Page 8 of Wingmen

Got him. Elliot followed his gaze. “Because you’re tall.”

He put his last fry in his mouth, brushed off his fingers, scooped up his beer, stood before Bennet could argue, and walked over. He didn’t look back to see if Bennet was following.

“Hey,” he called. He pitched it warm and leaned into the Puerto Rican accent – which he didn’t actually have, but liked to put on in moments like this. “I’m so sorry to interrupt. My friend and I just got here and we don’t know anyone, and I was wondering if you could tell me if this bar does food all night? Or if they cut it off?”

It was such a bullshit question. But it was a question so obviously bullshit that it was obviously something else too, and the girl seemed to know it. She smiled and said, “I think eleven?” and her tall friend said, “It’s eleven, I checked,” and Bennet materialized at Elliot’s elbow.

“Hi,” said Bennet.

“Hi,” said the tall woman.

“This is Dustin.” Elliot turned to open the circle. “I’m Elliot.”

“Katie,” said the blonde. “This is Leah.”

They all shook hands, and within ninety seconds Elliot was doing what his mom said he did best, after hockey: running his mouth. He talked about the pineapple on the chalkboard outside. He talked about how he’d gotten lost walking back to his hotel this morning. How he’d missed his flight. A tableopened up and the four of them slid in as Elliot rattled off a spiel about the charity event, glossing over the details – partly because he didn’t want Katie to call him a pig, partly because he didn’t remember them.

Bennet said three things the entire time. He said hi. He said, “Thanks, I’ll try it,” when Leah recommended a beer. And after Katie made a racy comment that made him laugh: “You’re a menace.”

Katie blushed and Elliot fixed Bennet in his glare.He’dbeen working on Katie. He’d been doing all the work,period.Girls always dropped their panties for the guy who said nothing all night and then came out with one line.

Apparently it had worked, because when Bennet stood to go to the bar, Katie watched him go and said, “He’s cute.”

Elliot grit his teeth. “Yeah, he’s a real catch.”

Bennet came back with the drinks and Elliot slid over to make room for him. But Dustin stopped at the table and gestured with his elbow as he said to Leah, “So…I don’t know how to say this without sounding totally disrespectful, but: I was wondering if you’d mind if I sat next to Katie?”

Leah flicked her eyes to Elliot’s with a little smile. “I don’t mind.”

Elliot tried to telegraphThat one was mineto Bennet as he sat, but Bennet just returned his glare with a smirk. Then he tipped his glass toward Elliot and winked.

And Elliot’s stomach went, unexpectedly, “Hey there!”

Elliot jolted.

What the fuck? That hadn’t happened in a really long time. He looked away quickly and picked up his beer.

“So.” He turned to Leah. “Tell me about Seattle.”

It wasmidnight when they spilled out onto the sidewalk. Leah turned out to be great: when they’d gotten down to talking, Elliot had discovered she was a hockey fan. AKrakensfan, but he could look past that if the girl was hot enough – which she was. She wasadamantthat there truly wasa kraken in the Puget Sound; she’d even pulled out her phone to show him a real species called the Giant Pacific Octopus. She was doing a PhD in marine biology, she said, with a flirty little wink: she knew these things.

She also knew who Elliot was, and it was clear that sleeping with him was something she was extremely interested in doing. Weirdly, this bummed him out: it made him feel like he wasn’t winning the game against Bennet at all. He hadn’t wooed anyone – this girl just wanted to fuck him because he was a hockey player.

‘Girl’ was probably the wrong word. She was definitely older than him.

The street was quiet, and Leah tucked her hand into the crook of Elliot’s elbow as they went up the block. Elliot could see Bennet’s hand on the small of Katie’s back ahead of them, and tried not to be bothered by it.

At the corner, Bennet turned and said, “She’s that way.”

“Cool,” said Elliot.

Leah said, “Mine’s the other way.”

“Cool,” Elliot said again, and Bennet’s eyes flicked to his.

“We should do this again sometime,” said Bennet.

Do what?Elliot wanted to ask. Pretend to like each other so we can fuck someone the other guy was trying to fuck?