Chapter 2 The Taste of Him
We make our way inside Pudgy’s bar, which is located right near the dock.
It’s a cool crisp afternoon, so the doors are wide open, allowing the salty air to mingle with the smells of booze and smoke inside the bar.
The music is loud, and the place is packed.
We’re in full meeting attire, pompous hats, long gold-trimmed coats, and shiny black boots, but we’ve left our swords on our ships.
Honestly, sitting at the bar with my sword at my side is kind of difficult.
There’s no reason for us to be armed in this port anyway, which I’m glad for.
Sivan always carries his pistol with him, but I don’t.
I’ve never really taken to them the way he does, probably because my father really doesn’t like when pirates use pistols.
He’s always felt that if someone wanted to kill someone else, they needed to do it with a sword.
I’m pretty sure that Captain Crawford uses both a pistol and a sword, though.
Besides, we really don’t have a use for weapons most days.
Back when my father and Sivan’s staged the mutiny against Captain Slicer, my father vowed that it would be a new age for pirates.
Leaving behind the thieving, the pillaging, and everything else that they considered to give pirates a bad name.
Most pirates follow the same line of thinking, but every once in a while, we do come up against those who’d rather fight and steal.
As we step inside the bar, all heads turn toward us.
I’m accustomed to this kind of reaction when we walk into a room, so it doesn’t make me uncomfortable when people stare at me…
usually. But today, I’m a little shaken by what happened earlier.
I mean, I’ve been trying not to think about it, but with Sivan being the reason for my confusion, and also being very close to me, it’s not been easy to block out.
Earlier, I touched his arm, and it somehow felt different.
I don’t know what my brain was thinking, but squeezing his forearm was confusing…
I felt muscle there, and it made me feel something…
I don’t know where my mind was going, but hopefully Sivan didn’t notice.
All afternoon he’s been touching me—which isn’t unusual, but do we normally touch this much?
Or am I just aware of it now because I’m worried he’ll be able to tell what happened?
That’s stupid. He’ll never know what happened.
The only one who knows I got hard thinking about him is me, and that’s the way it’s gonna stay.
This is the bar Sivan comes to the most, so he likely knows everyone here, and even if he doesn’t, they all know who we are. We haven’t moved from just inside the doorway yet because he’s still surveying the small room.
“Hey.” I nudge him with my elbow. “Are you looking for someone, avoiding someone, or giving people a chance to stare at you?”
“All of the above,” he says, adjusting his hat. “Gotta give the people what they want. We look good, they want to check us out, and I want to see what’s available.”
I see Sivan’s friend, Ersin, smiling from behind the bar. She’s cute, but she’s not my type, she’s not Sivan’s type either, and since she’s never flirted with me, I’m gonna assume the disinterest is mutual.
“Vincent!” she calls out with a bright smile, pointing at two seats at the bar.
“Come on, let’s sit. We don’t have much time,” I tell Sivan. We take our places beside one another at the bar, and I remove my hat, placing it on the shiny lacquered wooden bar top.
On my left, a petite brunette smiles and moves in closer toward me. “I like your hat. Are you a captain?”
I smile and shake my head without a reply.
Sivan, overhearing her, leans forward and looks over. “He’s not a captain, do you want to know how you can tell?”
She smiles even brighter looking at him, and her eyes take on a far more flirtatious look, as does her voice. “How can I tell the difference?” she asks, fluttering her lashes.
Ersin drops an eyebrow at the conversation, as she fills a large glass with beer at the tap in front of us.
“Well,” Sivan says, tapping the brim of my hat. “There’s no stupid feather plume. Which this guy hates.”
“Really?” she says to Sivan. “I like the tall feathers, they add a certain sort of sexiness.” Her gaze shifts to me. “But his long hair is sexy enough all on its own.”
I shake my head, unsure of how to respond to her false flattery.
For one thing, I don’t like being talked about as though I’m not here.
Also, she was asking if we’re captains, which means she came here looking for the captains.
I try to avoid women like her. They’re usually looking for money, or they’re just after bragging rights.
I’ve had a shitty day, so I’m gonna shut this one down quickly.
“You know, since you came here looking for the captains, AKA our fathers, you may want to leave and come back later. We have meetings in just a few hours, and they likely won’t make an appearance until those are finished.
I’m not interested in the superficial compliments on my hat or my hair.
” I point to Sivan. “Now, he likes to be flattered, but he’s far more interested in the chase.
You’ve already lost in both categories, since you flattered me first and insinuated you were looking for the captains.
So, if I were you, I’d pack up and come back later. ”
Sivan chuckles, looking a bit shocked at what I’ve said. “Oh, I guess we’re being direct today. In that case”—he points toward a corner of the bar where two men are huddled together at a table—
“I see your two friends over there. I noticed them as soon as we walked in. See, the trouble for you, and them, is that I know everyone in this town. So, you three are here looking for money, some way to extort one or both of us, well, our fathers, I should say. If your friends hadn’t given it away as soon as I walked in, you complimenting Vincent first would have done that.
I’m obviously the better looking of the two of us, so starting with him was your second problem.
Your third problem is that Vincent here is kind of in a mood today, so that puts me on edge as his best friend.
We don’t have time to screw around, literally.
So, you can sit there if you want or go tell those two that you failed. Makes no difference to me.”
I actually didn’t notice those two guys. That’s not surprising, though—Sivan has always been more observant than me. The woman gives him an eyeroll, then stands and heads for the exit. While her two friends in the corner appear very interested in what’s going on, they aren’t following her.
Ersin laughs and places a tall glass of beer in front of Sivan. “Well, hello, ugly.”
He takes the glass and sips from it. “Don’t call me ugly. Why did you let her sit here? You knew she was here for trouble. Why didn’t you throw her out?”
“How should I know if she’s here for trouble or a threesome?
She asked when the captains would be here.
I’m not obligated to try and figure out why she wants to see your fathers.
Also, you are not the better looking one.
” She pours rum into a small glass and places it in front of me.
“Vincent is much cuter; he’s actually kind of beautiful. ” She gives me a wink.
I shake my head, mildly embarrassed. “Thanks for the drink.”
Sivan swivels in his stool to face me, moving in closer, looking at my face. “Why do you think he’s better looking?” he asks, turning back to face Ersin. “What about him makes him cuter?”
“Do you want me to break it down for you? You won’t feel good when I’m done,” she says.
“Please don’t,” I say, sipping my drink.
Sivan takes a large swig of beer and looks around me, then back to Ersin. “Those two guys just left. If they’re here later, make sure you warn our fathers. Now, go ahead, what makes Vincent cuter than me?”
“Dimples so deep you could swim in them, big brown eyes, he’s got a gorgeous complexion, his hair is smooth and wavy, never frizzy, full eyebrows, strong jawline, and his smile is fucking blindingly white.
Plus, you’re kind of a dick—Vincent is just nicer and sweeter, well, excluding what just happened with that girl, of course.
Honestly, I think that was the first time I’ve seen him shut someone down like that.
A bit out of character, really. Aside from all that, I’ve also seen him shirtless—his abs are no joke. ”
“When were you shirtless?” Sivan asks.
I take a sip of my drink and shrug. “No idea,”
“He was shirtless the last time you were here, you guys were screwing around by the docks that one night. You both fell in the water, and when you got out, you took your shirts off.”
Sivan laughs at the memory. “Oh yeah! We were trying to decide who was going to pay the bill and decided whoever pushed the other off the dock first would pay. Ha!”
“Yeah, both of you wanted to pay for the other, and neither of you ended up paying. My father was kind of pissed, until Captain Crawford came in and paid for everything. You two really do make a mess when you’re together.”
My phone buzzes inside of my pocket. I pull it out and see a text from Matteo.
Move your ass. Everyone is starting to gather.
I stand up from the bar, take my wallet out, then pass Ersin my card. “Here, charge me for whatever that was from last time, too. I don’t want Captain Crawford paying for our mess. Your dad has always treated me well, Ersin. I don’t want him to get the wrong idea about me.”
She takes the card and smiles at me. “Well, at least one of you is taking the fact that you’ll be named captain this year seriously. My dad will appreciate that, Vincent.”