Page 86 of Red Captive

“Oh, and shots,” Jen says. “We have to have shots to celebrate.” She makes her eyes wide.

“To celebrate what exactly?” I ask her.

“Maverick won the fight, silly.” She giggles. “That calls for tequila. Also, it’s a lovely evening. I looooovvvvve The Pit.”

Roscoe chuckles. “That’s what I like to hear.”

We’ve only just finished dinner. Jen hardly ate anything. Certainly not enough to mop up the booze she’s been downing since we got here. Shifters have much higher metabolisms than humans. We don’t get drunk easily. Jen is trying to keep up and failing dismally.

“I agree,” Natalia says. “Let’s have some tequila.” She squeezes my thigh under the table; one whole side of her is plastered up against me. I remove her hand and give her a warning look. Natalia laughs.

I’m starting to feel claustrophobic. Every time I move away, she follows. She refuses to take a hint. It’s been over a year since we hooked up for five minutes, but you would never say it. It was nothing. I was clear about it at the time and have been clear about it since, but she doesn’t seem to get the message.

“Lola!” Roscoe shouts, and the server rushes in. “Bring us another bottle of bubbly as well as a round of tequila. You know what, bring the whole damned bottle.”

Crap!

Natalia keeps talking to me. I’m only listening with half an ear, making the odd noise where appropriate. I don’t want to be blatantly rude. Maybe Jen is rubbing off on me. I know she wouldn’t approve if I made a scene at a dinner party, but this whole thing is wearing on my last nerve.

Roscoe is telling Jen all about the next bout. All about the fighters who will feature in it. She seems to be hanging on his every word.

Jen gulps down half her champagne as soon as her glass is poured. That does it. I stand. “Thank you, Roscoe, it’s been great. Dinner was—”

“We can’t go!” Jen announces, pouting. “It’s still early.” She folds her arms.

“Yeah, what are you talking about?” Roscoe says. “The party is only just getting started. The main fight of the evening hasn’teven started yet. I was just telling Jen all about it. She’s eager to watch. What about the tequila I just poured for the four of us?”

Sure enough, four full double shot glasses are lined up on the table. The bottle is there, too, ready to pour again.

“You can’t go just yet.” Natalia stands, putting her arm around me. She’s sure to press her tits into my side.

Jen picks up the double shot.

“That’s not a good idea.” I lean in and take it out of her hand. “You just went through an ordeal. You were injected with god knows what. You need to go to bed.”

“I’m fiiiiiine. A-okaaaay.” She’s getting worse by the second.

“I know you are.” I walk around the table. “But it’s time to get you home.” I pick her up, and she squeals. Then she laughs.

“You’re sooooo strong.” She puts her arms around me. “And big and hard, and I’m not talking about your muscles.” She giggles.

My mouth twitches. She’s adorable when she’s drunk.

“As I was saying. Thanks for the hospitality. Dinner was great, but someone needs to go to bed. The day has started to take its toll.”

Roscoe nods once. “Of course. Maybe we can do this again tomorrow when Jen is feeling better.”

“Maybe,” I say. It’s a hard no. Tonight was a fucking shitshow. I had to watch Roscoe try to work his charm on Jen whilst simultaneously trying to keep Natalia’s prying hands off of me.

I walk from the box and into the hallway. Natalia follows. Why? I’ve made myself clear about where we stand. That we’re just friends. That kiss caught me off guard. She laughed when I told her not to do it again. Fucking laughed like I’d said the most hilarious thing. It wasn’t funny. Still isn’t. I’m done with being cordial.

“Your human looks out of it,” Natalia says as she catches up.

“Jen is fine. We are just fine.”

“Oh, it’s you…Nat…Nata…Natalia,” Jen says, lifting her head. She has a goofy smile on her face. Her eyes are not focusing quite as well as they should. “It’s the pretty lady. You…you are sooooooo beautiful.” She points at Natalia. “Gorgeous! Don’t you think, Steel?” Her head flops back against my chest. “Don’t you think?” she asks again.

I make a noise of agreement.

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