HARLEY

I turned the key in the lock and we fell inside as Ace kicked the door closed behind us. Scooping me up in his arms, he marched to my bedroom and dropped me on the bed. I fell with such force that I would have bounced back up again if he hadn’t been on top of me in seconds.

We ripped each other’s clothes off, the sound of buttons dropping to the floor and rolling away intermixed with our moans and heavy exhales. Our mutual anger fueled our movements as we left foreplay off the table and moved in sync, our bodies fitting together like the perfect puzzle piece.

Ace entered me roughly, not waiting for me to adjust to his size this time. I screamed as he pushed his way in, not from pain but from the shock of the intrusion. Covering my mouth with his own, he sucked every sound out of my body as he thrusted harder and harder. Ace didn’t let up for a second. With his anger fueling every thrust, he took what he wanted without asking. It was rough and harsh, but also deeply satisfying. As he pushed me closer and closer to climax, my nails dug into his skin so deep I knew they would leave marks. And finally, when I could longer hold off, I allowed myself to explode into a million pieces, with Ace following me into the abyss soon after.

***

“Baby… you know that we’ve got to talk about what happened back at the club, right?” Ace asked, turning his head in my direction. We were in my bed now, all the aggression from before completely washed away from the physical release.

Looking over at his sharp features and five o’clock shadow as I slowly grazed the back of my knuckles across it. “I like the scratchy feeling.” I murmured.

“H…” Ace’s tone dropped down.

My words were barely a whisper. “I just don’t want to fight anymore.”

“Neither do I, but I do want to listen…” He offered.

I squinted my eyes at him. “Are you sure you can?”

He nodded silently.

Pulling myself up to a seated position, I tucked my legs underneath me and took a deep breath. “So first, I called Tony and told him…”

“The bouncer?” Ace interrupted.

I glared at him.

“Sorry, please continue.” He shook his head back and forth, palms up in surrender.

“The reason I told Tony first is that Ron is … well, he’s Ron, and he’s a jerk to deal with. So anyway, Tony came with me and basically told Ron that for health reasons, I needed the time off. Ron huffed and puffed, of course. In the end, he said okay except he had conditions. And honestly, I should have known this was going to happen. I’ve been working for him long enough now.” I shrugged.

“What did he want?” The anger in Ace’s voice filled the surrounding air with an icy shiver.

“You saw… he wanted me to work two more nights before I took my time off. And honestly Ace…” I continued, as I reached over and put my hands on his chest. “Two nights is not unreasonable. In real jobs, people have to give two weeks’ notice.”

I waited for him to speak, but he didn’t.

“What was I supposed to say? No? If I hadn’t agreed to his terms, then he wouldn’t have given me the time off at all.” I felt exasperated by the stony look on Ace’s face.

Finally, he spoke. “Two weeks’ notice is when you quit a job, H. Not when you need time off.”

“Oh, whatever!” I exclaimed. “The point is, I didn’t have a choice. I need this job, Ace. I’m taking the time off because you were supposed to be away and you have this… this protection issue. The situation is only temporary. I have every intention of going back to Sunset Dreams once you’re back at home.”

Some words fuck you over before they even leave your lips and mine did just that.

“Is that how you see it?” Ace asked, a little colder than before, as he aggressively adjusted the pillows behind his back.

“You think I want to control you, don’t you?”

My response was nothing more than a cocked an eyebrow as my arms crossed over my bare chest once more.

“No one controls me, Ace. No one! Not you, not Ron, and certainly not those who have tried in the past. I own this body and I do what I want with it, when I want!” I spat. Something about being naked while having a tense discussion that was veering towards an argument left me feeling a little too vulnerable for my liking. Pulling the covers up over my breasts, I turned away from him, slipped my feet out on to the floor and stood up. “I’m going to shower.”

I was only halfway there when a hand slipped around my forearm while the other grazed my shoulder. “Harley… wait.”

Tears filled my eyes yet again as my throat grew thick. “There’s nothing left to say.” I croaked, already feeling a tidal wave of emotion coming on. I needed to get into the shower quickly before I began blubbering like a baby.

“There’s more to this story, isn’t there?” Ace asked, more softly now.

“What?” I wiped the corner of my left eye that was dangerously close to becoming a gushing river of tears. “No, I told you everything.”

“Baby…” Ace said softly. “I’m really sorry about what I did and said to you. I had no right to barge in there and embarrass you like that. It’s just that… I… I was just out of my mind with anger. I couldn’t understand why you would do this to me and honestly, I thought I was losing you.” He admitted.

Now it was Ace who was vulnerable, and it had me stunned. Maybe I had read this entire situation wrong. Could I really trust him the way I so desperately wanted to?

Moving closer to him, my heart softened, and I reached up and wrapped my arms around his neck. “How did you find out?” I asked.

“The guys… uh, Rocco and Gage were actually at the club last night. I got a call soon after. But… I should have waited to talk to you about it calmly, first.” Ace acknowledged.

“Or maybe just listen when I try to explain things the first time?” She admonished. “But also… like, fuck Gage and Rocco! They should have talked to me first!” Harley huffed.

“Yeah… I agree about the listening… but the guys? Come on H, they were looking out for me, they’re my best friends.” Ace protested.

I rolled my eyes at first, ultimately, but nodded in agreement. “I know I know…”

As I did, Ace pulled me into a hug. “Me too. I’m so sorry H, can you forgive me? I care about you so much that I…”

This time it was my turn to interrupt. “If you care about me, then treat me with respect, Ace. Even when you’re angry with me.”

He nodded quietly, his expression stoic.

“Got it. It won’t happen again, H.”