G-Men: The Series by Andrea Smith Page A

on the edge.”
    “So, you don’t approve?”
    “I don’t think it’s my place to approve or disapprove. You’re my best friend and I don’t judge you like that. I can be concerned though. I guess that’s what I am: concerned .”
    “Concerned that I’ve lost my mind?”
    “Now, I didn’t say that. Don’t put words into my mouth. I’m concerned about where you’re working and the clientele that you seem to be drawn to, at least one of them. What do you know about Slate?”
    “Not much,” I admitted. “All I know is that he totally fascinates me, despite the age difference.”
    “How old is he?”
    “I’m not sure. I’d guess mid-to-late twenties, maybe.”
    “Seriously, that’s the least of your worries, Sam. He’s a biker in a gang, a notorious one at that.”
    “They aren’t called gangs, Bec. They’re a club .”
    “Whatever,” she said, waving her hand impatiently. “The point is that you’re literally flirting with danger. It’s unsafe. Are you telling me the truth about this being the first time ever that Jack physically abused you?”
    “Of course. Why would I lie?”
    “Okay. So now that you’ve told me all of this, do I get to have an opinion?”
    “Of course.”
    “Am I allowed to verbalize it?”
    I nodded at her, rolling my eyes.
    “I think you need to take Slate’s advice and quit that job for your own safety. I fully support whatever you decide. I seriously hope you leave that bastard you married, and find a life somewhere in-between.”
    “In between what?”
    “In between that “Stepford Wife” existence you’ve lived for the past nineteen years and the “Easy Rider” life you’ve got going on now.”
    “I knew you wouldn’t understand,” I said, rolling my eyes at her once again.
    “I do understand, Samantha. I understand that your marriage is a farce and that you realize that now. But this isn’t the answer, you know?”
    I remained silent…getting my sulk on.
    “Hey, I’m all for you being with a younger guy, if that’s what you want, but get rid of Jack first. Don’t enter a new relationship with the old baggage still attached. I also think you need to find a different type of guy. Do you really see yourself with a member of the Outlaws? I think that’s something that spawned from the fact that you never got to be a teenager. You never got to go through that phase where bad-boys were all that attracted you.”
    “Oh, and like you did?” I asked incredulously. “You’ve been with George, forever .”
    “We met in college, Sam, and not until my junior year. My freshman and sophomore years? Hey, I was all about dating the bad-boys. You were happily ensconced in your imaginary Stepford life of bliss. We didn’t talk much, but I was dating some real losers.”
    “Yeah? So why am I just now hearing about it?”
    “Wasn’t one of my proudest moments, those couple of years,” she replied. I could tell she was thinking back on them now.
    “How bad were they?”
    “Well, let’s see. They were all townies , of course. Most of them were high school drop-outs. The first one I dated was Ritchie. God, we were together for like six months. He’d self-tattooed his body in places that shouldn’t ever have tattoos. He had the names of every person he’d ever fucked tattooed on his body.”
    “No shit?”
    “Yep,” she said, shaking her head. “I used to find new ones all the time. The day I found the name “Marvin” tattooed on his left thigh was the day I knew it was over.”
    “Oh my God!”
    “After that came Butch. He worked at a gas station near campus. I loved his sultry, pouty, chip-on-the-shoulder look. He was great in the sack, too. We did it every way and everywhere. Once we did it in the cemetery during a full moon. That was totally erotic. I used to tell my roommate in the dorm all of the lurid details. She thought I was making it all up. One night, I got back early from a night class, and I found Butch doing my roommate in our dorm