Her eyes light up. “Yes!”
He takes the empty glass from her and shoves it toward me. “Another.”
I’m not taking an order from him. Not in my own fucking bar. I drag the glass through the sudsy water in the sink before sticking it in the dishwasher. “Let’s give her a second to see how this one sits.”
“Naw, I want to see the mouse drunk,” Chain says. “It’ll be a riot.”
Not on my watch. I glare at him until Vicki strides up to the bar with her notepad. I’m more than happy to get away from this shitty scene to see what she needs.
It’s a mixed order of beer and highballs. I set to work on it, glad to be doing anything else other than looking at Marietta.
I focus on the liquors first, then take a set of pint glasses to the wall of taps to pull the beers.
I hear Marietta giggle. “That’s cold!” I pull myself together before I turn around.
And nearly drop all three glasses.
Marietta is lying on the bar. Chain has poured part of his beer into her belly button. He’s about to lean down to lick it off her when I slam the beers to the counter and reach for his shitty gray braids.
I yank him sideways, away from her, and growl into his ear. “You put any part of your goddamn body anywhere near hers in any capacity, and I will fucking cut off your balls.”
The old man looks at me for a moment, then he laughs. “You were right, Fancy. The prospect isn’t going to let anybody near her.” He drags a twenty out of his pocket and slaps it on the bar in front of Fancy. “The real bet is whether he can keep his own hands off her before Iron Jack splits him down the middle.”
Fancy grins and shoves the twenty in his pocket. “Pleasure doing business with you.”
Chain laughs again. “Come on, Mouse. We’ll take you back.” He downs his beer. “Two-Shit, I need a witness to go with me. Can’t let anyone think I touched the mouse.” He glances at me. “Especially him.” He laughs again. “Cut off my balls. Right.”
I’ve played right into it.
Marietta sits up, her face scrunched. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know they were going to trick you.”
I believe her. “Don’t worry about it.”
But she glances back at me as Two-Shit and Chain lead her out of the bar. She tugs on the skirt, trying to cover her backside.
They took away that happy gleam in her eye with their bullshit.
I’m not going to fucking let them do that to her either.
CHAPTER 11
MARIETTA
Fancy and Two-Shit watch from the corner of the quad as I sit with Symphony and Jenna in the grass. We’ve had to take up a different spot so they can see us without riding their motorcycles all the way up to the buildings.
“So, how long are they going to follow you like this?” Jenna asks. “You moved in. What more do they want?”
“Her cherry,” Symphony says. “Any progress on that?”
I sigh. “I don’t think it’s going to work with Merrick, especially after they tricked him last night.”
Jenna pulls a baggie of veggie crisps from her backpack. “Okay, I’ve got snacks. Spill.”
I explain how Chain managed to get Merrick to blow up over them pouring beer in my belly button.
“You were wearing what?” Symphony asks. “You are not their personal bimbo Barbie!”
I shrug. “It’s kind of fun. I mean, it’s no reflection on me if my trashy clothes were picked by someone else. It’s like being a guilt-free tramp.”
