Marriage by Law

“What?” I asked, confused, clearing my throat when my voice sounded different. He shook his head. I pushed Darius off me, trying to stand up straight and pulling the hem of my shirt down.

“You have infected this pool table. Gross. I could have drown without that mental image,” Adrian shuddered, chucking me something and I caught it. A coke can. Darius smacked the back of his head, muttering something and walking toward the couch.

“You took your, um, time,” I said, still trying to subtly catch my breath.

“I was chatting up this table with hot chicks.” He turned to the pool table and frowned. “I should have stayed down there.” He grimaced and I heard Darius chuckle from the couch.

CHAPTER FORTYSIX

There was a commotion on the stairs and Adrian dropped the cue and rushed over, completely missing his shot. “Finally. I’m starving.” He stood at the top of the stairs, crossing his hands and tapping his foot as he waited for them to come.

I shook my head and picked up the ball, placing it back on the table. I heard Adrian said, “You guys took you-”

When he stopped, I looked up toward him. Darius was on the couch texting away like he normally did. I suddenly felt sorry for his personal assistant, Jesse. He must be on duty 24/7.

Instead of the boys being back, it was someone else, a group of ‘someone else’ and I frowned. More friends?

“Didn’t someone tell you this is the VIP area?” Adrian was asking, still in the middle of the entrance blocking their way in.

There was a scoff then I heard a voice and saw someone. I didn’t know who it was, who said, “Exactly, so why don’t you go back downstairs where you belong.” It was a deep voice.

Darius stood up from the couch, walking toward me. “Who is it?” he asked and I shrugged.

His question was answered when the guy said, “I’m the mayor’s son. Learn some respect, fool.”

I winced. Adrian, please don’t make them agitated. I could hear Adrian scoff and could picture him rolling his eyes. “Well, we probably own your father,” Adrian replied. Which could be true. The mayor probably had a deal with the biggest companies in the world, or even a partnership.

“Adrian,” Darius’s deep voice warned him from beside me and I saw Adrian look at us. I could see the hate in this eyes and I wasn’t even sure why. He looked royally pissed.

“Just let them through. There are heaps of tables up here.”

I rolled my eyes. Typical Darius, always trying not to have a fight. Probably because he always won. I shuddered, just thinking about the aftermath he left the last two times. I could do without a third.

Adrian grumbled something and stormed toward us.

“Why are you so upset about this?” I asked softly as he picked up the ball from the table and walked around. There was something getting into his nerve and I didn’t know what.

Adrian shrugged it off. “Nothing,” he said as he set up for another game. I looked at Darius who just shook his head and walked around the table.

Chatter filled the room and I turned around to see four guys walk in. There were three tables up here. We were on one, so there were two left. Rather than take the far table from us, they decided to walk up and take the middle table, which, of course, pissed Adrian off.

I looked back at Adrian to see Darius was giving him a stern talking to, both their voices low and fast.

I turned back to the table. They looked young, probably still in high school, and immature. Why was Adrian stooping low enough to mess with teenagers? One of them caught my eye and winked and I looked away. Yep, immature.

“Come on, let’s play another game,” Darius announced as he walked up to hand me a stick while Adrian polished the end of his. It was already polished enough and I was staring at him, wincing every time the cue stick bent a bit.

The cue stick was too strong to be bent. I felt like he was about to snap it.

I took the stick from Darius. “He alright?” I asked, confused yet worried.

Darius nodded. “I’ll tell you later.” He walked around, setting up the triangle for another game.

I walked over to Adrian and took the chalk from him. “I think you’ve polished that enough,” I said, looking at the chalk square, a more visible dent in it from the morning. He realised what he had been doing and smiled sheepishly.

I had never seen this side of Adrian, hard, angry, and it was…scary. He had never strayed from his childish behavior.

“What’s your name, lovely?”

We both looked up to see the new addition to our private conversation staring down at me. I raised an eyebrow. Was he talking to me?

“Why don’t you shove your questions up your dick?” Adrian spat beside me. Clearly the newcomers were doing this to rile him off, and it was working. I gave Adrian a warning look. He didn’t need to push them.

“Adrian,” I said, clearing my throat. “Be nice. It was a question.”

The teen gave him a victorious smile and then looked at me, waiting for my answer.

“Mrs. Quartz, and yours?” I asked, just to be polite.

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