Free [smg id=31099 type=normal align=center width=150] by Kasey Millstead

fiddle with the neck of his tee shirt as my head rests on his shoulder.  My body is curled up on his lap and we’re both slowly catching our breath.
    “What was that about today, Willa?” he asks, an angry edge to his tone.
    “You paid me like a first-class hooker,” I reply softly.  The hurt I was feeling earlier bubbles to the surface.
    “Are you fucking shittin’ me?”  My hand stills for a beat and then I continue running the fabric through my fingers.  “Willa, look at me,” he commands.
    I sit up slightly to look into his eyes.
    “I gave you that money so you could buy yourself some new shoes.  I’m a man, and I take care of my woman. That was me takin’ care of my woman,” he explains.
    “Oh,” I mouth, feeling incredibly dumb.
    “Yeah,” he agrees.  “And since you decided to drive out to the clubhouse to pull your little stunt, I have to now have a chat with your brother sooner than I planned.”
    “It’s not my fault you kissed me,” I say weakly.
    “Fair warnin’, you get fired up, baby, and my cock’s gonna want inside.”
    I giggle, but my thighs clench together.  He glances down at the action and smirks.
    Bastard.
    “What does my brother care?”
    “You’re his baby sister, and he’s done his best to keep you far away from anything club related.  Now, you’re fucking a member of the club.”  He pauses to kiss my forehead.  “Guessin’ he’s not going to be too happy about it.”
    “I can talk to him if you want. I’m not scared of him,” I say in a show of bravado.
    Oak chuckles, his body jerking under mine.  “Babe, I’m not scared of him.  It’s just the respectful thing to do.”
    “How old are you, Oak?” I ask when it occurs to me I don’t know very much about him at all.  I know he likes to drink beer, and he very rarely drinks hard liquor.  I know he likes the Original Beef Jerky and salted peanuts we sell at Club Z.  I know he favors black jeans and white shirts because that’s pretty much all I ever see him in, and I know he rarely relaxes, since he always seems to be on high alert, scanning the area, his eyes methodically moving around the room. 
    And, I know that my body knows he is near, even before my mind is aware of him.
    “Thirty,” he replies. 
    Seven years older than me.
    “Dirty thirty,” I say with a giggle.
    “You know it.” He laughs.  “You workin’ today?”
    I shake my head.  “Nope. Day off.”
    “Good.  Get up, clean yourself up.  We’ve got a pair of shoes to buy.”  He slaps my ass and lifts me off his lap.
     
    ***
     
    “Are you hungry?”  I ask, resting my head on Oak’s upper arm as we walk hand in hand down the sidewalk.
    “Fuck yeah,” he grunts.  “This shopping bullshit is harder than I thought,” he grumbles.
    I laugh.  “Stop being a baby.”  We’ve only visited four stores, it’s not like I took him on some wild, all day long shopping spree.  From the way he’s acting you’d think I have been dragging him around for eight hours, instead of just two.
    We make our way into a cozy restaurant and order a drink each – beer for him, wine for me – while we read our menus.  The waitress comes back and takes our order before leaving us again.
    I take a sip of my wine and say, “Thank you for the shoes.”  He bought me three pairs instead of just one pair like I had planned on.  I tried to pay for them myself, but he wouldn’t have it.  He just shook his head slightly and scowled, so I tucked my hair behind my ear and ducked my head. 
    “Told you, I look after my woman.”
    “Maybe we should…explore that concept of yours.”
    He cocks his head to the side.
    “Okay.”  I take a deep breath, deciding to just launch right in.  “We don’t know each other very well, and up until a few nights ago, you hadn’t even noticed me, Oak.  So, I think it’s a little crazy that you would all of a sudden be wanting me as your woman.”
    “A man can only deny himself of something