Page 23 of Play to Win
She didn’t know what else to say so she looked away, staring toward the area called the Bullpen and guessing that it was their version of an internet bar within the sports bar. She was thinking that was a smart idea and had begun bobbing her head to the beat of Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’Uptown Funk, when she glanced back behind the bar to see the bartender still staring at her. He’d moved about five people down from where she sat and he was actually working on another drink order, but each time he lifted his gaze from what he was doing, it was to stare at her.
Looking away once more, Portia wondered if Ethan was even here tonight. Her drink came in the next few minutes, followed by her food, and then a pretty woman with a warm smile. The woman was dressed in an outfit similar to the hostess’s but wore her brown and honey blonde streaked hair straight with long bangs.
“Hi, I’m Camy Greer,” she said, yelling slightly to be heard above the music. “You probably don’t remember me because I was two years behind you in school. But I’m Del and Lance’s sister.”
As a result of the years that she’d been giving speaking engagements and talking with people before and after her sessions, Portia had immediately smiled upon Camy’s greeting. “Hello. Yes, you were the singer,” she replied. “You sang at the end of the year talent show in school the year I graduated.”
Camy immediately nodded, her smile widening. “Right! I did. I was just a sophomore then and that was the first time I’d sung at school.”
“But you also sang in church,” Portia said, remembering the Sunday morning she’d gone to the small Baptist church by herself. “I remember you had a beautiful voice.” While Portia liked to sing too, she was well aware of squawking bird sound her voice actually was.
“Thank you. And you remember my brother Lance?” Camy asked as she motioned behind the bar.
“Hi Portia.”
The bartender had returned and Portia realized now why he’d been staring at her. Upon closer look, beyond the thick beard and wavy black hair, she did recognize him. He’d bulked up a bit and seemed to be taller than she recalled, but yes, this was Delancey Greer, one of Ethan’s close friends.
“Hi Lance,” she said. “It’s good to see you.”
It wasn’t. Because with seeing Lance, the uneasiness that used to cloak her whenever she walked down the hall and saw Ethan with his crew, began to creep up inside her.
“I was surprised to hear you were back in town trying to sell Sunnydale,” Camy said. “But then I remembered it’s your godmother’s house.”
“Yes. It is,” Portia replied.
News always did travel fast in Providence and just because she’d been keeping a low profile around town, didn’t mean that nobody noticed she was here. She picked up her glass and took a sip before replying.
“It’s getting crowded down here, so let’s grab your stuff. There’s better seating upstairs,” Camy said.
Portia didn’t miss the look that passed between the siblings, but decided to ignore it. She should’ve just sent Ethan a text message and waited for his reply. Coming here tonight may have been a mistake. But she was here now and acting as normal as possible was probably the best route to take. Camy picked up the plate with her food and Portia grabbed her drink before slipping off the stool. Lance smiled at her as she left the bar. She followed Camy through the dining room the same way she’d come before and up the steps that had been roped off.
It was lively up here too, but there was a more relaxed atmosphere than had been downstairs. Portia also noted that there were mostly guys up here with the exception of some staff. Camy moved easily through the people, past the section of couches and lounge chairs toward another bar, where she finally saw him.
Ethan moved with ease back and forth as he fixed a drink, delivered it to someone sitting at the bar, laughed at something that was said and then began fixing another drink. Tonight, he wore a black t-shirt with a red oval shaped logo comprised of a baseball, basketball, football and soccer ball with the words Game Changers printed around the edges. The shirt molded to his muscular frame. The dark color a stark contrast to his buttery light complexion. His low-cut hair waved at the top and lay down smoothly on the sides. Defined biceps peeked from beneath the sleeve of his shirt, as her gaze traveled down muscled arms to settle on the gold watch at his wrist. As they approached the bar, she could hear his laughter and saw the light as it hit his eyes that appeared a more brilliant green tonight. She sucked in a breath and released it slowly as Camy led her to a seat at the end of the bar and set her plate on the bar top.
“You’ll get great service up here,” Camy said with a smile as she turned back to Portia.
“Thanks,” Portia replied and was fairly certain she saw a devilish gleam in Camy’s brown eyes.
Taking another sip from her glass, Portia eased onto the bar stool and slowly picked up a piece of the fried mozzarella to take a bite. She was halfway finished before he approached her.
“Didn’t expect to see you here,” Ethan said.
He was standing the same distance away from her as Lance had downstairs, yet there was a noticeably different reaction to him than she’d had to the other man. Her body had immediately warmed. The smile that had come easy to Lance and Camy, was slow forming now as she wasn’t quite sure how to react around him after their night on the phone. But then Ethan did something unexpected.
He leaned over the bar to touch her hand. “I’m glad you came,” he told her with a smile Portia believed was designed to have women all over the world dropping their panties on command.
She couldn’t drop hers because there were just too many eyes here tonight, but damn, she certainly wanted to. Especially when his thumb slid to the palm of her hand circling slowly.
Portia swallowed the flash of trepidation at being here and having him touch her again. She squared her shoulders and replayed her godmother’s words in her mind one more time.Patience is a bitch, grab the bull by the horns.
“I want you to show me how it’s done,” she said quickly.
“Show you how what’s done?” he asked.
“Pleasure,” she replied. “Show me how to experience pleasure.”
The words coming from her mouth would’ve sounded odd to her agent, editor or any of the millions of people who’d ever attended one of her sessions or purchased and viewed her videos. The instructor asking to be taught. But Portia didn’t care. A big part of her was screaming now or never, and she wasn’t going to second guess it anymore.
The smile Ethan gave her was absolutely wicked and caused a familiar throbbing in her pussy.
“I’ll show you everything,” he replied and lifted her hand to his lips for a soft kiss.
