Olivia

 

Seth came back from the arena a different person than the one he has been for the past few weeks. He seems happy—genuinely happy. I haven’t seen him smile like this since our honeymoon. Whatever Darryl did or said worked a treat. I can’t talk sense in Seth sometimes, not like Darryl or Jackson can.

 

As I lie lazily on the bed, I smile into my book as his voice filters in from the bathroom. He’s humming a tune I don’t know. Seth saunters into the bedroom, pulling a nice blue shirt over his head. It clings to his chest and arms, loosening at his stomach. His black knee length shorts and white as white sneakers top off his casual yet sexy outfit.

 

“Wow,” I say, peering over the edge of my book. “You look great.”

 

“And you’re still in your pajamas.”

 

I glance down at my bed pants and overly large ‘SETH’ shirt Selena bought me during my first live fight. “Am I supposed to be wearing something else? It’s seven p.m.”

 

“I have a load of inappropriate comments I can make in response to that, but it’ll only get me excited, which will make us late. Right now, I’m going to take the high road—the road without the sexual comments and hilarious humor—and let you know that we’re going out for one last dinner before I lock us up in here until the fight.”

 

Lock us up? In here? The thought is both exhilarating and absolutely terrifying. “But the fight is months away.”

 

“I’m aware of that, but Darryl thinks it’s for the best and so do I.”

 

I nod, hesitantly. If Seth thinks it will help him, then I want to be on board. “Okay. If that’s what you want, we can do it. What time’s dinner?”

 

“You have thirty minutes.”

 

I sit upright, alarmed. Rough tangles of chocolate hair fall into my face and I brush them away as I shake my book at him. “Thirty minutes? Seth! I have a whole chapter to finish!”

 

He stares at me, eyes wide like I’m the craziest person on earth. “So pause it.”

 

“Pause it? It’s a book, not a movie. There are certain details that I’ll have to re-read if I stop now.”

 

“It’s just a book.”

 

“Just a boo—” I pause and take a breath. Non-readers just don’t get it. When I get into a book I won’t stop unless there are gushing tsunamis, erupting volcanoes and twirling tornadoes heading straight for me. I’m talking real end of the world shit—not dinner. What’s food when you’re in the middle of a good book?

 

“This is more than just a book. It’s a story about cowboys and damsels in distress.”

 

He blinks at me. Of course this is all alien language to him.

 

“They’re racing this horse and carriage alongside a rushing steam train—okay, it doesn’t sound as awesome when I say it like that, but the hero and the heroine are about to declare their love for each other. You can’t just tear me away now.”

 

Seth crosses the room with a smile on his face—it’s an innocent smile and it puts me on edge. Nothing Seth does is innocent.

 

“Honey,” he says in a voice too sweet for my liking as he pries my book from my hands. “Let me help you.”

 

He dog-ears my page and closes the book. My mouth drops open. Is he insane? “You did not just do that.”

 

Who dog-ears pages anymore? Has he not heard of a Goddamn bookmark?

 

“Do what?”

 

I keep my stare on the book in his hands. “Dog-ear my page.”

 

Seth frowns. “I don’t know what that means.”

 

I throw myself back against the mattress, exhaling. “Of course you don’t.”

 

His large, warm hands seize my ankles and I squeal as he yanks me down the bed, stopping me with his hands on my hips before I completely slide off. He lowers his face to mine. “We’re having pizza for dinner.”

 

Pizza: the one word that instantly brightens my mood. Here I am thinking he was going to take me somewhere that only do salmon and other weird lean stuff I can’t pronounce. I haven’t had bad food in such a long time. When Seth eats well, you can’t find anything bad in the entire house—not even chocolate. His nutritionist tried to convince me that we can substitute chocolate and make things from cocoa instead, but I tried cocoa and it is definitely not chocolate. Most of the time I sneak to Selena’s room and load up on bad carbs. He chuckles at me as my lips stretch into a smile.

 

“Pizza?” I ask, caution thick in my voice. “Really?”

 

I expect him to laugh at me or admit he’s playing some kind of sick, twisted joke. Instead, Seth plants a kiss on my mouth. It’s quick, too quick to enjoy and I almost pout. “Really. Now get up. I’ll meet you downstairs in twenty.”

 

“Wait,” I call after him. “You mean actual pizza? Not a weird kind of healthy pizza made on lettuce leaves, right?”

 

“Yes, Miss Piggy.” He laughs. “I mean real authentic pizza—bread, meat, cheese—the lot. Now come on. You’re wasting time.”

 

He straightens his posture, tosses my book onto the bed, and leaves the room. I slide off the bed, landing on my ass. It hurts, but I couldn’t care less. I’m having pizza!

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

We pull up outside Gusto Pizzeria and the smells of cooked bread and meat seep into the car through Seth’s open window. My stomach grumbles, begging me to eat something. I reach for the seatbelt clip and before I click it, Seth speaks.

 

“I’ve changed my mind.”

 

Oh hell no. If he doesn’t want pizza he can get something else because I’m getting one—no, two—I’m getting two for the road.

 

“On the pizza?” I feel my pout forming.

 

He laughs and reaches across. I pull my shoulders in as he pinches my cheek between his index finger and thumb, and I wince as he squeezes. “No, not on the pizza, you cute shit. Wait here.”

 

He slips from the car and I jump as he slams the door. He pulls his phone from his pocket and makes a call. I wait patiently as he disappears into the busy pizza shop. Groups enter and emerge at the same time. When one group goes in hungry, another comes out with swollen bellies. I want a swollen pizza belly.

 

Twenty minutes later, Seth comes back with four large boxes of pizza, opens my door, and drops them on my lap. The smell engulfs me, making my mouth water. I can smell the sauce mixing with the meat and bread, daring me to open it and take a peek.

 

“Do we really need so many?”

 

“Yes.” He shuts the door and climbs back in via the driver’s seat. “You’ll see why when we get there.”

 

He pulls out of the parking lot and drives off, away from the city. We drive for ages, until there’s nothing but desert and sand. It’s dark—the only light is the light coming from our headlights. If we shut them off, we’re left with the off-yellow glow from Las Vegas Boulevard in the distance and the pretty glow from the millions of stars above us.

 

“We’re eating pizza out here in the desert?” I ask, my fingers tightening around the boxes. “You know the desert is full of sand, right?”

 

He grins at me as he opens his door. “We’re in the desert at night and your biggest worry is sand? Scorpions and snakes don’t bother you?”

 

“Not until now. Thanks for that.”

 

“Come on, O, I’ll protect you from the big bad animals.”

 

“Muscles don’t intimidate snakes,” I mutter to myself as he slams the door. “They eat alligators, for Christ’s sake.” A few seconds later, Seth opens my door. “I’m smaller than an alligator. How hard could it be?”

 

“What?” he asks, sending me a rather strange look.

 

The quirked eyebrow on him is cute as hell… I shake my head, making him chuckle. “Never mind.”

 

“Do you ever stop thinking for one second and just enjoy life?”

 

I hand him the boxes of pizza and peer at him playfully over the top. “Sure, but it depends where your hands are.”

 

He groans and turns around with the boxes in his hands. “Don’t get naughty on me now. We don’t have enough time.”

 

I kick off my heels and slide from the car. “Enough time for what? It took us long enough to get out here, I’m sure the pizza can’t get any colder.”

 

My feet sink into the sand and it’s still hot from the daytime sun. What if I step on glass? Or needles? I shudder.

 

“Seth?” My voice cracks, making me sound helpless and panicked.

 

He turns abruptly. “What? Did a spider run up your leg?”

 

My entire body stiffens. “There are spiders out here, too? Jesus! Did you bring me here to die?”

 

Seth smiles his devastatingly handsome smile while walking back towards me. “Not in the beginning, but now I’m contemplating it.”

 

He walks across the sand like it’s solid, even ground. If it were water, he’d probably walk effortlessly across that, too… or not. I’ve seen him in the pool. He sinks just like everyone else.

 

“Very funny,” I deadpan.

 

“If I feed them you, they won’t touch the pizza.” He stops three feet in front of me. “You know, that’s not such a bad idea.”

 

“Oh, okay.” I roll my eyes. “I need your help. I can’t walk on the sand with heels and I’m not about to walk across barefoot—not after your horror stories, anyway.”

 

“You’re such a princess,” He states with a sigh as he steps closer and turns around. Seth crouches lower, offering me his back. His back… the only proof I have that maybe (just maybe) God is female. “Jump on, your highness.”

 

I pull my small black dress down, but it only reaches mid-thigh. I shrug. It’s dark so it’s not like anyone is going to see my red, lacy panties. I grip his shoulders and my insides just about melt. “Thank you, my royal ass.”

 

I jump onto his back, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his hips. Once again, Seth doesn’t struggle under my weight.

 

“I think you mean ‘steed’. I’m your noble steed.”

 

“I think ‘ass’ will do just fine.”

 

Balancing the pizzas on one hand, he reaches around and pinches my ass cheek. “Hey!” I squeal, dropping an arm from his neck to swat him away. His entire body vibrates with laughter and I squeeze him tighter.

 

“That’s not very noble of you,” I chastise, bringing my mouth to his ear.

 

He shrugs, pressing the side of his head against mine. “You said it yourself, I’m an ass.”

 

I kiss his ear, unable to resist the urge. “You’re my favorite ass.”

 

Seth walks forward, following the glow of the headlights. In front of us, the sand looks pure and untouched.

 

“Here will do.” He exhales, stopping in his tracks.

 

I glance around, waiting for him to lower me or do something. He does nothing… just stands around waiting for something.

 

I tap his shoulder. “Oookay, now what?”

 

“Any second now, I’m sure.”

 

I frown. “What’s any second now?”

 

Sure enough, I see a car speeding down the highway in the distance. It gets very close, very quickly, and pulls off of the road before pulling up on the sand. My nerves prick up as I watch the car closely. The headlights shine directly on us, blocking us from seeing anything. I tighten my grip on Seth and swallow hard. Is this what he was waiting for? Who is it, exactly?

 

“It’s about time,” Seth calls out, making me jump.

 

“You know how Selena is,” a familiar voice shouts back. Jackson. “Girl can’t leave the house without makeup.”

 

“Or without straightening her hair,” Darryl’s voice adds. “Or without shoes to match her outfit. Or—”

 

“They get it,” Selena chimes in. I hear a car door slam and seconds later Selena steps out in front of the headlights in skinny jeans, sneakers, and a light coat. I wish Seth gave me a heads up or at least asked me to put pants on.

 

“But seriously, Seth?” she continues. “Dinner in the desert? What’s wrong with you?”

 

“It’s secluded and no one can harass us—I think it’s kind of romantic,” Seth replies, defending his choice and making me laugh.

 

Darryl chuckles, coming into view. You can tell he’s dressed for the desert. He has sand shoes on, long, thin pants, and a light tee. It seems I’m the only one who had no idea we’d be having dinner in the desert. I guess this is the thing Seth changed his mind about. Instead of dinner indoors, we’re having dinner outdoors. Way, way, way outdoors.

 

“Boy, you and I have two very different perceptions of the word romance.”

 

Jackson laughs his agreement from somewhere behind the lights.

 

“Shut up, Jackson,” Seth calls out. “You don’t have a romantic bone in your entire body.”

 

“That’s not true,” Selena retorts, defending Jackson. “Jackson can be quite romantic, actually.”

 

We all stare at her, waiting for an example at least. After a few silent minutes, she rolls her eyes and flicks her hand at us. “Fine, I got nothing. Jackson is the least romantic person I’ve ever met.”

 

Somewhere in the background, Jackson scoffs. “Right.”

 

Selena squares her shoulders and turns into the light. “You literally run when you hear the word ‘love’. Love and romance kind of go hand in hand, you ass.”

 

Darryl swears. “Not this again. I had to listen to these two bicker the whole way here. Like children, they are.”

 

Seth angles his head, peering sideways at me. “I can be romantic… right?”

 

I smile and pat his head. “Sure, honey.”

 

Seth can be romantic, but the romance is usually short lived. The second the passion sets in, all romance is torn away… usually along with my clothes. Is passion the same thing as romance? I have no idea, but I do know I love Seth regardless of whether he prefers passion to romance.

 

I look back to the others and—well… I didn’t see that coming. Darryl shakes his head, turning away as Selena and Jackson are locked in an epic tongue battle. Their sexual tension radiates from them in waves, heating the entire desert and all of my insides. My throat dries at the way he holds her—aggressive and possessive—my (suddenly) two favorite things.

 

I clear my throat. “Well… should we turn around?”

 

The last thing I want is for my best friend and her—whatever he is—to get me all hot and bothered.

 

“Give them a minute,” Seth replies. “They’ll be back to fighting any second now.”

 

Sure enough, as soon as Seth says it, Selena shoves Jackson away from her, panting. “Really, Jackson?” Even from here I can see her lips swell from the passionate kiss.

 

“Hey, you kissed me!” he shoots back.

 

Sadistically, I smile. I love this. I love our group. The bickering, the bantering… it’s perfect. It’s us.

 

“You two can keep arguing or you can eat. Which is easier on the stomach?” Darryl interrupts, slipping in between the two.

 

They glare it each other over Darryl’s shoulder. Jackson is the first to pull away and he quickly swallows the distance between us.

 

“It’s good to know that if you quit fighting, you can always become a camel,” Jackson murmurs low enough for only us to hear. “Breakfast was delicious, by the way. I made omelets and everything.”

 

Seth mocks Jackson and shoves the boxes of pizza into his hands. “Make yourself useful, for a change.”

 

Now that Seth’s hands are free, he holds onto my legs. I brace myself, prepared for another fight between the two men… then the strangest thing happens, they laugh and Seth pats Jackson on the shoulder.

 

“No hard feelings, Jacks,” Seth says and Jackson nods his agreement.

 

“No hard feelings.”

 

Selena retrieves a blanket from the car and lays it on the uneven sand. Thankfully, the air is warm and no wind blows the sand skittering across the surface. I slip from Seth’s back and we all sit down on the blanket. It’s quiet out here, dead quiet, and I can almost hear the buzz of the electrical current flowing between Selena and Jackson as they glare at each other from opposite sides.

 

“I take it you two still haven’t sorted it out,” I blurt out as I bite into my not so warm pizza.

 

Seth and Darryl give me identical looks—the kind of looks that tell me to shut up.

 

“No,” Jackson answers, dragging his green eyes onto me. “We haven’t.”

 

“And we won’t,” Selena adds with finality.

 

An awkward silence falls—I can’t even hear the sounds of chewing anymore. I swallow a dry mouthful.

 

There goes the group.

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

I groan, lying with my head in Seth’s lap as I look up at the stars. “I hate pizza.”

 

Next to us, Darryl snores, filling the otherwise quiet desert. Seth looks down at me, smiling the world’s most amused smile. “I told you to stop at three.”

 

“But number four begged me to eat it and it looked so good.”

 

A cool breeze blows now, pushing a strand of hair into my face. He brushes it away.

 

“And number five?”

 

I groan again, rolling onto my side. “Shut up, Seth.”

 

He wraps a warm arm around me and I shiver as the breeze rolls up my dress and tickles my spine. Goosebumps immediately spread over the surface of my skin and Seth shifts underneath me.

 

“I have a jacket in the car,” he informs me.

 

I push myself up into a seated position, ignoring the way my stomach feels like it’s going to rip open at any second. “I’ll get it. I need to walk off some of this pizza.”

 

By some miracle, I manage to gracefully push myself to my feet. It’s the waddle to the car that’s embarrassing. The extra weight in my belly makes my bare feet sink deeper into the sand, but I’m too cold and too full to care. I sat on a blanket on the sand and nothing touched me so I think I’ll take my chances. As I approach Seth’s car, ignoring the feeling of sand and sticks between my toes, I hear a gasp. I pause, holding my breath. Worst case scenario, there’s a snake out here with lungs big enough to gasp like a human… the best case scenario, it’s a cute little bunny who found a pretty little flower. I shake my head. What am I, twelve?

 

The palm of my hands brushes against the cool hood of the car and I peer around the corner. My lips part and my body instantly buzzes, humming and vibrating like metal after you hit it with a hammer. The churn in the pit of my stomach tells me it’s from embarrassment, that what I’m witnessing isn’t meant for me to see. But the light feeling pressing against the roof of my stomach tells me otherwise. I know arousal when I feel it.

 

Selena and Jackson…

 

So this is where they disappeared to.

 

He has her hard against Seth’s car, pressing her bare ass into the cool metal. Their mouths are entwined in punishing kisses and his tattooed hand is firm on her throat.

 

“You’re naughty,” Seth whispers into my ear. I jump and he quickly clamps a hand over my mouth, pulling me away from Selena and Jackson. Holding the majority of my weight, he pulls me around to the other side of the car. My heart beats its way through my pizza-filled stomach and races into my throat. He presses my back against the car and removes his hand.

 

“You little voyeur, you,” he whispers with a light chuckle. “I had no idea.”

 

I slap his chest and he flinches away, swallowing a laugh.

 

“Stop it. I am not.”

 

His eyes scan my face and rest on my undoubtedly flushed cheeks. Seth’s lips turn up in a cheeky smirk. “You liked that, didn’t you?”

 

“No!” My cheeks burn brighter, making my eyes water. He’s giving me this look—one that has ‘busted’ written all over it. “Your jacket is on that side and they caught me off guard. To be honest, I’m a little embarrassed.”

 

He lifts his hand, bringing it toward my chest. With an extended index finger, he brushes the tip across my collar bone. “You’re not only embarrassed. You’re something else, too. Aren’t you?”

 

The knowing look on his face takes the bones from my legs and suddenly I’m standing on wobbly muscle. I shake my head as he moves his fingers higher to trace my throat and I swallow hard as his suddenly scalding fingertips brush over my windpipe.

 

“Is that what you want?” he asks gingerly. My breath hitches in my throat as he leans in and traces my jaw with his lips. They’re warm and moist, sending scores of tingles from my head right down to my toes.

 

I shake my head. “No.”

 

He quirks an eyebrow and opens his palm. He runs the palm of his hand and the tips of his fingers down the side of my throat. “That didn’t sound very convincing.”

 

I slap his hand away and grab the collar of his shirt. I draw him in and crush my mouth to his. He parts his lips and the strong flavor of mint tickles my tongue as I slide mine against his. I moan into his mouth before catching his bottom lip between my teeth. I pull back a little until Seth winces, and then I let it go.

 

“No,” I say again, this time with a hell of a lot more confidence in my voice.

 

He rubs his bottom lip with his index finger and checks for blood. I didn’t bite him that hard.

 

“Got it,” he replies with a twitch of his lips. “No choking.”

 

What I felt when watching Selena and Jackson wasn’t the allure of ‘hard sex’. I was drawn to the passion that those two have—that Seth and I have. It’s a beautiful thing to see… and yes, it also happened to be arousing—not that I can help that. It works like this; the human body absorbs smells, sounds, and colors (obviously). As you process things, your body makes you feel and react to the things you’re witnessing and that’s exactly what happened. I saw something that I find beautiful and arousing so my body reacted to it. It doesn’t mean I want what they have. In fact, I shudder at the thought.

 

The cool breeze blows harder, taking my heated blood with it.

 

“Right,” I mutter, hugging myself. “Now we have to find a way to get the jacket without disturbing them.”

 

“I’ll get it.” He turns away and trudges through the sand before disappearing behind the car. I wait in the silence. I lift my hand to my mouth to chew on my thumb nail, waiting for their reaction. How Seth can interrupt them without feeling uncomfortable is beyond me. I’d hate to be caught in a situation with my pants down.

 

“Don’t mind me,” I hear Seth tell them. Selena squeals and I slap a hand over my mouth to stifle a laugh. “Olivia is cold, and by the looks of it, so are you. Try not to scratch my car with those things.”

 

Selena lets out a frustrated growl and the car door opens and shuts. Not a second later Seth saunters back around to me.

 

I push off of the car unable to hide my smile. “Really, Seth?”

 

“Hey, you know I never miss an opportunity for a nipple joke.”

 

He holds the jacket out and I slip my arms in one by one and pull it on over my shoulders. I stand on tippy toes and kiss him on the cheek. “Thank you.”

 

He scoops me up into his arms and carries me back toward the blanket. As we round the front of the car, Selena storms off in one direction and Jackson in the other, raking his fingers through his short hair.

 

“Remind me not to invite these two to dinner next time,” Seth murmurs in my ear.

 

“I’m just happy they’re finally talking to each other again.”

 

On the blanket, Darryl’s still snoring away, completely oblivious to what was occurring over by the car. I don’t know how he’s so at peace out here in the wilderness. I’m too scared to even blink for a second too long. Selena drops onto the blanket, pulling her cell phone from her pocket.

 

“No reception,” she states, stuffing it back in. “I hate Vegas.”

 

Seth lowers me onto the blanket and I shuffle towards Selena while Seth lies down flat on his back and closes his eyes. I guess that’s his subtle way of giving Selena and I some girl time. I turn my back to him and tuck my knees into my chest. I grip the ends of the jacket and force the fabric over my knees and down my legs. Ah. That’s better. Now I’m a little ball of warmth. Selena leans back on the palms of her hands and stretches her legs out before crossing them at the ankles. I glance down at her—at her legs—and my gaze flits to uneven fabric by her crotch. Whoops. Open zipper. Nothing is more awkward than an open zipper. How do you tell someone their pants are open without feeling like a creep? Screw it. I just witnessed her and Jackson in the middle of something, the least I can do is tell her that her fly is open.

 

“Uh, Selena?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

I clear my throat and lean in close to her ear. “Your zipper…”

 

She looks down and chuckles, her cheeks turning a violent pink. “Sorry. It’s these jeans. The zipper is always falling down.”

 

I nod my head, pursing my lips against a smile. I decide against taunting her about Jackson. If she wants to tell me, she will… if only she would, then maybe I could help or offer some sound advice. Then it hits me, Jackson and the random girls he brings over. She has to know… and now is as good a time as ever to tell her.

 

“Sel, there’s something I have to tell you. I don’t want to, but as your best friend I feel I probably should.”

 

“Is it my nipple?” Selena peers down at her zipper again and then at her chest—clearly inspecting her clothing.

 

I giggle. “No, it’s not that.” I clear my throat. “As you know, Jackson has been staying with us… and he—” I catch my lips between my teeth. Jesus Christ, this is harder than I thought it would be. “He brings home girls—girls who aren’t you.”

 

Suddenly, she avoids my face. “I know.”

 

“You know?” I spit out. If I’m not careful, my eyes are going to bulge right out of my skull.

 

“Yes, I know.”

 

And that was the end of that. For the first time since meeting Selena, we fall into an awkward silence with nothing to say and it hurts. Is she changing? Am I changing? Selena and I always have something to talk about. Always.

 

“So,” I drawl, pushing our previous, strange convo behind me. “Any plans coming up?”

 

She shakes her head. “I don’t have the stomach for Vegas anymore. I’m over it.” She pauses, sucking her lips into her mouth and letting them go with a pop. It’s her go to move when she’s nervous… and Selena is never nervous, so the movement puts me on edge. “I’m thinking about going home early, O,” she mutters, tilting her head back to the sky.

 

I shift in my jacket. “But we still have months here.”

 

“You still have months here. I’m here because of Jackson, and now…” She drags in an inhale through her nose and expels it quickly. “Now I’m done.”

 

She can’t go. Without her, what am I going to do? Hang out with Maddi? Not that I have anything against Maddi, it’s just, Selena is my best friend—my sister.

 

“Don’t go,” I beg her, pushing my legs out of the jacket and sliding closer. “Please, Sel, I need you. I can’t do this without you. Who’s going to sit next to me at the fight? Who’s going to hold my hand and cheer when I can’t?”

 

“Olivia—”

 

“Stay with me. In my room,” I blurt out. The words fall without thought and I pause momentarily. No objection comes from Seth and I don’t dare look over my shoulder in fear of the death stare he’s probably sending straight into my back. “Give Jackson his place back and stay with me for the remainder of the trip.” My voice is pleading, desperate to get her to stay with me.

 

“And Seth wouldn’t mind?” she asks, lowering her voice.

 

I gulp and finally peer over my shoulder. Like I expected, his dark eyes are on me. I watch him, trying to communicate with my eyes, and after an intense staring contest he closes his eyes for three seconds and then opens them.

 

“No,” he says and my shoulders slump. “I don’t mind.”

 

A weird, excited squeaking noise forces its way up my throat and out my mouth. I twist around and pounce at Seth. I wrap my legs around his perfect hips and grab his perfect face. I kiss him over and over and over as he squeezes me against him.

 

“I guess I’ve got that to look forward to,” Selena deadpans as I smother my amazing husband in kisses.

 

Seth pulls away and angles his head toward Selena. “After what I witnessed a couple of minutes ago against my car, you owe me.”

 

I giggle as Selena rolls her eyes. “I get the feeling I’m never going to live that one down.”

 

“Not in a million years, pokey.”