I turned to Hugo, thankful that I had taken the time to put on Frankie's well-worn leather gloves. “Hey, Sinclair.” I wiggled my fingers in a wave, to draw his attention to the gloves.
“Hi, Frankie,” He murmured.
“We were gonna order a pizza and brainstorm some ideas.” Remi stepped forward, slipping his satchel from his shoulders. “You’re welcome to join us.”
A smile crept across my face. Slowly but no less bright, I fished the wallet out of my pocket and took out Warren Davenport's black AMEX. “Only if I'm buying.”
All of the local pizza places were out of delivery range, so we hopped into Hugo's beaten up Jeep and drove to the nearest town—Maywood—about an hour from the base. I would have loved to have caught the train into NYC and stopped off at one of the rooftop bars to drink my host body’s weight in Grey Goose, but Maywood was the nearest train station anyway, and I didn’t have the patience to wait for my stress relief.
I sat in the passenger’s side, with Remi in the back. We played a game of I spy to pass the time in the darkness. I guessed Remi's 'T' with ease—he'd chosen a tree and then shrugged unapologetically when Hugo and I both guessed it. I'd jinxed Hugo as we'd answered at the same time. I told him I would let him speak again if I got a kiss on the cheek. Hugo's eyes fixed on the road, and his fists tightened on the steering wheel. I did not get my kiss.
“Something beginning with D!” I sang as we drove past the town sign.
“That’s a tough one.” Remi flashed his teeth. “Help me out, Hugo.”
“Sinclair’s been Jinxed,” I smirked and nudged the floppy-haired blonde. “Come on, baby. I know you like me really.”
Remi cleared his throat. “Driver?”
“Nope.” I popped the P.
“Dog?”
Hugo glanced over at me as he engaged the handbrake. “Donut shop?”
I leaned over and flicked his nose. The incubus jerked back with pursed lips.
“Dick!” I shouted with a cackle, looking down to the emerging tent in Hugo’s pants. “Come on, Sinclair, hard evidence that you like it when I tease you.” I winked.
“Hugo broke the Jinx!” Remi bounced like a six-foot-four child. “We need to find a forfeit.”
I opened the car door and hopped onto the sidewalk, glancing around at the shops and restaurants. There was a dive bar on the corner, 'Lacey's' beamed a lucid green onto the curb. Remi came up to my side and rested his colossal arm across my shoulder.
“Shots!” I clapped.
Hugo slammed the car door. He glanced at the bar and then turned back to me. “I’m driving.”
I waved my hand. “Remi can drive.”
“What about you?” Remi argued. “You could offer to be the designated driver.”
I smiled sweetly. “But then you couldn’t experience the awesomeness that is Drunk Me.”
“I just wanted pizza.” Hugo's eyes rolled to the sky as if he was praying for God to smite him down.
“We’ll get pizza after you've done your forfeit,” I promised.
Remi chuckled and strode across the street to the bar. He turned back and waved us to follow. “Come on, Sinclair!” He shouted through a teasing smile. “It’s this, or we order a pizza with banana and ham.”
Hugo coughed a sound of disgust.
“What's wrong with that?” I wondered.
Hugo gave me a strange look. “Besides the crime of fruit on pizza, the banana makes me gag.”
I snorted a childish laugh. “Nothing makes me gag.”
Hugo's look turned to chastising. “Are you acting like this because I’m an incubus?”
I quirked my brow. “I’m acting like this because it's funny.”
Hugo ducked his head. Avoiding my gaze.
“You shouldn’t run away from what you are,” I argued. “Incubus or not. Dr. Lee says sex is healthy and natural. Why be ashamed?”
I moved to join Remi on the sidewalk outside of the bar when I felt Hugo's hand grip my bicep.
“You’ve been talking to Jae about sex?” His eyes flashed pale ice blue. If I didn’t know better, I would say he was intrigued.
I shrugged. “I’m a simple creature.”
The door swung open, and the dulcet tones of Johnny Cash filtered into the street.
The inside was sticky. The floor, the slight sheen on the tables. Glowing signs for Bud and Coors and all of the expensive liquor was covered in a sheen of dust. The crowd were locals, I could tell because they all watched us like zoo animals when we walked in.
I slapped my hands on the pockmarked wooden bar. “I want a bottle of tequila. And lots of lemons.” I jabbed a finger over my shoulder. “And a Corona for the big guy.”
The woman behind the bar had bleach blonde hair with a stripe of dark roots. She swaggered over and eyed up my men like they were made of sugar, and she was the Queen of the anthill.
My teeth rolled back over my lips. My smile was fierce as I reached into my pocket and pulled out a hundred dollar bill from the folds of Warren Davenport's wallet.
She smirked, the edges of her eyes crinkled. “Right away, honey.” She crooned in a Texas drawl. I would hazard a guess that she was the infamous Lacey of the big green sign.
We found a booth; I began arranging the lemon, salt, and tequila in perfect order for convenience. Remi watched as he swigged his beer. Hugo looked like he wanted to be anywhere else.
Hugo picked up one of the shot glasses and rolled it between his fingers. “I don't drink much.” He said.
“One shot.” I smooched my fingers together. “It’s bad luck to break a jinx.”
Hugo sighed and pushed his tiny glass forward. I opened the bottle and poured him a shot. “You lick your hand—”
Hugo interrupted my instructions by expertly licking the salt, downing the shot, and sucking the lemon like an old pro.
Remi hooted and slapped his hand against the table. “Sinclair’s got skills!”
Hugo pushed his hair out of his face and rolled his eyes. “I said I didn’t drink much. Not that I didn’t know how to.”
I smirked and downed my tequila straight down. Shaking my head and blowing a raspberry as it burnt my throat.
“Shots are done,” Hugo pleaded. “Can we go now?”
I picked up the tequila and poured another two shots. “We’ve got the whole bottle. It'll be rude to let it go to waste.”
Remi took a pull of his beer, hiding his smirk around the lip of the bottle.
“We should play never have I ever.” Remi used the neck of his bottle to point at us both. My face brightened.
“Yes!” I downed another shot.
“No,” Hugo argued.
“Yes.” Remi shot back.
Hugo refilled my shot glass, so we were on a level playing field.
“Never have I ever... Had sex.” I blurted out. Both men stared at me with wide eyes. “Go on, drink.” I pushed the shot glass towards Hugo.
“You’re a virgin?” He spluttered, holding the tequila but not drinking.
“Yes. Drink.”
Hugo took the shot, slamming the glass onto the table with a sharp exhale.
“Never have I ever—” Remi sang.
“You can't play if you’re not drinking,” Hugo argued.
“Let me have my fun.” Remi’s dark eyes sparkled. “Never have I ever had an orgy!”
Remi deliberately left his beer on the table. I reached forward and took a shot. Hugo did the same.
“How can you have an orgy and still be a virgin?” Hugo asked, sucking the lemon as his nose crinkled.
Remi raised his hand like an eager school kid. “I’d like to know this story.”