Page 3 of Biker's Babygirl

“See you in a minute, sugar,” she coos, the game complete.

“I think Peggy likes you,” Shep says as we begin walking through the restaurant. “Elvis?” he inquires as the other doctor slides in next to him.

Elvis shrugs again, but then his lip curls.

“See? Good man.” Shep bumps his shoulder.

“Stop it,” I scoff, but before I can say anything else I hear my name.

“Duke! Been wonderin’ where you were keeping yourself!”

I recognize the voice of one of the bikers I ride with before I spot him sitting on a stool at

the counter. “Zeke!” I greet him, then nod to his son sitting next to him. “Little Zeke,” I add, just to see the ridiculously good-looking kid scowl.

“Been workin’ on the bike. Got something I want to show you when you got the time.”

“I’ll make time—but for now, gotta get some breakfast before these two mutiny.” I hitch a thumb behind me, indicating Shep and Elvis.

“Understood.”

“Great guy,” I comment as we continue walking through the diner. Finally spotting an empty booth, I head in that direction and slide into it.

"Maybe Peggy will think so too,” Shep comments, picking up the thread of our earlier conversation.

I roll my eyes and pick up a menu even though we come here so often I’ve memorized it down to the placement of the grease stains. “Will you let it go already? She’s just being nice. That’s how waitresses make their living.”

Which is true, but to be more accurate, I don’t have feelings of the romantic variety for Peggy. It’s just not polite to say it aloud, especially in her place of business.

Shep flips his menu over, his eyes scanning it as he says, “Not for nothing, you turn the big four-five next month so, you know, it’s not like you got lots of time to pick and choose.”

“Yeah?” Since I knew I was going to order the sunrise omelet combo before we even hit the parking lot, I put my menu down and look at my brother. “What’s your excuse?”

Shep tosses his menu onto the table and adopts an affronted look with his hand clasped dramatically to his heart. “You’re kiddin’, right? Youdoknow that I’m ten years younger than you, or has your memory started to go, old man?”

I scowl, silently hoping he’ll let the matter drop. I’d lost my wife to cancer nearly ten years earlier, and while Shep might think it’s time for me to move on, I have no desire to. Sure, I have the occasional date, or even a weekend of pleasure if the right woman comes along. Someone whose desires match with my own: a Little to my Daddy Dom. But I haven’t ever wanted to make it a permanent arrangement.

“Between the job and wrangling you three, I stay too busy for anyone else,” I growl.

But Shep isn’t convinced. “I’m just saying?—”

But just then Peggy comes and takes our drink orders. It’s perfunctory, seeing as she’s already holding my cup of special dark roast.

“I’ll take coffee,” Shep says, “but not the dark-dark stuff.”

Peggy’s eyes glimmer at me as she nods, and I shift in my seat, beginning to wonder if Shep is onto something. “Sure thing. And for you, sweetie?” she asks, turning to Elvis.

Our fellow doctor points to Shep, and she nods that she understands he wants the same.

“You know what you want yet?”

We order our usuals, and our silent companion taps the menu to indicate his order. Unlike Shep and me who are creatures of habit, he usually mixes it up.

“Got it. Be back shortly.”

“Oh, and Peggy?”

She collects our menus and then turns her attention to Shep. “Yeah?”

---