The Last Riders - First Four Votes (7 page)

D
ean called
Beth several times throughout the week to check in on Lily, but anytime the conversation became personal, he would switch topics. Beth hung up from their latest conversation confused at his strange behavior. He had yet to become amorous towards her after months of dating, although he had definitely led her to believe that they were headed that way. She had thought the trip to Las Vegas would bring a new level of intimacy to their relationship. Now Dean was acting once again like her Pastor. Beth didn’t know what to make of it. Lily was going back to school tomorrow and Beth would be driving her. She had hoped that he would offer to keep her company, instead he had mentioned a scheduled meeting with a parishioner.

E
arly the next day
, the sisters left Treepoint while it was still dark; it was a three-hour drive so they decided to stop and eat breakfast before driving on to Lily’s dorm. The college was bustling with students outside the large dorm by the time they pulled up. Beth walked by Lily’s side as they passed through the common room to reach the elevators, noticing that none of the other students said hi or even acknowledged Lily.

“Have you made many friends, Lily?”

Lily paused in opening her door before answering truthfully as she entered her room.

“Not really. I guess I thought that because it was a religious college, the other students would be serious about their courses. They think because I don’t go to their get-togethers that I don’t want to be friends.”

Beth hugged her sister, remembering how uncomfortable she had felt her freshman year.

“It’ll get easier. You will find students you have more in common with, don’t get discouraged.”

“I won’t. It doesn’t bother me, I need to study more than I need friends to distract me.”

"I’m sure your studies won’t suffer if you take time to go out for lunch or dinner. Don’t close yourself off to new acquaintances or experiences.”

Lilly grinned. “I won’t.”

Beth left her sister sitting at her small desk, pulling books out of her backpack. She worried about how isolated Lily seemed on the lonely drive home. It was late afternoon when she arrived back in Treepoint and pulled into the Sheriff’s Office. He had called yesterday to ask her to stop by his office, so she had promised to stop in on her way back from dropping Lily off.

The receptionist showed her to his office immediately. As she walked towards the office she couldn’t help thinking of the history between the sheriff and her family. Will Hunter had been sheriff for the last fourteen years and had attended her father’s church. There wasn’t much he didn’t know about the small community and what he didn’t, he made it his mission to find out. If it could adversely affect the town he protected, every measure was taken to see that the townspeople remained safe. Inside and outside the legalities of the law; every recourse at his disposal was used with ruthless disregard. Her father and Will had a tumultuous relationship because of this. Beth had often thought that he’d only attended her father’s church to keep a cautious eye on the influential church leader.

“Hello, Beth, have a seat.” He rose as she entered the room and then resumed his seat as she took the chair in front of his desk. “Lily doing well?” The sheriff picked up an ink pen lying on his desk, sliding it back and forth between his fingers.

“Yes, still a little sore, but she’s much better. Thank you for asking. You said you had some news on my car?”

The pen was put back on the desk as he clasped his hands together, leaning towards Beth. “Yes, I am afraid you’re not going to like what the report confirmed, either. The mechanic found your brake lines had been tampered with; someone definitely wanted to hurt, if not kill you. Everyone in town knows you’re constantly driving up and down those mountain roads, which are treacherous on a good day with a car in good working order. They’d be deadly in a car with no brakes.”

Concerned, Beth sat forward in her chair. “You are sure Lily wasn’t the intended victim?”

The sheriff leaned back in his seat, shaking his head. “No, Lily drives the car too infrequently. When someone wants someone dead, they pick a plan that has the highest chance of success at the first attempt. Do you have any ideas as to who would want to hurt you? Anyone you made angry lately? Old boyfriends?”

Beth could only shake her head negatively to each question.

“All right, think about it and let me know. Be careful, Beth. I’ve already told my deputies to keep an around the clock check on your house, but you need to be extremely cautious.”

“I will Sheriff and, if I think of anyone, I’ll call you immediately.”

“Don’t hesitate to call me day or night.”

“When can I get my car back?”

“As soon as you can get someone to come and get it from the lot out back. With the accident and the brakes being tampered with, the insurance company should find it’s totaled. I suggest you look for a new car.”

Beth left the sheriff’s office worried and more than a little frightened. She had not been able to think of a single person who could have a reason to harm her. It wasn’t like she led an exciting life; her work and personal lives were extremely tame and she didn’t she’d done anything that would give anyone a reason to wish her injury.

Looking at her watch, Beth walked across the street to meet Dean for their weekly dinner date. They had been meeting at the diner every Thursday evening for dinner since they had begun dating.

The diner was never busy during the weeknights and they could enjoy a quiet conversation after work. Finding an empty booth was easy, which was why they had picked the diner; that and because the church was beside the sheriff’s office just across the street. It made it convenient when he worked late. Beth had ordered a drink and was scrolling down through the messages on her cell phone that had come in while she was in the sheriff’s office when Razer slid into the seat in front of her.

“What are you doing? I’m waiting for someone,” Beth said.

“Pastor Dean, I know. When you didn’t respond to his message, he didn’t want you to be left waiting for him.” Glancing at her cell phone, Beth finished reading the message from Dean.

“Since when does Dean use you to pass on his messages?”

“I guess I’m just lucky. I was in the right place at the right time. I offered to relay his message and he took me up on it. Now what are we ordering?”

“Nothing. I’m going home.” Beth motioned for the waitress.

Razer stopped her. “Come on, Beth. Don’t make me eat alone. Nothing can happen here. Sit and have dinner with me," Razer wheedled.

Unsure, Beth picked up her glass of water and took a sip as the waitress approached, taking their order. Beth raised her brow at the amount of food he ordered.

“What can I say, I’m a growing boy,” he said after the waitress walked away.

More like he needs to keep his energy up to perform all the orgies he participates in every night,
Beth thought nastily.

“Now, now. I can read that look on your face; those weren’t nice thoughts you were thinking. Care to share?”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Beth said haughtily.

“Come on, I’ll pay for your dinner if you tell me what you were just thinking.”

“I can pay for my own dinner.”

“Chicken.”

Angered, she replied, “I bet it does take a lot of food to supply you with enough energy to keep everybody happy.”

With a wicked glint in his eyes, he asked, “Just what do you mean by that?”

“Well, you’re delivering cars for Loker James and delivering messages for Pastor Dean.”

“Oh, I thought you meant me keeping the girls happy,” he whispered seductively. “Baby, I can do it all.”

“I know you can. I saw that for myself.” Beth was done. She again started to get up, but the waitress placing the food down in front off them forestalled her movement.

“Eat, Beth. I’ll behave. Please, it was a lame-ass attempt to bring up an embarrassing situation that I think it would be good for us to clear the air about it.”

Beth picked up her fork. “I don’t think we need to discuss it at all.”

Razer followed her cue and started eating. Beth had long since lost her appetite, though, and now desperately wanted the meal to just be over. Unable to eat more than a few bites of food, Beth sat and watched as he demolished his own food then poached her still full plate.

“Want any dessert?” Razer asked when he finished.

“No, thanks.” Beth opened her purse, determined to pay her part and beat a hasty retreat.

Razer, seeing her intent, forestalled the attempt. “Beth, I want to apologize for how things went down with us. I can guess it was an extremely embarrassing situation that you found yourself in that night.”

Beth looked out the window, unable to meet his eyes.

“I’d like to start over and get to know you. I handled my attraction to you all wrong. If you give me a chance, I can promise this attraction we feel for each other will be worth the effort.”

She immediately shook her head. “I am
not
attracted to you.”

“You were. Beth, that night on your couch, you wanted me. You weren’t comfortable with me, your values kept you from fucking me, but they didn’t stop you from coming on my hand. At my clubhouse, you were overwhelmed with things moving so fast and bolted.” When Beth would have interrupted, he ignored her. “Still, you invited me in that night and, stupidly, I said no. Later, you came to me knowing you wanted to fuck me and walked into a situation that shocked you.”

Beth looked at him, his words bringing back that humiliating night. “Razer, please, I don’t want to go over this. You want the air clear. It’s clear. You want to be friends. Fine, we’re friends. But we are not now or in the future going to be fuck buddies, which I think is what you want from me. You have your choice of those at your club. You don’t need me for that. You showed me that night that you have no respect for women.”

Angry now, Razer cut her off, "How did I not respect you, Beth? Did I pressure you into doing something you didn’t want? Did I rape you? The minute I saw you weren’t on the same page as me in my bedroom, I let you leave. Did I call you any names or try to change your mind?"

“No,” Beth admitted.

“None of the men in the club disrespect the women there. Yes, we share a highly sexual relationship, I admit. We enjoy each other not only as sexual companions, but we share friendships. None of us want a typical relationship. We are not ashamed of our lifestyle and don’t feel the need to explain it to strangers. To enter our club is a choice both the men and the women freely make. Especially the women we do not recruit. The women all seek entrance on their own. None of them are forced to be there; in fact, many of the women have been lower members of the club for years, performing many jobs that benefit the club.”

Before Beth could jump in and say “blowjobs", Razer shook his head as if reading her mind. “No; relaying messages, accounting, taking messages, delivering messages and yes, providing sex. If they don’t want to stay, they leave, but we have rules for them to become members, to make sure it’s the type of life they want. And no one is coercing them into anything they are not comfortable doing.”

“I can’t handle a man going from woman to woman," Beth stated and then confessed, “Sex has to mean something to me. I know it’s old fashioned.”

“Not old-fashioned, sweets. Though, Beth, I have to be honest, my dick doesn’t have a woman’s name on it and it won’t ever. I like sex and enjoy a variety of partners. I practice safe sex and the others in the house do, too; it’s a hard rule. Anyone caught not doing so leaves the club. On the other hand, I can understand and respect your views on sex. Can’t you do the same? I’m not asking you to have sex tonight or introduce you to a threesome," he teased at her shocked expression. “But we could see where this attraction goes, maybe draw closer and have a little fun, or be able to move on with it out of our systems."

He took her hand that was lying on the table and gave it a tight squeeze.

“I’ve been seeing Pastor Dean.”

“I know and I talked to him. He was going to talk to you tonight, but I decided to do it for him.”

“You didn’t want me talking to him, yet you freely admit to having unlimited sex. You’re unbelievable.”

“We don’t share outside the club. It’s a rule,” he explained patiently.

“The club rules don’t matter to me.”

“I hope someday they will.” Razer forestalled her sharp reply. “That’s an argument for another day. One that, in all probability, will never come. Right now, tonight, I just want us to agree that you’ll give me another chance.”

Beth sat there, sick to her stomach at the temptation in front of her. She would never be able to handle his lifestyle. The thought of him with other women made her ill. Unlike last time, Beth was smart enough to realize that he was going to be with other women; whether he was with her or not.

Even though they hadn’t been together, it hadn’t hurt any less over the last nine months. Every night, as she lay in bed with her burning body driving her insane, she knew he was fucking numerous women without a thought of her in his mind. The only consolation she now had was that Razer hadn’t been able to forget her, either, or he wouldn’t be here.

Beth knew it would be wrong to go to a man of Dean’s caliber with her body on fire for another. She made the decision, one that she knew deep in her heart she would regret, but she would not back away from it like a coward. She was going to let Razer into her life.

God help her.