Page 10 of Bang

I was still trying to think of something that was age-appropriate when Livia made a sound of annoyance. "Hurry up," she urged. "He's waiting."

Oh, screw it.I looked to Mason and said, "Actually, I don't remember it either."

He gave a curt nod. "Good."

I felt my brow wrinkle in confusion. "Wait, why is that good?"

"Because we're wasting time."

Nowthatwas a joke. "You do realize we're in a nightclub, right?"

"Yeah, so."

"So, by definition," I said, "that's why we're here. To waste time."

Next to him, Livia said, "I'mnot wasting any time." She made a show of licking her lips. "I can bequiteproductive, if you know what I mean."

I stared in stunned silence. She wasn't suggesting what Ithoughtshe was suggesting.

Was she?

Mason turned to face Livia head-on. Looking less than flattered, he asked, "Is that so?"

"Oh yeah," she said, giving his crotch a long, lingering look. "And I'm soverythirsty."

Oh, God.I wanted to die of embarrassment, although for the life of me, I couldn't imagine why. I mean, it's not like I cared what Mason thought of me. And even if Ididcare, he'd surely realize that Livia and I were two very different people.

As I watched, Mason reached across Livia and picked up the mojito she'd discarded earlier. He shoved it vaguely in her direction and said, "Here. Now go drink that somewhere else."

She drew back. "What?"

He shoved the drink closer. "You heard me."

"But…" She summoned up a shaky smile. "That's, um, not what I meant, actually."

Watching from the sidelines, I didn't know whether to laugh or sympathize. I'd known Livia since kindergarten, and I'd never seen her so rattled. Then again, I'd never seen her rejected before.

Mason was still holding the drink. "I know what you meant," he told her. "And like I already said, I'm not interested." He flicked his gaze toward the mojito. "Now do you want this or not?"

Yikes.

By now,Ialmost wanted the thing. Livia had barely touched it, and the glass was still nearly full. Oh sure, the ice had gone all melty, but I didn't care. Suddenly, the thought ofanydrink, watery or not, sounded shockingly good.

I was still eying the mojito when Livia practically ripped it from Mason's hands. Not bothering with the straw, she lifted the glass to her lips and downed the whole thing without coming up for air, not even once.

I had to admit, it was pretty darn impressive.

When she finished, she thrust the empty glass toward Mason and said, "There. You happy?"

"Not really," he said, making no move to take the glass. "You were supposed to do that somewhere else."

Her eyes narrowed. "You aresuchan asshole. You know that?"

"No kidding." And with that, he turned back to me and said, "About the job offer, let's talk."

Chapter 4

Cami