Page 6 of Good Vibes Only
“Good Vibes Only? Wait, what’s that?” I asked.
My answer came in the following sentence.
Tank read, “‘Good Vibes Only is an adult boutique offering erotic toys, books, sex education, sex workshops, and much more.’”
The boys howled with laughter. Me? Not so much. Yeah, if I were in their shoes, I’d be laughing, too—but I had alotof money at stake in this project.
“There’s awhat?” I asked, still in shock.
“A sex store!” Dakota said.
“Sounds like they really put the goods front and center, too,” Rust said, and the old man chuckled.
“What do you think they’ve got in the window display right this moment?” Brock asked.
“A fifty-five gallon drum of lube,” Tank joked.
“And the AssDestroyer 3000,” Connor added.
I waited until the laughter tapered off.
“Seriously, boys. Am I fucked?” I gulped. “I’m almost two sheets into this project already. Ican’tlose that money.”
Now guys that weren’t even in our poker circle were getting in on the action.
“Hey, look on the bright side. You could spin this as a positive, y’know?” Cale Cotton, the sophomore phenom on defense, piped up from the next row over. “Come to BarDown! Have a burger, drink a few beers! Then once you’re good and liquored up, you can stagger over next door and learn how to give a world-classbeej.”
The cabin rolled with laughter. You know things are bad when you’re getting roasted by nice guy Cale.
“Fuck me,” I whimpered, clutching my temples.
“Showtime, bud,” Rust growled. “Didn’t you scout the area first?”
“I don’t have time for that. All I did was sign off on the papers.”
“What papers?” Rust asked.
“The plans or whatever. I dunno,” I mumbled. “Mike gave ’em to me.”
“And who is Mike?”
“The project manager.”
“And how did you find Mike?” Rust asked.
I sighed. “My money guy recommended him to me. He’s been pretty solid, but he didn’t say anything about opening next to a sex store.”
Rust shook his head. “Anytime you start a project like this, youhaveto stay on top of these people. Don’t ever give them free rein. Everyone knows athletes are flush with cash, and they think we’re stupid with it, too.”
“To be fair, they might be onto something,” Dakota said, jabbing my side.
I thought the article was over, but Tank had one last bit to read. “‘But with myriad sex toys prominently featured in Good Vibes Only’s large window displays, families might be reluctant to bring their children to BarDown. And who could blame them when there are already so many other craft breweries just a stone’s throw away in the family-friendly Arts District? We’ll wait and see. In the meantime, let’s just hope the food is as cheap, and the kitchen nowhere near as dirty, as Allred’s play on the ice.’”
“Aw, fuckoff, man!” I groaned. “Seriously, am I really that dirty?”
“Well …” Dakota hesitated, his head bobbing from side to side as if the accusation might actually have some merit.
“I am notthatdirty,” I protested. “Y’know, I’m constantly getting shit on out there. All night long. But thesecondI start to fight back a little, suddenly, I’m the dirty one. I guess I’m supposed to just roll over and take it, though, right?” I huffed defiantly. “Therealproblem is, no one likes it when a little guy stands up for himself. Don’t worry. I get it.”
