could screw her.”
I jerked around to face Old Buckles squarely again struggling to keep my voice from raising to a shout. “What?”
“Black Rose—you know Black Rose?”
Cautiously, I said, “I know who she is. But not I don’t know her well or anything.”
“According to her, you know her a whole hell of a lot better than that. She says her old man, Razorback, and you agreed that you could screw each other’s ladies.”
“That’s news to me,” I said, shaking my head and trying to think straight. “Kelly’d never go for that.” Even if I did. Which I couldn’t imagine myself doing.
“Well, that’s part of what I can’t figure out.” His jaw jutted out stubbornly, and his eyebrows furrowed over his glowering eyes. “Kelly says Razorback never said nothing like that to her. But he was pretty high. And she’d maybe been drinking. He just started ripping her shirt off, and when she said leave her alone, he smacked her a few times.” His face hardened.
Taking a deep breath and choking back anguish I said, “Sure wish I’d been there. Would have come out different.”
He raised his eyebrows and stroked his braided beard. “Why the hell weren’t you there?”
“Where’s ‘there’?”
“Kelly’s house. Living room. Kids had gone with their pop for the weekend.”
“You know I’m on parole. Trying not to violate. Associating with convicted felons—which is exactly what I’m doing now—is grounds for violation. So Kelly and I decided to cool it while you’re living there.”
He glared at me. “What kind of a wuss are you, worrying so much about violating that you stay away from your girlfriend?”
“The kind of wuss who did twenty years and has close to another twenty backup time.”
He grinned. “Didn’t like being locked up, huh?”
“Nope.” Who did?
“It ain’t so bad. I been doing nickels and dimes ever since I can remember.”
“Mine’s been straight time. Since I was sixteen.”
He looked me up and down. “I can see where you might not want to go back. ’Specially if you might never see light of day again.”
“You got that right.”
Shrugging, he said, “Why would Black Rose say you and Razorback made that deal if you didn’t?”
“I couldn’t tell you that. This is the first time I heard about it.”
“She says she got the best end of the deal.”
“Huh?” Had she actually told everybody I’d had sex with her? My muscles tensed, and I turned my head again to stare down the tracks. Where was this going? I fought to keep my shock surprise from showing on my face. Wouldn’t do to let this crowd know it was hitting me hard. They made a habit of exploiting weakness whenever they saw it.
“Black Rose says she never had it so good, that you’re great in bed.”
I turned to face him again and felt the blood drain from my face. My jaws clenched so I had trouble getting any words out. “She said what ?”
“That you know what a woman likes and don’t mind taking your time to make sure she’s getting it.” He raised his eyebrows and grinned. “She’s more used to guys who just take what they think what they got coming to them. Like Razorback done with Kelly.”
Was there any way to make Old Buckles believe me? “Didn’t never go there.” What else was she making up? And why ? Kelly was the only woman I’d ever had sex with. She’d had to show me what she liked. And while I certainly loved to take the time to do what Kelly liked, I wasn’t about to go screwing other women.
Especially not biker chicks. They had notoriously possessive boyfriends, although it was more about control than jealousy. These bikers were serious about their women being their property, to screw or lend out whenever they felt like it. I couldn’t imagine thinking that way about another human being. Especially Kelly.
“You don’t got to worry about nobody’s reputation or any of that shit with me,” Old Buckles said. “’Specially not if he gave you the
I jerked around to face Old Buckles squarely again struggling to keep my voice from raising to a shout. “What?”
“Black Rose—you know Black Rose?”
Cautiously, I said, “I know who she is. But not I don’t know her well or anything.”
“According to her, you know her a whole hell of a lot better than that. She says her old man, Razorback, and you agreed that you could screw each other’s ladies.”
“That’s news to me,” I said, shaking my head and trying to think straight. “Kelly’d never go for that.” Even if I did. Which I couldn’t imagine myself doing.
“Well, that’s part of what I can’t figure out.” His jaw jutted out stubbornly, and his eyebrows furrowed over his glowering eyes. “Kelly says Razorback never said nothing like that to her. But he was pretty high. And she’d maybe been drinking. He just started ripping her shirt off, and when she said leave her alone, he smacked her a few times.” His face hardened.
Taking a deep breath and choking back anguish I said, “Sure wish I’d been there. Would have come out different.”
He raised his eyebrows and stroked his braided beard. “Why the hell weren’t you there?”
“Where’s ‘there’?”
“Kelly’s house. Living room. Kids had gone with their pop for the weekend.”
“You know I’m on parole. Trying not to violate. Associating with convicted felons—which is exactly what I’m doing now—is grounds for violation. So Kelly and I decided to cool it while you’re living there.”
He glared at me. “What kind of a wuss are you, worrying so much about violating that you stay away from your girlfriend?”
“The kind of wuss who did twenty years and has close to another twenty backup time.”
He grinned. “Didn’t like being locked up, huh?”
“Nope.” Who did?
“It ain’t so bad. I been doing nickels and dimes ever since I can remember.”
“Mine’s been straight time. Since I was sixteen.”
He looked me up and down. “I can see where you might not want to go back. ’Specially if you might never see light of day again.”
“You got that right.”
Shrugging, he said, “Why would Black Rose say you and Razorback made that deal if you didn’t?”
“I couldn’t tell you that. This is the first time I heard about it.”
“She says she got the best end of the deal.”
“Huh?” Had she actually told everybody I’d had sex with her? My muscles tensed, and I turned my head again to stare down the tracks. Where was this going? I fought to keep my shock surprise from showing on my face. Wouldn’t do to let this crowd know it was hitting me hard. They made a habit of exploiting weakness whenever they saw it.
“Black Rose says she never had it so good, that you’re great in bed.”
I turned to face him again and felt the blood drain from my face. My jaws clenched so I had trouble getting any words out. “She said what ?”
“That you know what a woman likes and don’t mind taking your time to make sure she’s getting it.” He raised his eyebrows and grinned. “She’s more used to guys who just take what they think what they got coming to them. Like Razorback done with Kelly.”
Was there any way to make Old Buckles believe me? “Didn’t never go there.” What else was she making up? And why ? Kelly was the only woman I’d ever had sex with. She’d had to show me what she liked. And while I certainly loved to take the time to do what Kelly liked, I wasn’t about to go screwing other women.
Especially not biker chicks. They had notoriously possessive boyfriends, although it was more about control than jealousy. These bikers were serious about their women being their property, to screw or lend out whenever they felt like it. I couldn’t imagine thinking that way about another human being. Especially Kelly.
“You don’t got to worry about nobody’s reputation or any of that shit with me,” Old Buckles said. “’Specially not if he gave you the
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