THEIR BIKER BABE IN TRAINING.

The Dirty Dozen.

Marla Monroe.

Chapter One.

"You are a nervous wreck. You have got to learn to relax, or you're going to end up having a stroke, or worse, end up in a mental inst.i.tution with a nervous breakdown." Alexis Cartwright sighed and straightened the gown they had put on her when she'd been brought back to the emergency room.

"What am I supposed to do? I can't just change jobs. It's what I do for a living."

Dr. Searcy sighed and shook his head. "Look, you're burning the candle at both ends. You don't have to change jobs if you'll just slow down and relax when you're not at work. Instead, you take it home with you and don't take vacations or long weekends. Do something fun for a change."

"That's easy for you to say," she mumbled.

"I'm telling you as your doctor that I'm not going to recommend for you to return to work until you've had a month off to recover from this latest attack. Your ulcer is on the verge of bleeding, and you might be headed for a stroke."

"You can't do that." She knew deep in her gut, though, that he could.

8.

The partners would take it and enforce it. They were great believers in family time. Not that she had any family. She didn't even have a boyfriend. She kept running them off by always being busy.

Alexis was a busy paralegal trying to make it to the top of her job ladder. Her bosses were demanding, but fair. She was the one pushing herself to be the best she could be. She had always been uptight and didn't see how she could change now.

"All I have to do is write on this return to work order that you need the month off to keep from having a more serious illness, and you'd be off indefinitely. Do you want that?" the doctor asked.

"No. What do you want me to do?" Alexis pouted.

"Take off a month and take a vacation. Go to a resort and just relax. You can well afford to, both financially and time-wise, as I know you haven't taken off a day in the five years you've been with them."

"I knew I never should have dated you," Alexis complained.

"I don't think you can call a couple of dinners that were interrupted as dating, Alexis."

"Fine. I'll take two weeks off and go on a vacation."

"A month, and that is that," Dr. Searcy said.

"You're a terrible doctor."

"I'm the best d.a.m.n surgeon this hospital has. I just don't want to be operating on your bleeding ulcers or visiting you in the stroke unit."

"Okay, okay. I'll do it. I'll check around and book a spa somewhere and force myself to relax."

"You shouldn't have to force it. That's what is so sad." Alexis shook her head and jumped down off the table. "Can I get dressed now?"

"I'm leaving a prescription for sleeping pills and another one for your ulcer with the nurse when she discharges you. Get them filled and use them."

9.

"Yes, sir." She saluted him before turning her back and dropping the gown to pull on her clothes.

She heard the good doctor curse and hurry out the door. She had never been self-conscious about her body, having grown up with three sisters and two brothers. They had to share a single bathroom and two bedrooms. It had been tough, but one thing she had learned in her army brat existence was how to get ahead through hard work and determination. It had served her well all through school. She'd graduated at the top of her cla.s.s both in high school and in college.

Evidently, it wasn't going to help her get out of taking a vacation.

They were a waste of time to her. She didn't like doing nothing. She'd take some reading material and keep up with things on her laptop.

Once she was dressed and the nurse had signed her out, Alexis drove to the pharmacy and filled her prescriptions, then headed for work. She needed to wrap some things up if she was going to take a vacation of that length. Then she had to explain to her bosses about it.

The minute she walked into the office, they were waiting on her.

"What did Dr. Searcy have to say?"

She handed them the return to work order and waited for their reaction.

You should take an extended sabbatical. We think that would be a wonderful idea. Do you want to stay at our condo on the coast outside of Houston?" Garrett Johnston asked.

She hadn't thought about that. She could do more than keep up that way.

"I'd love to borrow it, if you're sure that's okay."

"We'd love for you to use it. It doesn't get nearly as much use as it should, considering how much we pay to maintain it. When do you plan to leave?"

"As soon as I tie up some loose ends here at work."

10.

Neal Davis and Mark Anderson pulled into the truck stop to gas up and get something to eat. They were part of a bike gang that did construction work around the DallasFort Worth area of Texas. They used to travel all around the country, but since Cole and Zack, their leaders, had gotten married and settled down with Brandy, they'd been keeping closer to home.

Not that either guy could blame them. If they found a woman to call their own, they would want to settle down, as well. The two of them had become antsy lately and were on their way back from their latest gig north of Dallas. They had another three hours of driving and they would be home for at least a month this time.

"How's your shoulder doing, Neal?" Mark asked.

Neal had gotten hit in the shoulder by a support beam that had fallen before they had been able to nail it in place.

"I'm fine. It's sore as h.e.l.l, but not bad enough to stop. Why are we stopping?" he asked.

"Have to ask Cole. I suspect his wife wanted to eat. She eats more than any woman I've ever known not to gain any weight."

"Don't let Cole or Zack hear you say that." Neal laughed.

"Say what?" Cole walked up.

"Nothing. Just wondering why we stopped," Mark said.

"Brandy's hungry, and I wanted to see how your shoulder is holding up." Cole c.o.c.ked his head.

"I'm fine. I'm going to be sore for a few days, but I'm fine."

"You're lucky as h.e.l.l it didn't hit you on the head or break your d.a.m.n collarbone." Cole shook his head.

They all headed inside after fueling up. Mark and Neal each ordered hamburgers and fries. They noticed a woman dressed in designer jeans and a straight blouse that b.u.t.toned all the way to the top.

"Look at her. She's got a rocking body, but she's one uptight woman," Neal said.

Mark nodded and c.o.c.ked his head at her order.

11.

"You don't have wheat bread? Well, I suppose white will have to do."

"I'd love to teach her how to relax." Mark licked his lips.

Both men shared their women. They had gotten into the lifestyle while overseas. They had never gone back to straight monogamy.

Menages were much more intense and fulfilling to them.

"No pomegranate juice? Okay, orange juice will have to do, as well." She looked extremely put out.

"Yeah, she needs to learn to chill," Neal agreed. "Too bad we aren't sticking around."

They watched her finish her meal and, after leaving a tip, walk up to pay at the register. Mark couldn't help but notice she had hips that spread just right for a handful of loving, and thighs he bet could squeeze a man's head during oral s.e.x. It would be a pleasure to go down on her and make her scream her release.

She had the prettiest sable-brown hair, with green eyes that missed nothing, including him staring at her. She stared him down then turned and walked out.

"Ouch. I think you've been dismissed, Mark."

"f.u.c.k you." He grinned and got up to settle their tickets.

They'd been on the road less than an hour when they came up on a car pulled off on the side of the road with a woman attempting to change a tire. They couldn't very well pa.s.s her by without offering to help.

"See her?" Mark asked.

"Yeah, let's pull over. I'll call Cole up on the other frequency." They pulled off the road and circled back to pull in behind the car.

When they got off and pulled off their helmets, they were surprised to see that it was the woman from the truck stop.

"Hi there, need some help?"

The woman had stepped back with the tire iron in her hand. She didn't look too trusting.

"I can manage, thank you."

12.

"Ma'am, if I can point out that you don't have the jack under the right part of the car, I think it might fall over." Mark winced at her frown. It involved her entire face.

"Okay, can you put it in the right place for me?"

"I'll need the tire iron for that." She hesitated for a few seconds, then handed it over and stepped back from the car. Unfortunately it put her too close to the interstate and pa.s.sing cars. Neal immediately jumped forward and pulled her back from the road.

The woman fought Neal's embrace, then settled back in it when he soothed her.

"Careful, you could have been run over." He slowly set her aside but didn't remove his hand from her shoulder.

"Ththanks." She wrapped her arms around herself as if holding herself together.

"Where are you headed?" Mark asked.