Page 54 of Hold 'Em Tight

Donny leans forward and Rylee snorts, taking in the tall, busty brunette wearing a Hooters uniform. The orange shorts are a lot smaller than they probably should be, showing off her mile-long, tanned legs.

“I'm Darla, and I'm so excited to be here.” She places a platter of wings on the table in front of us and Donny groans. He goes for the lid, and Rylee smacks his hand.

“Ouch,” he yelps. Teo laughs and Rylee sighs.

“Darla, is it?” She nods and looks around the gym, confused. “Don’t take this the wrong way, sweetie, but there is no way in hell I am letting you on this team, but thanks for the snacks. Next!”

“Wait, what? Why?” She looks at Donny and licks her lips. “What about you, Sugar? You want me to shake my pom-poms for you, right?” Donny snorts and I sigh.

“Oh, babe, you just fucked up,” Serenity says with a giggle. Rylee stands and leans over the table. Her face is turning red, and Teo grabs her arm.

“Listen here, Hooter Barbie. I have had enough of bitches trying to steal my men! Mine. He’s mine,” she says, pointing at me, then at Donny, then Teo. “They are all mine! So take your fake tits and get the fuck away from my team!”

Darla looks pissed, and I know this is going to escalate, so I stand and shout, “Next!” The doors open and a tiny blonde enters, almost getting knocked over by Darla as she runs out.

Rylee opens the wings and snorts. “Hey, bitch, you forgot the ranch,” she snaps, then sits down and crosses her arms.

“That was so hot, babe,” Teo mutters, kissing her neck as the blonde woman gets in position.

“Um, hi, I’m Sabrina. I’m sorry I didn’t know to bring snacks,” she mumbles, wringing her hands together nervously.

Rylee laughs and gives her a genuine smile. “I’m glad you didn’t,” she says, before waving her hand for her to begin.

“Oh, right, okay,” she mutters, then nods to the person handling the music and starts.

Immediately, I know she’s our new Widow. Her technique is flawless. She has rhythm and grace, and is entertaining to watch. Plus, she’s small, so she will be easy to toss in the air. I look at the others, and they are as entranced as I am.

Rylee gives me a big grin, and nods her approval.

Sabrina stops and she thanks us before running back out to the hall.

“Wow, she’s perfect,” Rylee murmurs, and Teo grunts.

“Do we need to see more?” he grumbles and I sigh.

“Yeah, we have to let everyone try out. Next,” I shout, and then groan when Rachel, Missi’s friend, enters. She didn’t make the cut last time, and she’s not any better today.

Another two hours of mediocre auditions pass by, and only a handful of them yield an ounce of the talent we are looking for.

“I don't know how much more I can take,” Rylee grumbles, shifting side to side in her seat with a sigh.

“We have two people left, Cherry, then I can take you home and show you how much I’m yours,” Donny says, as he wiggles his eyebrows at her.

She rolls her eyes and shoves him away, but she has a small smile on her face.

We suffer through two more people, and I am about to smash my face into this table. I have a pounding headache. I don’t know why people think cheer needs to be accompanied with techno music.

“Make it stop,” Rylee whines, and I have to agree. My eyes hurt. Those were some of the worst tryouts I have ever seen.

“That's the last one,” Donny says, and I let out a heavy sigh of relief.

“Thank God,” I groan, scrubbing my face with my hands. “That was brutal.”

“It wasn’t a complete waste of time,” Rylee says. “There were a few good potential candidates.”

“Please,” a voice we all know and hate sounds from the entrance. “That was fucking awful.” Missi laughs. “You all are so fucked without me.” She smiles an evil grin, placing her hand on her belly.

“What are you doing here?” Rylee asks, irritation in her voice.