Chapter Eighteen
Olivia
I n hindsight, making a bet with two random guys when I'm on a double date with someone happy to admit she'd lost her last bet hasn't been my brightest idea. And because we’re really doubling down, the fact that the head of The Unseen is sitting less than fifteen yards away might also be a slight issue.
I swallow down my nerves. How is Austin going to react? Is he going to do something drastic and make me lose my deal with Nicole? What would she think of me?
I bite my lip, frowning, but when I glance over to Austin, he gives me a small wink. The tension in my chest eases a little, and I realize he’s not going to risk anything with me. But it feels good knowing he’s there if I need him.
Josh, on the other hand, looks like a badger’s just pissed in his cheerios. The vein in his forehead is alarmingly large. I almost want to tell him to get it checked out. I can see it on the other side of a crowded bar, acting like a beacon to other patrons.
We’re at the back of the bar. It’s darker back here with the light hanging over the pool table, illuminating the bright green cloth.
“Do you girlies know how to play?” The smaller of the guys smirks.
“Oh, we’ve played a few times. Usually, I get someone to help me, though.” Nicole laughs, leaning against her pool cue .
She slips a little and falls into the taller guy with dark brown hair.
He’s handsome in a conventional kind of way.
Broad, tall, with a strong square jawline and straight nose.
His hair is styled and swept back, but a few strands fall loosely over his forehead.
He’s eyeing Nicole like he wants to carry her out of here over his shoulder.
The smaller one, Jake, I think his name is, sets his attention to me, his friend clearly calling dibs on Nicole.
“Well, no help this time. You made a bet.” He winks at her.
“Oh, I’ve practiced. I think we’ll be fine.”
Fine? I fucking hope so. Otherwise, I’ll be running around this pool table in nothing but my bra.
Another glance at Austin, and he’s rubbing his jaw curiously. Josh has turned purple.
We flip a coin, and I get to break.
I bend to line up the cue with the white ball, and it’s then I realize how short my dress is. Short of flashing my butt at the entire bar, I can’t do this in the correct position.
Nicole laughs, realizing my situation, and moves to stand behind me.
Not realizing what she’s doing, Jake calls her out for assisting.
“She’s err...not assisting. She’s covering my ass.” I swish the skirt of my dress, which falls indecently high.
“I thought you looked hot. Maybe bend over with her next time.” Aaron laughs.
I laugh, too, but it feels forced. I glance back over to the table. Austin has lined up another drink for Josh.
We run a few turns, and they’ve potted four to our one. Aaron is looking practically giddy as he lines up to take his next shot.
“The air con in here is running a little cool, eh, sweetheart?” His eyes dip down to my nipples which I realize are poking through the thin lace of my bra and silky dress.
He misses, and I huff a breath of relief, covering my chest with my arms.
“You know what I’ve never understood about men?” Nicole murmurs, lining up to pot a striped ball into the top left corner.
She hits the white ball perfectly, and it clunks against the ball so hard I barely see it fall into the pocket.
“They don’t understand that if they learned to shut up for a second, they’d still have access to view your beautiful breasts, Olivia.”
She lines up again, thwacking hard as another ball goes in. I bite down a smile as Aaron’s jaw slacks.
“But now...now you’re covering yourself up because he couldn’t keep his stupid mouth shut.”
She lines up her shot, hitting the white ball at an angle. It bounces off one ball, it goes in , it rebounds into another, and god damn, that goes in as well .
“Men,” she continues, “think the bar is their domain.” She looks Aaron dead in the eyes as she takes the final shot, the black rolling slowly toward the top right corner.
“When really, they just got hustled by a couple of girlies .” The ball smoothly rolls into the pocket and clunks against the other balls.
A cheer erupts from the crowd. Apparently, our bet has drawn attention.
“Now...let’s hope that air conditioning isn’t too cold for you .” She smirks, glancing down at his crotch.
I’m in awe. I squeal, wrapping my arms around her and squeezing tightly.
“You might be my new best friend,” I say, laughing loudly.
Aaron's face is stony, like he’s been deceived by some great trick when really he’s just underestimated us. Well...Nicole. I didn’t really do much.
“Fuck you, you cheated,” he spits out, throwing his pool cue across the floor like a toddler chucking his toys out of his stroller.
Jake has the good sense to put his hand on his chest, murmuring something in his ear.
Aaron doesn’t see sense and makes his way around the table, pointing his fat finger in her face.
Nicole must only be five-foot-three, maybe four at most. But the girl isn’t just in the fitness industry; she lives it.
She’s strong as fuck and stares him down, not bending an inch.
He, however, bends right down into her face.
That is before Josh strides across the room, and before I can blink, he punches Aaron right in the nose.
Blood pisses out of his face as he screams. Chaos descends.
Aaron takes a swing, which Josh easily ducks out of the way.
He moves swiftly, raising his hand and then bitch-slapping him to add more insult to injury.
Is there anything worse than getting bitch-slapped?
Okay, maybe getting bitch-slapped by the guy who literally just broke your nose.
“Apologize to her,” he growls, grabbing Aaron’s collar and tugging him down so he has to crouch.
“FUCK YOU, YOU PRICK!”
Josh grabs his nose and squeezes.
Oh my god. I glance at Nicole, but she doesn’t seem fazed at all.
“NOW!” Josh bellows.
The whole bar is silent, the air still as every patron waits to see what happens next. It’s like watching a car crash in slow motion. You can’t look away. You want to see what happens next; you just don't want to get sprayed with blood.
I feel Austin step behind me, his warm hand squeezing my hip. I regulate my breathing. He feels so calm behind me. But this is normal for him, isn’t it? He sees things like this all the time. He does things like this all the time.
“I’m sorry,” Aaron whispers, spitting out some blood onto the floor.
“Louder,” Josh says, calmer now.
“I’m. Sorry. ”
“Better. Clean yourself up. You’re a fucking mess,” he says, pushing him away.
Nicole steps back and picks up her bag .
“Time for ice cream?” she chirps as if we haven’t just watched Josh punch a guy in the face on her behalf.
“I could use some ice,” Josh mutters.
Austin, leaning over the bar, grabs a glass of ice chips and a paper towel.
“Five stars. Would highly recommend it.” He winks at the bar staff before dropping a hefty wad of cash in the tip jar.
“Come back anytime." The brunette laughs, grabbing the tip jar and putting it out of reach of customers. Something tells me bar fights aren’t uncommon here.
I give Austin’s hand a squeeze before darting off in front to chat with Nicole.
“Okay, what the hell?”
“What?”
“Don’t what me, young lady!” I giggle.
She laughs, looping her arm with mine, and we fall in step together. The boys are quiet behind, so I keep my voice low.
“You don’t have boys defend your honor where y’all are from?” Her Texan drawl is really standing out now. It’s thick and smooth; I like the way her words blend into each other.
“Well, some do, I suppose. I’ve never really seen a bar fight before. Actually...truthfully, I’ve only ever been in a bar once.”
“Girl, you’ve gotta get out more. Your man must take you out, no?”
“We’re kind of new.”
She nods, grinning. “Yeah, you can tell. He’s got that look about him. Like he’d take a swing at anyone that would dare look at you.”
“Umm, I think you’re talking about Josh with you right now.”
She swishes her hand in front of me, dispelling my words. “That’s never gonna happen. He’s made it very clear.”
“But you want it, right? I mean, hell, I feel like I’m emotionally invested after watching that. ”
She laughs again, dropping a quick glance over her shoulder. “Like I said, not gonna happen.”
I drop the subject, even though I’m dying to know who made that decision. If I had money to bet, I’d guess Nicole wasn’t involved in the decision-making process.
After ice cream, we say our goodbyes with the promise of an actual business meeting next week. Austin draws my hand in his, kissing my knuckles.
“You looked like you enjoyed yourself until the pool table, at least.”
I bite my lip, wondering how to explain without upsetting him. “I was worried you would be annoyed we were playing pool with those guys.”
He nods, his face filled with caution, too. “Olivia, you can’t control how other people react to things. And it’s not your responsibility to do so. Did you want to play pool tonight?”
“Yes.”
“And did you care who you played with?”
“I wish it had been with you, but no, I didn’t really mind. I was having fun with Nicole.”
“Good. That’s all I want. For you to have a good time.”
“You’re not gonna go all alpha on me like Josh did with Nicole?” I tease.
He pauses for a moment, as if to carefully practice the words he wants to say.
“That’s not the dynamic I want our relationship to have.
It might work for them, but it doesn’t work for me.
I’ve lived a lifetime’s worth of violence, and in the last few years, I’ve worked very hard to build something different.
Something away from my father and his organization. ”
The air around us is charged; it hums against my skin. Does he not work with his dad anymore?
“You have?”
He nods. “You’re mine, Killer. But let’s get one thing clear: I don’t own you. No one owns you.”