“Kassidy,” Pax says, grinning. “He would ram his nose right in her pussy and she’d scream and he’d bark and she’d scream again. Yeah, those two were not a love match.”
We share a smile. “You talked shit about Shay ditching her brothers, but she misses them. I see it on her face all the damn time and I know she’s saving to bring them here. If any chick will respect my brother, it’ll be Shay.”
A moment passes while we listen to the muffled sounds of men freezing.
“The other night was nice,” Pax says quietly. “Didn’t feel like a bitch hanging around. Felt like she could be family.”
I lose my smile. “I want Shay, but she’s a chick and they come with needs. They want shit like kids and can you imagine me with fucking toys everywhere? I don’t know if I can give her what she needs, but I’m enjoying the ride until she realizes I’m a dead end for her.”
Pax frowns. “Don’t be a turd. If an asshole like Trigger can have an old lady, why can’t you?”
Remembering the look in Shay’s eyes when I left her, I want this club shit to be over. My chest hurts, thinking about her. My dick is pretty sad about it too. Mostly, I worry she won’t be around when I get done.
37
Shay
Bad Influences
One day I hope to have the confidence of Darby Curran. She walks through the mall in her 1950’s poodle skirt, catching the eye of every shopper. She refuses to give a shit about their opinions. Even wanting to feel powerful, I’m still a follower today.
We meet Bull’s wife Lupe first. She’s younger than Jenn and Darby, but older than me and Bebe. The small Latina is wearing big hoop earrings and a flowered dress. She’s shivering when we find her in front of the Sephora store.
“It’s gotten so cold,” she says. “Ah, this is Lucky’s daughter. I can tell around the eyes.”
Darby winks at me then waves at Jenn and Amanda. Bebe steps closer to me, feeling out of place. She’s the only one untied to a club guy.
I don’t understand the casual relationship between Amanda and Darby. If Ford dumps me and hooks up with another chick, I won’t want to be her buddy. Of course, I’m immature that way.
The six of us walk into Sephora to look at makeup. I’m not buying anything on my salary and Bebe’s eyes get huge when she checks the price tags.
“Cleaning toilets doesn’t pay like it F U C K I N G used to.”
“Honey,” Lupe says,” you don’t need to spell in front of these bitches. They talk like gutter trash. Trust me, I know. When I moved here with Bull, I didn’t know much English. The girls taught me lots of profane words. Really nasty stuff too.”
Jenn and Amanda laugh then high-five. Darby wraps an arm around the shorter Lupe.
“They’re such bad influences.”
“You were the worst!” Lupe cries.
We laugh as Darby waves off the accusation. I stand with Bebe near the entrance. We’re not buying anything and looking at stuff we can’t afford is depressing.
“Cramps?” Bebe asks while I hold my gut.
“Yeah. Since I started getting those shots for birth control, my body has a system. There’s one heavy day where I’m angry and want to beat people up. That’s today. Tomorrow, I’ll be really sleepy and not very heavy. For the last day, I’ll have spotting with occasional moments of sleepiness and rage. Every month is like clockwork.”
“So you managed to have your period during the off period with Ford. Was that a plan?”
“He said he’d nail me whether I was on my period or not. I said that was gross. Once he took off his shirt, I figured if he didn’t care then why should I? Except this morning, he said he needed to work, so maybe he really was trying to avoid my lady issues.”
“Howie wouldn’t get near me when I was on my period. That was fine with me since he was a bad F U C K. I mean, he was okay on rare occasions, but the majority of the time, I felt like a blowup doll. Luckily, I watched that movie When Harry Met Sally, so I knew how to fake orgasms.”
We share a grin then follow the women out of the store.
“Shay needs a pair of heels,” Darby announces, “but her nails should get done first,”
Lupe nods. “I have hideous feet. Ugly feet run in my family. Even the men get pedicures or else people might burn us with fire.”
I’m laughing behind my hand when Jenn bumps me.
“Don’t worry about laughing in her face. Lupe is very laidback.”
“No, I’m really not,” Lupe tells me. “They just want to see a girl fight. Last time we went shopping, Darby and Jenn got into a sighing competition. It’s always something with them. I’d avoid them if I wasn’t with Bull. Once you marry into the club, it’s expected that you’ll spend time with the other old ladies even if they’re awful.”
Amanda laughs loudly. “Could be worse, Shay. We’re the fun old ladies. Try hanging out with Trigger and Big Dick’s wives.”
Darby frowns. “We shouldn’t talk shit about Wanda after her boy just died. Even horrible bitches like her need our sympathy.”