Little Memphis Read online

  I pat his chest and smile. “We’ll see.”

  Ford climbs on his Harley and sighs. “Chicks.”

  Once my arms wrap around his waist, I lean around his shoulder and smile. “I liked when you pretended you were too old to play games. Classic.”

  When Ford grins, I know he’s admiring how much better he plays the games than I do. Yep, he had me fooled. While I should be angry, I’m not. How can I be when I got what I wanted anyway?

  16

  Ford

  Better Off in Bed

  Shay looks so fucking hot in the morning that I have trouble telling her goodbye. With puffy eyes and messy hair, she needs to return to bed. My bed. I’ll let her sleep after a few hours of play.

  After twenty minutes sucking at her lips and tongue, I finally leave Shay. She watches me disappear down the road and I know she’s already thinking about when I pick her up. Shay and her damn thinking definitely keeps me on my toes.

  I replay how good she felt and tasted as I ride to the diner. If she runs from me tonight, I’ll be pissed because her games will work and I’ll keep chasing. Shay is one of those girls worth the effort.

  Pax is waiting for me outside Hunk O’ Love. Before he left the house, he complained about being hungry. If he’s not eating now, I know something’s up.

  “Problem?” I ask, parking my Harley next to his.

  “You banged Lucky’s kid last night and he’s inside. I’m not looking to have him ask questions about her pussy. I’ll probably say something insensitive as I’ve been known to do. Then he’ll freak out and I’ll have to beat down an old man.”

  Pax is laughing by the time he finishes and I smack him upside the head. He’s a funny guy in the morning and I like how bright his eyes are. Lately, Pax’s been a tense asshole because of Trigger’s health problems. We’re the ones to clean up the fucker’s messes, putting a target on the back of the only person Pax gives a shit about.

  “Let’s not mention it and save the beat downs for later.”

  Pax nudges me as we walk towards the door. “You two were so quiet that I didn’t even know you brought her home. I went for a snack and your fucking door was open and I still didn’t hear a peep. Is your new thing mime fucking?”

  I laugh at the turd. “She’s a classy broad unlike the chick you brought home. Good thing our neighbors turn their hearing aids off at night.”

  “Hey, I fuck a girl so good she’s gotta yell. I don’t know what the hell you were doing last night. I’d guess holding hands and reading poems.”

  I grin. “Fuck off.”

  “Well the poetry ended this morning. Glad you remembered what your dick was used for.”

  I try to smack him again, but he ducks. “Nice reflexes, Home Run.”

  “Thanks Slugger,” he says, smirking.

  Lucky glances at me and I figure he’s talked to Joker who talked to Darby who confirmed Shay didn’t come home all night. Little Memphis isn’t a little town, but hell if the speed of gossip doesn’t make it feel like one sometimes.

  I sit next to Pax who is already stealing food from Joker’s plate.

  “Don’t you feed him?” Joker asks me.

  “Fuck yeah. His bowl is next to the dog’s. Not my fault if he can’t find the damn thing.”

  Everyone laughs especially Pax who acts hyper, but is likely tense. I don’t blame him. Sitting at the end of the tables, Trigger looks like shit and reeks of weakness.

  “There’s chatter on the West Side,” Big Dick says from a few seats down. “Shit about a few assholes wanting to pull tight and back each other up. They’re saying they don’t need the club’s protection. Claiming they can hold their territory. I thought that was some funny shit since last I checked they were talking about our territory.”

  Joker nods like he’s cool with the news. He scratches at his beard and smiles. “Everyone thinks they can be tough then reality reminds of their place.”

  Trigger looks pissed, but I focus my gaze on our VP. He’s the one calling the shots most days. Pax nudges my leg and I give him a little nod.

  “So where is this chatter coming from?” Joker asks.

  Big Dick chews at his bacon and downs half a glass of OJ. “One of Paro’s girls snitched him out to me the other night. She says the girls in the house aren’t happy about losing the club’s protection. They think Paro and his buddies are fucking idiots.”

  “When hookers think a guy is out of his league,” Joker says, smiling still, “what can any of us really add?”

  “Needs to be dealt with,” Happy mutters.

  Joker glances at Trigger then shakes his head. “Naw, we’ll let them play a little longer. See who else wants to join their mutiny before we stomp ‘em.”

  Trigger nods at this comment. We finish our meals without talk of payback or territory disputes. My mind remains on it though. If things get bloody, Little Memphis will be dangerous for even normal folks like Shay.

  17

  Shay

  Little Memphis Blues

  Darby’s house has three bathrooms. Normally, I use the upstairs one with a tiled shower. It’s a cool bathroom with Darby’s usual eclectic style. Downstairs, there’s a tiny bathroom for guests along with her master bath. To my surprise, Darby offers for me to soak in her clawfoot tub.

  A hot bubble bath later, I’m wearing my sweats and drinking coffee with Darby in the living room.

  “I teased Joker in the beginning,” she says, flipping through the newspaper. “By the time I gave in, he was like a sex starved maniac and I couldn’t sit comfortably for days.”

  Grinning, I sip my coffee. “Ford wasn’t what I expected.”

  “How?”

  “Nicer, I guess.”

  “Ford can be nice. He is with his brother. I remember when I was pregnant with MJ that Joker had Ford come visit because shitheads in the neighborhood were hassling everyone on our block. Anyway, Ford comes by and looks all scary on the porch, swinging his bat. Hell, he took a shot at a squirrel just to let everyone know he was packing heat. I wanted him to stick around until Joker got home, but he said Pax had the flu and he wanted to pick him up soup and meds. It wasn’t just that he said it, but how he said it. Sweet like a kid worried about his little brother. Before that day, I’d never realized Ford had feelings.”

  When I frown, Darby laughs. “It sounds bitchy, but some of the guys in the club and the people who work for them are straight off sociopaths. Never forget that, Shay. You didn’t grow up in this world and neither did I. One of the guys in the club is pure fucking evil. He’s also a really charming guy, but I know never to be alone with him. He can be normal one minute and insanely violent the next. Joker never turns his back on the bastard.”

  “Who?” I ask.

  “They call him Zombie. I doubt he’ll mess with you because of Lucky and Ford. Just don’t go anywhere alone with him. Remember he’s not like a normal asshole. Something switches on in his head and turns him into a rabid animal. If he wasn’t Trigger’s nephew, they’d have put him down by now.”

  I shudder at how I’m surrounded by crime I only heard whispers about in Hawthorne. The morning glow of waking up safe with Ford fades, leaving me to accept how I’m out of my league.

  “Don’t frown so much,” Darby says, folding her newspaper and setting it aside. “It’s bad for your skin.”

  “I grew up poor and I worked in a strip club, but I’m not a tough person. I smoked pot once and spent the next twelve hours thinking the cops were going to put me in jail. I tried shoplifting a few times, but was so scared to get caught that I only took an ice cream bar. I’m not equipped to deal with guys like Ford.”

  Darby grins. “I was in the choir all through high school. My parents didn’t let me date until I graduated. I was as protected as a kid can be in the city. Yet I adjusted to the life because I take what I want. My parents shielded me from a lot of stuff growing up, but they also helped me be confident. Not all the girls in my choir group could say the same about their stri
ct parents, but mine rocked.”

  Wishing I felt safe like I did with Ford, I sigh. “My mom was a teenager when she had me. She didn’t know what the hell she was doing. Her parents raised me for a while until they got sick. The only real thing they ever told me was not to turn out like my mom. I made it to twenty without getting pregnant, so I guess I lived up to their high expectations.”

  Darby stands up and looks out the curtains. “Little Memphis is like most places. There’s good and bad. Certain areas of town are more dangerous than others. You got lucky though, already knowing the right people.”

  I stare at her, wanting to share certain things. I don’t know exactly what though. I’m homesick and afraid of the reality of my new life in Little Memphis. I guess I want her to play mom with me and fix my fears.

  Keeping my mouth shut, I watch her walk to her office down the hall. Darby does medical billing from home. When I asked her once if she liked her job, she said she liked the working from home part.

  I return to my bedroom and daydream about Ford. My mind is crazy with a million thoughts. Mostly about my brothers and Mom. I think about where they are right then. The boys at school, Mom at home. Does she help them with their homework at night? Are they getting ready for the bus in time? Devin always gets anxious about being late.

  When Ford arrives for dinner, I’m sitting on the front porch. He parks at the street and gazes menacingly both directions much like he must have done years ago for Darby. He’s a scary guy to those who don’t know him. I’m still one of those people. Hell, I’m a stranger to everyone in Little Memphis and the homesickness is depressing me.

  Ford walks up to the porch, gives me the once over, and sighs loudly. “Should I put on my running shoes?”

  I give him a weak smile. “If I wanted to run, I wouldn’t get far.”

  Stepping onto the porch, he sizes me up again. “That bad?”

  “Naw,” I say, standing up. “A hot water bottle helped a lot.”

  He grins, but seems grumpy. After he glances around, he focuses on me really hard.

  “I’m going to kiss you. Don’t flinch or duck or anything.”

  I roll my eyes and tighten my lips, so the kiss sucks. He responds by licking my lips until I relent and open for him. I’m laughing as he wraps me into his arms and dips me over.

  “No running,” he mumbles against my smiling lips. “I’m tired from fucking you last night.”

  “Poor bastard,” I giggle as he keeps me tipped over.

  Ford kisses me until I’m mush in his arms. Once I’m sufficiently starry-eyed, he returns me to my feet and sighs.

  “Why do you struggle when I always win in the end?”

  “I wasn’t struggling. You just like making assumptions. In fact, I think you like seeing yourself as a put upon jackass.”

  “I don’t know about the jackass part.”

  I sit on the front porch and stare at the street. “Are we still going out to dinner?”

  “I’m here, aren’t I?” he says, sitting down and stretching his arms across the back of the swing. “What’s your problem?”

  “I’m homesick.”

  Ford taps his foot against mine and I finally look at him. “Where do you want to eat?”

  “I really don’t care,” I mutter. My depression makes me impulsive, so I blurt out, “I just want to spend time with you.”

  Ford studies me and I stare right back at him. He smiles in a tired way.

  “You’re spending the night at my place. Go pack up the stuff you need.”

  I frown. “Say please.”

  “No.”

  I cuddle up next to him. “Please say please.”

  Ford’s grin widens. “You smell good.”

  “Is that your version of please?”

  Giving me a nod, Ford takes my cap off and runs his fingers through my hair. “You get off work at two. I’ll be there at one thirty. Now go get packed for the night. I know you don’t wear your flannel and trucker cap to work. Go get packed up and I’ll take you to a quiet family place. Won’t be a scary fucker in sight.”

  “Excluding you,” I whisper, caressing his lips with mine.

  “Me scary?”

  Grinning, I slide off the bench before he starts feeling me up. “I’ll get my stuff.”

  Ford stretches his arms out again and watches the kids riding their bikes back and forth. They ignore the scary man at Darby’s house. I suspect their parents taught them to ignore anything they saw at the house. Smart people avoid getting sucked into club drama, yet I jump into it with both feet.

  18

  Ford

  Not Yet

  Shay’s gray eyes hide little from me at dinner. She’s depressed, missing home and her family. I don’t have any heartwarming shit to tell her. My concern isn’t her family back in Hawthorne, but keeping Shay in Little Memphis.

  The Apron Strings restaurant isn’t where I normally take dates. The only time Pax and I eat here is when we have dinner with our foster mom Marcy. She’s a fan of chopped liver and only a few places serve it. While I don’t know what Shay likes to eat, she needs a quiet place separate from the club and bullshit in town.

  My restaurant choice pans out when I catch her smiling at the menu. On Mondays, the place is quiet. A few families and more than a few seniors, our fellow customers aren’t scary. No one will start trouble or throw a drink. Shay can relax, allowing me to admire her smile.

  “You come here a lot?” she asks, teasing me.

  “The country fried steak is good. Pax has a thing for their spaghetti and meatballs.”

  Shay grins then focuses on the waitress. I know the chick taking our order. We fucked in high school and I dodged a bullet. The next month, she got knocked up by a douche on the basketball team. I heard she got rid of that one and ended up having the next one she got pregnant with six months later. Married that baby daddy and lived in her parents’ basement.

  Based on the chick’s expression, life hasn’t turned out the way she hoped. I worry she’ll say something rude to Shay or make friendly with me like we shared some big love affair years ago. Instead, she takes our order and walks away without any small talk.

  After the waitress leaves, Shay scoots closer in the circular booth until her hips are nearly pressed against mine. My arms remain spread along the back of the booth. Like a whipped fucker, I’m afraid to make a move and spook her. Yet Shay’s feeling brave, a sexy look on her.

  “What did you eat for breakfast?” she asks, running her fingers over my cheek and down my beard.

  My dick thickens at her touch, but I show no reaction. I barely breathe as she gets comfortable with me.

  “Eggs, sausage, and bacon.”

  “Do you like pancakes?”

  “No. Pax does.”

  “I’m not interested in Pax right now.”

  Shay nuzzles her lips against my jaw, making me wish we were already at my place. Rather than enjoying her immediately, I need to drop her off at work in a less than two hours. I doubt she’d agree to a quickie before then.

  Likely sensing where my mind has gone, Shay sits back and sighs. “What were you like as a kid? Sure, I know you were a wuss before third grade. Now, I want to know if you were a good student.”

  “I was sweet. Shy too. A little bit of a teacher’s pet.”

  Shay smiles first then begins laughing. I don’t know what she’s picturing in her head, but her expression makes me grin.

  “Not believable?” I ask.

  Shay shrugs. “People aren’t always what we expect. I know you aren’t, so a little shy nerd version of you could be true.”

  Caressing the back of her head, I wrap a lock of hair around my fingers. She smiles at me, but she’s tired. I am too. Normally, I’d crash at home, watch TV, and fall asleep on the couch. Tonight, there’ll be no early down time. Not until I have Shay back in my bed.

  “Tomorrow, I don’t have any early shit to do,” I say after our food arrives.

  “Does that mean
I get to take a shower with you?”

  I take a rough breath and squint at her. “Are you teasing?”

  Shay grins. “No. I’ve never taken a shower with a guy. I’m looking forward to this new experience.”

  Grinning, I shake my head. “I can’t tell if you know what you do to me.”

  Shay’s smile fades. “I don’t think you know what you do to me either. In fact, I keep waiting for you to treat me like shit.”

  “Because I’m an enforcer?”

  “Because you’re a poonhound.”

  “Please stop slut shaming me. It hurts my tender feelings.”

  Shay laughs and her eyes really light up for the first time since we arrived. “You’re so sexy when you act like you have feelings.”

  “Act?” I balk. “I have feelings.”

  “Sexy feelings?”

  I can’t help it. She’s smiling and laughing and I need to kiss her. Fuck my plan to play it cool during dinner. I’ll just need to suffer in heat until her shift at the hotel is over.

  Shay kisses me hungrily as her fingers explore my chest, throat, and face. I feel like she’s waking up today. The night before, she endured as much as enjoyed. Tonight, she’s brave and curious. I’m just hard and horny, but there’ll be no relief for hours.

  When I hold her against me, she feels small in my arms. Young and fragile, Shay would be so easy to destroy. I think of the assholes in Little Memphis. Many of them are my friends, yet I hate them at this moment. I need Shay to be safe, so she’ll stay in Little Memphis.

  “The mash potatoes are really good,” she says while I watch her.

  “I want you to call me tonight when you’re at work,” I say, tense now.

  “Why?”

  “So I’ll know you’re safe.”

  “When do you want me to call?”

  “Every hour.”

  Sipping her lemonade, Shay grins. “Yeah, I’m not doing that.”