Page 6 of A Little Bit Uncertain

“Not tonight, buddy. Get her number.”

“What the hell is your problem, Bennett?” He postured at him. The mystery man knew Bennett?

“Take her out first.” Bennett suggested. But it didn’t really come out as a suggestion as much as a demand.

“Hi”—both guys turned to me as I waved—“I’m right here. Don’t talk about me like I’m not.”

That diffused the tension between the two of them, and my new friend reluctantly agreed. “Hey, he’s right. I’d love to take you out, Audra.” I could see the annoyance on his face. But if he knew Bennett by name, he probably knew that Bennett held belts in two different martial arts, so a physical confrontation wasn’t in his best interest.

“Sounds like a plan,” I smiled at him. He took my phone, programmed his name and number, and came in to kiss me one more time as his Uber pulled up. “Call me,” he said before the door closed. I waved as he drove away, then spun to Bennett immediately. My flirty demeanor changed on a dime. “What’s your problem, Bennett? Since when do you get to cockblock me? YOU of all people. How many people in this bar right now, including the band members, have you slept with?” That wasn’t fair of me to say, and I knew it as soon as it left my mouth.

His face flashed a look of hurt, but he covered it quickly. “Look, King, I am always down for a fantastic hookup. Always. But that guy gets around, which I know I can’t speak ill of, but most importantly, he’s bad in bed.”

“How in the hell would you know that?”

“Word gets around, and part of my job besides having the best bars in town, is to know what’s happening in them,” he shrugged. “That guy spends a lot of time here. Do you even know his name?”

I looked at Bennett with both of my lips tucked into my teeth. He didn’t break his stare, only raised his eyebrows. I know he said it, but I couldn’t remember. “It started with an H,” I said, trying to discreetly check out what he programmed his name as.

Shrugging my shoulders because he had me, a smile slowly spread across his face, making me laugh. “Oh, my favorite Audra, I didn’t think so. If you’re going to let someone defile you, you need to know their name and be aware of any shoddy reputations. Like if he’s a two-pump chump, which our friend, named Harold by the way, is.”

“Harold? No, it’s Harry,” I looked at the name on my phone again to confirm. “Harold sounds like he’s an eighty-five-year-old grandpa. And you have no idea what he’s like in bed. You’re lying.” I laughed at the absurdity.

“But am I, though? Or is Harry his nickname, and he’s named after his granddaddy, Harold, who served in ‘Nam. Protip, he fucks like him, too.” We laughed, but I wasn’t completely sure if he was joking or not. “Let’s go in and call you a ride if you want to head home.” Holding his arm again, he led me inside, heroically saving me from two-pump chump Harold.