Page 14 of Memphis

“Nothing,” I lied. “She was just checking in.”

“Everything running smooth?”

“Yeah, so far so good. Let’s just hope it stays that way.”

“Hell, ain’t that the truth.” He assumed his post next to me as he announced, “I don’t think I could take much more.”

“Why? What’s going on?”

“Dumb shit. My bike’s been fucking up, I’ve got this weird spot behind my left nut, and I’m pretty sure I’ve got a fucking stalker.”

“That’s a lot to unpack there, brother.”

“Well, I don’t know what’s going on with the bike. I left it at the garage so Skid could check it out. And the spot is just a weird itch.” He shifted his stance with a wince. “But it’s not in the best of places, and it’s bugging the hell out of me.”

“Might wanna get Blade to check it out.”

“Not having him look at my taint, brother. Not happening.”

“He wouldn’t like it any more than you, but you don’t fuck with the balls.”

“Yeah, you’ve got a point there.”

“So, what’s with the stalker.”

“I got bored last weekend and decided to check out the whole Tinder thing. Ended up matching with some hot chick, and we hooked up. It was alright. We had a hell of a time, and I mean a hell of a time.” He sounded truly horrified as he added, “But now, I can’t get rid of her.”

“Sounds like she might be the source of your itch.”

“I wouldn’t doubt it, and now, she’s about to give me a damn ulcer, too. She keeps calling and texting, and it’s driving me nuts. The other night I didn’t answer, and she just showed up at the house.” He shook his head. “And now, she won’t leave. I don’t know how I’m gonna get rid of her.”

“Get Nikki and a couple of the girls to follow you home tonight. I bet they can run her off.”

“That’s not a bad idea. I’ll have to give it a try.”

“Best make sure you really want her gone because if those girls have anything to do with it, she won’t be back.”

“Oh, I want her gone. No doubt about it.”

“Then, you should be good.”

“We’ll see.” Sounding relieved, he glanced over at me and asked, “What about you? How’d things go with your mom?”

“Bout as well as could be expected.”

“That good, huh?”

“I should’ve kept my ass at home.”

“Aw, damn. That doesn’t sound good.”

“Lesson learned. I won’t be going back any time soon.”

“Can’t blame ya there.”

Ghost turned his attention to the club, and I did the same. I kept scanning the club floor, searching for any sign of disturbance. I welcomed it. I wanted anything that would keep my focus off of her, but no matter how hard I tried, my mind kept drifting back to Antonia in that damn yellow one-piece.

It wasn’t that it was revealing. It was just the opposite. Everything a man would hope to see was completely covered,but it didn’t matter. She still looked sexy as fuck, and I struggled to keep from staring.

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