Page 37 of Full Throttled

I laugh and take her extended hand. “Nice to meet you as well. I was beginning to think I was the only female who ventured inside the clubhouse these days.”

Arbor laughs and shakes her head. “Oh no, you aren’t, but they are few and far between. The guys are picky enough that it’s not like most motorcycle clubs, that’s for sure.”

“I try to keep her away because Brayzen, Cain, and Hawk are always trying to hit on her.” I don’t think Arbor catches the slight defensive tone that takes over Stryker’s voice, but I certainly do. It makes me curious what the story between the two of them is even though it’s none of my business. “Anyways, you getting ready for your date with Drake?”

I nod. “If only I knew what I should wear.”

Arbor jumps up from her bar stool. “Oh please, let me help you!”

My eyes must bug out of my head from surprise. Arbor and Stryker both laugh. “Arbor is in fashion design school. Clothes are her thing. If you want help you should let her help you. It’ll make her night,” Stryker explains.

I laugh. “Well, in that case, yes please help me.”

Arbor and I head up to my room. I’m nervous, despite just wishing I had a girlfriend I could run outfits by. When we enter the room Arbor says, “Yourroom is so nice. I always wondered what it looked like before Zayde got a hold of it.” I nod my head, unsure of what to say. I haven’t exactly had a lot of social interaction since I left Los Angeles. I mean, most of the time it was just with Gregg and his drugged out friends. I had coworkers, but I avoided getting too close to anyone because of Gregg. “So, do you know where or what Drake has planned for the date?”

“No, he said it was a surprise.”

Arbor pulls her phone out of her pocket. “Okay, that’s not going to work. I’m calling him. I won’t tell you, but I need to know.” A few minutes later and Arbor knows exactly what Drake has planned. She rubs her hands together with excitement as she heads for my closet.

“I don’t have a lot,” I admit, quietly feeling even more awkward and slightly embarrassed now.

Arbor waves her hand dismissively. “I don’t need much, trust me.” About fifteen minutes later, I’m dressed to impress, to say the least. Arbor found a leopard miniskirt in the back of my closet and thankfully, I’m still the same size I was six years ago. She paired it with an off the shoulder, long sleeved black shirt and a pair of black over the knee boots. Now I’m sitting on the bed while she curls my hair and applies my makeup. “This is so much fun!”

I laugh. “It really is. I never really had any close girls that were friends. I had Zayde and then Drake, but I never really had that connection with girls. They were usually catty towards me.”

Arbor smiles. “I know what you mean. It’s been Stryker and I against the world since I can remember. We both ended up in the same foster house and luckily, we managed to stay in the same one. When he turned eighteen a year before I did, he got a small two-bedroom apartment and as soon as I was eighteen, I moved in. He’s been my best friend.”

“Wow, that’s a really nice story. It’s nice to have someone like that you can always depend on. I can’t imagine the foster care system, though.”

Arbor gives me a sad smile. “Well, it could have been better but it could have been a hell of a lot worse. Besides, from what I’ve heard, your father was no better.”

I shrug. “Yeah, that’s true.”

Arbor steps away and smiles as she appraises me. “You look perfect. Drake is going to be stunned and speechless, he might even drool,” she tells me with a wink, before allowing me to look in the mirror. I definitely look different and I don’t know if Drake will be speechless, but I most definitely am. “My work here is done,” Arbor tells me. She heads for the bedroom door but stops and looks back at me. “We should grab lunch sometime.”

I smile at her. “I’d love that.”

“Good,” she replies, with a nod of her head and turning to leave. She stops once more. “I know given pasts like ours it’s hard to trust the good things in life, but trust Drake, he’s a good one.” Her words hit every fiber of my being because I know she’s right, but she has no idea how badly I needed to hear those today.

I’m sitting on a barstool waiting on Drake when there’s a knock on the door before he enters. I’ve read about women’s mouths watering at the sight of a man, but I never really believed that was possible. Well, that is until this very moment. Drake James walks into the room with his dark denim jeans resting on his hips, his long sleeved, gray Henley tee hugs every single muscle on his torso and arms. The black biker boots on his feet are the perfect finishing touch. I stand up but my legs feel weak. His eyes roam over my body and it’s just like the first day I got back, all over again. The only difference is this time I feel like I might be worthy of his appraisal. Arbor really did transform me. It’s been a long time since I’ve taken this much time to get ready. Being with Gregg, well it didn’t matter what I looked like as long as I went to work and made the money to try and keep a roof over our heads. He didn’t care what I wore, if I did my hair or makeup, nothing mattered to him except for his next fix. Being in Drake’s presence is completely different and for the first time since I got back, I welcome it.

Drake steps forward and a low whistle escapes from his lips. His eyes are hooded but have yet to leave mine. “You look…well…to be honest I’m not sure what word in the English language could actually do you justice, but I’ll go with gorgeous until a new word is created.”

I feel the blush creep into my cheeks and the smile pulls at my lips. Drake always did have a way of calming me down, putting my nerves to sleep and making me feel like I was the only human being on the planet. I hate that I didn’t realize that sooner, but I’m so glad I do now. The scent of his cologne and aftershave mix together, intoxicating me, pulling me under a spell that is Drake’s alone. “You don’t look too bad yourself,” I finally manage to say.

“Well, thanks darlin’,” he replies, that southern accent that has always given me butterflies thick with the sound of the pet name. He holds out his elbow for me to take and I slip my arm through it. As we head outside, I notice the Mustang sitting next to my Neon. He smiles and opens the passenger side door. “Your carriage my lady.”

I laugh, my head falling back. “I think you might have watched one too many Disney princess movies with Aubree.”

He chuckles. “You’re kidding right? The only thing my kid wants to watch is Nightmare Before Christmas and Fastest Car on Netflix.”

“She is most definitely your kid,” I tell him, while we continue to laugh. Once I’m inside, Drake shuts the door and makes his way around to the driver’s side. The inside of the car smells like leather, baby lotion and Drake. It shouldn’t be such an enticing combination, but it is. I find myself taking deep breaths to memorize it. “So, do I get to find out what we are doing tonight, yet?”

Drake smirks. “You’ll see.” He throws his arm behind my seat and turns around to back out of the parking lot. He smiles at me and the smell of mint on his breath has me wanting to lean forward but I fight against that urge. It’s too easy to move too fast with Drake. I need to keep things in check so I don’t rush them. We make our way through part of Los Angeles with the 80s rock bands playing on the radio that Drake loves so much. We finally reach a hole in the wall bar. I’m confused, but Drake just flashes me that signature smile of his, the one that makes me say yes to anything he wants. We park and head inside. I’m shocked to find the place is actually really nice on the inside. It’s a no smoking bar which is kind of shocking. Most bars have a permanent haze in the air from the years of smoke accumulated by the customers. The exposedbrownbrick gives the place an inviting feel. There are wood tables and chairs along the walls and a few sit free around the floor surrounding the solid glass bar situated in the middle of the room. White neon signs hang on the walls. The room has a muted glow to it, thanks to the small lighting fixtures over each table. Beyond the bar and tables is a small hardwood dance floor and just beyond that is a small stage. Two mic stands are up there now and a DJ sits off to the right of the stage, hidden in the shadows. The far wall is floor to ceiling records. I’m amazed by it and I want to go see if I recognize any of theartists.

“Do you like it?” Drake asks, as he leans in, his breath tickling my ear.

I nod. “This place is awesome. How did you find it?”

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