by J. L. McCoy
“Yes!” Sissy squealed again as she released me. “They called me back last week. I’m going to be the special events coordinator for the largest concert venue in the state! How exciting is that?”
My jaw dropped and I smiled. Sissy had been trying to get that job for the past four months. “That’s amazing! Congratulations!” I said as I gave her a happy high-five. “When do you start?”
“Next week,” she said, lifting her shoulders in excitement, her eyes sparkling with happiness. “I leave for San Antonio the day after tomorrow. I’m so stoked that I’ll still be close to Austin.”
We stepped out of the doorway to allow a family of four to enter. “What are you doing right now?” Sissy asked as she held the door open for the gentleman who had his arms full with a sleeping toddler.
I smiled at the wife as she passed us. “Nothing really. I was just in Shifty’s looking for t-shirts and I thought I’d peruse the bookshelves of Bevo’s since it was close. I haven’t been in here since mid-terms.”
“Well,” Sissy said grabbing my arm and dragging me toward her bike that was parked at the curb. “Since we’re both not busy right now, come have a drink with me. I want to hang out before I have to leave.”
“Sure, why not,” I said, shrugging one shoulder. “I’ve got the night off. What do you have in mind?”
“Hop on,” she smiled, nodding her head toward her bike. “I know a place that has half-price hookahs on Saturdays.”
“I thought you quit smoking,” I said, furrowing my brow and pursing my lips in disapproval.
Sissy rolled her eyes and mounted her hog. “I kind of started back up again, but don’t give me any shit, Morrison. I already feel bad enough about it.”
Sissy’s grandfather died of lung cancer last year and it was really hard on her. She gave up smoking afterward and vowed never to do it again. I figured she’d probably started the nasty habit back up again during finals week; it had been a super stressful week for her because she needed to ace two classes in order to graduate.
“I’m not going to give you shit, babe,” I said, walking up to her and taking her backpack. I put my messenger bag over my head and secured it across my body. Next, I slid my arms into her backpack and got on the back of her bike. “You’ll quit again when you’re ready, I know you will.”
She leaned back into me and reached one arm up to hug my neck. “Thanks for taking it easy on me. But, if you see Bob, I’m still a non-smoker, okay?”
Bob was her dad and had been one of my regulars at Drop Kick Dan’s for the last 2 years. “I don’t work at Dan’s anymore, but if I happen to see Bob around, I’ll be sure and not mention it.”
“You quit Dan’s?” she screeched as she put her key in the ignition. “Oh I want to hear all about this when we get to the bar.”
She started up the Harley and drove a few minutes further into downtown. We crossed the Congress Avenue Bridge and pulled over into one of the first shopping centers in SoCo. Sissy angled the bike into the last available parking space and killed the engine. I held onto her shoulders as I carefully dismounted and waited for her to do the same.
“This is the place,” she said, taking her backpack from me.
“Tricky Dic’s, huh?” I asked with a smile, reading the sign.
“Yeah,” she chuckled, walking over and holding the door open for me. “They’ve got cheap beer, cheap hookahs, and the owner is a trip. I heard once that his real name is Dean or something, but he’s known around town as Dic. He’s incredibly hot, too.”
I walked in ahead of her and took a look around. Tricky Dic’s wasn’t just a hookah bar and a beer joint; it was also a head shop.
“You brought me to a head shop?” I asked, confused, as I turned back to look at her.
Sissy laughed as she walked past me and took a seat on a red velvet couch in one of the corners.
I looked around and saw that the decor was very bohemian and the atmosphere mellow. To the left of the front door was the head shop counter. Various smoking devices and accessories lined the ten foot long section of shelves. Further in on the same side was a small bar with a few barstools in front of it. To my right, taking up the rest of the place, were six couches with their own coffee tables, a section with a few giant, four-foot long bean bag chairs surrounding a recessed circular table, and a small section of rocking chairs. Beaded curtains hung in-between each sitting area and there were black light reactive tapestries and concert posters hanging on most of the walls. The lights around the sitting areas were dimmed for ambiance and Nailbomb played loud and proud over the speakers.
Sissy patted the cushion next to her and I sighed, shook my head, and walked over to join her.
“Only a small part of the business is a head shop, Skye,” she said with a chuckle. “Lighten up a little.”
I set my messenger bag on the ground next to the couch and sat down next to Sissy. “I’m cool,” I said a little defensively as I crossed my legs. “I’ve just never been in one before, okay? My mother would have a stroke if she knew I was even in here.” I leaned forward and grabbed the drink menu from the small rectangle coffee table that was in front of us. “So, do you know what you want to drink?”
“Yeah,” she said as she picked up the hookah menu that was beside it. “I’m going to have a bottle of Jester King Black Metal Imperial Stout. What are you having?”
“Um, I think I’ll try the Twisted X Chupahopra IPA,” I answered as I browsed the local lineup. “I’ve never tried their IPA before, have you?”
“Yep, it’s good. It’s got a really hoppy finish, though. If you like strong IPAs, you’ll love it.”
Just then a tall, muscular man walked over and stopped at our table. He looked tough, like he knew his way around a motorcycle or something. “What can I get for you, ladies?” he asked as he slung the hand towel he was drying his hands off on over his shoulder. He was wearing ripped faded blue jeans, a black tank undershirt, and black combat boots. He had blue eyes and his hair was dirty blond which he wore loose and long. His muscular arms were covered from shoulder to knuckle in intricate black and gray tattoos.
“I’d like a bowl of your Starbuzz cherry shisha and a Jester King Black Metal beer,” Sissy purred as she smiled up at our handsome waiter.
“And, what can I get you?” he asked, turning to me.
“I’ll have a Twisted X Chupahopra, please.”
“Coming right up,” he said with a smirk as he turned to leave.
“Check out the ass on him,” Sissy drooled as she playfully elbowed me in the side. “I never get tired of seeing it.”
I laughed heartily at the lustful expression on her face. “He’s definitely hot.”
“His name is Zephyr,” Sissy purred and licked her lips. “He’s the main reason I come in here.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “Sissy finally has a man-crush? Stop the presses! I’ll alert the media.”
“Shh!” she said with a horrified smile as she smacked me lightly on the knee. “He’s probably got a girlfriend, or something. A guy like him can’t be unattached.”
“You never know unless you ask. And besides, you’re absolutely gorgeous, Sissy. When are you going to realize that? Do you know how many guys in school would have given their right leg just for the opportunity to take you out on a date? Maddox Hoffsteader had, like, THE biggest crush on you sophomore year you know. He was seriously choice and you never even gave him the time of day.”
Sissy rolled her eyes and sighed. “Maddox Hoffsteader is a right-wing conservative and I refused to give him the time of day because of it. He tried to get me to sign some whack anti-birth control/anti-women’s lib petition freshman year and I haven’t spoken to him since. The guy’s a complete sexist tool.”
“Seriously?” I asked with a disgusted grimace. “That’s so lame. What the hell?”
“I know!” Sissy said and then shook her head and changed the subject. “So, are you going to tell me how you got all the bruises?” she asked with a
frown. “I don’t have to kick anyone’s ass, do I?”
I felt a blush spread hot across my cheeks. “It’s…it’s not what you think,” I stumbled self-consciously. I put a hand over the bruise on my left cheek and continued. “I was training with a new sparring partner today and things got intense. It was a really great training session, though. I even got to play with a dagger!”
Sissy’s brow furrowed with worry. “As long as you’re okay with it, Skye,” she said with a small, reluctant sigh. “You might want to tell him to take it a little easier on you, though. You look like shit. People are going to get the wrong idea and think you’re being abused.”
I laughed and shook my head. “No way am I asking him to go easy on me. I finally met someone who treats me as an equal. Besides, it doesn’t really hurt. I’ll heal soon enough. You don’t have to worry about me, Sissy. I’m a tough girl. If I hadn’t asked for these bruises, the person who gave them to be would either be in handcuffs or in the morgue right now. I don’t abide abuse.”
The tinkling of the bell above the front door interrupted our conversation and we both glanced over.
“That’s Dic, the owner,” Sissy said as she leaned in and bumped shoulders with me. “Didn’t I tell you he was hot?”
I felt my jaw drop in surprise as I recognized the man who was now walking behind the sales counter.
“I know him,” I said, shocked. “I’ve talked to him a few times at The Mausoleum.” Dic, of Tricky Dic’s was the same Dic that I had talked with twice now at work.
Sissy’s brow furrowed in thought. “Isn’t that the new club on Fourth?”
“Yeah,” I said nodding my head as I watched Dic walk past the bar and into the back. “I work there.”
“You’re kidding!” she squealed. “That’s the hottest club in Austin right now.”
“Is it?” I asked distractedly, and then turned my attention back to her. “I didn’t know. I just work there.”
“So tell me all about it,” Sissy demanded as she crossed her legs and gave me her full attention. “What do you do there? Are you bartending?”
I smiled and shook my head. “No, I’m the Executive Assistant to the club owner. I do paperwork, manage the dancers, bartend when needed; you know, that sort of thing.”
“Alright, ladies,” Zephyr said as he walked up to us and set the hookah down on the coffee table. “Here’s your Starbuzz cherry shisha.” With his tong-laden other hand, he placed a hot, burning cube shaped coal on top of the foil covered bowl. “And, I’ll be right back with your beers.”
Sissy and I both thanked him as she leaned forward and grabbed the hose. “I love cherry shisha,” she said with a smile as she took a drag.
I watched her blow a huge cloud of smoke out and close her eyes in enjoyment.
“Yum. You want a drag?”
I scrunched up my nose in distaste and shook my head. “No thanks, girl. I don’t smoke.”
“You don’t have to inhale,” she chuckled and took another drag. “It tastes really good.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” I said as Zephyr returned with our beers.
“One Chupahopra,” he said as he set the beer down in front of me and turned to Sissy. “And, one Black Metal,” he said with a quick wink at her. “Can I get you anything else?”
Sissy just smiled and dazedly shook her head at him. He turned to leave but I quickly cleared my throat and spoke up. “Um, she’ll take your number if you’re single,” I said with a sweet smile.
Zephyr chuckled and pulled an order pad out of his back pocket, his eyes never leaving Sissy’s. He quickly scribbled something down, tore the top page off, and set it on the table in front of her. “I’m single,” he said with a sexy cock of his eyebrow. “I look forward to talking to you.” He smirked at both of us and turned to walk back to the bar.
Sissy blew out a deep breath and turned to me with wide eyes. “I can’t believe you just did that, Skye,” she said quietly.
I was momentarily worried that she was mad at me, but she broke out into a huge grin and leaned over to hug me. “Thank you!” she squeaked. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve been working up the courage to ask him, but I’m not very good at this kind of stuff.”
“I know,” I laughed. “Why do you think I asked him for you? He was totally giving you the eyes and I couldn’t stand by and let you miss out on a love connection like that.”
“You rock,” she said with a grateful smile. “You really are a good friend.” Her face fell and she lowered her voice. “So, how long do you think I should wait before I call him?” she asked seriously.
I chuckled and reached over to pat her knee reassuringly. “Call him tonight. See if he wants to hang out before you have to leave. If y’all can’t get together before then, you can always come back on the weekends, right? San Antonio is only an hour’s drive from here.”
“Right,” she said with a wide grin. “I’ll call him tonight.”
We drank our beers and talked about life for the next half hour. Sissy told me all about her new apartment in San Antonio and the latest news on her brother Cecil’s coming out party. I was so proud of him for finally doing it. Sissy and I had known for years, so it wasn’t a big deal to us. Everyone in her family took it really well and her mom had even asked him what took him so long to do it. She said she had known he was gay since he was nine years old.
Sissy’s cellphone rang and she dug around in her backpack to retrieve it. “It’s my dad,” she said as she looked at the caller I.D. “Hey old man,” she happily greeted him. I watched as her brow furrowed and her lips formed a tight line. “I’ll be there in a few minutes, Dan,” she said with a sigh. “Thanks for calling me.”
“Is everything okay?” I asked when she hit the end call button.
She shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. “Dad’s passed out at Drop Kick’s,” she said with a frown. “The divorce is really taking a toll on him. You’d think with this being his fourth that he’d be used to it by now.” She sighed again and gathered her bag. “I’m so sorry, but I have to go deal with this.”
I stood up with her and hugged her. “It’s okay, girl. I’m glad we got to hang out for a bit.”
Sissy reached into her back pocket and got out her wallet. “No,” I said, holding my hand out to stop her. “I’ve got this, honey. Go take care of your dad. Give him my condolences on the divorce when he sobers up.”
“Thanks, Skye,” she said, hugging me again. “You’re the best. I’ll give you a call and we can try this again another time.”
I sat back down and watched her leave. I was taking the last few sips of my beer when Zephyr came back over to the table. “I see your friend had to leave.”
“Yeah,” I said, setting the empty bottle down on the coffee table. “She had to take care of some stuff.”
“Can I get you another Chupahopra?” he asked with a smile as he tucked his long dirty blond hair behind one ear.
“I’d love one,” I nodded. “Hey, do you think you could do me another favor?”
“Sure,” he chuckled. “I owe you anyway for helping me with your friend. Thanks, by the way.”
“Anytime,” I smiled. “So, um, could you tell the owner that Skye Morrison would like to talk to him?”
Zephyr slowly lost his smile as he studied me. “You know Dic?”
I shrugged one shoulder and bit the corner of my bottom lip. “Yeah, we kind-of-sort-of know each other. I work at The Mausoleum and we’ve talked there a few times.”
His eyes narrowed and he leaned toward me a bit and sniffed the air between us a few times. His head jerked back a few inches and his nose wrinkled with distaste as his eyes judgmentally swept over me. “Does Archer Rhys know you’re here?” he growled.
Chapter 14
I gasped at the sound of his voice. It was deeper than it had been a minute ago; more guttural and harsh.
“You know my boss?” I asked, confused then shook my head. “Wait, what does
Archer have to do with anything?”
“Wait here,” Zephyr barked as he turned on his heel and walked in the back.
What the hell just happened?, I wondered. What was all that about? I looked around at the other customers, but no one had been paying attention to our weird exchange. I bent my head down and picked up the front of my shirt, smelling it. It smelled fine to me; like Gain laundry soap and apples. Why did he act like I smelled bad? I felt my cheeks flush hot in embarrassment and tried to put the scene out of my head.
About a minute later, Dic came out of the back and he was closely followed by a weary Zephyr. “Hey, there beautiful girl,” he said with a happy smile as he approached my table. He was wearing a tight, plain white t-shirt that accentuated his corded, tattoo covered arms, distressed blue jeans, and black chucks. “I believe you ordered a Chupahopra?” he cocked one eyebrow as he set the beer down in front of me.
“Hey there yourself, mister,” I smiled back as he took a seat on the couch next to me. I glanced up at Zephyr as he was standing at the ready just a few feet away. “What’s the deal with your server?” I asked quietly as I motioned toward Zephyr with my head.
“Zee is just a little protective,” Dic said dismissively. “Don’t pay him any attention. So, does your boss know you’re here?”
I felt my brow furrow hard. “What’s the deal with you and Zee? Why would Archer need to know I was coming here?” I asked, perturbed. “Not that it should matter, but I didn’t even know I was coming here until my friend Sissy brought me for a beer. I had no idea that you owned this place. Hell, I didn’t even know this place existed until I pulled up out in front of it today.”
Dic reached his hand out and patted my thigh comfortingly. “Well, I’m glad you’re here, Skye. I just don’t want Archer to think I’m trying to steal his assistant out from under him, that’s all,” he said with a playful wink. “I hear he’s a ruthless businessman. I don’t want to get on his bad side.”
