Page 92 of Enemies with Benefits
"Definitely fuckable," one of them all but purred, which was impressive since she had to shout over the music picking up in intensity. "Don't make us choose."
"Seriously," the short-haired girl said, looking over. "I might be willing to go all in...if you two are."
"Sweetheart, I normally take whatever tickles me," I said with a laugh. "But I'm trying to make a point, consider me spoken for at the moment."
"Me too," Jace spat out, managing not to sound as panicked as I thought he might be.
"Damn," one groaned. "Two of the best-looking guys here and we're already losing out."
"You happen to have any gay or bi friends with you?" I wondered.
"My brother and his boyfriend," the short-haired girl said, gesturing to two guys leaning on a tall table, watching us as they talked and sipped their drinks.
I got their attention and gestured toward Jace to draw their attention. When they looked at me, I gestured with both hands at Jace's body and face before offering them a thumbs up and a thumbs down as options, raising a brow. Neither of them hesitated before raising a thumb, both of them smirking, the paler one, who resembled the short-haired girl, looked puzzled, but went along with it.
"Well, that's four for four," I said, glancing at Jace.
He sighed, rolling his eyes. “Quit."
"Mason! Get your ass over here," Lydia bellowed, and I sighed.
"Tell you what," I said, downing my drink in two gulps before setting the glass on a barren table. "You four show my friend here a good time without dragging him out of here, and I'll make sure you all get your drinks covered for the night."
The first girl's eyes widened. “Can you do that?"
"I fucking hope so, I own the damn place," I said, ignoring the hard stare Jace gave me.
The two looked at one another and nodded. “Deal."
"Good, see that bartender with the mohawk that looks like it came out of the nineties punk scene?"
"Yeah."
"He'll make sure you guys are covered, so long as Jace here is with you, that's drinks without cost. Got it?"
"Got it."
"Mason," Jace growled, inching closer so he could be heard without shouting over the music. "What the fuck are you doing?"
"My job," I snorted, pushing his drink closer to him. "Drink up, loosen up a little. Shouldn't take me long to deal with whatever the hell is going on over there. I'm not abandoning you, alright?"
"Seriously?” he asked.
"Trust me," I told him, hoping he understood that I meant it.
The anger fizzled out of his face, and he let out another heavy sigh. “Fine. But I'm going to kick your ass if this is a shit idea."
"I love a bit of foreplay," I told him, leaning in close so he could hear me clearly but also feel the warmth of my breath on his ear and cheek. I pulled away, and the intensity of his stare told me he very much was hearing me, and while he was trying to trust me, I had also held his attention resolutely for a moment. I might love the power I had over him sometimes, but that didn'tmean I didn't occasionally find it unnerving. This time it was both.
The issue in question was going to take more than just a little bit. The woman, who had tried to fight Lydia, had apparently also decided she was going to cause some destruction on the way out. Taking a loss on liquor bottles that were broken was one thing, but she'd injured herself in the process. By the time I had gotten there, they were dragging her away from the bar as she shrieked, which barely drew any attention, save for those who were looking for a bit of drama.
"There is blood all over my bar," I growled as I got behind the counter.
"I noticed," Lydia snapped back, wiping herself down, having been spattered with blood as well. "Bar's closed, go to another one!"
"You heard the lady," I barked, waving them off. "Biohazard area, you aren't getting drinks here."
"Aww, c'mon, can't we at least get a drink comped?" someone called from the crowd.
