Page 66 of Hale's Pawn
Jagger shrugs. “I’m bored. I want to see some action.”
“Asshole,” I say.
I look at Ainslee again, at the long floral yellow sundress. The deep v-neck of the front of the dress has me admiring her. Her hair is straightened, falling to her waist. She has it sort of parted more on the right than her usual middle. Her face is done up which means she was probably filming some make-up tutorial—I take a moment to acknowledge that I just said tutorial—and I shake my head and smile at Ainslee as she makes her way over to us. “You guys having fun?” she asks the question.
She says her hellos to the other dudes who wanted to have a beer. She says hi to the other girls that Jagger and I didn’t know were going to join. Ainslee finally sets her eyes on the blonde sitting by me. She smiles sweetly and then she bites her lip as she throws something. A small dagger-like knife lands right in the middle of the girl’s fingers that she had on the table. The girl shrieks, “What the fuck?”
“Get up,” Ainslee says.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” the blonde retorts. “You can just pull up another chair, you didn’t have to throw anything at me.”
Ainslee smiles. “That’s my man you’re sitting next to. When I tell you to get the fuck up, you do it, but you know what, that’s fine. Sit your ass on that chair then. I don’t need it.” Ainslee walks around next to us and slides into my lap. She narrows her eyes at me. “I’m sick of your fan club.”
I chuckle as I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her closer. “I didn’t realize I had a fan club.”
She rolls her eyes. “You do and I fucking dislike it.”
“You a little jealous, Bug?”
“Big jealous,” she says.
I lean into the crook of her neck, inhaling her sweet scent. I lightly bite her neck and groan. “Should’ve just told me to stay with you. I didn’t care to come and be around these people,” I confess.
Ainslee wraps her arm around my neck. Her fingers find their way into my hair from the nape of my neck. She’s figured out something I like but never say out loud; someone playing with my hair. “Next time, I’ll ask you to stay, okay?”
“Okay,” I reply and kiss her shoulder.
“How about a game?” Ainslee wiggles her brows at me.
“What did you have in mind?” I whisper as I lean into her neck.
“First, let’s make a bet, husband,” Ainslee says.
I lick my lips as I tip her chin to face me. “What did you have in mind?”
“Let’s …” Ainslee stops talking as Mikonos does a particular whistle.
Ainslee turns her head towards the door and in walks a man dressed in a suit with Converses. “Papi!” Ainslee exclaims and runs to him.
Jagger leans in. “Papi?”
I watch in silence as Ainslee hugs the dude, but she isn’t overly affectionate or anything. He looks to be either her age or a bit older. Ainslee is talking so animatedly and he’s smiling from ear to ear.
“I thought that she was your wife?” the blonde asks.
“You’re still here?” I look at her. It was more of a question than a fuck-off statement. I didn’t get what her reason to still be sitting next to me was for.
She scoffs and turns to her friend after calling me an asshole. Ainslee talks to whoever the fuck that is and then she points at me. She grabs the guy by the wrist and drags him to the table. “Babe, meet Joaquin Quintanilla. Papi, this is my husband, Oran Hale.”
Joaquin stretches his hand out and I shake it, but I do notice how quiet the bar has gotten. There’s a teardrop tattoo underneath his right eye, his hair is shaved close to his scalp, and even though he’s smiling, he looks menacing. I already know if anyone knows a Bishops, it’s not the legal way.
“It’s nice to finally meet the man who tied this crazy girl down. Good luck to you,” Joaquin says.
I chuckle. “Thank you?”
“Let’s catch up!” Ainslee says, dragging him towards an empty table. “Tell me about your wife? How is she and how’s Max? I miss them.”
“Who the hell is this guy?” Jagger asks.
