Stone - Big Girls & Bad Boys (4 page)

“Why are you doing this?” I asked.  I knew Bobby was a dead end, or I should have anyway.  But was Stone my future?  I barely knew the man.

“I told you, I like you.  I think you’re beautiful.  Maybe I’m a fool but I couldn’t watch Bobby treat you like that anymore.  I had to do something.  If I’m being honest, I knew you were alone today.  Little Mike told me.  He won’t do what Bobby wants.  Neither will Big Mike.  I can’t speak for the others,” Stone said.

“So, you know about all of that?” I asked him.

“Oh yeah.  Look, I’ve been a member of the Knights for only a few weeks but I’m loyal to a fault.  I pledged the Knights because it was the kind of club I wanted to be a part of.  I didn’t want to hang out with guys that played biker on the weekends.  I didn’t want to be part of some criminal enterprise.  I wanted to be with people who were like me.  Real, honest to goodness bikers.  I won’t let Bobby fuck that up,” he told me.

I was taken aback by Stone’s revelations.  I was afraid no one knew what Bobby planned.  I was afraid that by the time Rocky discovered Bobby was going behind his back, it would be too late.  “The Knights are my family, or as close to a family as I’ve ever had.  I don’t want what Bobby wants.  I...I don’t want Bobby,” I admitted.

“Good.  I want you to be my old lady,” Stone said.  There it was.  I found I wanted to be Stone’s old lady.  I barely knew the man but I couldn’t deny I was attracted to him and not just physically.  Stone was a good man.  I could sense that.  But it wasn’t that easy.  Wanting Stone didn’t make Bobby or what he might do when he found out just go away.

“Stone, I...Bobby won’t take that well,” I said.

“We’ll face that together.  I won’t let him hurt you, I swear.  So, you ready to make a change?” Stone asked.  He didn’t mess around and I kind of liked it.  I liked that he wasn’t slow playing this.  Stone knew what he wanted, and though I wasn’t entirely sure why he wanted me, I liked the way that made me feel.

“I live with him. My stuff is at his place.  The club and...it’s not going to be easy,” I told him.

“I’ll take that as a yes.  Tonight and every night from now on, you’ll stay with me.  If I get my way, and I usually do, Bobby won't be a Knight soon.  The Knights need a change and I’m that change.  The club has a lot of potential, like other stuff I could mention, and I mean to help it reach that potential.  I don’t want to take the club over like your ex-boyfriend.  I just want to be a part of something great,” Stone said and I knew I was the other stuff he mentioned.  I could have taken that the wrong way, I could have taken offense, but I didn’t.  I wanted more too, from the club and from myself.

“I won’t lie, I’m scared,” I told Stone.

“I won’t lie either.  You’re mine and I’m loyal to a fault.  There’s no reason to be scared.  I won’t let anything happen to you...ever,” he told me.  My heart swelled.  The people in my life that spoke to me as Stone did were few and far between.  Whether they simply implied it or came out and said it out loud, most people told me I was of little value, worthless and forgettable.  The way Stone looked at me, the things he said, told me he thought just the opposite.

“Okay.  I trust you,” I said, words that were hard to muster but Stone lent me strength somehow.

“Good.  What say we get some fish and chips along with some beer and then see about working it off,” he told me.  I frowned.  I wasn’t naive but I didn’t see what he meant at first.

“Work it off?” I asked.  Stone cocked his eyebrow and showed me that sexy smirk of his.  I suddenly got it.  My face turned red while my core warmed and tingled.  “Oh, work it off.  I see now,” I said and smiled despite myself.  Stone chuckled.

“You better get used to it.  When I see something I want, I go after it,” he said.

“I’m learning that,” I replied though I still wasn’t sure why he wanted me.  I pushed that insecurity aside, content for now just to accept that he did, in fact, want me.  Stone took my face in his hands and kissed me, just like he did back at the clubhouse.  I felt my knees go weak and that warmth in my core turned into a full on fire.

He let me go and took my hand.  We continued down the path along the beach and I suddenly realized how many people were there.  They had all but disappeared from my perception as Stone and I talked.  We walked down the beach and then crossed Highway 1, the Pacific Coast Highway, and found a place a few blocks away from the beach.  It was about what you’d expect, a casual but clean and bright seafood bar and grill, and though Stone wasn’t known as a regular, he seemed to have been to the place many times before.

“Don’t even look at the menu. Fish and chips,” he told me as we were seated.

“Um, okay.  I’ll have what he’s having,” I told the waitress.

“Two fish and chip baskets and two Fat Tires,” he told her. Bobby ordered for me sometimes when we went out but it was a form of control.  Often, he’d order me salads or low calorie meals even though he professed to love my full figure.  I didn’t get that from Stone.  It wasn’t about control.  It was about showing off a place he apparently loved to eat.  He wanted me to have a good experience.  I was glad I followed his advice.

We made small talk while we waited, sipping our beers after they came.  When I wasn’t being defensive, trying to avoid hearing the truth part of me didn’t want to hear, I found Stone easy to talk to.  He was easy going and engaging.  Again, he made me feel important, talking with me instead of at me.  Our food showed up quickly and we dug in.

“This is really good,” I told him as I bit into the fillet dipped in the homemade tartar sauce.

“Told you,” he said.  The Fat Tire beer, something I had never tried, was really good too.  Much tastier than the big name beers most of the guys in the club drank regularly.

“The beer is good too,” I added.

“Better than that swill the guys drink at the clubhouse.  Life’s too short to drink cheap beer,” he told me.  I laughed.  I got the impression that philosophy went beyond just beer.

“I noticed you have your stash in the back of the fridge,” I said.  Most of the beer kept in there was run of the mill stuff you’d see advertised during a football game.  If it was on sale, the boys would drink it.  I’d never heard of most of the stuff Stone drank and it changed regularly, all small microbrew stuff and all dark.  Same with his cigars.  The guys smoked cigars that they bought at convenience stores that smelled mostly like burning grass.  Stone smoked dark cigars that actually smelled good.

“I’m a snob.  I like fine things.  I won’t drink cheap beer, smoke a machine made cigar, ride a stock bike or be with a woman I don’t find interesting,” he said.  I frowned.  I wasn’t interesting and I told him as much.

“I’m not an interesting woman.  I’m anything but interesting,” I said.

“You’re wrong.  I’ve got good taste, I should know.  You’re more interesting than you realize.  Physically, you’re just what I look for,” he began but didn’t elaborate.  “But there’s more to you.  I can sense it.  You sit there at the bar, watching things.  You’ve got ideas.  You’ve got opinions.  I know it and I can’t wait to coax them out of you.  There’s a lot of stuff I can’t wait to coax from you,” he said, the statement full of promise.

“You’re not like any man I’ve ever met,” I said, at a loss for anything more substantial to say.

“I’m a renaissance man,” he told me.  I looked at him sideways as I tried to decide if Stone was toying with me.  I decided he wasn’t.

“You’re different, that’s for sure,” I replied.  He smirked at me, that self-assured and rather cute half smile he wore often.  I smiled back at him.  This was so out of my range of experiences but I liked it.  I went from a place of physical abuse and neglect to a place of borderline disdain.  I was barely an adult yet every experience I’d had told me I was unimportant and disposable.  I yearned for something else but I never thought I’d find it...or that I even deserved it.  I didn’t even know how to go about finding it.  Stone was showing me the way.

We ate and our conversation turned to small talk again, unimportant things that didn’t delve too deeply.  I didn’t reveal much about my past and neither did he.  I, for one, was afraid if Stone found out where I had come from, he’d change his mind about me.  It was stupid but I couldn’t help it. That’s what I had learned and how I had lived...afraid.

Once we finished eating and we had drained the pint glasses of beer, we walked back to Stone’s bike.  It was early evening by the time we left Huntington Beach.   We rode through the sprawling city on freeways that were still crowded but flowed freely.  Even though we made better time, it was almost dark by the time we made it back.

Stone never asked if I was coming home with him.  He had made his feelings quite clear.  I never said I would go home with him but I guess I made my feelings clear too.  I didn’t say no.  We never went back to the garage.  We went straight to Stone’s home and I should have guessed it wouldn’t be what I expected.  We parked in front of an older house on an acre or two of land.  Most of the surrounding properties had horses mulling about.

We climbed off the bike and as we approached an old ranch style house, I couldn’t help but comment.  “Not what I expected,” I said.

“Suits me.  Plenty of room, mostly peaceful and quiet and no one complains about what I do for a living,” he replied.  That sounded ominous.

“And what do you do?” I wondered.

“I’m a welder and part time metal sculptor,” he replied as we approached the front door.  I was curious but there was time for that later.  We entered the house and I found it was rather normal.  It wasn’t the height of designer decor but it wasn’t your typical bachelor pad either.  But still, among the department store furnishings there were hints about the man.  A surfboard hung over the fireplace.  A half dismantled carburetor sat on the dining room table.  A men’s magazine featuring a well-endowed young woman was mixed in with copies of Guns & Ammo and Iron Horse on the coffee table.

“So, we're here,” I said to break the awkward silence.  Awkward on my part anyway.

“You’re a master of the obvious,” he teased me playfully.  “No need to be nervous, Maria,” he added.

“Sorry, I’m just...I don’t know,” I replied.

“Want a drink?” he asked.  I did, but I didn’t.

“No, I’m fine.  I...I really enjoyed today,” I told Stone.  He turned as we stood in the middle of the living room and slipped his arms around my waist and pulled me to him.  He looked down at me, staring into my eyes.

“I want you, Maria. I know you hardly know me and I hardly know you but I know what I want.  You’re beautiful,” he said.

“Stone, I...,” I began, my instinct to argue the point trying to take over.  I took a deep breath and followed my heart instead.  “I’m yours,” I said.  The emotions rushed in, good and bad.  I was excited and aroused but at the same time, I knew this was dangerous.  Bobby and his probable reaction couldn’t be ignored.  But part of me wanted to do this to spite him.  The prospect of facing Bobby’s ire, of telling him we were through and I wouldn’t be his lap dog anymore was frightening yet it lent an edge to the experience.  Stone and I were playing with fire and I found that exciting.

Stone bent but instead of kissing my lips, he kissed my neck as he brushed my black hair aside.  I giggled despite myself as his lips and beard tickled my soft flesh.  He worked his way down, settling his face between my ample cleavage.  He seemed to delight in my soft breasts.  He lifted his head and stared at me, his excitement evident on his face and against my body below.

“I’ve got to see you naked,” he growled.  I still would hardly let Bobby have sex with me unless the lights were off.  With Stone, I didn’t care.  Hell, I wanted the lights on.  Bobby claimed to enjoy my body but he didn’t act like it very often.  In Stone’s eyes, I could see his desire.  I could feel it in his touch and in his kisses.  Damn, he made me feel sexy and desirable, like I mattered, like I was worth his affection.

I pushed Stone away and gave him what he wanted, thrilled at revealing myself to him.  I drank in his obvious desire like I’d been wandering the desert without water...and in a way, I had been.  I peeled off my shirt and then pushed my jeans down my legs.  I wasn’t trying to be sexy or put on a show.  I was just trying to get my fucking clothes off.  My panties and bra followed, my breasts spilling forth.  Finally, I stood naked under Stone’s gaze, awaiting his judgement.