Julie stares me eye to eye for a solid half-minute or more before her lips slowly curl into a devious grin. Putting her arm around my shoulders she squeezes me hard and gives me a rough shake. “You are so right about us, Elliot. Delicate little dies, every one of us.”

  “And you’re all so nice too.” I sigh. “It’s such a shame I’ve got to go. I was really starting to like you gals.”

  “Hey, you’re not gone yet!” She shakes me again, even more roughly. “We’ll have time enough to be sad tomorrow.”

  “True.”

  She rustles my hair and gives my head a little shove like a big brother might. Picking up the box she opens it so she could stuff the rest of her chocote gze into her mouth and munch it down in a very undylike fashion. “Mmm.” She smacks her crummy lips then licks them. “Need a drink. Coffee? Tea?”

  “I’d love one. Either or.”

  Spping my thigh none too gently she gets up. “Come on in.”

  Her blond ponytail flipping back and forth behind her she leads me into her home. It felt funny stepping up the stairs of an old city bus to find myself in a cozy abode. Had I been brought here blindfolded it would have taken me awhile to recognize what I was in. The driver’s area was curtained off so you couldn’t see it and the walls and windows along the sides were likewise covered with panels, fgs and hanging bnkets. There was no rhyme or reason to Julie’s decor as hippy cshed with grunge which cshed with jock and all with elements of feminine floral bits dotted throughout, yet somehow the hodgepodge came together into a unified whole that was brimming with personality. Except for the tiny washroom along the left side the whole space was one big room with a bed at the back a kitchen area across from the washroom and the front as a living and dining area. The floor was a beautiful wood pattern minate with a shaggy rug in the shape of the Philidelphia Flyers logo in the center of the living room. The little I knew of the woman I’d expected the pce to be a disorganized mess but, while not as tidy as Heather’s well kept home, it was clean and retively clutter free, although one stray item does grab my attention.

  When Julie peers back she catches me looking curiously at the pair of tighty whities draped over the arm of her sofa. “Oops.” She smirks and quickly scoops them up to pitch them to the back of the bus. She didn’t need to expin yet she does anyway. “Me and one of the neighbors trade every so often.”

  “Er…”

  “He likes sniffin panties and, well, you know about us and our noses.” After setting down the box on the counter she pulls down some mugs and starts a kettle. “Win-win.”

  “Huh.”

  “You don’t mind instant? It’s good instant.”

  “I’m not picky.”

  “Sit down. Make yourself comfy.” She gnces my way as I settle into the firm-cushioned sofa. “Damn shame you’re leaving us. With a honey hole I wouldn’t have needed anymore trades.” Julie turns and looks at me. I mean, really looks at me. Her blue eyes crawl up and down my body with naked appreciation of what they were seeing. “Tsk. You were a cute one too.” With a shrug she turns back and spoons out some coffee into the two mugs. “In the end you were just another honey boy. Ah well, they come and go. Made me happy to see Heather take one again though. She’s been miserable long enough. I haven’t seen her smile like that since…well, a long time.”

  “I…um…” I falter as Julie’s heartfelt care for her matriarch threw me for a second. “Yeah. I want her to happy too. She’s a nice dy and…I really like her.”

  “But your pride comes first?”

  “She’s so much older than me.”

  “You’re really a shallow cunt, ain’t ya?”

  “Uh…”

  “Whatever, dude.”

  “It’s too bad. Really.”

  “Nah, it’s for the best.” She says. “If you’re such a wuss that you can’t handle your dy being bigger than you then you never deserved her in the first pce.”

  “Hey now. I’m not a wuss!” From a knee high fridge Julie pulls a bottle of Irish Cream liqueur and waggles in my way. “I’m driving.”

  “A wuss and a lightweight, huh?” She adds a shot to both mugs despite what I’d said. “A little nip won’t hurt ya.”

  “Fine.”

  “Honey?”

  “Oh! Maybe…a little?”

  “Too bad.” She ughs. “You don’t deserve any.”

  “Oh.”

  She turns to me again and crosses her arms. “You’re a real disappointment, you know that kid? I thought you were something different.”

  “I’m not a kid.” I bristle, though I was far from angry. I’d been hoping to rile her and thus far it was working, though not quite the way I’d expected.

  “You don’t have a clue what you’re throwing away, kid. Some men would kill for what Heather’s got. All because your fragile manhood is threatened? Sad, dude. Pathetic.”

  “Stop it.”

  “Look at you. GAH!” She shakes her head. “You woulda made such a good bottom bitch. You can just tell sometimes, ya know? You woulda been fuckin glorious.”

  I stand up. “I’m not a wuss. I’m not a kid. And I am NOT a bottom bitch!” Forearmed with what Mia’s insider info I step forward and do something I NEVER would have done normally. I shove Julie’s shoulder. It was barely hard enough to move her upper body but the shock value more than made up for the ck of power. As she looks at me somewhere between offended and amused I say. “You’re going to show me some respect. OOF!” I am staggered back a couple of steps by a sudden hard shove to my sternum. I step back up and point, only to have my hand spped away. “If you weren’t a woman I swear…UFFF!” The next thing I knew I was back on my ass on the sofa.

  “Don’t let my being a dainty dy hold you back, kid.” She steps onto the rug between us and waves me on. “Come on then. To tap or pin. Best two out of three.”

  “I…I’m sorry.” I bow my head in surrender. “I shouldn’t have…done that. I’m sorry. I crossed the line.”

  “Elliot!” She walks up and sps a hand down on my shoulder. Grabbing my chin she lifts my head so I looked up into her eyes. Leaning in close she says. “Quit giving up! Women hate dudes who give up.”

  “Wh-What are you talking about?”

  “You, man.” She gives me a shake. “You’re giving up! Why do you think Liam used to bully you? It’s because you were an even bigger bitch than he was. Come on. Stand up. Stand up!” She pulls me up to my feet and sps my chest. “Heather wants you, kid. That was pin to see. And you want her, ya dummy. You need her! Even if you don’t realize it yet. Y’all were made for each other.”

  “OOF!” She shoves me back down onto the couch then pulls me right back to my feet and jostles me. The rowdy way Julie touched me was on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from Heather’s doting caresses. “OOOF!” I’m back on my butt again.

  “GET UP!” She lifts me again and vigorously rubs my arms. “Come on, Elliot. Show me you got a pair, man.”

  “I do have a pair!”

  “Atta boy!” She smacks both my cheeks at once. “Is Heather worth fighting for?”

  “Uhhh, yeah. Of course. She’s…wonderful.”

  “Then you FIGHT!” Grabbing my shirt she shakes me. “You fight! Sometimes ya can’t win but if the fight is worth having then you fight. You fight anyway and you let’em know they’ve been in a scrap. Like you and that shoplifter she told us about. You do it because it’s the right thing to do. You hear me, kid?”

  “Uh…yeah.” I say, taken aback by this unexpected pep talk.

  “You’re gonna fight for your dy. You’re not gonna let Rebecca or Liam or Lily or that age gap or anything else stop you.”

  “Um…”

  “And this thing about Heather being too big, pfff! You don’t know how lucky you are, boy.”

  “I don’t?”

  “Nah, man. Give it some time and you’ll be beggin for it. BEGGING for it! Dudes can’t get enough of the big D, if they’re honest with themselves.” She backs away a step. Bent down and hands up she enters some sort of wrestling stance. “And these man-woman ideas you got rattling around that empty skull of yours…I’d say it’s about to update your education.” She grins. “And I’m just the gal to do it.”

  “Uh…you want me to…?”

  “Two out of three falls. Winner chooses the next contest. Heh, heh, heh.” She beckons me forward. “Come on, big boy. Let’s see what ya got.”