"Okay. If that is what you want. I thought you would want to hear what I came say."

"What?" I ask, suddenly interested.

"Well, it seems the rest of the crew has changed my mind about you joining the club."

"Really?" I ask, suddenly excited again.

"Really. But..."

"But what?" I ask warily.

"But...you are going to have to prove you are worthy of joining."

"Worthy? I told you, I own and operate a motorcycle restoration business. I work on or have restored half the bikes in the club. How much more worthy do you have to be than that?" I demand.

"That's not enough. You have to prove you can ride."

"Prove it to who? You?"

"That's right."

"And how would I do that?"

"It's simple. We race. You and me. From the Pioneer to a little trailer I have in the woods. I'll show you on a map. If you can beat me there, you're in. If not..."

"How far is it from the Pioneer?"

"Not far. About twenty miles, but part of it is dirt track."

"So, if I beat you from the Pioneer to your trailer and I'm in. Simple as that?"

"That's it. And bring an owl."

"An owl?" I ask in confusion.

"Yes. An owl. You know, hoot, hoot," Shane says, hooting like an owl. "You can get one at the pet store."

I arrive at the Pioneer, the restaurant where we hold our meetings, with an owl in a cage strapped on the back of my bike. I'm surprised how easy it is to buy an owl. I found them right next to the parakeets.

Shane and the rest of the club are there, milling about in the dark parking lot. It is late, nearly midnight and the restaurant is closed. Philip takes my owl and opens the cage. Then, he removes it and places it on Shane's outstretched arm. Shane looks deep into the bird's eyes, then with a gentle upward thrust of his arm, he allows the bird to fly away.

"Why did you have me bring an owl, if you were just going to turn it loose?" I ask indignantly. Owls are easy to find, but that doesn't mean it was cheap.

"I am setting you free," Shane says. "Your will is now as free as he is, your fears as silent as his wing beats, your mind as wise as his."

I look at Shane, wondering how many drugs he has taken in the past fifteen years. Before I can say anything, I realize that I do suddenly feel free. All my fears are quiet and everything seems so clear. I watch the bird, as it suddenly banks and swoops into a small copse of trees and disappears.

"Right...whatever. You ready to do this?"

"Whenever you are," Shane says, as he begins to remove his clothes.

What the f.u.c.k? "Shane! What are you doing?"

"Getting undressed to race. What does it look like I'm doing? Get busy."

"I'm not undressing and riding a bike in public! Are you crazy?"

Shane pauses for a moment. "Oh. That's too bad. I thought you wanted to join the 417s."

I stew for a moment. f.u.c.k it! I start undressing, but I have only gotten my riding jacket off before I start having second thoughts. Do I really want to do this? Do I really want this so badly that I am willing to risk everything for it? Getting caught riding through town naked on a bike would be humiliating enough; but if I were to crash without my leathers, I could be seriously hurt. I dither, torn, afraid of making a bad decision.

Shane swings a leg over his bike. He sits astride of it as hums it to life, and then revs the engine. "Do it or don't," Shane says calmly. "But make a decision."

I take a deep breath and remove the rest of my clothes.

The moment the flag girl...when the h.e.l.l did she get here... drops the flag, I whack the throttle open and dump the clutch. I have to lean forward to keep the front wheel on the ground. I am lighter than Shane by a good amount and my bike has a few special tweaks, so I take him easily on the hole-shot. By third gear, I risk a glance over my shoulder, my rich, red hair blowing in my eyes. f.u.c.k! He's right there! Right behind me! How is that possible?

I am nearly at full throttle already, but I twist the grip to the stop. Shane and I flash through town, the street lights flashing like a strobe as we bellow down empty roads. I brake hard, inadvertently locking the rear tire as I lean to make the turn onto Highway 417. My mistake costs me and Shane slips through on the inside. As I bang up through the gears, my bike bellowing its war cry. I lean down, nearly pressing my t.i.ts into the tank, as I cheat the wind as much as possible.

For the next eight miles, I claw back my lead, since my bike is marginally faster than Shane's. 417 is a minor highway, but it is deserted. There should be brightly lit houses on the sides of the road but they are dark, like all the buildings in Moore. It is as if Shane and I are the only two people left on earth. We round a curve and I recognize my turn off point.

I once again brake hard, my lighter weight pays off by allowing me to go deeper and brake harder. I open up a two or three bike gap on Shane before I dive for the turn, my bike dragging and sc.r.a.ping from my deep lean.

The road is barely a twin dirt track with weeds growing in the center. Our bikes are road bikes and the dirt track is rough and slippery, making the bikes hard to control. I struggle to keep the bike moving without crashing in the loose dirt, fighting it as it skids and slips. I am barely doing twenty miles-per-hour and I can see Shane's headlamp dancing behind me; so I push, but it is so dark and my headlamp is bouncing so wildly I can barely see.

It was a bright moonlit night when we left town, but in the few minutes that Shane and I have been riding the night has grown dark and ominous. With a flash and roar, the heavens open and it begins to rain in torrents. I can't see and the dirt track quickly becomes nearly impa.s.sable. I work the throttle, the bike struggling for grip even more in the slippery mud, as it slides and skids.

Suddenly I am down. It happens so fast I don't even feel myself fall. Before I can get clear of the bike, Shane pa.s.ses. His rear wheel sprays me with mud, as he fights to keep his bike moving. "No!" I scream in rage and frustration.

I haul on my bike, straining in the mud. My feet slip and slide, as I struggle to get the heavy bike upright again. I leap astride the machine and thumb the starter. The bike cranks, but it won't fire. "Come on, baby. Come on, baby," I chant, encouraging the bike to start. It hits, roars, then stalls. I thumb the switch again and it roars to life, coughs once, then bellows strongly. I stomp it back into first gear and gently release the clutch.

Shane has opened up a sizable lead, but I ride recklessly, risking it all. I have come too far to give up now. Then, I see the trailer. I'm gaining on him, but not fast enough. I've lost. After all this, I'm going to lose. But fortune smiles on me and he goes down in the mud, just as I did. I push just a little harder.

Shane's bike is blocking the track and he is just getting to his feet, as I arrive. I'm afraid to try to go around, so I dump the bike and let it fall into the mud. I leap his bike, but slip and fall as I land. I look up and he standing over me, smiling.

I want to cry in frustration, but I won't give the b.a.s.t.a.r.d the satisfaction. I leap to my feet, preparing to run, when Shane grabs my arm. I struggle, kicking and punching, but he holds me with ease. Suddenly, he pulls me to him, kissing me fervently. "I love you, Maggie," he says before giving me a push toward the trailer. "Run. Run for what you want."

I stare at him in confusion. Then, I bolt, running as hard as I can. It can't be more than a hundred yards to the small trailer, but Shane was an All-State high school football player and I know I can't out run him. I stumble again, feet slipping on the soggy ground. The blinding rain makes it difficult to see, but I feel Shane's hands catch me, steadying me as I run.

"We'll finish it together," Shane pants, as he runs beside me.

As the dirt track ends at the trailer, Shane falls back a bit, just enough to make it clear that I reach the trailer first. I should be winded, but I feel great. Better than great. Shane stands there, covered in mud, his blonde hair plastered down from the rain. He has never looked better. In fact, he looks better now than he did fifteen years ago. h.e.l.l, I think he looks better now than he did at the start of the race.

I take three sprinting steps and hit him hard and high. We go down in a tangle of arms and legs, rolling on the soggy ground. The minute we hit the ground, I attack him with feverish kisses. I must be a s.l.u.t, a strumpet, and a harlot of the first order. I can't control my desire and I'm a slave to my body. I am burning with l.u.s.t and I must have him.

I grab Shane's c.o.c.k and shove it straight into me. He roars in pleasure, as I begin to bounce furiously on him, f.u.c.king him for all I'm worth. As the rain roars down around us, we f.u.c.k like animals. I scream at him in fury as we f.u.c.k, enraged that he would try to take from me the one thing I want most and have been working my whole life to achieve.

We claw at each other as we tumble, first me on top, then Shane. We f.u.c.k harder than I have ever f.u.c.ked before, as we scream in pleasure. Each of us demands more and more. I come three, four, ten times as we f.u.c.k. We roll again, Shane's member still inside of me, as he clasps me to his chest, driving into me with the speed and power of a jackhammer.

Suddenly, Shane throws me off of him with a roar, as his c.u.m erupts from him in geysers. I land on my a.s.s in the mud and I start to scramble back for him. I intend to f.u.c.k him stupid and to beat him again by making him beg for me to stop.

But, Shane isn't finished. He is on me, pushing me back down, and then following with his body. I scramble, trying to turn on him, but he catches me and pulls me back to him. He drags me backwards through the mud before driving into me from behind. I scream in pleasure, as I tear at the gra.s.s covered ruts we are rolling in.

"You may have gotten into the club, but you're still mine," Shane sneers into my ear, as he reaches around me and mauls my t.i.ts with his big hands. Plus, he's still f.u.c.king the s.h.i.t out of me.

"I'm yours," I gasp, mindless with the pleasure he is giving me.

"Louder! Say it louder!"

"I'm yours!" I scream, as I come yet again. I'm shaking and quivering, as my body lights up with erotic energy.

"I will never let you go!" Shane growls, as he pummels into me and his hands hold me tightly to him.

"No," I pant. "Never let me go..."

Shane shoves me away from him and rolls me to my back. As the sky reverberates to the lights and sounds of Gaia's own rock concert, he covers me and begins to thrusts into me violently. The wind roars and hisses, as the rain whips me with its stinging barbs.

Another o.r.g.a.s.m hits me like a thunderclap, causing me to scream like a banshee. I fight with Shane, trying desperately to get free of the exquisite pleasure he is giving me. He grabs my slapping hands and holds me tight, as he pile drives me into the mud. He f.u.c.ks me so hard that I can feel the water splashing on the inside of my thighs with every pounding stroke.

Again Shane roars, throwing himself backwards off of me onto his back, spasming in o.r.g.a.s.mic fury. His hips pump at the air, as his c.u.m sprays out onto his chest before it is instantly washed away by the rain.

"I've beaten you, you mother-f.u.c.ker," I sneer swinging my hips over him and taking him into me once more.

"No," Shane says quietly, as he pulls me gently down. "I haven't been competing with you. I've been behind you the entire way."

I grab his head, holding it tight as I stare into his eyes. "You lie! You've been gone! You have never been here for me!" I shout.

Shane's face softens. "No...I never left. I have been always been right behind you. Ready to offer a steadying hand, if you needed it. But you never did."

As I stare into his face, I realize he is right. I remember the glimpses, seeing his face out of the corner of my eye, but when I would turn to look, he would be gone. I always thought it was my imagination, but now...

"You've always been here for me?"

"Always," Shane says softly, as the rain begins to slow and the sky to clear. "I love you, Maggie. I always have. I always will."

Shane begins to thrust again, but gently. The animal-like violence is gone. "You love me?" I ask, shocked to hear him say it.

"Yes."

"Is that why you are letting me in the club?"

"No...you've earned that right. You've proven yourself. You deserve to be a 417."

I stare into Shane handsome face, as I lean down for a kiss. He rolls over with me. Now, we are laying in the cool gra.s.s, out of the mud. The rain has washed us clean. He takes my lips gently, tenderly. It is the kiss of lover, not a rival.

"Show me," I whisper. "Show me that you love me."

The gra.s.s is cool, thick, and soft. Shane positions me, then slowly enters my wetness. It causes me to gasp in pleasure. It is as if the violent f.u.c.king never happened and we are making love for the first time. We are twenty again and just beginning to fall in love. My hands go behind Shane's neck and I pull his head down, so I can look into his eyes. He smiles his heart-melting smile that I know so well.

"I love you, Maggie Rice," Shane says softly. "Will you marry me?"

"Yes," I whisper softly, turning my head so he won't see my tears of joy.

Shane gently turns my face back to his and lowers his lips to mine so we kiss. "You have made me the happiest man in the world."

"You have made me the happiest woman in the world."

"Happier than joining the 417s?" Shane asks, slowly thrusting as he continues to kiss me lightly.

"Yes," I whisper, as I feel the stirrings of another o.r.g.a.s.m. "Yes. You are more important than motorcycles."

Shane explodes into motion, thrusting hard and fast. I can feel my o.r.g.a.s.m swell, pouring over me as the rain had moments before. I cling to Shane as I keen. My o.r.g.a.s.m burns through me, clearing away my fears and doubts and reducing them to ash. This is right. This is what is important. Shane and Maggie. Maggie and Shane. The two of us. Forever.

I gasp in relief, as I come out from under the o.r.g.a.s.m. I giggle low and deep in my chest, as joy swells within me. As Shane pauses, gasping for breath from his efforts, I pull his mouth to mine and we kiss. "I love you, Shane Perry," I whisper.

"I love you, Maggie Perry."

I push Shane over, turning him to his back. "You have given me so much," I whisper, as I take him inside once more.

"I will give you more."

"No," I whisper. "You have given enough. I will ask for no more."

We begin to move together again, his hardness feeling delicious inside of me. "You don't have to ask," Shane says quietly. "I am here for you. I always have been."

I lower my lips to his, loving him more than I would have thought possible. "I know," I whisper into his lips.

We make love for hours, Shane pleasing me in every imaginable way. As I come for what seems like the millionth time, Shane pulls out and lies still beside me, pulling me in close. The sky is clear again and the moon is full, allowing me to see him clearly. The gra.s.s, thick and luxurious, is as comfortable as the finest bed. I'm as content and comfortable as I have ever been, as I snuggle in.

"What now?" I ask. "How will we get back to town? We have no clothes."

"I have clothes," Shane says softly. "In the trailer. And your jacket. Your 417 jacket."

"It's here?" I ask in surprise.

"Yes. I always knew you would earn it."

"May I see it?" I ask, wanting that jacket almost more than anything.

"Now? Or do you want to wait until later?" Shane asks as he softly strokes my breast.

"Later," I purr softly.