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“Is that right?” Jimmy grinned as he leaned his shoulder against the far wall and lifted his beer to his lips, tilting it up as he kept his eyes firmly on mine.
The way he looked at me caused the wires in my brain to short-circuit. I forgot what I was doing, where I was, what my name was.
“Just ignore him,” Knox instructed me under his breath.
Sure.That was going to be easier said than done. As happy as I was that Jimmy was finally paying some attention to me, I was equally as frustrated that he’d chosen this exact moment to do it.
Even for someone with my skill set, playing pool took concentration. There was no way that I could possibly concentrate with Jimmy staring at me with a look of flirtation like I belonged to him. Any hope I had at focus evaporated faster than dry ice in a sauna.
As much as I wanted to indulge in all of the emotions and sensations that the predatory look in Jimmy’s eyes was inspiring in me, I had to block it out or I’d be going on a date with Knox.
Calling on all the training I’d absorbed through osmosis from being in rooms with my father when he made big deals, I blocked Jimmy out. Knox broke and he knocked in a solid and a stripe. He chose stripes. Off that opening break, I was able to gauge everything I needed to.
I examined the table and could see that he had two fairly easy shots, and the rest were a higher level of difficulty. I would say they were advanced. If he’d had any real skill, he would have chosen solids. Sure, they didn’t have the easy shots, but none of the shots were advanced.
For the next few minutes, I toyed with him. Missing my shots by an inch or two. Then after he made a lucky shot, I figured it was time to put my plan into motion. Setting my cue against the counter, I pulled my hair up and went work. With precision, I dropped every ball. Within three shots I’d drawn a crowd. By the time I knocked the eight ball into the corner pocket, every eye in the bar was on me and the entire place broke out in cheers.
The aftermath was a blur. People I didn’t know were congratulating me, giving me high fives. And then I felt him behind me.
“You hustled Knox.” Jimmy’s voice was low as he spoke close to my ear.
“What?” I asked, loving the feeling of him standing so close.
“You hustled him. Those weren’t lucky shots.”
Maybe I should’ve been embarrassed for being called out, but if anything, I liked the sound in his voice. It almost sounded like pride. I bit my bottom lip to try and stop the smile that was crossing my face, but I couldn’t help myself.
