My Boss and His Friends (The Forbidden Fun)

Sam laughs. “We go bowling sometimes. Why?”

She giggles

“I just figured it wouldn’t be something you enjoyed. Weird shoes, bowling balls that have been touched by a million hands…I mean, you guys are too cool for that.”

I growl from the driver’s seat while meting her eyes in the rear-view mirror.

“No honey, we’re more than mindless alpha males who ravish women and stomp on lesser men. We like to dress down every once in a while and just be silly.”

Jessica giggles. “You guys, silly? Well, good then. I’m excited!”

Within thirty minutes, we’ve pulled into the parking lot of Bowlmor. Inside, they’ve refurbished the place so that it’s very retro looking. There are gleaming wooden lanes, lots of red, yellows and blues, and even wooden chandeliers to give the place a vintage vibe. But still, bowling shoes are required and we’re handed maroon and tan rentals with a single velcro strap to put on. I can smell my pair immediately, and it’s a combination of foot spray and mold.

“Eeew gross,” Jessica groans. “This is not going to be fun.”

I grin.

“It’s fine, sweetheart. Just sweat a lot and that sweat will mask the odor of the previous person’s foot sweat.”

“Eeew!” she shrieks while slapping me playfully on the bicep. “You’re only making it worse.”

Honestly, it’s just part of the fun. Selecting a few balls, the four of us get situated in a lane on the very right. There’s only one other group in the alley right now, and they’re on the very left so we have plenty of space to stretch our legs.

“I’m going to grab pizza with anchovies, unless you guys object,” Sam announces.

“Anchovies? Shit man, you’re disgusting,” Vance groans. “How about half anchovies, half pepperoni? Try to be normal for once.”

Sam merely grins good-naturedly.

“Got it. Any other requests?”

Jessica titters.

“How about buffalo wings?” she suggests.

I stare at her. “You like wings?”

She nods.

“A lot of girls don’t, I know because they’re messy and it’s so nasty to look at a pile of discarded bones at the end. But I love them anyways, and to be honest, I can eat a dozen at a time.”

Sam nods approvingly.

“Wings it is, then. Plus, I’ll get some fries to share. Just in case you guys want some,” he says with a wink.

I roll my eyes because I know that asshole is going to hoover them all up, but fine. Meanwhile, Jessica picks up her ball and takes the first shot. The ball rolls slowly down the wooden alley, wobbling a bit before finally managing to knock down a few pins.

“Ace!” she squeals.

“Honey, that’s not an ace,” growls Vance in a confused voice as he pulls her into his lap. “Ace is when you knock down all ten pins at once. That was five.”

“Oh you,” she huffs with a mock-pout. “I call it an ace, so it’s an ace.”

“Okay ace,” agrees the big man, pulling her close while nudging her breast with his arm. “Whatever you want, baby.”

We play for a few minutes until Sam returns with our food. I see that Bowlmor has gone all out. They could serve crappy re-heated frozen foods, but instead the pizza looks like it was actually baked in a wood-fired oven, and the fries and wings are arranged in attractive bowls, even if they are served on red plastic trays.

“What dip do you prefer for your wings?” Vance asks our girl.

She thinks for a second. “Blue cheese or ranch, but I do like Thousand Island sometimes too. It just hits the spot with that ketchup-y taste, you know?”

He grins.

“All good choices, honey. I myself like chunky blue cheese. Mmm, chewy chunks!”

She squeals again with laughter and we dig into the food, ignoring the bowling balls for the moment. The game can wait because more important is enjoying our girl’s company and making sure that she’s happy.

“Oh, I almost forgot to ask,” Jessica says as she wipes buffalo sauce from her face. “How did the three of you meet?”

I chuckle. “We were fraternity brothers at Oregon State eons ago, actually.”

The three of us share a look and then raise our fists simultaneously. “Rho Mu Tau!” Sam, Vance and I chant before making the frat’s special sign with our fingers. It’s so juvenile now, and we all burst out laughing.

“That explains a lot,” Jessica giggles. “You guys act like you’re brothers even though you’re not.”

“Well, we are brothers in a sense. Fraternity brothers call each other brothers, although of course, we’re not biologically related,” Sam replies.

But Vance shrugs. “But we get called brothers a lot, let’s face it. Most people think we’re related even though we’re not.”

“Is it because you guys all have black hair and blue eyes?” Jess asks with confusion. “But there are lots of people with that coloring.”

I shake my head.

“No, I think it’s because we’re just familiar with one another. Twenty years with these assholes will do it to you.”