The Biker in Lace

Chapter 5.

Lacy is pleased with the spot Bradley chose for her tattoo it is the exact spot she wanted to choose herself, so as she lays on the bench for Vince to finish her tattoo she thinks of the reason as to why she fainted. ‘I don’t like Bradley so that was definitely not even a consideration as to why I fainted, neither was the kiss that good. Maybe it is just the shock of losing her first kiss to the one person she never even thought of kissing or ever wanted to or just plainly hates to no end. Maybe I should just stop thinking about it.’

"That was your first kiss?" Clive's voice jerks her out of her thoughts. Shocked that he knows she stares at him in horror. "Yeah, maybe thinking, while in pain is not such a good thing for you."

"Yeah, you kinda said everything aloud." Vince informs her with a chuckle.

"How can you two be all we hate each other and then be all kissy face again with each other?" Clive says with a mocking gleam in his eyes.

"I am not all kissy face. I fainted remember? I did not even kiss him back." Lacy defended.

"So why did he all of a sudden became all 'kissy face' then?" Vince asks as he made air quotes with his one hand while holding the tattoo needle in the other.

"I don't know. I was telling him how much I hate him and then all of a sudden he was literally all up in my face and I fainted." Lacy says confused as a frown makes its way to between her eyes.

"I think I do. All this fighting and hating on each other is only a smoke screen. I think he likes you." Clive states as he thinks of the protective demeanour Bradley had yesterday when he looked at Lacy as if she was a piece of meat. "Ever heard about how boys tease the girls they like in preschool?"

Lacy gives out a short sarcastic laugh. "Yeah, sure he absolutely loves me. That's why he constantly tells me how fake I am." Shaking her head she looks at the ceiling trying to block out the stinging of the needle along with the stinging sensation she felt in her heart when she uttered the last words. She does not care that he does not like her, but it hurts when he calls her fake, because she always tries to be as true to herself as possible.

A plan forms in Clive’s mind. “I can even proof it.”

"How?" Vince asks the question really interested in the outcome of this drama unfolding in front of him.

"We make him jealous." Clive states as Lacy gives him a snorty laugh. "We will pretend to be all touchy feely and see how he would react. I bet that before we even leave for the rally he would be in all back-off-she's-mine mode." Clive states confidently.

"That would never happen, so what does the winner get?" Lacy says just as confident as Clive. She knows that this is one bet she would not be losing at all.

"I am the witness so I decide what the loser should do and make the rules." Vince interrupts with a smirk that has nothing good written all over it. After a hesitant nod from the both of them he continues. "Rule number one: No one except for the three of us knows about this bet. If you tell anyone you automatically lose." He gives them both a questioningly look to see if they agree before he continues. "Two: Clive has exactly until you reach the rally site to prove his point starting now." Again he looks at them to see if they agree. "Three: Clive may kiss, touch and flirt as much as he wants to to get Bradley to go all bonkers. Okay, so that is the rules, all accept?"

The two participants just nod again and Vince continues. "Okay, now for the reward. Let's see. If Lacy wins by Bradley not going all primal over her she has to go out on a date with Clive to a place of her choosing. If Clive wins by Bradley going all leave-my-chick-alone-caveman style on him, you Lacy has to go on a proper date with Bradley and you have to ask him on the date."

“Wait, that is not fair. Enlighten me as to how Clive is the loser in any of those two scenarios?” Lacy complains.

“Yeah you are right, I guess.” Vince says as he thinks about it. “Let’s do this. If Lacy wins, Clive should pay you a thousand bucks.” Lacy nods as she thinks over the deal. “Okay, so then it is settled then, do we have a deal?”

"Oh, I'm going to love wiping that smile of your face." Clive says in an I-know-something-you-don't tone. Then they shake hands again sealing the deal as Vince cuts through with his empty hand. "Deal." They say in unison.

"Okay, so your tat is done. Keep it closed for another twenty four hours then keep it moist with this ointment and do not scratch the scabs as it would fade the ink. You also need to stay out of direct sunlight for the next three months." Vince informs Lacy as he places the gauze on the new tattoo before she could even have a look at it.

"Thank you, Vince. This is like a dream come true." Lacy says excited, clapping her hands like an excited child on Christmas morning.

"Did you tell Claire where you wanted Bradley to get his tattoo yet?" Vince asks as they leave the cubicle. Claire was a young, beautiful woman with long black hair and green eyes. Her slender frame was clad in black jeans and a black leather vest. Exposing her tattoo sleeved arms while the vest enhances her cleavage. At first Lacy felt self-conscious near this beauty, but her warm personality soon helped Lacy feel at ease around her. Claire is Vince's sister and partner in the business. Their father was a tattoo artist himself and started the business when he was only twenty years old.

"Yeah, what do we still have to do today?" Lacy directs her question to Clive as they join Josh in the waiting room.

"Well, I guess it is still just the clothing that needs modification and the hair, but that is minor. The attitude is the big obstacle to overcome." Clive states as he looks at Josh to calculate the next step.

"Chill dude, it'll be fine. How hard can it be in any case?" Josh asks with a careless attitude.

"As long as you remember to not be yourself, it would go perfectly." Clive says sarcastically and rolls his eyes. "Does everyone know what the plan entails?"

"Yeah, I think we are good. When do we leave?" Josh keeps his eyes trained on Clive as he moves to a chair near Lacy. Clive decided that this is as good a time as any to start with the bet as Josh will also be left in the dark on this. Sitting next to Lacy he swings his arm around her and gently plays with her hair. Clive can feel Lacy's tension as her body stiffens next to him as soon as he picked up a strand of her hair.

"Relax. He is not supposed to know about the bet either remember." He whispers in her ear in a low baritone voice then he pulls away but keeps his eyes trained on hers. The scene in front of Josh looks so intimate that he could only stare with his mouth agape. He saw the flirtations between the two earlier and for some reason he hoped Bradley’s protectiveness of yesterday would let Clive back off, but it looks like it made him more determined.

"Uhm." The clearing of someone's throat breaks Clive and Lacy's intimate stare. Both turn their heads to the sound coming from the doorway. Bradley stands with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs shoulder width apart a questioning look on his face. "Well, looks like a lot happened in the time I was gone. Are we done here?" His tone sounds bored and Lacy gives Clive a know-it-all smirk.

"Yeah, I think we are all done. Everyone pleased?" Clive asks as they stand up to leave. Everyone nods and say their goodbyes to Claire and Vince, promising to spend some time together again. Clive slides his hand into Lacy's as they walk to his SUV. When she looks up to him he gives her a wink only she can see. "I'll be back in a few minutes, meet you at the car." Clive says as they pass a florist on the way, giving him an idea. He tosses his keys to Josh and turns around leaving Lacy's hand with an empty feeling where his hand used to be. Wordless the three continues on their way.

"So, you and Clive?" Josh asks as they get to the SUV, keeping his eye on Bradley to see his reaction more clearly. He actually thinks Bradley and Lacy would make the perfect couple if the two could just stop fighting. Who knows maybe Bradley’s feelings towards her might be changing now that he knows she is not just pretending to be a biker to get Mr. Cavanagh's approval.

"I don’t know, maybe." Lacy says as a deep red blush rises to her cheeks. Bradley rolls his eyes and then looks away from them pretending not to listen. "Maybe now that douchbag over here broke my sister's heart, you can finally ask her out on a date when we return?" Lacy asks with a hopeful tone, indicating that she knows about his feelings for her sister.

"What?" Bradley's head snaps up from his phone to the two friends speaking. "Since when did you have the hots for Mary?" He asks flabbergasted to hear of his best friends crush.

"I don't know if that is such a good idea, Lacy. She would never go for a guy like me. You know I am not her type. She likes the bad boys, not the goody two shoes like me." He ignores Bradley as he rubs the back of his neck unsure of himself.

"You will never know if you don't try, Josh. Maybe she saw what buttholes the bad boys can be after Mr. Mac Douche." Lacy's heart goes out to her friend who has this crush on Mary for almost three years now. If only Bradley never played with Mary's feelings they could have been together already.

"Mr. Mac Douche is right here if you don't mind." Bradley grumbles to himself not even realizing that he just called himself a douche.

"Besides after today you will be one bad ass bad boy in any case so she would not be able to resist or look past you again." Lacy teases as she tries to encourage Josh to make his move.

"Yeah a real fake bad ass bad boy with fake tattoos and a few minor piercings." Josh sounds defeated even before he started to fight.

"Josh you know it is not about the exterior or the labels that makes love work it's the people involved that can make it or break it. You have to try at least once." This is very important to Lacy as she only wants the best for her sister and her best friend and she knows they are perfect for each other.

"Yeah, maybe you are right, but we have to get through this first and then we can decide on me and Mary. Can we at least just agree on that?" Lacy agrees with a nod while keeping her eyes on a flower bearing Clive as he approaches.

"Since when did you like Mary?" Bradley asks still confused as to why he did not know about his best friends crush.

"For the pretty lady.” He says as he gives the flowers to Lilly accompanied with a flirtatious smile and a kiss on her cheek, causing her to blush. “Okay, you guys we got everything we need, right?" Clive asks as he turns in his seat to the two other occupants in the vehicle. "Only one stop left then, the liquor store for the weekends supply." He continues after everyone nods.

The drive to the liquor store and Dave’s house is quiet and only the soft sounds from the radio can be heard. Clive's eyes meet Lacy's a few times on the drive over, causing her to blush every time. Trying to keep her eyes away from Clive she plays with the soft velvety petals of one of the bright yellow roses he gave her. Bradley sits directly behind Clive, staring out the window ignoring Lacy at all cost. Josh sits next to him smiling knowingly at her each time she blushes when Lacy’s and Clive’s eyes meet. Lacy groans in frustration when she notices Josh's smile.

"Okay, so we still have to transform Josh into a bad boy and you two needs to start getting along like married people." Clive reminds them. "You will need to be convincing."

“Then stop buying her flowers.” Bradley grumbles to himself as he exits the SUV, causing Clive to smirk knowingly at Lacy.

"Lacy, can I speak to you for a second." Tracy says the moment Lacy steps out of the car. Following Tracy they enter the room where Lacy slept the previous night. "I had this dress in my closet ever since I was eighteen. I want to give it to you as a gift. You reminded me of it when I saw you yesterday and I remembered you love wearing lace and it seems to be your size." Tracy steps away from the bed revealing an old antique looking off white almost cream lace dress. Lacy's hands flies to her mouth as she gasps at the sight of this amazingly beautiful dress.

"I can't wear this, Tracy. It's absolutely beautiful and I would never do it justice." Lacy sighs with wonder in her eyes as her trembling hands brush over the delicate vintage lace. It's soft to the touch and the rose patterns add to the femininity of the natural toned coloured dress.

"Nonsense, it would look absolutely gorgeous on you. Please wear it to dinner?" Tracy pleads and gives Lacy a hopeful look.

"Okay, fine." She whispers as her eyes linger on the dress still sprawled on the bed, her heart leaping at the thought of wearing the dress.

"Great." Tracy says giddy as she jumps up and down in one spot, her face shining with glee.

*_*

While Lacy is dressing for dinner the boys all gathers in the room Bradley and Josh shared the night before. The big transformation process is starting, meticulously Clive shows and explains to Josh how to style and treat his hair to look oily and dirty. Following the exact process he transforms himself again in the cruel and unkind person they met yesterday. He even gives Josh pointers on how to act and what words to avoid and which to use. The clothing was easy as Josh had a few jeans they could cut and rip as desired. His plain T-shirts got ripped at the sleeves, turning them into muscle T's.

"Why didn't you tell me about your crush on Mary?" Bradley breaks the silence between him and Josh when Clive leaves the room to go change in to his altered persona.

"For the same reason you will not tell me why you gave that faint-aboulous-kiss to Lacy, I guess." Josh replies shrugging his shoulders as he hides a chuckle from Bradley. It's not that he does not want to tell him about his love for Mary; it just never came up with her being all googley eyes at him.

"I told you I just wanted to shut her up! I t meant nothing." Bradley exclaims wondering why Josh can’t or won’t just believe him and forget about it.

"And you are so adamant that it meant nothing, why?" he enquire curiously. If at the end of this mission he at least helped his two friends to see that underneath all this pretend hatred towards each other, they would actually make a great couple, he would be satisfied.

"What are you getting at? It was just a means to an end. That’s all can we drop it now?” Bradley gives him a questioning look, mixed with a little bit of frustration. Of course it meant nothing, why would he want to kiss the girl he strongly dislikes otherwise then to get her to shut up? ‘Yeah, Bradley, tell yourself that.’ A voice in the back of his mind tells him, but he shrugs it away and focuses back on Josh.

"Okay, fine. Let’s talk about the fact that you stole her first kiss then." Josh says smirking at his friend’s perplexed look. He busied himself by packing his newly ripped and cut clothes in his backpack.

"HA HA, there is no way a girl as sexy as that has never been kissed." Bradley laughed it off not realising what he just said, convinced that Lacy could not be as innocent as not having a first kiss yet, she had to have at least one boyfriend, then again poor fellow, he sighs mentally.

"I’ll just leave you to think that one over." Josh snickers as he close the back pack and makes his way to the door, shaking his head in amusement. How can two people think they know so much about each other and yet they actually know nothing? They spend as much time together as they spend with him and yet they don’t know anything.

“Wait… What?” Bradley shouts as his words dawn on him.

*_*

When Lacy enters the living room two hours later she can hardly believe her eyes as they land on Josh. His whole persona transformed. His blond shoulder length hair is oily and looks like it had not seen shampoo in ages. His clothes he had on earlier were changed for ripped baggy jeans and his normal T-shirt for a muscle T displaying his well-defined tattoo sleeved arms. A linked chain hang around his neck and his wrist was covered with strands of leather. As she looks at Josh with her mouth agape he smirks twirling around with his arms sprawled open.

"So what you think?" He asks as he comes to a halt. “I have to say, you look good.” He nods in approval as his friend stands before him.

"I just have to send Mary a picture she would just love this bad ass mean Josh and thanks." She winks brightly as she smiles brightly while gesturing with her hands to the whole of Josh.

"Let's go, the peeps are outside. They decided on having a barbeque before we leave." He simply states turning his side to her, contrasting to his new persona he offers her his arm like a true gentleman. Deciding to ignore her remark about Mary, he cannot afford to get distracted now.