Breaking Dragon (8 page)

Another fortifying breath (which didn’t fortify) and I walk out with my head held high…okay, medium high. Whatever!
  

I grab my serving tray off the bar, having no idea how it got there at this point. I refuse to look my boss in the eye.

“Back on duty,” I mumble.

“K, Nicole.” 

I can hear the laughter in his voice. I choose to ignore it. That’s my plan, and I’m sticking to it.

I don’t know where Dragon and his crony went. I’m trying not to dwell on it. I know he said he would be back to pick me up. Um. Yeah, I can’t do that. I just need to get back home and pretend tonight didn’t happen. Chances are Dragon left here and found another woman already. I ignore the pang of hurt that lodges in my stomach with the thought.

The crowd is starting to die down. There may be ten people in here. I’m collecting empties and wiping off Fat Tommy’s table. I’m relieved to find that apparently my whoredom centers only on Dragon and not the sweet, but bald, beer belly, tobacco chewing Tommy who I learned ten minutes on the job—was a regular.
  All was not lost, I suppose
.

I look up at the bar to find Irish watching me. He’s been doing that a lot since I screwed Dragon in the back room. How could he not? Hell he probably figures I’ll spread my legs for him next. What was I thinking? I wasn’t thinking, that much is clear. This whole night has one word attached to it. Mistake, a big mistake!

Dragon already wanted me to be a Twinkie and that had pissed me off! Then I go and act like one!
 

It’s ten till ten, I am supposed to get off at ten. Yeah, I know I lied to Dragon. What’s lying when I’m already a fornicator? Geez I’m losing it.

“Hey Irish, I’m going to cash in.” I say not looking at him. Even avoiding his gaze, I can still feel the heat rise in my face.
    

“Thought Dragon was coming back to pick you up?” He asks and I can feel fear spike through me and speed up my heart beat.

“Something must have come up. No worries, I have my own car. I’m sure he’ll find me.” I tried to sound breezy and carefree. I failed.

I paste a fake smile and go over to the register to cash out. Luckily I had gotten good at this over the years and my money and orders jived. The only bad spot I have is when Irish mentions he should give Dragon a call. I ignore him. A customer demanded his attention and thankfully a crisis is diverted.

I am just about to leave when I feel a large hand cup my ass and squeeze it. For a minute I thought Dragon had shown up early and I’m not sure if it was fear or happiness that flitted through me. I knew after just a second though, that it wasn’t Dragon’s hand on me. The touch felt…wrong. I hated that I explained it that way, but it’s true nonetheless.

“Irish, you didn’t tell me you were getting some new talent.”

My spine stiffens and I straighten up, trying to will myself into the wood of the bar to get some space between me and the voice behind me. He’s got a deep voice almost sexy, but something about it sends a warning through me and raises the hairs at the back of my neck—and not in a good way. I could tell he sat down on the stool behind me. This was bad news since every stool around me is empty. I lower my head at the bad luck I seem to be having. Apparently, I broke a mirror and somehow forgot.

“Hands off
Skull.”  

“Shit no, haven’t seen a piece this fine in months. What’s your name chica?” He asks my back. I didn’t want to turn around. That doesn’t seem to matter; he wraps his arms around my stomach and pulls me onto his lap.

I take a breath and put my hands on his to pry them away from my stomach.

“Let me up stud, I think you have me confused here.” I said, trying to joke my way out of this.

“No way Mamacita, you and me are going to get better acquainted.”

Okay well bright side, I now knew unequivocally that I was not a slut. Why? Because Skull or whatever, was a damn fine good looking man, but he was still creeping me out. His dark hair was shaggy, but in a way you just knew he didn’t try but still looked like a runway model for Calvin Klein. His eyes were brown not dark like Dragon’s but shiny and sparkly. He had an indention on his jaw that was sexy and a slight scar above his right eyebrow. He was a walking dream man and he was doing nothing for me, except annoying me.

When he started laughing and a few others joined in I looked around. Shit was this place full of bikers? Skull had brought three other men in with him. Was this more of Dragon’s crew? Hell I needed to get out of here, maybe even move back home at this point.

“Let her up Skull. She’s Dragon’s property,” Irish said, his voice had moved from easy going to so still and dark it sent chills. Then his words hit me.

Dragon’s property?!?!?

Irish’s words seem to make Skull’s arms wrap tighter around me, so tight that for a minute it hurts. I’m getting upset by this point, for a number of reasons. First and foremost though, I want out of this man’s arms. I want out of this bar before Dragon decides to come back and most importantly I want to be lock up nice and tight at home away from the crazies that apparently were thicker than molasses in this damned town.

“I don’t see a damned stamp on her.” Skull growls and he yanked my hair hard to look at the back of my neck.

I wince at the pain. I can feel the sting and breathe in to stop the water from gathering in my eyes. That’s it. I’ve had enough. Who did this ass think he was?

I relax my body to catch him off guard. When his arm loosens against me enough to allow it, I move to the side with a flirty smile. I can see the disapproval on Irish’s face as he catches my ass wiggling on Skull’s lap. Skull’s hard and obviously packing but the feel of him leaves me disgusted. I don’t let that show though, playing the part, I slide down his lap and turn so I can move my hand down his chest. I’m good at playing the dumb blonde. It’s come in handy over the years. Hell it worked with Dragon before I became a whore! When I catch Skull’s grin and the way he is sizing up my breasts, I almost roll my eyes. Seriously men are just too predictable.

“What’s your name little girl?”

“Nicole.” I’m trying to make my voice sound breathless. That’s not hard to do, since I’m pretty much panicking. I’ve got to get out of this damned bar before Dragon makes it back in.

“Nicole, huh? I like that sweet one. How about we get better acquainted?”

Ugh, seriously?
 

“What do you have in mind?” I ask slowly moving my hand down his chest. Another couple of inches and I’m going to twist his balls so tight maybe one of them will pop and the blood can go back to his brain which is obviously deprived.

“Nicole, get your fucking hands off him.”

Oh fuck. My hand immediately stops. Damn it all to hell. I go to get up and I can’t step away because Neanderthal man has gone back to holding me tight. I release an aggravated breath and then because at least I now have moving room, whereas I didn’t before, I bring my elbow hard back into his solar plexus. He immediately lets go and I get up.

“What the fuck?”  

“That’s for pulling my damn hair and grabbing my ass!” 

“Nicole, get over here now,” Dragon ordered. He didn’t yell, but his voice was cold and deadly. A smarter woman would have obeyed. I have never been particularly smart though, especially when it comes to men.

“Will you quit ordering me around like some damned lap dog?” I huff. I turn to the bar and untie the small pocket like apron I have around my waist.

“Get your damned ass over here before I smack it.”

Did he really just say that?

I’m not sure why it surprises me at this point, but it does.

“Seems to me Dragon la amiga doesn’t want shit to do with you.”

“Fuck off Skull, what the hell you doin’ in my club uninvited anyway motherfucker?”

“Right now enjoying the scenery,” Skull replies.

“She’s hands off,” Dragon growls, and I really need to stop liking the way he growls damn it!

“Didn’t see your mark on her and she seemed to warm up to me pretty damn quick compadre. I’m thinking I’m about to get my hands all over her.”

Skull’s men start laughing and as annoying as that was Dragon manages to top it.

“She belongs to the club.”

Now I have been pretty calm all things considered. I mean if you set aside the mild freak out I had after boinking the hot ass scary biker dude, I have been calm. I was even ignoring being talked about like I wasn’t in the room. But having it announced that I was the club’s property? After I had already set his ass straight on that shit? Oh hell no.

“She can talk for herself,” I say finally. I am feeling a hundred different things, and wasn’t too sure how to deal with it all. So instead of trying to sift through it, I decide to grab hold of the one thing that fucked with my head the most.

“Nicole.” Dragon said and even I could hear the warning in his voice. Any other time I might have listened, but not now.

I look down at Skull.

“What the fuck is this mark thing you keep talking about?”

Skull smiles, and he might be good looking, but that smile is scary shit. This man is dark, cold and scary.

“Dragon here likes to mark his personal bitches. He puts the club symbol on their neck. You girl, don’t have that mark, so I figure you’re fair game. I’m not much for loose pussy, but for you? I’ll make an exception. I don’t even care if you are Club pussy.

“Why would you think I was
club pussy
?” I ask, oh but I knew. I knew and the knowledge was twisting sour in my gut. I was an idiot.

“Dragon just said you belonged to the club.” The emphasis was on club. Not Dragon, but the club. Skull knew my reaction and the way his grin spread made me physically ill. He knew what he was doing. He knew that would cut, he knew he was twisting the knife. It wasn’t so much to get at me. It was more to upset Dragon. I understood that, but it didn’t change things.

“Nicole get your ass over here now,” Dragon orders. I saw the guy that was with him earlier go around and stand in front of Skull. I walked the opposite way, going towards the door, while giving Dragon a wide berth.

“Nicole.” 

“Fuck you, Dragon. I told you before I’m not ever going to be a club chew toy.”

I stopped in front of the door when a thought occurred to me.

“Was that what we did in there? Were you trying me out to see if I would live up to the stable you already have?” I yell out.

Had I been of my right mind, I would have been mortified. I would have noticed how horribly quiet the room went and the way we had become the center of attention.
  Thankfully, that didn’t hit me—at least not right then
. I was more mortified that possibly the single best sexual moment I would ever encounter in my life had really been just a try out for being community pussy!

“Woman, stop your yammering.”

“My yammering…What the hell does that even mean? I can’t believe you! You asshole! I gave myself to you. I gave you the green light. I didn’t give myself to your buddies. I don’t want your buddies. I wasn’t thinking about anyone’s hands on me but you and the whole time you were planning on me just giving out to anyone in your fucking club? If you want to give me away, then fuck you. Go back to your Twinkies.”

“Woman we had an hour in a freaking back room, not a honeymoon. Now get your fucking ass over here.”

If he had slapped me it couldn’t have hurt more. What was worse was he was right. He was totally right. I was acting illogical and completely irrational. It was two strangers hooking up in a back room of a seedy bar. It hurt but it was the truth, and Dragon was absolutely right. I didn’t tell him that however. I’d cry on Dani’s shoulder later. I decided instead to score a point the best I could and be done.

“I think you’re overestimating it there stud. You didn’t last fifteen minutes let alone an hour.”

I delivered my verbal barb, feeling a little bit better when Skull’s laughter rang out loud. I could even hear Dragon’s own man laughing to my left.

Dragon said nothing but I could feel the anger vibrating from him. Still, in for a penny, in for a pound and all that.

“I’m out of here Irish. I’ll see you Friday.”

“Yeah alright Friday,” Irish said, laughing enough it distorted his words. I could see a muscle jump in Dragon’s jaw.

I turned to go and stopped at the door when Dragon called out again.

“You walk out that door woman and we got problems.”

I didn’t turn around.

“It was a fifteen minute hook up in the back of a bar Dragon.
We don’t have anything.” 

I thought it was a good parting line. Aces really, so I pushed the door open and left this horrible night behind.

Chapter 7

Dragon

I watched her leave and wanted to go spank her ass. Women didn’t talk back to me like that. Hell none had even tried. Nicole was going to be a spitfire to try and tame. I feel a certain amount of exhilaration at the thought. Still, I couldn’t show weakness in front of Skull or his men. If he thought Nicole was special he’d sail down on that shit like a fucking vulture.