Page 41 of Duty and Desire
He knew both.
He just wanted to have the conversation.
“There’s no rush,” Mac lied.
When these women would learn that they couldn’t get away with lying to him, he did not know. He was in a variety of relationships with several women of his own, had kids with them, and he’d run a strip club for decades. He could spot a lie before the person even spoke the words.
Hell, his bouncers were the worst culprits. They thought they had that, “you’re a man and I’m a man” thing going on when no man was any kind of man if he lied through his teeth.
“Mac,” he stated warningly.
She didn’t answer his question.
She said, “People will still come watch me dance.”
“I know people will watch you dance. Had Joaquim do a head count coupla months ago for a few nights. Thirty-five percent of the people through the door were female. They say ten percent of the population is gay. So we can assume ten percent of that were lesbians who might have another reason they’re here to see you. But that means twenty-five percent of those females were here just to get a drink, but mostly to watch you dance. And you’re probably the only time a man can get away with saying he comes to a strip club to take in the talent of a dancer’s moves. You got big tits, you got regular tits, it’s not gonna affect your line at the rope. So let’s stop with the bullshit. Now, tell mewhy?”
Mac lifted her chin and stated, “I’m also looking into sperm donors.”
There it was.
Smithie sat back in his chair.
“Mac—” he began.
“I’m not getting any younger, Smithie,” she snapped.
As noted, he was in a relationship with several women. They knew about each other. Mostly, they shared because he was a lot to take and they didn’t mind the break.
But often, it was a juggling act and he was the juggler.
One thing he learned that helped him not drop a ball was never to field it when a woman lobbed that at him.
Though, he didn’t field it right then not just because of that.
“It’s your sister,” he noted.
She shook her head. “It isn’t my sister.”
“How many has she pushed out for Eddie so far?” Smithie asked a question the answer to which he already knew.
“Jet doesn’t make babiesfor Eddie,” Mac shot back.
Smithie sighed.
“I’m just ready,” she stated.
“You are not ready,” he returned.
Her face turned from confrontational to pissed.
“You think I haven’t thought about this for a long time?”
“I think, when you decide to bring a kid in the world, once you think you’ve thought about it long enough, you should think even longer about it. Then you should talk to people in your life about it. Then you should think on whattheysay about it. And only when you’re super, double,extrasure do you do it.”
“I’ve got the money?—”
Smithie shook his head. “It isn’t the money, Mac. But even if you think you got the money, you don’t got the money. It’s not about the food in their bellies or the roof over their heads. It isn’t about keepin’ up with all the latest phones and kicks. It isn’t even about saving for college tuition. It’s all the shit times in life that are gonna rise up and bite you in the ass that you didn’t count on. They’re your kid. They’re gonna roll with the punches. But are you ready to say you’re in the spot you’re good to make them do that if that shit happens?”
