Page 41 of Diamond in the Rough

“Shit, really?”

“I don’t care if you think I’m a brute. I am one.”

“Mad Dog Maddox,” Keiron whispered. He rested his forehead against Frank’s cheek, and Frank wrapped his arms around Keiron’s middle.

Maddox flicked the bowl in front of him. “So I’m done with this.”

He got to his feet and took the porridge gruel to the opposite end of the room. He stuck the bowl on a tray, then tried to catch Ernie’s eye as he strolled back to the cell.

A few minutes later, Ernie pushed through the door. “What is it?”

“Maybe with all the retching and pills, you should ask for a day in the infirmary wing.”

Ernie’s face reddened. “Look here you, this is my cell. You’ve only been here two weeks.”

Maddox scrunched up his nose. “I need to make another call tonight.”

“So what, make your call…”

“This calls different. It’s private, it’s personal…”

Ernie widened his eyes, then flashed a look over his shoulder. “Wait, have you actually got someone on the outside?”

“I need to let him know I’m okay, and I need to know he’s okay.”

“Aw, how sweet,” Ernie mocked, “but what’s that got to do with me?”

“I’m gonna call him later.”

“I’m not stopping you.”

“The conversation might get quite heated, if you know what I mean.”

Ernie’s eyes sprung open, and he whistled. “A dirty phone call.”

Maddox shuddered. “If you wanna call it that.”

“Well, that’s what you mean, isn’t it?”

“It might get dirty.”

Ernie rocked back on his heels and looked Maddox up and down. “There’s plenty of guys in here that wanna—”

“I don’t want a guy in here. I want one on the outside. My guy.”

Ernie gave him a studious look, then dropped his gaze. “I spend the night in the infirmary, and you owe me.”

“Name your price…”

“I will at a later date.”

“Okay, I owe you.”

“If I don’t come back from that damn infirmary wing, I’ll haunt you, I swear it.”

“Okay,” Maddox smirked, “but do it after I’ve spoken to my guy, yeah?”

“I’ll try not to fuck up your orgasm.”

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