Page 9 of Iron Will

“Hey, princess,” Rogue calls to Yoda from across the room. “You ever gonna finish this game?”

“You want that cue up your ass, motherfucker?” Yoda tosses back easily.

I turn back to my beer, listening with half an ear. The clack of the billiard balls fades into the background as I wonder what Yoda will discover for me.

I’m pretty sure that Mickey dude ain’t gonna turn out to be a pillar of the goddamn community. Whatever bullshit he’s involved in, I hope it doesn’t end up hurting Paisley.

My mind replays the scene of Paisley’s mom rushing down the hallway to see her daughter. She seemed to care about the kid, at least. Although if Paisley was telling the truth, it’s kind of fucked up that her mom left a seven year-old all alone in their motel room with an asshole like Mickey.

I frown and shake my head, taking a swig of my beer. Even though Mal and I got that piece of garbage out of Paisley’s room earlier, that ain’t no guarantee he won’t be back. At least the hot social worker seems like she was trying to keep the kid safe. Though in my experience, social workers end up doin’ more harm than good a lot of the time.

I let out a breath and shake my head at the memory of her. She sure as hell ain’t like any other social worker I’ve ever seen. For one thing, she carries herself like she comes from money. For another, she’s sexy as all get-out. A real stunner. The flash in those amber-green eyes of hers as she argued with me back there? Hell, it went straight to my dick.

I wouldn’t mind sparring with her some more. In the bedroom, that is.

Something tells me if I could get her to loosen up, she’d be one hell of a ride.

Now that’s a challenge I wouldn’t mind taking on.

I’m fightingto keep my cock from going to full mast when I hear the scrape of a stool beside me. I turn to see Gage lift his chin as he sits down next to me at the bar.

“Whaddya know, brother?” he asks.

“Not much. Just sittin’ here waitin’ for the party to start,” I smirk. “You wanna grab a bottle of Jack and start it ourselves?”

Gage grimaces. “Can’t, brother,” he mutters regretfully. “I gotta get home in a bit. I gotta go to a fuckin’ school play, if you can believe that shit.”

I laugh out loud. “What the fuck? You’re shittin’ me.”

“I wish I was,” he grunts. “They’re puttin’ on The Wizard of goddamn Oz over at Bailey and Addi’s school.” Gage shakes his head slowly. “Twenty third graders, doin’ a full-blown musical. Jesus. Addi’s playin’ the cowardly lion. Fuckin’ shoot me now.”

“I’m tempted, man,” I joke. “Someone needs to put you out of your misery.”

Gage lowers the cigarette and blows out a puff of smoke. “You got that right,” he half-chuckles. “Anyway, tonight’s opening night, and Bailey says Addi is shittin’ a brick. So, I gotta go tell her she’s the next Meryl Streep afterwards.”

Gage makes a big show out of being disgusted at the whole thing. But I know better. Ever since he met that hot elementary school teacher Bailey, he’s turned into a consummate family man. Gage is fuckin’ gone over that woman. And over Bailey’s kid Addi, too. It doesn’t take a genius to see that Gage loves that little girl like she’s his own.

So, even though I’m pretty sure spending two hours in a folding chair watching little kids run around and pretend they’re in the Wonderful Land of Oz ain’t exactly his idea of a great time, I also know he wouldn’t miss that shit for the world.

As I listen to Gage put on an award-winning performance of his own about how much he’s gonna hate the whole thing, I suppress a grin. Whoever would’ve thought that Gage, of all people, would get lassoed by a chick with a kid? All I can say is, Bailey must have a golden pussy to have roped him so completely.

But even so, I have to admit she’s an okay chick. She loves Gage to the ends of the goddamn earth, that much is obvious. And as far as I can tell, the feeling’s mutual.

Yeah, the thing between Gage and Bailey is real. It’s solid.

And in my experience, that’s rare as shit.

Which is why I’ve avoided gettin’ involved with women like the plague. From what I’ve seen, most of the time it just ain’t worth the hassle. Hell, pussy’s easy enough to come by. No reason to get all desperate and hand your balls over in a paper bag. Even if, like I said, Gage seems happier than he’s ever been.

Gage is one of the lucky ones. The rest of us aren’t likely to be the same.

Gage takes off for home. I grab another beer, and a bunch of brothers and a few club girls start streaming in. The music gets cranked, and I see beginnings of a party that will probably go late into the night.

For some reason, I find my thoughts turning to the hot social worker chick again more than once as the liquor starts to flow.

Laney.That’s what the uptight nurse called her.

I look at my phone and check the time. Visiting hours are over by now.