Caught in the Devil's Sheets (40 page)

We lie in bed, still staring up at the ropes that just held me through a long and intense orgasm. Odin has me wrapped in his arms, and I’ve finally caught my breath. For a few minutes I try to muster the courage to talk to him about Jaime. I chicken out a half a dozen times before some brave part of my soul finally kicks me in the pants.

“Odin, there’s something I want to talk to you about.” I immediately have his full attention.

“Go ahead.” He strokes my curls back into my bun.

“Before I tell you, you have to promise to keep an open mind.” I try to pave the way before I plow.

“What?” his tone is clipped.

“Jaime called me on Thursday,” I can feel the air leave his chest. “He said he will sign the papers, if I will go see him in a normal visitation setting, without lawyers and without you. There will be glass and….”

“No.” He doesn’t even let me finish.

“Just listen,” I try to reason with him, but he cuts me off again.

“He will sign the papers regardless. Don’t worry about it.” Odin is very sure of himself.

But I know Jaime isn’t convinced that Odin won’t rat him out and I’m hoping that I can assure him. I’m still hopeful for a peaceful divorce where I come out ahead.

“Getting a divorce is something I just need to finish up myself before I can feel really good about moving forward,” I say, in my best argument to persuade him.

“Delilah, the answer is no. You’ll get your divorce along with the assets you want. It’s just a matter of time. I promise you.”

His response triggers my curiosity. What makes him so confident, that he’s willing to make promises?

“How can you be so sure?”

“Just trust me. And stay the fuck away from Jaime.”

I can tell I’m hitting a stone wall with a plastic hammer, and I sigh.

“Keila told me something interesting today,” I say throwing him far off subject.

“What?” he sounds amused.

“She said she’s been trying to get you to invite me out for a double date at Club Sin. I was kind of surprised, seeming as you’ve never mentioned it to me before.”

Odin is silent. And then I realize he’s not going to respond.

“Is there a reason you don’t want to take me?”

“Do you want to go?” he asks, looking down on me.

I hadn’t really had a chance to think about it, but I don’t really see why not. “I’m just curious as to why you didn’t mention anything about it. Or why you didn’t bother telling me that Cole is a Dom and Keila is a sub!”

“Look, Lila, A lot of people know me and Cole at the club, I didn’t want to embarrass you. I wasn’t really sure how you’d react. Then once I started getting to know you, I realized you’re the awesome kind of girl who’s down for anything.” He’s smiling at me, and I gush as his deep blue eyes smile at me too.

“So why didn’t you invite me?” I still haven’t heard the answer.

“I don’t want to share you.”

“So don’t.” I assume it’s that easy, but Odin’s face turns a bit cold, and he winces.

“Remember when I said that I have shared subs?”

“Yeah,” I still don’t get it, as Odin looks at me expectantly.

“Let’s just say I’m known to share,” Odin seems ever so slightly embarrassed.

Then it dawns on me, and I feel kind of sick. Odin’s the kind of guy who passes girls around. It’s no big surprise, a good looking catch like him.

“Have you brought a lot of girls there?”

“A few,” he raises his brow. I don’t know what to say. It’s hard to imagine the Odin I know thinking so little of a woman as to pass her around to his friends. Of course any girl who’s willing to share herself probably wouldn’t see it as a respect issue. It’s hard to imagine Odin sharing. Clearly he would never share me.

“That’s why you didn’t tell me about Cole and Keila?”

“No, that’s just why I didn’t mention Club Sin. I guess there was never a moment where it wouldn’t have been awkward to tell you about them.”

“I had a good time talking with Keila about it today.”

Odin is tickling through the roots of my hair with his fingers. He looks back toward the ceiling.

“So, you want to go?”

“Well, I’m definitely not okay with being shared.”

“Delilah, I wouldn’t dream of sharing you with anyone!”

He shifts so that he’s leaning on his elbow, gazing down at me. He leans down kissing me on the lips. My tongue slips into his mouth and his left hand grazes down my naked hip as I turn to face him on my side. He nestles into the soft place between my neck and my shoulder and he sucks gently. I shudder with arousal. Something about his possessiveness is extremely sexy to me. I would have never thought it. I never knew how much I craved protection. I always thought I was too strong to depend on anyone.

“I will take you, but only if you will arrange for me to meet your mom,” he says, catching me completely off guard.

Suddenly my libido takes a plunge and I sigh in irritation. He had mentioned meeting my mom earlier in the week and I just kind of pushed it off like, “Yeah, sure, whatever.” Truthfully, I haven’t even spoke to my mom in a long time. She doesn’t even know I’m getting a divorce. I know she’ll have things to say about it that I don’t really care to hear.

“Why do you want to meet my mom?” I ask, hoping to talk him out of it.

“It’s symbolic. You’re my first girlfriend and I want to meet your mom.”

It’s kind of cute and I would be totally amused, if I didn’t dread Odin meeting my mom.

“Why are you so opposed?” he asks and I hope he doesn’t think it’s because of him.

“Me and my mom just aren’t that close. She’s kind of judgmental and I haven’t exactly told her about the divorce.” I shy away from him.

Odin seems shocked. “Well, you should probably tell her don’t you think?” he says almost irritated.

“I guess.”

“Are you afraid she won’t like me?” Odin doesn’t seem too worried about it.

“No, she hated Jaime.”

“See? I like her already!” Odin’s smile is uncanny and I scowl at him.

“She just always has negative things to say to me.” I shrug, trying not to let on that my mother’s constant guilt trip bothers me.

“Who gives a shit what anyone has to say, Lila? You know that this is right for both of us. Don’t you?” Odin’s has enough confidence for both of us.

“Yeah,” I smile, giving into his argument.

“Good.”

Odin’s lips press back into mine. I close my eyes, and give into him.

I call my mom on Monday afternoon, once I’m home from Odin’s for the weekend. After some light small talk, I ask if I can come up for dinner Friday night.

“Of course. Where do you want to go?” she asks. Mom never offers to cook, thankfully because she’s terrible at it.

“It doesn’t really matter. But um, I’m going to bring a date.” I shyly throw that detail in now, so it doesn’t hit her like a doornail when she sees Odin.

“Oh?” she asks.

“Yeah,” I say beating around some imaginary bush, afraid of her judgment for some reason I will never truly understand.

“Jaime is in jail, isn’t he?” Leave it to Mom to put it all together.

“We’re getting a divorce.” I say.

Mom all but snickers, amused with herself as if to say I told you so. I scowl on my side of the phone.

“Real sorry to hear that,” she says, at least trying to sound sympathetic.

“Don’t be.”
I’m not!
“See you Friday?” I cut our conversation short. I really don’t want to talk about it with her.

“What time?”

“Probably late. Like eight-ish.”

“That’s kind of late for dinner. Why don’t we go to the Beverage Company instead? We can taste some wine, try some foreign beers, and order appetizers.” Mom drops the subject of Jaime and my tone with her lightens.

“Sounds great, Mom. We’ll park at your house, see you around 8,” I say knowing the Beverage Company is on the same street as my Mom’s house.

“See you then,” she says and we hang up.

I hope to God she doesn’t want to talk about Jaime or lecture me about our divorce in front of Odin.

I call Odin after five. He’s just gotten off work. I tell him about Friday’s plan to meet with my mom and he’s pleased.
I hate him for making me do this.

On Wednesday, I run into Lisa at the grocery store. We stop to chat and when I mention to her that I’ve been looking for a new job, she happily tells me to apply at the Elk Lodge where she waits tables.

“Gus is always looking to hire cute girls to serve drinks and wait tables. And he loves me! I work on Friday. If you stop in around 2 or 3 before it gets busy I will introduce you. I bet he’ll hire you too!” she says promisingly.

“Okay, I will!” Already I’m thinking what fun it could be to work with Lisa at the Elk Lodge. We part ways in the store and I head home to unload my groceries, thinking about the Elk Lodge. Jaime took me there a couple times when cover bands were playing. It’s a biker bar off the 405 freeway about a 30 minute drive from my house in good traffic. Lisa also lives in town, and if it’s worth it for her to make the drive, seems to reason it will be for me too.

Odin comes by after work. I make him dinner and tell him, rather than ask him, that I plan to apply at the Elk Lodge.

“You know you don’t have to work,” he sounds frustrated.

Odin has already gone around me and started making my mortgage and utility payments. The only way I’ve been able to support myself is by hoarding all information about my phone bills and other small bills like car insurance. It’s nice not to have to dip into my savings, but I hate being a burden.

“It would make me feel a lot better to have a job,” I say. Doing nothing, and earning nothing, makes me feel kind of useless.

“I am your job! Or don’t I pay well enough?” he muses, but can tell I am less than amused. “But, if you want to give the Elk Lodge a try, then I’m not going to be the one to stand in your way.”

I have a feeling he’s forcing the words out, even as he says them, but I jump up and give him a big hug, thanking him before he can take them back.

“You can expect to see me in the Elk Lodge a lot more often,” he says with a wry smile.

Inwardly, I roll my eyes.
He’s seriously going to stalk me at work?
But he has said yes, so I take my victory and I run with it.

Chapter 30
Falling

The Elk Lodge is built like any lodge, made to look like a wood cabin. There are a few motorcycles parked outside and people are eating out on the deck. I walk inside, taking in the ambiance of animal heads proudly displayed on the walls as well as neon beer signs and biker insignias. I spot Lisa pouring drinks behind the bar and I take the stool in front of her.

“Hey!” she greets me with a big smile, while placing glasses onto a tray. Her uniform is simple, a black Elk Lodge tank top and blue jeans. I could easily sport that! “Let me just get these out and I will go get Gus!” she says.

“No hurry,” I tell her, and she turns on her heel, taking the drinks out onto the deck.

A few minutes later she is followed out by a tall, tan skinned man with a shiny bald head. I assume he is Gus, and I study him. The lines on his face suggest that he’s a person who smiles a lot and he’s very handsome. His thick upper arms are hugged by the short sleeves of his Elk Lodge t-shirt, and he has a tribal tattoo around his bicep. He is obviously an active gym member.

“This is my friend, Lila. I told her to come apply here,” Lisa says in a flirty voice to Gus.

He holds his hand out for me and I shake it with my nicest smile. “Hi, I’m Gus,” he introduces himself. “Where are you from?”

“Ojai originally. But right now I live in Santa Monica, not far from Lisa.” I say, implying it will be no trouble for me to get to work, should he decide to give me a job.

“What kind of music do you like?”

It’s a strange question for a job interview. “A little bit of everything, but I’d say my favorite is classic rock.”

“Me too! What’s your schedule look like?”

“I am totally free Monday through Friday. A little tied up on the weekends though.” I can’t help but smile at the thought of being literally tied up on the weekends.

“That works out well. Weekends are busy around here, and everyone is always fighting for the weekend shifts, to make more tips.”

Sounds like it just may be my lucky day.

“Other than Lisa, what makes you want to work here?” he pops the generic interview question, though I can tell he’s not looking for the generic answer.

“Being a housewife just wasn’t doing it for me,” I smile flirtatiously. I have a feeling Odin would be less than pleased by my tone with Gus, but I would really like to land this job.

“So you’re married?” he asks, leaning over the counter, his big brown eyes shining at me.

“Not anymore,” I say suggestively. Subconsciously, I can feel Odin’s hot eyes, blaring at me.

“You have any restaurant or bar experience?” Gus asks, and I can tell he’s starting to like me.

“Yes, I do, and good references too.” I sell myself.

“Cool. Although I probably would have hired you anyways,” he smirks. “When can you start?”

Adrenaline rushes through me as I realize I just got a job, probably the easiest one I’ve ever gotten. Here I had been dreading the whole application process. “Monday?”

“We open at 11. Make sure to bring your ID and your social security card so we can get you on the payroll,” he says enthusiastically.

“Sounds great. Thank you so much!”

“Hey, any girl with a personality like you deserves a shot in my bar,” he says with a wolf-like smile before he turns his back and walks away.

Lisa congratulates me and I stay long enough to have a beer before I head back home. Then I go through outfits trying to decide what to wear to dinner with my mother this evening.

Odin knocks on my door around six. He is well groomed, his hair slicked back and freshly shaven. He is wearing a black button-up shirt that has some gray tattoo design lacing around it. Hanging from his almost too sexy hips are a pair of dark blue jeans that are cuffed on the bottom, showing off his Converse. If we weren’t anticipating a two-hour drive through traffic to get to my mom’s, I would jump on him right here in my doorway.

“You look hot,” he says taking me in.

I have on a white dress with black polka dots that flares out at the waist. The sweetheart neckline takes a plunge into my cleavage.

“So do you.” I admire him as we stand in the entryway for a minute, and I remember the time we made out right here in the heat of passion. I’d love nothing more than to skip my mother’s house and have a repeat of that night.

“Do we have to go? I just assume take you to bed now and skip right to dessert.” I flirt. I see his eyes widen.

“Dessert is tempting, Ms. Winter,” he reaches out and strokes my hair back, and I feel a rush of excitement deep in my body. I have no idea how he makes me feel so needy with the smallest of gestures. “But I believe we have a date.” Odin holds the door open for me.

I pout my lips at him.

“Don’t tempt me,” he warns, and reluctantly I grab my purse and head outside. There is a brand new, jet black, Chevy Camaro sitting in the driveway behind my Mustang.

“I didn’t know you owned a Camaro!” I say, unable to hide my excitement. I love fast cars. My brother Dustin used to take me out in his old Camaro, and it was the highlight of my weekends.

“You like it?” he asks.

“I love it! I’m a pretty obvious fan of American made sports cars.” I cast a glance at my Mustang. “What year is this?”

“2012. I bought it off a buddy of mine who ran into some financial trouble right after financing it. Got a pretty good deal, basically new.”

“I’m pretty jealous,” I admit as he opens my door for me.

“Good,” he muses before shutting me into the Camaro’s luxurious, new interior.

The trip to Ojai reminds me how much I enjoyed being stuck in a car on the open road with Odin. It’s intimate and we’re able to easily hold conversation without babbling or awkward silence. He holds my hand in my lap, using the other to drive. The Camaro has amazing power and the engine purrs louder than the music when we take off from red lights. He speeds down the Pacific Coast Highway when we hit patches of small traffic, we weave in and out of cars. Odin is a very skillful driver. It’s all too soon before we’ve reached my mom’s house and Odin marvels at all her lawn art.

Mom is sitting on a barstool in her kitchen. I can see her through the window and I let myself in. She is studying the Bible, which she quickly clears from the table. Inwardly, I shake my head in irritation. I don’t know what she sees in that damned book.

I introduce her to Odin. Mom has a big smile on her face and she takes to Odin rather well, not mentioning Jaime, thankfully. We walk up to the Beverage Company, and my mom tells Odin all about how she used to come here when it was Reigle’s Wine Cellar, and all the little quirks about Ojai.

“Lila didn’t like growing up here, but I think it’s great,” she tells him.

Odin sits with his arm around me. We each try an assortment of different beers, from Firestone 805 to English lager. I almost feel like a bitch for telling Odin how brutal my mom can be. She’s acting so nice and casual this evening, much to my surprise. I’ll bet Odin is wondering what I was talking about.

She asks Odin all about himself, where he’s from and what he does for a living. She’s rather relieved to know he works in construction and isn’t a jobless hustler like Jaime.
Little does she know
. Mom scowls disapprovingly however when Odin tells her about his passion for cage fighting.

“I never let Lila watch wrestling. I think it’s all too violent,” Mom states her opinion.

“Yeah, but then I would go to Grandma’s, where Grandpa and I would watch boxing together. I had my own TV in the guestroom and I would watch wrestling.”

“Oh, of course you would! Anything to rebel against me!” Mom says rolling her eyes.

Before she can get into the stories of what a brat I was, Odin interrupts. “Who was your favorite wrestler?” he asks, amused that I watched wrestling.

“The Rock.”

“Dwight Johnson?” He looks like he’s going to laugh at me.

“The one and only!” I say defending both me and the Rock. To be fair, I was like 10 years old.

Odin shakes his head, completely bemused, and we’ve totally lost my mom.

As we are walking back to the house, Mom sees Odin’s Camaro parked out front.

“Is this what you drove up here?” she asks, rather impressed.

“Yeah, it’s Odin’s car.” I tell her.

“Fun! I want to go for a ride.” For someone who reads the Bible, Mom has an undeniable wild side. That must be where I get it from.

“Hop in. We can go for a spin,” Odin offers.

“Okay, let me get a sweater. It’s getting cold,” Mom says and she rushes inside.

Great! We’re doing this
.

Odin smiles in my direction and I roll my eyes at him. But before we can say anything, Mom is back, climbing into the back seat of Odin’s car.

The engine purrs to life. “Where should we go?” Odin asks, clearly unfamiliar with Ojai.

“Two options, town, or the east end,” Mom says.

“Oooh! Let’s hit the dip!” Excitement grips my face as the idea springs in my head.

“Delilah!” Mom slaps my shoulder.

“What’s the dip?” Odin asks.

I can hear my mom sigh in frustration in the backseat.

“Out in the east end, where it’s mostly just orange orchards, there is a huge dip in the road, and everyone who grew up here has jumped it at least once,” I tell him.

“Dustin took my car out there and came back missing a fender!” My mom reminds me of my brother’s escapade.

“When I had my permit, Mom wouldn’t let me take my truck anywhere cause I was supposed to have a licensed driver in the car. One night she was really craving ice cream, and me and Kelli were like, ‘You know, you could just let us run to Vons and get you some ice cream,’ and she totally let us. Remember mom you said ‘To Vons and back! That’s it!’ It was the first time she ever let us go out alone.”

Mom is rolling her eyes in the backseat as I tell Odin the story of my first time driving alone.

“Kelli, Crank’s old lady?” Odin asks, making the connection.

“Yeah, she used to live right up the street there,” I say as Odin turns off Fulton Street headed toward town. “Kelli and I had to do something cooler for our first time out then go to Vons and back. So we raced out to the east end, jumped the dip, then hurried over to Vons and got Mom’s ice cream and she had no idea!”

Mom isn’t mad, but she scoffs anyways.

“You guys were good kids. I figured it was safe letting you go out for ice cream.”

Odin laughs as Mom and I tell him some stories about Kelli and I. How we used to dress up like freaks and do the hokey pokey on the sidewalk, drawing attention to ourselves. I show him where I went to high school and we drive by the old low income apartments we used to live in. We take him through the Arbolada, which is a beautiful rich neighborhood that was built in the midst of a million oak trees that canopy over the road and all the houses. But it’s too dark to really enjoy it. Then we head back to Mom’s house. It’s well past her bedtime when we get to her home. We go in so I can use the bathroom and I hear Odin and Mom talking downstairs.

“It was nice meeting you,” Mom says to Odin as we go to leave.

“The pleasure was all mine,” Odin says politely holding a hand out to shake hers. He’s laying the boyish charm on her nice and thick, and it’s working. Mom can be so gullible.

We get back into the Camaro and I fasten my seatbelt as Odin pulls away from the curb.

“So, where’s this dip?” he asks, with his irresistible grin.

I all but squeal with excitement as I lead the way.

On the way home, I tell Odin about my successful interview at the Elk Lodge. He congratulates me, and I can tell he’s doing his best to be supportive, though he’s less than enthused about it. What does he have against a woman who wants to work?

“So are you up for going to the club with Cole and Keila tomorrow night?” Odin asks, placing his hand back in my lap and squeezing my leg.

“Yeah, what should I wear?” I ask, remembering how Keila described the inside. Odin sighs and I watch as some sort of uneasy realization takes his face.

“A lot of subs are dressed in lingerie to be shown off,” he says staring out over the wheel of the Camaro.

“So you want me to dress up in lingerie?” Going out in sexy lingerie isn’t an unknown concept for me. I have very little conflict with showing off my naked self, though I would love to be leaner than I am.

“I don’t know.”

I can see the inner conflict in Odin’s eyes. He’s jealous, and he doesn’t know why. On one hand I think it’s sweet that he wants me all to himself. But if Keila is going to get all dressed up, then I want too as well. I loved going to
Rocky Horror
all dressed up in cheap lingerie and heels, and I don’t want to be the one who doesn’t fit in.

“I’m totally down to get all dressed up like Keila! It’s not like we aren’t going to be together all night anyways,” I suggest, shaking his arm and trying to get a rouse out of him.

He looks at me for a moment, and I know he’s contemplating something, but I can’t figure out what. “I’ll think about it.”

We finally make it home and Odin takes me up to his bedroom. He puts some music on, and then faces me from across the room and slowly unbuttons his shirt. I try to remember not to let my jaw hang, which I imagine is every woman’s reaction to Odin. He shrugs his shoulders out after carefully unbuttoning the cuffs and the shirt slides down his arms onto the floor. I want to run to him and kiss his bare chest and run my fingers through his hair. But that is exactly what he is expecting.

I twist my arms behind my back and slowly pull the zipper of my dress down toward my hips. I ease each arm out, holding it so that it is still covering my front. Odin smiles, stepping out of his shoes and his hands hook on his belt loops, pulling the waist of his pants down to reveal the insanely sexy muscles of his lower abs. I let my dress fall to the ground, and I am left standing in a black lacey bra and black thong underwear. He stares at me, completely infatuated with my body as I am with his. His fingers quickly move to unbutton his pants and push down his fly. The distance between us becomes more and more unbearable as I watch him strip down. His boxers push over the bulging muscle beneath them, then he leans over, covering himself while he pushes his pants to the floor. His back is tone, and I stare across the room at the Devil’s Bandits tattoo between his shoulder blades, stretching down his back.