Chapter 11

Sophie

I was nervous about this date. It could have simply been typical first date jitters, but I think it was more that I wasn't really sure I wanted to do this. Jacob seemed like a nice guy, but I wasn't certain what I felt went beyond that. But wasn't that the point of dating, to see what could it be?

It wasn't lust at first sight as it had been with Daryl. I was pretty certain if I was with him, we'd have burned out within a month at the most. Guys like Daryl are looking for an easy score, no matter what he says. I'm embarrassed to admit that I was an easy score...at least for him. I spread my legs faster than an ice cube would melt on a hot sidewalk that day. It was fun and the best sex I ever had, but I was also a total slut in doing it.

Daryl should be done with me and I didn't understand why he wasn't.

Jacob was the complete opposite of Daryl. He wasn't bad looking, but he didn't make my heart beat faster or certain pieces of my intimate apparel get damp. He was an average guy. And maybe I needed an average guy in my life. Daryl was completely different in everything about him. The second I saw him walking toward me that day of my flat tire, I wanted him. He was good looking, but not drop-dead gorgeous like Wolf and Diesel. There was something about him that drew me to him. And I was fighting that chemistry we had every single day.

The clock said I had ten minutes before Jacob was to arrive. I wore a cute sleeveless dress I had. It wasn't too flirty or too short. It was my favorite shade of blue with crisscross straps on my upper back. I wore matching sandals with a short heel. My purse laid waiting on the table. It held my lipstick and my phone along with cash, a credit card, and my license. Date essentials.

When there was a knock at my door, my heart jumped. "It's only dinner," I said to myself. Even though I knew it was Jacob on the other side, I was also hoping that it was Daryl. The man I shouldn't want but did.

"Good evening, Sophie. Are you ready to go? I don't want to be late for our reservation," was how Jacob greeted me. It was oddly formal.

"I'm ready," I told him with a smile. "Let me grab my purse."

After locking my door, I followed him down the stairs. I couldn't help but smile when I saw that he wasn't wearing plaid pants tonight. "Thank God," ran through my head as I saw his tan pants with a button-down shirt.

We made small talk during the drive to the restaurant. Jacob worked at an accounting firm here in Angel Valley. "How long have you worked there?" I asked.

"About two years. Mother was starting to need more help as her health declined so when a position opened up at Mercer and Dayton, I applied. I moved in with her so we don't waste money on those healthcare aides that steal you blind."

"That was so sweet of you," I told him. But I also thought it was slightly odd for a man of his age, which I took to be in his thirties, to be taking care of his sick mother. Then again, I was probably overthinking it.

When we arrived at the restaurant, he had me wait for him to open my door. I haven't had that done for quite some time. It was nice to be with a gentleman for a change. We sat down at our table and the hostess left us menus while letting us know our waitress would be right with us.

I barely had time to look at the menu, when Beth came over to introduce herself as our server. "Can I get you anything to drink?"

"I'll have a glass of the Pinot Grigio," I told her.

"No, we'll have a bottle of the Silverado Merlot, instead," Jacob interrupted.

I had to bite back what I really wanted to say to him. "Jacob, I don't like red wine. I would prefer the Pinot Grigio."

"Bring only the bottle, please," he told Beth.

She looked at me not knowing what to do. I appreciated that she was conflicted with the order but I didn't want her in the middle of this. "That's fine," I told her.

When she was gone, I turned to Jacob. "How can you simply disregard my preference?" I snapped. "I don't drink red wine."

"Try it. It's a lovely wine," he insisted.

This date was not off to a good start. I knew I needed to give him a chance, but I was not feeling good about this at all, but I gave him a forced smile before looking over the menu.

By the time Beth came back with the wine, I knew what I wanted. If I was going to suffer through a dinner I wasn't enjoying, I was going to have a steak. I watched her pour a little bit in a glass for Jacob and he took a sip as if we are at a Michelin Star restaurant.

Once he approved it, she poured the wine into my glass and his before placing the bottle on the table. "Are you ready to order?" Beth asked us.

"I'll have the Sirloin Steak cooked medium, please," I told her.

"Would you like the baked potato or garlic mashed potatoes?"

"Baked please."

"And you, sir?" she asked turning to Jacob. He ordered the halibut and Beth excused herself.

I was just glad that he didn't force me to change my order again. "I'm going to the ladies' room. I'll be right back," I told him. When I stood up, so did he. That was very gentlemanly of him. While I was gone I tried to get myself into a positive frame of mind. First dates can be a little rough so maybe that's all it was. I fixed my lipstick and walked back to the table with a smile.

"I'm glad your back," he said. "Try the wine."

So I did. And like all of the other times, I tried any red wine, I simply didn't like it. "I'm sorry, Jacob. I just not for me. I'll stick with my water."

"I'm sure you'll learn to like it. Now I want to ask you about that biker who was in the bakery yesterday. What's going on with him? I didn't appreciate him acting all cocky and all full of himself." That wasn't what I expected him to bring up. Daryl had no say about Jacob and the same applied to Jacob about Daryl. I didn't owe an explanation to either one of them.

"Trax is a friend as I told you before. I can't control how anyone acts. All those MC guys tend to be a bit cocky." I hoped my short explanation was enough.

Beth placed two salads in front of us. With any luck, the interruption would change the topic.

Jacob shook his head when she left. "That hoodlum sees himself as more than a friend. You know that Sophie. I don't want you to have anything more to do with him or that club."

"First of all, the club is a customer of the bakery…a good customer and I won't do that to Maddie even if I wanted to, and I don't. Trax has done nothing wrong and he is my friend. Jacob, this is our first date, who are you to tell me who I can and cannot see?"

"I'm your boyfriend that's who and you need to listen to me."

Was he joking? Barely half a date didn't constitute him being my boyfriend. And not with his attitude and controlling nature…no fucking way.

Then he added, "And those bikers. I want you to stay away from that gang. The women that associate with them are nothing but cheap whores and I can't have you thought of that way."

First, he pissed me off. Now, I was angry. "You do realize that my very close cousin is an ol' lady in that club. That's how I got to know them and how dare you call her a cheap whore!"

He patted his mouth with his napkin. His salad was finished and I had barely touched mine. "This cousin got you involved with criminals who don't care about the law and all they do is drink and ride those obnoxious motorcycles around town. They serve no purpose except to intimidate the townspeople of Angel Valley . My girlfriend will not associate with people like that."

"They are good people, Jacob. The Road Devils do a lot of charitable work for the people of this town, not to mention they also employee many too. You shouldn't judge them, without knowing them first." I can't believe the club I was trying to put behind me I was sticking up for. "And, I'm not your girlfriend. In fact…"

I was interrupted by the delivery of our dinner. When Beth put the plate down in front of me I should my head. "I didn't order this. I ordered the steak."

"I ordered it for you. It's healthier," Jacob told me.

"You changed my entrée?" he shook his head yes like it was nothing. I pushed my chair back and stood up. "This was our first date. How presumptuous of you to think you know what's best for me! You don't know me at all and I don't want to get to know you. You will never dictate my friends and you know why?" I was getting loud but I didn't care in the least. "You are not my boyfriend after barely half a date. You're nothing to me because this is over. You are crazy and I want nothing to do with you!" I grabbed my purse and stormed out of the restaurant making it as far as the hostess stand when a hand stopped me.

I swung around ready to hit Jacob in the face with my purse when I saw it was Beth. "Whoa, it's just me," she laughed. "I just wanted to say I am so glad you aren't staying, He's an ass and you deserve better."

I smiled back at her. "Can you believe this was our first date? Never, ever again."

"Did you drive?" she asked me.

Damn it. He did and there was no way I was getting back in a car with him. "No, but I'll call for an Uber or something. I'm good."

"Okay and I'll keep an eye on him anyway. I couldn't help but overhear a bit of what he was saying, but if this was your first date. That was creepy."

"Tell me about it," I said rolling my eyes. Then for a brief second, they landed on Jacob. The smile he had on his face sent shivers all the way down my spine. I needed away from here and fast. "Thank you, Beth I need to go."

I walked out of the restaurant and into the dark night. As I stood on the sidewalk I wondered what to do. I needed a ride home so calling for a cab or Uber made sense. Except, I felt so vulnerable standing outside here since Jacob could walk out any second. I knew where his car was parked so I started to walk in the opposite direction.

When I felt I was far enough away I pulled out my phone to find a ride. I was searching for the Uber contact number when I heard the loud pipes of a couple of Harleys approaching. I doubted it was Daryl but I stepped under the streetlight so they could see me. Two riders rode past, but neither was Daryl even though to my relief they wore Road Devil cuts. I watched their brake lights come on and one bike came back to me.

"Sophie?"

"Brick! I'm so glad to see you." I never thought I'd be so happy to see someone from the club again.

"What are you doing here by yourself? Doll, it's dangerous for you to be out here."

"I know, but I was on a date and it was so bad I got up in the middle and just left. He drove so I was trying to look up a cab or Uber on my phone when you rode by."

Brick looked around. "I don't see any restaurant around here."

"It's a couple of blocks back. Jacob, my date, made me feel very uncomfortable so I wanted to get away from there." Should I have stayed at the restaurant while I waited? There were people there and I doubted he'd pull anything with so many others around. Except, I only wanted to get away and apparently I didn't pay attention to where I was going. This neighborhood was definitely nowhere I should be.

The prospect shook his head. "You walked in the wrong direction. This is not a good area for a lone honey like you to be in. Hop on, I'll take you home."

For a brief second, I considered my options. It was either wait for an Uber and I wasn't sure that Brick would stay with me or ride back with him on his motorcycle in a dress. The need to get as far away from Jacob as quickly as possible won out.

I had never been on a bike before so this was going to be a new experience for me. "Okay, tell me what I need to do. I've never been on one of these before."

"Not even with Trax?"

"No." I left the answer as simple as that even though Daryl and I were anything but simple.

Brick pulled an extra helmet out of his saddlebag. "I keep it around for gorgeous damsels in distress," he smiled as he handed it to me.

I rolled my eyes at him as I put it on my head, but then I was at a loss on how to secure it. Brick stepped closer with a big grin on his face and grabbed the straps. "You loop it through the bottom ring and then back through the first. Looks good on you Sophie." I swear this man was born flirting. "Okay, get on behind me and your feet go on those pegs. Sandals ain't the best thing to wear on a bike but we don't have a choice."

I slipped in behind him making sure my feet were in the right spot. "Now what?"

"Hang on."

Before I could ask where he started the bike forward and I did the first thing I could which was to grab him tightly around the waist and hang on for dear life. After a few minutes, I relaxed my hold a bit and realized that this was actually starting to be enjoyable.

Once we were back into Angel Valley the other rider broke off and headed out on his own. When we had to stop at a red light, Brick turned to me. "Did you get to eat on your date?" I told him no. "I'm hungry wanna grab something?"

I really wanted to go home, but I was hungry too. Brick had always been fun and flirty when he came to the bakery. Maybe he was just what I needed to turn this night around. I was looking for friendship, nothing more. "Sure."

"How about the diner? We can get almost anything there," he suggested.

I agreed that was fine and about five minutes later Brick was parking his bike in front of the small local diner. We left the helmets with the bike and headed inside. The older man at the cash register told us to sit anywhere we wanted. Brick chose a booth towards the back and we each slid in on our own bench with him facing the door. He handed me a menu that was stacked next to the ketchup, mustard, and sugar.

Brick ordered a burger with the work and I got a club sandwich. "So you gonna tell me what happened on this date tonight? What was so bad that you walked out in the middle of it or did you sneak out the back door?"

I just shook my head remembering how bad it was. "I thought this guy was nice. The first thing we do is order drinks. I want a glass of white wine. He changes it to red wine, so I tell him I don't like red wine and he tells me I'll like this one."

"Did you?"

"Not at all." I decided to skip over the part how he didn't want me to be friends with anyone in the MC including Chrissy. "We order dinner and I was happy that he didn't pull the same stunt again. But while we're waiting for the entrees to come out he's talking like we've been dating a while and is calling me his girlfriend. Which I sure as hell wasn't. Then he's telling me people like Chrissy are unacceptable to be friends with. Hell, she's my cousin."

"Why's that?"

"Because of the club." Well, so much for not bringing up the club.

Brick's relaxed face got hard. I couldn't help but notice he kept clenching and unclenching his fists. "I fucking hate narrow-minded people. We do a lot for this town and assholes like him forget about that. He sounds like a real dick. So what did he do that put you over the top?"

"Get this," I said leaning in closer to him. "When ordered my entrée it was the sirloin steak. I already knew I was never going out with him again, but I wanted a good meal to make up for him being such a jerk. Guess what happened?"

Brick leaned in too. He was totally into this story. "When the waitress brought out our dinners she couldn't even look at me. She witnessed what a jerk he was all evening. He had changed my order from the steak to the halibut he was having. Said it was heathier. That's when I stood up and told him off. I walked out. About ten minutes later is when you ride by and stopped."

"The asshole should have had the decency to drive you home. He knew you didn't have a fucking ride."

I couldn't help but smile at Brick. Not only was he younger than I was, maybe in his early twenties, and he was one of those horrible MC members that Jacob hated, but he was more of a gentleman than Jacob could ever be.

"Well, it all worked out. What were you doing out tonight?"

He shook his head. "Sorry, club business." Apparently, Diesel wasn't the only one that used that excuse. Luckily, the waitress chose that time to deliver our food and the moment of awkwardness was gone. I didn't realize how hungry I was until I started to dig in.

So while I was eating away, Brick was chewing and texting at the same time. I didn't even ask who. It could've been a girl for all I knew and that was his private business. He finally put down the phone and we talked a little in between eating. I was having a much better time with Brick than I had with Jacob even though Brick and I would never be more than friends. He was telling me funny stories of some of the guys and had me laughing.

Finally, the waitress cleared the plates and asked if we wanted anything else. We were both stuffed so we said no. I had planned on paying for the meal since he had rescued me, but Brick was fast on grabbing the check.

"Brick, I owe you. Please let me pay."

"Not happening, Doll. No woman will ever pay for me. I got this," he said as he stood up.

"Thank you," I told him with a smile. "You're a sweetheart."

"Watch that, you're gonna ruin my reputation," he laughed as he paid the check.

I was looking down at the steps as we headed out the door to his bike. I didn't notice until we got to the sidewalk that there was another bike parked next to his. My breath caught when I realized Daryl was leaning up against his watching us.

How did he know we were here? Then I remembered the texts Brick was sending while we ate. Now I knew who he had been texting with. "You didn't?" I sighed looking at him.

"Had to, Doll," he said before turning to Daryl. "She's all yours, Trax."

Daryl lifted his chin in acknowledgement. Didn't say a word. They did a fist bump before Brick handed Daryl the helmet I had used.

"Traitor," I whispered as he walked past me to get onto his bike.

His response was to laugh at me. "Good luck, Trax. She's a feisty one."

When I turned back to Daryl, I didn't know what to make of the look he was giving me. He looked angry and I didn't know what I had done to deserve that look. "He could have told you to come in a car instead of your motorcycle."

"Why?"

"I'm in a dress! I shouldn't be on the back of that thing."

I watched him look me up and down several times and as much as I hated it, I felt that familiar dampness that happened whenever he was around. My body was betraying me again. Damn it!

"You got here on the back of Brick's bike, so there ain't any reason you can't ride mine. Put the lid on and I'll take you home."

He handed me mine as he put on his. Luckily, I knew he meant the helmet. I had picked up enough biker speak to understand most of what they meant. I fixed the strap under my chin the way Brick had taught me and did my best to get onto the bike without giving the people in the diner a free show of my black panties.

"Hang on. I'm taking you home."

I wrapped my arms around Daryl and he headed off taking me back to my apartment. And that's what had me worried...him in my home and us near a bed. As my cheek leaned against the leather of his vest, I knew I was in trouble. I needed to be able to resist him and I wasn't sure I could.

I had the twenty-minute ride back to my place to figure it out. I prayed that was enough time.