Page 36 of Dash

Lifting her brows expectantly, Ane eyed Liz for an answer.

“No,” Liz said matter-of-factly. “I got called into work.” She gestured to her attire as though it offered proof. “Do you think I would wear this sexy ensemble if I’d just gotten laid?”

The two across from her exchanged looks as though considering it.

Ane shrugged.

Pupper boy took a deep breath.

“So.” He leaned forward on his elbows, holding his chin in his hands. “Tell us all about him. Those stocky, bald, bad, white boys have always been my thing.”

With her cheeks heating, Liz glanced toward Ane, who sat back with a smirk. Ah, this was her punishment for leaving and not watching her scene. She had to endure a horny Pupper boy. “I really don’t know much about him. I met him at the last munch.”

“At the Akron one?” Pupper balked. “Bitch, shut up.” The loud clap of his hand meeting the table drew the attention of the few patrons in the Waffle House as he slapped it. “The one week I didn’t go because I didn’t care about leather.” Shaking his head, he folded his arms over his chest. “Who knew my leather daddy would walk in.”

The three of them burst into a fit of giggles. Apparently, they were all back in high school again, some sort of twisted kinky high school, where immaturity and hormones reigned supreme.

The server came over with a menu to offer Liz. The three of them did their best to contain their laughter. After giving her order, she turned back to her friend. “I’m sorry.” Leaning over the table, she met Ane’s dark gaze. “I really wanted to watch you work. You know I love seeing you defy physics.” She grinned, figuring flattering her friend with what she already knew would help. “And I wouldn’t have left if I didn’t have to.”

Ane nodded. “I know.”

Pupper cleared his throat with his chin in the air.

“And I’m sorry that I missed an opportunity to see you bottom.” She waved a hand toward him. “I haven’t met you before, officially, so I’m sorry that I didn’t formally get to experience you either.”

He nodded in acceptance.

“Now that we got that out of the way.” Ane placed both her hands on the table. “Let’s talk about Fet Con.”

“Yas.” Pupper’s eyes widened and his face lit up.

Running her fingers through her bright auburn locks, Liz sighed. “I don’t know if I can swing it.”

Both their faces fell. “No.” Ane held up her index finger and waved it. “I don’t want to hear it. We are sharing a room and driving up.” She gestured between them. “So it’s just a matter of ticket cost. You just picked up an extra shift. Seriously, you got this.”

“Bring your new biker boyfriend.” Pupper nodded. “There’s some more cost savings.”

“I wouldn’t call him my boyfriend.”

“We’re talking Fet Con. He doesn’t have to be your anything.” Pupper said cavalierly.

Ane waved at him. “You’re going. We’ll make it work.”

Liz smiled as she met Ane’s eyes. She must have done something fantastic in a past life to deserve such a friend. A friend that, no matter how much she argued, wouldn’t take no for an answer when it came to attending fetish events. So, there was only one thing she could say. “Thank you.”

Chapter 18

Dash

Dash couldn’t decide if he found comfort in the worn path of the tile in Bowie’s hospital room or not. It either meant a lot of doctors and nurses came through to save people’s lives, or many people came there and died. Either way, staring at it wouldn’t help him decide.

Though, it beat the alternative view. Sitting in the uncomfortable chair in the corner of the softly lit room facing the hospital bed, he didn’t recognize the occupant. If he hadn’t known otherwise, he’d have assumed it was just another geezer in his eighties who had lived a full life. It surely wasn’t the guy in his forties who’d told him and Romeo to keep their hands off Sparrow a while back. Jesus, how long ago was that?

Shaking his head, Dash ran his hand over his bald head. Not that he was a stranger to death, he’d been around a whole hell of a lot of it. He’d been a damn Army medic and done active duty. He’d seen his share of fucking death. When he enlisted, he expected to see death. When he got in with the club, when he prospected, when he patched up, he knew he’d see death. He was well aware death was a part of the gig, but not like this. He did not expect this kind of shit.

Gurgling noises broke through the beeps and puffs from the oxygen machines. Bowie coughed as he reached for the mask. Unsure if it was the lighting or his actual skin, it looked gray as Bowie’s bony fingers shook around the mask.

Standing up and moving toward the bed, Dash went beside Clark as they got closer to the former president of the motorcycle club. They assumed he wanted to speak but didn’t want him to have to strain more than he already had with the simple hand movement.

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