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Owen happened to look in Eric’s direction, and he saw that the other man was seething. His face had turned red, and the veins in his neck were bulging out. He was clenching and unclenching his fists, and he was glaring daggers in Nathan’s direction. Owen turned to Nathan and was not surprised to see his trademark self-satisfied smirk. Oh, fuck – thought Owen – If I don’t do something quickly, we’re going to have World War Three here!

Owen clapped his hands together five times to get everyone’s attention, and once he had it, he said, “We are all excited about having Arnold back with us, but you must all be as hungry as I am, so let’s settle down and get the waiter in here so that we can order!”.

“An excellent idea!” Alex said. He sat down first, and everyone else sat around him, assuming the seats they’d previously occupied, with Arnold sliding in next to Crystal. And while they were getting settled, Antony went outside to get the waiter’s attention.

When Antony returned with the waiter, Nathan smiled at Arnold and said, “Big brother, why don’t you order first?” But Arnold didn’t hear him. He was too distracted by the black leather collar around Crystal’s neck.

Eric frowned and said, “Is there a problem, Arnold?”

Arnold ran a finger along the collar and said, “This is a problem?”

Eric rolled his eyes and said, “That’s nothing. Are there any real problems?”

Arnold sighed and said, “There might be.”

Alex: “Was there a problem with the test results?”

Arnold shrugged and said, “It seems that the report Leslie showed us was accurate.”

Alex: “So, you and Leslie are not related by blood?”

Arnold: “That seems to be the case.”

Alex: “What are you going to do now?”

Arnold: “What can I do? I can do nothing. Leslie’s grown up, and I can’t handle her wild temper. She’s 21 years old now. I need to marry her off before she gets any worse.”

Owen: “There’s no need for you to worry about that. Now that Leslie isn’t our sister, we can wash our hands of her.”

Alex: “And besides, we don’t even know where she is, do we?”

Arnold: “No, we don’t. Despite all of my efforts, she is still missing.”

Eric stretched and turned to face Arnold. “Let’s change the topic,” he said. “Arnold, I want you to be our witness.”

“What is this about?” Crystal asked.

“It is about a debt owed and a favor promised,” Eric replied. He turned to Nathan and said, “You remember, don’t you?”

Owen gasped, and the room went silent.

Oh, shit! he thought.

Alex’s face had turned white as he suddenly remembered that Nathan still owed Eric one undeniable favor. If Eric called that favor now and demanded that Nathan reject Crystal, things could get very ugly.

Crystal didn’t know what Eric was talking about, and she looked around the table nervously.

Nathan nodded and said, “I remember. And I am a man of my word.”

Eric: “What if I said that I want Crystal?”

Nathan: “Then I would tell you to ask her if she wants you. I don’t own her.”

Eric: “If she said she wanted me, would you stop pursuing her?”

Nathan: “It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t want you.”

Crystal looked back and forth between the two men. She didn’t like being treated like a piece of meat, and she felt embarrassed and sick to her stomach. These men were acting like two dogs fighting over a bone. But I am no man’s bone – thought Crystal.

Arnold saw the look of discomfort on Crystal’s face, and he said, “You two need to stop acting like kids and behave yourself. We all came here to have a good time. Let’s order our food and try to make the most of this night without fighting!” He clenched his fist. “I had better not have to repeat this because if I do, heads are going to roll!”

Nathan took a deep breath, nodded, and apologized to Crystal.

Crystal hadn’t anticipated Arnold’s help, and she kissed him on the cheek and thanked him. Nathan began to regret bringing Crystal. He had to worry about Eric and Arnold now.

They ordered their food, and then Crystal excused herself to go to the restroom. She didn’t need to go to the washroom, though. She needed a break from the men at the table. Once she was alone in front of the mirror, she splashed cold water over her face and looked at her reflection. She wasn’t much to look at. She knew that, and she had never understood why men were always fighting to be with her. It makes no sense – thought Crystal – I am too much of an uggo to warrant this much attention!

Suddenly, Eric barged into the women’s washroom, and Crystal was so startled that she nearly peed.

Eric glared at her from across the room.

“Tell me!” he growled.

“Tell you what?” Crystal cried.

Eric: “Tell me if you were the girl that spat beer all over my face at the Merah Club. And tell me what is going on between you and Nathan Davis.”

Crystal was surprised by his demand. She said, “I can’t believe you haven’t figured this out on your own…”

“I have some ideas,” Eric said, “but I want to hear you say it.”

Crystal: “What if I told you that all of your inferences were correct? What then?”Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

Eric: “Then, I would respectfully ask for one last thing before we parted ways.”

“Is it a kiss that you want?” Crystal asked.

She was slightly unsettled by Eric’s sudden willingness to cease his pursuant of her. And she felt more than a little wary of this sudden change of attitude. She thought, suddenly, of the big bad wolf-What big teeth you have, Grandma!

The better to eat you with, my dear!

Eric took four steps forward, bridging the gulf between them. Then he smiled and tucked a loose thread of hair behind her ear. “Would you let me?” he asked. “Would you let me kiss you… one last time?”

Crystal took a deep breath. “What if I said no?” she asked.

“It would be too late,” Eric replied. Then, as the words left his mouth, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers.