Page 27 of Vex

“I enjoyed our night a fuck of a lot more than I should have, Taja. No, be quiet, I’m talking right now,” I say when her mouth opens to protest.

She closes her mouth, but her whole body glares at me as I continue.

“Every fucking second with you was spectacular. Never thought you were doing it for money. I know you don’t roll that way. Maybe that’s why I was so determined to spend time with you. You’re real and I like that. I’ve found I like that a lot. I left the money, not as payment, but to use for the morning after pill,” I state watching her eyes grow larger when the last sentence sinks in.

“You used condoms!” Taja shouts almost accusatory.

“Not every time we fucked Taja. And I’m sorry about that. I’ve never had sex without one and I fucked up with you. I’m clean, so you don’t need to worry about that. I’m assuming you are too. Correct?”

“Yes, of course I am,” she murmurs.

“Are you on birth control?” I ask while holding my breath.

“No,” she barely whispers as I feel my stomach drop.

“Oh fuck, Taja. We might have a problem then,” I groan out.

She’s deathly silent for a few minutes while staring across the parking lot. I let her have her thoughts while my mind tries to sort through the mess we could now be in. Finally, her eyes swing my direction, and I can easily spot the steely determination in hers.

“Wedon’t have a problem, Vex.Imight have one but I’ll deal. We knew going into that night that we had an expiration date. We work together, and I have no problem with that continuing, but that’s all the relationship we’re going to have. Thank you for clearing up the money thing. You need to walk away now.”

My anger comes rushing back, and I slam my fist on her dashboard. I instantly regret it when I see her flinch and lean further away from me.

“Don’t do that! Don’t flinch and don’t lean away from me in fear, Taja! Don’t ever fucking do that! I would never lay a hand on a woman and especially not you! Jesus fucking Christ!” I rasp out in frustration.

“You need to get out of my car, Vex. I need to get home and process all of this,” Taja says while holding her chin up at a determined angle.

Emotions are too high and the topic too heated, so I see the wisdom in her words. I open the door and step out. Tossing the keys to her, I lean my head into the opening and ask “Were you a virgin?”

“Yeah, I was,” Taja answers softly as she starts her car. She immediately puts it into gear and starts to pull away. I slam her door with enough force to rock the car and watch her leave the lot.

I spend the rest of the night riding my Fat Boy but not because I need to clear my mind. I’m very clear on what to do. I’m not sure how I’m going to make Taja understand, but I’ll find a way. The game has changed. If there’s a baby, I’m going to be in it and Taja’s lives. That’s non-negotiable. I think I may force my way into Taja’s life whether there’s a baby or not. She intrigues me. She challenges me and doesn’t bow at my feet. I like her determination to give Tessie a good life. I simply flat out like and admire her.

-*- -*- -*- -*-

I turn my bike into the club’s gym and park it. Walking inside, I spot Axel, Pooh and Cash standing at the counter together. Axel’s speaking and the other two are laughing at him. Common occurrence when Axel’s involved. I give a chin lift their direction but head for the locker room. After changing, I hit the weights. After a long workout, I’m feeling more like myself again. My muscles ache and my lungs are burning. It’s time to hit the shower then head to the clubhouse for some sleep.

Wrapping a towel around my waist and using another to dry off with, I head to my locker. While sitting on the bench towel drying my hair, Pooh walks in and takes a seat on the bench across from me. We sit in silence for a few minutes before I break it.

“I fucked up. Bad. Like worse than anything even Axel has fucked up.”

Pooh’s eyebrows rise, but he stays silent.

Slinging the towel around my neck and pushing the hair out of my face, I drop my forearms to my knees and stare at the floor. Pooh won’t judge me, that I know. I take a deep breath and start laying it out for him.

“I promised myself I’d stay away from fucking other employees of Dreams. Too messy. That idea went out the window when Taja started bartending there. I didn’t act on it right away, mostly because Freddy asked me not to. So did Suki. I knew it would be a mistake but fuck, God I wanted her. We became good friends over the next few months, and I liked more and more about her. Things went sideways when I kissed her. No turning back for us.”

I hesitate, trying to get my words straight when Pooh speaks for the first time.

“So, you two hooked up. Both consenting adults. Where’s the problem? Is she wanting more than a hookup now?”

“She was a virgin and didn’t tell me. I knew she didn’t have a lot of experience, but I never expected that. Things were off the charts between us. I lost my common sense as soon as I touched her. We had sex several times that night. Only once with a condom. And I stayed the night, wrapped around her and liking it. A fuck of a lot.”

“Holy shit, Vex! You’ve lost your damn mind!” Pooh sputters out. I’d laugh at the look of astonishment on his face, but I don’t have it in me at the moment.

“It gets worse,” I warn him. “I freaked the fuck out when I realized I had spent the night. I panicked even more when I realized the condoms were still laying there, unused. I bolted and left without waiting for her to wake up.”

“Holy shit, Vex!” Pooh repeats. “Not even Axel’s done something like that!”