Page 16 of Crush

Gabe’s expression remained unrattled, so I gave him another little push. “He said she’s in the top five of the sexual scenarios he keeps in his wank-bank.”

“Fuck you and the horse you rode in on,” Gabe whisper-growled with a forced smile for our waitress’s benefit. “Two JD and cokes, easy on the ice, please.”

She glanced between us with the usual level of interest we elicited from members of the opposite sex, before moving away to fetch our order.

Having successfully pulled the tail of the tiger, I changed the subject. “I take it you’re not driving?” I said as he turned to face me with one hand on the bar.

“No, I’m with Marco,” Gabriel explained. Marco was his driver and security detail. It was a requirement when you were the wealthy son of one of London’s most notorious criminal lawyers. Gabe’s father Garrett Knight rubbed elbows with dangerous people so his family had to be on their guard.

I glanced around, looking to see where the muscle was loitering. “He’s in the car,” Gabriel supplied.

Nodding my head, I curled my fingers around the glass he pushed towards me.

“So, you’ve clearly come straight from work,” my closest friend said, sipping his drink. He drank spirits like a pussy.

I grinned back as I stood beside him in steel-capped work boots, jeans covered in plaster dust and my signature check flannel top (nota lumberjack shirt, Amber’s comment still stung). Knowing Gabe as well as I did, I knew what was coming. He was always so pristine and dressed finely, even in jeans he looked like he’d just stepped out of a catalogue.

“What gave me away?”

He shrugged, “The fact that you look like a scruffy fucker,” Gabe put in with a lop-sided smile. He was such a handsome git but then again, we both were. I lifted my tumbler.

“I’ll drink to that.”

We chinked glasses and got down to business.

“How’d the interview go?” I asked, pulling my phone and wallet out of my jeans, and placing them on the bar. I was expecting a call back from Natalie. If she rang to say she was free, I would ditch this fucker for a more favourable kind of night. Usually, my friends came first, but after my body’s betrayal towards one red-haired siren, it now needed tocomefirst (pun intended).

“They offered me a job.”

“Sweet. So, you’re sacking off your father then?” Gabe’s dad had been pressuring him to join the family firm.

“Yep, I’ve already told Garrett to go fuck himself. Once my last exam is done, I’m going my own way.”

Gabe intended to become a criminal lawyer like his old man, only not really. Rumour had it that Garrett Knight was as corrupted as his clients. Gabe wanted to go down a different route, one that didn’t include climbing into bed with the Irish Mafia and like-minded people. I took my hat off to him, his father was one scary, persuasive gentleman.

I narrowed my eyes as I listened to Gabe talk about his plans. He was a clever motherfucker and kind of the leader of our friendship group. It hadalwaysbeen that way, he said jump and we said how high. To a certain extent, I only played along until I wasn’t. Gabriel Knight and I had been butting heads for years. I followed his rules when it suited me; end of.

After around an hour of banter and shots, my head started to feel the right side of fuzzy and the shit stirrer in me shot to the surface.

Being all work and no play, Gabe had decided to throw a party at his apartment on Friday night which surely meant I’d get to meet his new house guest. Leonie sounded like a sweet little thing and so not my type. From what our other friend Miles had said, she looked like she’d shit roses. I didn’t do innocents and the thought of deflowering a virgin made my dick shrivel up.

“Will Leonie be there?”

Gabe rolled the liquor around the tumbler between his fingers, glancing briefly away. “I have no idea. I didn’t invite her and she’s usually home late.” His ‘I don’t give a fuck’ act was so obvious to me. Little Leonie had gotten under the nasty man’s skin was my take on it.

I decided to play along. “So, she stays out late, probably with her boyfriend?”

The purposely planted boyfriend seed had him scowling, “How should I know, I’m not her keeper.”

No, not her keeper but a tad on the touchy side.

“Bullshit. You need to tell me if you intend to tap that.”

“No one’stappinganything,” Gabe growled softly. I could see from his face that I’d pissed him off.

“What’s with the sour attitude? If you’re frustrated, you should join me in the ring. I could beat that shit out of you. Make you feel better?” I snarked, rolling my shoulders.

“I like my face the way it is, thank you.” Of course, my friend was no weakling but he was too pristine for a brawler. He certainly wouldn’t want roughing up in a fight. Plus, I’d knock the fucker out with one punch and webothknew it. Not that I’d want to.

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