Chapter 3

• Ace put his feet on the table tucked into the corner of the bar and leaned his chair back to balance on two legs, taking a long drag from his cigarette. He let the smoke out with a long sigh, glancing around the bar in annoyance. For a Saturday night, it was rather dead.
• “What’s up, Walker?” Smokey asked as he threw back a shot of whiskey. “You look like you just fucked your mother.”
• “Jesus, can you not say shit like that?” Ace sighed as he reached for his bottle of beer. “What does that even mean?”
• “You look depressed.”
• “I think if I was fucking my mother, I’d have bigger problems than depression,” Ace replied with an eye roll. “I’m just bored. Nothing’s been happening.”
• “Nothing ever happens in this fucking town,” Smokey laughed, lighting a cigarette. “Why are you suddenly wanting shit to happen? We’ve been through enough. I figured you liked the quiet now.”
• “I’m just...tired…”
• “You probably just need to get laid or something.”
• Ace let out a laugh. “Seriously, there isn’t even anyone I’d want to roll in the sack with.”
• “Well, nobody you can have anyway,” Smokey said with a knowing smirk.
• “Shut the fuck up,” Ace growled, regretting ever telling Smokey his ridiculous fantasy. The man constantly used it against him. “Hell, the closest I’ve gotten to getting laid in like forever is flirting with some random wrong number for a couple of minutes,” he told as he pulled another drag from his smoke, and Smokey looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
• “Come again?”
• “I was showing off my latest tattoo and texted the wrong number. Apparently, I made some woman’s Friday night,” he said with a little smirk.
• “She knew who you were?”
• “Nah, it was just my chest, but it seemed to get her thrilled,” Ace laughed.
• “So what happened? Phone sex?”
• “No, I was meeting up with Tricia,” he shrugged. “She never replied after I said I had to run.”
• “Oh well, was probably some lonely homemaker, anyway.”
• “Maybe,” Ace chuckled. He had thought little about it, and now he wondered if there was some housewife out there who was so bored with life that a text from a stranger was working her up.
• “Well, let’s play some pool,” Smokey suggested, “Cause that’s about all the excitement I can offer you tonight, bud,” he taunted as he got up.
• “Yeah, be right there,” Ace called after him as he reached for his phone, which was vibrating in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the screen. It was the same number he had accidentally texted the night before.
• Figure I owed you one…
• There was a picture file attached and Ace opened it, the front legs of his chair making contact with the floor again as he sat up straight and bit back a groan.
• “Holy fuck,” Ace sighed as he stared at the photo. He felt an actual twitch in his jeans and his mouth went dry as he beamed at the sexiest pair of wet, sudsy legs he’d ever seen. They were balanced prettily on the edge of a bubble-filled tub with candle lights.
• He immediately wanted them wrapped around him.
• Maybe Smokey was right.
• He needed to get laid.
• It took him a moment before Ace managed to form a thought that wasn’t complete filth, then typed out a reply.
• Fucking hell, girl! Warn a guy first…
• The reply was almost instant.
• You’re welcome!
• “Come on, Ace,” Smokey called from the pool table as he set up the game. Ace got up and wandered over as he typed out a message.
• I don’t know how I’m supposed to concentrate on what I’m doing now that I have that picture in my head.
• What are you doing?
• Hanging with a friend, about to shoot some pool, and I will most likely lose now.
• Ace chuckled and put his phone in his pocket, grabbing the pool cue that Smokey handed to him.
• “What are you smiling about?”
• “Oh, nothing,” Ace said with a smirk as he set up to break. He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket and was suddenly annoyed that he wasn’t somewhere alone.