Drop The Needle #8

Lexi and Nicco, bounty hunters, have just taken on a very interesting passanger. Fresh from the shower, and water induced disco concert in said shower, Tiki a Scarlet Macaw and Lexi go to raid her brother's closet only to get caught outside the galley.

Nicco sat at the table eating something from a bowl. Dag was next to him, and like me, he was fresh from the shower. Nicco had loaned him a pair of pants. But the thing that drew my attention, the thing that got me into trouble. He was shirtless.

A loud thud echoed into the galley as I walked into the doorjamb, followed by and equally loud whistle from Tiki. "Hottie!" she squawked. "Hottie, Lexi, hottie."

"Shut up," I snarled at Tiki, who was doing a rather enthusiastic dance on my shoulder. I rubbed my forehead. Yeah I had to agree with her, but this was neither the time nor the place to announce it. There I was, standing in a ratty t-shirt and frumpy shorts wearing the last thing I wanted to be caught dead in, looking like an idiot for walking into a solid metal beam.

Nicco's and Dag's eyes were locked onto us in an instant. Dag's mouth curled into a grin and he raised a brow. "Toot – toot."

Tiki ruffled her feathers and stretched her neck out, screeching at the top of her birdie-lungs, "bad girls, talking bout bad girls…" She wolf whistled and bounced up and down. "Beep – beep."

"Shut up, Tiki."

There was no stopping her. She was on a roll and I knew for certain, Nicco would never let me live this down. Worse yet, Dag looked amused. Way too amused.

"Hottie! Toot – toot, beep – beep."

"Zip it, Red." I lowered my voice and warned Tiki. "I'll stuff you like a banquet bird and serve your giblets in gravy."

"What a remarkable bird." Dag rose to his feet and my breath caught in my throat. Oh boy.

Feet glued to the floor and a brain that ceased to function about a beep-beep ago, I knew I was in trouble. Tiki had understated the hottie part a bit. He stole the breath from my lungs and my heart all at once. Oh yeah, what hot-blooded female wouldn't go into meltdown at the sight of him? Tiki certainly had.

"Loooove…" Tiki stopped dancing long enough to let loose with another whistle. Apparently, she didn't hate all males as I'd thought. "Grrrrrr." She growled like she did with Nicco, but slightly different. More of a throaty grrrrr. "Stuff him and serve his giblets in gravy," she screeched and flapped her wings. "Beep – beep."

EMBARRASSMENT