She continued this through her first three vodka, lemon and limes which she consumed in less than an hour.
Through this time, Prentice enjoyed the show.
Annie, however, on several occasions tried to get a word in edgewise. When she did, Elle turned a cold shoulder to her or stared her down and, later when she was drunker, she actually put her hand out, palm up, an inch from Annie’s face.
At this (as with most everything Elle did in that hour), Prentice bit back laughter.
Annie’s eyes stared at Elle’s hand, her mouth dropped open, her face went red and she started to blow but Elle calmly turned, disregarding Annie completely and leaned into Dougal. She stared at him as if he was the center of her universe and asked breathily as if his answer would be the key to meaning of life something like, “And then, after you went to the chippie for the fifteenth time in the month of August in the year of our Lord two thousand and two, what did you do next?”
Eventually deciding her interrogation was over, Elle stood with her bag to go to the bar and buy her fourth drink.
As she did so, she pointedly continued to ignore Annie and Prentice, turned to Dougal and enquired, “Dougal, would you care for another beverage?”
Dougal, who had been keeping up with Elle drink for drink and had a few before they came out, replied, “Abso-fucking-lutely Bella Bella.”
As amusing as this was, at that point, Prentice was done.
Therefore, when Elle stepped over his legs to head to the bar, he leaned forward, caught her h*ps and pulled her off her feet and into his lap.
She let out a high-pitched shriek that brought the eyes of half the patrons of the pub their way, including, he noted distractedly, Hattie Fennick who wore an expression which was the epitome of someone who’d sucked a lemon.
He ignored the patrons, and Hattie (who routinely wore that look), because Elle twisted in his lap, put her hands on his chest and demanded haughtily (and loudly), “Unhand me, Prentice Cameron!”
He also ignored her ridiculous demand.
“When you’re out with me, you don’t buy your drinks, I do,” he declared.
“I think not!” she returned.
“Elle –” he warned.
“Pren –” she mocked his tone.
He grinned.
She stared at his mouth.
Then she blinked before she demanded, “Let me go, I’m thirsty.”
“I’ll get you a drink but only if you promise to drink this one slowly,” he told her.
“I can’t do that.”
“Why no’?”
“Because they’re yummy.”
Something about Elle saying the word “yummy” was unbelievably cute.
But even more unbelievably sexy.
In response, his hands travelled from her hips, up her back and one twisted in her hair.
“Even so, baby, you’re already pissed. You continue to drink like this, you’ll be rat-arsed or passed out in another hour.”
Her eyes slid away and she bit her lip considering this. Prentice watched with amusement as she struggled with her decision.
Then her eyes came back to him and she replied, “All right. I’ll drink it slowly. Passed out is not a good way to end an evening and I promised Sally pancakes tomorrow and I’m not sure I can make pancakes hungover.”