Bet Me Read online

  Damn it, Liza thought.

  “There will be retching,” Min said, and grinned back.

  “And in your case, I will throw up on your shoes,” Liza said to Tony, needing to yell at somebody.

  “What happens to me?” Roger asked Bonnie.

  “Wonderful things,” Bonnie said, slipping her arm into his.

  “I hate you,” Tony said to Roger. “You keep fucking up the curve.”

  Min laughed, and Cal watched her laugh, and Liza thought, Oh, no. He looked like a man with a goal, and she knew what it was. I catch you with a snow globe, buddy, she thought, and you are dead meat.

  Cal glanced over at her and froze. “What?” he said.

  “Nothing,” Liza said and smiled at him with intent. “Nothing at all.”

  “Who’s the lucky woman tonight?” Shanna said when Cal went to the bar for refills.

  “No woman,” Cal said. “I’m resting. How’s Elvis? Still singing ‘She’ on permanent rotation?”

  “Don’t knock Elvis. If he was a girl, I’d marry him.” She craned her head to look around Cal. “I see the Goon Brothers and two women. Let me guess. The tall skinny redhead is yours.”

  “No,” Cal said. “Refills all around for them, Scotch for me.”

  Shanna looked past him again. “You’re with the little blonde in the blue? She looks vacant to me.”

  “Misleading,” Cal said. “But no, not her, either. She’s Roger’s.”

  “Then where—” Shanna began.

  “Hi,” Min said from behind him, and he turned, smiling automatically. “I completely understand your need to flirt with the bartender, but Tony sent me to remind you to hurry.”

  Shanna leaned over the bar and stuck her hand out to Min. “Hi, I’m Shanna, Cal’s next-door neighbor.”

  Min looked surprised but took it. “I’m Min.” She hesitated, and then she leaned over the bar. “Can I ask you something personal?”

  “Oh, please do,” Shanna said, looking deep into her eyes.

  “Excuse me?” Cal said, not sure whether he was annoyed or turned on that Shanna was hitting on Min in front of him.

  “You have the most beautiful hair,” Min said, ignoring him. “How do you keep it from frizzing?”

  “I don’t wash it,” Shanna said. “Just rinse and condition it. It’ll never frizz on you again.”

  “You’re kidding,” Min said. “I’m going to try that. I’m so sick of pinning my hair up that I’ll try anything.”

  “Well, come back in when you let it down,” Shanna said. “I want to see it.”

  Me, too, Cal thought.

  “I will do that,” Min said. “Thank you.” She turned back to Cal. “Do you need help carrying the drinks?”

  “Yes,” Cal said before Shanna could say “No” and hand him a tray.

  “I’ll be right back then,” Min said, and went over to the jukebox.

  Cal leaned on the bar as he watched her cross the room. “Get those drinks, babe.”

  “Tell me she’s bi,” Shanna said, watching Min, too. “The things she could do with that mouth . . .”

  “The things I could do with that mouth,” Cal said. The things I have done with that mouth. He felt a little dizzy again. Well, it was warm in the bar.

  “I’ll get those drinks,” Shanna said and left while Cal watched Min flip cards on the jukebox. He focused on the gorgeous curve of her neck as she read the song titles. She looked juicy, bitable there, and that set off a whole new train of thought that he told himself was all right as long as he didn’t do anything about it.

  When Shanna came back with six glasses and mugs on a tray, she said, “So how long have you been seeing her?”

  “I met her a week ago, but we’re not—”

  “Early yet.” Shanna nodded. “She’s got another month, probably two before you wander off. Tell her nice things about me so I can lay a foundation.”

  “For what?” Cal said.

  “She’s going to need comforting when you tell her to have a nice life. I will be that comfort. Are you sleeping with her yet?”

  “I’m not even dating her,” Cal said as Min fed some coins into the jukebox and punched in some numbers. “Give me my Scotch. I think we’re going to be listening to Elvis Presley and I will need it.”

  “Not dating her, huh? Good news for me.” Shanna slid his glass across to him.

  Cal shook his head. “No. She does not play for your team. And you’re still grief-stricken, remember?”

  “I’m feeling much better,” Shanna said, as “The Devil in Disguise” boomed out of the jukebox. “How do you know she doesn’t play for my team?”

  “I kissed her. She plays for mine. Although not for me.”

  “Not for you, huh?” Shanna took two fives from her pocket and slapped them on the bar. “I got ten bucks says you can’t kiss her again right here.”

  “No kidding.” Cal laughed at the thought of the damage Min would do to him if he tried. “Also no bet.”

  Shanna tilted her head. “Okay. I got ten bucks says you can kiss her right here.”

  “I’ve explained this to you,” Cal said. “You have to figure the odds and then take the side that’s probable. You don’t just flip a coin.”

  Shanna tapped her finger on the two fives. “Ten says you can do it.”

  “What’s with you?” Cal said. “When did you turn into somebody who likes to watch?”

  “I’m just—” Shanna began.

  “Hey,” Min said, from behind Cal, startling them both. “I thought you weren’t going to bet on me anymore.”

  Cal looked down at her exasperated face. Her lush lower lip stuck out a little, not enough for a pout but enough to remind him of why he’d been staying away from her. “I never said that. Besides, what makes you think I’m—”

  “You’re both staring at me and there’s money on the bar,” Min said. “We’ve been here before.” Her eyes were dark, crackling with heat now as she scowled at him, and he began to breathe a little faster, remembering.

  “He didn’t make the bet,” Shanna said. “I did. In fact, he—”

  Cal took a ten out of his pocket and slapped it on the bar over Shanna’s two fives. “You’re on,” he said, and leaned down to Min.

  Chapter Seven

  “Oh, yeah, he’s innocent,” Min said and then stopped as Cal leaned closer, giving her plenty of time to back away.

  Her eyes widened and her lips parted, and she said, “Uh,” and then he kissed her, gently, wanting to remember every second this time, the way she felt and tasted, soft and sweet, and he felt her suck in her breath, and then she kissed him back, giving him everything again, and the voice in his head said, THIS ONE, and he forgot his good intentions and cradled her face in his hand and lost himself in her.

  When he broke the kiss, her eyes were half-closed and her cheeks were flushed. “Did you win?” she said, breathless, and he said, “Yes,” and kissed her again, harder this time, feeling her hand clutch his shirt, and then something smacked him on the back of the head and knocked him into her, and she jerked away and said, “Ouch. Ouch.”

  “Damn it,” he said, swinging around to face Liza. “Stop doing that.”

  “I will if you will,” she said.

  “No, really,” Min said, sounding dazed. “It was okay. It was just another bet.”

  “Scum,” Liza said.

  “Look,” Cal said, trying to catch his breath. “Min can take care of herself.”

  Liza stepped closer. “Yeah, tell me you know her. Tell me you care about her. Tell me you’re going to love her until the end of time.”

  “What is it with you?” Cal said. “I kissed her. It happens.”

  Shanna picked up the twenty bucks on the bar. “And I, for one, am very grateful you did. Thank you very much,”

  “I thought you won,” Min said to Cal. Her eyes were hot, and she was breathing faster, too.

  “I did,” Cal said, falling back into her. “I just lost the bet.”