AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Oh yeah? Why so?”
As he slowly walked toward the back room, he looked over his left shoulder and chuckled, “If you finger bang a girl on one of our bikes, you gotta buy it.”
And with that, Teddy disappeared into the back room. I turned toward the showroom and noticed Jak was gone. The spot where the bike had been parked was empty. I looked toward the front door. Steve and Jak were pushing the bike through the open doors. Excitedly, I ran toward the door. As I caught up to them, they were pushing the bike onto the sidewalk.
“So, you going to ride it?” I asked.
“Yes, I am. Let me get my feet wet for a few minutes, it’s been a while. I’ll be back in about ten,” he grinned.
The bike looked gorgeous in the sunlight. The thought of mine being broke down made me more disappointed now, as Jak and I couldn’t ride together until I fixed it. As Steve stepped to the side, Jak pulled a half-helmet on and fired up the bike. As the engine warmed, he turned toward me and tilted his head to the side.
“Kiss me,” he said.
I wrapped my arms around him and gave him a kiss. Seeing him on the bike excited me to no end. As I stepped on the sidewalk and watched, Jak pulled out onto the road in front of the dealership and gassed the throttle like he was in a street race. I smiled as he sped away and up the onramp to the highway.
“Ridin’ that motherfucker like he stole it,” Steve laughed.
“Well, at least he isn’t riding it like a pussy,” I chuckled.
Steve turned to me and smiled, “What’s your name again?”
“Karter.”
“I like those tats, Karter. Like your old man too, he’s a good dude.”
“He’s the best,” I said.
“Let’s go inside. Like any of the new bikes?” he asked as he pulled the door open.
I shrugged, “I don’t know. I like that new Softail Slim, but I’m a starving artist. I can’t afford a new bike. I just sold forty grand worth of art, but I have to manage my money. Hell, I might not sell anything else for six months.”
“Don’t cost anything to look, does it?” he asked.
“Nope,” I responded as I walked through the door.
A new flat black Softail Slim sat in the middle of the showroom. As we approached it, Steve looked toward the bike and nodded, “Get on. It sits real low. Probably wouldn’t even have to lower it.”
I hopped on the bike and grabbed the bars. My feet sat flat on the floor and my knees were actually bent. Shocked, as I had to lower my Softail three inches to get it where I could safely ride it, I grinned at the stance of the bike. It fit me perfectly.
“How much?” I asked.
“$17,500 the way it sits. We’d give a little break off that,” he said.
I kicked up the kickstand and felt the bike’s weight against my legs. It was similar to mine, but almost twenty-five years newer and with a more comfortable seat. The thought of having a new bike was something that always appealed to me. I had no hang-ups with my bike, and felt no real reason to keep it other than I had almost no money invested in it. That, and the fact I couldn’t afford to replace it. As I heard the unmistakable rumble of the Street Glide outside the front door, I tilted my head toward the entrance. Jak removed his helmet as he walked through the door.
“What’d you think of her, Jak?” Steve asked.
“Loved it,” Jak smiled.
He looked truly happy. It was almost as if he finally found the escape he had needed all along. I realized there was a tremendous amount of burden carried by military war veterans, but Jak never talked about the war. As I wondered how he dealt with the emotion from all of the missions he’d been on, I considered the freedom he may have felt while riding the bike. Riding, for me, was an experience and an escape I could get nowhere else on this earth. As he slowly meandered through the showroom, he seemed to have a little more attitude to his walk.
In his boots, jeans, and tee shirt, he looked like a biker.
“Well?” I asked, trying not to sound too excited.
“Well what? Well, you look gorgeous on that new bike, honey,” he smiled as he bent down to my height and kissed me.
“Do you like it?” he asked.
