I’d known him longer than the other boys. I’d met him in first grade, if he threw dirt at me could qualify as a “meeting.” He’d gotten quieter as he got older, going from the loud class clown in elementary school to an extremely introverted kid in middle school.

But in high school, he was known as the guy who always had drugs to sell. Marijuana, prescription drugs, Molly — unless people were looking for really hard shit, Vincent was their guy. Even if they thought he was a freak, a Satanist, or whatever else people whispered behind his back, he was simply hard to hate.

“Your car looks…better,” I said, carefully broaching the subject.

“Jason and I took care of that over the weekend. Got the windows replaced and the dents repaired. We still need to do something about the paint, but I might hold off on getting mine touched up.” He chuckled softly. “With the way I drive, my paint doesn’t stay in good shape for long anyway.”

“Is that your way of telling me you’re the worst driver in the house?” I teased. “Should I strap in a little tighter?”

“I said my driving was rough, not bad.” He shot me a sly smile and reached across, his hand sliding along my leg to tightly grip my thigh. The touch of his fingers was like dropping a lit match on kerosene. “Before I take you home today, I’ll show you. We’ll take the long way home.”

“Dirt roads? In this car?” I looked at him skeptically.

“You’ll see,” he said. “Not all fast cars are built to stay on asphalt.”

“What are we doing today anyway?” I said, trying not to let my flaming arousal affect my voice. The effect these men had on me wasn’t fair. “And why did Lucas send you as my chaperone?”

“Because I’m the only man for the job, obviously,” he said. “Mr. Grumpy Face wants to give Jason a thank-you for helping out, and I happen to know exactly what Jason likes.”

I burst out laughing. “Mr. Grumpy Face? Oh my God, I’m calling him that next time I see him.”

“Please do, I’ll be right there to watch him spank you for it.”

We pulled into a parking lot, apparently having reached our destination. I narrowed my eyes at the buildings nearby as Vincent parked, trying to figure out where we were headed.

“Wait a minute…is that Satin Novelties? There’s a sex shop in Wickeston now?” I stared at the shop in disbelief. The windows were covered with black paper, and the door had a big red sign on it that read, No One Under 18 Permitted Entry.