“What the fuck happened to your neck?” Jack asked Stone. I could only see half of him since he was next to me. Something was obvious to Jack across from him that wasn’t in my vision.
Stone reached up and covered his neck with his hand. He winced and closed his eyes. “Soul-sucking little whore. Toddlers and puppies you used to have to worry about biting you. Now you have to include drunk bitches.”
“She bit you?” The words fell out of my mouth before I could hide their disturbed tone. I leaned forward, and Stone sat back in his chair and removed his hand. It wasn’t just a bite. It was a perfectly formed row of teeth that was already scabbing over. My jaw fell open. The rest of me was paralyzed by the sight.
“Fucked up, right? She would have bitten my nipple off, but I pulled her off as soon as I saw the wicked look in her eyes. She was a demon.”
Jack said, “Wow.”
I stayed completely silent.
Stone shook his head. He appeared to be reviewing the events of the night before one by one, because he winced at a memory. “Why are you tapping your finger?” he asked, and I froze, realizing he was speaking to me. “You a biter, too?” I placed my hands in my lap. Stone turned his attention to Jack sitting across from him. “Where did you end up last night?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Well, when I went into the bedroom with Dracula, you were underneath her friend with the tiger tattoo on her calf.” I forced my expression to remain light. I wouldn’t let Stone or anyone else know how little I could stomach to hear about Jack hooking up with someone.
“I’m sensing a theme here. Meat eaters,” Tank said, and we all laughed as our food was delivered.
“Carnivores.” I tried to help move the conversation along.
“So where the fuck were you?” Stone was not letting it go.
“She started crying.” Jack shook his head. “I don’t know what happened.”
“Sounds like a virgin,” Stone said. I secured my hands back in my lap.
“What’s a virgin like?” I forced myself to ask, and Tank stared at me across the table. His eyes were kind. He almost seemed proud I’d asked.
“Timid, quiet, scared…” Stone began and shook his head, dismissing himself. “Don’t listen to me. I haven’t talked to a virgin since seventh grade probably. The last thing I want to run into is a virgin.”
“Why?” Tank asked, and I hung on every word.
“Because it takes a perfectly good meaningless sexual encounter and makes it…”
“What?” I asked.
“Mean something,” Stone answered as if the words tasted bad in his mouth.
“Did you like her chewing on you?” Tank returned again to the teeth marks on his neck.
“Fuck no. I couldn’t relax. I’m all for creativity, but there should be some sense of safety when fucking. I was scared to death she’d bite my balls.” Stone ate a fork full of his Famous Eggs Delmarva and surveyed the Starboard. He leaned into the table, and the three of us followed. “Then, right before she was about to come, she screamed at me to choke her.” He shook his head. “Fucking. Freak.”
“At least she wasn’t crying,” Jack said. His words were low. This was a private meeting.
“It’s a goddamn freak show out there after midnight.”
Stone reached up and covered his neck with his hand. He winced and closed his eyes. “Soul-sucking little whore. Toddlers and puppies you used to have to worry about biting you. Now you have to include drunk bitches.”
“She bit you?” The words fell out of my mouth before I could hide their disturbed tone. I leaned forward, and Stone sat back in his chair and removed his hand. It wasn’t just a bite. It was a perfectly formed row of teeth that was already scabbing over. My jaw fell open. The rest of me was paralyzed by the sight.
“Fucked up, right? She would have bitten my nipple off, but I pulled her off as soon as I saw the wicked look in her eyes. She was a demon.”
Jack said, “Wow.”
I stayed completely silent.
Stone shook his head. He appeared to be reviewing the events of the night before one by one, because he winced at a memory. “Why are you tapping your finger?” he asked, and I froze, realizing he was speaking to me. “You a biter, too?” I placed my hands in my lap. Stone turned his attention to Jack sitting across from him. “Where did you end up last night?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Well, when I went into the bedroom with Dracula, you were underneath her friend with the tiger tattoo on her calf.” I forced my expression to remain light. I wouldn’t let Stone or anyone else know how little I could stomach to hear about Jack hooking up with someone.
“I’m sensing a theme here. Meat eaters,” Tank said, and we all laughed as our food was delivered.
“Carnivores.” I tried to help move the conversation along.
“So where the fuck were you?” Stone was not letting it go.
“She started crying.” Jack shook his head. “I don’t know what happened.”
“Sounds like a virgin,” Stone said. I secured my hands back in my lap.
“What’s a virgin like?” I forced myself to ask, and Tank stared at me across the table. His eyes were kind. He almost seemed proud I’d asked.
“Timid, quiet, scared…” Stone began and shook his head, dismissing himself. “Don’t listen to me. I haven’t talked to a virgin since seventh grade probably. The last thing I want to run into is a virgin.”
“Why?” Tank asked, and I hung on every word.
“Because it takes a perfectly good meaningless sexual encounter and makes it…”
“What?” I asked.
“Mean something,” Stone answered as if the words tasted bad in his mouth.
“Did you like her chewing on you?” Tank returned again to the teeth marks on his neck.
“Fuck no. I couldn’t relax. I’m all for creativity, but there should be some sense of safety when fucking. I was scared to death she’d bite my balls.” Stone ate a fork full of his Famous Eggs Delmarva and surveyed the Starboard. He leaned into the table, and the three of us followed. “Then, right before she was about to come, she screamed at me to choke her.” He shook his head. “Fucking. Freak.”
“At least she wasn’t crying,” Jack said. His words were low. This was a private meeting.
“It’s a goddamn freak show out there after midnight.”