Page 9 of Outlier

Ollie broke eye contact and looked to the side as his jaw clenched. “She’s not doing that because she works for Vics. She’s doing it because she cares about her.”

The waitress arrived before I could reply, and we all ordered from the fancy-schmancy menu. I went for the least spinach/acai involved option I could identify after establishing that,no, there was not any black pudding available.

Once the waitress left, Felix started to ask Ollie about his loser brother-in-law, but I wasn’t finished.

“And your sister can’t buy her own lunch?” I interrupted, and both Ollie and Felix turned to me.

“Yes, of course she’s capable of buying her own lunch.”

“So, why make Lottie do it?”

Ollie sighed. “Something’s wrong with Vicky, okay?”

That tightness in my chest was back, so strong, I started to rub my sternum.

“What do you mean? You said she’s losing weight. Is she sick or something?” I tried to keep my voice casual, but Ollie’s sharp look, and the way Felix tilted his head to the side as he stared at me with a curious expression indicated that I was not quite achieving that aim.

“Why do you care so much about this, Mike?” Felix asked. “I thought you didn’t like Vicky.”

I cleared my throat and shifted in my seat. “I mean, she’s not exactly my cup of tea, but I don’thatethe woman or anything. What’s wrong with her?”

Ollie reached back to rub the back of his neck. “Look, Vics would hate me to divulge anything, especially… well, especially to you.”

“Why, especially to me?” I said in the most innocent tone I could muster.

Felix snorted, and Ollie’s eyes narrowed on me again.

“You know exactly why, you tosser,” he muttered.

I shrugged. “No clue.”

“Mike, you know she’s got a crush on you,” Ollie said with real impatience now.

I frowned. We’d never actually openly acknowledged Vicky’s obvious interest in me before, but there was something about Ollie’s turn of phrase that didn’t sit well with me.

A crush? That made Vicky sound like some innocent teenager harbouring romantic feelings.

Vicky was far from innocent, and I was quite sure the only feelings she harboured about me were related to the basic urge to bang me. None of that hearts and flowers bollocks. She was too much of a perfect princess to be considering that with me.

I snorted. “A crush? Let’s be honest, mate. Vicky wouldn’t mind shagging me as a bit of rough, but beyond that, I’m quite sure she’s not interested.”

Ollie had taken a sip of his coffee and started choking on it at my words.

Felix slapped him on the back.

When Ollie recovered, he looked at me with his eyebrows practically in his hairline. “Shag you?” he said in a tight voice. “You think that Vicky just wants to get her end away and have done with it?”

I shrugged. “Look, lots of your mates have wanted a piece of me at one time or another. Posh girls like to go slumming occasionally. Doesn’t bother me—they’re a good time.”

That was a lie—when one of Ollie’s posh friends had broken my heart at the tender age of fifteen, I’d been devastated. I’d overheard her taking the piss out of my accent and telling her mate, “You can’t take townies home to Mummy and Daddy, but they’re good for a few shags.”

I never told Ollie or Felix, but after that, I made sure that when it came to any upper-class birds, I always kept things extremely casual. “Vicky’s no different. And don’t get me wrong, she’s hot. But I like my women to have a bit more personality, even if it’s just for a roll in the hay.”

Ollie blinked. He stared at me for so long, I began to feel uncomfortable. “You really do not know my sister at all,” he said slowly.

I rolled my eyes. “Believe me, I’ve known plenty of women like your sister.”

“No,” he said sharply. “No, you havenot.If you think that Vics just wants toshag youin order torough it,and if you think she’s lacking in personality, then you don’t know the first thing about her.” His tone sharpened then, and his eyes flashed. “And you know what, you don’t deserve to know her, either.”