Thirty-Four
Ari leaned against the bar, her smile still firmly in place, though it felt a little too thin. She hadn’t expected things to go quite that way, but that was the game, wasn’t it? Always pushing, always testing the waters. The woman had pulled back, sure, but Ari could chalk it up to a lack of chemistry or maybe just a misstep. Nothing to lose sleep over.
Ari picked up her drink and took a slow sip, letting the cool burn of the liquor settle in her throat. The waitress had said no. Politely, with a smile, but still, a no was a no. Fair enough. Ari wasn’t exactly heartbroken. It was all part of the game, and she could take a loss as well as a win.
But something about it didn’t sit right.
Maybe it was the fact that she’d let herself push too far, had let the whole thing get away from her in a way she hadn’t meant to. Maybe it was the way Nancy had been standing just far enough away to hear. Watching.
Ari turned, scanning the room until she spotted her. Nancy wasn’t even pretending to look elsewhere. Her gaze was fixed right on Ari.
Ari slid up beside her, setting her drink down with an easy thud. ‘C’est la vie,’ she drawled.
Nancy tilted her head. ‘She didn’t go for that Ari charm, then?’
Ari exhaled a laugh. ‘The problem is that she wasn’t a rulebreaker.’
‘Oh, sure.’ Nancy shook her head. ‘You should’ve seen your face when she turned you down. Very humbling.’
Ari rolled her shoulders, feigning nonchalance. ‘Hey, I don’t win ‘em all. But at least I get in the game.’ She turned to Nancy, smirking. ‘Not like you, standing on the sidelines, watching.’
Nancy didn’t flinch, didn’t rise to the bait. ‘That’s what I do for you, isn’t it? The ever-present observer to the Ari show.’
Something about the way she said it felt angry. A beat of silence stretched between them. Just a fraction too long.
Ari huffed a laugh and picked up her drink again. ‘Well, you’re welcome. Happy to provide the evening’s entertainment.’
Nancy’s lips twitched, that small, infuriating smile. ‘Oh, you have. Though I have to say, I was expecting a little more of a fight.’
Ari raised an eyebrow. ‘What, you think I should’ve tried harder? Put on some grand display? Maybe declared my undying devotion?’
Nancy regarded her thoughtfully. ‘No. That wouldn’t have suited you.’
Ari narrowed her eyes. ‘And what would?’
Nancy just smiled, slow and knowing. ‘Hard to say.’
Ari’s fingers tightened ever so slightly around her glass. That was the thing with Nancy. She had a way of landing a hit without ever making it clear she’d swung in the first place. It was a skill. An infuriating one.
‘Would you have done it? Slept with her?’ Nancy asked, and her tone was different. Ari could see she was done bantering.
Ari considered a joke but then shook her head. ‘No. I was planning to shove her in the bathroom and lock her in while I pillaged the drawers.’
Nancy paused for a split second and then laughed, and Ari heard relief in it. And she was glad she’d said it.
‘You didn’t want me pawing her?’ Ari asked, careful to keep her tone light.
Nancy shrugged. ‘I don’t want you to go too far for this. You wouldn’t feel right about using someone like that.’
‘You don’t think?’
‘I don’t,’ Nancy said.
She might have been right about that. But it wasn’t the main reason she couldn’t have slept with the waitress. But Ari wasn’t about to tell Nancy that she couldn’t see herself touching anyone but her.