Page 49 of Tarnished Hands

“You too. Thanks for having me tonight,” he says politely. I smile at his nice-guy voice because I know what the other voice sounds like when he whispers in my ear and tells me to be a good girl.

“Oh, so polite. We don’t get that around here too often.” She winks as Keir sidles up to us.

“Are you trying to say we aren’t polite?” His arm goes around her waist.

“Nooo.” She shakes her head with silent laughter.

I pull Ezra down the hall, trying to get him away from them because I know they’ll start kissing any second.

“Oh, new blood for us to play with,” Lucas yells. Chanel smacks his shoulder and gives us a wave from the table, which is already set up. There’s an extra plate next to where I usually sit. I walk around and touch his chair before I take my seat.

“Good to see you as well, Lucas,” Ezra says, then addresses Joey. “Joey.”

I haven’t had the chance to chat with Joey and Keir to see what they said to Ezra, but I will.

“Joey and Keir threatened your life, and they didn’t even invite me,” Lucas says to Ezra with a pout. “So, side note… you can kill her, and I won’t be mad, but if you fuck with me…” He winks.

“You’d be mad, don’t lie. You love Piper,” Chanel says.

Lucas and I both stare at her.

“Are you insane?” Lucas and I say at the same time, “I only love you. She’s annoying.”

“How did the books go?” Adora asks me.

I introduce her to Ezra before I answer, “I finished them.”

“Are these the spicy books you gave her?” Joey asks, and Adora nudges him. “What? We all know you read porn, woman.”

“You read porn?” Ezra asks me, and I see the glint in his eyes. The ideas are forming at the back of his mind.

I’m not sure how I know that, but I do.

“Porn?” Keir asks, holding Sailor’s hand as they walk in just ahead of the servers carrying the food.

My plate is set in front of me, and Ezra glances at it.

“Yes, Piper here has been reading up on porn.”

My head swings to Lucas. “I have not, you asshole.”

“Lucas,” Chanel warns him. He merely smirks at me and starts eating.

“So, you invited Ezra for a chat today and didn’t think to invite me?” I ask, turning my pasta on my plate.

Everyone goes silent before Joey speaks, “It was a man-to-man discussion,” he replies, and I eye him with a warning, gripping my knife, getting ready to throw it.

Joey knows I hate that shit.

We are equals.

Ezra takes my hand and pulls the knife free.

“I have bigger balls than most of you,” I point out.

Ezra chuckles next to me.

“Oh, she does,” Sailor agrees.

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