Page 17 of Wingmen

Dustin was at the back between the pool tables, in the leather jacket and black t-shirt. The beard was less immaculately groomed tonight. Elliot returned his nod of greeting and started threading through the room. He’d managed to take a nap, and woke up feeling a lot better. A lot more rational about the Webb and Arsenault thing, anyway. It was an app on his phone, years ago. Webb probably didn’t even remember. Anyway, what did it matter? It wasn’t like Elliot was–

“Place doesn’t feel like a fucking airport, at least,” he said when he got there.

“Figured the brewery was too sophisticated for you,” Bennet replied, and sipped his beer. He looked Elliot briefly up and down. Elliot had on his expensive sneakers, tightest black jeans, and a linen button-down with a floral print that a guy like Bennet could never pull off. He’d left the two top buttons open to show the chain with the cross around his neck. “Least you know how to dress yourself,” said Bennet. “How much cologne do you put on before a night out, would you say? Two, three liters?”

“They got food here?” Elliot said, ignoring this.

“Nope. There’s a popcorn machine by the bathrooms, though.”

Great. Sighing, Elliot went to the bar.

He squeezed up to the rail and smiled at the girl he found beside him. She smiled back, and he reflexively sized her up. Black, shorter than him, chubby in a cute way. Low-cut top.Diego would like her. His eyes returned to hers, and she smiled and turned away to talk to the girl behind her.

The bartender didn’t even ask for his ID. Elliot opened a tab and took his beer back to Bennet.

“Who’s your friend?” said Dustin.

Elliot looked over his shoulder at the bar. “The fuck you talking about? I didn’t say two words to her.”

“Right. You just stared down her top. Are you aware you do that? And that it’s really fucking obvious that you’re doing it?”

Elliot said nothing and took a long pull on his beer. The song changed, and over the thumping bass and bar noise, Bennet said, “That Arsenault thing, huh?”

Elliot felt his spine go rigid. He swallowed the beer. “Yeah.”

“Kinda makes you wonder how many other guys there are like that in the league.” Dustin indicated the pool table. “You want a game?”

Elliot lifted a shoulder. “Long as you’re ready to get your ass whipped.”

Dustin racked the balls.

The girl at the bar was watching as he did, and as Dustin went to the wall to hang the triangle up, she nudged her friend and indicated Elliot. Elliot returned her smile.

“Tell her to come over.” A cue appeared as Bennet put it in front of him. “Maybe she’d like to give you another look at her tits.”

Elliot snatched the cue, and Dustin did a smug little grin as he rolled the white ball to the other end of the felt. Checking out girls was what bars were for. If Bennet wasn’t here for that, then what was he doing? Actually playing pool?

Oh shit, did he know how to play?

“Sounds like you’re ready for that rematch,” said Elliot. Dustin frowned and he added, “With the girls? It’s a tie game. You said we should do it again sometime.”

It wasn’t actually a tie game: Elliot hadn’t slept with Leah. But Bennet didn’t need to know that.

Dustin smirked as he stilled the white ball with one finger, and bent flat to study the angle. “Any time you like,” he said, and flicked his eyes up.

His eyes were blue, not gray like Elliot had thought, and the leather jacket and t-shirt reminded him of someone. Who was the guy in the movie his mom liked with the cowboys? Heath something. Legend?

Yeah. Heath Legend. The hot one.

Elliot’s stomach went sideways.

He gulped his beer – too much, way too much – and put his fist to his sternum where it got stuck. “Anytime I like?” he choked. “Great, how bout now?”

Bennet rolled his eyes. “I was kidding.”

“Okay, I wasn’t.” He set his glass down too hard on the high top. “And I know you don’t wanna leave ittied.”

Bennet turned his attention back to the cue ball, but Elliot could see he was thinking about it. “Tell you what,” he said, as he nudged the ball, then straightened. “Why don’t we make it best out of three?”