. I scribbled
V. President, Shreveport LA
and every other symbol and number I’d seen, not knowing what any of it meant. I wrapped my note around the money and locked it away in Riley’s locker, my locker for the next few months I’d agreed to work in her place, so she could go on leave. My friend was way too pregnant to be stripping. If something happened to me, someone would find them. Not that I got that vibe, but you couldn’t be too careful around here.

The one hundred dollar bill fell out of my locker when I shut it. I tucked it in my bra, thinking I might need it for a cab later.

Rob, the owner and my boss met me outside the dressing room. “Everything alright out there?”

“Yeah,” I lied. After all, I’d taken their money. The girls who did extras here gave Rob a cut. He wasn’t getting a dime of this. If I made it through the night, I wouldn’t have to strip tomorrow. One night of being fucked by two hot guys was better than months of stripping and still possibly whoring myself out to make the five thousand bucks I needed by December.

“What do the Gods want from you?”

I dug in my bra and gave the one hundred to Rob. “A blow job’s all.”

“We’ve all got to start somewhere.” Rob produced his own handful of bills and counted me out seventy dollars.

“Thirty percent?”

“Don’t knock it. You won’t find a better rate in Texas. Hey, you get done out there and come in and take care of me you can have the thirty back.” His voice was slick as oil.

“Sorry, they’re giving me a ride home for the discount.” I left, thinking I’d much rather take two men at once, once in my life than deal with Rob pretending to be my pimp daddy.

Bones

Suzi trembled and closed her eyes as I ran a finger down the curve of her breasts. We’d had her strip for us, learning she’d planned to for the first time the next night. She was so hot and  going to take to two dicks like a duck to water. Her curly caramel hair went great with two big green eyes over a perky nose. Petite, she had a slim toned physic that made her c cup breasts and chunky butt seem even curvier. Just perfect, I thought as she moved her body much like the strippers had on stage, although less confidently. The difference, she knew she was about to get fucked. The anticipation showed in her eyes, a sweet mix of longing and nerves. Cowboy and I stripped off our clothes to reveal our muscular frames as she danced. The difference between Cowboy and I was, I was man sized, my muscles coming from a life of hard work on my father’s farm, where he was a boy who’d pumped iron.