Sugar Pop (The Riot Crew #2)

7. Lotto

Chapter 7

Lotto

I rubbed the oil into Bones’ bare shoulder blades, and he grunted in pain.

Back-to-back fights would do that to a person.

Bones wasn’t going to listen to Ari and take it easy. After everything we had gone through with Nero’s shit deal and dragging ourselves to Heathens Hollow a few months ago, Smiley’s meant everything to him. Meant everything to us . If he could help Ari in some way, he would do it.

Even if it meant stepping into the ring three nights in a row.

The fights were easy enough to find. Not big ones or big payouts, but decent enough to be worthwhile. Last night’s fight was the hardest Bones had in a while, and he sported a huge bruise on his left ab area. But here he was again, about to take on another crazy bastard for the third time if it meant Smiley’s didn’t have to bow to Troy Godwin’s whims.

Bones wasn’t a fan of his “deal.” I couldn’t say I was either. Not knowing what fight we were walking straight into was, as Frankie called it, “fucking horseshit.” But I also knew Troy Godwin—probably better than anyone else at Smiley’s. As Bones’ manager, I dealt with him plenty of times over the years. Other times, I heard about his bullshit secondhand. If you were on his good side, you’d get everything you’d ever want. On his bad side, you’d be saying hey to Nero wherever the fuck he was buried.

And I didn’t think we could afford to give Troy Godwin the middle finger.

“Fuck, Lotto, a little lighter, would you?” Bones complained.

I pulled my oiled-up hands away from his shoulder blades. Thinking about Troy Godwin pissed me off. Based on the way Bones had been tense for three days straight, he felt the exact same.

“You need to loosen up or you’re going to take another shot to the abs.” I started massaging his shoulders more lightly. “Your bruise already looks like hell.”

“I made a mistake, all right?” Bones shifted on the bench. We were in the back locker room of an abandoned high school—tonight’s dingy venue—getting ready for the main event. “I thought I saw River in the crowd tonight.”

I paused with my hands on his upper arms. I hoped it was a figment of his imagination, but it probably wasn’t. Perk’s Gym was getting more and more cocky, posting new videos and vaguely veiled threats toward us as “inspiration videos.” The inspiration I got from them was a good way to get your ass kicked.

“Even if they’re here, forget them,” I answered calmly. At least one of us needed to keep cool about the thorns in our sides. “Focus on winning the fight.”

“Oh, I’m going to fuckin’ win.” Even with his confidence, Bones’ entire body was tense. “My opponent looks as meaty as a Junior Whopper.”

I laughed and kept massaging down his muscular arms, tracing over his sprawling tattoos with the oil. “Let’s hope he fights just as bad.”

“I’d take on ten of him if it meant getting Troy Godwin off our backs.”

Here we go again. The entire car ride here, I’d tried to steer Bones away from the topic. When he was pissed off, it was hard for him to focus. The longer Troy Godwin hung over our heads, the more of a danger he was to himself.

“Bones—”

“This is bull, Lotto.” Bones stood from the bench and threw the towel he’d been holding to the dirty floor. He turned to me, the tension and anger obvious in his clenched jaw and fists. “Yeah, he might have helped me get Nero off my back, but I paid for that in my blood.”

“I know.” I stood up to join him. “You’ve done enough. We all have.”

“Apparently not, ’cause the prick won’t hold up his end of the bargain. So much for a promise to help if there’s no strings attached.”

“If you expected Troy Godwin to turn into Mother Teresa because you won him money once, I’ll walk out right now and join the local archdiocese.”

“As if they’d let you in there.”

“Stranger things have happened.”

“Like a freak storm making a tree fall on Smiley’s?”

“Maybe I should join the archdiocese anyway,” I said. “I think God’s pretty pissed at us and wants an apology.”

Bones snorted. At least a small measure of tension eased in his jaw, but his entire body looked like a frightened cat.

I walked over and clapped a hand on his shoulder, lowering my voice. “You’re never going to help Smiley’s if you don’t calm down. Do you need something to loosen you up?”

Bones’ eyes flashed at the richness in my words. His Adam’s apple bobbed with his harsh swallow. “What do you have in mind?”

“You’re going to turn around and put your hands on those lockers, and I’m going to make you forget all about Troy fucking Godwin. Got it?”

Bones nodded and situated himself just like I’d told him. Fuck, I loved his body. Toned and cut in all the right places, his tattoos accentuating his strong build and darker complexion. I especially loved the way he already jutted his hips out for me to take care of him. Because that was what I did: took care of Bones in the best way I knew how. Bones could count on me to always be there for him, and there was nothing I loved more than giving him reminders of that love and trust.

I ran my fingers down Bones’ back, massaging and kneading his skin until I reached the waist of his boxing shorts. These I tugged over his hips and dragged down to his knees, spreading his legs so I got a good look at his supple ass. I grabbed the bottle of oil from the bench and massaged his cheeks, brushing over his asshole every so often as a tease. Bones arched further back, and I reached around to grab his cock, pumping him a few times until he was rock hard in my hand.

I stroked him as I parted his cheeks and dove in. I ran my tongue around his asshole, dipping into his entrance. While I pumped his cock, I ate him like a fucking feast, licking and sucking his ass until his thighs were trembling. Once he was wet enough, I pulled back and popped my fingers into my mouth to wet them. Then I pushed two fingers into him, thrusting until I was two knuckles deep.

Bones rocked into my thrusting fingers with a moan. His ass bounced as he fucked himself on my fingers, stroking his cock with each bob forward. I pressed wet kisses all over his ass as I fucked him, biting and sucking until his skin bloomed with blue and red marks. Having him at my mercy always sent a hot thrill spiking through my veins. My cock throbbed in my pants, wanting nothing more than to bury itself into his tight ass, but I resisted the urge. This was about Bones and his release. Once he won the fight, he could make it up to me.

I squeezed and moved my hand faster and harder, dragging a thumb over his cum-covered slit. He practically howled when I curled my fingers and hit just right. I kept fucking that spot, making my mark all over his ass as he lost himself in the pleasure. Bones grunted my name and spilled all over the lockers and my hand, bucking and thrusting until his cock went completely limp.

I waited until he caught his breath then pulled my fingers from his ass. With the nearby towel, I wiped off my fingers then his cock, gently massaging his sensitive skin. Before I could wipe the lockers down, Bones spun around and grabbed my face, mashing our lips together. The kiss was slow but powerful; our tongues dragged against each other in the familiar way we always did. When he pulled away, his body was relaxed for the first time in three fucking days.

“Thanks, Lotto.”

“Always.”

Bones fixed himself back in his boxing shorts as I cleaned up the mess we’d made. Not that I really needed to. This place was filthy as it was, and I was sure some teenage jocks called each other gay then sucked each other off way before we stepped foot in here. Bones was punching his bruise when I was finally done, his face screwed up in pain.

“Imagining it’s Troy’s face?” I asked with a raise of my eyebrow.

“If only,” Bones said. When he’d finally gotten used to the pain, he stopped and shook out his hands. “That asshole doesn’t dirty his own hands. Just makes suckers do it for him.”

I snorted. It was dead on. Too bad Smiley’s was about to be those idiotic suckers.

After Bones was all good, I smacked his shoulders a few times and gestured outside with my chin. The crowd around the cage roared to life the instant I threw open the locker room doors. Bones was next on deck, and with how bad that scrawny kid in the middle of the ring was getting his shit rocked, due up decently soon. He weaved through the crowd to find the organizers while I went to find Frankie and Ari in the crowd. They were watching the competition to see if there was anyone we needed to be worried about.

Three steps to the left, I saw that worry in the flesh.

The Perk siblings and River stood by the ring, filming something on their phones. From the yelling and cheering they did as soon as the fight ended, the brute who won the match was one of theirs. I was sure the video would be on their socials soon. Another stupid threat against us. I pulled my phone from my back pocket, ready to watch whatever bullshit they threw our way now.

River’s gaze turned from the ring and landed straight on me.

He smirked as soon as we locked gazes, lifting a hand in a friendly greeting. I didn’t return the favor. River wasn’t a friend. He was like herpes, flaring and showing up whenever he felt like it, especially when he wasn’t wanted. If he wasn’t so damn handsome, he probably wouldn’t get away with it either. But River was as thick and sharp as his fighting skills and had the smirk to prove it. I wanted to fuck that smirk right off his face.

Smiley’s needed to watch our backs. Right on cue, Perk’s uploaded a new video of the fight. From the angle, it didn’t look like a cage fight at least. It was only a few seconds long and was mostly filled with Misty’s shrill screams. But the caption was what really caught my eye.

This is what happens to assholes with big heads. Perk’s will show ’em who’s boss!

I highly fucking doubted that, but I couldn’t deny the little itch of worry wiggling at the back of my head.

This was growing into a problem we couldn’t ignore.