Ethan Shaw was at a loss for words. Drinking double for someone else was the rule; there was nothing he could say.
"Can you handle this?" Ethan Shaw whispered to Leah Sinclair. He had drunk with her plenty of times, but he'd never actually seen her get drunk.
"I'll try my best." Leah Sinclair had indeed never let herself get drunk here. The first time she went out with Asher Keating, she'd actually feigned drunkenness to try and get away.
"Come on, Leah. A sincere apology," Morgan Sterling said, gesturing with his hand.
Leah Sinclair stood up and sat down in front of the drinks. With a flick of the waiter's wrist, six small shots of hard liquor dropped into the larger glasses, fizzing up with a burst of foam that carried a dangerous warning.
Leah Sinclair picked up the first glass and raised it to Morgan Sterling. "Eldest Young Master Sterling, I'm sorry."
Then she downed it in one gulp. The moment the liquor hit her throat, Leah Sinclair felt a jolt. The proof was definitely much higher than anything she had drunk before.
Ethan Shaw and Riley Sterling were incredibly anxious. Six depth charges, and in large glasses at that, were no joke. Ethan's phone suddenly buzzed. He quickly checked it—it was from Asher Keating.
"Arriving soon."
When Ethan had sent the text, Asher Keating was already nearing Riverfall. The signal had been poor after he landed, so he hadn't been able to reply. Riley Sterling had gone straight out to pick him up. By now, Leah Sinclair had already finished her third drink. She tried to recover but couldn't, turning to ask Ethan Shaw for a cigarette.
Ethan Shaw was sitting right behind her and immediately lit one for her. Morgan Sterling raised his eyebrows. "I didn't realize Leah smoked."
Leah Sinclair didn't actually know how to smoke, but she'd seen customers use cigarettes to pace themselves while drinking and wanted to see if it would help. It seemed to work a little. She had just finished her drinks, and the alcohol hadn't fully kicked in yet, but the liquor was so strong that she was feeling awful.
"Eldest Young Master Sterling, I'm a woman of the nightlife. What is there that I can't do?" Her hand was trembling slightly. 'She remembered what Eve had told her: these men liked their women innocent. So she figured that if she acted more worldly, maybe Morgan Sterling would lose interest.'
Leah Sinclair raised the fourth glass. "Eldest Young Master Sterling, if I finish this, can you promise me something?"
"Are you trying to bargain with me?" Morgan Sterling looked at her, amused.
"No, it's a request."
"Alright. Seeing as Leah is being so sporting, I'll agree."
She downed that glass in one go. Ethan Shaw quickly handed her some water, but she was trembling too much to hold it steady. He draped his jacket over her shoulders, and she felt a bit more comfortable, whispering her thanks.
"Speak. What is it?" Morgan Sterling said, taking a slow sip of his drink.
Leah Sinclair grabbed onto Ethan Shaw. "Young Master Shaw, help me out. I don't have the strength."
Ethan Shaw quickly steadied her. "What are you trying to do?"
Leah Sinclair pointed at Ben Coleman. "One today, and two last time. That's three slaps in total. I'd like to trouble you to return them for me."
Everyone was stunned. When Ben Coleman snapped out of it, he shouted, "You damn bitch!" and lunged forward to hit her.
Ethan Shaw shoved him away. "Ben Coleman, don't think I won't mess you up just because you've got Morgan backing you."
Leah Sinclair laughed. "What? Eldest Young Master Sterling just gave me his word. Are you trying to back out now?"
Ben Coleman looked at Morgan Sterling. "Eldest Young Master, this woman…"
Morgan Sterling waved his hand. "Mm. I gave my word. Hit him."
Without a word, Ethan Shaw walked over and—SLAP, SLAP, SLAP—landed three hard slaps. Ben Coleman was seeing stars but didn't dare to retaliate. After the slaps, Ethan shook out his hand and returned to Leah Sinclair's side. "Nicely done."
"Are you satisfied, Leah? How does it feel?" Morgan Sterling watched Leah Sinclair with keen interest.
"Very satisfied. I guess I've had a taste of what it's like to borrow someone's power to bully others." Leah Sinclair stubbed out her cigarette. 'Her head was already spinning and the alcohol was kicking in, but she pinched herself hard to stay lucid.'
"Leah, two more glasses."
"I know. Don't rush me. Eldest Young Master Sterling, you never specified a time limit. Let me recover a bit first."
Ethan Shaw supported her and said in a low voice, "If you can't, I'll do it. Double is just four more glasses."
"No. I don't want to drag you into this." Leaning on Ethan Shaw's hand for support, Leah Sinclair picked up the fifth glass.
"Leah, come be with me. It wouldn't be a bad thing for you," Morgan Sterling said, leaning back lazily on the sofa.
"Sorry, Eldest Young Master Sterling, but I'm not interested in men who wear glasses." Leah Sinclair bit her lip hard to stay lucid.
Morgan Sterling chuckled. "Is that so? What's wrong with men who wear glasses?"
"Haven't you heard the four-word phrase? 'Well-dressed piece of trash.'" After downing the fifth glass, Leah Sinclair struggled to force out the words.
"Heh. So anyone who wears glasses is a 'well-dressed piece of trash'? I, for one, don't consider those four words to be an insult. Besides, aren't you including Third Master Keating in that description? You're someone who's slept with him; at the very least, you could be considered his woman. How can you talk about him like that?" Morgan Sterling lit a cigarette, his eyes narrowed as he questioned her.
Asher Keating pushed the door open just in time to hear Morgan Sterling's last sentence. Leah Sinclair's back was to the door, and with her mind already growing foggy, she didn't notice it open. Ethan Shaw was too focused on her, afraid she might collapse, to notice either.
"Not necessarily everyone with glasses, but glasses and a suit... *hiccup*... yeah, basically. But Young Master Keating... *hiccup*... at least he's handsome, has a great body, and his technique is good. I didn't lose out by sleeping with him. And Eldest Young Master Sterling... *hiccup*... I already told you, sleeping with someone doesn't make me their woman." After the fifth glass, Leah Sinclair felt something was very wrong.
"Third Master!" Ethan Shaw saw Morgan Sterling looking toward the door and turned to see Asher Keating as well. The sixth glass, which Leah Sinclair had just picked up, nearly spilled from her hand. 'What kind of shitty luck is this? He could have come earlier, he could have come later, but he had to show up right when I was saying all that?'
Asher Keating walked in slowly. Leah Sinclair didn't dare to turn around. The shock, however, seemed to sober her up a bit. Her knuckles were turning white. Asher Keating walked past her and sat on the sofa. "Don't mind me. Continue."
"Third Master, she's had five glasses already!" Ethan Shaw said, growing frantic.
"And?" Asher Keating lit a cigarette and said languidly.
"I'm starting to believe it now. That Leah isn't your woman. You really don't know how to be gentle with a woman, do you?" Morgan Sterling said, smiling at Asher Keating.
"You sure are nosy," Asher Keating said, shooting him a look.
"If she didn't look so much like Madeline, I wouldn't bother. So, how is it, Third Master? What's it like sleeping with Madeline's look-alike?" Morgan Sterling stubbed out his cigarette.
"Do they? I don't see it." Asher Keating glanced at Leah Sinclair, who kept her head down. She was wrapped in Ethan Shaw's jacket, her hands clutching the glass, still not daring to look at him. "Besides, I wasn't aware that the Eldest Young Master Sterling was so interested in my sex life."
"Heh heh. I wasn't, originally. But now, I'm finding myself quite interested in her." Morgan Sterling was still smiling as he looked at Leah Sinclair. "Leah, are you going to drink that sixth glass? Women should be softer, you know. Especially in bed. I'm very curious to try... You say Third Master Keating's technique is good, but how do you know mine isn't even better?"
Leah Sinclair took a deep, steadying breath. 'My brain must be nothing but alcohol at this point.' Then she downed the sixth glass in one go. The moment she finished, she began to cough violently. Ethan Shaw quickly handed her a glass of water and rubbed her back. She took a large gulp of water and recovered slightly. "Eldest Young Master Sterling, I've finished all six glasses. Is that sincere enough for you?"