I shrug. “His logic seems sound to me. Sorry, dude. And really, Ava was your last lay?” I ask, and Nate screws his face up, throwing the blue chalk at me.
“Screw you, fucker. You’re meant to be on my side,” Nate grumbles.
“Since when?” I scoff.
“Since you saidfuck youto love.”
“What do you mean?” I furrow my brows.
“Well, Tillie’s moping around like someone killed her pussy. I’m guessing that’s you. I never get the full story, but I’m pretty sure you guys have broken up, and that’s why we’re out. So we can look for theladiestogether tonight, then, yeah?”
I shake my head. “I don’t think I’m up to looking for another girl just yet, but you go ahead and wet your dick, Nate. Go sort out those blue balls,” I tease.
“Fuck you, Matt. Now everyone thinks I have blue balls,” Nate yells at his brother.
“Who has blue balls?” Danger asks as he comes over with all the drinks on a single tray.
“Idon’thave blue balls,” Nate screams out just as the music stops. His voice carries through the VIP lounge, and everyone looks right at him. His eyes open wide, and the entire room bursts out laughing before the music starts up again. He groans, picks up his drink, and guzzles it down quickly while I laugh.
Danger looks at me, and even though I’m laughing, even though I may look like I’m having a good time, there’s a pit in my stomach and an ache in my chest that makes me feel completely nauseous. I feel like shit! And even though a night out with my boys is what’s needed, I feel like I could also be at home, cuddled up in bed, wallowing into my pillow, and feel much better about it.
We start playing pool when the VIP room gets busier. A swarm of females pushes their way in. No one I recognize, but they look like they might be models of some kind. I don’t follow the modeling circuit, but they are stunning. Nate and Matt are drooling as Danger and I keep more to ourselves in the back area.
A couple of the women leave their group to chat with us.
A blonde makes her way to me, and while she’s beautiful, I have no urge to do anything other than talk to her.
“Hey, are you havin’ a good night?” she asks in her Southern twang. She doesn’t sound like a bimbo, even though her looks would make me think otherwise.
I guess youcan’t judge a bookand all that.
“Yeah, not too bad. What are you ladies up to tonight?”
She shrugs. “Nothin’ much, just having a few drinks after our competition today.”
I figure I should try to make some conversation and not be a complete asshole. “Competition?”
She nods. “Pageant. We’re beauty queens.”
I nod matter-of-factly. “Oh, right. How’d you go?”
She shrugs. “Meh… came in fifth and wonMiss Congeniality.”
“Oh, like Sandra Bullock?”
She giggles. “Yeah, kinda like that, but without the undercover police work.”
I finally crack a smile and nod. “Who won?”
She rolls her eyes and tilts her head to the brunette hanging off Nate’s shoulder. “Miss California. Her daddy is sleepin’ with one of the judges…” Her head tilts, and she finishes with, “Conveniently.”
“Right, so she legit won then.”
She nods. “Oh yeah, legit! You should hear her talent. Singin’, not tone deaf at all.” She has a big smirk, and I smirk right back, knowing how rigged these types of competitions are.
“Why do you do them if they’re so…” I pause, wanting to choose my words carefully.
“Rigged?” she says, finishing my sentence for me. I nod, and she smiles. “It’s fun. I know I’ll never win. I don’t come from a pageant family, and I have no affiliations with judges, so I’ll never get anywhere, but it is fun. I like to dress up and look pretty now and then. In my everyday life, I’m just a country girl workin’ on a farm with her hands in cow shit every day. It’s nice to be a girl, you know?”
