Page 79 of Hyperspeed
The idea of Rev with cat ears and tufts of fur on his tail made me grin like a loon, but I tamped it down before Jax could notice and call me a psycho. Lucky for me, he was still comparing the same two shirts he’d been poring over for the last twenty minutes.
At least he’d narrowed it down from six.
With a sigh, I powered down my watch and rose from the bed. I grabbed the hanger holding the white shirt and shoved it against my teammate’s chest. He glared at me, but I only smiled in return, knowing it’d piss him off.
“Go with the white. It’s a classic,” I encouraged. “But hurry the fuck up or we’ll be late.”
Jax glanced at his own watch before springing into action, shoving his tanned arms into the shirt’s sleeves. Thankfully, the material wasn’t creased, though I guessed that was because he’d spent ages ironing all six shirts before tossing the rejects back into his suitcase.
Asuitcase.
For a one-nightstay.
“Sorry for caring about my appearance,” he complained, shoving the shirt’s tails into his silver-grey trousers.
I waved him off, leaning against the wall by the door. “It’s a dinner with a bunch of stuffy old dudes from the CRF, not a fashion show.”
“Says the one looking like he walked off the catwalk and onto a billboard ad for aftershave.”
I batted my eyelashes. “Are you saying I look pretty?”
He flipped me off before grabbing the bow tie and slinging it around his neck. “I hate these things,” he huffed, trying and failing to tie it correctly.
After the third attempt, I walked over and smacked his hands away.
“How do you get yours to look so perfect?” he complained.
“Well.” I grabbed the ends of the black fabric and twisted them into place. “First off, I’m incredible at everything I do. And second . . .” I leaned in, lowering my voice like it was a secret. “It’s a clip-on.”
I flicked him under the chin, smug satisfaction curling in my chest when he cursed me out.
Jax grabbed his jacket, and I stepped towards the door of the hotel room, yanking it open. “Move it, brother. There’s an open bar with our names on it, and I intend to drink it dry.”
The dinner was being held in the hotel’s ballroom, and by the time we arrived, it was packed.
Large circular tables with ten place settings stood around the room, framing an open space I assumed was a dance floor, which would fill up after the food and speeches. Because if there was one thing these dinners were never short of, it was fucking speeches.
Clips from the season were being projected onto the large screen behind a small stage at the front of the room. On the stage was a single table, filled with decorative glass awards to be presented later, and 360 degree holograms of team vehicles, both current and past champions’, decorated the walls. A few legends would be in attendance tonight, but unlike ours, their attendance wasn’t mandatory.
We approached the bar, and Jax placed his hands on the marble top. “This round’s on me, so what are you having?”
“They’re free, you asshole.” I nudged him in his ribs. “But since you’re offering, I’ll take a whiskey sour.”
“Coming up, squire,” he replied, waving down a bartender.
I turned to face the room and spotted Ailor. They were stuck in what was sure to be a boring conversation with the CRF president, Aetha’riel Lunvara.
The Thalorii was ancient. Like, well over a hundred, with one foot in the grave. And based on Ailor’s glazed expression, Lunvara would be taking them down with him.
“What are you looking at?” Jax passed me a small tumbler filled with golden liquor, and I took a sip before nodding towards Ailor.
“Old man Lunvara is sending Ailor to sleep.”
My teammate chuckled, and I joined in when Ailor looked over, mouthing what looked like “save me.” But the last thing I wanted was to spend an hour listening to Lunvara make it through a single sentence.
So because we were bastards, we just shook our heads in condolence.
Apparently Ailor was also a bastard, because they pointed in our direction, trying to divert the old man’s attention, but before he could take a decade to turn his head, Jax and I downed our drinks and ducked into the safety of the crowd.
