Page 22 of Spike

“You ever been onthe back of a bike before?”

“That’s a firmno.”

He chuckled.“Okay, wear jeans and tall boots. Do you have a leather jacket?”

“Also a firm no.Leather jackets are for strippers and prostitutes.”

“Jesus, your momtell you that?”

“No, actually,that was my dad. One of his sermons.”

“Fucking hell,” hehissed. “Okay, I’ve got something that’ll work. I’ve also got an extra helmet.Just dress warm. Where are you?”

“We live in theWest Hills.”

“Okay, text me theaddress. I’ll be there in about half an hour.”

“Okay.” I smiled.“Um, Spike?”

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“You got it.”

He hung up and Imade a mad dash back to my bedroom to get ready.

CHAPTERSIX

Spike

“Istill can’tbelieve you’dnever seen that movie before,” I said, holding the theater door open forTrixie. I couldn’t keep my eyes off of her, and I wondered how long I’d be ableto keep my hands off her. I’d spent most of the duration of the movie thinkingabout, and fighting the urge to, lean over and peel her out of her clothes. Herintoxicating scent permeated the ever-present odor of fifty years of stalepopcorn, and it was driving me to distraction.

“What agentleman,” she said, while tugging on the Red Vine clenched between her teeth,her perfect lips wrapping around the ropes of bright red candy before lettingout a quiet laugh. “I almost peed my pants when Large Marge’s face went allgoogly.”

“I know yourparents were strict, but how could they have deprived you of Pee-wee?” I asked,trying my best to hide how turned on I was by her.

“Are you kidding?I couldn’t even watch the Muppets. There was no way Pee-wee was making it onto theapproved list.”

“The Muppets wereforbidden? How is that possible?”

“My mom said JimHenson was a puppeteer of evil who led a cult of dirty, hippie, feltfetishists, all of whom wanted nothing more than to pollute the minds of youngpeople into a life of smoking dope, and putting their mouths on each other’sfilthy no-no spots.”

I stopped dead inmy tracks. “I genuinely have no response to that.”

“According to mymother, Satan is hiding around every corner, waiting patiently for the moment Ilet my guard down.”

“Then what?”

Trixie shrugged.“He’ll strike, I guess.”

“Satan?”

She nodded.

“Satan, as in thedevil himself?”

She nodded again.

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