"Alright, well, give me some Suga Suga," Peyton declared. "The girls and I have some titty tassels to go check out."
"Ah... what?" Sugar asked, face a mix of confusion and amusement, a look he often had around Peyton.
"She's dragging us to that new burlesque club," Lenny explained.
"'Dragged' is a strong word," Peyton said.
"But an accurate one," I shot back, making her roll her eyes before giving her man an almost embarrassingly long goodbye before chugging a glass of her barely-touched wine.
"Chill that for me," she demanded to Sugar as she fetched her purse.
"I know better than to let your good wine go to waste," he agreed. "I got a scar to remind me if I even think about forgetting."
"He's dramatic," Peyton told us as she opened the door. "It was a scratch. He barely bled."
My head swiveled over my shoulder to see Sugar standing there mouthing Save me to me for a second before breaking into a warm smile. "Have fun with your titty tassels."
"Have fun with your cage fight!" Peyton yelled back, meaning how all the men were heading off to Hex to watch Ward's new fighter - hardly more than a kid - take the ring for the first time. From what Adler said, he made Pagan seem like a gentleman.
"Why are we going to burlesque instead of a cage fight again?" I asked as we all made our way to the lot where Jamie was waiting for us.
"Ugh, fine," Peyton said, turning, stopping, making us all stop short so we didn't plow into her. "I told her I wouldn't tell you. But it's Jamie's birthday. So we are doing fun naked girlie things. And we are going to enjoy it," she added a little firmly before turning to her friend, throwing her arms in the air, and yelling out, "Bring on the titties!"
Lenny looked over at me, smiling a little uncertainly. "Do you ever stop to think what things would be like if you never met Adler?" she asked, shaking her head. "I think about it all the time. I never would have found you guys. We wouldn't be on our way to a burlesque show with a woman who plays with alien cocks and wears a shirt that says "You've been training for this your whole life!" with a picture of a pacifier, lollipop, and then a pixelated cock at the end. Or all spar together. Take dog walks. It's all surreal sometimes."
I watched as Peyton stuck herself through the sunroof in the car - Jamie's car since we all refused to ride in her hearse again - and yell for us to get our asses in gear, and Lenny smiled and rushed forward, and I knew exactly what she meant.
My life had changed in so many ways over the past few months.
I completed my life's mission.
I'd gotten a dog, something I had always wanted.
I made a dozen or so new friends.
And I had found Adler.
There were many times I caught myself just standing back, observing this new life of mine with a mix of confusion and happiness, wondering if it would ever just feel normal, but also a bit worried about not appreciating every little new thing the way I did now.
Like alien cock eggs.
And naked ladies dancing behind feather fans.
And girls who had my back like I had theirs, like sisters.
I felt a stab inside when I thought that, had opened my mouth to explain it to Lenny whose face softened.
"I know how you feel," she admitted. "I felt that way too at first. Like I was being disloyal to my sister for thinking that. But I don't think our sisters would want us to be miserable all our lives, pushing other girls away because we are afraid to care about them, love them. We aren't replacing them, Lou," she assured me, giving my wrist a squeeze, a rare show of affection for her.
And just like that, the anxiety around the issue dissipated.
She was right.
No one was replacing Sammy.
They were just easing the ache of her loss, reminding me how nice it was to have a gang of girls who have your back, who are invested in your happiness, who you could really open up to.
And I finally had those things.
All because of Adler.
My heart squeezed in my chest, and I was starting to think I knew exactly what that sensation was, why it happened whenever I thought about him.
I wondered, too, if I would ever find the words to say them.
I guess only time would tell.Adler - 4 months"Ya fuckin' serious?" I asked, brows knitted as Sugar held up a hand in a Hand to God gesture.
"I couldn't make this shit up."
"He's never gonna live this down," Virgin decided, all of us silently agreeing.
"I mean Reign sent just him because it was such a small drop, such an old client. There was no reason to throw five guys on this," Laz said, shaking his head.