“Maybe later, sweetie.” I start to leave, and another idea pops into my head. “Hey, you wanna ride around tonight?”
“Do we ask daddy?” Her eyes go wide.
“Maybe if we ask real nicely, he’ll say yes. Where is he?” I ask, grabbing her hand as she leads me to Matthew, sitting in a lawn chair with a beer in hand.
“Oh god, who let the trouble in?” he exclaims, getting out of his chair to embrace me, before someone clears their throat. I see Sparky sitting, shaking his head, which I promptly ignore.
“Ease up, Sparky. Matthew is like my brother. And happily married to that fine woman over there.”
Matthew laughs at my nickname and turns to introduce me to the others around the fire. “Tessa, this is Keola. He’s the treasurer of the club. “Sparky” over there is Greer, a prospect.”
Huh, I like Sparky better. I extend my hand to shake Keola’s. He grips mine so hard I’m nearly on my knees.
Matthew looks at me seriously for a moment. “Keep Brittany away from him. Last thing I need is for her to break this one.”
“Which one, grump face right here or Sparky behind me?” Matthew chuckles.
“Someone say my name?” Brittany pops out of thin air with a red solo cup, handing me another one. I can smell the rum, making me feel happy inside. She plops down near Michelle to watch the show.
“Daddy, four wheeler with Sasa?” I nearly forgot that Allie’s still holding my hand.
“Don’t think that is a good idea, baby. Maybe another time. We don’t want Sasa in trouble.” Matthew takes Allie’s hand from mine, plopping her down on his lap as he takes his seat again. “She the reason why Jackson gets worked up? I see nothing special.” Keola peers at me. Oh, this guy and I are going to be like oil and vinegar.
I rear back a bit at his directness. “You act like I’m a devil in disguise, like my sole purpose is to cause chaos.”
“We all know it’s true,” Michelle yells from where she’s laughing with Brittany. I reach for my phone to call him. I hope he picks up; time to cause a little trouble. One ring, two rings, three rings,click.
“This better be about you behaving yourself.” I hear him grumble under his breath.
“Jackson, you have some scared henchmen. Keola is an interesting man…” I can see Keola mumble something under his breath.
“They know better than to disobey orders. You on the other hand… sounds like I need to do better. Are you drinking, Little Cub?”
I hum a yes. “Just started, babe. Listen, I’m going to ride with Allie on the four wheeler. You don’t mind, do you? I mean, nobody is trying to kill me.” I bounce around the bonfire, trying to coax an answer out of him.
“Don’t think that is wise. Also, my men shouldn’t be talking to you.”
“If you don’t trust your men, then why use them? I’m not hearing a no.. so I’ll take that as a yes.” I’m tap dancing around him and it’s invigorating.
“Don’t think you heard me. I don’t care that you feel no one is around to hurt you; someone is always watching, not the time to discuss this.” he growls. Oh boy, I’m pressing all the buttons. I guess he shouldn’t have treated me like a child needing supervision.
“When is a good time?” Between the alcohol and the anger, I choose myself, “I’m going to take that as a yes. Okay, bye.” I start to hang up, hearing my name screamed through the phone as I do.
“Come on Allie, let’s go for a ride.” I take a final sip of my drink and put it aside. The gawking stares around me are all the motivation I need. With Allie in tow, I head into the garage, where I find the key in the ignition and helmets ready to go. Allie puts on her little pink helmet and hops in the front, waiting on me. I put on the helmet and straddle the wheeler quickly.
“Allie, you wanna take a picture for Mr. Jackson?” She nods her head and I click my phone on, ignoring the missed text messages. I snap a picture with me kissing her cheeks and her with the biggest smile, tempted to set it as my wallpaper, and send it to Jackson.
Allie taps me on my arm. “Sasa, daddy coming.”
Crap, I better hurry before my fun is over. I turn on the beast and let the engine rumble, revving it up. Matthew screams at me over the motor.
“Tessa, please. If you’re trying to get back at Jackson, this is not the way to do it.” His eyes glint with worry and anger.
“I’m sorry, what did you say? Can’t hear you,” I yell back, knowing good and well I did. Something has broken within me, and my body and mind are starting to feel a tiny bit of freedom. I rev it up more and hit the gas out of the garage, making a move towards the fire, towards everyone else. Brittany and Michelle raise their cups in salutation. A couple of people are missing, but I don’t focus on that. The rumble of the machine underneath me brings memories of riding on Jackson’s motorcycle. You can’t keep a woman who doesn’t want to be kept.
“You ready, Allie-cat?” She does a small bounce in the seat. I can’t help but smile. I hear something in the background’ it’s Sparky and Keola starting up the other four wheelers. I can see the panic and distress in their movements. Party’s going to be over sooner than I expected.
We head towards the trails in the back. I know them pretty well, as we’ve ridden them before. I know every twist and turn and little bump. The adrenaline pumps through my veins with the rush of temptation and danger. I know I’m walking a fine line with Jackson’s patience by disobeying, but that’s part of the fun. I’m doing this not just to piss him off, but to bring myself back to life. The sense of danger may awaken that feeling.