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eight
“…andwho do I see walking toward us on the green?”
Ben fought the powerful urge to yawn, and he raised his brows, trying desperately to appear interested. He didn’t know a single thing about golf. Half the terms in his lexicon he’d learned in the half an hour Chad had been talking. “I couldn’t begin to guess. Tiger Woods?”
“Tiger…bro. Fuck, that—” Chad said, then stopped himself. He gave Ben a look like he was losing his mind. “No, dude. It was obviously Alice Cooper.”
“Oh. Right.” Was he supposed to know that? Had they been talking about Alice Cooper? Ben had checked out of the conversation the moment Chad gave him an up-and-down look and declared him “pretty fuckable” before “ordering a beer to help with that.”
Ben had nearly choked on his Seven and Seven, and he would have stood up and stormed out, but he had the perfect view of Nova at the bar, who was pantomiming the whole date with a massive grin on his face. Not only was it keeping him sane in that moment, but he had the perfect view of Nova’s dimples, and dear God, he couldn’t stop staring at them.
He glanced up right then, and Nova made devil horns, sticking his tongue out.
Holding back a laugh, Ben dug into his pocket and pulled out his phone for the fifth time to see if the clock had started speeding up. But of course, it hadn’t. He was just about to turn the screen off when a hand snatched it from him.
“Let’s see what’s so fuckin’ interesting,” Chad said. “Does your phone have one of those things where if you put the password in too many times, it locks you out forever?”
“No, I—” Ben started, but right then, Chad turned the phone around and used Ben’s face to unlock it.
“Sweet. Oh, there’s the app. Did you talk shit about me with your other dates?” Chad demanded.
Ben was on his feet before he was really thinking, and Chad just laughed at him like Ben was a small child trying to take down a playground bully.
“Give that back,” Ben said.
Chad ignored him and held the phone out of Ben’s reach. “Dude. You’ve got some serious dates lined up. You charging for this shit? Because you’d make some mad money.”
Ben felt his throat get hot and tight, and several colorful phrases danced at the tip of his tongue. But he wasn’t going to lower himself. Instead, he pressed one hand to the table and grabbed his phone with the other.
“Give it here,” he said, trying his best, stern professor voice. “Please don’t make me ask you again.”
Chad grinned at him, then, without warning, leaned forward and bit Ben’s arm so hard pain shot up to his shoulder, and he cried out. If Chad hadn’t broken skin, it would be a goddamn miracle.
Chad was laughing like a maniac with his teeth in Ben’s skin, and he started to panic when he realized that Chad wasn’t going to let go. The whole thing was on the verge of creating a scene, and Ben wondered how much damage he’d do if he just yanked his arm back. As though he sensed Ben’s thoughts, Chad bit down harder, and Ben winced.
“Gentlemen.” The voice was low and stern, and Chad finally released his grip on Ben and looked up with big doe eyes.
Ben was trembling as he stared at Nova’s face. The man was entirely unreadable, but after a second, he laid both hands on Ben’s shoulders. “Sir, we just got a call from your aunt’s caregiver. Apparently, she’s running down the street stark naked.”
Ben blinked at him, not quite processing his words, though he was cognizant enough to realize he was probably going into some shock.
Still holding Ben by the shoulders, Nova leaned around Ben and gave Chad a passive smile. “The poor dear lives with Ben, and she’s got a bad case of dementia. This happens a lot, and they always call us when Ben’s out. The last time Ben here was on a date, she showed up and set fire to the guy’s car. Ben just lets her because it’s obviously not her fault, but it can be a problem.”
Ben cleared his throat and rasped, “Yeah. She can be a problem.”
Nova nodded, then leaned very close to Ben’s ear. “Do you want me to call the cops?”
Ben quickly shook his head. The pain in his arm was almost entirely gone, and he was pretty sure there was no lasting damage. The only thing he wanted right then was to never see Chad’s face ever again.
“I’m sure Ben wouldn’t mind if you came with him to chase her down,” Nova said in that same sickly sweet tone.
Chad grimaced, slapped his palms on the table, and stood up. “Nope. I’m all good. That’s enough drama for me. You’ve got this, right?” He gestured at the mostly uneaten food, then gave Ben a once-over, shrugged, and turned to head for the bar’s front doors.
Ben didn’t unfreeze until Chad had fully disappeared and Nova’s thumbs began to gently stroke over the sides of his neck.
“Well, that was new,” Nova said, giving Ben a cautious look. “I’ve got first aid in my office if you need it.”
Ben grimaced, but he forced himself to step away from Nova’s careful, tender touch so he could roll up his sleeve. There was definitely a mark on him, teeth prints dug deep into his skin, but there wasn’t any blood. “I don’t think I’m actually hurt, but maybe I should put something on it. The human mouth is disgusting.”
