“Crash, how’re you ever gonna be the man in that relationship?”
“Brother, I don’t ever have a problem being the man in any relationship I have.”
“You know what I mean.”
“No, I fuckin’ don’t, Cole.”
“The money, Crash. Her money. That’s control, man.”
“Fuck the money.”
“Not sure she’s gonna feel the same. That’s not gonna eat at you?”
Crash stared off, not answering.
“Look at it this way. She drives a Mercedes. He drives a…what…I don’t know, Ferrari? You have a Harley and a beat up old pickup. Do the math.”
“Okay, way to bring the mood down,” Red Dog commented.
“The fight’s about to start,” Wolf advised, nodding toward the big screens.
Two fights and several drinks later, Shannon was well ensconced as ‘one of the guys’.
“You know what your problem is? You’re lonely. You need to get married,” Shannon informed Wolf, popping the cherry from her drink into her mouth.
He laughed. “Is that so? Well, darlin’, I think that might be an instance where the cure is worse than the disease.”
She rolled her eyes.
“You know why divorces are so expensive?” he asked.
“No, why?”
“Because they’re worth it!”
“Ba-dump-bump,” Red Dog added the punch-line sound effect as he set a shot in front of her. “Here, drink up, darlin’.”
Shannon laughed and almost snorted her drink out her nose.
Red Dog looked over at her. “You’re a hoot, Shannon, in your own wack-a-doodle kind of way.”
“Wanna know a secret?” she leaned in close to him.
“You’re smashed? That ain’t no secret, girly.”
She giggled. “No, that’s not the secret.”
He grinned. “No shit. What’s the secret?”
“It’s my birthday.”
His brows rose. “Is it, now? Do I get to give you a birthday kiss, then?”
Crash heard that one and leaned back on his barstool on the other side of Shannon. “Not a chance, brother.”
Red Dog laughed. “Did she get her birthday spanks?”
“Birthday spanks?” Shannon asked, frowning.