Three
Max
At last, Wednesday was approaching its end. After spending part of the afternoon kissing Roger Beresford’s arse, I was in the mood for a drink.
Upon entering the restaurant, I was hit by a hum of excited conversation and jazz music. It was busy, but the minute I arrived, I saw Gabriel propping up the bar. He looked his usual dapper self in Hugo Boss.
“Why the suit? You expecting company or is this for my benefit?” I asked as I joined him. Most people were there to eat, but my best friend and I met there mid-week regularly to shoot the shit. It was a tradition of ours.
Gabriel cocked an eyebrow at me. “I had an interview today,” he explained, knocking back his whisky. He then called the barmaid over with a curl of his fingers.
Gabe, as he preferred to be called, was finishing his last exams before becoming a blood-sucking lawyer. He was the brightest of all our friends and had all the personality traits to enter the legal profession. In addition to intelligence, he was shrewd, stubborn, and extremely thick-skinned. It was impossible to offend him and believe me, we’d all tried. He did have a temper but it took persistence to make him lose it; something I excelled at.
As Gabe turned back to face me, he cocked a brow as I dealt him a shit-eating grin. “So, you didn’t scrub up for the elusive Leonie then?”
Leonie was a friend of Gabe’s younger brother Asher. She had recently started to rent a room in their apartment. As a ‘favour’ so I’d been told. I thought that excuse rich all things being considered. If there was one thing Gabe didn’t do, it was favours. Not unless it was a two-way street. He had helped to initially speed up the alcohol license for the bar Beresford was trying to shit on. A returned ‘ favour’ for my assistance at the planning office when Gabe turned the basement in his apartment building into a gym. One of many buildings in London owned by the Knight family.
Leonie or Leo as Asher called her had arrived on our regular guys' night when we’d been at Gabe’s to watch the footy. All our friends had banged on about her for days afterwards. I’d been indisposed when she’d arrived, sharing a golden moment with a joint in Gabriel’s bathroom. Something that was disallowed by my pristine, health freak of a friend. When I’d finished my smoke, she’d been in her room and hadn’t come out again that night, much to my annoyance.
“Adam says she has an arse like the North Star,” I added to see his reaction.
His brow creased, “What the fuck does that mean?”
“Wise men want to follow it,” I replied with a toothy grin.
He rolled his eyes at my crap joke. I knew he fancied the shit out of her, that’s why he’d cockblocked all his friends saying she was off limits. It wasn’t like him to be territorial over a girl, so Leonie must have been special.
Gabe adored women the way I did, horizontally. Feelings rarely made an appearance. And I wasn’t being a dick stating that fact. Any woman I hooked up with knew the score and were usually on the same page. If not, I respected their decision and walked away. Gabe was the same. It was just about sex. There was never any deceit toward who we got involved with, the arrangement was mutual with the terms agreed upon upfront. I hated liars, especially ones who manipulated women into bed with fake romantic attempts and empty promises.
Gabe’s expression remained unrattled, so I gave him another little push. “He said she’s in the top five of the sexual scenarios he keeps in his wank-bank.”
“Fuck you and the horse you rode in on,” Gabe whisper-growled with a forced smile for our waitress’s benefit. “Two JD and cokes, easy on the ice, please.”
She glanced between us with the usual level of interest we elicited from members of the opposite sex, before moving away to fetch our order .
Having successfully pulled the tail of the tiger, I changed the subject. “I take it you’re not driving?” I said as he turned to face me with one hand on the bar.
“No, I’m with Marco,” Gabriel explained. Marco was his driver and security detail. It was a requirement when you were the wealthy son of one of London’s most notorious criminal lawyers. Gabe’s father Garrett Knight rubbed elbows with dangerous people so his family had to be on their guard.
I glanced around, looking to see where the muscle was loitering. “He’s in the car,” Gabriel supplied.
Nodding my head, I curled my fingers around the glass he pushed towards me.
“So, you’ve clearly come straight from work,” my closest friend said, sipping his drink. He drank spirits like a pussy.
I grinned back as I stood beside him in steel-capped work boots, jeans covered in plaster dust and my signature check flannel top ( not a lumberjack shirt, Amber’s comment still stung). Knowing Gabe as well as I did, I knew what was coming. He was always so pristine and dressed finely, even in jeans he looked like he’d just stepped out of a catalogue.
“What gave me away?”
He shrugged, “The fact that you look like a scruffy fucker,” Gabe put in with a lop-sided smile. He was such a handsome git but then again, we both were. I lifted my tumbler.
“I’ll drink to that.”
We chinked glasses and got down to business.
“How’d the interview go?” I asked, pulling my phone and wallet out of my jeans, and placing them on the bar. I was expecting a call back from Natalie. If she rang to say she was free, I would ditch this fucker for a more favourable kind of night. Usually, my friends came first, but after my body’s betrayal towards one red-haired siren, it now needed to come first (pun intended).
“They offered me a job. ”
“Sweet. So, you’re sacking off your father then?” Gabe’s dad had been pressuring him to join the family firm.
“Yep, I’ve already told Garrett to go fuck himself. Once my last exam is done, I’m going my own way.”
Gabe intended to become a criminal lawyer like his old man, only not really. Rumour had it that Garrett Knight was as corrupted as his clients. Gabe wanted to go down a different route, one that didn’t include climbing into bed with the Irish Mafia and like-minded people. I took my hat off to him, his father was one scary, persuasive gentleman.
I narrowed my eyes as I listened to Gabe talk about his plans. He was a clever motherfucker and kind of the leader of our friendship group. It had always been that way, he said jump and we said how high. To a certain extent, I only played along until I wasn’t. Gabriel Knight and I had been butting heads for years. I followed his rules when it suited me; end of.
After around an hour of banter and shots, my head started to feel the right side of fuzzy and the shit stirrer in me shot to the surface.
Being all work and no play, Gabe had decided to throw a party at his apartment on Friday night which surely meant I’d get to meet his new house guest. Leonie sounded like a sweet little thing and so not my type. From what our other friend Miles had said, she looked like she’d shit roses. I didn’t do innocents and the thought of deflowering a virgin made my dick shrivel up.
“Will Leonie be there?”
Gabe rolled the liquor around the tumbler between his fingers, glancing briefly away. “I have no idea. I didn’t invite her and she’s usually home late.” His ‘I don’t give a fuck’ act was so obvious to me. Little Leonie had gotten under the nasty man’s skin was my take on it.
I decided to play along. “So, she stays out late, probably with her boyfriend?”
The purposely planted boyfriend seed had him scowling, “How should I know, I’m not her keeper. ”
No, not her keeper but a tad on the touchy side.
“Bullshit. You need to tell me if you intend to tap that.”
“No one’s tapping anything,” Gabe growled softly. I could see from his face that I’d pissed him off.
“What’s with the sour attitude? If you’re frustrated, you should join me in the ring. I could beat that shit out of you. Make you feel better?” I snarked, rolling my shoulders.
“I like my face the way it is, thank you.” Of course, my friend was no weakling but he was too pristine for a brawler. He certainly wouldn’t want roughing up in a fight. Plus, I’d knock the fucker out with one punch and we both knew it. Not that I’d want to.
“So why are you really cockblocking your friends? You can’t say you have no interest in shagging her six ways to Sunday. Not if she’s as hot as they’re all saying.”
There was a beat of silence as Gabe knocked his drink back before I added. “Could you want her more? You may as well piss all over her.”
Gabriel slammed his glass on the counter and motioned for another hit. “Dude, I know you have your kinks, but please,” he said grimacing.
Necking my drink, I placed my glass alongside his. “I meant figuratively, to mark your territory?” I explained.
“Thank God for that. You had me worried.”
Chuckling, I lifted my refill, having totally lost count of how many I’d had. “I may have strong sexual preferences but believe me, water sports aren’t one of them,” I stated proudly. “I couldn’t deal with anyone dumping on me either, gross.” Thankfully, the noise in the place covered my crude comments.
We were in the bar section of an Italian restaurant called Felice’s. Gabe and the owner, Felice Abbatini, were tight and we’d been going there for years. It was a stone, glass-fronted place, contemporarily furnished with two bars, a separate function room and then the large restaurant section. It was on the pricey side but Gabe and I liked it.
Checking out my friend’s profile, he looked pensive, but before I could comment he said, “Look, I have no idea if Leonie will be there. Maybe Asher told her about the party. Anyway, who gives a shit, Lisa is coming and so will I, several times hopefully.”
Lisa was new. Gabe who usually got his jollies from our mutual friend Natalie had started to move on to other girls. I told him it was due to his dick not being as big as mine and that Natalie found him lacking. He told me to go fuck myself as you can imagine.
“So, Lisa again. From what I’ve heard, she’s got nothing on Leonie.” I was a stubborn bastard, a dog with a bone when I wanted to piss someone off.
Gabe shot me a cocky look, “But Lisa can suck like a Hoover. I can’t imagine Leonie’s mouth has ever been near a dick.”
Those words forced a vision of Amber on her knees sucking me off. Where had that come from? I parked that fucker there and then. The woman was turning me into a pervert.
Rolling my shoulders, I cracked my neck and checked my phone. “I can’t believe I missed the introductions,” I huffed, party to myself.
Gabe turned on his seat and delivered what I called his ‘courtroom’ glare. “You can blame your nasty habit for that. If you hadn’t been polluting my bathroom, you’d have seen her.” Shit. Busted. So, he knew I’d lit up in his apartment.
Tapping his hand which was resting in front of him on the bar I gave him some facts. “Look, smoking isn’t the worst thing I could have been doing in there.”
He dragged his hand away and barked a laugh. “Nice.” His tone then became serious. “Anyway, as I said. Stay away from Leonie, she isn’t the type of girl you dick around with. ”
Feeling the need to wind him up more, I went with, “What if she’s the one?” I suggested that ridiculous notion whilst placing the hand he’d batted off over my heart.
Gabe snorted and shook his head. “The one? Like you believe in all that bullshit?” And of course, he was right. I didn’t.
My thoughts darted back to Amber for some odd reason. How the hell had she popped in there again? “Maybe I don’t want to be on my own forever. Luca said she’s marriage material.” Where the hell that crap came from was anyone’s guess. The bottom of my glass, probably.
Releasing a loud groan and pushing his empty tumbler away from him, Gabe muttered tiredly, “Are we really going to do this?”
“What?” I replied in a fake, would I, tone.
The brunt of my jabs motioned between us with one hand. “This girly heart-to-heart shit?”
I turned so I was facing the bar again. I also knew when to stop. “Yeah, maybe not.”
Gabe however, saw a chance and went for it. “Anyway. How’s it going with your Lady Swift? You two done the deed of darkness yet?” Successfully turning the tables.
Amber’s beautiful face swam around my thoughts as I turned to face Gabe, leaning one elbow against the bar. “I’ve already told you I have no intention of going there. The woman’s tongue is so sharp, parts of me would probably start to fall off.”
Gabe was suddenly wearing a self-satisfied grin as he focused past my shoulder. “You’re such a liar. Yes, she’s got a mouth on her but surely the beast in you wants to own that?”
“Not really,” I shrugged, feeling tense. Gabe remained quiet as he continued to stare behind me into the distance.
“What if she’s the one?” he replied with a wink, pinning his gaze back on me .
I shot him with a God give me strength expression. “Don’t start with all that sentimental vomit. I thought we’d agreed to save it.”
Gabe shrugged and stared over my shoulder again . “I’m just saying that I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so strung up over a female.”
I wondered what the hell he was looking at, but couldn’t be arsed to turn around. Gabe was well known in that part of London and he was always bumping into people he knew. “I won’t lie, her bang-able rating is off the chart but she’d be too much like hard work mate. I can’t imagine her being very pliant in the bedroom either. She’d be a bossy bitch and you know I rule my bedroom antics with an iron fist.”
The waitress appeared but we both waved her away. I had work in the morning. They also wouldn’t let me in the Uber if I was wasted.
Through that alcohol-infused part of my brain, I noted that Gabe was still speaking. “Well, maybe a battle in the bedroom is what you need. See who’s the first to get on top? Figuratively speaking or not. I bet she’s a screamer.”
Amber's red bra came swimming into my thoughts. “Are you trying to give me a boner in the middle of the bar?” I groaned, pushing my wallet and phone into my jeans. It had only been an hour or so and my goose was well and truly cooked.
My friend grimaced at the reference to my cock, “And I thought you didn’t fancy her,” Gabe slurred slightly. As I said, the pussy could not take his booze.
Pushing off the bar, I put him straight. “I didn’t say that. I’m not dead. My dick wants to go there but my mind’s telling me no—I’m sure there’s a song in there.” I dashed a hand down my face to clear my head, “Anyway, the bottom line is—she’s the daughter of my business partner and I don’t think he’d be too pleased if I started screwing his precious baby girl.”
We shouldn’t be talking about Amber in that way, it was doing all sorts of crazy to my insides. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn’t have been very nice talking behind her back, but I didn’t see it as disrespectful. I was just having a bit of fun with my friend. I would never speak out of turn with just anyone. I wasn’t that much of a nob. The discussions between our friends stayed between our friends.
“It’s probably for the best,” he chuckled, suddenly back peddling.
“You’ve changed your tune.”
“I’m only saying that as it looks like you’ve missed your chance mate,” Gabe sniggered with a massive smug expression.
My brow creased as I turned to look behind me, following that flick of his head.
SHIT! What are the odds?
“Cute couple,” Gabe added from beside me.
Shock stiffened my spine as I focused on Amber and a guy from work. So, Satan was being fed, and by one of my contractors.
What the hell? Why did I suddenly feel so unsettled? The woman was nothing to me, who cared who she went out with?
You care.
The pair were sitting at a table opposite each other by the window, finishing their meal looking too cosy for my liking. How had I not seen them when I’d walked in?
The fact that she was out with that particular individual did not sit well with me. He was the type to kiss and tell. He’d started shit last year with one of my administrators who eventually resigned due to the rumours he’d spread about her.
“Do you think that’s her boyfriend?”
The urge to groan my annoyance took over. “That’s not her boyfriend, he’s one of my scaffolders and a sleazy motherfucker,” I explained.
Sneaky bastard and when I’d made it clear that I didn’t condone relationships between co-workers. Him being one of the reasons I put that policy in place the previous year. If he hadn’t been so good at his job, I would have fired the fucker then.
Gabe, who was paying the bill behind me, placed a pretend supporting hand on my shoulder. “Doesn’t mean they’re not having sex.”
“Believe me, they’re not having sex. As I said, he’s one of my scaffolders.”
“Scaffolders still have dicks you know,” Gabe unhelpfully pointed out.
A surge of unexpected jealousy crawled up my spine.
“She’s a lady and proper stuck up, I can’t imagine her with a metal monkey,” I huffed.
“A metal monkey?”
“Yeah, slang for Scaffolder.”
“You’re such an industry snob, you could have just said tradesman,” Gabe grunted.
“I need another drink,” I rasped, jamming a hand across my face to wake the hell up. Amber’s presence was messing with my wiring. And he was wrong, I wasn’t an industry snob at all, that’s what individuals in that trade called themselves on site. My friend wouldn’t get that being a suit. He knew nothing about building site mentality.
Gabe bristled from beside me. “I just paid the tab. I thought we were done?” he scowled.
“Change of plan. The night is young my friend. I’ll have tequila,” I shot back, patting him on the back.
“It’s your funeral,” I heard him mutter as he lifted himself onto a tall stool in front of the bar.
I only just heard him say, “Where are you going?” As I carved a bee-line right towards the source of all my torment.
“For a whizz,” I lied.
“Don’t start something, Max, Felice will bar you again. ”
Walking backwards I flipped him off with both hands stating, “You know full well I don’t give a shit.”
Twisting back to my prey, I channelled my mean. Little Lady Swift’s pleasant yet dull evening was about to get messed with.
Hopton was the guy’s surname but I couldn’t remember his first name. The way he was looking into Amber’s eyes made me want to tear his eyeballs from his skull.
Having just put their cutlery down, dickhead one as I’d called him in the past, was now touching the back of her hand. It made me want to snap his finger in half.
“Well, isn’t this nauseatingly sweet,” I said, smirking.
My voice brought Amber’s head up like a shot, her green eyes narrowing as they took in my unwanted presence. “So, you’re now spying on me outside of work too?” she stated in a starchy tone. I noticed how her spine stiffened as she sat up in her seat.
Her date (I hated that I had to accept that’s what it was) cleared his throat and went to push to his feet. “Oh, hi Sir, err, Mr Hunter,” Hopton muttered, back-peddling his way up my arsehole. I knew he’d addressed me as a Mr out of respect, but it made me feel as old as fuck. Something Amber called me from time to time and it grated on my nerves.
I held out a hand to stop him from rising. “No, don’t get up and call me Max.” God knows why I’d permitted him to call me by my name.
“Max,” he repeated, tasting it with a nod. Suck up.
I turned my attention back to his female companion. “You look nice tonight, Amber,” I said politely. My tone was at war with how I felt, after seeing them together. And in my bar. Didn’t they have any closer to where she lived on the other side of the city? The place that housed the rich and overindulged ?
“Thank you, Max,” she replied, looking down at her folded hands on the table. Hopton had now moved his to a safe distance. Maybe he’d seen the message in my glare?
My blood started to simmer. I wanted to grab her chin and force her to acknowledge me properly.
Childish I know, but I couldn’t help my moody response. “I thought we’d agreed you’d call me sir from now on?” I stated, looking down my nose, taking in the tight lace number she was wearing. The dress screamed I may put out tonight . The alcohol in my system was making me feel possessive as fuck, it had to be that.
My comment drew her head back up sharply and she shot me a ‘whatever’ glance. “Funny.” I felt a stab of savage satisfaction that I had her attention again. I was an eye contact kind of guy. The way her voice wobbled suggested she wasn’t as calm as she was attempting to appear.
I puffed out a breath and rocked back on my heels as I looked between them. “So, what are you guys doing here?”
Amber rolled her eyes and my temper shot up into the next gear. She was blatantly disrespecting me in front of a subordinate again. “Eating supper,” she snarked. The look she gave me would have befitted a member of the royal fucking family.
Folding my arms, I narrowed my eyes, driving the full force of my annoyance at her. “I can see that.” When neither of them said anything, I added, “So, is this your first date?”
Hopton’s pocket started ringing and he slid his phone out. “Ah, excuse me. I need to take this,” he babbled, pushing back his seat, and heading for the door in a half jog half run thing. Pussy.
I let him go and slumped my arse down into his vacated chair. They had finished their meals, although Amber still had some fries on her plate.
“So, I’ll ask again, is this a first date type of scenario?”
She was glaring at me across the small table, and I now had her full attention. “Why do you care? It’s out of office hours and so not really any of your business.” I noticed how she started to fiddle with the tablecloth with her fingers.
Leaning forward, the leather creaked as I placed my elbows on the table, pinning her to the spot with my eyes. “I thought you didn’t date?”
My annoyance was fast becoming liquid fire in my veins. It took a while for me to lose my temper but when it went, you needed to run for cover.
“Well?” I grunted. I hated that she was so slow to give me the answer I didn’t want to hear. But why didn’t I want to hear it? What was wrong with me and this sudden freaky jealous feeling I had?
“I don’t date. This is dinner, that’s all,” she replied tartly, leaning back when I lowered my head. I could see I was getting to her and it spurred me the fuck on.
With an arched eyebrow, I continued my third degree. “And that’s it, just dinner? You two love birds aren’t fucking?”
She tutted and slid her hands away as I helped myself to one of her fries. I was being obnoxious on purpose as getting her hackles to rise got me off.
Amber’s expression was icy. “You’re such a crude pig. I don’t understand on what planet you think you have the right to question me.” Her brow was threaded as she watched me warily. Did she think I was going to touch her? I chewed on the cold fry. I’d only grabbed one so I had something to do with my hands.
“I’m just looking out for you. You’re my protégé, remember. And that boy likes to gossip in the locker rooms.” I knew I was being a cock, but this girl brought out the worst in me and due to the booze, my usual level of reason had left the building.
Amber shook her head, that perfect updo of hers not moving and I wondered how she’d look with her hair down, maybe spread across my pillow. Down boy .
“Well, I wouldn’t know. That’s one place on site I have no interest in going. My tetanus shot isn’t up to date.” Ha, Gabriel Knight, in your face. She was stuck up just as I said so.
Smirking, I pointed out. “Well, if you shag shit for brains tonight, make sure he wraps it before he taps it. The guy is a walking STD.”
“Firstly, his name is Rory and I’m not your protégé and thirdly, I don’t believe you,” she said with a sniff, her eyes darting behind me to where he was standing outside the restaurant. Ah ha! Yes, Rory that was his name. It came back along with a reminder of all the shit he’d caused at work.
“He’s the type to boast about his conquests. Surely you don’t want to be the brunt of work gossip.”
“And you suddenly care about my reputation, how novel,” she sneered.
I rolled my shoulders, clearly frustrated. “I told your father I’d look out for you.”
“What makes you think I will give him anything he’ll be able to boast about?”
“So, you won’t be taking him back to your place?”
“I don’t take men back to my house Max,” Amber replied with a sigh.
“Why? So, you can be sure they want you for something other than your money?” I taunted.
She shot me a strained smile. “Nope, I can never be bothered to think of excuses to get them to leave, once the deed is done.”
“Cute.” I could see that she was attempting to match my crudeness but her words had little weight to them. She was pretending to be something she wasn’t. Interesting.
“Cute? Yes, I suppose he is, isn’t he,” Amber said purposely misunderstanding me with a glance towards Hopton, which pissed me off even more.
“He’s a first-class prick, Amber. Take it from me,” I stated.
“Well, I suppose you’d know what one of those looks like, being one yourself,” she sniped, crossing her arms over her tits. They looked mighty tasty encased in that black lace, her dress looked like it had been painted on. I wondered what bra she would be wearing. Maybe the red one from the other day?
I cocked an amused brow whilst explaining, “I may be a dick at times, but I don’t ever kiss and tell and I’m only warning you so you don’t get hurt.”
She was now sitting up ramrod straight. “How considerate of you. So, are you saying you’ll be my shoulder to cry on when it all goes south?”
She was such a stubborn little bitch.
“I’m trying to stop it before it gets to that point.”
I stole another fry off Amber’s plate and glanced around to see Hopton was still on his phone. Who leaves a date to take a call? Bloody loser.
“What do you think you’re doing, Max?” Amber said on an exhale, motioning to where I was sitting with a smug as fuck look on my face. I was there, in his seat and quite happy to replace him. Especially if this dinner was leading to other more interesting places.
And then the fact of that truth tore through that alcohol-infused fog. I wanted this she-devil for myself. Irrespective of that being so very wrong and inappropriate.
“I’ll repeat myself. What are you doing?”
I motioned towards the window of the venue where the prick was, now staring down at his phone with a gormy expression. “Keeping his seat warm.”
“Shouldn’t you be over at the bar with your buddy playing beer pong,” Amber snarked. Her comment forced my grin to surface. She was a pro with the insults and always made me feel less than worthy. Like some type of oaf, or a buffoon; something she had labelled me in the past. Amber’s beer-pong comment wasn’t way off the mark. Those types of games were played by pissed-up teenage students, which was exactly how I had been behaving. I blamed the booze.
Amber started to fan herself with a menu. I felt like saying, am I making you hot and bothered sunshine ?
“Bit rude isn’t he, leaving you here with me?”
“You’re unbelievable. He only took the call to escape you. So, it’s your fault he’s out there to start with.”
“Why is it my fault?” I said with mock offence.
She wrinkled her nose. “You’ve probably scared him off now.”
I puffed up my chest and shot her a cheeky grin. “I’m really that terrifying, why thank you. I’m glad you’ve noticed.”
“Not because of that. Due to your stupid rule about colleagues not fraternising. Which is a bullshit rule. You have no control over what people do outside of office hours.”
“Really?” I drawled lazily, steepling my fingers and watching her over the top.
“Yes, really. Look, he’s coming back now and so I’ll say goodnight,” she burst out.
I gave her a smug grin. “Good, it’s for the best.” Playing Amber at her own game and misunderstanding her on purpose. I was being such an immature cock but I couldn’t stop myself.
I leaned over to take another fry and she swatted my hand. It was like a tiny bug hitting the back of it. “Not to him , to you . Leave us alone ,” she whisper-shouted.
I injected a thread of steel into my voice. “Remember what I said. You don’t want all the lads talking about you. Locker room mentality and all that.”
My comment fell on deaf ears as she plastered a huge smile on her face and looked past me.
Hopton appeared, looking flustered as he came to stand beside his now-occupied seat. “Oh, err sorry. Do you two need another minute?” he said looking back and forth between us.
Amber’s expression was stony as she glared across the table, her mouth a thin line .
I stood slowly, grinding my molars as I husked, “No, I’ll say goodnight. Remember what I said, Amber.”
Towards the end of my sentence, I forced a smile and turned away. It was hard. I could see Gabe watching the show from his seat at the bar. What the hell was that grating feeling? I was desperate to look back. Were they fucking? And why did the thought of that wind me up so much? The word mine vibrated through me.
“What did she say?” Gabriel questioned, trying to read my face. I took the glass of clear liquid he held out and necked it before slamming the glass on the bar.
“What do you mean?” I replied, my skin suddenly felt too tight for my body.
“You should see your face. You look like you need to smash something.”
“If he does take her home, I just hope he keeps his mouth shut,” I said partly to myself before blurting. “I swear if I hear any crap about her at work, I’ll knock the fucker’s teeth out.”
Gabriel choked on his drink and then wiped his mouth with his hand, casting a sly glance behind my shoulder towards the pair.
“Why do you care so much?”
“She’s acting like that tool is boyfriend material when he isn’t.” I bit the inside of my cheek, the metallic taste of blood filtering into my mouth.
Gabriel shrugged, “So who gives a shit?”
“I also told her father I’d look out for her,” I explained.
“Believe me, I’ve met the girl and she didn’t come across as someone who would fall for the usual line. You and your pity party should back the hell off.”
“Either way, I feel responsible.” An image of me headbutting Rory Hopton shot a thrill up my spine. Shit, what was happening to me? I was a fully grown man and was acting like a love-sick kid .
Gabe snorted. “You’re so full of it, responsible ? You can’t even spell the fricking word. So, you wading in there is purely down to a sense of duty you feel towards her dad?”
Damn right, and that was the only reason. Or so I told myself. “Yes, and you can stop looking at me like that.” Gabe clearly thought there was more to my behaviour than I was letting him see. And of course, he was right.
“And that sense of duty has nothing to do with your dick, right?”
“Right.”
“You’re full of shit. And you have the nerve to wind me up about Leonie,” he puffed, shaking his head.
“What are they doing now?” I asked, motioning for another drink. Gabe’s eyes narrowed as he watched the waitress approach.
“I think you’ve had enough mate,” he snorted, a warning I ignored.
He then glanced behind me again to check the pair out. “They’re talking.”
“And that’s it?”
“No, she’s sucking him off in the middle of the restaurant. What do you think they’re doing?” he whisper-yelled.
A silence fell between us as Gabe ordered another round.
“And now?” I said, ignoring his pissy comment.
Releasing a huff of frustration Gabe explained, “And now she’s pushed to her feet and has her bag. Going to the bathroom I would say.” And my mind was made up in a flash.
Fuck it. She needed another warning. Amber believed Hopton’s act that he was some kind of decent guy when that so wasn’t the case.
I thanked the waitress for my order, downed it in one and squared my shoulders. “Back in a tick,” I mouthed to Gabe.
A look of worry passed his features. “Max, what are you going to do?”
Rubbing a hand through my hair and slapping my cheeks I reassured him. “Nothing, I just need a word is all. ”
My concerned friend placed a hand on my arm. “Don’t do anything stupid.”
My smile said it all as I turned and headed towards the bathrooms.
Don’t do anything stupid . Would I?