“Not cars. Trucks. It’s tough, but it pays well.”
I laughed. “Yeah, doesn’t look worth it though.”
He didn’t respond as his new beer was placed in front of him. He picked it up and drank half in two big gulps. There was a short lull in our conversation as my mind ran through the possibilities. Did he get in another fight since I last saw him? Maybe he really was too dangerous for me, too violent. I had to admit that the black eye and busted fists terrified, but also thrilled me.
He gave me another look. “Do you play pool?”
I had an ex who played pretty well, and he tried to teach me once. I was awful.
“Yeah, better than you, I bet.”
“Oh, you think so? Want to make it interesting, then?”
I shrugged, playing it cool. “What did you have in mind?”
He thought for a second. “Winner gets to ask the loser for one favor.”
“What kind of favor?”
“Any kind of favor they want.”
My mind buzzed at the possibilities. “Alright then, you’re on.”
Rex smiled, grabbed his beer, and then stood. I picked up my drink and followed him. We wound our way through the small crowd, back toward the pool tables, and we put our drinks down on a side ledge built into the wall. He picked out two cues, and racked the balls. I watched him, and was impressed by how precise and smooth his movements were. I knew I was about to lose, but I didn’t care. I noticed he was favoring his one side, as if his ribs were bothering him, and I wondered then what other injuries he had that I couldn’t see, and what had happened to him.
“You can break,” he offered. I shook my head.
“Only losers break,” I said. He laughed, and lined the cue up. He took a few short practice strokes, and then slammed the cue into the pile, balls flying everywhere. He obviously knew what he was doing, and one solid ball fell into a side pocket.
“You’re stripes,” he said, as he lined up his next move. I watched him for a few minutes, his careful movements and precise shots, and I was impressed. Part of me wondered what kind of favor he was going to ask for. Finally, he missed a shot, and I stepped up to the table.
“Prepare to be amazed,” I said. He grunted as he drank his beer. I lined up a shot with the intention of hitting a striped ball into the corner pocket, took a few practice strokes, and then banged the cue into the wrong ball, sending them scattering all across the table. He laughed out loud.
“That’s some serious skill,” he said.
I shrugged and moved away while he lined up his shot. “I’m just hustling you.”
We played like that for the next fifteen minutes. I made a few balls, but the game was all but won after that first break. Eventually, he sank the eight ball, despite my trash talk and attempts at distracting him. As the final ball rolled into the pocket, he looked up at me with a smile.
“Looks like I’m the winner.”
“Somehow I think you cheated.”
He pretended to be insulted. “I would never cheat at pool.”
“Fine, you win. Fair and square. So what’s your favor?”
He moved closer to me, and wrapped his arm around my waist, holding the pool stick in the other. I put my hands on his chest, heart hammering. I looked up into his deep green eyes, and he looked back with a straight face. I expected something dirty. I hoped for something dirty. I needed something dirty, his hard body pressed up against mine. A thrill ran through me.
“Haven’t decided,” he said. I smacked his chest and laughed.
“I thought you were going to say something else.” I felt myself blush.
He raised an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”
I shook my head, trying to cover my embarrassment.
“Never mind. Double or nothing?” I said.
He laughed, and before I could say anything more, he pressed his lips against mine. At first I was surprised and taken aback that he’d kiss me right in the middle of the bar, but I quickly found myself melting into his embrace. I felt his arm tighten around my waist and pull me closer as his lips parted. His tongue ran against mine, and a bolt of excitement ran down my stomach and into my core. I felt wild with an aching need, and forgot all about the people nearby. The kiss ended as quickly as it began, and when he pulled back, I could see that his eyes were as full of passion and need as mine were. We looked at each other like that for a few moments, before he let me go and turned to take a deep drink of his beer.
“Double or nothing,” he said after finishing.