The big guy took one look at the two of them and grimaced. “Okay, so, not good?”
“Guess what, Jest? Gumby likes cock as well as pussy.”
With his gaze bouncing between the two of them, Jester answered with a slow “Uhh, yeah. I kinda got that when I saw that dude’s tongue down his throat a few hours ago. Which did happen by the way.” He pointed at Gumby. “Don’t try to tell me it fucking didn’t, asshole. My eyes work damn well. Emily makes me eat carrots,” he muttered under his breath.
“And do you give a shit that he likes cock?” Striker stuck the cigarette back between his lips, but at some point, he’d crushed the thing so with a scowl for Gumby, he tossed it on the table.
“Huh?” said Jester. “What? No. Why’re you asking me that shit? How long have you known me, Striker? I don’t give a shit how people fuck as long as they’re fucking. Everyone should be fucking as often as possible. Now, it might make him a greedy fucker that he’s claiming two for himself, but I’m down with greedy.” He shot Gumby a mischievous grin.
“Why? G? Why the fuck did you think we’d flip out on you?” Striker ran a hand through his brown hair.
“His old man,” Jester said with the confidence of someone who knew what the hell they were talking about.
Gumby’s jaw dropped. “What? How did you—”
“Come on, G. He’s legendary around town for being a colossal douche bag. Stories I heard about that fucker made me wish I could raise him from the dead just so I could kill him. Pretty sure there ain’t a person in the world who got misty when he finally kicked it. It’s not a stretch to think he fucked with your head about liking cock.”
“Shit,” Striker said as he plopped back down in the chair. “That’s it, isn’t it?”
With a nod, Gumby said, “Lost count of the number of ‘reminder’ beatings he gave me. Just to make sure I wasn’t slipping. Don’t want to tell you what he did to a guy he found me making out with when I was fifteen.”
Striker took out another cigarette. “I can guess. Look, brother, none of us give a fuck who you want to fuck. And if someone does, I’ll take care of it. Gonna break my heart to lose you, you know.”
His spine shot straight. “Huh? What? I’m not going anywhere.”
Striker and Jester exchanged a glance then started laughing and Gumby had the feeling he was the butt of a joke he didn’t quite understand yet.
What he did understand was that he not only had some soul searching to do, but some serious groveling.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
JAZZ WAS TEMPTED to lock her phone in her office just so she wouldn’t check the time again. She loved her job. Really loved her job, and, normally, the hours spent in Toni’s Diner flew by, but today a slug would have passed the clock.
She’d done what she needed to make it through the day. Plastered on a cheery grin she didn’t feel, made small talk she didn’t have the energy for, and ignored the heavy pit in her stomach as best she could. Though the effort wasn’t overly successful. She’d slogged through the morning in a fog of heartbreak and despair fighting tears every few moments.
And when the door jangled, alerting a new customer? Well she’d been convinced one or both of the men would come to their senses and seek her out.
She’d been wrong.
Dead wrong.
Had it all been in her head? The deep connection that seemed to extend beyond physical, reach into her soul, and soak into every cell of her body. If it was, she needed therapy because she’d done a bang-up job of misreading the situation.
All right, one more peek. She checked her phone and breathed out a sigh of relief. Fifteen minutes until closing. Another hour of clean-up and she’d be out of there.
A knock on her office door had her glancing up at Ernesto, their head chef. “Hey, Jazz, sorry to bother you. I made way too much of that chicken tortilla soup. You want to take some home?”
Ugh, the thought of eating did not appeal to her at the moment. “Um, you know what? Pack it up to go and I’ll give it to Thunder.”
Ernesto flashed her the sexy Latin smile he swore drew ladies like flies even though he was in his early fifties. “Sure thing, boss. The dining room is nearly empty, and I’ve already started cleaning in the kitchen. We should be able to get outta here in thirty.”
Finally, some good news. “Thanks. I’ll come in and help in a minute.”
With a wink and a nod, he left her office.
Two minutes later, Thunder popped his head in the open door. “Hey, babe, Viper is planning to swing by in about forty-five minutes. He’s got something Copper wants him to hand off to me. We still gonna be here?” He smiled as he spoke. The man had a smile that made women forget their names. He knew it, too, and worked it to his advantage.