There are a couple half-eaten sandwiches on Ethan’s fully stocked bar that are waiting for my mouth. He thinks one of those is his but he’s mistaken. Since his pregnant fiancé keeps interrupting our pool game with texts and phone calls, I’ve taken it upon myself to enjoy both the roast beef with swiss cheese and the turkey with avocado. He won’t notice until they’re gone. Not my problem.

Gauging where the cue ball is in geometric relation to the green number six ball I bend over, slide the pool stick back and forth over the slope between my index and middle knuckles, and aim. I pull back and take the shot. I relish the cracking sound, nothing like it. There’s something old school about this game that makes a man feel like a man. And since I made that corner pocket as I intended to, it’s time for chowing down.

“Highness, I know you want the baby out of you now. It’s almost time. Hang in there.”

I snort under my breath and vow never to be in his shoes. Sure they’re in love, whatever, I just don’t see myself ever settling down. With all the ass I get touring, why would I want to block the river of pussy flowing my way? No man would willingly do something that fucking stupid.

“Princess, stop swearing. Our daughter can hear you from the womb, and I want her to be a lady.” He locks eyes with me and grins on a wink. He doesn’t even see me stuffing this roast beef in my mouth. It’s the one he wanted most.

Love.

It blinds you.

“Okay, look,” he continues, heading off while rubbing the back of his head. He’s dressed in jeans and a graphic T-shirt, with sneakers kicked off and holes in his socks. I stare at them and open my mouth wide enough to shove an even bigger bite down my gullet before he catches on.

“I’m sending a foot masseuse over there to rub your feet right after this lunch meeting with Albert Fucking Cosnick. I’ll even tell Dolores she’s coming.” Ethan pauses and leans on the arched doorway, facing away from the game room. I polish off the rest of his sandwich as he says, “Yes, the masseuse will be female. And no I’m not fucking her.”

I almost choke from laughter. He’d told me Charlie has gotten weird in the final pregnancy stage. Jealous as hell. He thinks it’s adorable.

“Highness, I’m not sending a dude to rub my wife’s feet, so breathe deeply. You’re panting.”

I go take another shot and miss this time.

My mouth is as full as a squirrel hoarding his whole winter stash.

“Yes, I know you didn’t realize it was going to be this hard. But you know what Hannah said. When our little Kaya is in your arms you will forget all about these mood swings and beg me to impregnate you again. Who is that talking in the background? Are you calling me in the middle of your meeting? Go take care of your corporation, you nut. I love you. You sure you can’t shorten the day and come home early?”

I explode, “Oh, come on, give me a fuckin’ break over here! It’s your turn!”

He waves at me without looking back, saying into the phone, “If you decide to leave work early give me a call. I’ll kick Gabriel out of the mansion and show you what a real massage is.”

The turkey and avocado is in my hands now and I can’t open my mouth any wider than this. Half is devoured before he hangs up and walks to his pool cue. “What am I again? Stripes or solids?”

“Stripes. You make me ill with all that gooshy crap, Ethan. Pussy, meet whipped. And you’re the pussy.”

Lazily chuckling, “I won’t deny it,” my cousin gauges the eleven ball. It glides into the side pocket with a bank shot. “Who’s the best pool player in the world!? I am. That’s right. Me!” He looks over to the empty plates. “What the fuck!?”

I swallow down the last chuck of deliciousness. “What? Missing something?”

“You ate my lunch! That I made for you!”

“I thought it was all for me.”

“You’ll never change, will you?”

“Don’t see any reason to.”

He glares at me. “Remember that time you took the last deviled egg at the BBQ?”

“Which time?”

Growling he aims at the green-striped fourteen ball, takes the shot and misses, accidentally knocking the eight ball into the corner pocket and losing the game.

“I thought you were the best pool player in the world? Oh right, that’s me.”

He tosses his stick on the table and grumbles, “When are you leaving town again?”

My phone rings and I pull it out of my black jeans, chuckling, “You love me, don’t act like you don’t.” As I answer the phone I ask him one final, disgusting question. “You want the sandwiches back? I could stick my finger down my…hello?”

Maggie sounds impatient, but that’s her normal way of speaking. “You haven’t texted me back. Confirm the restaurant so I know you’ll be there.”

“What do I care where we’re going if the driver is taking us there?”

She pauses at my logic. During that beat a call comes through from my cousin. I put her on hold without telling her, and say, “Yo, Ben. I’m here at Ethan’s and I just kicked his ass in pool.”

Ethan shouts, “I got the eight ball in! He didn’t beat me!”

I put it on speaker and tell Ben, “That’s still losing.”

He responds, “Yeah, he still lost.”

“It’s not really losing!” Ethan argues.

Ben and I both say at the same time as I hold the phone up, “Yeah it fuckin’ is.”

“Whatever.”

Ben’s voice changes to overly casual as he asks, “Hey, uh, Gabriel. I heard someone won a date with you on a radio station.”

Taking it off speaker I hold up my finger out to Ethan and say, “Don’t even start!” He rushes me, grabs the phone before I can react quickly enough.

Ethan chortles while putting the phone back on fucking speaker, “What’s this? Someone thinks going out with Gabriel is a prize? Has she met him?”

Ben seems distracted though, because he doesn’t join in on the hazing. “Gabriel, you still there?”

“Yes. Why. Hurry this up. It’s ridiculous and I don’t wanna talk about it.”

There’s a long pause to the point where we think the call got dropped. Finally Ben’s voice comes through, again overly casual. “Where you going?”

“To Rays on The River – why?”

“I was just curious where something like this would go down. You meet her yet?”

“No.”

“See her?”

“No, I’ve never seen her. Why are you asking?”

I can almost hear him shrug as he says, “You know. Just curious.”

Ethan and I are staring at each other.

He has no clue why Ben’s acting so weird, either.

Slowly I say, “You said you were curious twice. What’s up?”

“I’ve got another call coming through. Catch you guys later.” Ben hangs up.

Ethan mutters, “What the fuck was that about?”

“I have no idea. Oh shit!” Grabbing the phone I take Maggie off hold. “You still there?”

“I want a raise.”