Page 64 of Cocky Jerk

“Looks like you can use a refill,” Graham says, reaching for her glass. He lifts his eyes to me. “You need another?”

“I’m good, thanks.”

He nods, and then Tig’s boisterous voice cuts through all the background noise.

“Is this the girl you keep gushing about? Delia, babe, get over here. She’s real!”

Antonia giggles as I refrain from elbowing him in the gut. Instead, I drape an arm around Antonia’s shoulders, bringing her closer. I should’ve gone for her waist, her silky skin under my fingertips is too tempting.

“Tig, Delia, this is Antonia. Antonia, this asshole is my cousin and the beauty on his arm is up for sainthood for marrying him.”

“Nice to meet you both. Happy Anniversary,” she says, offering her hand to Tig.

He looks at it and then laughs before pulling her out of my arms and into his.

“We hug around here.”

“I like hugs,” Antonia replies.

The three of them exchange pleasantries and a few laughs at my expense.

“You’re smiling so hard right now,” Soraya says as she snatches my beer from my hands and downs it herself. I peel my eyes away from Tig, Antonia, and Delia and look at her.

“Your husband is on a drink run, should we flag him down?”

She hands me back the empty bottle.

“I like her, Marco.”

“Look at that, another thing we have in common.”

She flits her gaze to me.

“I don’t mean as an intern,” she clarifies. “I like her for you. Don’t fuck it up.”

“I don’t plan to,” I reply instantly, my eyes darting back to Antonia. I watch as she throws her head back and laughs at something Tig says. His eyes twinkle as he grins at her, a sure sign that she’s won him over too.

“We did good,” Soraya says. “They look happy.”

Delia joins Antonia and the two of them smack Tig playfully.

“Yeah, they do,” I agree.

It was definitely worth all the craziness to see them smile again, even if it's only for one night. Graham returns just as the tempo of the music changes and a classic free-style song starts to play.

“I love this song,” Soraya says, taking the drinks from Graham. She hands them to me and grabs him by the tie, dragging him onto the dance floor. Shaking my head at the crazy lovebirds, I make my way to Antonia.

“I pierced my tongue once,” Antonia says, and I nearly drop the drinks.

“What?” I croak.

Why couldn’t I have pulled her over during that stage in her life?

“I hated it,” she continues. “My tongue swelled, and I couldn’t talk. I wound up pulling it out.”

“I pierced Soraya’s tongue,” Delia tells her.

“Do you do tattoos too?”

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