Want You Bad.

I had been right about not being able to sleep anymore after the prospect of spending the day with Jaime had come up. After she woke up and got ready, we climbed into her beloved 1998 Ford Explorer at eleven as planned and hit the road. She didn’t seem like she had a particular place in mind as she maneuvered the streets of Los Angeles. She looked ready to ride again in tight leather pants, leather boots, and a leather jacket barely hiding a plaid tanktop.

She sang to the punk songs on a playlist she had playing from her phone, reminding me of the second time we had been in a car together when I drove her to the bar. Her hair whipped in the wind from her window being down and she swayed and shimmied to the beat. She really only ever seemed to let loose and relax when there was music. It reminded me a lot of Daniel and I found myself wishing they had been able to meet; I felt like they would’ve been good friends. That thought brought a bittersweet smile to my face.

“So, what brought up this adventure today?” I asked in a break between songs.

She reached for the volume knob and turned it down a bit before the next song started and she shimmied to the beat. She put a finger up and sang, using her hands to passionately gesture. I watched her, laughing and enjoying her entertaining show as she serenaded me. She laughed at herself after a couple lines and shook her head. “I dunno. I just wanted to get out for a bit. I need a fix; wind through my hair, the rumble of the engine in my ears, and the dangerous power between my legs.”

I didn’t want to lead on that I knew she’d be going out on rides with other men. I also didn’t want to acknowledge the stab of jealousy I felt when the image of her on the back of a bike, clinging to some tattooed biker entered my mind. “I could give you some dangerous power between your legs,” I teased, waggling my eyebrows at her suggestively. I forced a nervous laugh and rubbed the back of my neck, “Wow, heh, that was pretty bad.” I looked at her and she was looking at me, brow arched and a smirk on her face.

“Only if you can promise it would indeed be dangerous power, Marky Mark,” she purred teasingly, giving me a dramatic and daring look.

It was my turn to raise a brow. “You know I’ve got those good vibrations.” I paused as a smile started to grow on her face. “It’s such a sweeeet sensation,” I wailed loudly in imitation of the song. We both immediately began to laugh and I felt like I was really seeing the true Jaime for once. It really made me giddy.

She parked her car in the lot of the motorcycle dealership, a seedy seeming little place with all sorts of different bikes and ATV’s on the concrete outside the door. We got out and walked into the building to start roaming, me not far behind as I admired the motorcycles. I wanted to ask about the lifestyle she knew so much more about than me but I didn’t want to bring up any unwanted memories or feelings, so I decided to go with a joke: “So, is riding in a club anything like Road Rage?”

She looked at me with an amused smile and shrugged, “I guess. It depends on what club you ride with.” My face must’ve betrayed my pure surprise to the answer because she laughed. “The lifestyle is vastly misunderstood. Maybe I’ll explain it someday.” She turned her attention to a salesman as he walked toward us. I took the opportunity to stray and look at the motorcycles.

They were beautiful objects. I had never really gotten into them just because I never felt like I had a reason to. I could definitely see why people liked them though. The speed and beauty of them was enticing. I found myself standing by one and admiring it much longer than the others. I imagined myself on it, Jaime sitting on the back clinging to me like I had seen her doing to Joker so many times before.

“She’s caught your eye, hasn’t she?”

I jumped, slightly startled by the friendly voice of the salesman as he ripped me from my daydream. I looked at him then back at the bike and nodded. “She is.” I wasn’t entirely sure whether I was talking about the bike or my imagination’s conjuration of Jaime on the back of it with me.

He flashed a toothy grin as he stepped closer to the bike. “We just got her in a trade; this is her first day on the floor. A really great deal.” He dusted off the leather seat. “Do you have a bike?”

I shook my head, glancing up at Jaime as she chatted and laughed with another salesman that looked at her with the eyes of a predator. She always managed to attract attention from men. It was obvious way; she was beautiful and charming. But I wanted to be the only one she gave her attention to. With a slow shake of my head, I replied: “No, but I might be in the market.”