Page 70 of Dirty

I reached for the handlebars.

Sitting in his seat with the handlebars in my grasp made me feel powerful, but I didn’t say anything. It seemed silly, but I liked that he let me sit there.

“Just relax,” he said.

He reached for a switch in the center of the gas tank. “This is how you turn it on.”

He pointed to a glowing green light. “And this light tells you if it’s in neutral.”

“If it’s on, and it’s in neutral, you push this button to start it.”

He pressed his thumb against a button on the handlebars marked start.

“What are you doing?” I asked as the engine cranked over.

The engine came to life and started rumbling out the exhaust. Along with it, the motorcycle began to vibrate, shaking me back and forth in the seat.

“Adam, it’s running. I’m not--”

“Just sit back and relax,” he said.

The muscles in my arms were tense and my knees were shaking.

He rested his hand against my knee and grinned.

After a moment of the motorcycle vibrating between my legs, I felt like I’d been hypnotized. With each passing second, I became a little more relaxed. Soon, I was actually enjoying myself.

I watched as my hands shook violently from having the handlebars in my grip.

“Guess how many people have sat where you are?” he asked over the sound of the exhaust.

“I don’t know,” I said.

“Two,” he said. “You, and me.”

“You don’t let other people ride it?”

He laughed. “No, I sure don’t.”

“Your right hand is the throttle,” he said. “Close your eyes and twist it back a little bit.”

I closed my eyes, listened to the sound of the echoing exhaust, and found that it had a rhythm. In no time, it seemed to envelop me, almost rocking me into a comfortable state of bliss.

I realized my knee had stopped bouncing.

I twisted the throttle a little. And then, a little more.

The sound from the exhaust bounced off of everything behind it, making me feel like I was controlling something powerful and manly.

I revved it one more time, and smiled at the result.

I opened my eyes and glanced at Adam. “You can turn it off now.”

“You sure?”

“Uh huh.”

Although he flipped the switch, my muscles continued to vibrate long after the engine was shut off.