“Deena!” I screamed and he jerked back, obviously seeing where he’d screwed himself. “Can you come here a sec?”
“Wait, never mind,” he started whispering frantically, but it was too late. His chance of getting a piece of ass was long gone. Taken when he became a greedy and pus-infested toad.
“What’s going on?” Deena looked from me to her dream lay, and I felt a bit guilty. Not that I wouldn’t call him out just the same.
“Loverboy here says he’s interested in a little three-way action.” I kept staring at the toad in question, watching as he ducked his head. “I wanted to get your opinion first.”
I knew Deena well enough to move back when she grasped the coke dispenser. It was a no-no to waste the coke, so she blasted him full on with water. I watched, awestruck and gleeful, as she coated him from head to toe in front of everyone. When she finished, she placed the dispenser back into its slot, grabbed some napkins, and threw them at his chest.
“Don’t bother wasting your time, asshole. Get the fuck out!”
When he didn’t move fast enough to appease her, she shrilled, “Cletus!”
The biggest and baddest bouncer in town didn’t ask questions, and he didn’t waste any time. He parted the crowd like water, advanced on the soggy and drenched horny toad, and snagged him by the back of his collar.
“Out you go,” he said as he shoved him through the crowd.
“I’m so sorry.” Deena didn’t stay heartbroken long, which was one of the things I admired most about her. Like most men, she had no problems with one-night stands or waking up alone. In fact, I think she preferred it. Thinking about her history with men made me feel slightly uncomfortable since now, really, I was no better.
“I just thought you should know.”
“Hell yes, I should know! What a fucking asshole! Can you believe that shit?”
She returned to work without another word, which was classic Deena. Nothing fazed her, which, again, was another thing I loved about the woman.
Before long, it was last call, and I was up to my neck in dirty glasses, a dirty counter and wet napkins. Butch and Cletus were already at work sweeping the floors, proving they were more than mere muscle and brawn. Everything felt perfect. This was something I could relate to, something I was familiar with. As I started swiping down the bar, Hector strolled over and pulled out a cigar.
“So,” he said, studying his spliff. “It’s nice to have you back.”
“That’s good to hear.” I lifted my head and grinned. “It’s good to be back.”
“Glad to hear it.”
Then he was gone, walking away as he loosened his tie and prepared to count the take for the night. Hector was still the same too, a man of few words.
Just the way I liked him.
Epilogue
My stomach felt like it had been soaked in acid by the time I decided to leave the club and head to Ruby’s, but I was determined to collect the information Goose offered. I was going to need it, since my own research skills were paltry and embarrassing. If this was stuff he’d discovered along with Sonja, it was sure to be good, and I couldn’t pass that up.
As I rounded the corner of the building and started in the direction of Ruby’s, I pulled my jacket closer to my chest. It was officially as cold as hell. No more skirts or ass-kicking dresses. Nope, it was just me, in my jeans and shit-kickers, which suited me just fine.
I saw the light from Ruby’s just as I rounded the corner. As I started to cross the street, something snagged me from behind. It was stupid on my part, since I should have put myself on alert the minute I left the bar, but I was so worried about what was inside the envelope that I hadn’t attuned to my senses, which left me in the clutches of a vampire.
“Remember me?”