Page 46 of Hidden Ties

He used to make fun of the guys for being whipped by their women, but it was no wonder they were. He could practically feel Valerie’s bat being slung already.

After the performance upstairs and in his office, Sal was certain he’d do crazy things to have sex with Valerie again. She had officially smashed his record of times he’d had sex with the same woman, and he was already planning for another repeat performance.

There certainly were perks to fucking a girl who was a loose cannon, but the last thing he needed was for Crazy Valerie tomeet Psycho Maria. Maria had only become more psychotic, as well, since becoming a mother to her daughter, Angelica.

Pulling his phone out of his pocket, he thought the world as they knew it depended on him, so he started a mass text …

COME GET YOUR WOMEN!!!

“I’ll do it,”Valerie volunteered herself to hook the PlayStation up. She never minded and always enjoyed doing it.

She moved behind the TV, and as she started hooking the game system up, she quickly noticed something. The TVhadbeen wired for the Nintendo 64 after all.

I knew it! Atfeeling vindicated that Sal was the one who had wanted to fuck her first, her smug smile suddenly turned sweet. It was kind of cute that he’d done that, even if it was just to get in her pants. It especially didn’t bother her considering she was happy to no longer be an un-kissed virgin.

Smiling to herself, she finished. “All done.”

“What’s that smile for?” Maria was the only one brave enough to ask.

She wiped the grin off her face with cheeks burning red. “Nothing.”

“That’s definitely not nothing.” Adalyn winked at her, agreeing with Maria.

“Guys, leave her alone.” She thought Kat was sparing her, but that quickly changed. “I think she might have a crush.”

With a collective gasp from her newfound friends, they all chided in with different things.

“A crush!”

“Ooo.”

“On whom?”

“That,I won’t tell.” Kat locked her mouth and threw away the key.

“I do not,” Valerie refuted loudly but quickly turned her voice as low as humanely possible, “have a crush!”

“Oh my God, you so do,” Maria realized, putting two and two together before almost gagging to death. “On Sal!”

“I can fucking hear you!”Sal screamed over the banister at hearing Maria’s incessant gagging noises. He was about to throw up all over her if she didn’t knock it off.

“Well, no one told you to listen!” Maria screamed up at him.

“Yeah,” Kat butted in. “It’s girls’ night; you’re not supposed to be here to listen to girl talk, anyway.”

If he didn’t get them out of here, he was never going to get laid again. All he needed was for Maria to tell Valerie something stupid he did growing up to give her the ick.

Sal picked up the phone and sent another text in hopeless desperation, knowing his dick depended on it.

CODE PINK!

Valerie stood,listening to them bicker, swearing that the way Maria talked with Sal was that of a sister. She figured it was just because she was married to his brother; that could be the only explanation as to why.

She was about to open her mouth but didn’t dare knowing Sal could overhear.

“Hang on.” Gianna threw on some music, understanding her predicament. All of them were now unconcerned with the reasonthey had come over in the first place—to play video games. They wanted in on the latest gossip instead.

As they huddled together in a girl puddle like they were fifteen at a sleepover, Valerie felt comfortable enough to talk in a low tone, knowing that he couldn’t hear a thing over the obnoxiously loud music.

---