Chapter 108 A Wake-Up Call at Celeste’s Bar
POV Luca:
“You play better than many,” I compliment her.
“Thanks… Luca, right?”
Seriously? She doesn’t know my name?
“That’s right.”
“Well, if you’ll excuse me, Luca, I need to defeat your brother. Son of a bitch.”
She turns her back on me and goes right back to sinking one ball after another. Dominic’s expression is downright menacing—and no wonder. My brother is being massacred by a woman barely five feet tall, with her hair styled into two horn-like buns, wearing a lime-green dress and heels in a color I’ve never seen in my life. This night will be forever etched into my brother’s mind—and mine.
“I think I won,” Maya says proudly as she sinks the last ball.
Everyone looks at Dominic, who is visibly furious. He’s not a good loser. Maya sets the cue down on the table and walks slowly toward my brother, who’s still staring in disbelief from the table to her.
“So, what do I win?” she asks with a grin from ear to ear.
“We didn’t bet anything,” Dominic says.
He sizes her up from head to toe and snorts in her face. My brother really doesn’t know how to lose.
“What do you want? A drink? Fifty dollars? Just pick one,” he offers, and Maya’s eyes widen.
“Can I ask for anything?” she asks excitedly, and I’m very interested to see what she’ll choose.
“Anything that’s inside this bar,” Dominic cuts off her imagination, and I smile. My brother was smart.
“Perfect.” She steps closer to Dominic and whispers something in his ear that makes his eyes almost pop out of his head. “That’s what I want.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“No,” she replies, chin high. “You said anything.”
I’m lost, looking from one to the other, unable to imagine what she could have asked for to leave my brother nearly foaming at the mouth. Dominic looks at me, then at our brothers, then growls, curses, damns everything, and finally grabs Maya by the hand, dragging her out of the bar. As Dominic strides ahead, Maya skips along behind him, trying to keep up. I stare at the scene, confused. A few minutes later, curiosity gets the better of me, and my brothers and I follow them outside.
It takes us a while to find them, but soon we spot them in the dark alley. I’m shocked by the scene unfolding before my eyes. Dominic is on his knees, his face buried between Maya’s legs, while she moans loudly, lost in her own pleasure.
(...)
POV Maya:
Here I am, at Celeste’s bar, ready to put my plan into action. Since the day I went to the farm and had lunch with the Morettis, nothing else has happened. That was four days ago. My patience is wearing thin. I need to know that I’m not in this alone. I need them to at least consider me as the right woman for them. I feel like something happened—something David didn’t tell me—and I need to find out what it was so I can be sure of where I’m stepping with my Gucci heels. I can’t make a fool of myself. I tried to probe discreetly about whether they’re looking for a bride, but I was as subtle as I could be, and still no one knows anything to share with me.
I’m seriously considering flying to Dallas just to corner David and force everything out of him. But that would be a waste of my money. Tay told me that next week he’ll be coming to the farm to help his parents, and thinking about that, I need to pay a visit to the Burts. Since I arrived, I haven’t gone to the farm even once, and if my friend finds out, she’ll kill me.
My thoughts scatter the moment the five Morettis walk into the bar. I adjust my dress, ready to make these men notice me. I need to know how they choose their candidates, and I need them to see me as the perfect contender—the right choice for a bride. I don’t know how they came to the decision to choose a woman to be involved with all of them, and I really need to find out the reason, and most importantly, why.
I can’t believe they just woke up one day and decided to live a polyamorous relationship—at least I hope that’s not how it happened. To live a polyamorous relationship, everyone involved has to be mature enough to deal with other people’s judgments, and above all, not be jealous of one another. That’s what Taylor confided in me before she went to live with her boyfriends.
I decide not to think about that for now. First, I need to get closer to the Morettis and find out if there’s a chance for us to work. I take a deep breath, determined to order my favorite drink and enjoy the night. Cooling my thoughts is the best thing right now. I’ll think about how to approach them again later.
“I’d like a Sex on the Beach,” I ask the bartender, who frowns.
“A what, woman?”
“Are you seriously telling me you don’t know the most famous drink on American television?” The bartender shakes his head no.
I can’t believe he’s never watched the series Sex and the City. This is ridiculous. What kind of bartender is this, anyway?
“Fine. What do you recommend, then?”
I decide not to ruin my night over this.
“Wake the Devil.”
“A what, man?” I repeat, shocked, echoing exactly what he said to me a few seconds ago.
“It’s the most requested drink here.”
I think for a few seconds about whether or not I should order one just to try it. But isn’t that why I’m in El Soledad—to try new things? Yes, it is. So I can drink a Wake the Devil without any problem. What’s the worst that could happen? I have a strong tolerance for alcohol. I don’t get drunk easily. I’m used to drinking whiskey and taking shot after shot of tequila. Anything with a lower alcohol content than that is basically juice to me.
“Okay, you can bring it, please.” The bartender gives me an enigmatic smile and turns to prepare my drink.
While he makes the questionably sourced beverage, I scan the room, looking for the Moretti brothers, and it doesn’t take long to spot them gathered around the pool table. They look incredible. Dominic in a black shirt with that permanently grumpy expression is a sight to behold. Luca, with his ever-present look of disdain, always leaves me hypnotized, as do the twins with their sideways smiles—the things I imagine doing with them… Better not think about that right now. My eyes land on Sebastian, who is the most reserved among them. Why is he so serious? Not even Dominic, with all his grumpiness, is as serious as he is. I need to find out why—and make him loosen up.
The bartender pulls me out of my not-at-all-discreet assessment of the brothers by placing the drink in front of me. I examine the unusual creation, starting with the red straw shaped like the devil’s pitchfork. The liquid has three colors: the base is a shade of orange, the middle is a vivid red, and the top is a beautiful wine color. The drink looks classy. I’ve never seen anything like it before—and I’ve been to plenty of clubs in Dallas.