Page 55 of The Killer Card

I shove him in her direction hard enough to make him stumble, and he glares at me over his shoulder. But to save himself from further embarrassment he does go up to the girl and give her a polite smile and a handshake.

Brushing invisible dust from my hands I grin at my friends. “Just another successful day of making the world’s dicks happy.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Rowan shakes his head.

“You have to stay hard in these streets, amigo!”

“You better not be hard in this bar,” he shoots right back. “Your ass is walking back if you get kicked out again for- what was it? Public indecency?”

I open my mouth to protest but find no argument. Shaking my head, I pick up my beer. “I’m not hard, I assure you. Check for yourself if you don’t believe me—”

“I’m so good,” Rowan shakes his head. This time Elias snorts out a laugh, reaching for a jalapeño popper as they’re set down on our table.

“Your game has been pretty lame lately,” Elias admits, glancing over to see how his son is doing with the pretty girl at the bar. When he turns back to me, he raises a brow. “I could have sworn that girl was checking you out this whole time.”

She was, but I didn’t expect Elias to be that observant. Her and I clocked each other the moment we entered the bar, but I have strategically kept my eyes focused elsewhere. Not that it matters. I haven’t exactly been celibate the last few years, but I’ve been pretty selective. Mostly men, mostly just quick fucks at The Cellar or at a hotel nearby. I haven’t brought anyone back to my place in almost four years. I certainly haven’t ended up in anyone else’s bed.

There’s a level of intimacy to sex in someone’s personal space that I’m just not quite ready for, no matter how long it’s been. So, I’ve kept it casual. Sometimes I’ll get the room, sometimes they will. It never lasts long, sometimes it hardly even starts.

Elias is right, I’m in a fucking rut. I just thought I was better at hiding it.

“I don’t think you’re in any position to talk about my game while you’re locking yourself into one woman for life.” I take a long drink, holding up my hand to the waitress coming our way.

“I’m forty-three, rich as fuck, and perfectly content with that,” Elias confirms, shoving another jalapeño popper in his mouth with a smirk.

“Doesn’t hurt that she’s a bombshell,” I smirk.

“Best sex I ever had—”

“I verymuch wish I’d never been born,” Cristian groans as he rejoins us.

I throw my arms out wide, then toward the girl now leaving the brewery through the side doors, then back to him just sitting here with a fresh beer in hand. “Coño de la madre?!”

The kid just shrugs, actually shrugs, holding up a napkin with ten digits on it. “I got her number—”

“You should have gotten her address! You have nowhere to be tonight—”

“I’m not really that interested—”

“How?! Why?! She was hot as shit, chico—”

“Then you go fuck her!” He holds out the napkin to me. “She spent the entire time asking about the older blonde one anyway! She was looking at you, asshole. Not me.”

“Viste? Te lo dije.” Elias gives the waitress a smile as she sets down a fresh round.

Cristian glares at me as I shove the number he keeps offering me under my glass. “Why did you send me over there? You knew she was looking at you—”

“Because you're sad and pathetic—”

“OYÉ—”

“And the girl you gave your virginity to is about to marry your dad—”

“Can you please not?” Elias glares at me now.

"And I wanted to do something nice for you!”

They’re all staring at me now as if I just planned a strategic bank robbery in less than thirty seconds. Rowan, the master of glowering is watching me like a fucking sniper. Concerning considering I’m pretty sure he’s actually trained to be one. It makes me squirm in my seat.