“All right, think about it and let me know. Be careful Beth I have already told my deputies to keep an around the clock check on your house. But you need to be extremely cautious.”
“I will Sheriff, and if I think of anyone, I will call you immediately.”
“Don’t hesitate to call me day or night.”
“When can I get my car back?”
“Soon as you can get someone to come and get it from the lot out back. Insurance should find it’s totaled. I suggest you look for a new car.”
Beth left the sheriff’s office worried and more than a little frightened. She had not been able to think of a single person who could have a reason to harm her. Looking at her watch, Beth walked across the street to meet Dean for their dinner date. They had been meeting at the diner every Thursday evening for dinner since they had begun dating.
Finding an empty booth was easy, that was why they had picked the diner, that and because the church was beside the sheriff’s office just across the street. It made it convenient when he worked late. The diner was never busy during the weeknights and they could enjoy a quiet conversation after work. Beth had ordered a drink and was scrolling down her messages on her cell phone that had come in while she was in the sheriff’s office; looking up when Razer slid into the seat in front of her.
“What are you doing? I am waiting for someone,” Beth said.
“Pastor Dean, I know. When you didn’t respond to his message, he didn’t want you to be left waiting for him.” Glancing at her cell phone, Beth had just finished reading the message from Dean when Razer had slid into the booth.
“Since when does Dean use you to pass on his messages?”
“I guess I am just lucky. I was in the right place at the right time. I offered to relay his message and he took me up on it. Now what are we ordering?”
“Nothing. I am going home.” Beth motioned for the waitress.
Razer stopped her. “Come on Beth. Don’t make me eat alone. Nothing can happen here. Sit and have dinner with me," Razer wheedled.
Unsure, Beth picked up her glass of water and took a sip.
The waitress approached, taking their order. Beth raised her brow at the amount of food he ordered.
“What can I say, I’m a growing boy.” He said as the waitress walked away.
More like he needed to keep his energy to perform all the orgies he participated in every night, Beth thought nastily.
“Now, now, I can read that look on your face, it wasn’t nice thoughts you were thinking. Care to tell?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Beth said haughtily.
“Come on I will pay for your dinner if you tell me what you were just thinking.”
“I can pay for my own dinner.”
“Chicken.”
Angered, she replied. “I bet it does take a lot of food to supply you with enough energy to keep everybody happy.”
With a wicked glint in his eyes, “Just what do you mean by that?”
“Well, you are delivering cars for Loker James, delivering messages for Pastor Dean.”
“Oh, I thought you meant me keeping the girls happy,” he whispered seductively. “Baby I can do it all.”
“I know you can, I saw that for myself.” Beth was done. She again started to get up, but the waitress setting the food down in front off them forestalled her movement.
“Eat Beth, I will behave. Please, it was a lame ass attempt to bring up an embarrassing situation that I think it would do good for us to clear the air about.”
Beth picked up her fork. “I don’t think we need to discuss it at all.”
Razer followed her cue and started eating. Beth had long since lost her appetite, desperately wanting the meal over. Unable to eat more than a few bites of food, Beth sat and watched as he demolished his own food then poached her still full plate.
“Want any dessert?” Razer asked when he finished.
“No thanks.” Beth opened her purse determined to pay her part and beat a hasty retreat.
Razer seeing her intent forestalled the attempt. “Beth I want to apologize for how things went down with us. I can guess it was an extremely embarrassing situation that you found yourself in that night.”
Beth looked out the window, unable to meet his eyes.
“I’d like to start over and get to know you; I handled my attraction to you all wrong. If you give me a chance I can promise this attraction we feel for each other will be worth the effort.”
She immediately shook her head. “I am not attracted to you.”
“You were. Beth that night on your couch you wanted me, but because you weren’t comfortable with me, your values kept you from fucking me; but they didn’t stop you from coming on my hand. At my clubhouse, you were overwhelmed with things moving so fast and bolted.” When Beth would have interrupted, he ignored her. “Still, you invited me in that night and stupidly I said no. Later you came to me knowing you wanted to fuck me and walked into a situation that shocked you.”
Beth looked at him, his words bringing back that humiliating night. “Razer please, I don’t want to go over this. You want the air clear. It’s clear. You want to be friends, fine were friends. But we are not now or in the future going to be fuck buddies, which I think is what you want from me. You have your choice of those at your club. You don’t need me for that. You showed me that night that you have no respect for women.”
Angry now, Razer cut her off. "How did I not respect you Beth? Did I pressure you into doing something you didn’t want? Did I rape you? The minute I saw you weren’t on the same page as me in my bedroom, I let you leave. Did I call you any names or try to change your mind?"
“No.” Beth admitted.
“None of the men in the club disrespect the women there. Yes, we share a highly sexual relationship that I admit. We enjoy each other not only as sexual companions, but share friendships. None of us want a typical relationship. We are not ashamed of our lifestyle and don’t feel the need to explain it to strangers. To enter our club is a choice both the men and the women freely make. Especially the women we do not recruit. The women all seek entrance on their own. None of them are forced to be there; in fact many of the women have been lower members of the club for years performing many jobs that benefit the club.”
Before Beth could jump in and say “blowjobs," Razer shook his head as if reading her mind. “No, relaying messages, accounting, taking messages, delivering messages and yes, providing sex. If they don’t want to stay, they leave, but we have rules for them to become members to make sure it’s the type of life they want and no one is coercing them into anything they are not comfortable doing.”
“I can’t handle a man going from woman to woman," Beth stated. “Sex has to mean something to me," Beth confessed. “I know it’s old fashioned.”
“Not old-fashioned, sweet. But Beth, I have to be honest, my dick doesn’t have a woman’s name on it and it won’t ever. I like sex and enjoy a variety of partners. I practice safe sex and the others in the house do too, it’s a hard rule. Anyone caught not doing so leaves the club. On the other hand, I can understand and respect your views on sex. Can’t you do the same? I am not asking you to have sex tonight or introduce you to a threesome," he teased at her shocked expression. “But we could see where this attraction goes, maybe draw closer and have a little fun or be able to move on with it out of our systems."
He took her hand lying on the table and gave it a tight squeeze.
“I have been seeing Pastor Dean.”
“I know and I talked to him. He was going to talk to you tonight, but I decided to do it for him.”
“You didn’t want me talking to him, yet you freely admit to having unlimited sex. You’re unbelievable.”
“We don’t share outside the club. It’s a rule.” He explained patiently.
“The club rules don’t matter to me.”
“I hope someday they will.” Razer forestalled her sharp reply. “That’s an argument for another day, one that in all probability will never come. Right now, tonight I just want us to agree that you’ll give me another chance.”
Beth sat there sick to her stomach at the temptation in front of her. She would never be able to handle his lifestyle. The thought of him with other women made her ill. Unlike last time, Beth was smart enough to realize that he was going to be with other women, whether he was with her or not. Even though they had not been together, it hadn’t hurt any less over the last nine months. Every night as she lay in bed with her burning body driving her insane, she knew he was fucking numerous women without a thought of her in his mind. The only consolation she had was that Razer hadn’t been able to forget her either or he wouldn’t be here now. Beth knew it would be wrong to go to a man of Dean’s caliber with her body on fire for another. She made the decision that she knew deep in her heart she would regret, but would not back away from like a coward. She was going to let Razer into her life.
God help her.
Chapter 9
Beth handed Evie her paycheck.
“I can give you more hours next week if you need them, but it would be only temporary. Mrs. Rogers fell and broke her hip. She wants to hire us for two weeks until her daughter can quit her job and move down here permanently.”
“That would be cool. The guys will be out of town for a few weeks. Beats sitting around the house bored.”
Beth began clearing the cluttered paperwork at her desk. She and Evie had been going over the clients’ files. Beth didn’t respond. She had not mentioned Razer and her unexpected dinner last evening. Beth had told him that she would think about their talk and then decide what was best for the both of them. He hadn’t pressured her for a firm answer, seemingly content that at least Beth was considering seeing him again.
“Got plans this weekend?” Evie asked, drawing her mind back into the conversation.
“No, just paperwork that keeps piling up.”
“The girls and I are going to party at Rosie’s. I would really like for you to join us,” she ventured hesitantly.
“I really need to get that paperwork done.”
“The guys won’t be there, they are leaving tonight. Sam won’t either, without the guys, she’s not interested. It’s my birthday and I would really like you come” Evie pleaded.
Beth knew she couldn’t refuse Evie’s sincere request. They had become friends over the last few months and she didn’t want to seem churlish by refusing.
“Ok, I’ll be there. What time?”
“I can pick you up.”
“I have to help Mrs. Rogers get settled in at home, she’s getting released in the afternoon. But a neighbor will spend the night. I’ll take my clothes and get changed there, then drive to the club.
Evie reached out and gave Beth an enthusiastic hug. “We’ll have a great time. You’ll see.”
“I know we will.” Laughing at an obviously excited Evie, Beth went to her closet and took a package from the shelf before closing the door, handing it to an obviously surprised Evie.
“You knew it was my birthday tomorrow?”
“Of course, you did give me your personal information for withholding taxes. I remembered the date.” Beth shrugged as if it was a simple task to remember Evie’s birthday.
“I have been with Knox three years, even though he would deny it, and he never remembers my birthday. No one has remembered my birthday since I was a kid.”
“Evie, I didn’t mean to make you sad. I wanted to make you happy. Open your present,” Beth encouraged, warmed by Evie’s reaction to her present.
Evie eagerly opened the present as if savoring the moment. When she lifted the lid, her eyes rose to Beth’s before she laid the box down on the table, pulling out the shimmering silky jade green top. When she lifted the top, she discovered the box also contained a pair of onyx bangle bracelets and matching ear studs.
“I don’t know what to say,” Evie said, overwhelmed.
“Then don’t say anything. Enjoy.”
Evie held the silky top in her hands, afraid she would wrinkle it. Tears gathered in her eyes, but the woman who considered herself the toughest bitch among the other women, just put the top back in the box, carefully gathered her things, saying a hasty goodbye. When Evie closed her car door from within, assured there were no prying eyes, she hit her steering wheel with her closed fists, trying to restore her emotions.
“She is unbelievable,” Evie ranted to herself. “She remembers one fucking compliment I paid her nine months ago and she buys me one even prettier. What woman does that?
We are jealous bitches. Who buys a fucking gorgeous top for the woman who fucked the guy you’re crushing on?”
Evie and Razer had not touched each other since that night. Before then, they had sex regularly. Evie had spent many nights sleeping in his bed, too tired after the workout he gave her to leave and Razer hadn’t insisted. But things had changed afterwards; the look of hurt on Beth’s face that night still twisted Evie’s gut. Beth hadn’t held it against her, had given her a job with the hours she requested, saw to it she had insurance, and even paid her more than the going rate of a professional with her qualifications. She took care of Evie with love and respect that she showed her sister Lily. Looking at the box sitting in the seat next to her, Evie put the car in gear, determined if it was the last thing she did, she would make amends for the part she had unintentionally played in ripping the veil of innocence from Beth, there were easier ways to learn a guy was a ho. Beth had been smacked in the face with the knowledge. It was the house joke that Razer would nail any available breezy. He enjoyed sex and was he good at it. He would play with a woman or women for
hours yet get just as much enjoyment laying back and lazily stroke her breasts as another member would fuck her. There wasn’t an aspect of sex Razer hadn’t tried and he had even managed to invent a few.