“I told her I wanted to meet her daughter one day.” He looks up at me with a whimsical look. “She froze, told me it wasn’t in her best interest to allow me to get involved with her daughter or for us to go that far in whatever we have.” He cracks his knuckles, the sound of it making my body shiver.
“That sucks.” I try to offer something more empathetic, but really I can understand her decision. Bobby is involved in a club, which is criminal and makes enemies left and right.
“Think I’m just a fuck buddy to her,” he says, running his hands through his golden hair. “Fine with me, though,” Bobby laughs, gaining an eye roll from me. Sneaking a look at him, I notice his eyes squint at the corner with concern. I wonder what their story is.
We finish our beers while continuing small chitchat. I learned Bobby hates surfing, loves football, but hates baseball. He loves animals and will eat just about anything. His whole attitude is different from Shadow; Bobby is carefree and light, where Shadow is dark and complicated.
After the third movie, I can barely keep my eyes open and start to nod off.
I wake up to large arms under my legs and neck, lifting me from the floor.
“Where are you taking me?” I ask half-asleep.
“Taking you to bed, Firefly,” Bobby says, his voice awake and alert. I feel my body shift with every step. His body is hard and lean against mine, making me feel small. I can’t help but notice the smell of exhaust and coconuts in the crook of his neck.
I feel my body placed on the bed and the blanket pulled over me.
“I enjoyed tonight, Bobby. Thanks,” I mumble. It was nice having some kind of human interaction. As much as I wish it was Shadow, I think it’s time to realize that Shadow and I wouldn’t be anything less than carnage.
“Yeah, we should do it again,” Bobby says, his tone sincere. He heads toward the door and begins to close it.
“Night, Firefly.”
SHADOW
I sit in my usual seat in the back, away from other customers and the action. The leather is cracked in my chair and it smells like cheap perfume, but it’s not as loud back here. It doesn’t really matter where I sit, though; the girls always seem to flock toward me. The lighting is dimmed to a seductive glow, the air filled with fog and the room littered with half-naked girls, horny men, and loud music.
“Hey, Shadow,” one of the strippers says, walking my way.
“Hey, Jasmine,” I say casually. Jasmine has dark hair, green eyes and is wearing a black, sheer robe over her naked body. It doesn’t leave much to the imagination, as I can see everything. I notice Bobby sit in the chair next to me. I look over and give him a nod as he stares Jasmine down.
“Haven’t seen you here for a while,” Jasmine says, sitting on my lap uninvited. I look at her face as she turns and smiles at me, her green eyes catching me by the balls. I came here hoping to escape Dani, and I still manage to fall face-first into her.
“Hey, babe, why don’t you get us our usual,” Bobby suggests to Jasmine.
Jasmine gets up from my lap instantly. “You got it, babe,” she throws over her shoulder as her eyes flirt with Bobby. Her green eyes make me see Dani rather than this slutty stripper. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to shake away anything Dani out of my head.
“You asked me to come here, Bobby, so what’s up?” I ask, eyeing the girls on stage dancing for a quick buck. A blonde, busty girl winks at me as she grips the chrome pole and swings her legs around it, making her whole body circle it.
“Just worried about you, man; thought you could use getting out,” he says with sincerity. I don’t need his empathy.
“Worry about your own shit, I’m fine,” I say, my tone cold and angry.
“Whatever you say, brother,” Bobby chuckles. He knows I’m anything but fine; sometimes I hate how well we know each other.
“How is Dani doing?” I ask.
“She’s all right. She’s trying to get a job right now,” Bobby says, adjusting his pants as the blonde grinds the pole center stage.
“Can’t find one?” I ask, looking in his direction. I find it hard to believe we can’t get her a job. We have connections everywhere.
“Nah, not any she wants,” Bobby answers. “I think she’s looking for a job she can settle down and make a career with, I’m not -”
“She wants to dance,” I say, interrupting Bobby. He eyes me awkwardly. “Like ballet. She told me she loves to dance ballet. She was going to help teach little kids or some shit in New York before her mother stepped in.” I look over and see Jasmine hand Bobby his drink before handing me mine.
“So, Shadow, you going to take me in the back and show me a good time?” Jasmine asks, eyeing me with those green eyes. Looking into those pools of green, all I can think of, all I can see, is Dani. How much I miss her. How I want to smell her scent of peaches and feel her wrapped around my cock.
“Yeah. Let’s go,” I say, standing up. She links her skinny little fingers through mine and pulls me toward the back into a private room.