“Do it! Do it! Do it!” The chanting belonged in a frat house, not a bar full of cops, but it was happening just the same. Will laughed and smacked my shoulder as King picked up the glass, spun in a circle with it held high, then downed it with a flourish.
I finally began to relax at the cheering. Everyone was in a good mood tonight, not something I’d expected. Scratch that. A few men at the bar gave us looks that made it clear they wanted to drag us outside and shoot us.
“How was it?” I slapped King on the back.
“Spicy,” he said, then cleared his throat and slammed the empty glass on the bar with aclink.
The man behind the bar shook his head but set bottles of beer in front of us. Dallas tossed down cash.
“King, come here. Tell me about your life, son. I lost track of you when you went to jail.” Balinski patted the stool next to him.
“You always thought you’d straighten me out.” King shook his head fondly.
“Hoped.” Balinski smiled.
Dallas’s eyebrows flew upward as King took the seat beside the old man.
It didn’t take more than a minute of perusing the bar to come to the conclusion that this was a waste of time. “He isn’t here,” I said loud enough for Will and Dallas to hear me.
“Hold on.” Dallas tapped King’s shoulder, luring him out of conversation with Balinski. “Can I bum a smoke?”
“Huh?” King looked far too confused when he spun toward Dallas. “Sweetness?”
Dallas whispered in his ear, leaning close enough to press his body against King’s side, which got his ass squeezed, not that it seemed like he minded. King massaged Dallas’s lower back and nodded at whatever he was saying. When Dallas stepped away, he had King’s cigarettes and lighter. He made a beeline for the door that opened onto the patio, and I realized he was going to check out there for good old Marty Loubeck. I had a few things I’d like to say to the fucker that had started this mess.
“Might as well enjoy yourself,” Will said, knocking his beer bottle against mine. “How many Kings can say they’ve had a beer at the Precinct. Prez will be bragging about this shit for weeks, after he’s done hurling tomorrow morning.”
“Yeah, yeah. I will. You’re always a good time.” I nudged his knee with mine, and he flicked up the brim of my hat.
“What if you just met me in a bar today?” he asked, dark eyebrows raised.
“I’d take you home and fuck you until you begged me never to stop.” I nipped the end of his nose.
He laughed, and I loved the way the warm sound rolled out of him.
“Well, I’m leaving. I can’t watch this shit,” O’Neill announced to the entire bar. No one responded as he pursed his lips tighter than an asshole and tossed cash on the bar.
“No. Wait. Everyone wanted you to stay.” Will snickered, and that had O’Neill breathing fire, but then a few guys nearby chuckled.
O’Neill spun toward the off-duty cops, and they got very interested in their drinks. He knocked his barstool over on his way out the door.
Will rested his hand on his ribs as he chuckled. He probably needed his meds, but I bit my tongue. He’d asked me to back off, and I was trying to listen to him, had to learn how to do that.
No matter how much I hated it.
About ten minutes later, Dallas came back inside dragging along the scent of cigarette smoke and shook his head as he reached us.
“Shit,” Will snarled, startling me. He scowled at his beer.
Dallas slid onto the stool beside King. “It’s fine. This would’ve been a difficult place to talk to him anyway. We can go,” he said to King as he passed back his smokes and lighter.
“In a bit,” King said, still carefully listening to a story Balinski was telling, leaning close to the old man.
Real frustration flashed across Dallas’s face, something that was rare around King.
Will winced and rubbed his ribs, and all at once, I couldn’t wait for this night to be over. I wanted to take him home. Lay him out on my bed. Play with that tiny ring through his taint.Blow him until I was choking on his jizz. Then, I wanted him to look at me, all gentle, like I was fucking great.
I licked my lips.
