Page 60 of Tony

“Because you… tried to kiss her?”

I’m still holding her hand. And she’s not trying to pull away. “No. Because I told Vann I fucked her in the alley behind Sick Boyz and she… well, she didn’t like that.”

“What did Vann say?”

“You know.” I wave my free hand in the air. “He was all understanding and shit. Since he was busy fucking you inside Sick Boyz at the very same moment.”

“Oh.” Soshee laughs and covers her mouth with her free hand. And is it weird that we’re still holding hands? “Well, then.” She shrugs. “I guess it’s all out in the open.”

“I guess it is.”

“And you’re what, done with Fort Collins? Gonna go home now?”

“Not now. Now, I’m gonna put it all behind me and… I don’t know. I’m kinda hoping I can spend the day with you.”

“With me?” She brightens. And I have to admit, I love her brightness. “What should we do?”

“I don’t know. Whatever you want. What do you usually do on Saturday mornings?”

“Hmm. My regularly scheduled Saturday mornings might not work.”

“You stalk him, don’t you?”

She winces. “If I say yes, does that make me totally pathetic?”

“A little?” I laugh.

“OK, then. My answer is no. I usually spend Saturday mornings with hot guys from Key West.”

“Really?”

“Truly.”

“Guys like me?”

“Guys just like you.”

“And what do you do with them?”

“You know. Little bit of this, little bit of that.”

I fold my other hand over hers and squeeze it a little. She looks at her hand. Then her eyes track up to mine. “You want to have a date today, Soshee? Put the past behind us and like… move on and shit?”

“Only if you’ll agree to be my trophy boy and let me parade you all over town and make all the local tramps jealous.”

I guffaw. “Deal.”

“Deal?”

“Such a deal.” And then… then… I don’t know what comes over me, but I bring her hand up to my lips and I kiss her fingertips. All of them. One at a time. So they each get their own well-deserved attention.

She stares at me as I do this, unblinking and still. I let go of her hand and wait for her reaction, my stomach going a little wild and crazy with the anticipation.

“OK,” she says, a little bit breathless from my cool, flirty romantic gesture.

I stand up and wink at her. “I’m just gonna jump in the shower real fast and then we’ll get this date started.”

She places both hands in her lap and bunches her shoulders up to her ears. “I can’t wait.”