CHAPTER 269: CHAPTER 269 CARDS ON THE TABLE

Joseph’s POV

I arrived at The Social Club with the guys, ready for an evening of poker and drinks. We were there to support Draven, who’d been trying to win Caroline back after totally screwing up. While I thought Caroline was right to be angry, Draven was still my buddy. When Ryan and Nate started going on about how the girls were "mobilizing" against us because of Draven’s drama, I started getting a little worried.

"So where exactly are they meeting?" I asked, drumming my fingers on the table. If Ava was with them, I could swing by and pick her up after.

Nate shook his head. "Eleanor specifically said, and I quote, ’it’s none of your business’ and told me to pass that message along to all of you."

"Can’t we just track them?" Ryan suggested, looking around the table. "Luke, you can trace Kyle’s phone, right?"

Luke nearly choked on his drink. "Absolutely not. Last time I did that, she threatened to make me sleep on the couch for a month. And that was to help you, remember?"

I pulled out my phone. "I’ll just text Ava. We made plans to meet up today anyway."

[Hey gorgeous! Sleep well? What time can I pick you up?

Her response came almost immediately:

[Hey handsome! Slept like a baby. Unfortunately, I can’t see you today, I’m with the girls.]

Just as I suspected. I typed back:

[I spent all night thinking about seeing you again. Tell me where you are and I’ll stop by briefly.]

"Nice one, Joseph!" Ryan patted me on the shoulder as he read over it.

My phone buzzed, but instead of Ava’s name, I saw Eleanor’s:

[Joseph, I’m sure Nate already delivered my message, as he knows better than to cross me. But in case you didn’t understand: WHERE WE ARE IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! And stop texting Ava, she’ll talk to you when she’s good and ready. Oh, and don’t you dare show up hungover at the office tomorrow.]

I passed my phone around, and everyone burst out laughing.

"What can I say?" Nate shrugged. "She bosses me around, and honestly? It’s hot as hell."

"She does the same to me," I admitted, "though I’m a little terrified of her."

"At least we know who runs the girlfriend club," Draven muttered.

"Let’s play some poker," Ryan suggested. "Maybe we can win back some of our dignity."

We headed toward the game room, and I was just settling in when I felt someone press against my back.

"Joseph, darling! What a coincidence finding you here!" Sophia Walter draped herself over my shoulder, shoving her silicone-enhanced breasts in my face.

I frowned, trying to create distance between us. "Sophia, back off. I’m here with my friends."

"Don’t be such a grouch," she purred, running a finger down my chest. "We’ll keep you boys company." She turned to Draven. "And I’m calling Ella to come over. You need her to keep you company, Alpha Draven."

"For fuck’s sake, Sophia, leave that spoiled princess out of this," Draven growled. "I don’t need her around, and you need to mind your own business."

"Well, I’ll stay with you then," her friend Jasmine offered, leaning against Draven who looked ready to commit murder.

"And who’s this handsome specimen?" Sophia’s friend Rafael eyed Nate like he was dinner.

"Back off, Rafael," I warned. "That one’s taken, and his girlfriend bites."

Another woman, Vanessa I think, was climbing into Ryan’s lap. "How about a private tour, handsome? I know all the best spots in this club."

"We’ve been through this, Vanessa," Ryan said firmly, trying to pry her hands off him. "Not interested."

I tried to pull my face away from Sophia’s chest when something across the room caught my eye. My whole body tensed up, and Dean was pissed in my head.

That bastard is touching what’s OURS.

Draven must have seen the look on my face because he followed my gaze and got it right away. He turned to the women around us.

"Listen up, you desperate bitches," he snapped, not bothering to hide his contempt. "Turn around and get the hell out of here before I call security and have you dragged out."

"Wow, Alpha Draven, you’re particularly charming today," Rafael said through clenched teeth.

"Fuck off, Rafael," I added, my eyes never leaving the scene across the room. "You ladies don’t seem to understand what ’not interested’ means. Go hunt elsewhere and leave us alone."

"Come on, girls," Jasmine huffed, gathering her friends. "They’re clearly not worth our time today."

When they finally left, I exhaled slowly. "Guys, look three tables to the right."

"Holy shit," Luke breathed. "Kyle is all over that guy!"

"All over him is putting it mildly," Ryan growled.

We looked at each other and got up at the same time, totally on the same page. We walked over to their table, and I was getting more pissed off with every step. Luke got there first.

"Having a good time, sweetheart?" he asked Kyle, his voice way too calm.

"Oh yeah, they definitely look like they’re having a blast," I said, stepping up behind Ava, who went stiff when she heard my voice.

One by one, we walked over to our girls. The guys sitting with them looked us up and down, more amused than scared. One of them, Ruby’s brother Jax I think, had the balls to invite us to join them.

I’ll rip his fucking throat out, Dean growled.

Draven moved first, grabbing Caroline’s arm. "We’re leaving. Now."

Eleanor shot back immediately. "We’re staying right here. You don’t get to boss us around."

Surprisingly, Nate didn’t back down. "No, you’re coming with us, Eleanor. This little game ends now."

I put my hand on Ava’s shoulder, giving it a squeeze. "Thanks for keeping the ladies company, guys, but we’ve got other plans tonight."

One of the men, Dominic I think, smirked at me. "How about we settle this like men? Poker game to see who takes the ladies to dinner?"

Ryan, the idiot, jumped right in. "You’re on."

We had no choice but to sit down and play. It wasn’t just about money anymore. It was about our pride and our women.

I could barely focus on my cards. Every time Theo got close to Ava or she laughed at his jokes, Dean went crazy in my head. She was totally messing with me, touching Theo’s arm, playing with her hair, whispering to him. The bastard was loving every second, his eyes constantly dropping to her chest.

"She’s OURS. Kill him. KILL HIM."

I had to grip the table to stop myself from jumping across it.

Wesley folded first after losing big. When Theo finally gave up, I quit too. I didn’t give a damn about the money. I just needed that guy’s hands off my woman.

In the end, only Draven and Jax were left. When Draven pushed all his chips in (a crazy amount of money), I knew we’d won. Draven never bluffed with stakes that high. When Jax threw down his cards and gave up, I finally relaxed.

We took the girls to a nearby restaurant, and things got better from there. After dinner, I drove Ava home.

"Come back to my place," I said, running my hand up her thigh as we sat outside her house. "We’ve got unfinished business."

"We definitely do," Ava sighed, "but I’m beat, and I have work tomorrow."

"I need to get you out of that mall job," I muttered, and she smiled.

"I’m off Wednesday," she said, her voice getting all sexy. "You could have me over Tuesday night. My mom’s traveling for work this week, so I’ll be all alone." She leaned closer, her lips almost touching my ear. "And I hate sleeping alone."

My body immediately reacted. Dean was practically purring in my head.

"Now that’s what I like to hear," I grinned, kissing her quickly. "Pick you up from work tomorrow?"

"I’d love that," she said, her eyes full of promise.

As I watched her walk to her door, I couldn’t stop thinking about how fast this woman had gotten to me. What started as just attraction was turning into something bigger, something that both excited and scared the hell out of me.