Page 109

"You must be out of your mind," I said to Cameron. "You'd better go home and have fun with your wife. With what you're spouting here, you should be glad she's still around at all."
Cameron grunted.
"Was that an answer? If so, I'm afraid I didn't understand it." I turned away and looked at Don. I had heard enough of my brother's stupid talk.
"Easy for you to say... pleasure." Cameron shook his head. "I only find pleasure elsewhere. I'll tell you one thing, marriage is no pleasure. You can count yourself lucky that you escaped it again."
I just shook my head. Cameron's sentences weren't getting any smarter.
"Actually, you have me to thank for that. I saved you. Without me, you might be sailing into the harbor of marriage right now with that... Isadora." Cameron furrowed his brow.
"ISABELLA!"
"What?" Cameron said.
"Her name is ISABELLA!" For some stupid reason, I couldn't stand that Cameron couldn't remember Isabella's name. She was a woman worth being called by her correct name.
What did you just think, Carter?
I pushed that question aside. Because much more interesting than what I had just thought was what my brother had just said. "What exactly do I have to thank you for, Cameron?"
"Well, for not being tied down. Getting married is really a stupid, dumb thing, Carter, let me tell you that. You really don't need to do it. I would never have done it either if it wasn't for Grandma's money."
"You said that already." I drummed my fingers on the dark table in front of me. What was my brother talking about? "Why do I have you to thank for that?"
"Well, you see..."
At that moment, the door of the pub opened again and two scantily clad women came in. I didn't give them a second glance. They looked cheap. They had none of the class that...
... that Isabella had, for example.
Isabella again.
Why couldn't I get her out of my head?
"Ahhhh.... Finally." Cameron staggered towards the two women. "My sweeties, what can I get you?" They looked him up and down.
"I'll have a Tequila Sunrise," the one on the left chirped. She was the more heavily made-up of the two and had platinum bleached hair. She was probably trying to look a bit like Marilyn Monroe. The attempt, however, had failed miserably.
"And I'll have a Sex on the Beach," her companion added. She had pink hair, at least five piercings in her face, and black-painted lips. I had never been into this type of woman, but my brother looked at her enthusiastically.
"Then let's have a nice evening," he grinned at the two ladies. He squeezed between them, put his arms around their waists, and stroked each of their bottoms with one hand. Then he gave them both a little slap.
"Shall we go?" asked Don.
I stood up.
"Cameron."
My brother turned around.
"You still owe me an answer," I said.
"Ohhhh.... Who's this Sexy Boy?" The woman with the pink hair looked at me admiringly and licked... not her lips, but her piercings. I returned her gaze coldly.
"No one for you," I put her in her place.
But that seemed to encourage her more. She giggled. "Well, we'll see about that."