MASTERMIND | Jamie Tartt

EIGHT: GETAWAY CAR

Once Jamie and Billie had both returned to their seats the group began eating their starters which was some sort of tomato based soup. The orange coloured soup that she was concentrating on not spilling on her expensive dress, while Jamie was too focused on Billie as soup fell from his spoon onto his bare chest.

"Ah, shit!" Jamie exclaimed, discarding his spoon in his bowl.

"Yet another reason shirts exist," Roy remarked with a smile, one of the first times Billie had seen her brother smile that night.

"Shut up, it's not funny," Jamie huffed as he wiped the soup away with a napkin, "Burned my nipple."

Billie watched on with a smile, attempting to stifle her laughter as the man who had been her unlikely hero earlier fished ice from his glass, pressing the cube against his nipple.

"I wish I was that ice cube," An older woman interrupted the conversation, with an element of intent in her voice, "I will be bidding for a night with you."

"Oh, thanks, love, it's just a date though, not a whole night," Jamie answered, discarding the ice cube.

"We'll see," she remarked before leaving the table.

"Mate, I've done these before, if she bids over three thousand you will have to fuck her," Roy spoke as his sister frowned at his crass words.

"Is that true?" Jamie asked Keeley as she laughed to herself.

"You don't have to go all the way," Keeley teased him, "Just like some of the way, fingering."

Billie watched the couple, and watched the way Keeley mimed fingering, then the unimpressed look on Jamie's face when he realised he was the butt of a joke as both Keeley and Roy laughed, a joke that neither he or Billie found much humour in.

"Fuck you," Jamie gestured to Roy and Keeley as he stood up from his seat, "And fuck this table."

Billie watched as he walked away, a reaction that suggested it wasn't just a case of his pride being hurt. If it were just his pride he would've said something to insult Roy and that would be it. She contemplated going after him, rescuing him in the way he had helped her in that conversation with Rupert.

But Keeley quickly realised the joke was poorly timed as she followed after him, "Jamie, Jamie, it's a joke!"

"That wasn't as funny as you thought it was, Roy," Billie muttered, elbowing her brother.

"Since when were you Team Tartt, huh?" Roy remarked, resting a hand against his ribs.

"I'm still Team Kent, he just helped me out of a sticky situation earlier," Billie smiled, glancing across at Brad to see him talking to Rupert.

The master and the prodigy.

"He helped you?" Roy scoffed, "What was in it for him?"

"Nothing really, except the beer I'd meant to get for you," Billie explained.

"So what did he do, The Great Jamie Tartt?" Roy sighed.

"He was my getaway car," Billie answered.

"Reputation!" Ted exclaimed as he arrived back at the table, the two Kent siblings staring at him with confused frowns, "Sorry, I just assumed we were discussing our favourite Taylor Swift albums."

"1989," Billie answered.

"Great choice, Billie," Ted grinned with a thumbs up, "Roy?"

"Fuck no."

"He's definitely a Red fan," Billie answered on her brother's behalf.

"Which one's got All Too Well?" Roy muttered.