Chapter 8

Moira

For never having played pool before, Zach is actually quite good. That means he has a keen eye for angles and distances, a concept he told me he practiced every day with this bow and arrow. After a few moments, whereby I had to lean over the pool table next to him and show him how to hold the pool stick, he was off and running.

One thing I have learned is that Zach is exceptionally smart. One day at my house, I spent a few hours asking him about his basic educational skills, and he told me that Father Gaul had taught him a few things over the years. He would bring Zach some used textbooks written in English to learn from and some works of fiction for him to read and discuss. When I pulled money out of my purse to show Zach our currency, he easily learned the denominations and had no problems with adding and subtracting, and he even understood basic multiplication and division.

Zach told me he enjoyed reading and devoured the books that Father Gaul had brought him. Father Gaul only brought him books in English to help him keep his native language alive, insisting that Zach would never know when he might need to fall on the use of that skill. I smiled when Zach told me his favorite book was Call of the Wild, and I thought to myself, Of course, that would be his favorite.

Zach and I are playing against Kelly and Lexi. Although they won the first three games, the more they drink, the better Zach and I are doing. I can honestly say it’s not a chore to watch Zach play. He looks beyond handsome tonight with his long, dark hair falling forward sexily and his jeans tight across his ass when he bends over the table.

“Seriously, Moira… I cannot believe you are not tapping that,” Lexi says as she bumps my shoulder and whispers in my ear. “You didn’t tell us how freakin’ gorgeous Zach is.”

“He’s not a play toy,” I grumble at her, even as I keep my eyes on Zach as he walks around the table to line up his next shot. “Besides… that would be totally inappropriate.”

“Who made up that stupid rule?” Lexi asks. “Is it written in your contract that you can’t have sex with him?”

“Be serious, Lex,” I tell her with a chastising tone. “I’m his teacher. He’s like my ward. It would be taking advantage of him.”

“Babe… have you seen the way he’s watching you tonight? He totally wants you to take advantage of him. Or rather, he totally wants to take advantage of you. He looks at you like you’re his prey or something.”

I roll my eyes at her and reach over to our table to take a sip of my water. When I set it back down, I tell her, “He doesn’t look at me in any particular way. No different from the way he looks at you and Kelly.”

“Well, if he’s looking at me the way he’s looking at you, then I’m going to take advantage of that.”

I take my palm and smack her lightly on her forehead. “Leave him alone. He’s a babe in the woods when it comes to confident women.”

“Just my type,” she says, and then sashays off to conspire with Kelly. They both whisper to each other, cutting glances at Zach. I just shake my head, because although my girls like to talk some smack, I know they’d never make a move on him. They’re very understanding of his circumstances and would never do anything to take advantage of the situation. Doesn’t mean they’re not talking about the fantasy of it though… right this very minute.

Zach bends over the table again, and I’m actually mesmerized by the way the muscles in his forearms flex as he holds his pool stick. He’s developed a habit of sticking his tongue out of the side of his mouth just a tiny bit when he lines his shot up, and of course, I can’t see that tongue without thinking about what it did to me.

I have never been so blown apart in my life as I was this afternoon. My face heats when I think about the fact I shamelessly stripped in front of Zach, and then proceeded to pleasure myself while he watched me closely. I had been so turned on, so consumed by lust, that when he asked me to release him from his promise not to touch me, I never gave it a second thought. I wanted his mouth on me more than I wanted to preserve the sanctity of my job in that moment.

I can try to rationalize to myself until I’m blue in the face that I was indeed teaching Zach something of our sexual culture, or I can even justify it by saying it was the only way to keep Zach here in the States, but if I’m honest with myself… I said yes to him because I wanted it for myself and for no other reason. Consequences be damned.

“There’s my girl,” I hear at my ear, just before a pair of arms wrap around my waist. For a brief, thrilling moment, I think it’s Zach. But no… it can’t be him because I’m staring blatantly at him while he plays pool right at this very second.

Craning my neck to the side, I realize it’s Michael who now has my body wrapped tight in his embrace and is resting his chin on my shoulder. I glance briefly at Zach and see his head tilted up from the table, watching us with curiosity, but his eyes are cold.

Shrugging my shoulders upward, I dislodge Michael’s chin and step out of his tight hold. Turning to him, I say, “What are you doing here?”

“You mentioned you were coming here tonight with your friends, and I thought I’d surprise you. My buddy, Philip, and I were up for a night out on the town.”

I try to give Michael a light smile, but my lips turn down in dismay. While Michael is a great guy and our dates have been lovely, they’ve just been a few dates. I’m not prepared to handle the warmth of his gaze as his eyes rake down my body in appreciation, and the fact that Zach is here just makes this seem awkward to me.

“This was sort of a girls’ night out,” I tell him, now succeeding in giving him a chastising smile.

Michael inclines his head toward Zach. “All evidence to the contrary.”

“Come on, Michael. You know what I mean. This is my girls’ night out and Zach is here as my guest, so he can experience a little bit of the nightlife culture.”

“Well… if you don’t want me here,” Michael says with a kicked puppy look, “of course, we’ll go. No worries.”

He starts to turn away, but guilt floods me so I reach out and touch his arm. “No, I didn’t mean it that way. Of course you should stay. You and Philip can play pool with us.”

Michael beams at me, and then waves his friend over to introduce us. Kelly and Lexi walk up and we make all the introductions, although Kelly and Michael know each other through the University. When I turn to find Zach, I see him casually resting a hip on the edge of the pool table, his hands clasped around the top of his cue. I motion to him with my hand and wave him over.

He stands from the table with unbelievable grace, and his eyes hold mine as he walks over to us. His expression is unreadable.

“Zach… I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Michael, and his friend Philip.”

The men all shake hands, and Michael says, “It’s great to meet you, Zach. Moira told me all about you today at lunch. I’m betting this is all a step above what you’re used to, right, man?”

I cringe over Michael’s thoughtless words and expect Zach to erupt, but he just turns to me with a questioning gaze. “This was your date today?”

“Yes,” I say quietly, lowering my eyes in shame that Michael was so callous in his words but not before I notice that Michael beams over the fact that Zach knows we went out on a date.

“That’s right,” Michael says as he puts his arm casually around my shoulders. “I’ve been dying to get some alone time with my girl.”

Anger surges through me that Michael would be so proprietary. Sure, we’ve been friends for a few years but geez… we went out on two dates. I’m not his girl.

I smoothly shrug his arm off my shoulder and step forward to take Zach’s cue from his hand. “It’s my turn, right?”

“Actually, it’s Kelly’s,” Zach says, and then turns to Michael. “And to answer your original question… No. This is not a step above what I’m used to. I find this modern existence to be dull at the best of times, uninspiring at the worst.”

“Excuse me?” Michael says in disbelief.

“This modern world you live in. Everything handed to you and you do nothing overly hard to get it. You don’t know what it’s like to truly live until you need to focus all of your daily energies on avoiding death. You swing through a drive-thru for your evening meal while I go out and kill my food every day. You don’t know how safe you are until you have to walk a daily path where at any moment, a deadly snake can strike at your ankle. Sure, you have your fast cars, loud music, and expensive meals at fancy restaurants, but you know what I think about all of that?”

Michael just shakes his head, his mouth hanging slightly open.

“I find it boring,” Zach says. “Unfulfilling. A plastic attempt to take life by the horns.”

“Well, I don’t think that is really what I was trying to say,” Michael stammers.

Zach’s voice is menacing and filled with derision, and although I know his words have momentarily stunned Michael, I know he won’t take lightly the backhanded slap that he’s just been dealt. Reaching my hands up, I put them on Michael’s chest and turn him toward the bar. “Look… why don’t you and Philip go get a drink and then you guys can get in on the next game, okay?

Michael glances over at Zach briefly, and then dips his head down. “I didn’t mean to offend him. He’s a little over reactive, don’t you think?”

“It’s fine,” I assure him just to get him away from Zach. “Just be a little more sensitive. I told you it was hard for him to leave his home.”

“Sure,” Michael says before he heads off to the bar.

When I turn back around, Zach is standing there. “It’s your turn now. Kelly just shot.”

Placing my hand on his forearm, I say, “Zach… I’m sorry. I didn’t invite Michael here tonight, and I apologize for his thoughtless words to you.”

Zach shrugs his shoulders. “We have thoughtless people in Caraica too, Moira. I’ve heard worse.”

“Thanks for being a good sport,” I tell him, giving his arm a squeeze before I release it.

“Come on, Moira,” Kelly calls out from the other side of the pool table. “Quit yapping and start playing.”

I turn toward the pool table, but Zach’s hand snakes out and catches me by my wrist. I turn to look back at him, and his stare is intent. “What is this man to you?”

“Well… he’s a friend.”

“But you went out on a date with him. He touches you a lot. Do you want to have sex with him?”

Taking a deep breath, I let it out. “No, Zach. I don’t want that.”

“I don’t like this feeling I have,” Zach says with his brows furrowed in consternation. “I don’t like watching him put his hands on you.”

“It’s nothing,” I assure him, although I’m pretty positive that’s possessiveness and jealousy that Zach is feeling right now.

“It is something, Moira. I’ve watched many of my tribe mates fuck Tukaba in the dirt not five feet from me. It never bothered me to share her. But this bothers me.”

Pleasure courses through me as I realize that for all the times that Zach bemoaned the loss of his Tukaba to me, that she was nothing more than a convenient vessel for his release. I thought he viewed me the same way, but it’s clear to me now that Zach is developing some feelings toward me.

This should dismay me because it just makes things more complicated. But on the contrary, it relieves me, because it gives credence to the fact that I’m developing some feelings myself where Zach is concerned, and it also validates that what happened this afternoon is something more than just a perverted escapade disguised as something else.

“Geez, Moira… any day now,” Lexi calls out.

“We’ll talk about this later, okay?” I tell Zach, and he gives me a nod.

Moving over to the pool table, I check out my options. I have two decent shots but we’re so far ahead of Lexi and Kelly now, I opt for the more difficult one. Bending over, I line up the five ball with the pocket, drawing my gaze back to the cue ball. Before cutting my eyes back to the five, I make the mistake of looking up at Zach. He’s watching me intently and, when our gazes meet, I know that our talk tonight is probably not going to be productive. I can see it in his eyes… hungry, hungry eyes that hold mine just a moment before dropping to my breasts, and a shiver runs through me.

Sliding my eyes back to the five ball, I pull my cue back and let it loose.

And miss my shot by about a mile.

Lexi and Kelly snicker behind me, and I give Zach an apologetic smile as I walk back over to him. He hesitantly returns it, but his look is no less needful.

From the corner of my eye, I see Michael return with his friend and holds out a shot glass to me with a smarmy grin. “Here you go, Moira. I bought you a shot of tequila. Figured it will loosen you up a bit.”

“I’m not drinking tonight,” I tell him with a bit of ice in my voice, because I also don’t miss out on the fact that he didn’t offer Zach anything.

“All the more for me,” he laughs and shoots my tequila back, followed by the other one he was holding in his hand for himself. Reaching over, he slams both glasses down on the table and says, “That’s what I’m talking about. Let’s get this party started.”

I start to roll my eye, but I’m cut off in mid-roll when Michael’s arm shoots around my waist and he hauls me into the side of his body. Leaning over, he nuzzles my neck, and I can smell more than just those two tequila shots on his breath. “Any chance I can get you to come home with me?”

Squirming out of his grasp, which is giving me heebie-jeebies, I push away at him. “Cut it out, Michael. What is wrong with you?”

His arm snakes back out again to make a grab for me, a stupid grin on his face. “Come on, Moira. Lighten up.”

Just before he’s able to get ahold of me, Zach flies by me in a blur. Then it turns into slow motion as Zach cocks his right fist back and lets it fly at Michael’s face. It connects solidly with his jaw and Michael goes careening backward, landing hard on the concrete floor. Zach’s not finished though. In a flash, he leaps onto Michael, straddling him at his stomach and wrapping his hands around Michael’s throat. Bearing all of his weight down, he tightens his grasp, and Michael’s eyes widen in fear.

It’s all so surreal as I watch… Michael’s eyes bugging out in distress, his fingers digging into Zach’s hands to try to get him to release his hold. Zach’s face though is eerily impassive. No anger, no rage… just pure calm as he bears down on Michael and strangles him.

Philip finally jumps into action and tries to pull Zach off, but Zach’s too big and too strong for him. A few women nearby cry out for someone to get the bouncers, and Philip finally gets a chokehold on Zach from around his back.

It’s not working though. Zach merely tightens his grasp, and Michael’s face starts to turn red.

Oh, my God… he’s going to kill him.

Snapping out of my stupor, I run forward and grab onto one of Zach’s arms. “Zach… stop it. Right now. Let him go.”

Zach doesn’t even acknowledge me, just continues to stare calmly at Michael, who is now turning a heart-stopping shade of purple.

I tug furiously at Zach, tears now filling my eyes in panic. Leaning forward, I put my own face in his line of sight so he’s forced to look at me. When he makes eye contact, I implore him, “Zach… I’m begging you, please let him go. Please.”

As if “please” was the magic word, Zach releases Michael’s neck, but he’s not done with him yet. Even as Michael coughs and sputters, his one hand massaging his neck, Zach leans in closer to him and snarls, “If you touch her again, I’ll kill you.”

Two sets of meaty hands attached to two bouncers reach out and haul Zach off Michael, but he doesn’t fight them. Instead, he just stares at Michael, making sure he understands him clearly.

“What the fuck, Moira?” Michael rasps. “Look at what your freak of a jungle boy did to me. He’s fucking insane. I want someone to call the cops.”

My mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. I’m beyond appalled that Zach did that, and I know had I not intervened, Michael would probably be seriously hurt. All because he tried to grab me. A violent shudder runs through my body, and I feel nauseous.

“All right… you need to go, buddy,” one of the bouncers says and starts to haul Zach out of the club.

“I demand that you call the police,” Michael yells at the bouncers as he stands up from the floor. I can see purple marks starting to rise on his throat.

“Call the cops if you want,” one of the bouncers says over his shoulder. “But take it outside. We don’t want that shit in here.”

Looking around in a panic, I lunge for my purse and look at Kelly and Lexi, who are standing there with their mouths hanging open. “Make sure Michael’s okay, and whatever you do tonight, please talk him out of pressing charges. Zach does not need that right now.”

“Moira… I don’t think you should go home with him. He’s dangerous,” Lexi says with concern etched deep in her eyes.

“I’ll be fine. The situation just got out of control,” I tell her as I turn away.

Kelly is the one that reaches out and grabs me. “No, Moira. This is stupid for you to go home with him. Did you just see that? He would have killed Michael if you didn’t get him to stop. He could hurt you.”

I give her a tremulous smile and tell her, “I promise, I’ll be fine. Zach would never hurt me. Just trust me on that.”

I spin away from my friends and hear Lexi call out, “Call us when you get home, okay?”

I give a hasty wave over my head and run out of the club so I can find out what the bouncers did to Zach.