The Last Riders - First Four Votes (68 page)

L
ily slid
the tape across the top of the box, sealing it closed. Her eyes went to the clock on the wall across the large expanse of the factory, and she swallowed hard. It was almost lunchtime; a time of day she had begun dreading each morning as soon as the metal door closed behind her. The same door that was opening now with Evie carrying in a lunch tray to the main office.

One of the workers seated nearby jumped up to open the door for Evie. She laughed, saying something before going inside and shutting the door with her foot. The poor man flushed with pleasure at Evie’s words.

Lily slid off her stool, stretching as she tried to ease the muscles that had become stiff. Her hands smoothed down her loose dress, which had ridden up.

“Lily.”

She stiffened, turning toward the office door where Shade stood, framed in the doorway. Reluctantly, she made her way to his office. As she drew closer, Evie came out, giving her a friendly smile.

“How’s it going today?” Evie asked.

“Fine,” Lily replied, smiling back.

“Cool. You two enjoy your lunch,” Evie said as she started to walk away.

“Why don’t you stay and have lunch with Shade today? I’m not very hungry,” Lily tried to forestall the woman from leaving.

Evie’s eyes went to Shade’s before coming back to hers. “I’ve already eaten. I’d better get back; I left Rider doing lunch by himself,” Evie said, leaving before Lily could make up another reason for her to stay, not that it would work. It never did.

Lily slipped by Shade, who made no effort to move away from the door, forcing her to brush her body against his. She then took a seat on the chair, sitting next to his desk.

She had been having lunch with him every day for the last month, and she was determined to put an end to it that day. When he had called her into his office after she had first begun working at the factory, she had thought it was because she was new and Razer’s sister-in-law, but she had been here for over a month and he was still waiting to have lunch with her. She had tried everything to get out of the tense situation, yet somehow, every day at twelve she found herself sitting in the same chair.

Shade closed the door then took his seat at his desk. Handing her one of the plates with baked chicken and vegetables, he then began eating his own food.

Lily took a bite of the chicken while debating the best way to tell him that he didn’t have to tie his lunchtime up with her.

“How’s your arm doing since the cast came off?” Shade broke into her thoughts.

“Fine. The doctor said that it was healed.”

“When does school start back?”

“In a month.” Lily looked down at her food. It went down easier if she didn’t look him in the eyes. Shade was always polite, but he made her nervous. He was friends with her sister’s husband; both men had looked after her since Razer and Beth had begun seeing each other.

“How many classes are you taking?”

“Four. They’re pretty simple ones. I already completed the coursework in my major area. The only courses I have left are just to give me enough credits to graduate.”

Shade continued eating his food silently.

Lily took another bite, swallowing it down as she decided to broach the subject on her mind. Clearing her throat, she played with the food on her plate. “I know you and Razer are friends, and I appreciate the club giving me a job for the summer, but I—you don’t have to eat lunch with me every day, Shade. I can eat outside with the rest of the workers.” Lily released her breath, proud of herself.

“Don’t you want to eat lunch with me?” Shade questioned, his gaze steady on her.

“No. Yes. I don’t want you to feel like you have to keep me company because of Razer and Beth being your friends.”

“Do I seem to be the type to do anything that I don’t want to?”

“No.” He definitely wasn’t that type.

“Good, then that’s settled.”

Wait, what did that mean?
Lily was confused and, unless she made herself look like an ungrateful brat, she was stuck for another month of lunches with Shade.

“Have you applied for any jobs yet?” Shade asked, changing the conversation.

“A couple. One in Jamestown, and two in Colorado.”

“Do you think that you’ll really be able to handle a job as a social worker?” Shade’s voice held doubt, which he made no attempt to conceal.

Lily stiffened in her chair. “Yes, I do. Why?” Her eyes rose angrily from her plate to find him staring at her mockingly.

“Well, you don’t exactly take the best care of yourself. How can you look after someone else that needs your help?”

“None of the situations I’ve been in have been my fault,” Lily protested.

“You need to learn to take care of yourself before you can help take care of other people that will be depending on you.”

“I can take care of myself just fine,” Lily snapped.

“You could if I taught you how,” Shade said, leaning back in his chair.

“What? How?” Lily tried to keep track of the turn in their conversation.

“I could teach you self-defense. That is, unless you change your mind about being a social worker.”

“I’ll make a good social worker. I—” Lily argued.

“Good, that’s settled. Monday, when you come to work, bring some workout clothes. I’ll work with you an hour every day at the end of your shift.”

“But—”

“If you’re finished, could you ask Train to come here?”

Lily stood up, going out the door and then closing it behind her.
What in the heck just happened?
She had gone into his office to get out of spending a half hour of every day with Shade, not to get stuck for another hour each day.

She found Train, giving him Shade’s message before going back to work, still trying to figure out how she was going to get out of the self-defense lessons from Shade.

Shaking the thoughts away, Lily pulled another order up on the computer and began pulling the items before going to the table and packing the order. She worked steadily, and by the end of the day, ended up finishing an additional fifteen orders. It was past her usual time of leaving, but Lily had taken the largest order, sitting there for over an hour on the board where the larger orders were posted. No one had wanted to touch it so close to quitting time.

Taping the box closed, she managed to lift it into the mail cart. Proud of herself, she cleaned her worktable, wiping it down. When her scissors accidently fell to the floor, Lily reached down to pick them up.

She felt his gaze on her as she straightened. Her fingertips grazed over the red rubber band on her wrist, trying not to snap it. He didn’t like it when she snapped it. She did it to give herself that small sting of pain that would keep her from retreating into her fear because the therapist had said it diverted her anxieties, describing brain synapses and how they worked. Lily didn’t care about the reasons. The red rubber band helped. She had come to rely on it to keep her rooted in the present.

Shade’s lips would tighten in displeasure whenever he caught her snapping it, letting her know without words to stop. The problem was he increased the need to rely on the rubber band with his presence. One glance from his striking blue eyes had her nerves so on edge that she needed the small snap of pain to soothe her rioting emotions.

Her trembling hands smoothed down her knee-length dress instead.

“I’m done for the day, Shade.” Her eyes didn’t meet his, instead going to Rider who was sitting on one of the tables nearby. He and Shade had been talking about the orders while they waited for her to finish so they could lock up.

The other factory workers had left over a half hour ago, yet her speed hadn’t increased by much since her cast had been removed earlier in the week. The doctor had warned her it would take several weeks to regain the normal strength of her hand.

She had hurried with the last order because she could tell both men were waiting for their weekend to begin. Her own sister would be arriving in a few hours to spend the night at the house sitting on the hill just above the factory. The Last Riders were a motorcycle club who owned the factory and all the surrounding property, including the huge home where they held their weekly party.

Lily smothered her own hurt feelings that she had never been invited. She knew it was because of her reaction to being around men who drank alcohol, but it still hurt that she was excluded from that part of her sister’s life.

Her roommate, Penni, had even attempted to help her overcome her fear by taking her to a few parties in college, but those where alcohol had been served had become a failure. She had always let the fear overcome her, sinking into a paralyzing panic that would inevitably result in her friend practically carrying her back to her car.

Lily was ashamed to admit to herself that she was a coward. She was afraid of everything, and the one person that inspired the most fear was Shade.

When he stared at her with his piercing blue eyes, her mind went into panic mode every single time. Her fears had lessened, however, over the last few years since they had met and her sister had married Razer, his best friend.

“Hot damn. Let the good times roll,” Rider said, jumping off the table he had been sitting on.

Lily tried to hide her feelings, yet from the sharp look Shade threw Rider at his insensitive comment, she knew she had been unsuccessful.

Lily picked up the scraps of paper lying on her table, throwing them in the trashcan before going back to the table and picking up her purse.

“See you guys Monday.” Lily was going out the door as Bliss was coming in.

“Finished for the day?” The pretty member of The Last Riders was extremely feminine and petite, making Lily feel like a gauche fifteen-year-old. She gave her an open smile until her eyes went behind her back and a frown replaced it on her face.

“Yes, have a good weekend, Bliss.”

Lily turned her head and saw Rider and Shade staring back at her with cool smiles. Thinking she had mistaken the worried frown, she started out the door then paused, staring down at the outfit Bliss was wearing. The blue jean shorts were tiny as well as the swimsuit top that tied between her breasts. The tat on her breast drew her attention until Bliss hurried past her into the factory.

Lily waved her hand goodbye, closing the door behind her.

She climbed into her car, whistling, relieved to be away from Shade, who managed the factory and its workers. Being in his presence every day the past summer was getting on her nerves. She couldn’t believe she was looking forward to school starting back in a month. She had thought she would dread it with Penni graduating in May, but now it couldn’t come soon enough.

Beth and Razer, The Last Riders, and even Sex Piston’s crew believed she was a walking, talking disaster waiting to happen, regardless of how many times she reminded them that none of the incidents she invariably became involved in were her fault. She simply always managed to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. It wasn’t her fault that it happened a lot.

One incident, three months ago, resulted in her almost dying. Ever since then, Shade had watched over her like she was Typhoid Mary and he was just waiting to see what catastrophe would strike next.

Lily didn’t want to hurt Beth’s feelings; however, Razer’s friend was a real jerk. She felt guilty as soon as the word crossed her mind. She tried to find the best in people, but Shade made it really hard.

The familiar strain of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” sounded from her purse right as Lily was about to pull out of the parking lot. She put the car in park before she reached inside her purse for the ringing cell phone.

“What’s up?” Lily asked, seeing her sister’s name on the caller I.D.

“Lily, are you still at the factory?” Beth asked.

“Yes.” Lily didn’t tell her she was sitting in the parking lot, ready to pull out.

“Is Rider there?”

“Yes, he’s talking to Shade and Bliss.”

“Oh.” Beth paused. “That’s probably why he’s not answering his phone.”

“Yes,” Lily said without hesitation.

“Can you do me a favor?” Beth’s sister sounded tired and frustrated. “My car is broken down at Ms. Langley’s house. Can you ask Rider if he can bring the trailer to pick it up? Razer and Viper are going to meet him here to help. They were at the grocery store when I called. I told him I’d call Rider and get him to meet them at her house.”

“No problem. I’ll tell him right now,” Lily offered.

“Thanks. I’ll see you later.” Beth disconnected the call.

Lily backed into the lot, parking again. Getting out of the car, she went toward the factory with her thoughts on her sister. Opening the door, she came to a stop.

Rider was standing behind Bliss, his arm around her waist with his hand splayed across her bare stomach. Bliss’s face was filled with uninhibited excitement as she looked at Shade who was standing a few inches away, staring back at Bliss. Both men had expressions of desire written plainly across their faces.

A shard of pain went through Lily’s brain at the same time that the metal door closed with a loud snap, and the tableau turned to stare at her standing at the doorway.

“Uh, um.” Lily had to force herself to focus, trying to get her mind in working order. “Rider, Beth’s car is broken down at Mrs. Langley’s house. She needs you to bring the trailer. Excuse me,” she explained her presence to the three frozen in place before turning tail and running. Her hand hit the metal door rail and the door flew open. Lily ran to her car, her face flaming at overreacting and making a fool of herself as always.

She opened her car door hastily, getting back inside. She was reversing out of the parking lot when she saw Shade, Rider and Bliss come out of the factory. She waved at them before turning her car to exit out of the parking lot.

Lily took deep breaths; a headache was beginning, making driving difficult. Reaching into her purse, not taking her eyes off the road, she searched for her sunglasses. Finding them, she slid them on, hoping it would help the headache that was threatening to make her vomit.

Her hands tightened on the steering wheel while she continued to take deep breaths then released them several times, focusing on her breathing and not on the look on the two men’s faces with Bliss between them. Shards of pain again attacked her at the mere thought.