Satin and Steel (12 page)

Rhee felt a familiar hot rush of blood to her feminine regions at his concern. Dax was a dominating asshole, but his apparent protectiveness towards her only increased the hot pool of need between her thighs. Rhee fought her body and her mind, telling herself that the feelings were one-sided and ridiculous. She spent the rest of the afternoon unsuccessfully trying to ignore the tingle where his lips had touched her cheek.

Chapter Eleven

Yeah, Rhee knew she was in way over her head, in more ways than one. Dax had finally told her most of what he had found out about Mickey, and what he had learned scared the hell out of her. She spent several nights lying awake to avoid the nightmares. According to Dax, Mickey was in danger, Rhee was in danger, and it was all connected to something that seemed to have occurred just before Rhee came to town.

Dax wasn’t sure what had happened exactly, but apparently Mickey had pissed off her boyfriend and his crew. Dizzy’s club had some pretty dangerous affiliates. Then, Mickey had gone into hiding somewhere in Canada, an act that made absolutely no sense to Rhee. The two sisters had been close, sharing an awful secret that bonded them together. Rhee knew that Mickey would have never left without telling her unless it was a matter of life and death. Yep, Dax confirmed, it was exactly that. Now, he was trying to figure out what could be so important that an entire Mexican motorcycle gang and an affiliated club known for violence and drug running, would be targeting Mickey and Rhee.

Then, there was the other issue. Rhee sighed, hugging her knees to her chest as she sat outside in the porch swing, feigning interest in her book.
What the hell is wrong with me?!
She could only hope that she didn’t embarrass herself at this point. As she watched Dax furtively from across the yard, Rhee felt her pulse begin to race, as she was becoming accustomed to feeling when the tall, muscled biker was around. Her head argued with her body but her body would not be denied. Rhee felt a warm flush sweep her from head to toe as Dax shot her a half-smile from where he was standing with some of the other guys.
God, I think I’m in love with him.
What am I supposed to do now?!

Knowing that he would probably dismiss her feelings as a childish crush, the only thing Rhee could think to do was to distance herself from the man as much as possible. It was difficult to do that given that she was staying in his room at the clubhouse, and that he was always checking up on her.
He probably sees himself as my big brother or something,
she thought miserably as she peeked at Dax from over the top of the book she was reading. Rhee was relieved and anxious at the same time to learn that Trish would be back the next week between rotations at the hospitals in the area. Rhee glanced at Wince speculatively. Maybe he could provide welcome distraction.

Wince proved to be a good teacher, and Rhee was able to whiz through her graphic design classes. She found that she really enjoyed taking digital photos with Wince’s camera and embellishing them, oftentimes adding fantastical elements to otherwise ordinary objects. Wince seemed to be impressed, and the classes certainly passed the time. Dax showed up with a brand new MacBook pro and after some cajoling, Rhee agreed to accept the gift as long as she could pay him back when she was able to get a job. In an effort to make money, Rhee began doing some freelance graphic design for anonymous, online clients under a pseudonym. She worked for next to nothing, but soon, she had a small, secret nest egg growing in her new bank account.

When Trish returned from her conference, Rhee forced herself to smile brightly, focusing on how much Dax’s girlfriend had helped her that awful night some weeks ago. To her credit, although Trish raised an eyebrow at the fact that Rhee was still around, she didn’t question her man, at least, not that Rhee heard. She kept her distance from Dax, but it was really difficult to watch him with his girlfriend. Still, Rhee cast furtive glances at the man when she was sure no one was looking. It was torture, watching him come and go with the leggy blond on his arm.

Trish commanded a lot of respect, being Dax’s old lady and all. Plus, her medical training made her invaluable to the club, and she was always treating the guys for injuries. She examined Rhee’s shoulder, and seemed pleased that it had healed nicely.

“Do you need to talk to anyone?” Trish’s question was innocent enough but her tone suggested otherwise.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, about what happened that night. You were assaulted, Rhiannon. Not many women escape that kind of experience without some emotional scars.”

“Nothing happened. I mean, not like you think. I think.”
Not that time.
Rhee was guarded. Trish was treading on the tip of a very large, very unstable iceberg.

“Listen honey, I know you think holding it in makes you strong, but if you don’t address the trauma, it will affect you in different ways. Trust me.”

“I’m fine, really I am. Thank you for your concern.” Rhee wanted out of this conversation, now.

Trish bent her head conspiratorially. “I know you’re not fine.”

Rhee regarded the woman quizzically.

“Look, I’ve been there. But in my case, the guy who roughed me up got a lot farther than Juan did with you. I was too ashamed to deal with it, but after a few months of insomnia and night terrors, I finally got some help. Once you start sleeping better, you’ll see how amazing you feel.”

Rhee stiffened. Trish was talking like she knew about the nightmares.
Dax told her?!
I’ll kill him!

“Even if you’re not ready for therapy, I can give you something to help you sleep.”

Rhee nodded.
Ugh, no more therapy please!

“Sure, that would be great,” she said, mainly to get Trish off her case. Dax was out, but when he came back, she would give him a piece of her mind! How dare he tell her?!
Bet he didn’t tell her we fell asleep together in his bed!
Rhee felt exposed and vulnerable, feelings that only made her damned night terrors worse. Trish smiled and handed over a bottle of small, white pills.

“Don’t drink with these.”

“Okay. Thanks.” Rhee managed a weak smile. Now, all she could do was wait.

When Dax arrived, with three other guys in tow, there was an air of excitement in the warehouse. Something good had occurred, but Rhee wasn’t sure what it was. Anyway, the club was gearing up for a party. Groupies streamed through the door on the arms of muscled, tattooed guys. Rhee felt out of place until a familiar, big-breasted woman bounced up and let out a squeal.

“Girl, you look amazing!”

“Charisma!”

Rhee was pleased to know someone. She let the other girl lead her outside to one of the picnic tables. They cracked a few beers and after a few minutes, it became clear to Rhee that Dax’s friend was no dummy, as she outwardly appeared to be. Rhee was delighted to discover that Charisma was actually a clever businesswoman who had transitioned from working for a seedy adult movie studio to running her own website from her bedroom. Apparently, Dax had funded the switch after running into Charisma after a particularly rough group session. Rhee was impressed, and after a few beers, Charisma was sizing her up a little too obviously for Rhee’s comfort.

“You know, you could do really well in the business, Rhee. You’re hot, you know that?”

Rhee blushed. “Uh-thanks.”

“Here, I’ll give you my card. If you ever need a way to make some quick cash, I can set you up.”

“Okay,” Rhee said, pocketing the glossy pink card.
No thanks!

“Ugh, would you just look at them? It makes me nauseous and horny at the same time!”

Rhee followed her gaze to find Trish seated in Dax’s lap, her arms twined around his neck. They were kissing passionately. From where she sat, Rhee could see Dax’s hand on Trish’s behind. Rhee didn’t hear her own swift intake of breath. She shifted uncomfortably as a strange mix of fire and envy coursed through her veins. She turned back to Charisma, feigning disinterest.

“She’s a nice girl, I’m happy for him.” Instead of sounding confident and nonchalant, her voice came out soft and disappointed.

“Oh, honey!” Charisma looked at Rhee sympathetically. “Let’s have another drink!”

Several drinks later, Rhee found herself in another new situation. She wasn’t sure how it happened, but one minute Rhee was giggling with her new friend the porn star, and the next minute Charisma’s full, pink mouth was pressing hotly against Rhee’s own. Startled, Rhee put her arms up to push the other woman off of her, and her hands came into contact with the other girl’s huge, fake tits. Charisma responded passionately, clasping Rhee’s wrist and pulling her hand to her engorged nipple.

“Mmph!” Rhee jerked back with a gasp. “What are you doing?!”

Charisma smiled. “I’ve wanted to do that since I first met you. I hope you don’t mind. Plus, we have an audience,” she said slyly, glancing over the top of Rhee’s head.

Rhee turned so red she thought she might be purple.
I just kissed a girl!
And God knows who’s watching!
Even more humiliating was the fact the Rhee hadn’t exactly disliked the feel of the other girl’s mouth on her own. Kissing Charisma had been sensual and unaggressive.
Not like kissing a man at all!
Then again, Rhee supposed Charisma most definitely knew what she was doing! Rhee didn’t have to wait long to find out who had witnessed her first bisexual experience. Dax materialized in front of her, and he leaned low into Charisma’s ear. Rhee couldn’t hear what he said, but Charisma looked slightly abashed.

“Rhee honey, don’t lose my card,” she said, standing up. “Dax.” She stood on tiptoe to kiss his cheek and then winked at Rhee.

“Let’s go.” He gestured that she should stand up.

“Where?”

Dax jerked his head in the direction of her room. “Bedtime for little girls.”

Rhee felt anger bubble up to cover her embarrassment. “Oh, so you think you can just send me to my room for being naughty? Fat chance!” She stood up with all the grace she could muster and tried to sweep past him, but he grabbed her arm.

“I’m not playing games, sweetheart. Room. Now.” Rhee glanced around. Trish was nowhere in sight. No one seemed to be paying any attention to their little interaction, and Rhee certainly didn’t want anyone to notice them. Then, her eyes fell upon another female-female couple; they were kissing and feeling each other up as they swayed to music, to the obvious delight of the guys standing around watching.

“So, they can fool around but not me?”

Dax shot a quick glance in the direction she was looking.
Fucking Phantom stalkers.
“Yep.”

“Why?”

Dax felt his jaw tense.
Why indeed?
The truth was, he didn’t have an answer for her. For some reason, the sight of Charisma and Rhee together like that had bothered him immensely. He viewed Rhee as a relatively innocent little thing, and he didn’t want Charisma corrupting her. Somehow, although it was extremely arousing to see the two women kissing, the sight made Dax worry that Rhee would loose her freshness, and become hard and jaded like the other groupies. He didn’t want that for her. Dax shook himself mentally.
She’s not mine,
he reminded himself.
Still, there’s no reason I have to watch her lose her innocence.

“Are you deliberately trying to piss me off?” he threatened, growing angrier by the second at Rhee’s apparent resistance. Dax ignored the sharp pang of guilt that arose at her reaction to his words and demeanor.

Rhee blanched. She stood up immediately and hastened down the corridor to the small room. She closed the door and then, as an afterthought, she locked it. Not two minutes later, the doorknob jiggled and Dax burst into the room, holding a key in his hand. Rhee stood her ground, and summoned a glare.

“What is it now? Going to spank me too?” Rhee nearly gasped at the unintended erotic words that flew out of her own mouth. Color flooded her cheeks again as Dax eased the door shut and took a menacing step towards her. An image of herself lying prone over the man’s knee caused her belly to clench violently, and a wet heat began to spread between her legs.

Dax felt himself go turgid in his jeans at her words.
If only she knew how dearly I want to redden her little ass!

“Into girls now, are we?”

Rhee turned away, wishing the floor would swallow her up.

“Or maybe you’re just trying to break into a new profession, is that it?” Dax wasn’t sure why he was treating the girl so callously but she had pressed his buttons and now he wanted to press hers.
Oh how I would dearly love to press her buttons…

“Why do you care?!” Rhee shot back angrily.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, sounding genuinely confused.

“So, leave me alone then,” Rhee practically sobbed. This was getting so out of hand. “And stop telling people my business!”

“What business?”

“You told your girlfriend about my…my sleeping issues. I don’t need anyone knowing my weaknesses!” Rhee trembled with barely restrained anger that mingled with a deep longing to launch herself into the muscled biker’s arms.

“You’re not weak, little girl.”

“Stop calling me that!” It was the last straw. Rhee pushed him, trying to physically move him out of the room. But, he wouldn’t budge. It was like trying to move a freaking tree. Dax lifted her up off of the floor to restrain her and Rhee gasped at the feel of her breasts being crushed against his hard chest. Desire slammed into her belly like a freight train and she struggled wildly, feeling the place between her thighs become hot like liquid silk.

“Put me down,” she managed breathlessly.

His eyes had darkened ominously as he held her tight against him. Her heart pounding wildly, Rhee struggled in Dax’s grasp, nearly moaning at the feel of his hard, muscled body pressed against her own. She bit down on her bottom lip hard, trying to refocus her traitorous feelings.

Dax suddenly found that he couldn’t remember why he was in the room, or why he was angry. All that registered was the feel of the girl in his arms. Her green eyes were stained black again, probably with anger, and she struggled wildly. His name fell from her pink, lush mouth, and then he watched in fascination as Rhee set her small white teeth into her full bottom lip.