“Sounds like the only thing straight in that bar that night,” Houdini said with a wink.
“Your jokes get worse every time you tell one, you know that, right?”
“Don’t try to deflect. We were finally gettin’ to the good stuff.”
“Is that what my suffering is to you? The good stuff?”
Houdini took a bite out of his meatball sub and shrugged. “You gotta admit, this is some juicy stuff. Now, stop stallin’ and spill the details.”
I sighed and tried to remember why I thought telling him was a good idea. “There are no details to tell, juicy or otherwise. He approached—”
“I knew it, he totally hit on you.”
“I said thanks but no thanks, and that was the end of that.”
Houdini chewed another mouthful of food and swallowed. “Except it wasn’t.”
“Exactly.”
“Fuck me, dude. This is better than a soap opera. Tell me, did he recognize you the second you saw each other again?”
“Well, he’s notblind,so that would be a yes.”
“But hang on a second, if he’s the one who hit on you andyousaid no, why are your panties all in a twist? Unless…” Houdini nodded like he was onto something. “Is he still wantin’ to pet the Panther?”
God save me from Houdini and his horrible humor. “Pet the Panther? Really?”
“Would stroke have been better?”
“Nothing would’ve been better. But thanks, now I have that in my head.”
“You’re welcome. So, okay, what’s the problem? He wants to fuck and you…don’t?”
At Houdini’s blunt assessment of the situation, words escaped me.
“Or maybe youdo.Is that it? I mean, from a straight dude’s standpoint, I can see the appeal. Solo’s hot.”
Oh my fucking God.“Stop talking or I swear on my mother I will shove the rest of that sub down your throat.”
“Ahh, so that’s how you like it, huh?”
As I went for his plate, Houdini pulled it out of reach.
“Come on, I’m just messin’ with you. But seriously, if hookin’ up with Solo is what it’s gonna take to make you crack a smile again, I say do it. He doesn’t seem like the type who’s searchin’ for a long-term commitment, if you get my drift.”
“But he is the kind who has a big fucking mouth.” I sighed and rubbed my jaw. “There’s a reason I don’t date anyone in the forces—shit would get too complicated. And Solo, he’s trouble waiting to happen.”
“I get it, man. I just thought it might ease some of the tension between you two.”
“The only tension between us is over the fact he acts like a teenager out to prove his dick is bigger than everyone else’s.”
As Houdini opened his mouth to respond, I aimed a finger at him and said, “You mention that fucking sky penis one more time…”
Houdini grinned like a fool and went back to his sub, and all I could think was how I was going to survive not only this competition and training, but being paired up with someone who made my usual focus seem like a distant memory.
10Solo
IN HINDSIGHT, THE sky penis probably wasn’t the best way to kick off my first day, but I didn’t regret it. Not one bit. How could I when it had riled Panther up in such a delicious way? Other than coming out on top in the academy, provoking Panther had now moved up to number two on my list. A couple reasons for that—first, he was too fucking hot to leave alone, and second, any distractions would make him lose focus, which would only make it easier for me to kick his ass. Not that I needed the help.
