Chapter 28: I’ve Got Your Back
Leah Sinclair didn’t want to play. She had a gut feeling Morgan Sterling was going to make things difficult for her. Shaking her head, she went to put down her cue, but Morgan reached out to stop her. "You can hear the rules first."
Leah Sinclair and Ethan Shaw exchanged a glance. Asher Keating was already on his feet and walking toward them, which calmed her nerves. "Go on, Eldest Young Master Sterling."
"I’ll set up the balls, and you’ll take the shots. Just three times. If you win all of them, I’ll give you a hundred thousand. If you lose, you’ll keep me company for a month," Morgan Sterling said with a smile, rolling up his sleeves.
"I’m not playing," Leah Sinclair refused, her brow furrowing.
"One week."
"I’m not playing."
"Feed me a glass of wine. That should be acceptable, right?" Morgan Sterling let out a faint sigh, as if he was at a loss with her.
"...Fine."
Leah was terrified he would propose "one night" next. From Morgan Sterling’s posture, it was clear this game was unavoidable, so she agreed.
Morgan Sterling took the eight-ball and placed it casually. It was, one might say, an incredibly easy position. Leah looked up at the smiling Morgan, took her shot, and sank the ball directly into the pocket.
For the second shot, Morgan placed the eight-ball right in front of a pocket and the cue ball just a few centimeters away. Leah knew it couldn’t be that simple.
Sure enough, he then placed another ball between the two. All three balls were now clustered near the rail. Leah looked at Morgan, who smiled and made an inviting gesture. The other people in the room, who had been minding their own games, slowly started to gather around.
Leah walked over to the cue ball and sized up the shot. She recalled a technique a master of trick shots at the pool hall had once taught her. ’A massé shot would be best for this position.’
She held the cue nearly vertically, but it felt a bit unsteady. So, she perched on the edge of the pool table, braced her bridging hand against her waist, and measured out the point of impact.
Asher Keating’s eyes swept the room. A lot of men were staring at Leah’s long legs. Annoyed, he started to take off his jacket, but just then, Leah took the shot. The cue ball spun, curving around the obstacle ball before striking the eight-ball with neither too much nor too little force. The eight-ball sank into the pocket, while the cue ball came to a perfect stop right at the pocket’s edge.
"Nice shot!" Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling whistled. Leah let out a sigh of relief and hopped down from the table.
Morgan Sterling clapped slowly, but his eyes grew cold. ’Even if her skills are decent, this kind of shot is extremely difficult. I can’t believe she actually made it.’
He was still smiling. "Well, it seems I’ve underestimated you, Leah. This is the last shot. You’d better pull out all the stops. Otherwise, if you lose, you’ll have to feed me that drink... mouth to mouth."
"When did I agree to that?" Hearing his last few words, a surge of anger welled up inside Leah.
"Didn’t you agree just now when I was setting the rules? I just hadn’t finished my sentence. You were a little too quick to accept." Morgan took out the eight-ball and placed it directly in front of the cue ball’s spot. He then looked up, a frigid smile playing on his lips.
Asher Keating lit a cigarette. "Eldest Young Master Sterling, rules are set before the game, not changed in the middle of it."
"They were set. Weren’t they? We established at the start that if Leah loses, she feeds me a glass of wine. As for *how* she feeds me, that’s for me to decide, of course," Morgan said with a shameless grin, crossing his arms.
"Two hundred thousand. We concede." Asher’s gaze on Morgan turned ice-cold, his dark eyes sharp and severe.
"Nope."
"Five hundred thousand."
"Nope."
"One million." Asher stood up straight, his patience wearing thin.
"Heh. Third Master, do you take me for someone who’s short a million or two? You want to concede? Fine. Give me back the land in Southwood." Morgan leaned against the wall and lit a cigarette.
"Damn, isn’t that just straight-up extortion? You’re the one who lost the Southwood land to Third Brother last time. Ever heard of being a gracious loser?" Ethan Shaw grumbled, his voice just loud enough for the entire room to hear.
"That’s right. I lost last time, and I accepted it. This time, it’s Third Master Keating’s turn. We’ll just have to see if he’s willing to give up this land for Leah," Morgan said with a nonchalant smile. "For me, this land is expendable. But for you, Third Master... it’s a different story."
"Third Brother..." Ethan and Riley looked nervously at Asher. Asher frowned and turned to Leah, who was watching him quietly. Seeing her somber gaze, for a split second, Asher wasn’t sure if he should agree to Morgan’s terms.
Leah had heard them mention the Southwood land more than once. While she didn’t know the specifics, her field of study was related, so she could guess that Asher had likely won a major bid there.
She looked at Asher, his handsome brow deeply furrowed. In the depths of his eyes, she saw his flicker of indecision. And then, suddenly, her face broke into a wide smile.
"Third Brother, how about a little encouragement? I’ll save that Southwood land for you."
One moment, Leah was watching him quietly; the next, her face broke into a smile that curved her eyes into crescents and lit up her entire expression. Asher pulled her straight into his arms and kissed her. "Remember what I said. Just focus on the shot. I’ve got your back no matter what."
Ethan and Riley applauded wildly. "Leah, don’t be scared! You got this!"
Leah had only wanted Asher to give her some encouragement. She hadn’t expected him to just pull her in for a kiss, and she suddenly felt a bit shy.
"Come on, Leah. Whether your dear Third Brother can hold onto his land is all up to you now," Morgan said, watching the two of them. A smile played on his lips, but his eyes were like ice.
Leah tried to steady her nerves and walked back to the table. She examined the shot from several different angles, but none of them looked good. A massé shot was out of the question; the balls were too close together. One wrong move and both balls would drop into the pocket. A thin layer of sweat started to form on her skin.
"Hurry up! Stop stalling on purpose," Ben Coleman urged impatiently.
"Rush my ass! Eldest Young Master Sterling hasn’t said a word. Who are you to rush me?" A wave of irritation was already building inside Leah, and Ben Coleman’s prodding made her snap back without thinking.
"You—!" Ben Coleman was stunned that she dared to talk back. Morgan raised a hand, signaling him to shut up. He, on the other hand, watched with great interest as the young woman before him furrowed her brow, endlessly searching for an angle.
"Tsk, tsk. So Leah *can* lose her temper," Riley said, a little surprised. He knew about the time Leah had Ethan beat up Ben Coleman, but since he hadn’t seen it in person, this was the first time he’d actually witnessed her angry. It was quite a novelty. Asher, however, watched her, looking like a little cat with its fur on end, and a smile touched his lips.
Leah tried a few more times, a layer of sweat beading on her forehead. Gritting her teeth, she pulled off her sweater and tossed it onto the table. She took a hair tie from her wrist, holding it between her teeth as she messily swept her loose hair up into a bun. She had originally left her hair half-down to hide a few rather obvious hickeys, but she’d completely forgotten about that now.
Morgan’s eyes darkened. For some reason, the sight of Leah made his heart stir.
She had a youthful, almost preppy style, yet there were several obvious hickeys on her neck. Her beautiful, slender throat and the delicate collarbones that peeked out when she bent her head... The look was an alluring mix of innocence and sensuality.
’No wonder Third Master Keating is so possessive of her,’ he thought. ’If she were mine, I probably wouldn’t get tired of her anytime soon, either.’