“Owen was actually a guess, OwenedU,” I said. He sank into his chair and groaned. “But thanks for the confirmation. One down, two to go.” I gave him a smile as he took his drink. He got whipped cream on his nose as he tasted it. I went back to the bar and got the drink Noah had ready. “Joe's?” Noah nodded. “Sam” raised his glass in salute to my first name.
The boys were back in a furious battle, and this time I didn't have any hints on the other two gamertags. I was determined that “Joe” was going to be my next discovery. I had a feeling “Sam” was going to be the hardest, since he was the one paying me and benefited from me losing. Plus, from Noah's earlier almost slip, I knew “Joe's” real name started with a Lo- sound, but that could be Logan, Louis, Loren, Lou, or even a last name.
I grinned as I came up behind them. The match was close. I had played Xbox enough with my little brother to know how to read the game. This was almost too easy.
“Joe. Drink for Joe.” I called out. The three men were so intent on their game that no one responded, which was exactly what I wanted.
I called out again, louder this time. No response. I grinned wider.
I waited until the play clock dropped lower. OwenedU and JACKedUP were tied in kill counts with GUEST hot on their heels. It was crunch time for them now, and that was precisely when I stepped in front of the TV screen.
“Drink for Joe,” I said as innocently as I could. Owen swore, and Jack craned his neck to look around me. “Joe” nearly fell out of his seat trying to see the screen. I held the drink up higher, blocking more of the game.
“Just take the damn drink, Logan!” Jack hissed before realizing his mistake. He let the control drop to his lap, and he looked up at me, eyes narrowed in speculation as the game ended. Owen won the match again. “You did that on purpose, didn't you?”
“Maybe. Your brother bet me I couldn't get everyone's name by the end of the night, and now he's the only one left with a pseudonym.” I handed Logan his drink, moving away from the TV.
Jack raised his eyebrow at me and looked over at his brother. “Just first names?”
I nodded, surprised at how much they wanted to keep their identities secret from me.
“If you can get his name out of him, I'll match whatever he offered you.”
My jaw nearly hit the floor. Four thousand dollars if I could just get one more name. Holy freaking cow, was this night suddenly very profitable. I had hoped to get maybe an extra hundred dollars and a nice little paycheck for working this evening, and here I was with an opportunity to get four grand.
“Are you sure? I mean, he offered two thousand dollars, and I don't want to put you in a tight spot,” I said.
“Just two?” Jack frowned. He yelled across the room at his brother, “You're getting cheap, bro!”
“Sam” just grinned at him from the bar where he was talking with Noah.
“What are we calling him anyway?” Jack asked.
“Sam,” I told him, picking up a couple of empty drink cups. Jack laughed.
“Oh, I bet he loves that. Sam was the name of his girlfriend in middle school.”
“She was not my girlfriend!” “Sam” yelled at Jack, unfortunately sounding exactly like a middle-schooler.
“Right, that's why you cried-- ouch, man!” Jack stopped his teasing as Owen smacked his arm.
“I know it's your party, but I don't want you two to brawl again. Especially over that. Leave it,” Owen warned. Owen's blue eyes darkened as he stared Jack down. Jack glared at him for a moment and then shrugged.
“Rematch?” Jack asked, changing the subject. The tension in the room lightened again as they started up a new game and the sound of gunfire filled the “Man Cave.”
As I headed back to the bar, three more men came into the basement. Dean gave them each the evil eye as they passed under his careful watch, but they just came in like they were used to him. They joined the group on the couch, filling the fourth spot and starting to shout and laugh.
Noah and I started getting busy. The newcomers wanted drinks, and luckily they weren't all girly Noah specialties. Two local girls, Lana and Rosie, came in with platters full of food and began wandering around the room offering up the tasty treats.
It was a real party now. I grinned at Noah as party-goers kept coming up to the bar and requesting drinks. Noah and I worked in tandem as if we had always worked together. It was almost like we were dancing behind the bar. I would reach for the ice, brushing up against him as he went to open the chest for me. We'd reach for matching bottles on the shelf, our fingers caressing for a brief second. Every touch sent electricity crackling over my skin.