Page 14 of Hustle

“Joey,” I hiss. We always travel in pairs. It’s safer.

She points behind her. “It’s right there. Anyone tries to bug me, either you or the man wall there will be on top of it.”

I sink back next to Seamus into the leather booth. “Okay.”

We’re quiet for a minute.

“How long have you had a nose ring?” he asks.

“Like fifteen years, Seamus.”

“Yeah, but you usually just have a stud in there, not a ring.”

“Same piercing,” I warm at the thought that he’s cataloging them.

“I like it. You make piercings look good.”

I try not to snort. Leave it to Seamus to insult and compliment at the same time.

“We could get you one,” I tease, “Maybe a Prince Albert?” I glance down at his crotch and wiggle my eyebrows.

To my surprise, he laughs. “It’d get stuck in my zipper.” He sweeps his gaze over my body.

“How about you? Any piercings I don’t know about?” He leans in a little too close, and I don’t back off. It’s not in my nature. Heat rolls off his body and it’s fucking exhilarating.

“Shit, Evi, my shoe broke. Am I interrupting?”

Joey’s come back from the bathroom, holding the heel of her boot in one hand.

“No,” I say, more flustered than I’d like to admit. “Okay. We should go then.”

“Nah,” Joey replies, clearly not that upset about her shoe. “I’ll catch a cab. You stay with Seamus. Text me when you get home?”

“I’m not letting you go out alone,” I say, getting up. “Connor runs a tight ship but there are creeps everywhere.”

I want to go with my friend. No good can come of me staying here with Seamus. But part of me – that part that doesn’t make good decisions – wants to stay.

Enjoy him out of his element.

Enjoy him in mine.

Enjoy just getting out some of this frustration that I can’t seem to tame.

So much for easy, uncomplicated fun.

“I’ll get her into a cab,” Seamus says finally, looking between the two of us. He takes the heel from Joey’s hand. “I’ll be back.”

That’s decided then. Joey winks before she turns away, letting me know I have her blessing.

He helps my friend maneuver through the crowd with one busted boot. Turning back to my beer, I order two more shots of tequila. I’d planned to save one for Seamus, but it doesn’t work out that way.

He’s only gone a few minutes when a preppy looking dude with a polo shirt and khakis on stops by my table. He leers at me.

“Hey, honey, you all alone?”

“Nope. See ya.”

Preppy dude leans closer, the cheap beer on his breath assaulting my senses. “You look pretty alone to me right now.”

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