Page 35 of Tony

“Yeah. She came in just as we were finishing, and saw me come. I was looking right at her when it happened.”

“Fuck. What did she do?”

“She bolted. I think she locked herself in the bathroom.”

“Hmm.”

“Did you get lucky?” She practically squeals these words.

“I did. I fucked her in the alley behind the shop. Came all over her leg.”

Soshee slaps my arm playfully. “Gross!”

I narrow my eyes a little. “You didn’t let Vann come inside you, did you?”

“He didn’t get a chance!” I almost howl with laughter. “Vic caught us. And then… chaos. Vann pushed me out the front door and”—she shrugs with her hands—“here I am.”

“So… this was good?” I ask.

“Good enough,” she says. “I mean, fuck Belinda, right? I don’t even care that she saw us. Vann wanted me. He was all talking dirty and enjoying himself. And it’s kismet that you and I”—she points to herself, then me—“we’re both getting a quickie from these two people at the same time.”

“Kismet, huh?”

“Yes. Vann wants Belinda and she was with you. I think it’s perfect.”

“Hmm.”

“What?”

“Do you really like him?”

“Are you kidding? He and I are soulmates. He just doesn’t know it yet.” She narrows her eyes at me. “Why?”

“I don’t know. He doesn’t seem like your type. And I’m not sure you’re going about this the right way.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, Vann? He’s into big trucks with huge tires. Mirrored sunglasses and hoodies. I bet he snowboards, right?”

“Oh, hell yeah. Back in school he used to disappear all the time with his friends to hit Vail. They barely let him graduate he missed so many days.”

“Do you snowboard?”

She laughs. “I don’t even ski. I hate it. All those people… ugggh. Tourists? No, thank you. I can’t deal with dumbasses.”

“That’s kind of my point. You’re one of those free-thinking, go-with-the-flow girls. You’re a local, I-eat-organic-and-my-mother’s-a-fortune-teller kind of girl. He’s… not.”

“He is.”

“He’s so not. Vann Vaughn is all about appearances. He has no depth. He’s a walking tattoo-artist cliché.”

“You don’t really know him, Tony.”

“Like I said, I know his type. I’ve met hundreds of guys like Vann Vaughn back in Key West. Blond, tanned, built. Charming. But underneath it all, they’re just douchebags looking to get laid.”

“Like you?” She winks at me.

“Kinda like me. But I’m not actually a douche. I’ve got purpose.”