Munching away on a beignet, I looked up to find Donut glaring at me. Swallowing, I asked, “Can I help you?”
“We share in his club,” the half-naked man said, looking as if he just stumbled out of bed, thankfully wearing a pair of basketball shorts and house slippers.
I raised an eyebrow at Donut, taking another deliberate bite of the beignet. “Is that so? And what, exactly, are we sharing in this club of yours?”
He gestured vaguely with a hand, his posture half-slouched but his tone mock-serious. “Everything. Clothes, personality, time, air. You know, the essentials.”
“Well, forgive me, but I don’t recall signing any club bylaws,” I said, brushing powdered sugar off my fingers. “And as far as I can tell, this beignet is all mine. Unless, of course, you plan to invoke some obscure rule demanding a bite.”
“Donut, don’t anger the dragon lady,” Juju said, walking out of the kitchen.
I quirked an eyebrow at Juju.
“Dragon lady?”
“It’s because of your stellar congenial personality,” Worm stated, walking down the stairs along with Braveheart and Thore.
“Are you saying I have a temper?”
The room erupted in laughter.
“You know, sharing is caring,” Donut muttered, sulking from across the room as I dug out another beignet. Looking at the man, I couldn’t help myself and held eye contact with him as I took a bite of the sugary treat, moaned and licked my lips. Donut narrowed his eyes then stormed out of the bar as I chuckled.
“That was mean, Devlyn,” Worm said. “Donut will get you back for that.”
I shrugged. “He can try.”
Not even seconds later, Donut rushed back into the bar, heading straight for Juju, when my eyes damn near popped out of my head. Walking in shortly behind Donut was a beautiful redheaded woman wearing a dainty, barely-there elf costume, with actual tinsel in her hair and bells on her nipples.
The woman looked ready for an X-rated Christmas special!
“Hiya, boys!” The pretty woman smiled. “Did ya miss me? Where’s the boss? I’ve got to show him the new edible panties I’m wearing before they melt off me. I think they are going to be his new favorite flavor.”
No one moved as I slowly sat up.
The air thickened with tension, disbelief mingling with amusement. Juju cleared his throat, clearly at a loss, while Braveheart exchanged a stunned glance with Thore. Worm, always quick with a quip, let out a low whistle. “Well, this just got interesting,” he muttered under his breath.
I tried to maintain my composure, though the absurdity of the situation was rapidly eroding my calm and cool resolve.Donut, who stood petrified, couldn’t seem to stop shaking his head as Juju reached for his cell phone.
Raising an eyebrow at the scaredy cat, I couldn’t help but smirk.
“Oh, hi there!” the redhead chimed in, her voice saccharine sweet and dripping with natural oblivion. “You must be new here. I’m Jolly. Gator’s favorite. I just got back from vacation in Minnesota. I got family that still lives down there.”
“Up.”
“What?” The clearly ignorant woman smiled.
“Up. Minnesota is north of Louisiana; therefore you should have said,I’ve got family that still lives up there.”
“Wow, you must be really smart. I ain’t made it passed the sixth grade.”
“Clearly,” I deadpanned.
Jolly’s grin widened. “Anyway,” she cooed, “I suppose introductions are in order. I’m Jolly, as you heard. And you are...?”
My eyes flicked to Juju, who had finally managed to dial a number, his face taut with worry. But before I could respond, Juju’s phone call connected. “Boss,” he muttered quickly, turning his back on the both of us before whispering loudly, “We’ve got a situation.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
