She rolled her eyes so hard I thought they might get stuck. “That motherfucker! Took him to the bathroom to get our fuck on, and when he pulled it out—” She mimed pulling a dick from pants, then flung her hands up in frustration.
“—it was anaveragedick!” She huffed. “Like fuckingthis!”
She held her palms about six inches apart, glaring at the space between them like it was offensive before she looked up and pointed a finger at me.
“That’s notbirthdaydick,” she snapped. “That’s need-this-in-a-pinch dick. And tonight, that’s unacceptable.”
She rubbed her palms together like she was washing him off her hands. “So I sent him packing.”
Grabbing her drink, she knocked it back in one go and swiped her arm across her mouth with a dramatic flair. “I’m gonna find me some birthday dick,” she grumbled, “and when I do, I’m riding it so fucking hard?—”
I almost felt bad for whoever that poor bastard was. She was on a mission now. Vengeance in heels and glitter.
Patting her on the shoulder, I sighed. “I gotta split. Got a fight I can’t miss.”
Her bottom lip jutted out in a pout, but she nodded. She knew the drill, and I’d warned her I might need to dip early.
“All right. I get it.”
I knew she understood that the Syndicate was always first. Always. Still… I couldn’t pretend I wasn’t bummed. I was actually enjoying myself.
Pulling her in for a hug, I leaned down and whispered, “Happy birthday, baby sis. Hope all your birthday dick dreams come true.”
She grinned up at me, wicked as ever. “Thanks, Nova. And I hope you catch that fine-ass fighter you’ve been chasing.”
I leaned back, frowning, and she cackled like she’d cracked the best joke in history.
“Oh, come on, Nova.” She wiped a tear from her eye. “You know fighters have bodies on them. Built like fucking mountains, and you're around themall the time.” She sighed wistfully. “I wouldn't mind the rigorous climb if I knew for sure their milk would pour down on me… orinme, like an avalanche."
I winced, full body. Her analogies had a talent for scarring the soul. Immediately, my brain betrayed me with a vivid image of some meathead fighter jerking off on a cliff while Aniyah cheered him on like it was the main event. Hell no. Banish. Delete forever.
I turned to say goodbye to the others, but Aniyah called out, “They already bounced.” She lifted her glass again, a little shrug in her shoulder. “Ezra’s got an important meeting, Calix is being a whooped little bitch, and Riot’s got a late job tonight or this morning. She wanted to make sure she got back in time for family dinner.”
Guilt must’ve been written all over my face because her smile turned soft, and a hand flicked through the air as if she could shoo the emotion off me.
“No hard feelings. I’m just glad you guys came out. Really. It means a lot.”
She looked down into her cup, swaying a little. Something about it tugged at me—just enough to make me want to stay, but I knew I needed to go.
“I’m sorr?—”
“Nope.” She cut me off and stood up, full power mode again. “Not doing that. I’ll see you at dinner tomorrow. Okay? Love you. Bye bye.”
She grabbed my shoulders and spun me toward the exit, giving me a little push. “Go on. You’ve got a job to do, and I’ve got a birthday dick to hunt.”
I blew her a kiss and slipped out of the club, leaving the guilt and the ache behind.
Tonight was a work night.
2
NOVA
“What is that damn kid doing?” Old Man Vic grumbled beside me. “He’s going to get himself hurt doing all this fancy work.”
With a chuckle, I shrugged, eyes still locked on the last prelim fight of the night. “Hey, it's his choice to go in the ring.” Old Man Vic was a human gangster back when my parents were just getting together. He stayed out of their way and his groups stayed out of ours, but now he was retired and liked to watch supe fights. He was good at spotting talent, and his grumpy attitude made me laugh.
In the ring, the werewolf tried for a right hook, but, surprisingly, the fairy dodged, holding his own.
