Page 127 of Gratification in Gluttony

“Love and acceptance come naturally. Hate is taught.” Jude glowered at Sal, cheeks flushed with passion. “I think your fragile masculinity and bigotry is a much bigger threat to her than whether or not Toni likes to fuck me.”

To be honest, Toni wanted to fuck him right now, because unholy shit, he was so sexy when he burned with righteous fury. Of course, Toni’s lust was derailed when Sal took a threatening step toward Jude, pointing a sharp-nailed finger at him.

“Don’t you talk about my daughter, you fucking slug!”

And that was the moment Toni decided to murder his brother-in-law. Hari would help him hide the body, he was sure of it.

“Call him a slug one more time, and I’ll rearrange you until your insides are on your outsides,” Toni said through gritted teeth.

Sal jutted his chin. “You wanna go? Let’s fucking go!”

“Enough,” Marlyn Maryno said, voice low and almost bored, and the room fell silent. With a deep inhale, Toni’s father rose to his feet, black eyes cutting across the room, settling on each of them in turn. He finished on Jude, and his head cocked minutely in curiosity.

Then he turned to Sal, who immediately ducked his head in deference. “Sal, you do not speak for this family. I suggest you remember that.”

To Jude he said, “Your loyalty is admirable, even if it is misplaced, but I do not abide disrespect.”

Jude scoffed. “Respect is earned; you can’t demand it.”

Everyone stilled. Except Toni. He snorted, then covered it with a cough, hating how uncomfortably tight his jeans had gotten since Jude decided to be a badass and defend Toni’s honor in front of his family.

“You are so hot right now. I’m so gonna do you later,” he whispered, and Jude winked at him.

“Eh, I think I’ll doyoulater, actually.”

“No problem. That’s a-okay by me, baby,” Toni said with a salacious grin.

“And you,” Marlyn Maryno said, black eyes landing on Toni. “You come in here on the day my daughter gives birth to my grandbabies, and you bring this outsider with you.”

“He’s not an outsider,” Toni said, releasing Jude’s hand to wrap his arm around him instead, pulling him into his side. “He’s mine, and I love him. And Flo invited us both to share in this with her. And not even you, Pop, can stand in the way of that.”

“He’s right,” Flo said, and everyone turned to the door to her hospital room. She was wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe, her feet in fuzzy slippers. Her indigo hair was piled atop her head, several strands loose and framing her tired but contented face. “I invited Toni because he’s my brother, and he deserves to be here, same as all of you. And I told him to bring Joom, too.”

“Jude,” Toni corrected quietly, cowering away from the fierce glare she sent him.

“But it ain’t right,” Sal said, and Flo snorted.

“Shut your mouth, Sal. You talk too much.” She pointed at Kat. “Kat’s been a lesbo for three months, and I haven’t heard fuck-all from you about it because ‘lesbians are hot’, right?”

“You’re a lesbian?” Toni demanded.

Kat shrugged. “So it would seem.”

“You didn’t know?” Jude asked, and Toni rounded on him.

“You did?”

Jude shrugged. “I mean, not that I’m going to assume someone’s sexuality, but—” He gestured toward Kat. “She’s giving hella dyke vibes.”

“Thanks,” Kat said with a smile that Jude returned.

“I was a dyke for a while, so I get it,” he said, and Kat furrowed her brow as she studied him more closely.

“Lesbians are hot?” Bett growled, and Sal somehow paled further.

“I never said that, darling.”

“Toni went his own way, but he’s happy,” Flo said as she gingerly stepped back into her room, opening the door in invitation. “That should be all that matters, even if he is a bit of a poof.”

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