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Mike Stoker was the proud owner of a brand new Triumph T120 Bonneville motorcycle. No one knew about the purchase outside of Marco Lopez’s new girlfriend, Henrietta “Henri” Parker. She worked at the dealership and promised not to let any of the men from Station 51 know before they met up at the sand dunes later.
As Mike loaded his new purchase in the back of his pick up truck, Henri handed him the paperwork and returned his motorcycle license to him. Mike smiled at the petite brunette and thanked her. He couldn’t wait to hit the dirt path at the dunes with his new bike.
“Just be careful, Mike. You don’t need to end up in the hospital after one day.” Henri laughed, her smile reached her deep brown eyes. “The guys might be upset with me for breaking you.”
Mike laughed with her. “Don’t worry, Henri. That’s not how I want to get time off work.”
Henri nodded in agreement. “I’ll see you at the dunes in a couple of hours with Marco and the rest of the guys.”
Mike waved as he got in his truck to leave. “See you later!”
~~E!~~
Mike pulled up to the dunes and dirt track about 20 minutes before the others arrived. He wanted a little time to get used to his new motorcycle. After a few minutes of riding around on the unofficial dirt track and getting a feel for the accelerator and brakes, he was getting warm and took his shirt off. By the time the others arrived, he was comfortable with what his new bike was capable of.
Marco and Henri were the first to arrive. They saw Mike’s truck but didn't notice Mike at first. There were a couple of other riders on the track and more on the dunes. Though Henri assured Marco Mike’s bike wasn't outfitted for the dunes, they still checked.
“We might as well get out there,” Marco encouraged his girlfriend. He and Henri started removing their motorcycles from the trailer on the back of Henri’s car. They left Chet’s on the trailer waiting for him.
Mike noticed Marco and Henri as he came around to that side of the track again. He rode over to where they were getting ready to ride. He nodded in acknowledgement as he caught his breath a little.
“Thanks for the help getting this motorcycle. It’s perfect for what I wanted.” Mike thanked Henri. He explained how thrilled he was with how it handled on the dirt track and was looking forward to riding on the roads.
“Anytime!” Henri smiled at Mike’s enthusiasm. She marvelled at how the usually quiet engineer had a lot to say about his new motorcycle. She looked over at Marco.
“What? He speaks when he has something to say.” Marco laughed and gave Henri’s hand a quick squeeze. “Just don’t get him started talking about Big Red. He’ll never shut up.”
Henri couldn’t help herself as she laughed at the thought of Mike talking extensively about anything. Mike had the good sense to blush. He had been known to go on about the engine under the right circumstances.
“You’re serious?” Henri questioned both men. The look on Marco’s face confirmed it. “Noted. I won’t ask Mike about the engine.”
Just then Johnny Gage and Roy DeSoto arrived with their bikes in the back of Roy’s pickup. Roy’s wife, Joanne, didn’t mind Roy going out to ride without her. She wasn’t a huge fan of dirt tracks. She preferred riding on the back of Roy’s motorcycle along the PCH.
They were closely followed by Chet Kelly driving up in his car. Chet, like Johnny and Mike, was between girlfriends at the moment.
They all exchanged greetings as everyone got ready to ride. Captain Stanley was the only member not participating. He had plans with his family.
~~E!~~
They rode around the dirt track and some trails for a good part of the afternoon. They stopped to take a break near a clearing where some deer had gathered. They were still and quiet as they watched the deer graze for a few minutes before moving on.
Henri and Marco engaged in a good natured three lap race around the track at one point after some teasing about who could go faster. Henri won by half a lap. Her reward was a passionate kiss from Marco with the promise of more rewards later. Johnny and Chet gave a few wolf whistles in approval.
The group started making plans for where to get dinner when Johnny asked everyone to stay put. He went to Roy’s truck for something. He returned with his camera. He wanted to get pictures of everyone with their motorcycles.
As Johnny was taking pictures, some of the other riders were gathering around to admire Mike’s new motorcycle. Johnny discouraged Mike from putting his shirt back on when he noticed several women watching both of them.
As Johnny moved on to get pictures of Roy, Chet, and then Marco and Henri, he noticed a couple of ladies approach Mike. He smiled to himself. It was definitely Mike’s turn to get lucky with the ladies. That new motorcycle certainly didn’t hurt his chances, either. Johnny got three or four candid shots of Mike sitting on his motorcycle talking to a couple of different ladies before returning his attention back to Marco and Henri.
The next time Johnny turned around to check on Mike, Mike was riding around the parking lot giving the two ladies chances to ride with him. The slender brunette seemed to be enjoying Mike’s company more than her petite blonde friend.
Johnny turned back to the group. “I’m not sure Mike’s going to join us for dinner.”
Chet took a turn watching Mike and the two ladies and agreed with John. Marco, Henri, and Roy all watched for a few minutes and voiced the same opinion.
Roy waved Mike over. “We’re about ready to go. What are your plans, Mike?”
Mike smiled. “Just give me a few minutes and I’ll be good to go.”
Roy nodded and watched as Mike and both women exchanged numbers.
~~E!~~
Johnny brought the developed photos with him a couple of shifts later. He pulled out the photos of Mike with two ladies to give to him separately later.
Mike walked into the day room after checking over the engine and saw the rest of the guys, including Captain Stanley, looking at the pictures. Johnny pulled out the photo of Mike sitting on his new motorcycle. It turned out surprisingly well.
“Thanks, Johnny,” Mike was all grins. “How did the candid shots with those two girls turn out?”
Johnny gave Mike a knowing look. “They’re great. I have them set aside for you in my locker. There might be copies for both of the girls as well.”
“Cool! Thank you!” Mike smiled and kept the events of the last couple of days to himself. He had gone out with Nancy, the brunette, and hoped to do so again soon. The blonde turned out to be her younger sister, Lily.
Mike hadn’t expected the motorcycle to turn into a way to meet women. He was just looking to ride. However, he was not sorry it worked out that way. It had certainly ended his dry spell. A fact he was grateful for. After the fun they had at the dunes, he was looking forward to riding again soon.