4 HORSEMEN
Novella: Kayla’s Ride
By Ava Bonde
Copyright 2013 Ava Bonde
All Rights Reserved
"Even though I walk through the valley in the shadow of death, I fear no evil, for You are with me..."
Chapter 1:
Have Your Cake…
MAYBE I should be ashamed, but food has always been one of my weaknesses. The taste, the feel, and the way it sweetly rolls over my tongue. Eating a good slice of cake is like making love without all the heartache. That’s what I told myself as I indulged, swearing men off forever.
My mother always told me the good ones come around once in a lifetime, and maybe she’s right. Trouble was, the bad ones seem to pop up all the time. They never seemed so bad at first, saying the right things, acting the right way. Of course, it was never long before everything changed. They would start treating me with less and less respect. Sometimes the abuse would get physical, sometimes they’d go the subtle emotional route. Mark was the most recent, and the reason I was staring down the quad chocolate sinful monster on my plate.
“I think maybe we should start seeing other people.”
The words cut me. I’d put up with every one of his abuses, both mental and physical. It doesn’t help that I’m attracted to the bad ones… I kept telling myself he loved me, despite the violence and verbal attacks. I even stuck it out after I noticed the way he stared at other women. I did everything I could to make myself fit into his fantasy. None of it mattered. I was sitting there in the best shape in my life, curves and all, beautiful and strong and willing. His ambivalence to my efforts made me physically ill.
My mouth closed on another bite of chocolate cake, savoring the sweet taste.
His loss. He couldn’t see what I was worth? He wanted to “see” other people? I kicked him out of my apartment and didn’t look back. A month later, I was finally starting to feel like myself again. I’d never felt better.
The fork lifted again, a tall tower of dark delicious flavor teetering dangerously, threatening to fall on my blouse. I opened my plump pink lips, tongue darting out just slightly to catch a crumb as I slid the bite between my teeth. I shuddered a bit in my seat, the wonderful taste hitting all of my buttons, a smile on my face as I swallowed. It really was sex on a plate.
And he was still watching.
If I had to admit it, I’d been putting on a little show ever since I caught him glancing at me from the bar. I peeked again, letting a hint of a smile cross my face as he quickly looked away. My peeping tom wasn’t just some average Joe in a crappy little neighborhood bar and grill. He’d walked in an hour ago and sat down for a drink, making one agitated phone call after another. I looked him over, taking in the lean muscular figure hidden under a dark shirt, battle-worn jeans, and leather vest covered in patches.
A biker…
Even from halfway across the restaurant, sitting alone in my little booth with my pity party cake, I could see he was trouble. The exact kind of trouble I always ended up getting myself into. My eyes drifted upward, and found him staring right back, surveying me like a predator preparing for a kill…
My grin widened as I wiped some chocolate from my plate, licking my finger a little too long to be simply tasting the flavor. Let’s be clear on this. He was HOT. Hot enough to make me forget about my newest no-man pledge. His interest in me and the way his voice had changed on the phone from the minute he’d caught my eye made this whole little long distance exchange all the more exciting. My plate cleaned, I decided to put an end to my silly butterflies. Standing, I crossed the room, joining the mysterious man at the bar.
“I’m Kayla, and it sounds like you have a problem,” I said as confidently as I could muster. The words still squeaked out, a bit less sure than I would have liked. The man jumped in his seat and turned
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