Page 123 of Waiting Game

My eyes might glaze over. “Interesting.” In my defense, there’s a hell of a lot to learn!

“You need to be more believable. Hockey fans won’t come here if they don’t think you’re jacking off to this stuff.”

“Nice imagery.”

“Beautiful imagery,” Jason corrects, sneaking into the conversation. “The thought of you jacking off, Mia…” He cups himself.

I turn to him with a scowl. “You forget how handy I am with a baseball bat, Jason.”

“You’re making this hotter.”

“Leave her alone, asshole,” Beanpole barks from the kitchen door as he steps out with a monster burger order. “You know that shit don’t fly here.”

Flicking his zippo lighter, Jason sniffs. “This place ain’t no fun no more.”

“You know where the door is then,” I tell him pleasantly.

I may work in the sex industry, but I swear to fuck, even the grossest of clients don’t give me hives like Jason does.

With Gracie gone, and ever since Chuck died, he’s getting worse too.

Glowering at me, Jason finishes his beer then storms off.

The atmosphere immediately lightens, and I turn to Jarvis. “Does he regularly give you shit?”

“Nothing I can’t handle,” is his response.

I hum. “You know I’d ban him if you said youcouldn’thandle him, right?”

“You’d do that… for me?”

“I’m not having you feeling like you aren’t working in a safe space.”

Beanpole snorts. “But it’s okay for you to work in an unsafe environment, Mia? You think we don’t know how he talks to you?”

“It’s my bar. I gotta deal with this shit to pay the bills, but if he’s cruel to my staff, that’s another matter entirely.”

“I promise I can handle him,” is Jarvis’s earnest answer. “But if that changes, I’ll tell you.”

“I’m not the only one who thinks he’s getting worse, am I?”

Beanpole toys with a pen. “The guy’s always been off his rocker. Too many hits to the head when he played college football. He’s definitely worse.”

Satisfied that he agrees with me, even if I’m unhappy to be correct, I turn my attention back to the TV and, now that Jason’s gone, I switch it from college football and onto the NHL game.

Jarvis beams a satisfied grin, claps his hands together, and then immediately hisses. “That ref has it against us.”

If I had a dollar every time I heard that…

“Ha! Too many men on the ice,” he crows.

I’m treated to his running commentary over the period.

When I pull a beer and stand next to him, he points to the screen. “Look at Korhonen. See how big he is?”

Oh, yeah, Isee.

I never thought hockey players were all that hot—I mean, have you seen their hair sometimes? But there’s something about Cole. Evenwithhelmet head.

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