“Kindred”
“To discover a kindred spirit is to find your heart in the heart of a friend.” – Ann Parish
Fuck my life! I wasso angry and embarrassed at that prank Baby played on me, I had forgotten the cardinal rule of the MC. We were a brotherhood, and there was to be no fighting among the members. Why did I throw that first punch? I knew Ace was mad as hell when he started yelling at us in front of the entire clubhouse. Baby and I were always getting into shit, which annoyed the big man, but he never lost his cool like that before.
“Well, how do you suggest we resolve this? We have to answer to Ace in the morning, so we may have to pull an all-nighter.”
I looked to Baby and Obsession for answers. I knew how I wanted this to turn out, but that may not be the case. The three of us had to put our heads together and get this thing resolved. As VP of the Predators, the last thing I needed was to have my prez pissed at me. His head had to be sharp with all the bullshit that was happening with the rival MCs in the area. He had enough to worry about, like the rumors of sex trafficking, than to be worried about his top two men fighting over a woman.
“There’s only one way to decide this. Obsession, you are going to have to make a choice.”
“That is not going to be an easy task. Why don’t we grab a bottle of Jack, three glasses and retire to my room? We can have some privacy to hash things out without the whole club gawking at us.”
Obsession had a great idea. Baby and I knew our balls were on the chopping block. There was no way we were going to let Ace down again. After grabbing what we needed from the bar, we made our way to the elevator so we could make a decision. Hopefully one that I would be on the winning end of.
Entering the apartment, the atmosphere felt awkward. Neither of us moved to begin the conversation. Obsession poured us each two fingers of Jack, and we took them to the head. Once the smooth burn glided down our throats, we all began to relax a bit. So I spoke up.
“Sharon, since this is your call, why don’t you tell us what you expect from a relationship. That way both Baby and I can gauge to see if this is something we are willing to sacrifice our friendship for.”
“Sacrifice our friendship? Is it really that serious, Matrix?” Baby asked.
“Well, seeming as how we just came to blows downstairs, I think it is safe to say our friendship has been damaged.”
“Before you both come to blows again, let me step in here. Okay, so I have been on a date with each of you, and I must say I had a great time on both outings. Matrix, you showed me what it is like to be treated like a lady. I felt so beautiful and wanted on our date together. And, Baby, you made me laugh, and you also made me remove my mask and see the real me. How the hell am I supposed to choose between two men who can give me that?”
The confusion waring inside Sharon was painfully obvious. The last thing I wanted was for her to be in turmoil. I decided to make things a little easier for her.
“I don’t know, but we need to figure this shit out. All I can do is lay it on the line. I want you. I am willing to claim you as my ole lady right here and now. But if you don’t want me, I will walk away with no hard feelings.” I laid my heart on the line. It was hers for the taking.
My pulse started beating rapidly as I avoided making eye contact with the beautiful woman standing in front of me. She acted as if she was expecting a grand declaration like in those John Hughes movies. Not gonna happen. I would be damned if I played myself for this woman without her giving me the smallest inkling that she wanted me as much as I did her. Though I felt as if we could have something special, it wasn’t that time in the movie for the grand gesture. Baby stood next to me staring at Sharon like he was reading her soul. Those wolf eyes he loved to brag about, boring into her. I heard the Sweet Lips talk about his glowing amber eyes and how mesmerizing they were. Well, excuse me for not being part wolf. My dark brown orbs, gifts from my Portuguese and Japanese heritage, would just have to do.
“Listen, Obsession, I like you a lot. I am not ready to lay claims on you like my brother here, but I do want to get to know you better. I tend to shy away from any type of label in relationships. I haven’t considered having an ole lady, so this is a new concept for me. What I am willing to do is, continue to date you and see where things go.”
Baby was very clear and honest about his feelings. I understood the hesitancy in jumping into a relationship. With him, Sharon would need to tread lightly. Everyone knew about him losing his wife and kid five years ago. He was a little gun shy to stir his feelings up again. I got that and couldn’t blame him. However, I knew my friend, and if he was considering getting to know Sharon, this was epic. He was tired of enduring his lonely nights. Baby was finally ready to move on. His loneliness had been what originally drew me to him. It was like we were kindred spirits. I would never want to be the reason that he missed out on being happy. It was then that I considered for the first time sharing this beautiful woman.
“Sharon, I have a proposal. I can see you are torn at making a decision. We both want you. I believe you are woman enough to make us both happy. Have you ever considered letting us both claim you? I mean, if that’s even something you’re willing to do, Baby.”
I was taking a big chance here. What if she found my proposal disgusting? What if this was the thing that pushed her away from me for good? No matter the consequences, I had to take the chance to see if we could be together on our own terms. Fuck what society has to say. I shot a glance over at Baby, and he was looking just as hopeful as I was. I knew my best friend. It may not be what he originally wanted, but he would compromise if it meant we resolved this issue without anyone being on the losing end.
“How would that even work, Matrix? Would you guys be assigned specific days to see me or would you expect to double team me daily? I need to know because while I may let you guys put some stretch to my kitty, I still want her tight.”
Both Baby and I laughed at her attempt to lighten the mood. The good thing about it was she was entertaining the conversation. That meant it wasn’t too farfetched for her. Though Sharon tried to hide her anxiety in a funny question. Both Baby and I could see it for what it was. She was nervous. Hell, so was I.
Although Baby and I had been known to share a woman from time to time, it was limited to a single sexual encounter. It had never happened with a woman either of us had feelings for. There was no rhyme or reason to it. We just got drunk during a club party, picked a girl, and if she was willing, split her between the two of us. Once everyone involved came, we were done.
“We can make it whatever we like, Obsession. It would be up to us to set the ground rules. As long as everyone involved agrees, then we can be down for whatever and have a real good time.” Baby tried to encourage her with his enthusiastic response.
“I would be lying if I said I hadn’t entertained the thought. Especially after my date with Baby. I wasn’t expecting to have feelings for both of you. If you both think we can be together, then I am willing to try.”
I excitedly clapped my hands together, and then Baby and I did a high five. I was on the cusp of having everything I ever wanted. My career was stellar, and now I was about to be in a relationship with the woman of my dreams without my best friend hating me. Talk about a perfect world scenario.
“Wait, don’t get too cocky yet. We have a shit ton of things to work out. I can usually go with the flow, but I think I need a little more structure when it comes to this relationship thingy. First, I have never really had a boyfriend, so having two men to cater to is a bit overwhelming.”
Baby, quirked his head to the side like an airhead and spoke with a high-pitched voice like he was imitating a valley girl.
“Right? Like I know you can be overwhelmed, and you can be underwhelmed, but can you just be...”
“Baby, if you finish that statement, I am going to hurt you.”