Page 44 of Property of Shotgun

Her chin lifts and she angles her head. “Yes, I do.”

“No, you don’t. Last night?—”

“Last night was the start of something new. Something exciting. I will always have love for Irish, and I know you understand that. But I need to do this for me.” She rolls up on her tip toes and kisses me. “And you might not even realize it, but I need to do it for you too. You and I deserve a clean slate.”

I lift my free hand, gently brushing my knuckles across the side of her face.

“You’re incredible, you know that?”

“No, but if you keep telling me that I am, I might just start to believe it.” Her gaze lowers to the bag. “What’s in there?”

I hold it out to her. “Just picked up some things I thought you might need.” She takes the bag from me, and peers inside.

“This is a bag of chocolate.”

“There’s Midol at the bottom of the bag too,” I say with a wink.

“You brought me chocolate and Midol because I have my period.”

I shake my head. “I bought you chocolate and Midol because you’re going to let me make you cum in the shower later.”

She grins at me. “I said you could watch.”

“Yeah, and I decided I much rather be a participant.” I give her another quick kiss. “I’m taking the boys into the yard to play football. I’ll grab the bags from the curb and put them back on the porch.” My gaze swings to the box she packed for the club. “Got church later tonight. If you want, I’ll take your truck, and bring that over when I go.”

She shakes her head. “I think I want to bring it by myself.”

“Whatever you want, mama.”

“Here’s Jade’s check,” Stacks, our treasurer says, handing me a simple white envelope just as he’s done every week since Irish passed. It never bothered me before, she deserved every cent. Earned it even. That doesn’t change my desire to be the one that takes care of them financially. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve done a lot of that since I moved into the apartment.

The first week into our arrangement we had a major blow out when I told her to change all the bills into my name. She refused, and we wound up fighting that whole week. Eventually she agreed to have me pay all the utilities, and I try to go grocery shopping with her any chance I can so I can pick up that bill too, but the mortgage and her car payment she insists on keeping.

Once I figure out what the hell I’m doing with her and the club, we’re going to revisit that conversation. I rather her see her bank all Irish’s checks for the boys’.

I pocket the envelope, and he hands me another. “And that’s yours.” Then he moves to hand out the rest of them.

Biggie leans back in his chair at the head of the table, seeming to weigh the envelope in his hand. “Feels a lot fatter than last month.”

“You can thank that sleezy Italian mobster, Mondestino,” Stacks retorts. “I don’t know what kind of voodoo pussy he’s peddling, but the man is rolling in it. Our take has already increased ten percent from two months ago when he opened the brothel.”

“I think we should sample it for ourselves,” Fuckface suggests. “See what all the hype is.”

“You can look and smell, but you can’t fucking touch or taste,” Jersey warns, pointing a finger across the table at him. “Got it, Fuckface?”

Suppressing a grin, I pocket my envelope next to Jades. Jersey takes pleasure in razing the newer members, Fuckface especially. I can’t knock him for it. We may have given Fuckface his bottom rocker, but we all like to fuck wit him. Jersey makes an art of it, though, continuously testing his limits like the sadist he is. Tonight his brand of torture is pussy, tomorrow it’ll be blood. He likes to switch it up, he’s generous like that.

“So pretend I’m a gynecologist,” Fuckface says, swiping the sweat from his brow. “Copy on that.”

“Some of us have sampled it,” Guido shares. “It ain’t nothing to write home about.”

“Bullshit,” Taxi says. “The two Russian girls made me see stars last night. I haven’t cum like that since Maddie Wilks blew me in her dad’s garage.”

I stare at Guido for a beat, watching as he folds his hands behind his head. “Maybe I’ll give them a try.”

I’m in no position to judge anyone, not when I had my fingers and tongue inside my dead friend’s wife’s pussy last night but the words spill from my lips before I can stop them.

“Bella was at the house the other night. Jade tells me she’s dating some guy.”

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