She narrowed her eyes and ground her teeth. She didn’t like being ignored...just like my mother.
Noel bent down and helped Mason pick up the money. I couldn’t hear what he said, but he murmured something, and Mason nodded his head in return. About as soon as he did, Noel bobbed back upright, straightening and spinning to send the woman a pleasant smile.
“So, like I said,” he started again, “the bar’s closed. If you could leave now—”
“I’m not leaving until I talk to Mason.”
Noel’s smile fell and his jaw bulged again. “Well, he doesn’t want to talk to you, so...get lost.”
She glared, a sound of repugnance hissing from her nostrils before she turned back to watch Mason stand and ease the twenties back into the cash drawer.
“He doesn’t know what you are, does he?” she called past Noel’s shoulder. “I doubt anyone in this room knows what you’ve done.” She turned to glance at all the other guys who’d worked ladies’ night. They were the only people left now. She and I were the last two remaining customers. All the boys who’d played waiter and were wandering around the floor, picking up trash and sweeping, paused what they were doing, their attention on her.
Having gained her audience, the evil woman laughed and turned back to Mason. “I bet they’d be very interested to know how you used to make your money.”
Mason slapped the cash register closed, making me jump. He whirled around to glare daggers at his visitor. “What the fuck do you want?”
Pleasure bloomed across her face. In a mellow voice, she murmured, “I told you; I need to talk to you.”
“Then say whatever you’re dying to tell me and go away,” he growled. “And never come back again.”
She glanced at Noel and then me before tactfully licking her lips. “I think you’d rather hear this in private.”
He laughed, hard and short. “So not happening.”
“Fine.” She tossed her hair and gave a brittle smile. “Since you’re forcing me to speak out among your friends, then I will. I’m pregnant. And you’re the father.” She took a step back from the bar and untied the sash on her coat to let it fall open, revealing the bulging waistline under her blouse.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
"Man may have discovered fire, but women discovered how to play with it." -Candace Bushnell
NOEL
Well, fuck. It was never a dull night at Forbidden, but usually the action happened during hours, not after.
After Lowe’s cougar friend dropped her little bomb, Mason stared at her as if frozen for a good five seconds before he turned away and disappeared down the hall without saying a word.
The woman moved to follow him, but I growled, “Don’t even think about it.”
“Dude.” Ten appeared at Aspen’s side. “Doesn’t he have a girlfriend he moved all the way from Florida to be with?”
I sent my roommate a shut-it scowl and turned back to Mason’s...problem, who wouldn’t stop glaring at me. “Well, you heard the man,” I told her. “He said to say your piece and get out, so...time to go, lady.”
I had tried being polite with her, but that hadn’t worked. So I didn’t mind being direct. Hell, I was eager to get downright rude to this...person. She left a nasty aftertaste in my mouth for some reason. Maybe it was because she looked at me as everyone from my hometown had always looked at me. Like I was trash.
“Did you not hear what I just told him? We need to discuss this...together.”
I chuckled. “Honey, if he’d wanted to discuss anything with you, he would have. But he didn’t. So go.”
When she didn’t budge, I stared her hard in the eye and called out to Ham, “Yo, Quinn. Escort this fine lady to the door, would you?” The virgin needed a nasty task for his first night on the job.
Lowe’s problem was too busy killing me with her glare to notice the way Ham jumped and widened his eyes as if he wanted to piss his pants rather than go anywhere near her. But he calmed himself just in time to scare the shit out of the bitch. She spun around when he approached and yelped out a sound as the six-foot-six, two-hundred-forty-five-pound tight end made eye contact with her. She didn’t need to know he was as harmless as a kitten. His size was as intimidating as his gravelly voice when he said, “This way.”
She hopped into gear without complaint and was out of the club in moments.
After the door closed and silence descended in the bar, I glanced toward Aspen. She lifted her face, and we shared a look as if to say—
“Well, shit,” Ten exploded. “Guess Lowe isn’t as devoted to that girlfriend of his as he pretended to be.”
I sighed and shook my head. “I wouldn’t go making assumptions about something we know nothing about.”