Released: MC Secret Baby Romance (New Adult Contemporary Biker Romance) (60 page)

Samantha felt as though she was in a dream world as she floated back to bed. Collapsing onto the dirty sheets she felt as though her heart was singing. Finally, her luck had seemed to turn. Grabbing her cell phone from under her pillow she pressed the name she knew so well and blushed in anticipation.

"Jules! You'll never guess what just happened?"

The End

Billionaire Shifter

Jane Kershaw’s hair had turned a peculiar shade of purple, but she liked it.

“Not really what I was going for,” she tousled her wet hair with a towel and looked in the mirror.

“You look like a grape,” her boyfriend Lee commented from the doorway with a beer in his hand. “A fat grape.”

“You don’t have to be mean!” her face crumpled up in annoyance.

“Whatever,” he shrugged and walked away to resume sitting on the couch.

“I think I own it,” she told herself, as she looked at her reflection. “It’s a lot brighter than I intended, but I never do anything by halves,” and she faked a wide smile to cheer herself up.

Lee; however, was always so mean to her and, as she dried her hair and got ready for bed, she was still thinking about what he’d said. Yeah, she was bigger than some girls, but so what? That’s the way she liked to be and she wasn’t changing for anyone.

He was drunk already too, but that was no surprise. He loved beer more than her and she slumped onto the bed wishing he’d come join her and show her some appreciation or even just some polite conversation.

“What am I doing here? He doesn’t even love me,” the tears began to well up in her eyes, but she stifled them with a hand over her face.

Of course, she knew full well why she was still with Lee. She didn’t have the confidence to leave and she had no money and nowhere to go. There were times when she’d considered going home to Idaho where her parents would welcome her back in an instant, but she hated the countryside and had moved to New York, aged eighteen for a reason; to be accepted, to have fun, and to live on the wild side.

Yet, as she sat on the edge of the bed in her pajamas, listening to the late night revelers outside, she knew this was far from what she had imagined. There was a time; however, when things were fantastic and every night was an adventure, but she met Lee not long after arriving in the big city and he’d soon taken over her life. The day she got the keys to their apartment was the day the fun ended.

She listened for a long while to the sounds of the television, as he watched his favorite shows. No matter how mean he was to her or how much he ignored her, she couldn’t deny that, deep down, she loved him… although, she wasn’t sure what love was anymore. In her current situation, it seemed more like crippling dependency and endless tears.

Cradling herself with the duvet, she climbed into bed and hoped she’d have sweet dreams. Closing her eyes and feeling the warmth of the bed was a much needed moment of respite and she exhaled deeply, as her eyelids grew heavy. It was then she heard the television switch off, followed by Lee stumbling over empty beer bottles.

“Hey girl!” Lee shouted, as he staggered down the hall.

She said nothing.

“I said, hey!” he was angry now and burst through the bedroom door.

Jane could smell his breath from where she lay and she wrinkled up her nose hoping he wouldn’t come any closer.

“Whats a matter?” He ripped the bed sheets off her and tossed them to the floor.

Instinctively, she shrieked and huddled up in the fetal position, as the cold shocked her body and the fear held her in place.

“Why are you crying already?” Lee asked with not a hint of sensitivity to his voice.

Again, Jane was silent.

“You ready for me now?” He looked down on her and gave her
the
look.

It was one reserved for special occasions and it always meant one thing, he had sex on his mind. Usually, Jane wanted to feel the love of someone and would yearn for his touch, no matter how repulsive he could be, but tonight, something snapped in her mind and she found herself sitting up in bed and seeing him, as if for the first time.

“Leave me alone,” she grabbed the duvet and tried to drag it out of the bedroom. “I’m sleeping on the couch tonight and don’t you dare come near me,” she shouted at him with her new found confidence.

As her voice exploded from her body, she felt like a new woman and could scarcely believe she was capable of having that much confidence. Maybe it was time she finally had enough or maybe it was the new hair. Either way, she didn’t care. She was on a mission and she was eager to let Lee know that he couldn’t boss her around anymore or make her feel small.

“
Get back here bitch!
” He grabbed at the duvet and tried to pull her back into the room.

She was hell bent on having her way and his attempts to retrieve her only made her more determined. Little did she know that something had also snapped within Lee.

“I said get back here!” and he lashed out at her, pulling her from behind and punching her square in the ribs.

She fell to the floor in shock and agony with the pain rippling through her bones. Not believing what had just happened, she clutched at her body and tried to think straight. No matter how mean he was to her, he’d never hit her, so why now? What happened?

Looking up to him, she could see his fist begin to swell already… and the menace in his eyes. It was then, in that very second that she made up her mind.

“You will never touch me again,” she seethed through gritted teeth,” and you’ll never see me again either.”

“Hey babe,” Lee’s attitude changed quickly, as he realized the severity of what he’d done. “I didn’t mean it. I’m sorry!” He began to wine like a small child. “It won’t happen again, I promise!”

But, it was too late. Jane was already packing all her belongings into her backpack and pulling on her coat and boots.

“Please! Janey, won’t you listen to me for a minute?” His words were as slurred as they were desperate. “Janey!” he cried.

“I could never forgive myself if I stayed,” she looked him in the eye, her stare penetrating his. “Goodbye Lee.” She moved toward the front door. “It’s been absolutely horrible knowing you,” and she slammed the door behind her.

*****

She waited until she reached the stairs outside the apartment until she began to cry. With nowhere to go, she rifled in her pockets and found a half-eaten bar of candy, a hair pin, and a quarter. A quick glance in her wallet wasn’t any more fruitful.

“Oh God, what have I done?” She contemplated running back up the stairs and returning home. “Don’t do it, Janey,” she muttered under her breath, as she felt the pain in her side. “You moved here with nothing, you can leave with nothing. There’s always an opportunity.”

She told herself this, as she walked out into the street and felt the chill of the air. It was going to be a long night. For a few minutes, she walked without much concern for where she was going. She looked at the people who were walking past her in large crowds of friends. They were happy and outgoing, and so many of them looked as if they wanted to set the night on fire. Jane; however, just wanted to find somewhere to spend the night.

Spying an ATM, she pushed in her card and prayed silently for there to be money still in her account. She was then given a slight ray of hope when she saw she had twelve dollars. It wasn’t the best she could have hoped for, but it was better than nothing. Withdrawing ten dollars, she crumpled up the paper money in her hand and held onto it for dear life. It was her final hope.

Still…. There was nowhere in New York where you could stay for ten dollars and, after walking the streets for a little while longer, she found there were no options. Slumping against a wall, she pressed the back of her head against the cold stone and sighed. All there was in her life was that very moment, and with nothing to lose, she decided to make the best of it.

Across the street, a red neon light glistened with excitement and, as she looked to the name, she found herself begin to cheer up. The Keller Cellars was a notorious Goth bar known for its hedonistic reputation and bizarre clientele. For a few minutes, she watched the crowd at the front, as they flicked their colorful hair from their eyes and smoked peculiar, skinny cigarettes.

“I’m going in,” she whispered to herself.

Yet, her confidence began to waver when she spotted the bouncer at the door, and something about him looked as though he was hard work. With her mind telling her she wasn’t going to be allowed in, she thought about walking away very fast in the opposite direction. Then, the bouncer smiled at her, his broken teeth like the flash of a barcode.

“Madam?” he grinned.

“Hello,” she felt awkward.

“Don’t tell me you’re alone tonight,” the bald headed man in the tight, black t-shirt asked.

“Afraid so,” Jane began to nibble on a fingernail nervously.

“Well… the Keller Cellars ease everyone’s troubles,” he spoke enigmatically, as he lifted the red rope from the entrance. “Have a good night.”

And, she was in.

“What is this place?” she thought aloud, as she felt the music hit her right in the gut.

Thumping, deep and dirty beats were vibrating from inside her and she found the sound intoxicating. Hundreds of people were moving and dancing around her, as she made her way through the club, but not a single one of them gave her a second look. To her surprise, she was fitting in and she smiled, as she sat down at the bar.

“Er…. Cosmopolitan?” she asked the barmaid in a joking tone, being not terribly sure of what the etiquette was.

The barmaid with the large brown eyes and skull tattoos laughed affectionately and leaned her elbows on the bar.

“I reckon you’d like something very special,” she purred. “We got a new case of absinthe in tonight,” she winked. “If you want it,” she raised a perfectly sculpted, black eyebrow.

“I’m in,” Jane slid her last ten dollars across the bar. “Hit me.”

When the glass of green liquor got pushed toward her, she reeled back from its putrid smell.

“My God!” She held it under her nose. “No wonder this used to be illegal.”

The barmaid laughed and left to serve the throng of customers who were waiting for her. Jane, meanwhile, was still staring into her glass, as though if she looked long enough, she would be shown the answers to her predicament. When she pushed her lip into the top of her drink and felt the first tingle of alcohol on her tongue, it was though she was drifting away from her troubles. One sip turned into another until she was gulping it down and slamming the empty glass on the bar.

“Wooop!” she shouted and raised a fist.

Her head was starting to spin while the music took over her body. The dancefloor sat in the center of the building and was now packed with impossibly glamorous misfits, as they danced to the sounds of industrialism.

Jane couldn’t wait to join them and hurried down the hallway at the edge of the club to reach the dancefloor. It was then she noticed all the posters on the wall with the identical headlines. Keller’s Cellar Fellas was written over the top of photos of hunky men with tattoos and dangerous looking facial piercings. They weren’t like any man she’d ever been with, and something about the way they dressed and looked at her with their jovial, yet arrogant attitude kept her rooted to the spot. She wavered in the hall with her eyes fixed on their bodies. That was until she happened to see something out of the corner of her eye.

There was a notice board on the wall, one that wouldn’t have looked too out of place if it was in an office. Deep within the underbelly of the club; however, it looked quite peculiar. Taking a closer look, Jane saw the board contained classified ads, and she was eager to see what kind of jobs and services a regular of this place would be attracted to.

Unsurprisingly, there was a whole host of sordid and sexual adverts covering the lurid business cards and post-it notes. The one nearest to Jane was half falling off and she felt the oddest compulsion to pick it off the board before it flew away.

Sub guy looking for intimate and regular strangle session

555 729-3888

“What the-?” she laughed and stuck it back on the board.

The one beside it; however, looked to be of a different class. The card was embossed in a faint and delicate herringbone pattern and glistened gently beneath the lights. The writing consisted of beautifully scrawled calligraphy, and looked as though it was penned by a Victorian expert.

She felt drawn to it, as though it was calling her. Brushing a fingertip across the card, she felt its quality and thickness. Then, she ran her eyes across the words that would change her life forever.

Live-in housekeeper needed. Immediate start. No experience necessary.

Her jaw dropped and her mind began to whir with the possibility of a new life. It didn’t matter where it was or who her employer would be. In that very second, it was as though all her life’s events were leading to that very job. She immediately pulled out her phone and dialed the number, as she exited the club to somewhere quieter.