Riding Steel

By Jack Silince and Eden Elsworth

South African, Seth Fairwin, on a visit to his brother Kane in Brighton, England; meets the darkly exotic handsome biker, Thom Lancaster.  To Seth’s frustration, Thom turns out to be a tangled mass of contradictions.
Plagued by an unwanted boyfriend, Thom finds his whole world is thrown into turmoil by just a few hours spent in the company of the blonde, captivating Seth.
Seth tries to penetrate the reserved shell that Thom has built around himself to no avail.
Things come to an explosive and heated climax during the Mayday bike run to Hastings and Seth flees England to the safety of his beloved Cape Town, vowing to forget the dark, handsome biker.
But neither man can forget the other despite the thousands of miles separating them.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Jack Silince
• Release date: Aug 30, 2014
• ISBN: 9781500241100

Book preview

RIDING STEEL

by

Eden Elsworth

and

Jack Silince

Copyright 2014

Eden Elsworth and Jack Silince

Glossary of Afrikaans Terms

Bergie (ber-ghee) – a homeless person, beggar, vagabond.

Boerewors (boora-vors) – a continuous farm sausage made of beef, pork and spices.

Boet (but [as in ‘put’]) – bro, mate, pal.

Boetie (but [as in ‘put’] -tea) – brother, used as a term of endearment.

Claar (clar) – finished, done, over.

Domkop (dom-cop) – literally - thick head, idiot.

Ek is nie dom nie (Ekk iss nee dom nee) – ‘I am not stupid.’

Ja (ya) – yes.

Kaapstad (Carp-stud) – Cape Town, the Mother City.

Koeksuster(cook-sister) – a plaited deep fried pastry soaked in cinnamon syrup. A delicious South African treat.

Poepal (poop-all) – arsehole, nincompoop.

Skattie (scuttie) – term of endearment – sweetie, sweetheart.

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PART ONE – ENGLAND.

Brighton.

One.

Seth Fairwin, a striking man of thirty-one years, was feeling the most excited he’d felt in an age. He was going to Brighton, England, to visit his brother Kane for the first time. He’d never been overseas before and could barely contain himself. Though Kane came home at least once a year, only his and Seth’s younger sister had ever visited him in England. Unlike her brother though, Ruth had the advantage of flying all over the world for her job.

Seth tore about his small one bedroom flat frantically, making sure he’d packed everything he could possibly need.

Passport, passport, passport......, he mumbled to himself as he rifled through his desk drawer. He knew he’d put it safely in there only two days ago after he’d had his visa stamped into it. He found it with a sigh of relief and crammed it into his back pocket with his wallet.

Where the hell is she? he grumbled, looking at his watch.

Turn around, numb-nuts! I’m right here, Ruth’s voice came from behind him. He turned and breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of his svelte, pretty sister standing in the open doorway.

Great! He went to her quickly and gave her a cursory but heartfelt hug.

I’m ready so can we go now? I don’t want to miss my flight! Water my plants and feed Tigger every day at about five or six, or he’ll go off and bring back dead things, okay? I don’t want to come back to a flat reeking of decomposition, he stopped in thought for a moment, then continued, if you have to fly off somewhere, ask Mom to feed him and check for dead things.

I’ll feed him but I’m not petting him or holding him. He stinks! Ruth said wrinkling her pert, lightly freckled nose.

He’d probably shred you with his claws anyway. He glanced around his flat quickly. Okay, I’m ready! Seth grinned, his excitement mounting, his green eyes sparkling.

The drive out to the airport was frustrating because of the traffic but Ruth manoeuvred the car dexterously through the speeding cars on the highway, flying past Groote Schuur Hospital where Dr. Christian Barnard had performed the very first heart transplant back in the sixties.

Ruth guided the car off the M3 and on to the N2, where the going was a bit easier; the traffic speeding along at a regular pace.

At the airport, the flurry of checking in Seth’s luggage and making sure that he had everything occupied them for a short while. Finally Seth was ready, his excitement palpable, his heart alternately thundering along and then leaping into his throat.

"Thanks Ruthie, you’re a real skattie! I’m so looking forward to this. First real holiday I’ve had in ages," Seth breathed, his words spilling from his tongue at a faster rate than they normally did.

You’re welcome, baby! Go safe now and give my love to Kane, okay? Ruth smiled and then leaned forward and gave her brother a tight hug.

’Bye! Seth grinned. I’ll see you in about a month. You take care now.

"Ja! Go safe, baby." Ruth smiled widely and waved as he went through the gate into the International Departures Lounge.

Ruth turned and left the terminal. She was going to miss her brother, but she consoled herself, it wouldn’t be for long. And she would see both Seth and Kane in a month when she had her long layover in London. Being an air hostess with South African Airways had its advantages. Ever since Kane had gone to England to work – originally it was meant to have been a year, but that was four years ago now – Ruth was the only member of his family who had been able to visit him there. Ruth was excited for Seth and hoped he had a blast in the colourful South Coast city where Kane had made his home.

Seth waited impatiently for the announcement to board the flight, his feet twitching nervously. When it finally came, he rushed to the gate and was one of the first passengers through.

Firmly ensconced in the plane, his seat belt fastened tightly, he sat back and smiled with a mixture of excitement, nervousness and some relief that he was finally underway. This is going to be one helluva trip, he thought.

The only black spot on his excitement was the thought of meeting Kane’s flat-mate Thom Lancaster. He’d heard a lot about the tattooed biker from his brother and he felt a little trepidation at meeting what sounded to be a brooding, moody tough-guy.

Two.

Watching as his flat-mate picked up his car keys, Thom idly pushed his dark hair back off his face. He was distracted, knowing he had to finish with the guy he had been seeing for the last eighteen months. Gary Pintel was pretty hot, when he wasn’t wearing one of his poncey suits and being a complete prick; something he was rather too good at and did with increasing frequency. If nothing else, Gary had a big dick. But Thom had nothing in common with the estate agent, no common ground they could connect on. Sex was it, and that was in pretty short supply lately. Like nonexistent! Thom had only been acquainted with his right hand for weeks now.

Catch you later, Kane said as he walked toward the door. Can’t wait to see what you think of Seth!

What, you mean your brother? Thom frowned, wondering what was going on now. Since when was Seth coming to England?

Yeah. I’m just going to pick him up from the airport now.

Thom sighed. Kane was a seriously cool guy, really chilled and laid back, but not great on imparting vital information sometimes.

Where’s he staying?

Here. Kane shook his head in frustration. I told you that, like, three weeks ago, man. Where’s your head at these days?

Thom stared at his friend. Here? He can’t stay here! We’ve got no bloody room! Fucking marvellous. Thanks for dumping that on me this late in the day, Kane. Real bloody helpful. Not!

Kane shrugged, the gesture conveying exasperation, and resignation, that Thom had forgotten. I told you about it, Thom. You just weren’t listening. You need to pull your finger out your arse and dump Gary, man. He’s screwing with your head. Sex isn’t everything.

What sex? We haven’t fucked in weeks, Thom groused. Sexual desperation rode him almost constantly at the minute, making his moods erratic. He watched other men all the time, wondering what they were like in the sack. Not Kane though. Kane had become like a brother to Thom in the time they’d known each other. Despite their different backgrounds and very different temperaments, they just clicked. It had only taken them a couple of weeks to get from first meeting each other to deciding to share a flat. This was now their second place together in the Kemptown area, also known as Camptown because so many gay people had made their homes there. Kane, having a gay brother, did not mind living in a predominantly gay area.

Well, that’s your problem. Time to clear the decks and start over. Kane’s expression clouded. Thom, do me a favour and keep that idiot away from the flat for a while. I don’t want the stupid arse hanging ‘round when I haven’t seen Seth in months. We need space, okay?

"So first you tell me out of the blue your brother is staying here and you tell me who I can have round while I’m putting up with having a total stranger in my home? I thought you were a mate!"

Shaking his head, Kane pulled the door open, leaving with an annoyed, I did tell you, dude. Wake up!

As the door shut behind Kane, Thom gave vent to his frustrations with a long string of filthy expletives, cussing out the world and his wife, God and anyone else Thom could think of to blame for his current predicament. Having it pointed out that Gary was an arse hadn’t helped, but knowing that Kane’s supposedly hot, gay brother would be underfoot was the last thing Thom needed. And the flat was a tip. But the flat was always a tip, except when Kane’s girlfriend – and Thom’s oldest friend – Katie, reached the point where she couldn’t stand it anymore and blitzed the place. All the bits of bike hanging about really didn’t help the way the rooms looked. Thom didn’t mind them though. He had a bike himself, so Kane’s obsession with all things two-wheeled and mechanical made perfect sense.

Grabbing up a few Indian takeaway containers from the table to dump in the tiny kitchen, trying not to drip any tandoori sauce on the engine casings Kane was getting cleaned up, Thom thought he best do a bit of tidying up, or at least make it look like he’d tried to do some. Back in the living room, he picked up a few of his t-shirts that had spilled from the last bag of washing that came back from the launderette, pondered briefly on putting them away properly in his room, but then chucked the whole lot behind the sofa, the bag of laundry included, to join all the other crap that had accumulated around the black powder-coated chop frame Kane had stored there.

Contemplating how three men - one of them unbearably frustrated all the time - were going to get along in one little flat, Thom stomped about crossly as he made his half-hearted effort at cleaning. Knowing he had to get shot of Gary weighed on him too. It was cowardly not to deal with that, but Gary was such a queen sometimes. A drama queen! Thom was avoiding the inevitable scene the silly bitch was going to create. It was spineless to be avoiding what was bound to be a more hysterical scene than any writer for Eastenders or Corrie could possibly come up with, but just the thought of it exhausted Thom.

He couldn’t quite remember now how he had even got involved with someone so completely unlike himself. It made no sense at all when he thought about it. Gary Pintel had shown Thom and Kane the flat they now lived in. Of course Thom had checked him out. He did with every man he met. It was something he had done since he was fifteen. It had been so bloody obvious Gary was gay. The way he had minced his way round the empty flat had been impossible not to notice. Thom had been single then, and randy from the moment he woke to the moment he went to sleep. The fact Gary had a clearly large package had perked Thom up no end at the time. The whispered offer of a blowjob had grabbed Thom by his nuts in an instant.

And Gary was cute, in a pretty boy way, which had kind of appealed to Thom for a change. The smooth body and always shaved jaw had a certain novelty value. Thom had always gone for a more hirsute man before that, and now he knew why. He missed running his fingers through chest hair, investigating the promise of a trail of it leading down to glories hidden inside jeans; exploring those glories with his tongue; feeling desire burning through his veins as if his body was a furnace of lust. Now that fleeting novelty had well and truly worn off and Thom craved a real man to warm his bed.

His hand dropped to rub his engorging cock, mind full of the sort of man he lusted after on an hourly basis. To feel the crinkle of body hair crushed against his own bare skin, nuzzle his nose through a lush pubic bush, draw in the musky scent of a masculine body; these were the things he yearned for. To drive his rigid cock inside someone who actually looked male. To feel a beard rasping his own stubble; to smell a real man and not just cologne and moisturiser. Gary was such a pussy! The scent of him was almost feminine, and not at all what Thom really wanted.

Fucking fantastic! he grumbled discontentedly inside his head, now really bloody horny as well as seriously pissed off. He removed his hand from his crotch and glared angrily at the tumescent bulge in his combats. Last time he’d been with Gary, he’d struggled to even get a rise, yet now he was stuck with a boner so hard it threatened to make his eyes water, or bust his fly zip.

He should have known anything with Gary was doomed before it even started. The big girl’s-blouse had been horrified by the news that Thom rode a bike. One Chinese meal in and there was already a nail in the coffin. So many more were to follow. Thom huffed humourlessly at the thought that that particular coffin must be more nails than wood by now. That was the only kind of nailing Thom did around Gary anymore.

Thom wondered how Gary had missed the signs he was a biker. He wasn’t exactly subtle about it. The way Thom dressed screamed at the whole world that bikes occupied a huge part of his life, not to mention his tattoos and jewellery. Katie said Thom was a goth biker, like her. It was an appellation that fitted them extremely well.

Thom huffed at the memory that Gary had once called him a bit of rough, supposing that summed up what Gary got out of their excuse for a relationship. He liked to flirt on the edge of what he probably saw as a darker world, too vain to step inside it himself and shed his precious suits.

Sex! That was all there was for Thom. Even after a year and a half, he barely had any feelings for Gary. The man was just a hole for Thom to fill. Without the sex, there was nothing. Truth be told, he didn’t even like the guy. It should have died a natural death within a week at the most, not dragged on this long. Thom should have limited himself to the offered blowjob and then walked away. Instead he’d let himself coast along with a complete prat who got on his nerves. Gary wouldn’t even top occasionally, for fuck’s sake! Just once in a while, it would be really good to feel a length of solid man-flesh sinking in deep.

Thinking about Gary so much had killed Thom’s arousal completely, which summed up his feelings for the pussy and their relationship, if it could even be called that.

Standing back to survey the results of his domestic labours, Thom shrugged as he acknowledged to himself there was very little improvement. He guessed Seth must know what Kane was like, so the forks propped in the corner and wheel rims under the window would be nothing new.

Frowning at one of the clean t-shirts - it looked like one of Thom’s - over a mound he hadn’t previously spotted tucked under the table, Thom found carburettors sitting on one of the only trays they had left to use for something other than bike bits. Kane had promised not to keep raiding the kitchen for stuff like that. Trouble was, he always forgot things he had said when he was engrossed with another part of the chop’s laborious build. For now, the majority of the Honda engine was in Kane’s bedroom, but when it came out, it was going to take over the flat completely.

With a roll of his eyes, Thom covered the carbs over again. Kane’s brother would just have to live with Kane’s passion. If the oh-so-wonderful Seth didn’t like it, it wasn’t Thom’s problem.

Cringing, he could almost hear Kane pointing out that Gary was his problem, and one that needed dealing with asap. Thom briefly contemplated the idea of texting Gary to say they were over. But that wouldn’t work; Gary would turn up on the doorstep to flounce his way through whatever scene he’d prepared in advance, which had to be avoided so Kane didn’t have to put up with Queen Commotion. Ditching Gary was top of Thom’s priority list, just as soon as Seth had gone home, so Kane’s precious family time didn’t get ruined.

Bloody Seth! Hadn’t even got here yet and already he was causing aggro! If there was one thing Thom hated it was having other people causing him problems. Now he had two: Gary and Seth.

Huffing crossly, Thom strode out to the kitchen, intending to grab a can of beer from the fridge, until he realised it was barely ten in the morning. Drinking anything that early wasn’t a habit to start now. Getting pissed could wait a few hours. Blotto appealed right now. Maybe he would go out and leave Kane and his brother in peace. No one would be able to stop him getting completely rat-arsed then. A hangover in the morning seemed a small price to pay for a bit of temporary oblivion. Maybe Thom could even get in a drunken shag with a stranger?

Instead of beer, which he really would have preferred, Thom made himself a strong black coffee and went to turn up the Savage Messiah CD he had been listening to while he cleaned. Letting the relentless brutality of the fast rhythm thump through his brain as he sank down on the sofa, he tipped his head back, shut his eyes, and allowed his mind wandering inexorably back to the imaginary body that had got him so rampantly horny before.

Three.

Do you mean to tell me he doesn’t know I’m staying with you guys? Seth queried, a small note of annoyance in his voice. This wasn’t exactly the sort of news he wanted to hear.

Kane had picked him up at the airport and they were driving through the midday traffic, on their way to Kane and Thom’s flat.

He knew because I told him. He forgot, that’s all, Kane replied, re-assuring his brother. He’s got his head in biker-land most of the time so I’m not surprised. Kane knew it wasn’t exactly the truth about why Thom was so distracted but he wasn’t going to air his friend’s dirty laundry, not even with his brother.

Seth nodded. This Thom was beginning to sound like a bit of an idiot.

"Thom can be a bit of a poepal sometimes but you’ll like him. He’s cool!" Kane mused with a grin.

"I haven’t met a poepal I’ve liked yet, Seth said adamantly. What makes you think I’ll like this one?"

Oh, I think you’ll like him. He’s a typical Brit, but not one of those stuck up ones, Kane laughed. He had discovered almost as soon as he landed in the U.K. that the stiff-upper-lip thing wasn’t exactly right, at least not in the way the rest of the world seemed to perceive it. Brits could be reserved, but it didn’t stop them knowing how to have fun. Particularly the girls. Katie was a bubbly, curvy bundle of fun who had blown all Kane’s preconceptions away in seconds, the moment Thom had introduced them.

Right! We’ll see. Seth eyed his older brother doubtfully for a second, wondering what a typical Brit really was.

Seth’s flight had been on time and he’d had no trouble with Customs and Immigration. All his papers had been in order so he’d breezed through quite easily. And now he was on his way to Kane’s flat and his enigmatic flat-mate. His aim was to visit with Kane for a couple of days and then backpack to Snowdonia before heading to Scotland to climb Ben Nevis. Seth was interested to see how the small mountains in Britain, particularly Snowdon and Ben Nevis; compared to the mountains of the Cape Peninsular. Before going home, he would have another week with his brother to coincide with Ruth’s visit. It would be the first time the three siblings would be together without the safety-net of their parents in the background, and they planned to make the most of it.

"So bro, how’s good old Kaapstad? Hell I miss that place!" Kane ventured