Page 14 of Liquid Courage
Chapter 5
She hadn’t brought her hat and gloves with her. Instead, she used her discount to get a beer from her coworker and walked over to where Vivian played some game on her phone. Good. Nobody had caught on that she was a single,availablehottie worth hitting on. Because Kat had decided that was her job now that she was off the clock.
“You play pool?”
Vivian almost jumped out of her work clothes. “Huh?”
Kat gestured to the empty pool table. “You play?”
“No… never.”
They were cornered near the entrance. All Vivian had to do was slip between Kat and the wall, and she would be well on her way out the door. Kat made sure she had that out. She was fully prepared for rejection.
“You wanna play?”
“Oh, I’m no good.”
“Neither am I. I know the rules, but I suck. Come on. I’ll teach you how to play, and you’ll already be better than me.”
Vivian looked between her empty glass and the illuminated pool table. It was dark out. No matter what, she would be going home in the cold, dark night. The least she could do was stay warm a little longer.I bet I work earlier than you do, Viv.Kat had to be at the docks bright and early to start sorting crab. A truck was going out by noon. If she didn’t have it filled by then, she could kiss that part-time job goodbye.
This was worth staying out a little late for, though.
“I don’t want to keep you from your life. Didn’t you just get off work?”
“Yeah, and now I get to do what I want. Maybe I want to hang out with you.”
Vivian shook her head in disbelief. “No idea why.”
Are you kidding me?Should Kat go for the real answer, or make something up? Should she play her hand now? Wait until Vivian was more relaxed to make her intentions known?What should I do?
“Because,” Kat leaned in closer, her lips only an inch away from Vivian’s ear. “A woman who kisses like you is someone I want a second shot with.”
Vivian tensed, her palpable aura smothering Kat. “So it’s like a date, huh?”
Kat backed off. “It’s whatever you want it to be, Viv.”
Black hair twirled between Vivian’s fingers as she kept her elbow propped up against the bar. “Vivi,” she said.
“What’s that?”
“Everyone calls me Vivi. Not Viv.”
“Okay, then.” Now they were getting somewhere. “Do you want me to teach you how to play pool, Vivi? ‘Cause I’ll buy you a beer on top of that free drink you got already.”
That beautiful smile may have been a result of that beer, but Kat didn’t care. Not when Vivian said, “I’ll have what you’re having,Katherine.”
“Ye-ouch,” Kat purred. “Making the case for Kathleen over here.”
She helped Vivian off her stool and dared to keep their hands intertwined on their way over to the pool table. The only time she dropped the hold was when she shoved a cue into Vivian’s hand and promised to be right back with that other beer.
Lucky for her, Vivian was still there when she made her triumphant return. Kat’s date (if that’s what it was) had even removed her blazer and draped it across the corner of the pool table. Vivian’s blouse was even prettier than Kat had imagined. Especially with those top two buttons undone.
“So you take this stick,” Kat said, wrapping her hand around Vivian’s, “and hit the balls into the pockets. There’s some silly score keeping thing that has to do with the numbers on the balls and what pockets you put them in, but who gives a fuck about that when you get to hit balls with sticks.”
“You sure you know how to play this game?”
I know I want to see you bend over to hit one in the corner pocket.“Let’s take it one step a time. See if you can get those damned balls in the damned pockets first.”
