Shade's Lady

Did I want to go there?

Yes. Yes, I did. He might be a pig and all sorts of wrong, but the damage was done. I was only human—not even Wonder Woman could hold out forever, not in the face of that kind of chemistry.

Shade’s eyes darkened as he found my nipple. I shivered, wishing I’d brought my purse out with me. Then the music from the bar suddenly got louder, breaking the spell. Must be the band starting their next set.

Band.

Bar.

“I’m still at work!” I shoved Shade away as I sat up, grabbing the bottom of his T-shirt to wipe at my wet, sticky thighs. Oh my God, I really was a slut. A dirty bar slut. Even worse, I was a bar slut who had to go back to work with a biker’s come all over my legs, because that’s how I rolled. “This is a new low for me.”

Shade snorted. “What’re you so worried about? You’re with me—your boss won’t have a problem with it. Let’s get the hell out of here and do it right. You know, in a bed with a little more privacy.”

“Tempting,” I told him, which was the truth. “But that’d be screwing over Suz and Sara, and I’ve got a feeling that in a month you won’t even remember my name. Then I’ll need one of them to cover a shift for me for something important, like taking care of my nieces, and they’ll tell me to fuck off. Unless you plan to stick around and take care of my nieces?”

Shade stared at me, blinking. I realized it was probably the first time a woman had ever talked to him that way.

Good girl, whispered Wonder Woman.

“Don’t get me wrong,” I said, tugging my skirt into place. Ugh. I seriously needed to wash my hands. “Theoretically, it’d be great to do this again, and that part with the bed sounds nice. I just really need to get back to work right now before I get in trouble. That whole thing with Rebel was bad enough—I don’t want to make the same mistake twice. You’re just getting laid but this is my life. I can’t afford to let you fuck it up.”

With that, I hopped off the table and left him behind.

“Are you okay?” Sara asked, slapping her tray down on the bar pass-through. She’d watched me come back from my break with anxious eyes, but it’d taken half an hour before we managed to run into each other at the bar. “I saw Shade following you outside.”

“Three more pitchers and a round of shots for table seven,” I shouted at Bone before answering her. “Yeah. We totally had sex on the picnic table.”

Sara’s mouth dropped. “Seriously? I mean, that’s what I was imagining, but still…are you okay? He’s hanging with his club and you’re waiting tables. Shouldn’t you guys be talking or something?”

“How much time did you spend talking with Bone after you guys did it?” I asked her, feeling sick to my stomach. All that empowerment I’d felt on the outside was fading fast, now that he was back to flirting with the college girl groupies. Sara rolled her eyes.

“He didn’t even offer me a ride home,” she said. “And yet I keep working here.”

“Where else are you gonna work?” I asked, shrugging. “We’ve got the bar, the grocery store and the gas station. The gas station’s drug central and the grocery store’s full up. This is our reality.”

Bone came over with two pitchers, setting them on the pass-through. We both glared at him.

“What?” he asked.

“Fuck off,” Sara snapped, walking away. Bone stared at me, eyes full of questions, and I offered him a tight smile.

“She’s on the rag. We all are. Permanently.”

“Jesus, what did I do?” he asked.

“Not a damned thing,” I told him. “That’s sort of the problem. Where are my drinks? Table seven wants their booze.”

The rest of the night flew by.

I half expected Shade to up and leave with one of the college girls. That’s what men did, or at least what the good ones did. The bad ones got you arrested while they robbed liquor stores. Instead he stuck around, waiting patiently as the bar cleared out and I finished cleaning up my tables.

As for me, I was conflicted. The sex had been good. Really good. I wanted more of it, and given the fact that Shade was still here, he did too. This was something I could wrap my head around.

What I couldn’t wrap my head around was voluntarily letting another man in my life at this point, even casually.

One night won’t kill you, Wonder Woman said, surprising me.

But I thought we hated men?

No, we hate being traded for motorcycles, she replied. And with your track record, a one-night stand is the best bet. Doesn’t mean it can’t be a hell of a night, though. One time Batman and I—

“You ride your bike?” Shade asked, his lips brushing my ear. He’d come up behind me, pinning me against the bar with his hands. Bone had already given the last call and the lights were up. Most of the customers were gone.

“I ride it every night,” I said, still torn. “Don’t worry—it has lights. Nobody’s going to run me over.”

“Leave it here,” he said. I felt his breath against my cheek. Smelled him all around me. My legs shifted restlessly, remembering how he’d felt deep inside. “Come back to the clubhouse with me.”

I knew I should say no. Tell him I had to watch my sister’s kids tomorrow, but for once Hannah didn’t need me. She had the day off. My Saturday was totally free until six that night, when my next shift started. We’d already had sex—the damage was done. Why shouldn’t I have some fun along the way?

“Okay,” I said slowly. I turned in his arms, determined to set some firm boundaries. Unfortunately, this meant my breasts were pushing up against his chest and his strong thighs brushed mine, which was distracting. “But there are a couple things you should know first.”

“What?”

I took a deep breath.

You can do this, Wonder Woman reminded me.

“No offense, but I have bad taste in men,” I said, staring at the little dip at the bottom of his throat. Shade was tall. Big, too. Muscular. There was no way to forget the difference in our sizes or how much stronger he was than me. Not up close like this. “Really bad taste in men. That’s why I’m absolutely, positively not looking for another relationship. Rebel might’ve been my boyfriend, but I was very clear with him. We had no future together and that was the way I wanted it…and even that turned out to be too much. He asked me to do a favor for him and you know how it ended, so whatever we do, I’m not going to be your girlfriend or even your friend with benefits. This is strictly about sex. One night only, and we’re using condoms this time. Oh, and a ride home. I need a ride home after the sex. But that’s it.”