Watts stood next to me, grabbing me before I took the first step to follow. “I don’t think she’s married.”

“Yeah, doesn’t really make sense for her to wear the ring on the wrong finger to confuse her situation just to beat someone’s ass for flirting.”

“Actually, I could see her doing that.”

“Yeah, me too.”

“Do you like her?” Watt’s asked.

“I don’t know yet. Not if she’s married. I thought I liked Darby, though, and look how that turned out.”

Naomi disappear into the Men’s room and Watt’s froze.

“Did she…?” he asked, trailing off.

“She sure as shit did,” I said, chuckling. “The women’s room is around the corner, and Naomi doesn’t seem to care about things like that.”

“Is she a … a…?” Watt’s said, again unable to finish his sentence.

I laughed out loud, then cleared my throat. “No.”

“I mean … she fights like a dude.”

“Women can fight, Watts. Haven’t you seen MMA? Amanda Nunez? Cyborg? Holly Holmes? Ronda Rousey?”

“Cyborg? What the hell are you … no. I mean, I know what MMA is, but I’m not a fan of watching anyone beating the shit out of each other for sport, so no, haven’t heard of ‘em,” Watts said. “You think Naomi’s MMA or a dude?”

I shook my head, leaving Watts standing in a stupor.

chapter nine

a different distraction

Naomi

T

he cold water rinsed the suds from my hands, and I pulled a paper towel from the dispenser. Zeke did the same, stealing glances. He glanced around with a smirk on his face, getting a towel for himself. “You’re in the men’s restroom. The women’s is around the corner.”

“Yeah, I was in there earlier. Believe me, this is the cleaner of the two. And, I’ve showered, shit, and shaved around many a man. The men’s john in a dive bar is actually pretty nice compared with some of the places I’ve had to squat and piss.”

Zeke chuckled. “Watt’s will be glad to know you have to squat.”

I tilted my head. “Were you about to ask if I have a penis?”

He shook his head emphatically. “No. Nope. I think you threw Watt’s for a loop coming in here, though.”

“If I was transgender, I’d be in the women’s restroom, genius.”

“I just told you it wasn’t me questioning you.”

I rolled my eyes and left him alone to sit at my table. For a reason I couldn’t put my finger on, what Zeke said bothered me. I looked at my arms. They were clearly toned, and yes, a beautiful little egg shape formed when I flexed, and I didn’t have the biggest tits in the room, but I had never been mistaken for a guy before.

Jerry waved me over.

“What?”

“Cheer up. Someone bought you a shot.”