One You Can’t Forget

“It doesn’t matter, Em. I mean, talk to Justin, but I’m pretty sure he’d tell you the same thing. As long as these charges are outstanding, you should avoid any people that’ll pull you down. It’s not fair, but it’s guilt by association. If a judge thinks you’re associated with lawbreakers, he or she’s going to assume you’re one too.”

Emily wanted to cry all over again. Her sister was right. She was screwed no matter what she did. Damn! What the hell was she going to do?

#

Luke hid his disappointment that Emily kept their text conversation short. He got it though. Her job kept her busy. His job should be keeping him busy, but he kept replaying last night in his head to pay much attention to business. If Emily walked into the store, he’d fuck her right there in his office just to give his begging cock a break. The power that woman had over him... crazy shit!

Gibs walked in to get his morning coffee from the pot that Luke made when he opened the shop. “Heard about last night.”

“Yeah,” Luke said. “That was a little intense.”

“Who’s the girl?”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Who’s been blathering about me behind my back, Gibs?”

Gibs shrugged. “When?” He pointed to the calendar.

“Good point.” Luke walked over to the calendar, and tugged it off the wall.

“What?” said Gibs. “Five years that thing has been up there and now you take it down? What’s up?”

Luke grinned. “Time to move into the present.”

“You’re no fun,” Gibs muttered. He held his hand out. “Let me keep that thing.”

“Get to work,” countered Luke with a smile. “Your wife’ll kill you if she sees that thing hanging up in your garage.”

#

“Hey, baby,” said Luke. He’d been waiting all day to call her. Counting down the seconds like a sad little adolescent boy with his first crush.

“Hi,” said Emily without enthusiasm.

“You okay?” The tone of her voice killed his mood.

“A bit of a rough day.”

“Anything I can do?” He pictured lying her on his bed and offering to give her a relaxing massage. Some oil, some candlelight, a bit of tongue. He pushed the image from his mind. It wasn’t just sex he was interested in. She just had a hot body.

“No.”

Luke was at a loss. This withdrawn woman he spoke to was not the enthusiastic woman in his bed last night. “Em? What’s up?”

“Luke, uh,” she said and released a long sigh. “I don’t know how to say this, but, I, uh, can’t see you for a while.”

He sat back in his chair, his mouth dropping open. What the hell? “Why? What’s wrong?”

“I really can’t talk about it, Luke. I had a great time last night. Sorry for the mixed signals. I’ll give you a call after things settle down. Good-bye, Luke.”

Abruptly the call ended and Luke sat there, floored. The room spun around him, much like it did ten years ago when he tried to visit Emily and found she had left town, possibly forever. That anguish returned, the same heavy feeling of self-doubt and depression he felt during that long summer where he was confined to bed while his leg healed and Emily didn’t visit.

What the fuck just happened?

Did he do something wrong? Did he push her too hard last night for sex? No. He didn’t think so. She was the one who suggested they go back to his apartment. He couldn’t have mistaken her enthusiasm. Emily wanted him as much he wanted her.

Did it have something to do with her parents? Did they see the logo on the SUV and put two and two together? Did those very proper Catholic folk object to their daughter being out all night with a man? Object to Emily being with him?

Luke remembered with bitterness when her parents grounded her for the rest of the school year when he brought her home late after her curfew. It was all perfectly innocent. They had simply fallen asleep while watching the stars. Both of them worked hard during the week, with school and part-time jobs. It was easy for both of them to relax with each other, natural to fall asleep in each other’s arms. All innocent. Even when he had wanted more, he never pressed it. She was the one who pushed him.

It was a month before Emily agreed to go on a ride on his bike and that stupid accident happened. The shit hit the fan then, both with his injuries and his relationship with Emily. It took him a long time, a near-death experience, and a stint in the Navy to get his life back together.

He didn’t understand this and he couldn’t. Luke sat in his living room as raw anger seeped from his gut into his heart. If Emily Rose Dougherty was too fucking good to be with him, that was her problem, not his. This had nothing to do with her parents. She used him, just as she’d used and tossed him ten years ago.

#

Emily sat in her living room, her eyes cried out, never feeling more alone. Justin had called to confirm what Angela had said. Hanging out with a known criminal element would not help her case in court.

When she tried to protest she was sure Luke had nothing to do with what happened to the club’s president, he disagreed. “I’m sure law enforcement doesn’t see it that way. You can be sure, Emily, that if one was convicted, others are being investigated. You do yourself a favor, and stay away from anyone in Hades’ Spawn motor club.”