"Nah." Chubby frowned. A bunch of middle-aged women took the booth in front of them. The waitress stood there joking and laughing with them.

"Well, what percent did?" Stony made an octagon with the swizzle stick.

"What kinda question is that?"

"About what percent?"

"Stony..." Chubby took the straw from him. "What's on your mind?"

The waitress stopped at their table. Chubby motioned for another round.

"Well." Stony picked up the straw. "Cheri..." He tossed it aside.

"She don't come?"

"Oh no, it ain't that. Yeah, she don't come, I mean she comes, but not when we're balling."

The waitress brought another round. Chubby sipped his drink thoughtfully.

"I mean I try all different ways. I go slow, I go fast, I do it from the back, from the front, from the side. Nothin' works."

"I don' know what to tell you. If it'll make you feel any better, I been married to your Aunt Phyllis for twenny-three years. I think she came three times, but I'll tell you one thing though, it don't do any good to worry about it."

"Three times?" Stony looked pained.

"Look, some women come more'n that in one fuck, others go to their graves without coming." He shrugged.

"Don't that drive you crazy?" Stony squinted.

"Well, look. Somebody can still dig sex without coming. That don't make 'em lesbians. But like I said, it don't help anybody to worry about it, you know, you just gotta hang loose."

"Hang loose." Stony nodded, picking his teeth with the mangled straw. "Lissen, Chub, I got Butler's car. I gotta go pick 'im up at the club. It's gettin' late."

Stony stood up. Chubby sat playing with his pack of Marlboros, slowly stripping the cellophane wrapper.

"Ah lissen. thanks for helpin' me out tonight."

Chubby gave a short salute off the top of his head.

"Hey, Stones? Also, stay away from PR women. They got two million boyfriends and brothers. They'll tear yah heart out."

***

Stony got back to D'Artagnan's about midnight. Butler was standing at the bar where Stony left him. He was talking to Chili Mac.

"Stones, you missed some fuckin' fight." Butler was drenched with sweat.

"Oh yeah?" Stony ordered a seventy-seven.

"So how's Cheri?" Butler smirked.

***

"Well, I'll tell you one thing, mah man, she can fuck Mott, Pot, Snot, Twat and half the fuckin' Marine Corps from now until doomsday, she ain't never gonna find a better stickman than me and that's the goddamn truth."

They sat parked in White Castle. Stony scarfed down half a hamburger and exhaled through his nose as he chewed. Butler had stopped listening to Stony's bullshit hours ago. He stabbed a straw through the center of the plastic top on his orange drink and eyed the middle-aged carhop ladies scurrying around the parking lot in royal blue slacks, blue short-sleeve tops and little blue Dixie cups on their heads. Some of them wore blue scarfs under the Dixie cups to keep their ears warm.