Smokey by Sam Crescent

Chapter Two

Ava wouldn’t panic.

She’d keep the smile on her face and pretend everything was fine.

Women lost their purses all the freaking time. It was no big deal.

The purse had her driver’s license. Bank cards. She’d even written down a couple of passwords because she hadn’t had the time to memorize them yet. All of that was now in the hands of a potential thief.

Just keep smiling.

She’d gone to the bakery, and it was only as she was looking through her bag for the keys that she realized her purse was missing.

Damn it.

The details of last night were a little hazy to her. She hadn’t drunk a lot. Tequila wasn’t even a drink she’d enjoyed in the past, but last night had been special.

Now, she was cursing everything.

Smokey.

He was the only person she remembered from last night. She didn’t know if their conversation actually happened, or if she made it up, which fucking sucked.

She handed out fresh cream cakes, lemon pies, and cookies. Her gingerbread men were pretty special, and kids loved them.

Decorating was something she’d been learning for many years. All those hours of being stuck home alone, waiting for her ex to arrive, she’d taken all that time to learn how to bake and decorate cakes.

A couple of builders from the local construction yard came in for their sandwiches. She was a bakery that offered sweet and savory treats. With the breakfast wave over, she leaned back as the oven pinged to let her know the fresh batch of cookies was done. It always surprised her how much sweet stuff she sold in a morning.

Her little bakery was proving to be a treat she hadn’t seen coming.

Still, no matter how often she thought about her success, it didn’t detract from the fact her purse was still missing.

She’d have to go to the bank, cancel all of her cards. Who the hell did she need to alert about a missing driver’s license?

So much to do.

She was never visiting Ryan’s Place again. The tequila was great, but the morning after was proving to be something to juggle. This was supposed to be stress-free.

This was anything but stress-free.

With the cookies cooling, she returned to the main store.

Several items had already disappeared off the shelf, and she quickly rearranged, removing the cards to neaten it up.

The morning continued to be busy, leaving her only short ten-minutes spots of no customers. She really did love staying busy.

However, she was close to tearing her hair out just before the lunch rush. She was going to have to close the shop to go to the bank. She couldn’t handle the pressure of not knowing where her purse was.

She was about to find the closed sign when the doorbell rang. “I’ll be out in a second,” she said.

She didn’t have the patience to find the sign. She wrote Closed! Back Soon on a piece of paper. Grabbing the sticky tape, she headed to the main desk only to come to a stop.

Smokey stood on the other side of the counter, a smile on his face, with two of his men from last night.

“Hi,” she said.

“Well, hello. This is a small world.”

She looked at his men who were glancing at the goodies on offer. “What can I do for you?” She frowned. “Did I tell you I owned a bakery?”

“No. You didn’t, and I have to wonder why. Everything looks so good.”

She smiled, feeling her cheeks heat. Were the compliments he’d paid her last night real? She wasn’t used to men saying nice things to her or about her.

“Er, thank you. I hate to ask you to leave but I really need to get to the…” She stopped as Smokey held up her purse for her.

“Missing this?”

“You … how?”

“You dropped it last night. You’d already gone into your house, and well, I didn’t want to send it through the mail when I could see you in person.”

“You wanted to see me in person?” she asked.

“What do you think?” He still held her purse.

Her heart had stopped pounding.

She put down the sign she’d written and reached out to take the purse. “Thank you. I’ve been freaking out about this all morning. I didn’t know where it was, and yeah, thank you.” She held on to it and smiled. “Can I get you anything? On the house. I don’t know if that’s the right term for baked goods.”

“What do you have in mind?”

Ava pointed at the displays. “Have a look and tell me what you want. I’ll be right back.” She rushed toward her small office. Pushing the purse into the bag, she glanced at herself in the mirror. With baking, she had to put her hair into a net, but once all the baking was finished, she needed to serve customers. Hygiene was very important to her. Did she want her hair down?

No, she wasn’t going to go crazy for a man she barely knew.

As she stepped back into the main shop, Smokey’s gaze followed her.

“Did you decide?”

“He hasn’t decided, but I have,” a large man said from the right. “Three of those cookies, please.”

“Coming right up.”

“Hunter’s paying,” Smokey said.

“Dude, she said it was free.”

“No, she said what I’m having is free. You pay, Hunter. As do you, Kinky.”

She looked at the disappointment on the men’s faces. “Er, if they want…” Smokey looked at her. “Or not.”

“They can pay their way. You don’t need to be out of pocket for them.”

The guilt was there though.

The freebies were on offer for Smokey, but she didn’t mind extending it to his friends. “I honestly don’t mind.”

“You’re running a business, Ava. They will pay their way.”

“Lady, it’s sweet, but you don’t want to argue with the boss.”

She didn’t know who was who, so she merely smiled and rung up their purchases, being sure to put a discount on them, ignoring Smokey’s stare as she did. He could attempt to boss her around all he wanted to, but she wasn’t going to let him get away with it.

Single.

Independent.

And loving every second of it.

His men left the store, but she noted they didn’t go far. They stood right outside the door.

“They’re going to scare off my customers.”

“This won’t take long.”

“I haven’t been here long. I don’t want them to ruin this.”

Smokey smiled. “It’ll take more than them to steer them clear of this place. I’d heard of it before I even realized this was yours.”

Her cheeks heated. “You’re just throwing a compliment at me. You don’t mean that.”

“Sweetheart, you’re going to realize one day that I don’t say shit I don’t mean,” he said. “Which is why I’m asking you to come to a party.”

“A party?”

“Yeah. At the clubhouse. Tomorrow night. I know where you live. I’ll pick you up. I’ll take a muffin.”

She held her hand up. “I haven’t said I was agreeing to go with you.”

“Why wouldn’t you want to come?”

Ava couldn’t think of a single reason why.

“I’m still waiting, darling.”

“My name’s Ava.”

“I remember.”

“Then use it.”

Smokey smirked. “Can’t take some sweet names?”

“They’re empty names. You probably say them to everyone.” She rubbed at her temple. “I don’t think going to a party is a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“I’m not the party kind of girl.”

“What kind of girl are you exactly?” he asked.

She stared at him. No words came to her. She was a complete and total blank. “I don’t know.”

“Then don’t you think it will be fun to explore exactly who you are?”

Blowing out a breath, she shrugged. “You’re right. I don’t know. Sure. Who else will be at this party?”

“People.”

She rolled her eyes. “Is it a theme?”

“Wear something sexy. Now, how about that muffin?”

“What kind?” she asked.

“I’ll take a chocolate chip. Do you have a thing for chocolate?”

“Love it.” She wrapped up his muffin. “I hope you enjoy it, and thank you for returning my purse.”

“Do you get drunk like that often?”

“Hell, no. It was a one-off.”

“The divorce?”

“Yeah.”

“And where is Derek nowadays?”

Ava looked at Smokey. “I never told you my ex’s name.”

“You must have.”

She didn’t believe him. “I don’t know what Derek is doing, and to be quite frank, I don’t care. I moved on. I’ll see you tomorrow night.”

“You sure will, Ava Sinclaire,” he said.

She watched him leave the shop.

Three women paused outside her shop. One look at the angry-looking bikers and they continued to walk. She also noticed they continued to ogle all the men.

Shaking her head, she went back to checking on the remaining baked goods. She didn’t have time to think about her encounter with Smokey straight away as the lunch rush was chaotic.

She sold out of everything and had no choice but to close the shop early.

More often than not, she didn’t stay open for dinner. With the shelves empty, she cleaned up, set about the doughs to make her life easier in a couple of days’ time, locked up, and arranged for a cab to take her to Ryan’s Place.

She hadn’t gotten her car yet, and now that she had her purse, she was even happier.

Arriving at the bar, she paid the driver, climbed out, and saw her car was the only one in the parking lot. She also happened to notice the bar was completely closed. Like dead.

Curiosity got the better of her as she walked up to the main door, and sure enough, stuck on the front was a notice of being closed until further notice.

“What?”

It wasn’t any of her business, so she climbed into her car, started up the engine, and smiled as it purred to life. This was the life. Securing her seat belt, she pulled onto the road and drove the short distance back to her house. With her car parked in her driveway, she grabbed her bag and walked into her home.

The scent of lemon greeted her, such a divine smell. She was a sucker for anything lemon or chocolate.

After locking the door behind her, she placed her bag on the hook, along with her jacket. Reaching inside her bag, she grabbed her purse and took it out. She walked into her kitchen, taking some water from the fridge, and sat at her small table.

She opened her purse and saw everything was as it should be. The money was all still there. Her bank cards and her driver’s license.

Not that she thought Smokey would steal anything. No. It was his knowing her ex-husband’s first name. She hadn’t said Derek aloud. She was sure of it. Even with tequila inside her.

Alcohol wouldn’t have made her that vocal. It just wasn’t possible.

Running a finger across her lip, she tried to think, and there was no way he could have known. Not unless he got all the information from looking into her. People could do that, couldn’t they? Look into people they were interested in? Find out every single little minute detail?

Why would Smokey look into her?

Did she even care that he’d done some kind of background check on her?

She closed her purse and sipped at her water.

Smokey wasn’t a man she was used to. He was powerful, dangerous, and he clearly was used to getting whatever the hell he wanted, no matter what.

“Oh, stop worrying, Ava. Nothing is going to happen. So, he checked you out. Big deal. Get over it and move on.” She finished her water, got to her feet, and ignored the niggling feeling working its way inside her.

****

Smokey knocked on his date’s door and waited.

He wasn’t going to take no for an answer. She’d love one of these parties, he was sure of it. If not, he’d get his answer about the kind of woman she was. He didn’t want a fucking prude, and no matter how badly he wanted to fuck her, there would be limits to what he was willing to do to get her in his bed.

Like now.

He wanted to party.

The brothers were all back at the clubhouse enjoying good food, sex, and beer. Probably all in that order.

It had been a trying couple of weeks for the club, especially as the Italian mafia picked a new Boss, not to mention the waves that had been caused with the Twisted Bastards MC. The fact Ryan had allowed some of the fuckers into his bar a couple of weeks ago, and was known to have been doing business with them, pissed him off.

He’d been too distracted by shit going on at home to look at the bigger picture. That shit wouldn’t happen again, which was why he’d arranged a meeting with the Twisted Bastards MC President, Creed. Tonight, he wanted to spend time with Ava. The curvy baker had gotten under his skin, and the only way for him to work it off was to fuck her.

Ava opened the door. A fresh smile on her face, and she wore the cutest black dress he’d ever seen. It molded to her curves and flared out at her thighs, giving it a whoosh effect.

“Damn,” he said.

“I’m being frank here. I don’t know what kind of sexy we’re going for. This is the closest I’ve got.” She wrinkled her nose. “I know it’s not great.”

He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Who says it’s not great?”

“I did.”

Smokey ran his hand down to the curve of her ass. “I like it.”

“Good.”

He stepped back to reveal his bike.

“Hell, no,” she said.

“Excuse me?”

“I’ll take my car to your clubhouse. There’s no way I’m getting on the back of a bike.”

“Babe, get your ass on the bike.”

“Er, no. This babe doesn’t get told what to do and obey.” She walked to her car. “I’ll drive. It’ll be good this way. I can come home without having to stop you from having fun.”

“You’re doing this to piss me off,” he said.

“Why would I do that?” She gave him a little chuckle, but she’d already climbed into her car.

Two could play at this game. Straddling his bike, exceedingly disappointed in the fact she wasn’t seated behind him, he reeved his engine and glared at the offending car. Most chicks wanted to be on the back of his bike.

Ava was … totally different, and he was going to have to get used to that.

Still, he liked that she didn’t back down. Ava wasn’t a doormat. However, if she thought she was going to get away from his party easily, she was very much mistaken.

Smokey took the lead, driving with her following him. The guys were going to laugh their asses off when they saw him, but he didn’t care. He’d have the prettiest girl at the club.

Riding to the clubhouse, he’d hoped to use the vibrations of the machine to turn her on and to get as close to her as humanly possible. That wasn’t going to happen.

Arriving at the clubhouse, he cut the engine as Ava picked a spot. A couple of the guys were already drinking. The scent of barbeque was heavy in the air, and music covered any wave of laughter.

Ava climbed out and he took her hand holding the keys.

“Hey, what are you doing?” she asked.

“I’m making sure you don’t run off from me tonight. You need these keys back, you’ve got to ask nicely.”

He put the keys into his jeans pocket.

“You’re not playing fair.”

“Neither are you.” He pressed his lips to hers. “But you don’t see me complaining.”

“I barely know you.”

“And you think I know a lot more about you?”

She glared at him. “Are you telling me you didn’t run some kind of background check on me?”

He paused as he looked at her.

“Yeah, you think I’m stupid? Suddenly knowing where I work. My ex. All topics I’m pretty sure I didn’t cover.” She smiled at him. “I also happened to notice Ryan’s Place is closed until further notice and your knuckles are bloody, like they hit someone. Am I getting hot so far?”

He had no idea an intelligent, observant woman could turn him on so much. Most of the women he knew turned a blind eye to the happenings within the club. Ava took it all in.

“Did you like what you found?” she asked, hand on hip.

“Do you think you’d be here if I didn’t?”

“Fair enough. I need a drink. Are we going to get this party started or are we going to stand outside and chat about how unfair you are?”

He smiled and invaded her space, pressing her up against her car. “You know, I’ve hurt men for less. I don’t like being disrespected.”

Ava put her hands on his shoulders. He liked her touch a little too much. “And I don’t like having my privacy invaded.”

“You would’ve given up your personal details so easily?”

“In time. I’d have shared anything, including my ex’s name. Seeing as you know all about me, I think it’s unfair. I need to know more about you, besides the fact you’re an arrogant asshole.”

“Believe me, that’s one of my better qualities.”

“I have no doubt. Drink or not?” she asked.

He pressed his body against hers, seeing the flare in her gaze. “How about I take you up to my room?”

“How about I get a drink first and you’re nice to me?” she asked. “You want a girl to fuck, I’m sure there are plenty of willing women around.”

He put his hands on her hips, letting her feel how aroused he was. “Let’s get one thing straight, Ava. You can give me lip all you want. I like it, but you and me, it’s a sure thing.”

“Not if you’re an asshole.” She took him by surprise, pressing her lips against his. It wasn’t a deep kiss or even a long one. Just a single peck on the lips. “Drink?” She brushed past him, and he grabbed her hand.

He wouldn’t allow her to shake him off. The dress wasn’t the skimpiest thing that would be worn. He guaranteed there were women wearing absolutely nothing. What he didn’t want was any of the brothers to think she was an easy ride.

She belonged to him. Every single part of her.

He wanted her so badly. His time in her bed would come.

Until then, he was going to have fun exploring this woman. He’d gotten used to the club whores throwing themselves at him. He couldn’t remember a time he actually had to do anything but snap his fingers.

They entered the bar, and Ava came to a complete stop. There were three completely naked women dancing across the bar. Two were kissing as the other one danced. The bar was high enough that as she went down and spread her knees, they got a clear sight of her pussy.

“Oh,” Ava said.

“You can handle this, right?” he asked.

She glanced over her shoulder. “Your party is one big orgy?”

“No, my party is a bunch of guys having a whole lot of fun.” He pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Come on.”

He moved through the crowd, going to the bar and ordering her a beer.

“I’ll just have a soda.”

Smokey pressed the beer into her hand and took a swig of his own.

He spotted a couple of the guys checking her out, and he pulled her close to his side, putting a hand on her ass for good measure. They all backed off. There were a lot of benefits to being the president of the club. This was one of them.

He took her hand, swigging the beer and moving her away from the crowd. They were stopped on the dance floor by a topless woman.

“Hey, Smokey, I’m so wet for you.” She ran her finger down his chest.

He shoved her away.

“Hey, that wasn’t nice,” Ava said.

Pressing her against the wall with his body, he stared down into her eyes. She was a lot smaller than him.

“These women need to learn their place.”

“You don’t have to be mean about it.”

He smiled. “Yeah, I do. You don’t understand this world, but that’s okay. In time, you’ll come to see what it’s all about.”

Smokey noticed she started to take small swigs of her beer as they watched the room. Guys were playing pool, men and women were making out.

They’d come back into the main clubhouse. He took her outside where couples were eating and dancing. The loud music inside could still be heard from a short distance.

A couple of fires had been built in trash cans. Night had already fallen.

Ava finished her beer and he pulled her into his arms.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“Dancing. It’s what you do at a party.”

“I’m pretty sure naked girls flashing their personals is not all that happens at a party.”

The sound of a moan filled the air. Smokey glanced over Ava’s shoulder to see Kinky was once again not caring where he was to get his dick wet.

One of the girls who worked for them in the porn films, Swallow, he believed she’d named herself, was completely naked with Kinky behind her, pounding her.

“Yes, yes, fuck yes,” she said.

“Now that’s a different party,” Smokey said.

He spun Ava in his arms to see where his gaze was. The moment she caught sight of the couple, she tensed in his arms. He put his hands to her stomach, drawing her back against his body.

“Smokey?”

“Don’t panic. Nothing bad is going to happen. I promise you,” he whispered against her ear. She let out a gasp. “She works for us. Swallow is used to people watching. She gets off on it.”

“You don’t think she’s faking it?” Ava asked.

“I’m sure there are times she does. Women do it all the time, but right now, look at her. Look at her face and the way she’s fucking back against Kinky. She loves it. She loves having a cock in her pussy.” He slowly glided his hand up toward her breast. His thumb skimmed the side and she tensed up again.

He held perfectly still.

Kinky pulled out of Swallow, removed his condom, and came all over her face.

It wasn’t exactly the ending Smokey was hoping for.

“I need another beer,” Ava said. She pulled out of his arms, and he wanted to go and beat the living shit out of Kinky. Women didn’t want to have cum all over their faces.

Damn it. That was the last time he was ever going to trust Kinky.

He followed Ava back into the clubhouse, only she didn’t stay at the bar. She took one look around, shook her head, and stepped right on out. She walked to the car and clearly forgot he had the keys.

When she spun around, he was already there, waiting.

“Can I have my keys?”

“What’s going on, Ava?” he asked.

“Do you really need to ask that?” She shook her head. “I can’t compete with that. There’s no way that’s a normal party.”

“At the clubhouse, it kind of is.”

“Why did you invite me, Smokey? I don’t get it.” She looked past his shoulder. “You know my history. I bet you know every single little detail about me. Still, you bring me here. I don’t know if you’re trying to laugh at me, or…”

“I’m not laughing,” he said.

“What is this?” she asked.

“I wanted you to have fun. You’re right. I know everything about you. Every single little detail you can get on a piece of paper. I even looked into your ex and I can already form a picture. The lonely housewife. Left alone, passed over by your ex. He’s fucking everything in sight and you’re at home, wondering what the hell you did wrong.”

“You don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. I know what I’m talking about,” he said. “You’re not angry or offended by what you see here.” He advanced toward her. “You’re fucking envious.”

“You don’t know everything. You’ve got it all wrong!”

“No?” He pressed his hand between her thighs and found exactly what he expected. “You’re soaking wet, baby. That can only mean one thing—you’re very much aroused.” He removed his hand. “Now, when you remove that stick from your ass, maybe we can talk. Until then, have a nice life.” He slammed the keys into her hand, turned on his heel, and left.