Page 10 of Tied

Chris

“You good now?” I ask as I assist Galen through the door. It took him five tries on the keycard, and the stubborn fool wouldn’t let me help.

He peels his tie off. “You know, you’re a really big black guy.”

“Yeah.” Not the first, and definitely not going to be the last time I’m told that.

Wobbling around the room as he tries to get to bed, popping buttons at the same time, Galen turns until his butt hits the mattress. “The women must lay at your feet.”

Bending over to reach his shoes, he falls flat on his face. The floor of the room vibrates as he growls out, “That hurt.”

Oh my God. Really?

“You sure you’re okay, Galen?”

Pushing out a heavy breath, I step into the room. “Hang on,” I snicker, pulling on his shoulders to flip him to his ass again.

With a sick, silly laugh, he says, “Shit, man. I fell.”

“Yeah, buddy. You did.” Lifting him off the floor with my arms around his thick weight, he rises.

“Thanks so much, Chris. You really helped me out tonight.”

Making sure he won’t fall off again, I lay him back on the bed, then remove his scuffed black Oxfords. Placing them beside the bed, I pull the cover over him when he groans.

“The pillows here are so soft, honey,” he murmurs into the pillow, curling up around it.

“Night, Galen.”

As I step close to the door, he calls out, “Chris?”

I turn the knob, letting the light from the hall in. “Yeah?”

“You know, Bullet was wrong.”

Confused about what he means, I ask, “Wrong about what, Galen?”

But he never answers.

As I’m closing the door, a loud snore erupts from the room.

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