Page 22 of Courting Danger

“You and Danger, I swear, I see you guys near the end of the night, slumped down in your chairs, arms crossed, headsoccasionally bobbing to a song. There’s been a longstanding wager on when Danger is going to slide out and land on the floor, and he still hasn’t had to pay up yet. Don’t be surprised when they put one on you. Personally, I think you’ll last awhile, but gravity will catch up to you both eventually.”

“Am I allowed to bet on myself?”

“Yup.”

“Perfect, let me know when that wager happens and what the odds are,” he replied as she sat his drink in front of him.

Night had a regular menu and a daily special written on the chalkboard behind the bar. Today it had sloppy joes and fried pickles on it.

“Could I get the special, please?” he asked.

“Sure thing, you want the regular or the vegan.”

Screech!

His thoughts crashed against one another while he struggled to figure out whether he’d heard her right.

“He made vegan sloppy joes?” Ocean asked, glancing in the direction of the man emerging through the swinging kitchen door.

“Sure did,” Night replied as he snagged a bottle of lime juice from behind the bar. “Used ground-up mushrooms in place of meat and cooked them just like regular sloppy joes.”

“Can I get one of each?”

Night shrugged. “Doesn’t matter to me; they come two on a plate anyway.”

“Perfect. Thanks. You’ve got me curious.”

“My husband, notorious carnivore that he is, had one earlier and proclaimed it the most badass mushroom he’d ever put in his mouth. Considering his affinity for psychedelics, I’d say that was a complement.”

“Works for me,” Ocean said. “I’ve got vegan friends. I’m as used to eating at the places they picked out as at a burger joint.”

“Hey man,” a heavy hand landed on his shoulder to accompany the voice. “Got time to shoot a game?”

Ocean glanced at Night, not wanting his food to get cold before he could taste it.

“Yeah, you’re good; I’ve got to make the pickles and a fresh batch of sloppy joes.”

“Sounds like I do,” Ocean said, spinning the barstool around to see that it was the green-haired biker everyone called Kermit, who’d invited him to play.

Since Ocean had never seen him far from his Mama Sunshine’s side, it didn’t shock him to see her sitting at a booth near the pool table with Pope, keeping a watchful eye on him. Out of everything else he’d discovered about the club; it was watching the various dynamics play out that had been the most eye-opening.

His thoughts had gone to the duffle bag in his room when he’d been given a tour of the dungeon just as soon as they’d realized they didn’t have to explain what a pup, boy, service sub, or little was to him as he was introduced to them.

The Jokers compound was home now, and as he headed over to shoot a game with Kermit, he realized that he couldn’t have wished for a better place to land.