Page 18 of Hot Life
“You’re just going to have to trade the red ones.” Cedric had a dark side, I was learning.
Give up the lacy red thong, though? After I’d fucked her in it over the washing machine? In his dreams. “Fuck off, never. I’ll guard those panties with my life. And don’t think I didn’t see you grab her white bikini bottoms a couple months ago. Not fair.”
“You gotta earn the trophies, kid, you know that.”
We entered the dark and booming club. Rob group texted earlier, telling us all to meet in VIP overlooking the dance floor. “I have a migraine already,” Cedric grumbled. My old marine buddies heard I was going to be a dad and flew out from Arizona and California to see me. I couldn’t exactly say no.
“Come on, old man, some fun wouldn’t kill you.”
My friend Rob knocked back a shot while Tristan flirted with the cocktail waitress. The scene was like a still life photograph representing both of their personalities. I assumed the two stiff men in suits were Cedric’s friends. They looked vaguely familiar. Who wore a suit to a club? Only mafia men and nerds, there was no in-between.
“Des!” Rob shouted over the thumping bass. “Daddy Des! You’re going to be a dad, bro!”
A chuckle escaped my throat at his genuine enthusiasm. “Yeah, man, I can’t wait. And with the woman of my dreams too.”
“Dude, congratulations.” Tristan had pulled himself away from the blonde waitress to give me a hug. He then hugged a rigid Cedric. “Congrats to you too, brother. The polyamory thing, I dig it. It’s the way of the future. Mammals evolve and all that shit, right?”
Cedric raised an eyebrow at me, and I stifled a laugh. Tristan was a good guy, but also the typical surfer, beach life kind of guy too. We’d actually lived on the beach in Hawaii for a month in-between orders. I flagged down the retreating waitress. “Hey, I think my buddy here needs a strong drink. Whiskey, please.”
She paused, eyeing me up and down before batting her lashes. “Of course. And you…Is there anything, anything at all, that you’d like?”
I heard Cedric chuckle and knew he’d finally found something entertaining: me being hit on. “I’ll take a stout beer, thanks.” I rubbed my chin, not so subtly flashing my silver wedding band. Not interested.
After a couple beers and a couple bourbons for Cedric, we’d all loosened up. The guys and I swapped memories and stories, laughing at our idiocies. Cedric and his friends had several tales of their own from working in emergency rooms across the globe. They’d seen some sick shit.
“Wait, so—” Rob was laughing so hard tears streamed down his face. “How does one remove a hammer from a man’s ass?”
Cedric and his friends, Scott and Jonah, mirrored their amusement. “Very carefully,” Cedric joked, polishing off his drink.
Rob rested his elbows on his knees. “So guys, we’re dying to know. Two men and one chick…What’s the sex schedule like? You guys take turns or double team?”
Cedric bristled so I cut in. “How about you tell us about your sex life first, Rob. Didn’t you run off with your son’s girlfriend? You guys share too?”
The other guys laughed while Rob’s jaw tensed. “Touché. Sorry, man, I didn’t mean to overstep. No judgement here, just plain curiosity. I’m truly happy for all of you. Lala would love to meet Dolly sometime.”
I took a sip of beer and nodded. “Sounds good.”
Cedric stood. “I’m going to smoke.”
I leveled him a look. “Me too.”
Once outside in the crisp air, Ced lit up and I followed suit. “Don’t look at me like that. And don’t tell Dot. She made me promise to stop cold turkey once she got pregnant.”
“I won’t say a word.”
He swayed on his feet a bit and leaned against the brick of the club. “How much have you had to drink?”
“Plenty. I’m not on call.” He took a deep breath, blowing smoke into the sky like he always did. Cedric was a dragon. A mythical, rare sort of thing. Kinder and more generous than any man I’d ever met. He’d saved my life, become my friend, and brought the love of my life into my world. His wife. Our wife. “I already know the answer, but I want to ask it anyway, just to hear it. Alright?”
Nicotine hit my lungs and my curiosity rose. “Shoot.”
“I’m older, you know, much older than both you and Dot. This child…I don’t know how much longer I’ll be around.”
“Ced—”
“Let me finish. I’ve put everything, all my assets, in yours and Dolly’s names. She wouldn’t know what to do with it all, but you would. I just want to know, that if he grows up looking like me, or whatever, and something happens to me…you’ll be there for them. Both of them.” He blew out smoke again. “Hell, all of them. The nutty sister too.”
I snorted at that and faced him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Cedric, there is nothing, no force on this goddamn earth, strong enough to pull me away from our wife and child. Our child. I don’t give a shit who he looks like. The baby’s all of ours.” I shoved him back. “And fuck off with talking like that. You’re fifty, not ninety. You’re going to be around for a very long time. With my knack for losing life and limb, it’ll probably be me that goes first.”