Hustle Me (9 page)

"Since I know you are going to miss, what are you thinking about wagering?"
 

"I'm shooting a match here later tonight. If I make this shot, then you have to come watch."
 

I think I was more shocked that he didn't tell me I had to blow him, or something completely ridiculous. "Why would I want to do that?
 

"Just agree so I can sink this already."
 

"Fine, let’s watch you miss!" I leaned against a stool and watched him line up his shot. I looked again and it was completely blocked. Jammer smiled at me and shook his head as he cocked up his stick in the air, instead of it being level. As he poked on the cue ball it spun around the ball blocking it and went over to knock in the eight ball. I stood there in shock. It seemed impossible and he'd made it look so simple.
 

"We start shooting around ten. If I were you, I’d close the bar then, so you can watch me take every single shot." He had a half smile on his face that I wanted to punch off.
 

"I am not doing that!"
 

"I made the shot fair and square."
 

"You hustled me!" I poked him in the chest when he got closer to me. He was close enough that I could reach out and touch him if I wanted to. "That isn't fair."
 

"Nothing is fair in hustling." The door sounded and I knew I had to get back to tending the bar. "You better be here at ten, or I will come looking for you."
 

I walked away and said nothing else. I wasn't going to watch him play. He was the biggest baboon I'd ever dealt with. I hated him.
 

Once our lunch rush was done and over with, I noticed that I no longer heard the pool balls being hit around. I waited twenty more minutes to go back and check on the billiards room, on account of not wanting to be set up by that asshole. When I got back there the pool light had been turned off and he was gone. On
top of his plate was a fifty dollar bill and on his napkin was a note that read 'ten p.m.'.
 

I crumbled up the napkin and tossed it on the plate, before carrying the mess to the trash. I couldn't believe he'd left me a fifty dollar bill. It had to have been a mistake. Maybe he just wanted to get his change when he came back in tonight, or maybe that was his way of making sure I showed up to give him that change.
 

I shook my head and realized I'd been played. "Damn!"
 

I spent the rest of the day sulking over having been played by that jerk. When Ryan's daycare bus dropped him off, it was the first time I let myself smile. I don't know why I was letting that creep get under my skin. He was probably some criminal.
 

Ryan grabbed his bag and started pulling papers out. "Look Charlie, I made you a picture."
 

I looked down at the paper and noticed that it was three people holding hands. The biggest person was in the middle. I pointed. "Is that Zach?"
 

"No, silly, it's me and you and that's our daddy in the middle." He pointed to where our feet were on the paper. "See, we are on top of the clouds. My teacher said we had to draw a picture
of a special place. Since we can only see daddy in heaven, that is where I wanted to draw."
 

What the hell do I say to that? "I think that is so sweet, Ry."
 

"If we could visit daddy in heaven, would you want to go with me?" He was so innocent and probably the cutest kid I'd ever seen.
 

"Kiddo, I'd go wherever you wanted me to as long as I could see you smile."
 

He giggled. "Charlie, I'm hungry."
 

I loved how he could change the subject like it never existed. "Go back to Shaun and tell him what you want. Don't forget to wash your hands before you come back out."
 

After Ryan ate all of his chicken tenders, he decided that he wanted to color. Shaun worked until seven and then headed home to be with his family. He was already such a big help to me.
 

When Ryan started to yawn, I locked the front doors and put the 'be back in ten' sign up. It was always more than ten minutes, but for now, I didn't really have a choice. I had no help and my brother was my first priority. After his quick bath, we got him into his pajamas and tucked into bed. It was probably bad, but
I always let him fall asleep with the television on. If he needed me for any reason, he knew I was just downstairs.
 

Usually, during the week, I could close the tavern by eleven, but this guy Tippy always came in and played pool late at night. Since he spent a bunch of money and brought in more customers, I let him hold late night matches. Once it got late enough, I would lock the doors and let them play.
 

The next few hours were pretty steady. A few people left because I didn't have the ability to keep the kitchen open once Shaun left at night.
 

Tippy came in and I got him a beer before hanging back at the bar while he warmed up. Two big Italian looking guys came in and ordered mixed drinks before heading back to join him. I don't know why, but my heart jumped when I heard the door open and saw Jammer walking in with two girls on his arms. It figures that he could pick up two bimbos at once.
 

I rolled my eyes as he approached the bar. He smiled at me like he wasn't carting the other girls around. "Hey, sexy, I need a Coke and whatever they want as well."
 

I shook my head and started making his soda. The girls giggled and ordered sodas too. I gave them theirs first and Jammer watched them walk away before he turned back to my attention. I slid the Styrofoam cup toward him. "I have your change from earlier."
 

"You don't owe me any change. I paid for a good meal and the entertainment that came with it."
 

"Did you just refer to me as entertainment?" I was more than pissed.
 

Did I look like some hooker?
 

He laughed at my comment. "If I did, what are you going to do about it?"
 

"Please take your soda and follow your little toys to the back room. I've already had about as much as I can take from you."
 

He leaned over the counter, to be sure nobody else could hear us. "That's too bad, because I can promise you that after one night with me, you'll never say that again."
 

I scrunched up my face. "You disgust me."
 

"Love me or hate me, but either way you're still thinking about me, babe."
 

"Go to hell."
 

He grabbed his soda and started walking away. "When you're lying on that bed tonight, think of me."
 

"I seriously hate you."
 

I really did!
 

Chapter 10
 

Jammer
 

I don’t know where in the hell Tippy found these two roughnecks we were playing. They were alright shots, but I almost felt bad for having to take their money. I, at least, liked a run for my money.
 

When I played a match with someone, we had to show our money before the match and leave it in the same place until the match was won by either person. Usually, we would put our stack of bills on top of the pool light. It was out of the way and didn’t attract anyone wanting to walk up and take it.
 

I broke and ran out all of my balls on the first rack, not even giving the guy a turn at the table. Tippy’s girlfriend and Jaye came along to watch us play and, even though it was nice to have two good looking women with us, I couldn’t help but think about the hot little thing that was on the other side of the bar. Something about her just got under my skin and made me want to keep taunting her. She got so mad; so red in the face that I thought it was comical. Of course she wanted to give me back my change
that I wasn’t going to ever take back. It was obvious she was struggling and her father had helped me when I didn’t have a pot to piss in.
 

The guy I was shooting wanted to take a smoke break, so I decided it was time for another drink. “Tip, you need a refill?”
 

“Yeah, man. You don’t have to go get it, just call Charlie. She’ll bring it in to us. I always tip her good before I leave.”
 

Charlie. Her name was Charlie.
 

I think a smile came across my face before I even knew what I was doing. Tippy looked over at his girlfriend and walked closer to me. “You don’t want to go there, Jammer. She ain’t like the Sugars you are used to.”
 

I patted him on the shoulder. “Yeah, let me be the judge of that.”
 

He chased after me and when we made it around the corner, I stopped. “I’m not playing, man. She’ll never give you the time of day. Charlie’s a nice girl who is really having a hard time. She had to drop out of college and become a parent to a brother she didn’t even know she had.  The last thing she needs is a one night stand with you.”
 

I pushed him, but not in a fighting kind of way. “You want her for yourself don’t you? What, did she turn you down?”
 

He scrunched up his face. “No, dude. My girl would kick my ass. That’s the only reason she came tonight.  She’s real jealous and thinks I have Sugars on the side.”
 

“You probably do!” Pussy was easy for us to get. If he wasn’t in love with his girlfriend, then I knew he was still hooking up with other chicks.
 

“Yeah, what she don’t know, won’t hurt her.”
 

I motioned my head toward the bar. “You hitting the bartender?”
 

He laughed and shook his head. “Nah, man, but not for lack of trying. She wouldn’t give me the time of day. She’s not really that fun to be around, but it didn’t stop me from wanting a piece. Her body is stacked and I’d love to bend her over.”
 

I pushed my old friend back towards the billiards room. “Dude, you have issues. Go back in there before your girlfriend goes all psycho. You cost me a grand, I’m going to have to kick your ass.”
 

“You can try.” I laughed as I made my way toward the bar.
 

Charlie was in the back and I could hear dishes being banged around. Since I knew the bar better than anyone, I walked in the back. She was scrubbing a large bowl out and from the way she was thrashing the water around, I could tell she wasn’t in the best of moods. I snuck up behind her and got close to her ear. “What are you doing?”
 

She jumped and soap suds went flying all over the place. “What the hell are you doing back here?” She backed away from me and started wiping off her face.
 

“Take it easy! I came up to a get a drink and didn’t want to help myself. Shit, I could have been one of those thugs. Why don’t you have someone helping you out at night? You can’t run this place yourself.” Where the hell was Bo?
 

She tossed me a towel. “Let’s just say that when my so called father died, his employees didn’t stick around. In fact, I’m pretty sure that I just lost the last one this week. I can’t catch a break, no matter how hard I try. I don’t expect someone like you to understand. Why are you even asking anyway? Don’t you have a girlfriend out there waiting for you? Does she know you keep hitting on me every chance you get?” She grabbed the towel from
me and tossed it on the counter. “Just tell me what you want, Jammer. I don’t have time to socialize and I sure don’t want to make any new friends. I don’t even have time for the ones I have.”
 

“I don’t have girlfriends.” I walked up close enough to brush the remaining suds off of her shoulder.  She started to back away, but I stepped forward to keep us close. “What about you?”
 

She kept her eyes focused on me and her hands at her sides. I grabbed the string to her apron and started pulling it loose. Her hand slapped me away when she realized what I was doing. “Don’t touch me!”
 

I put my hands up in the air, like I was under arrest. I couldn’t help but let a laugh escape when I saw how mad she was getting. “Come on. I’m just playing around with you. Do you ever smile? Charlie?” When she heard me say her name she tightened up her lips and folded her arms across her chest.
 

“I only smile when I’m happy, and that is usually never!”
 

I leaned back against a metal shelf. “I bet I can make you smile, Charlie.”
 

She put her hands up. “Please stop saying my name and please get out of my kitchen. Don’t you have a match going on? Did you lose already?”
 

“Of course, I didn’t lose but, it'd go a lot faster if you were watching, like you promised you would.” Okay, maybe I had hustled her earlier, but I liked messing with her. She got so uptight about it.
 

“I didn’t promise you anything! Go away!”
 

I crossed my arms and stood up straight. “The way I see it, you have two options. You can try to move me out of here yourself, which I promise you will fail at, or you can come watch me shoot. Either way I think, will be equally enjoyable for me.”
 

She rolled her eyes. “I really don’t like you at all.”
 

“I really don’t believe you.”
 

“I have no reason to lie. You’re an asshole!”
 

“Jammer, get your ass back out here and shoot!” Tippy’s voice interrupted us.
 

I grabbed Charlie by the apron and pulled her out of the kitchen with me. She tried to fight me. “If you don’t let go of me I am going to scream rape or something. I swear, I will.”
 

I kept laughing as I got myself a beer and pulled her into the billiard room with me. Right away I could see that Jaye was jealous, not that I cared. It wasn’t like I owed her anything, in fact, I hadn’t asked her to come with me at all. I pulled a chair out for Charlie. “Watch and learn, woman.”