4

PYKE

Did she just walk out? She walks out of the coffee shop with her sexy ass without looking back. That cantankerous of a woman just walked out on me.

Un-fucking-believable!

Well, that’s new because women often come to me and not the opposite.

She’s right though, and I never deny the fact that I love to have fun with women, and stays single. I feel suddenly guilty. This city has a lot to offer, lots of interesting people, lots of food to taste, lots of beer to drink, lots of pus—

I startle when someone nudges my shoulder. I look up to see my cousin, Xandry.

“Seriously, you look like your goldfish just died,” Xandry remarks, taking a seat where that sexy cantankerous has seated.

“Don’t talk about goldfish like that when Bash is around,” I snicker.

He chuckles, “How’s your dick?”

The waitress left after taking our order, but Xandry doesn’t miss to take a look at the waitress’ ass.

“My dick is just fine, asshole. Stop asking about my baby in a public place like this. They think something happens to him.”

Xandry smiles, leaning his back against the chair. He scans his eyes around the almost full booths in the coffee shop.

“So, why were you frowning earlier? You didn’t even notice me coming in. I called you twice, but your mind seemed so far away, probably in between woman’s thighs?” He smirks.

Sometimes he is nosier than his twin, Saph but he’s one of my best friends. We have a lot of things in common—one of them is we both love women. We call him leg-spreader.

“Nothing,” I reply glumly. I hope he won’t pry anymore.

“Are you sure? Then what happened to your cheek?” he asks, arching his brow.

My hand flies to my cheek. “I hit the door,” I try to ignore his scrutinizing gaze on me.

He laughs at my poor excuse. I know he doesn’t buy it. “Did a woman hit your cheek?”

What can I say? He’s right. A woman hit me.

“I heard from Wright last night that there is a fearless woman hit you in your baby face,” he adds, rubbing his thumb on my bruised cheek.

“Don’t touch me, asshole. You could have jerked off on your way. Do you even wash your hands?” Pushing his hand off of my face, I cringe at the thought of Xandry jerking off in his car.

“I didn’t touch anything or jerk off, man,” he replies, showing me his goofy smile.

I grab a coffee that the waitress placed on the table. I didn’t get a good sleep. That hot piece of a woman completely plagued my mind with dirty thoughts about what could I possibly do to her. I was so glad to enter the coffee shop and found her here, then boom! She walked out on me.

I thought I was lucky that I could hit on her and make her agree to go out with me, then I end up banging her on the different surfaces of the hotel room, but instead, she gave me the longest speech than the State of the Union Address.

“Hey!”

I startle. “What?” Irritation creeps in my voice.

“Spill it, man. Since when did you become so secretive? If that woman turned you down then forget it.”

Scratching my five o’clock shadow, I say, “Yeah, I said something inappropriate but not enough for her to mark me like this.”

He looks amused. “What did you exactly say?”

“That Brittany or Gisele or whatever her name was got out from my office after I pressed her against the door. When I opened it, I almost bumped into that brunette then I said we could have a threesome.” I rub the back of my neck, feeling my face heats with embarrassment.

I’ve never been ashamed of sharing my active sex life with my best friends, but now I don’t know why I feel suddenly reluctant to share it with Xandry.

“She doesn’t know who you are, does she? Because if she knew you, she would be glad to accept your invitation. Have you seen her before?”

I shake my head. “Impossible I won’t remember her if I saw her before. She’s hot as hell. She’s not my type though, but I swear to God if she ever gets off my mind since I met her.”

Xandry’s eyes gleamed, and I can imagine what’s in his mind right now. Probably the same thing I thought about that brunette last night.

“But she has a big mouth,” I add, wrinkling my nose.

“How big?” he asks with a laugh.

“Infuriatingly big.”

“Wow! Do you think you’ll see her again?”

I shrug.

“I bet on you, man. She’s gonna end up in your bed, screaming your name over and over again till her throat hurts, asking for more while you take her from behind.” Xandry’s lips curve into a devilish smirk.

“Nah. Not interested in her. For what? I have an endless list of women. Why bother for someone who is not interested in me?” I say with a hint of dismay.

There is an unsettled feeling in the pit of my belly. I also feel a pang inside my chest.

“I bet my car. She will end up in your bed in less than a month. She’s a challenge to you, Pyke.”

I shake my head stubbornly. “She’s nothing!”

“Really? Then why did you look so lost and sounded disappointed? Are you afraid of losing your quarter profit?” he asks in a challenging tone.

My eyes narrow. “You won’t dare bet your car, Williams!” He’s probably joking because his car is Saph’s gift, and it means everything to him.

“It’s a bet then?” He offers his hand to seal the deal.

“Wait, how?”

“Take my car if you can take her to your bed after a month. I’ll take your quarter profit if you can take her to your bed in less than a month.”

My brows furrow. “Don’t you think I should sleep with her in less than a month?”

He shakes his head with tsks. “Nah. You will not sleep with any woman while the bet is ongoing. I’ll see how can you stay sane without banging someone for the whole month.”

My mouth gapes in disbelief.

“Don’t you think it’s unfair?”

“That’s how the bet works.”

***

It’s near the closing of the club. My staff and a few patrons are the only people left. I saunter to the main bar and occupy an empty stool.

My mind goes back to the bet I did with Xandry. I know it’s unfair to her, but she challenged me. She hurts my healthy ego pretty bad that no women did before her.

I don’t even know how to meet her again. There are millions of women in this damn city. And a lot of ideas pop out in my brain, but first I have to know her name.

I can just offer her money to pretend that we sleep together, but just how we ended up this afternoon I don’t think I have a chance of winning the bet.

I don’t know why I even agree with Xandry’s stupid game.

A challenge, yeah! And ego my ass! I groan in irritation.

“Same, boss?” Wright jars me out of my thoughts.

“Just give me a beer.”

“No kinky sex tonight?” he teases.

I roll my eyes. “Yeah, and no annoying your boss tonight, too.”

“Fine,” he drawls with a huge grin on this face.

“Shut that grin off, Wright!”

His smile fades. “How’s your piercing?”

I shrug. “You even have the gut to ask me if I have kinky sex tonight when I just got a piercing this morning?” I take a sip of my beer.

“I’m sorry, I totally forget about it.”

“No worries.”

“When does Parker come back?”

My big brother Parker was the one who recommended him to work with me.

His mother worked at one of my parent’s real estate branches. Kyland stopped his college when his mother got a mild stroke. He works two jobs, at a tattoo shop in the afternoon and at the Night Stalker at night to support his mother and his cousin.

“He’s coming back at the end of this month.”

Parker went with Mom to Italy. Mom’s grandparents own a vineyard and it’s harvesting time of the year. Parker went with her since I went with Mom last year, and Dad can’t leave the businesses here if they have to go both.

“It’s been two weeks since they left, right?”

“Yup. Go serve some patrons and stop bugging me.”

He walks away laughing.

I’m always friendly with my staff, but Wright is the closest. Maybe because I was a hard worker like him? Dad didn’t just hand me this club on a silver platter. I worked my ass off for two years to prove to him that I deserved to own the Night Stalker, though my brother was not interested in a business like this, I am sure he was not going to say no if Dad offered this to him.

The club finally closed. My staff cleans the whole area, placing the chairs on top of the tables, emptying, and replacing the liquor racks. They turn off the sound systems, closing the 3D walls, and wiping everything to look spotless.

I’m a little bit perfectionist when it comes to tidiness. I don’t want customers coming to me, complaining about the tidiness of my club. Even the bathrooms should be spotless before the club opens. The city sanitation inspection team also comes with an annual check-up.

Since I own and manage this club, I make sure to give my employees paychecks on time. Wright helps me with the staffing, mostly schedule because I don’t want them calling me to arrange their shits. I need a life, so I offer Wright extra cash for that.

I notice everyone left already except for Kyland.

“Why are you still here?” I ask when I notice him walking toward the same stool I seated a while ago.

“I put my cousin’s car in the auto shop. She took my baby after she sent me here, then went to meet her friends,” he explains.

“So, she’s coming?”

“Hmm.”

Before I can throw him another question, I hear the clicking of shoes in distant—that must be his cousin, but there’s something in those steps that sound familiar. My heart thuds in my chest.

“Speaking of the devil.” Kyland’s head jerks to his left.

“Kill!”

“Fuck!”