The Gambles(8)

He looked at me indignantly. "My look is classic. I like quality made clothes. A person's clothes say a lot about them, you know."

"Yes, I know." I laughed as I teased him.

"Shut the fuck up. You shop at Champs sports wear at the mall. You wouldn't know designer clothes if they slapped you in the face, shithead."

"What can I say, I'm a quarterback. I have bulging muscles, unlike your spaghetti noodle arms." I clamped a hand on my bicep.

AJ laughed and took his eyes off the road only long enough to glance my way. "Where the hell are we going anyway?" he asked, slowing the car and pulling to the curb. "If we're gonna meet your hot date, we need to know the name of the place, and then we need to get a motel for the night...a cheap one."

"Alright, alright." I shifted in my seat and pulled my cell out of my pocket to start a search for a cheap motel.

"What's the name of the bar we're supposed to meet her at?" he asked as I scrolled.

Without looking up, I said, "The Beaver Street Brewery … "

Before I could finish he cut me off. "Seriously, dude? Beaver Street?"

"I kid you not." I looked up from my phone. "That's what she said."

"Argh." AJ groaned.

"What?"

"That's gotta be a made up name. She really did just tell you a bunch of bullshit. There can't possibly be a bar in this town called, Beaver Brewery. Nobody would name a drinking establishment...Beaver."

I'd been frantically tapping on my phone, looking up the brewery name to prove him wrong, but I was beginning to think he was right. Maybe everything Allie had said really was a bunch of bullshit.

Beaver Brewery.

I bit my lip. It certainly did sound suspicious and my hopes were falling quickly. Then I found it. Triumphantly, I held out my arm showing him the glowing screen of my phone and said, "Ha! There. See that? Beaver Street Brewery, 11 Beaver Street. In yo face! She's gonna be there and I'm gonna win the bet. Be prepared to cry yourself to sleep tonight, my friend … " I glowered and wagged my head, teasing him with his own words. "Mo-fo." 

On the outside, I was all confidence and machismo, but on the inside I feared AJ was right. Allie was gorgeous and I wanted to meet up with her, but I wondered if she was even attracted to me. Why it mattered, I didn't know.

It shouldn't.

I was no stranger to getting chicks and my usual MO was to have fun then cut them loose once the sun came up. I had the look they all liked, well-defined physique, deep blue eyes, strong jaw, and I wore my hair in a modern cut with the sides shaved, but the top long enough for a lock to fall in my eye if not smoothed back, or sometimes I'd buzz it all off for football season. Usually, picking up girls was easy, but this new conquest, Allie, was a bigger challenge than the others. She didn't fall all over me the way others did. No, quite the opposite. She seemed disinterested and annoyed with me when we first met. Then she threw me that hot look as she walked past the car. I couldn't figure her out. First she was cold, then hot. The fiery look in her dark blue eyes piqued my desire and at the same time, dared me to take what I couldn't have. Suddenly, the silly bet between AJ and me shifted and there was a new challenge. Now it was between Allie and me.

I had to have her. Even if only for one night.





Cam





Sitting at a heavy, oak table at the Beaver Street Brewery, AJ and I watched as our waitress approached, carrying two frosted mugs of beer on a tray. A thin sheen of ice crystals on the outside of the glass dulled the amber ale's color, as if the beer inside-a gift from God in my opinion-had an angelic halo.

We were lucky. We found a cheap motel within walking distance from the bar and checked in before coming here. My gaze dropped to my watch and I wondered if Allie and her friends would show. It was past 10 p.m. I ran my hand through my hair, pushing back a stray lock.

The waitress placed the cold mugs on the table with a friendly smile and we told her to keep the tab open. After she left, my mind drifted back to Allie and our bungled attempt to be heroes at the gas station.

Before I had much time to think, AJ's words pulled me out of my thoughts.

"She had nice tits."

"Yeah, I saw you eye-fucking her when we rushed in to save her from that thief." I assumed he was referring to Allie.

AJ's beer mug landed on the tabletop with a thud. "I was talking about our waitress, numb nuts."

"Oh, the waitress? Yeah, she has nice tits too. More than a good handful, in my estimation. They say the perfect size fills a champagne glass, but I say, no. The perfect size fills a rice bowl at Panda Express." I leaned back and threw him a disgusted look. "Is that all you think about, tits and ass?"