He was close. She could feel it.
But she didn’t want this to end so soon.
Gabby straightened. She cupped his butt and arched her body against him. His eyes were glazed and each breath panted out of his mouth. Her skin sizzled and burned everywhere he touched her. She wanted to feel him inside her and satisfy this ache that griped her in its furious grasp. When his penis brushed against her velvety, moist opening, she squealed.
Gabby gripped his shoulders, enjoying the way his muscles bunched under her palms. Her nails dug into his skin, urging him on. They were both too far gone to see if anyone was looking at them. She didn’t give a shit – and from the look of it, he couldn't care less if they had audience.
With one sharp thrust, he dove inside her. Her pussy lips parted and accepted his offering. She could feel her muscles stretching over his long shaft, accommodating, aching with need. She couldn’t wait anymore. The craving, the yearning for that precious release, whipped and swelled inside her belly and tingled through every nerve and vein. Her breath hitched in her throat. The momentum built with fierce intensity and she rode the wave. Higher and higher, she swung and swayed on the crest of passion.
Gabby’s gaze settled on the mirror, and she locked glances with Nick who was watching them. There was no judgment on his face. She’d expected it – and wouldn’t have cared if she saw it but the understanding that gleamed in his eyes took her by surprise. It was as if he could reach deep inside her soul and feel the need that was sharpened to the point of insanity.
Her gaze remained locked on him as she moved in time to the rhythm that Price dictated. With each stroke, she felt the fountain of desire careen higher and higher inside her body until she was engulfed with need.
She couldn’t take the excruciating pleasure anymore.
Gabby closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see the wealth of understanding in Nick’s eyes. Her body arched and buckled as Price pounded into her. Every cell, every fiber of her being, was inundated with passion. Finally, she uttered a loud cry as she erupted. The orgasm that ripped through her was hot and blind. She felt her toes curl and her legs jerked. Moments later, Price came inside her. His semen dripped down her thighs.
Resting his head on her shoulder, he took big, shuddering breasts as if he just finished running a marathon.
“That was fucking awesome, baby!” He stepped away. “You’re amazing.”
It was probably something he said to each woman, but somehow, she felt as if he meant it. The storm that crashed and swelled through her slowed. Gabby wore her clothes. His semen stuck to her skin, and she wanted a shower badly. He staggered a bit, picked up his clothes, and slipped into his jeans. Picking up his shirt, he walked off.
She took her time. Gabby straightened her hair, shrugged into her shirt, and closed the buttons. Even though the dregs of the drugs she’d inhaled still rushed through her system, their effect was wearing off.
She could think again, breathe again.
Gabby sucked in a deep breath of air and walked out from behind the pinball machine. Nick sat exactly where he was the whole time. Seeing her, he picked up an unopened beer bottle and offered. For some strange reason, she felt tears prick at the back of her mind.
Was he human?
Didn’t he feel any revulsion for what he witnessed?
Or maybe that’s what turned him on? Perhaps he liked the show? Was that what he wanted from her?
Feeling defiant, she walked over, picked up the beer, and took a large swallow. “Did you like what you saw?”
He took his time. “I saw a man and a woman doing what we’ve all done from time to time. Do you expect me to judge you?” She didn’t say anything. No words escaped her mouth. Didn’t he feel disgusted? Why was he still here, having this insane conversation? “Well, I am not going to. Believe me, I have seen it all. Sex is just sex...but love...”
“I’ve never loved anyone.”
He cocked an eyebrow. “Then you don’t know what you’ve missed. When it grips you by the throat, something twists and turns inside you. I loved a woman once. It was a long time ago.” He took another sip from his bottle.
She couldn’t bear the suspense. “Where is she now?”
Pain swept across his eyes. “She died in a freak accident. While she walked on the pavement, a truck’s brakes failed and it crashed into her.”
“I am sorry to hear that,” she said.
His shoulder lifted and dropped. “As I said it was a long time ago. But she was young, only nineteen. Maybe if she wasn’t coked out of her head, she might have reacted better and gotten out of the way.”
“You loved her a lot?” She couldn’t help but ask. It was none of her business. If he told her to back off, she would do so. But he didn’t appear to mind the question.
“Yes, she was my first love.”
Gabby sipped her beer. He really was an extraordinary man. No one she ever knew would’ve sat and drank with her while she oozed the scent of another man with whom she had sex. But Nick genuinely appeared not to care. Somehow she felt that he could understand the reasons why she did what she did. And it didn’t bother him. Instead, he sympathized with her.
Maybe because he saw so much loss at a young age that he could empathize with those who were in anguish. And Gabby’s pain was as real as it would have been if someone had slashed her wrists. She wanted to escape this life with a desperation that choked her. And yet, there was no way out.
No one offered any hope before.
Nick was the only one who did so. Was it stupid of her to doubt him? Since she never saw much good, it was hard for her to recognize it even when it knocked her on the face.
“I will study,” she said, deciding on the spot. “It would be fantastic to do something different than what I am used to.”
His lips stretched in a smile that reached his eyes. Seeing his excitement, she felt good. “Great! I will make the arrangements. You will get some free books and guidance, but other than that, it would depend on how hard you are willing to work. Trust me, it would be worth it.”
Of course, it would be. As long as he supported her, she could do anything. Gabby felt a new confidence, and this time it wasn’t based on her body or on her skills in the bed, but rather it was a pride that she felt in her will to survive. There was another world out there in which she wouldn’t be required to lie down on her back and service men – and she wanted a piece of that life.
It was nice of him to nudge her in the right direction, but it was up to her to make the correct moves. She held the controls of her life, and no one else could change it for her.
“Thank you,” she said. “You are the only one who has given me some hope.”
“That’s all I can offer. The rest is up to you.” He clicked his bottle against hers and then stood. “Good luck, Gabby. You’re going to need it as much as the hard work that would get you through it.”
She watched him walk off.
For the first time in her life, Gabby liked a man. It was something more than desire and need that stirred in her heart. She actually, genuinely, respected and admired him.
Perhaps in time, this would develop into something more, but for now she was happy and content. There was a man who believed in her – and she would do everything possible to make him proud of her achievements.
CHAPTER FIVE
As she cleaned the bar the next day, Willow came to join Gabby. Willow wore a red gown that glittered and shimmered in the dim lights. Her hair was tied in a bun, silver earrings dangled from her ears, and she wore a big grin that announced her happiness.
Gabby paused. It was so rare to see of the girls dress up so finely. “Hey! What’s going on?”
“It’s our third anniversary.”
Willow and Ronald weren’t married, but for them, the commitment they shared for just as good and enduring as a marriage certificate. “That’s great. So you guys are headed out?”
“Yeah! As soon as Ronald stops huddling with Nick.” She pointed at the two men who were in deep conversation in one corner. Gabby was aware that ever since the two bikers were jailed, everyone was tense. The club members looked out for each other, and seeing two of their brothers in jail was something that made them unhappy. “So girl, what happened last night?”
Gabby flushed a deep shade of red. If only the floor would open and swallow her whole. She couldn’t believe that she openly indulged with Price in the clubhouse. “Shit! I don’t know...I was so high...”
“You sure did give Price a night that he would remember forever,” said Willow with a loud giggle. “I remember once I had sex with a guy on the beach in rhythm to loud music.” Her eyes glazed over as she recalled the tantalizing details. “What was his name? Oh yeah!” She snapped her fingers. “Frederick Blaze. He was a good-looking guy. Gave me quite a ride. But I didn’t step on the beach for a week after that. Too embarrassed by the public performance. Glad you’re not hiding.”
Gabby would’ve liked to do the same. But of course, she didn’t have another place to go. What the hell was she supposed to do? She had duties in the clubhouse and it wouldn’t do to ignore them just because she was too mortified to show her face. “Yeah, I know how you must have felt.”