Bosco cleared his throat and walked over to stand beside me, clearly marking his territory, which did not go unnoticed by his friend. "Nah. It's good that you're here. We both need ta talk ta ya." He said, not softly, not harshly—just simple and to the fact.

Sean narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "About what?"

I started to walk over to him and held out my hand. "Why don't you sit down, Sean. There's something that we need to tell you."

"Okay then." He sat on the rocker and Bosco and I both took the couch.

I could feel my palms starting to sweat and my stomach churning. Some people would wonder what the big deal was, but I hated these kinds of situations with a passion. I hated making people feel bad, hated the awkwardness, the time it took to get the right words out—if there really were any right words.

I leaned forward and clasped my hands in front of me, on my knees. I didn't look him directly in the eye. I couldn't. "Sean, I don't know how to say this to you so I'm just gonna say it—" I began, but was cut off when he started laughing. I blanched.

"The two of you are so dramatic—" He laughed. "You really should be on television." He declared sarcastically. He set the flowers next to him on the side table and looked at me expectantly.

I was less than impressed by the condescending manner in which he spoke to us—and that was something that I hadn't noticed, of course, the night before or any other time I'd talked to him on the phone. And although Bosco had filled me in on some of Sean's extra-curricular activities—which did indeed include many different women—and despite what I had learned, I still felt uncomfortable about what I needed to say.

When neither of us spoke, he gave us an are-you-stupid look. Quite a difference from the man who had wined and dined me the night before.

"What is it?" He rolled his eyes to the ceiling for a moment, while I took a quick look at Bosco to see which one of us was going to start the conversation. He nodded at me slightly. When I turned my attention back to Sean I had the feeling that he definitely knew that something was going on between his best friend and myself.

"Seriously, guys—whatever it is you can just tell me." He leaned back on the old rocker and crossed his foot over his knee expectantly, noting how close my lover and I were sitting together. "We're all adults aren't we?" He threw in Bosco's direction. His smile had become somewhat oily, as if he knew what we were going to say—he just had to hear someone say it because I knew that he didn't want to hear it. "And I'm sure that no one here wants to step on any toes or make a play for someone who is already spoken for—right Mo? That would never happen would it?"

There were so many innuendoes in the way he spoke, it unnerved me.

"Sean, this is really an awkward moment so please just try and understand—" I began, looking over desperately to Bosco to rescue me but he just stared at Sean. "I had a great time with you last night and I really had every intention of seeing you again—"

"Had every intension? He digested what I had said for a second before narrowing his eyes, which were now dark and hot. "What did you say to her about me?" He shot an accusing glance at Bosco before he dropped his leg to the floor and leaned forward, clasping his hands together and looked up at me earnestly. "Faith, don't you think we should talk about this in private? I mean, I had a wonderful time with you last night and kissing you was like a dream. But do we really need Maurice here to discuss our dating status?" He glanced over at Bosco. "No offense, man." He snapped, when he saw the look on his friends face—which was somewhere between jealous and downright annoyed.

"I don't think that is necessary—" I began, only to be cut off by the other male in the room. The testosterone was really beginning to fill the air.

"I didn't have to say anything to her." Bosco snapped back. "She decided that on her own."

"Well? You don't want to talk to me alone—"He said, looking over at me, somewhat hurt, but seriously annoyed. "So I have to presume that the only reason you don't want to is because of him. " Sean looked from me to Bosco and I could tell that he was really heating up and whatever had been brewing between the lifelong friends was about to irrupt. "Did you finally hook up with her Mo? You finally screwed her and just in the nick of time, just when I was getting my shot with her!"

"Sean—" I began, but he cut me off with a shake of his head, his eyes blazing. This conversation wasn't really about me, I realized, it was about the two of them and winning. And I was the prize. I sat there, listening to the two of them tear strips off of each other and talking about me as if I weren't even in the room. I leaned back and crossed my arms over my breasts and waited for an opportunity to say my piece.

"Don't talk about her that way!" Bosco barked, coming to my defense. "I didn't screw her, as you so eloquently put it—but we did want to tell you that something had happened between us and that we're going to be a couple. We just didn't know how to tell you—"

Sean snorted. "A couple?" He threw his head back and laughed—how that man loved to laugh! "That's the most idiotic thing I've ever heard!—You? Mr. Love-em-and-leave-em-as–fast–as—you—can–get–your–ass–outta–her–bed? A couple? Give me a break—since when do you know how to think about anyone but yourself?"

"That's bullshit!"

"Is it?"

"You're damned right it is!" Bosco roared. "This isn't even about you! This is about me and Faith and you really don't have a thing to do with it!"

"You didn't want her and you didn't want anyone else to have her either." He said incredulously, his voice rising. "You had time to ask her out but you didn't, did you?"

"Wait just a minute—" Bosco cut in and pointed his index finger toward Sean. "You have no right to say that ta me! She's my partner–there were things to consider here and the point is----"

"The point is that you stabbed me in the back." Sean hissed, then turned on me. "You really want to be with him, Faith? Did he tell you about his little friend that he woke up with a couple of days ago?" He barked at me. "Do you know how much he sluts around? Do you have any idea how many women he's slept with?"

I turned and looked at Bosco questioningly but he wasn't paying any attention to me—his face had turned about six shades of red and his nostrils were flaring----the words had hit their mark.

Bulls-eye. And it broke my heart all the same.

He was up off the couch like a shot and crossing over toward Sean with his fist clenched. "Shut your mouth!" He growled, his voice now low and dangerous. "Shut your mouth before I shut it for you, Kelly!"

"You can't take it can you, Mo? And you think that you are actually going to be able to have a real relationship with her? You can't even be truthful to her, can you?"

"Shut up!"

"Oh, you don't want me to tell her about the whore do you?" Sean stood up, glaring and I feared that quite soon I would be calling either Sully or Ty to take one or both of them to jail for the night. He grabbed Bosco by the front of the shirt and fisted his hands. "He likes prostitutes, Faith. Ask him. Go ahead." He taunted me.

"What is he talking about?" I asked. "Is it true?"

"Not now, Faith!" Bosco roared at me. "Don't listen to him!"

"He took that whore home after a night at Rose's bar—" Sean continued angrily. "And he actually—"

"Stop it!" I yelled, standing up and trying to get between them, not wanting to hear any more. "Just stop it both of you!"

"I swear to God—" Bosco screamed, his voice shaking with rage. "I'll rip your heart out and stuff it back down your damned throat!" Quicker than I'd ever seen him do it before he reached out and pushed me back and then he brought his arm up and snapped Sean a good one in the face. I heard the sickening sound of bone on bone and knew immediately that one of them had broken something—most likely the fingers that had connected with that particular face. They locked arms on each other and grappled, falling over my coffee table and rolling around on the floor.

"The two of you stop it right now!" I screamed, tears running down my cheeks. "I'm calling the police!" I added furiously. "Both of you get off my floor and out of my house!"

I was about as angry as I had been in years—literally—I'd listened to them talk about me as if I were a piece of cattle, a possession that didn't have a brain or the will to decide anything for myself—but most of all I was hurt by the accusation that Sean had slung. I knew my Bosco right down to his bone marrow and I knew by the way he was acting that it was true. A prostitute—how ironic that Bosco would end up with the very kind of woman that he hated.

"Ask him!" Sean shouted at me, over the din.

I didn't have to ask.