Page 36 of King of Clubs

“Well, if you actually came to dinner when I invited you, you could eat my cooking more often,” I walked right into that one and didn’t bother to broker an argument.

Ever the saviour, Eva jumped in, preventing Mum from continuing with the onslaught.

“How’s the club going? Has it been busy? Do your friends come in there often? I really want to come in again soon but uni has me in a vice.” She shovelled in a spoonful of Mum’s fried rice as she spoke, table manners never a concern for my little sister, especially when she was locked and loaded with questions.

“Any more questions and I'm going to need a note pad,” I joked. “It’s good. Fairly busy on Friday and Saturdays but Sunday also pulls a good crowd these days. Sometimes the boys come in, I guess,” I said, my confusion with that question apparent.

“Give me a heads up before you come, yeah?” If my sister was coming in I would need to make sure I had a private area secured. Last thing I needed was trouble at the club with Eva, especially considering I was still reeling over the last incident with Marlee.

Even more so since I’d tasted her, my hand still tingling at the memories of the way it felt wrapped around her throat. What I wouldn’t give to have her at my mercy.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, distracting my inappropriate thoughts and as I glanced down at the notification it was as if fate itself had read my mind. Marlee’s name illuminated across my screen.

“Sebastian John, you know there are no phones at my table. There is nothing urgent enough that you can't wait until after you’ve eaten,” Mum allowed no room for argument.

I was a thirty-two year old man and I was still a little scared of my mother’s reprimands. She was likely to throw a bread roll at my head if she caught me again, plus, I didn’t want to ruin this dinner which was planned solely for me to meet her new boyfriend. But the need to check the message I’d waited two days for…

“So Toby, how did you and Mum meet?” I asked, before I risked another verbal barrage. Leaning forward, he confirmed my earlier suspicions that he enjoyed a beer, opening one and taking a sip, as I discreetly unlocked my phone.

He grinned towards Mum, causing Evangeline to choke on her drink as I did my best to maintain a straight face. Eva stilled and given that I felt something scrape my leg, I knew Mum had kicked her under the table. She was glaring right at her with the no nonsense eyes she had perfected during our childhood. Toby continued, unaware of the silent conversation Mum was having with both of her children while I reached for a serviette to cover my laugh.

“We met in the waiting room at the local dentist, actually. She was there for a clean and I was there for a consult,” he said, pointing to the salient opening in his top teeth. “They were so far behind, weren’t they, Judy, giving us plenty of time to chat.” He turned back to me, smiling expectantly. I wasn’t sure what it was he wanted me to say as I bit the insides of my cheek to keep the grin from escaping.

Eva pinched me under the table and I cleared my throat, buying myself time before answering.

“Guess it was meant to be then?” My interest for the details was tentative at best but Mum seemed genuinely content and this automatically gave him some leeway in my mind.

Mum and Toby quickly became lost in the memory of their first date, and I advantageously checked my phone where I was greeted with a photo of a bag of chocolate coated coffee beans in a trolley with the captionbecause I ate yours. I stared at the screen, oblivious to anything else other than her message and tried not to let my face crack into the smile it was desperate to do. This was the first time she had voluntarily contacted me.

I wondered on more than one occasion, if I was the only one who felt a connection when I mapped her features, committing those emerald greens and the tiny freckle beneath her mouth to memory. Or perhaps I imagined her reciprocating lustful eyes or the way she pressed herself into me ever so slightly.

When I closed the door of the bathroom, narrowly escaping Arna catching us, I was overcome with an insatiable need to breathe her in again. To wrap my hand around her throat a little tighter while driving myself in and out of her.

Eva reaching over to grab a bread roll startled me and I spotted her trying to read the message. Hastily locking my phone I shoved her back and she laughed silently, raising an inquisitive eyebrow in my direction as she tossed a segment of the roll into her mouth.

“Any new ladies in your life, Sebby?” She asked coyly.

Mum chimed in before I could answer. “Actually, Seb, do you know who works at the dentist behind the reception desk, Clara Hocking. She was telling me how she wants to move to the city and I told her you owned a club there. You should give her a call, maybe you could get her some work behind the bar.” To Toby she then added, “Seb and Clara dated in high school.”

Toby raised his drink in my direction. “Good for you. She seems like a lovely girl.”

“We never dated, Mum. She was a friend. But I can probably get her some work if she does need something.” I had zero energy to cater to this not so subtle attempt at match-making when a woman with succulent lips was currently sequestering all of my attention. Standing and excusing myself to use the bathroom, I opened my phone and re-read the message, smiling like a damn idiot.

Did this mean she wanted to see me again? Wanted to continue what we started?

Should I ask? Or was she sending me this because she found them and it reminded her of being at my house and eating my food. I liked that idea regardless because every time I looked at my lounge or bed I thought about her lower lip trembling as she breathed out when she was deep in sleep, or how a soft moan left her lips when I picked her up to carry her to bed.

Sebastian

Thoughtful. When will I get to enjoy them?

I wanted to ask her to have dinner with me tomorrow or to come over tonight – both of which I wouldn’t actually do because it would result in another conversation with Andy, threats from Arna, or worse, the potential of her saying no.

Returning to the table, my mother’s no phone rule had never bothered me as much as it did right now because a reply buzzed before I even sat down and the urge to rip it from my pocket was difficult to ignore.

With Eva watching me like a hawk it was out of the question so I quietened my features and did my best to ignore the insane pull. I thought about anything other than how much I wanted to escape this dinner and gorge her reply like a bear waking from hibernation. Impatience was never an ally of mine but right now, I couldn’t escape the magnetic pull begging me to respond in case she became disinterested or grew tired while I sat here trying to listen.

It turned out letting Mum and Toby dominate the conversation hadn’t been difficult and I was able to zone out while they relayed stories. I wasn’t required to do much more than nod and smile and that suited me perfectly. I avoided my sister’s microscopic assessment and kept my hands away from my phone despite the magnetic compulsion to risk my mum’s backhand.

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