I swear to god, this story has a mind of her own... Each time I think I'm nearing the end, it takes a new turn and I'm left no choice but to add another couple of chapters... I think I'm unredeemably in love with these characters. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy!

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The pub is much less crowded than the night before. Though, when we get there, the twins are welcomed, even louder than usual, by a bear-looking Italian man.

"Rocco!" Murphy exclaims and lunges in his arms. Apparently a close friend then.

The guy makes a hilarious double take on us, his mouth gaping. "Fuck me…"

Connor throws a possessive arm around my sister, though she's now decided to play hard to get. She over-enthusiastically greets the guy, and kisses him on both cheeks, as if we were French. I can see her looking him up and down, but I know he's not her type, so I wonder what she's up to.

Rocco picks it up as well. He immediately becomes extremely nice and flirty, drooling all over the both of us, but especially Sujin.

I'm not as outgoing; I simply shake his hand cheerily, delighted to meet someone that knows the twins well.

"Ragazzi siete con loro, vero?" Rocco ends up asking the boys in Italian, and it's not subtle he's asking them about us. Probably about the status of our relationships.

The twins only nod once, keeping their mouth shut. Though I still note that they understood what he said. I frown for a second. Wait, how many languages do they speak? But I shrug it off; with an Italian friend, you're bound to pick up a few things, right? I'm being paranoid.

Sujin couldn't care less, however, and she continues to play her silly game, staying just coy enough that she could pretend to only be friendly.

"Qu'est-ce que tu fais ?(What are you doing?)" I whisper in her ear, not sure what's the plan here.

"Suis juste mon exemple, (Just follow my lead,)" she cryptically answers.

Because she doesn't stop there. She's leaning a bit too close, touching his arm and laughing way too loud at his jokes. However, he's funny and exuberant himself, so he's easy to like. Furthermore, since her plan is obviously to make the twins go crazy, it's working.

"And how's yer girlfriend, Roc'?" Connor asks out of the blue, making sure we know. Though it mostly informs us that he's more jealous than he meant to let on.

"Same as usual…" the man retorts gruffly.

But, if they're giving us a pointed look, this intervention has the exact opposite effect of the one intended. Knowing that he's flirting with us despite being informed that we came here with the twins and despite already being involved is actually kind of absolving us from leaving him with blue balls tonight. Besides, I'm sincerely laughing at his incessant jokes.

Now, after only a couple of beers, even I am amused by the twins' gritted teeth. So, when Sujin calls me over because I "absolutely need to hear that story", I oblige. I'm remaining a bit more distant, but it's easy to make him lose his mind when we're simply having a conversation from either side of him and his head is spinning back and forth.

And Rocco is getting less and less subtle as the night progresses: "So, you girls realize I'm a way better catch than these two micks over here, right?"

The more I know him, the funnier I find it to toy with him. And he's a good sport. He probably even realizes what we're doing and is just having a blast at pissing them off too.

All bets are off when we all decide to go play pool.

Sujin and I used to play a lot in college, so we can hold our own. The boys aren't bad either, seeing as they spend all their time here. However, the real battle isn't on the table. The thing with this game is that it's effortlessly sexy. Particularly when you're wearing a short dress like my sister's, that will innocently slide up each time she bends over the edge to take aim. Even I easily draw eyes when I lean in shyly, acting all focused and letting my oversized shirt show more cleavage than is appropriate.

Soon, both boys are frantically fidgeting with their cues, watching Sujin press herself against Rocco's side, showing him a move that he probably already knows. We haven't let them touch us all night.

Though, when Rocco puts his hand on the small of my back, I fear I'm letting this go too far. I excuse myself to go to the bathroom.

It's when I open the door on my way out that Murphy makes his move. He slams his palm on the wooden panel, and forces me to step backward inside.

"So, what ye playing at, lass?" He's serious, though there is more lust than anger in his low, growling voice.

"Well, you guys did imply that we needed to find a place to sleep tonight, so…"

"So, that's yer revenge?" He backs me up into a corner. He's now standing extremely close, his mouth barely an inch from my skin, his chest brushing my breasts, his hand flat on the wall on either side of me. And I gulp.

I try to muster my sister's sass in me, to find the courage to fight back, and not just give in to his smoldering look:

"Well, it just seems like we have choices… So, you two better start playing very nice and considerate."

That makes him waver for a second, thus I take advantage of it to sneak under his arm and escape his stranglehold. I then skip to the exit door and blow him a kiss before I disappear.

I'll admit that we're playing dirty.

But it's worth it when Murphy comes back from the bathroom, strides straight to his brother, and exchange a few words with him in their mother tongue. From then on, they start to act excessively affable and generous. It seeps with hypocrisy, so Sujin and I answer disproportionally amiably in return. And soon, we're so deep into our private joke that Rocco doesn't even know whose side he's on. Leaving aside the fact that the boys are now buying him drinks after drinks, barely giving him time to take a breath.

I guess we did find our match in these two.

It's not that late when Doc, the owner, almost breaks off our psychological warfare to close the bar. There's no one left but us on this Sunday night.

However, the twins bargain for a second with him in Irish, and he tosses them the keys.

"Ye b-better – Fuck! Ass! – not break anything. And c-close it – Fuck! – r-right."

"Don't worry, Doc, we're just playing pool. Nothing to worry about." Connor assures him, though his smirk says otherwise. And the old man all-too knowingly rolls his eyes before leaving.

By then, Rocco is slurring and slouching on the counter.

"You think he'll be alright?" I ask.

"I've seen him much worse," Murphy sneers.

"He'll be fine!" Connor chimes in, checking on his friend.

"Yeah, I'm fine…" our poor Rocco mumbles. "I wanna play with the girls a bit more…"

Connor gives him a hard slap on the back. "Nah. Ye just need to take a nap."

"Yeah, alright, that'd be good…" And I don't know if he's just trashed or intimidated.

"Ye can just rest for a bit over there, Roc'; when ye wake up, take the back door and go home, okay?"

So, the boys half carry him into a staff room, where a sagging but comfy chair seems to exist just for that, and an emergency exit that'll automatically close behind him. When they come back, they lock the door to that room and glance at each other with a smile. And now they were four…

But they don't join us at the table like I thought. They proceed to close every window with wooden planks, so Sujin and I come to help.

"Don't worry yer pretty head about that, hun," Connor coos, still playing cringingly overzealous.

"We wouldn't want ye ladies to break a nail or something," Murphy chimes in, mockingly thoughtful.

I guess our little games are turning against us. Though Sujin shrugs.

"Very well." And she returns to the pool. At some point, she even popped a few buttons on the front of her dress.

I still stay back to wipe a few tables. Since we're closing, a few of my waitressing days reflexes kick in. Connor joins me, and I playfully throw a rag at him to put him to work. He makes sure we often brush against each other as we clean up the booths. Though, each time he reaches out for more, I escape, taking a few steps away from him, so he must start his subtle approach all over again.

"Ye're impossible…" he huffs with a twinkle in his eyes that tells me payback will be a bitch.

"I don't know what you're talking about, honey! See, I didn't even pull my credit card out; I'm being so good." I keep on teasing.

"Well, now that's just rude, sugar. Ye should at least get the next round."

I roll my eyes while chuckling, then slips behind the counter.

"Alright, sir, what will it be?"

"Whiskey, darling, what else?"

"Jack Daniels?" I know I'm playing with fire.

"Tennessee whiskey? Do ye want a spanking, girl?"

I laugh before realizing he could be serious. "Alright then."

I pour him a nice serving of an Irish one, and he extends his hand to take it, though I keep the glass out of his reach, then adds a bit of lime, coke, and a nice little umbrella to top it off. He groans and tries to stare me down as I suggestively close my lips around the straw. I sip on it while gazing back innocently at him. It's not long before he strides around the counter to join me behind.

I dodge the slap that was coming for my butt, but I soon have nowhere to run. When he reaches me though, his menacing hand becomes a caress.

I bump him with my hips on purpose, though he's not even budging while I'm the one to lose balance.

He catches me with an arm around my waist. Then, he pulls me softly before him and whispers: "Ye know, ye don't have to follow yer sister's orders. If ye only say so, we'll hold her down for ye."

The front of his pants comes grinding slightly against my backside while his lips nip on my ear, his hands making my hips sway with the Irish music still playing in the background. He then steals the straw from me and takes a sip in turn, though it immediately makes him cringe. "Ergh…that's blasphemous. Ice I can understand but-" I make him shut up with a hand brushing straight up his thigh.

"All done!" Murphy exclaims. Then he sees us and glares: "Well, that wasn't the plan, brother."

I guess Connor forgot what was supposed to be the plan. And I forgot too; I was supposed to wait and make them beg. Sujin is shaking her head at me like I'm nothing but a disappointment. I had started so well.

Now, every window is blocked, the place is as clean as can be, and both exits are locked.

Change of direction then; my voice is just a murmur in Connor's ear: "I think my sister is feeling a bit overconfident…"

"Is she now?"

"Perhaps you need to go and show her who's the boss…"

I get how she feels when she's commanding us like life-size puppets. When I gaze at her with a smirk, and her own grin drops with a raised eyebrow, Connor making his way to her with intent, a new thrill sparks up my spine. He calls his brother with him, in that beautiful language of theirs.

She decides to ignore them for now and keeps playing, positioning the cue, bending over the table. Murphy sweeps behind her. In one swift movement, he holds her hips against the edge, brushes up her skirt, and presses himself against her.

"Hey-" she starts, though I interrupt her:

"Tsk-tsk, sister. Shush now." Her eyes widen at me in surprise; I can't repress a mean smile full of promise. "See, it's past midnight, sweetie. It's my day now."

Connor cautiously takes the cue away from her hands, then Murphy briskly makes her spin, facing him now. And, before she can do anything, he lifts her up and her ass lands on the pool table, her knees bent over the rail on each side of him. His hands trail up her ribs, reaching her breasts and pushing her backward. When she catches herself with her hands behind her not to fall, Connor seizes her wrists and forces them above her head. Next, seemingly out of nowhere, he produces the rope I had noticed under the counter. The little rascal thinks of everything. He ties up her arms, and throws the other end of the rope, under the table, for Murphy to wrap around her ankles. So, she's now lying back on the green pool's cloth, Murphy between her thighs, and Connor above her head, utterly powerless. The sight is giving me chills.

The twins both turn to me with sadistic little grins on their angelic traits.

"So, what do ye want us to do with her now?"

I swallow hard.