“Fuck no. Just curious.”
He considers that and then shrugs.
“Sure. Why not? Plenty of pretty guys around.”
“You ever get fucked?”
His mouth curls, like he can’t tell if I’m baiting or not.
“No. Not my style.”
I nod, take another drag. My brain’s already turning the next thing over before I stop it.
“We should go back and count bodies,” I mutter.
“Why?”
“Loser gets fucked.”
He laughs loudly.
“You’re fucking insane, Arakawa.” I hold his stare and blow smoke into the night air. His grin falters. Then it comes back meaner. “Alright, then. Let’s count.”
We go back inside, and most of the bodies are gone—those who could still crawl, ran away. I realize too late that I spent too long testing the kids, letting them go with only bruises and warnings, while trying to see who was worth saving. And Ryo didn’t waste time. His side of the room’s got real damage. Busted ribs, cracked faces, a broken leg twisted the wrong way.
I don’t need to count to know I lost.
And I don’t even care.
My whole body is humming, muscles twitching under my jacket. Skin hot. Blood fizzing under the surface. I want something deeper than bruises. I want—
Ryo steps close.
“You serious about the deal?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?”
Ryo grins again, something predatory curling behind his teeth.
“I usually go for the pretty ones,” he says, flicking ash to the floor. “But you’d do.”
I snort.
“Thanks, asshole.”
I’d prefer someone prettier too, like Naoya. But Ryo’s not a bad consolation. He’s older, got four or five years on me, so maybe he knows a trick or two. He’s a little taller and way skinnier than me, but his shoulders are broad and his hands are large. Even that ridiculous piss-yellow bleach job somehow works for him. Yeah, he’s definitely not that bad.
“Can I fuck you right here?” he asks, motioning toward the blood-wet floor. “Because this? Kind of a turn-on.”
“No.”
Yeah, it is a turn-on. But I want more than this.
“I want to go somewhere you can tie me up. Make me not move.”
His head jerks back a little, but then he barks a laugh.
“Holy shit, you trust me that much?”
