Page 82 of Clean Point

I grinned to myself, feeling the heavyweight of the whisky glass in my hand. Jon had told us that he had never bought Alister a drink at the gala, instead escorting him out and shoving him in the back of a cab. I’d made sure to order the Highland Park, the distillery Jon had promised him, and very much enjoyed tasting something Alister had been robbed of.

‘Nico,’ I turned to my left, hearing my name come from a strange man who had taken it upon himself to sit at the bar next to me. ’Got a moment for some questions?’

My eyes narrowed on him, scanning his face before I figured out where I’d seen him before. The press conference from a few days ago, asking Scottie frivolous questions.

‘No.’ I turned, staring straight ahead.

‘Come on, my editor will kill me if I don’t get something on the record.’ He stuck his hand out to signal the bartender.

‘Tell your editor to go to hell.’ I took another sip of my whisky, hoping it would wash him away too. Instead, he ordered us both a drink. My hand gripped my glass. As if getting me drunk would help his cause. The second whisky arrived quickly, the reporter placing it in front of me.

‘I’ll charge it to the newspaper. Call it a business expense.’ He laughed, the smell of the cigarette on his breath forcing me to bend away from him slightly. How long had he been stalking this hotel for somebody to harass?

‘Who do you even work for?’ I sighed.

He sounded almost proud as he announced, ‘The Daily Tea.’

‘Then you can get fucked.’ I pushed the drink back over to him, refusing to take anything from him. If I hadn’t known to avoid his cheap tabloid before working with Scottie, I sure as hell knew it after seeing the crap they wrote about her.

‘Aw, that’s not fair,’ he crooned, before placing his phone out on the bar and tapping the screen. I glanced down at it long enough to see the microphone icon, the phone clearly recording audio. I fought the urge to hurl it at the mirror opposite me at the bar. ‘Can you confirm or deny for me if you and Scottie are sleeping with each other?’

‘No comment,’ I grumbled, my finger tapping the red button on his screen.

‘What about dating? Can you give me that?’

‘No comment.’

‘There’s nothing? Absolutely nothing going on between you both?’ He dug further, obviously deciding to irritate me into an answer. He’d sooner irritate me into a brawl.

I took another sip of my own whisky, the ice cubes clinking together as I put it back down on the bar. ‘No comment.’

He tried again. ‘It must suck having to tarnish your spotless career record by partnering with somebody like her. I mean, doping? Who would’ve thought it, eh?’

‘No comment.’ I said between gritted teeth. It took tensing every muscle in my neck to prevent myself from swinging towards him, fist raised.

‘Of course, the ass you’re getting on the side must be pretty nice.’

I flinched. One irritating muscle spasm that told him to go on, let him see the anger building inside. I kept her pretty face in my head, her gorgeous smile, blue eyes. Getting into a bar fight now would do nothing but get me kicked out of the competition and possibly arrested for assault. And judging from his employer, that would only mean a good news day for them.

He let his words settle before he poked again. ‘I wonder … is she around? Maybe I’ll take a shot. After all, she’s got a lot to thank me for. My editor gave me my first byline when I came up with the nickname Slutty Scottie.’

‘That was you?’ I sneered. I hadn’t thought I could get more disgusted and yet …

He smiled, the expression more snake-like than human, before he raised his glass as if to say cheers. ‘What about her dad? He’s back in town, right?’ He let the question hang unanswered in the air. ‘Sources say they were seen outside the gala a few nights ago. Is there a family reunion in the cards?’

‘You don’t know what you are talking about.’

‘Wanna clear it up for me, then?’

I sucked in a breath, turned back to the bar, and took another sip of the smoky liquid, trying not to fall for his questions again. This is what he wanted, what this man prayed on for headlines and bylines and clicks.

‘No?’ he sounded almost overjoyed at my silence. ‘Okay, back to you and Scottie. How does it feel to be sleeping with your former rival’s daughter? Must help that she’s an easy lay. Or what? Has she been in every other man’s bed but yours? I bet I could have her in mine in no time.’

‘You really want to go there?’

‘I mean, is a slut like her even worth it?’

I was on my feet before I realized it, using my full height to loom over him. My hand gripped the now empty glass, accidentally turning it to the side, the half-melted ice cubes scattered on the bar.

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