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I Stood My Ground

Last summer, I ran into one of the men who sexually assaulted me.

I knew it was a matter of time. We live in the same town. We have mutual friends. The clock was ticking. I was mentally prepared.

I thought.

It was a Saturday. I’d spent all week writing  A Risky Prospect. He hadn’t been far from my mind while I wrote Olivia struggling through her own PTSD. Still, I hadn’t exactly been worried about running into him.

I drove to the store for a pack of cigarettes. As I got out of my car and headed in, he went inside. I thought he looked familiar from behind, but talked myself out of it. I see men who look like him all the time and initially panic, then realize they are someone else. When I got inside, he turned around.

It was him.

We stood 10 or 20 feet apart. He stared at me. I stared back.

I wanted to turn and walk right back out. But I wanted that pack of cigarettes even more—especially since there he stood, right in front of me for the first time in years.

The last time I saw him was at the wake of a mutual friend.

As we stared each other down, I remembered everything: his hands around my throat, the mess on my face, the quiet and numb ride home, how I cut all contact with him as soon as I got out of his car and into the safety of my home.

I also remembered the good things: how he was my first kiss, how we stood there in front of our high school, snow falling around us. How he’d give me his hoodie when I was cold. How he always said the right things, but I no longer believed him.

He stood there in the store, I stood there in the store. He looked like he wanted to say something—just like the night of the wake. Except this time, I didn’t turn and walk away.

He was the one to walk away.

I bought my cigarettes and I drove home.

Even as the flashbacks slammed into me, I was proud of myself. I stood my ground.

It was a huge step forward for me.

Photo by Steinar Engeland on Unsplash

A RISKY PROSPECT Glossary

While reading A Risky Prospect, there might be some terms you aren’t familiar with, or places you need a refresher for. I’ve put together a glossary of biker slang and club roles, as well as terms special to the River Reapers MC, plus locations.

Looking for the character guide? Click here!

♠

Cara’s: A diner on 63 that Donny and Esther work at. Many of the River Reapers frequent Cara’s.

Colors: A logo of sorts that adorns the back of MC members’ cuts. Usually embroidered onto the leather. The River Reapers colors is the Sludge Specter—a sludge-covered reaper that is a nod to the polluted Naugatuck River.

Cut: The leather jacket or vest that members of a club wear, usually with the club’s insignia embroidered onto the back, and various patches sewn on.

Enforcer: Sort of a bouncer for the club… or the guy who sorts things out when talking doesn’t work.

Hangaround: A non-member who hangs out with the MC, often at The Wet Mermaid. Usually other motorcycle enthusiasts and even non-rival bikers.

House Mouse: A woman who is unaffiliated with but hangs out with the club.

Holeshot: When someone in a motor vehicle rips up gravel. It’s also the fastest driver during a race. Not a biker term, but a reader asked about it, so I figured I’d include it. It also used to be my dad’s CB handle.

Ol’ Lady / Ol’ Man: Girlfriend/boyfriend, usually serious.

One-kicker: In A Disturbing Prospect, Cliff mentions that he isn’t a one-kick wonder yet; this means that he can’t start his bike with just one kick of the starter.

One-percenter: A club that is involved with illegal activity.

Lewisburg: The prison that both Cliff and Mercy served time in.

MC: Motorcycle club

Naugatuck, CT: The dying industrial town where the series takes place. Also a real town near where I grew up.

Naugatuck River: A river that cuts through Naugatuck and Waterbury. Known nationally in real life for its chemical pollution. More recently, there was an oil spill. Some say the river is cursed.

Patch: This can refer to the patch on a biker’s cut, or the verb—as in, getting patched in, meaning being accepted as a member.

President: The member who oversees club activities, duties, and operations.

Prospect: A potential member.

Pussy Pad: The seat on the back of the bike, usually where a biker’s ol’ lady rides.

River Reapers MC: A fictional motorcycle club named for the Naugatuck River.

Rocker: A curved patch that is usually placed on the side or back of a cut. Usually designates the club’s name.

Sergeant-at-Arms: The member who handles club rules, patches, etc. Also sometimes weapons. (In some MCs, the SAA and Enforcer are interchangeable terms for the same role.)

Sludge Specter: A patch awarded only to members willing to do anything for the MC, who have actually gone above and beyond member duties. Also refers to the MC’s colors.

“Take them to the river”: A River Reapers phrase referring to killing someone—usually determined by a club vote. Example: When the original members voted to kill Bastard for molesting Lucy, they voted whether to take him to the river. Bodies are often buried on the Naugatuck River front, making it a more literal phrase.

Treasurer: The member who takes care of funds. Also organizes activities, fundraisers, and other club events.

Vice President: Second-in-command, usually coordinates Church and other events, and also takes over President roles in case that member can’t perform his duties.

The Wet Mermaid: The strip club owned by the River Reapers. The business is under Treasurer Mark’s name.

Read the River Reapers MC Series

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Photo by Lucas Filipe on Unsplash

A Recap of A Disturbing Prospect

There’s a lot of stuff happening in these River Reapers MC books, and it’s been over a year since I published A Disturbing Prospect, so you’re bound to forget something. Shoutout to Molli Moran for suggesting I put a recap in the beginning of A Risky Prospect; I decided to do it as a blog post instead, that way it doesn’t take up any space in the book. (Per Amazon’s TOS, bonus content can only take up no more than 10 percent of your ebook.)

Before You Read

Take a look at potential triggers, and check out the glossary of biker terms. There’s also a handy character list.

Previously on the River Reapers MC series…

Cliff was released from prison, but didn’t have anywhere to go. Thanks to terrible prison wages, he’d earned exactly enough for his cab and one night in a shitty motel. There was only one person he could call, but it was a long shot: his cousin Lucy. Would she even remember him? And if she did, would she want to talk to him?

It turned out that not only did Lucy remember him, but she was still grateful for what he did for her. She immediately offered to come down to Pennsylvania from Connecticut and pick him up. She planned on going by herself, but her adopted younger sister Olivia insisted on tagging along. She could use the break from her mundane life as a college student. In just a few months, she’d be graduating and officially a social worker. She had to live it up while she still could. Not too much, though—they almost missed their train!

When Olivia and Cliff meet, they’re instantly attracted to each other.

And then suddenly we’re in Lewisburg, and the Escalade pulls up in front of the entrance to a Days Inn. A man paces out front, his hands shoved into the pockets of his coat. Long brown hair that’s nearly black frames his face, and he’s got a beard, so I can’t really make out his features. But he’s big.

Not in a heavy way. He’s tall and broad. Even with that bulky hand-me-down coat, I can tell he’s built. It’s like I’m psychic and imagined him into being. Biting my lip, I stifle a giggle. For all I know, he’s really ugly and has a beer gut.

It really has been too long since I’ve gotten laid.

Lucy pays the Uber guy, we grab our luggage, and then my sister and I are standing in front of the motel with Cliff.

“They kicked you out?” she asks him.

He looks up, and depthless brown eyes meet hers. Despite the massive amounts of fur on his face, he’s handsome.

Hot, even.

There’s a scar next to his eyebrow that’s more like a pocked hole. It looks like someone bludgeoned him with a big rock. They probably did. But the rest of his face is intact—no teardrop tattoos or anything like that. His eyes are surprisingly soft and kind. When he smiles at Lucy, it lights up his whole face.

Olivia, Cliff, and Lucy spend a few days in Lewisburg while Cliff gets himself transferred to a probationary officer in Connecticut. Then they’re on the road again—or at least, they should be.

To celebrate, they go out for drinks. Olivia and Cliff have a few shots too many and get skin to skin in the back of someone else’s station wagon. Olivia swears to herself that it’ll never happen again. After all, they’re practically cousins.

But Cliff can’t shake lively, lovely Olivia from his head. It’s been 20 years since he set eyes on a woman, so maybe he’s just crushing on the idea of her. Or maybe it’s something more.

Cliff’s new P.O. sets him up with a job, and on his first day, he realizes he and Olivia have even more in common: they’re both working for a motorcycle club. Neither of them want the other there, and they both keep trying to change each other’s mind.

“They sell drugs, Olivia. This is just a front.” And fuck knows what else they do. I don’t say that, though. “This isn’t a good place for you.”

The relaxed woman in front of me morphs before my eyes. Her eyelids droop so that only slits of her pupils, irises, and whites are showing. Her lip curls. Nostrils flaring, she stabs the cigarette into the air in front of me. “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

“Look, I’m not trying to be a dick, Livvie—”

“And you don’t get to call me that.” She sucks in a long drag. “The only way this is going to work, Cliff, is if you do you and I do me. We agreed: family reunions. That means you don’t stomp around acting like my fucking daddy.”

I rub my temples. “So you don’t mind working in a place that sells coke?”

The dirty look she tosses me is simultaneously condescending. “What the fuck do you think I do behind this bar? Pour beer for shit tips?”

Oh, Olivia. I look down at my drink, at the cigarette in my hands. I need something a lot stronger. It’s only my first shift and everything is spiraling out of what little equilibrium I had. “You’ll go down with them,” I say. “Do you want that?”

She rolls her eyes. “I want to pay off my student loans. The most I can possibly hope to make is $40,000 a year in this fucking state. I’ll be lucky if I can land a job with DCF. I don’t want to start off in debt right out of the gate.”

“What is it you’re going for?” I pictured her as doing something more adventurous, not sitting in a goddamn state office all day.

Stubbing out her cigarette, she settles those brown eyes on mine. “I want to be a social worker. I wanna help kids in the system.” The unsaid remainder of that sentence hangs between us: So they don’t end up like you.

“Don’t you think,” I say slowly, “that it’ll be a little hard to get a nice state job if you’re convicted of selling drugs?”

“Fuck you,” she lobs at me.

Grinning, I stand. “You already did.” I walk away, the whiskey soaking into me. Not in an out of control way. My veins swim, limbs relaxed. This head is clear.

But Olivia has even bigger problems. A guy from her photography class just won’t take no for an answer. She lets him down gently, but something about him seems off.

Meanwhile, Cliff learns that his father Bastard was the MC’s President. His mother Ruth shielded him from the MC until she died, so he was naive to much of who and what Bastard was.

Until he caught Bastard molesting Lucy.

Cliff killed Bastard and went to prison for his murder. The MC’s current President Ravage explains that he and some of the other members wanted to kill Bastard themselves, but club protocol meant they had to vote. Unfortunately, the vote was split right down the middle, meaning none of the members could take any action against Bastard. Cliff, Ravage explains, did them a favor, so if he wants to join the MC, he’s welcome to be a Prospect.

It’s a lot to take in, but Cliff ultimately decided to become a Prospect because, apart from Lucy, he has no family. The MC could be his family, if he lets it.

Olivia starts noticing odd things: first her roommate Esther’s car gets keyed, then someone tries to kill her kitten. She approaches Donny, the MC’s Enforcer, for a gun—just in case. She’s been hurt by too many men in the past, and it can’t hurt to err on the side of caution.

It all comes to a head when her classmate Eli makes a copy of her apartment key and breaks in. Thankfully, she’s prepared, but she wasn’t prepared to fight him. After a close call, she takes Eli out with a shot to the hand and then to the head. The only thing she didn’t prepare for was the aftermath. She can’t call the cops. Instead, she calls Cliff.

Cliff calls the MC, and with Enforcer Donny and Sergeant-at-Arms Beer Can, he dismembers and disposes of the body. Eli can’t hurt Olivia anymore, but she’s still in a state of shock. It shouldn’t feel so good to take a life. Cliff knows exactly what she means.

MC President Ravage is both irritated with and proud of both Cliff and Olivia for the way they handled things. He reveals to Olivia that her father was Cliff’s father’s Vice President. The club is her birthright, too, if she wants it. The MC offers her a position as a Prospect, and patches Cliff in as a full member.

All that’s left is for Olivia and Cliff to decide whether they should be together. Neither of them can deny the pull they feel toward each other. Besides, the couple that hides a body together stays together, right? They decide to give it a go, for now…

The story continues in A Risky Prospect, Book 2 in the River Reapers MC series.

A RISKY PROSPECT Character Guide

As the River Reapers MC series grows, you might have a hard time keeping track of all the characters. (I know I do, sometimes!) The following is an appendix of the characters and their relationships as of the second book in the series, A Risky Prospect.

NOTE: This guide contains spoilers! If you haven’t finished Book 1, A Disturbing Prospect, please see this character guide instead.

  • Abraham: Non-officer member of the River Reapers MC. He is a barber and is in a serious relationship with his boyfriend Rui.
  • Salome & León Aguirre: Esther’s grandparents. Current guardians of Esther’s little sisters.
  • Beer Can: The Sergeant-at-Arms for the River Reapers MC. He works at The Wet Mermaid (strip club) as a bouncer.
  • Finn Byrne: Greg’s brother. Naugatuck police officer.
  • Greg Byrne: Olivia’s ex-boyfriend and the frontman of Oh Vile Eye.
  • Mark Clayton: The Treasurer for the River Reapers MC. He works at The Wet Mermaid (strip club) as a general manager.
  • Sebastian “Bastard” Demmel: Cliff’s deceased father, and the previous President of the River Reapers MC. Lucy’s uncle.
  • Cliff Demmel: The hero of our story. Ex-con and new Prospect of the River Reapers MC. Lucy’s cousin. Olivia’s… something.
  • Lucy Demmel: Cliff’s cousin and Olivia’s adoptive sister. She teaches first grade.
  • Nora & Collin Demmel: Lucy’s parents, Olivia’s adoptive parents, and Cliff’s aunt and uncle.
  • Dio: Olivia’s orange tabby kitten. Named for the god of heavy metal.
  • Esther Figueroa: Olivia’s bookish roommate and Donny’s ol’ lady. She just graduated from the Social Work program with Olivia at Southern Connecticut State University.
  • Abril Figueroa: Esther’s 11-year-old sister.
  • Cierra Figueroa: Esther’s 14-year-old sister.
  • Toci & Josué Figueroa: Esther, Cierra, Abril, and Ximena’s abusive parents.
  • Ximena “Jimmy” Jimenez Figueroa: Esther’s five-year-old sister.
  • Todd “Ravage” Harris: The current President of the River Reapers MC. Mercy’s best friend.
  • Shannon Harris: Ravage’s ol’ lady. She runs a non-profit for sexual assault survivors.
  • Donny Jackson: The Enforcer for the River Reapers MC and Esther’s ol’ man.
  • Elijah “Eli” Moretti: Olivia’s deceased photography classmate. He stalked Olivia, assaulted her cat, and broke into her apartment, where she shot and killed him.
  • Pru: Dancer at The Wet Mermaid.
  • Bree Reynolds: Olivia’s mother, whereabouts unknown.
  • Mercer “Mercy” Reynolds: The previous Vice President of the River Reapers MC, and Bastard’s ex-best friend. Currently serving time in maximum security at Lewisburg. Considers Ravage his best friend.
  • Olivia Reynolds: The heroine of our story. Lucy’s adopted sister. Cliff’s… something. Bree’s daughter. She just graduated from the Social Work program with Esther (roommate) at Southern Connecticut State University.
  • Skid: The current Vice President of the River Reapers MC. Half of his body is covered in road rash due to a motorcycle accident, hence his nickname.
  • Stixx: Non-officer member of the River Reapers MC. He’s all tatted up and a little wild in the eyes, but he’s got a soft center.
  • Trish: Bartender at The Wet Mermaid.
  • Vaughn: Non-officer member of River Reapers MC. He is a hacker.
  • Ruth Wood: Cliff’s deceased mother, and Lucy’s aunt. No affiliation with the MC, other than Bastard’s ol’ lady.

Please note that I excluded a few characters from this list in order to keep the book spoiler-free. Did I miss a character or a (spoiler-free) connection? Please email me and let me know!

Is there a glossary or guide you’d like to see for the River Reapers series? Leave a comment and let me know!

A Risky Prospect
River Reapers MC, Book 2
Available March 18th

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What Inspired A RISKY PROSPECT and the River Reapers MC Series

TW: This post discusses my recovery from sexual assault.

I’ve been asked a few times about what inspired A Risky Prospect; mainly, whether Olivia’s PTSD and recovery from sexual assault is based on my own experience.

I am a sexual assault survivor.

It still feels weird to say that. It’s only been four years since I started facing my traumas and recognizing what happened to me. Two different “boyfriends” hurt me—one over a period of years, the other over a few months. Both assaults happened in different ways—not the textbook “attacked in an alley” way. I’m still working through what that means. Our society has a huge denial issue when it comes to rape. We don’t discuss it. We don’t believe survivors. We don’t punish rapists.

Once I started unpacking what happened to me and how, I started feeling less ashamed and more angry. I didn’t know what to do with that anger, though. Both of the people who hurt me are long out of my life.

I knew before I even sat down to write this series that eventually I wanted the River Reapers to be vigilantes, to be the ones that people in their town turned to when no one else would help. I also knew I didn’t want to just jump into their adventures as vigilantes; I wanted to build up to it, lay down a foundation of some history, and then let ’em at it.

“One in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives,” reports the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. In the face of these astounding statistics and the rape culture the U.S. is stewing in, I needed to do something. I also needed to tell my story for my own healing. So I took those two “men” who hurt me, rolled them into one character, and let Olivia’s story unfold. It was cathartic for me but also served as a driving force for the River Reapers to take things into their own hands.

My own traumas weren’t the only things that inspired this book, though.

In 2006, not too long after the second event, I met a man who restored my faith in men. Mike showed me what it’s like to have a healthy relationship. He also supported me relentlessly while I unpacked all of my shit and dealt with it. He might not fully understand PTSD, but he tries. From the very beginning, we just fit. In a way, he’s the reason I started writing romance; through him, I started believing in love again. Pieces of him found their way into every hero I’ve ever written, but I put a whole lot of him in Cliff.

I’d need more than a few sentences to capture what he means to me. Cliff is sort of an ode to Mike.

Especially the crusty man socks in Book 1. 😉

My love for vigilantes and Sons of Anarchy sparked this series, but I also wanted to do things a little differently. If you’ve been with me for a while, you know I write “badass belles who chose the other path.” I often flip gender roles and stomp on assumptions about women. I write “unlikable” heroines: women who are strong, foulmouthed, and sex positive. I hate how much our society shames women for loving sex. I hate that both men and other women do this. Women who love sex are called all sorts of awful things, and it makes my eye twitch. There’s nothing wrong with enjoying your body and having sex. Nothing! Sex is one of my favorite things, so I passed that on to Olivia. I wanted to show other women that it’s perfectly okay to be sex positive.

This book also has several healthy female friendships. I’m lucky to be surrounded by many strong, supportive, loving women in my life. Some of them I got by birth, others by chance and choice, but I’m grateful for all of them. A Risky Prospect dives deeper into Olivia and her roommate Esther’s friendship, and strengthens Olivia and Lucy’s relationship.

It’s not all about Olivia, though.

While doing research before and while writing this series, I learned a lot about the prison system and the hardships that people like Cliff face when they’re released. Cliff lost 20 years of his life and is going through a sort of identity crisis. He isn’t sure whether he loves Olivia or just the idea of her, and he has no idea what to do with himself outside of their relationship. While Olivia is unpacking her PTSD, Cliff has to figure out who he is and what he wants in life. He also has to reconcile his dreams with the reality in front of him.

A Risky Prospect is the hardest and darkest book I’ve ever written, but it’s also the book I’m most proud of. It’s got many bright spots and swoony moments. I can’t wait for the world to experience the next installment of Olivia and Cliff’s story. I hope you’ll all be as obsessed with these two as I am.

A Risky Prospect
River Reapers MC, Book 2
Now Available

Brash social worker Olivia has been through her own personal hell and come out the other side, tattered but determined to make things better in her corrupt town—no matter the cost. Her roommate’s current situation is the perfect place to start.

When ex-con Cliff’s wild ol’ lady Olivia comes to him and the River Reapers for help, he’s on board. His vigilante motorcycle club can get the job done, and it’ll help convince Olivia to take the next step in their relationship.

But when Olivia’s traumatic past walks through the club’s doors, there’s no stopping her from doing whatever it takes to settle her own score. Even if it means crossing a line that Cliff might not be able to pull her back from.

Read Chapter 1 | Read with Kindle Unlimited | Order a Signed Paperback

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A RISKY PROSPECT Cover Reveal

When I sat down to write A Disturbing Prospect and then A Risky Prospect, I had no idea how much Olivia and Cliff’s story would resonate with readers. See, I wrote these books for me; there were some demons I wanted to slay, and writing has always been my therapy, my catharsis. I’ve long wanted to write a biker romance, and many of my favorite stories involve vigilantes: The Crow, Watchmen, Kick-Ass, The Punisher… Those dark stories about everyday people using what they’ve got to get justice have always spoken to me.

In A Disturbing Prospect, I wrote for justice for someone else, for the Lucys in my life. In A Risky Prospect, I wrote for justice for myself.

I am a sexual assault survivor. Two different “boyfriends”—I hate to call them that, because they didn’t treat me like boyfriends should—hurt me, and it almost killed me. I spent the last few years unpacking all of the damage, struggling through PTSD and flashbacks, clawing my way through to the other side. Part of that involved writing my story. I took those two boyfriends, merged them into one character, and let the words flow.

I knew when writing A Disturbing Prospect (Book 1) that Olivia had some trauma to unpack in A Risky Prospect (Book 2). I wanted her arc to shine, so I brought in designer Natasha Snow, and suggested we feature Olivia on the cover.

I never imagined just how badass this cover turned out.

Brash social worker Olivia has been through her own personal hell and come out the other side, tattered but determined to make things better in her corrupt town—no matter the cost. Her roommate’s current situation is the perfect place to start.

When ex-con Cliff’s wild ol’ lady Olivia comes to him and the River Reapers for help, he’s on board. His vigilante motorcycle club can get the job done, and it’ll help convince Olivia to take the next step in their relationship.

But when Olivia’s traumatic past walks through the club’s doors, there’s no stopping her from doing whatever it takes to settle her own score. Even if it means crossing a line that Cliff might not be able to pull her back from.

Read Chapter 1 | Pre-Order

I’m so excited to share this book with you. I can’t wait ’til it’s in your hands! A Risky Prospect releases March 18th. Pre-order your copy now!

A DISTURBING PROSPECT Character Guide

As the River Reapers series grows, I’ve realized I need a sort of Wiki to keep track of all these people. And if I need help, I can just imagine how you feel! In the vein of George R.R. Martin, I’ve put together an appendix of the characters and their relationships as of the first book in the series, A Disturbing Prospect.

Looking for the A Risky Prospect character guide? Click here!

  • Beer Can: The Sergeant-at-Arms for the River Reapers MC. He works at The Wet Mermaid (strip club) as a bouncer.
  • Mark Clayton: The Treasurer for the River Reapers MC. He works at The Wet Mermaid (strip club) as a general manager.
  • Sebastian “Bastard” Demmel: Cliff’s deceased father, and the previous President of the River Reapers MC. Lucy’s uncle.
  • Cliff Demmel: The hero of our story. Ex-con and new Prospect of the River Reapers MC. Lucy’s cousin. Olivia’s… something.
  • Lucy Demmel: Cliff’s cousin and Olivia’s adoptive sister. She teaches first grade.
  • Dio: Olivia’s orange tabby kitten. Named for the god of heavy metal.
  • Esther Figueroa: Olivia’s mousy roommate and Donny’s ol’ lady. She’s in the Social Work program with Olivia at Southern Connecticut State University.
  • Donny Jackson: The Enforcer for the River Reapers MC and Esther’s ol’ man.
  • Elijah “Eli” Moretti: Olivia’s photography classmate.
  • Ravage: The current President of the River Reapers MC. Mercy’s best friend.
  • Bree: Olivia’s mother, whereabouts unknown.
  • Mercer “Mercy” Reynolds: The previous Vice President of the River Reapers MC, and Bastard’s ex-best friend. Currently serving time in maximum security at Lewisburg. Considers Ravage his best friend.
  • Olivia Reynolds: The heroine of our story. Lucy’s adopted sister. Cliff’s… something. Bree’s daughter. She’s in the Social Work program with Esther (roommate) at Southern Connecticut State University.
  • Skid: The current Vice President of the River Reapers MC.
  • Ruth Wood: Cliff’s deceased mother, and Lucy’s aunt. No affiliation with the MC, other than Bastard’s ol’ lady.

Did I miss a character or a (spoiler-free) connection? Please email me and let me know!

Is there a glossary or guide you’d like to see for the River Reapers series? Leave a comment and let me know!

Photo by Tamas Munkacsi on Unsplash

Anatomy of a Biker’s Cut

In another life, I’d be a biker.

I love the freedom, the camaraderie, and the bikes themselves. If I could physically ride or even start the thing, I’d totally get one. My UCTD kinda makes that impossible, but I can live vicariously.

That’s part of why I write MC romance.

Oh, I’m sure real bikers laugh at shows like Sons of Anarchy and books like mine, but I still try to write about the life as realistically as possible. Between family members who are members of SCs/RCs (social riding clubs) and family friends who are members of MCs (motorcycle clubs), I soak it all in. One thing I really wanted to get straight were all of the patches on the cut.

At first glance, a biker’s cut can look like a random collection of patches. But each patch has a different meaning, and some patches will even vary from club to club. I threw together a watered down diagram of the patches you’ll see on almost every cut.

The top rocker is sort of a banner with the club’s name on it. The bottom rocker usually displays the club’s location. The club colors are really just a logo. When you see a sign that says “no colors allowed,” it means no MC cuts. Social clubs are sometimes accepted, depending on the establishment. The side rockers display the club’s name on the bottom sides of the cut, usually wrapping around to the front. So our River Reapers MC cuts would look something like this:

Note: On the back, there’s also a patch that signifies whether the club is a MC or SC (sometimes referred to as RC, depending on the region). I forgot it when making this graphic. 😅

On the front, there are several other patches. Again, this’ll vary from club to club.

For the River Reapers MC, I kept it simple.

On the right breast, there are club name and office patches. The right is empty, unless the member has earned a special patch—like a Sludge Specter patch. Those gray things are supposed to be pockets, in case ya can’t tell. I’m no illustrator.

In the wild, you might see bikers with a billion patches. These can be special to each club, so it really could vary. Sons of Anarchy kept theirs simple, too.

The cut itself might be leather or denim. My River Reapers wear leather, because there’s nothing like that heavenly creaking sound. At least, that’s how I feel about it. I appreciate that a lot of people want to be cruelty-free, in which case a vegan leather vest or old fashioned denim would be suitable. The River Reapers wear thrifted leather, that way it’s already broken in and they’re recycling. 😉

So there you have it—the anatomy of a cut! I hope you enjoyed this, because I plan on doing more fun posts. Let me know if you liked this and what else you want to see!

Read the River Reapers MC Series

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The “Kidnapped by the Biker” Trope Needs to Die

I loved Sons of Anarchy, so when I discovered there was a whole sub-genre of biker romances, I pounced. Except I was disappointed again and again.

Over and over, I kept coming across the same trope: kidnapped by the biker. Usually the heroine is the daughter of the President of a rival MC, and the hero kidnaps her as retaliation. She’s dragged out in the middle of the night, bound, and kept as a pawn in their game. Over time, she and the hero fall in love.

That’s not love. Not my idea of love, anyway. I can’t imagine ever having positive feelings toward someone who was so cruel to me.

I’m also not a fan of the damsel in distress trope. I prefer my heroines kicking ass and taking names.

So I wrote my own.

If a rival MC ever kidnaps Olivia, god help them. 😂

Which tropes would you like to see less of? Sound off in the comments!

Photo by Meelimello / Pixabay

A Risky Prospect, Chapter 1

It’s the day I’ve been working toward for the past four years. In just a couple hours, I’ll officially be a social worker. I should be enjoying a quickie with my biker boyfriend before I walk across the graduation stage, but my roommate’s knock interrupts us. The look on her face tells me I might not be making it to the ceremony.

“I need your help, Olivia. I need the club’s help,” she adds, and I know I won’t be making it at all.

You’re reading Chapter 1 of A Risky Prospect, Book 2 in the River Reapers MC series.

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author’s note

The following excerpt is NSFW; blush at your own risk! This excerpt may also contain triggers; please see the complete list of triggers for A Risky Prospect.

Olivia

The fabric of my dress tears as Cliff yanks the top down to free my breasts. The ripping sound cuts through the air, loud enough that I swear everyone in the vicinity probably heard it. The vicinity being the River Reapers’ club house.

I always wanted sex so good, clothing had to be ripped. It’s a shame that my graduation dress is collateral damage.

Cliff thrusts into me, oblivious to the heat spreading through my cheeks. He wraps one hand around my breast, his other hand caressing my ribs, crossing my stomach, traveling down, down, down, until the pad of his thumb rests on my favorite nerve. As he gives it one quick stroke—like he’s plucking a note on a guitar, checking to make sure it’s tuned properly—my back arches and I forget that the whole club can hear us, that we just ripped my graduation dress. I fade into him, as in sync with another person as I’ll ever be.

There’s something about him that absorbs me without erasing me. We orbit each other, a symbiotic relationship. Especially when his hands are on me and he’s inside of me.

My hips match his pace, his hand rubbing over my nipple, giving my breast just the right amount of squeeze, drawing me closer and closer to the edge. Without me ever saying so, Cliff instinctively knows the key to me coming with him is his giant hands on my chest. He’s attentive like that.

I’m close, so close I feel like I’m dying. Every woman knows this agony: when you’re right on the edge but not quite there yet. I’m burning alive from the inside out with his match igniting me.

“Close?” he asks, voice rough. It’s always deep and smoky, a rasp that sends shivers through me and makes me wet.

I nod, forgoing words to focus all of my concentration into the final rub he gives me before moving both hands to my breasts. I moan. As long as he keeps doing that, I’ll be more than close. This one’s gonna be one of those firework shows, the kind that leaves me slightly dizzy, staring at the ceiling.

Except the sharp rap of knuckles on Cliff’s door yanks me right out of my happy place and reminds me of why I can’t focus in the first place.

“Olivia!” my roommate, Esther, calls. “We’re gonna be late. Vamonos!”

It’s the day I’ve been working toward for the past four years. In just a couple hours, I’ll officially be a social worker. Esther, too.

“Oh, shit,” Cliff says. He pulls out, but just as his crown brushes my clit, he shudders and lets go. The hot pulse takes me with him, a mini spark instead of the fireworks I’d hoped for, but I’ll take it.

I lay back with a smile.

“Shit,” he growls. “I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” I laugh. “I’m pretty sure this is my fault.”

“I’m the one who grabbed your ass,” he says as he pads away from the bed and ducks into the bathroom.

I sit up on my elbows. “I’m the one who wasn’t wearing any panties.”

Esther pounds harder. “Let’s go,” she calls, drawing out the two words. To think, a few months ago, my bookish roommate was the one dragging her ass, making me play time games so neither of us were ever late. Now she’s in a rush.

I glance down at my ruined dress and sigh. It’s not too big a deal, considering no one’s going to see it under my gown anyway. But still. I kinda liked it.

“I’ll get you a new one,” Cliff says, handing me a washcloth.

“I should punish you by just wearing my gown and nothing else.” I clean up as quickly as possible, then start hunting through his dresser for something else to wear. I don’t stay overnight with him in the club house often, but this winter I learned to keep extra clothing stashed in as many places as possible.

A girl never knows when she’s going to get dirty.

Or bloody.

I slip out of the remains of my dress and tug on the romper.

Cliff groans.

“What?”

Instead of telling me, he closes the space between us and touches my hard nipples through the fabric. “You’re killing me,” he whispers, and I’m immediately wet again.

“I’m leaving!” Esther threatens.

“I liked her better when she was quiet,” I tell Cliff, grabbing my clutch bag. “Donny is a bad influence.”

He chuckles. “And vice versa. Donny was as cold as ice. I saw him smile the other day, and Esther wasn’t even in the room.”

“Please kill me if I ever change for a guy.”

His eyes drop from mine as he picks up his keys. He shrugs into his cut without a word. I wish I could have a moment to run my fingers over the stitching where the arms would be on a normal leather jacket, feel the silky patches and rocker that make him a member of the River Reapers. That make him a Sludge Specter. I pull the door open and come face to face with Esther.

“Ready?” I ask her.

She gives me a look—a death glare that is all Esther and zero percent Donny—and flounces away in her cornflower blue sundress and white canvas sneakers, the color and the dress complimenting and accentuating her long, dark legs.

I roll my eyes at my pale legs, mottled with scars and bruises. There’s also the scar at my hairline.

Cliff catches my hand, drawing me in for a kiss. His warm lips touch mine for a full second, then he pulls back. “See you there,” he says.

Nodding, I leave Cliff’s room and the other club rooms, heading toward the stairs that’ll take me down into The Wet Mermaid, the MC’s strip club and my place of employment. For now, anyway. After graduation, it’ll be a whirlwind of state job interviews and shopping for business casual.

I make my way through the club, my brothers in leather nodding at me and raising their glasses. Girls spin on the poles, and Vaughn mixes drinks behind the bar. Good thing it’s not anyone else. I don’t know where Mark—my boss and the MC’s treasurer—finds some of these girls. They can’t tell top shelf vodka from bottom.

As I exit the club, the heat hits me like a wall, humidity wrapping around me and wrecking what was left of my hair. Gotta love New England weather—it always jumps straight from winter into summer.

I spot Esther’s car, but she’s not in it. Glancing around, I scan the parking lot. Two minutes ago she couldn’t hold her horses, and now she’s nowhere to be found. Typical fucking Esther. Scowling, I grab a cigarette from my clutch and light up. At this rate, Cliff and Donny will be at the campus before we are.

A sob cuts through the thick air, and I whip around. I know that voice. I’ve heard my roommate cry at Finding Dory. I follow the sound, my fingers closed around the handle of the knife in my clutch. I don’t go anywhere without it.

Rounding the corner of the building, I nearly crash into Esther, who’s sagged against the wall, her ass on the ground, knees drawn to her chest. Her shoulders shake and her limp hand loosely holds her phone. Her face is dry, but her chest rises and falls in rapid breaths. She gasps for air, and I drop to my knees in front of her, taking her hands.

“Esther? What’s wrong?”

Thank you for reading Chapter 1 of A Risky Prospect, Book 2 in the River Reapers MC series.

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