“Good,” said Honey, giving her boss a playful slap at her referring to Grit by “BD,” the nickname that she’d given him, which was short for “baby daddy.” “Still working his ass off, like, every hour of the day.”

  “That’s men for you,” said Melanie. “They’re all nervous before the baby comes, but as soon as they get the chance to hold it in their arms for a while, they turn into insane work machines, trying to provide for the kid. At least, the good ones do.”

  Melanie was the mother of three kids herself, so Honey always listened when she had bits of advice to offer about motherhood.

  “I know,” said Honey, “But still, I wished he’d commit to a little more than just providing. I mean, he’s a great father to Elise when he’s there, but he doesn’t get that just bringing in money isn’t what a baby needs. She needs her mother and father there for her.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” said Melanie. “He’ll come around, I’m sure. He’s just doing what he thinks a man needs to do.”

  Melanie looked down for a moment in thought before flicking her hazel eyes back up to Honey.

  “But he’s still not living with you, right?” she asked.

  “Nope,” said Honey, feeling a little tense at the bringing-up of one of the biggest frustrations of her relationship with Grit.

  “I mean, I’d kind of get it if he wasn’t super-hyped to put a ring on it, but I still have a hard time believing that he lives separately from you. That shit needs to change, girl.”

  Honey nodded.

  “I know, I know,” she said. “It’s just that he wants to keep Elise as far away from his work life as possible. But … I just want him around.”

  “Well, keep pecking away at him,” said Melanie. “That’s the trick to men—just wear ’em down over time.”

  The shake bar clerk then brought over two tall plastic cups, each filled with a light-yellow protein shake. Honey took a sip of hers, letting the creamy, rich shake linger on her tongue as her eyes drifted up towards the TV in the corner of the place. The news was playing and she saw that there was some kind of breaking bulletin on the screen. It appeared to be footage of nearly a dozen police cars with flashing lights parked outside of an office building in downtown Vegas. Cops were gathered out front and were leading men in handcuffs into the back of police cars. And as soon as the camera pulled in close enough to see who the men were, Honey gasped.

  One of them was Emile Van Graff, one of the bosses of the crime organization that owned Fantasies.

  “Hey, Mark,” called out Honey to the shake bar employee. “Can you turn the volume up?”

  He nodded and pointed towards the screen with his remote.

  “… a break in the case by Vegas PD resulted in the arrest of dozens of members of the Bentley crime syndicate, one of the largest criminal operations in the state. Police spokesmen have informed us that this group has been linked by police to the fire at Fantasies Strip Club nearly a year ago, in which the remains of a large-scale drug operation were found beneath the rubble of the building.”

  The picture changed to that of a stern-faced man in a police uniform, standing at a podium and addressing a crowd of reporters.

  “We’ve been waiting for a break in the case, and just recently with the linking via DNA evidence of the Bentley crime syndicate to several murders in the city, we had enough to bring in just about every high-up in the organization. We feel good about our case, and we hope to have all of these men off the streets for a long, long time.”

  Honey stared at the TV in disbelief. For nearly the last year she’d spent every night worrying whether Emile and his associates were going to finally make their move and exact revenge on Honey and Grit for what they’d done to them so long ago. But now that was all over. Honey couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

  “Yo, Honey,” said Melanie. “Earth to Honey.”

  Honey shook her head and snapped back to reality.

  “Really interested in the news all of a sudden?” asked Melanie.

  Honey shared plenty with Melanie, but this part of her life she’d kept a secret. And she intended to keep it that way.

  “Those were the guys that owned the club where I used to work,” said Honey. “Just happy to see them in jail.”

  Melanie nodded.

  “Nice thing about working at a place like this: you don’t have to work with criminal thugs. Rich assholes, yes—but no one who needs to be behind bars.”

  Then a buzz sounded from Honey’s bag. She reached into it, grabbed her phone, and saw that it was a text from Grit.

  Check the news.

  Honey typed back.

  I saw. I can’t believe it.

  Moments later came the response.

  I think a celebration is in order. Your place at eight?

  Perfect.

  The rest of the workday flew by, and soon Honey was walking towards her car, baby Elise tucked into a Baby Bjorn and held close to Honey’s chest. The baby cooed happily as Honey strapped her into her car seat, and Honey couldn’t help but kiss and squeeze her. As she made sure the straps were secure, she looked over Elise, still having a hard time believing just how much she looked like her father.

  Honey took a look at her car before she stepped inside of it. I car was a sleek, late-model SUV, the sort that was perfect for a mother, and the kind of car that Honey thought she’d never be able to afford.

  And it made her think of Bethany every time she saw it.

  Months ago, after the situation with Charlie had long finished, Honey had received an official-looking letter in the mail from one of the local attorneys in the area. Honey, confused, had opened it. As she’d looked over the contents, she couldn’t believe what she read.

  The letter had informed her that Bethany had left Honey as the sole beneficiary of her property and of her life insurance policy. The amount left to her was in the hundreds of thousands, and the letter had let her know that the lawyer and Honey would soon need to meet in order to get the process in motion. When she’d finally met with the lawyer, he’d handed over a note with the rest of the information, a note written by Bethany.

  It read that Honey was the closest thing to family that she’d had, and that if anything happened to her, she wanted Honey to have everything so she could start a new life far away from the one that had taken so much from Bethany. Once the reality of the situation set in, Honey had set to work putting the money to good use, buying a new car, putting a down payment on a house in a good neighborhood, and investing the rest.

  As Honey drove, she teared up just as she did whenever she thought of what Bethany had done for her. And just as always, she vowed to live the sort of life that her friend would be proud of.

  Soon, Honey pulled up to the charming two-story home in the quiet suburb where she now lived. And in the driveway, she spotted Grit’s big chrome bike, a small smile forming on her face as she realized that her love was already there and waiting for her. Honey parked, got Elise out, and headed into the house, but not before looking around at the gorgeous, peaceful neighborhood and smiling contentedly.

  She opened the door, and there on the couch, a cup of steaming coffee in front of him, was Grit.

  “Hey, baby,” he said, getting up. “Or babies.”

  Honey smiled and her heart sang just as it always did when she saw Grit. He came over to her, kissed her deeply, and turned his attention to Elise.

  “There’s the little princess,” he said, wagging his finger in front of her. “I swear, she looks more like her mother by the day.”

  “Are you kidding?” asked Honey. “She’s the spitting image of you.”

  “Well,” said Grit, standing back up. “Let’s hope that she doesn’t end up with tattoos and a beard one of these days.”

  He looked away for a moment, then spoke.

  “Why don’t you put down,” he said. “I need some alone time with my lady.”

  “All right, give me a second.”

  After placing Elise in her crib in the nursery, Honey found Grit waiting for her in the bedroom.

  “Come here, sweet thing,” he said, pulling her close.

  Grit kissed her deeply again; this time the passion that he’d been holding back broke through. Honey fell into the kiss, closing her eyes and focusing on the feeling of Grit’s lips on hers. Grit went to work on her clothes, peeling Honey out of her gym wear and getting her down to nothing but her bra and panties. Honey sighed as he kissed her all over, thinking just how he seemed to be just as in love with her body as he’d been the first time they’d made love.

  Honey slipped her hands under Grit’s shirt and slipped it off of his body, revealing his tattooed, toned physique. She kissed him along his collarbone, her hands moving along the hard lines of his muscles. After a little time working on his belt, she had him down to nothing but his skintight, gray boxer briefs. An aroused thrill rushed through her body as she laid eyes on his hard cock through his underwear, and she wanted nothing more than to have him inside of her right then and there.

  Grit seemed to be thinking the same thing. Laying her back on the bed behind them, he slipped Honey out of her bra and panties, climbing on top of her and positioning his cock right over her sex. He kissed her all over, paying special attention to her nipples and hips. Honey hurriedly got Grit out of his underwear, his massive prick jumping out at her as it always did.

  “Goddamn,” said Grit, looking over his woman. “You’re just about the most fucking gorgeous thing I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

  “You always say that,” she said, “but I never get tired of hearing it.”

  “I wouldn’t say it if it weren’t true,” said Grit.

  He looked deep into her eyes for a long moment.

  “I love you, Honey,” he said. “More than you’ll ever know.”

  Honey’s heart warmed at his words.

  “And I love you too, baby.”

  With that, Grit took his cock into his hand and slid it gently inside of Honey. She moaned as he entered her, filling her inch by inch with the prick that she couldn’t get enough of. Once he was fully sheathed within her, he held fast for a moment, and Honey savored the feeling of being filled full with the man she loved. Making love with someone she cared for was something she’d never known before Grit, and it was like nothing else she’d ever experienced.

  Soon, Grit began moving in Honey. He started off slowly at first, slipping his arm under her back and holding her close as he made love to her. Honey’s eyes went wide and she gasped and moaned as he entered her over and over, penetrating her again and again. Honey’s hands moved down Grit’s body, taking in the sensual feeling of his solid, muscular body. He was all man, and Honey never grew weary of the sight of him on top of her, his muscles bulging and tensing with each thrust.

  Honey realized that she was going to cum soon, and hard. Grit’s thrusts slowly built into a steady pounding, the kind of deep plunges that never failed to being Honey right to the brink, hold her there, and then push her over the edge and right into sweet oblivion.

  “Oh, I’m gonna cum, baby,” said Honey, her hands on Grit’s taut hips, guiding him deeper and deeper into her.

  “You gonna cum for me, baby?” he asked, his voice gruff and stern. “Tell me who you cum for.”

  “Only you—oh God—only you, baby.”

  With that, Honey’s orgasm exploded through her, the feeling like blissful, divine fire rushing through her body. The orgasm seized her, taking complete control of every muscle in her body and filling them with total pleasure. Well into the grips of her orgasm, Grit came, shuddering and groaning as he emptied himself into her. The pleasure lasted for several long, sweet moments, and once they were done, Grit leaned in and kissed Honey tenderly. She still couldn’t get over just how safe and loved she felt with him. She never wanted to lose the feeling.

  After a little time catching their breath, Grit got up and out of bed.

  “What’s the rush?” asked Honey, rolling over onto her side.

  “Celebrating,” he said with a grin as he stepped back into his jeans and underwear.

  Honey watched with a smile as he started out of the room.

  “Come on,” he said. “Meet you out on the back porch.”

  He disappeared into the hallway, and Honey, still smiling, got out of bed and into some simple clothes. She walked through the lovely hallways of her home, checking in on Elise as she did and seeing that the little girl was sleeping peacefully. She scooped her up into arms, taking care not to wake her.

  Heading downstairs, she heard the pop of a champagne bottle open in the kitchen, and stepping inside of the room, she arrived just in time to see Grit step out onto the back porch. Honey followed him out there and saw that he was standing on the deck, the long, green expanse of the backyard stretching out before him. He offered Honey a glass, and she happily took it.

  “So,” said Grit. “It’s over. They got the bastards, and now that they’re behind bars, we can rest easy.”

  Honey nodded, pleased to hear that the danger was finally gone. Still, she couldn’t help but think about what she really wanted, which was for Grit to move in with her so they could finally become a real family.

  “You look less than happy,” said Grit.

  “No,” said Honey. “I mean, I am—I really am.”

  Honey had always been loath to bring up the subject, but now she realized she couldn’t put it off any longer. She needed to know just what Grit wanted. Because she knew what she did.

  “I want you to move in,” she said, gathering her courage. “I know you want to keep Elise and me safe, and I respect that. But a father not living with his woman and baby … it’s not right.”

  Grit looked away and nodded, considering her words. Finally, he spoke.

  “The danger that I wanted to keep you away from ended as soon as the cops moved in. I’ve been working with the Vandals, putting together evidence that could be used to lock those bastards up. And I hate the idea of working with the cops, but I knew it was either that, or all-out war. So, once the case was made, the boys and I slipped it over to one of our contacts in the PD, and that was all they needed to move in.”

  “Then … all of this was because of you?”

  “Me and the crew, yeah,” he said. “And I did it all so you and Elise would be safe. And now it’s done.”

  A moment passed.

  “And … now there’s no reason we can’t be together. For real. And there no reason I can’t give you this.”

  He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a small black box. Honey gasped when she realized what it was. He flicked it open, and sure enough, it was a beautiful diamond ring, the stone glittering in the afternoon sun.

  “Honey, will you marry me?”

  Honey didn’t even need a second. Still holding Elise, she threw her free arm around Grit and hugged him.

  “Of course,” she said, tears in her eyes. “Of course.”

  Grit smiled and slipped the ring on her finger.

  “Now we definitely have to toast.”

  “I agree.”

  They clinked their glasses and Honey brought the crisp, refreshing wine to her lips and took a sip. Looking out over the backyard of the home she now shared with Grit, her baby in her arms, she realized that she’d never before been this happy in her life. And she was more than ready for whatever was to come next, her lover at her side.

  THE END

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  BABY BLUES: Satan Seed MC

  By Naomi West

  I’VE GOT THE PERFECT CURE FOR HER BABY BLUES.

  Putting my baby inside her will be heavenly.

  But keeping them both alive will be hell on earth.

  I’ll put my life on the line to keep my woman and our child safe from harm.

  The only question is…

  Will that be enough?

  Chapter One

  Blue

  Blue Jasper slowly pulled her tattoo instruments from the sterilizer, taking several deep breaths before she turned back to her client. “Take a look in the mirror. Make sure everything is the way you want it.”

  Rat took the hand mirror from her and examined his upper arm, then got up out of the tattoo chair to check it out in the full-length mirror on the wall. His piggy eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the stencil, his mouth twitching amongst his scraggly facial hair. He had asked her for a flaming skull, and she had dutifully drawn it in marker amidst his other tattoos of spiderwebs and half-naked women. He flexed his muscles in the mirror and grinned with crooked teeth. “You should count yourself lucky. It’s not just any tattoo artist that I trust with this sort of thing.”