Not His Type

by Canton, Chamein

  home.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Good night.”

  Cathy put her key in the lock. “Good night.” Her heart still pounding in her ears, she watched him

  for a couple of minutes until he was out of sight. She sighed

  and started to turn the knob. Her sister Anna pulled the

  door open so fast Cathy nearly fell on her face.

  “Hey!” She barely caught herself.

  She walked into an inquisition of two, with Michelle,

  arms folded, sitting on the sofa. “What’s going on? Did I

  miss something or is this the Inquisition?”

  Michelle sat up straighter. “Now who’s the one keeping

  secrets?”

  “Oh no, you don’t. I’m not the one who’s been dating

  someone for two whole months without saying a word.” Anna looked surprised. “You’ve been seeing someone

  for two months?”

  Michelle was a little defensive. “Wait a second. This is

  not about me. It’s about her.” She pointed to Cathy. “That’s right, you’re the one who’s dating Marcus Fox.” Cathy walked to the hall closet to kick off her shoes. “Is

  it a crime to date him?”

  “Ah ha! So you are dating him!” Anna exclaimed.

  “When are you going on the second date?”

  “If you must know, tomorrow. He’s sending a car for

  me.”

  A chorus of oohs and ahs came from Michelle and

  Anna.

  Anna shook her head. “I can’t believe this all happened

  because Jim didn’t show up for lunch. You know, Cathy, I

  think you owe Jim a big bottle of champagne or something.

  Standing you up for lunch was the best thing he’s ever done

  for you.”

  “Aside from the royalty checks, right?”

  Michelle was coy. “Oh, honey, you earned those

  checks.”

  They laughed. Cathy flopped between them on the

  sofa. She hadn’t felt like a girl in a long time. It was as if she

  were sixteen only this time she was allowed to date. “So give us the details.” Michelle was practically salivating.

  Cathy felt pleased with life. “It was a great day. He set

  me up in the Hall of Fame Suite. You know, I’ve been to

  Yankee Stadium a bunch of times since we were kids, but

  today I saw a part of the stadium I’d never seen.” She

  paused. “I knew about the suites but I sure as hell didn’t

  expect to ever get near one, let alone be a guest.” “I heard they’re really nice.” Michelle was envious in a

  nice way.

  “Michelle, really nice doesn’t begin to cover it.” “That’s all fine and well, Sister, but let’s get to the good

  part. Where did you go for dinner?” Anna had never been

  one to mince her words. She wanted the real skinny. “Chanterelle.”

  “Woo hoo,” Michelle shouted.

  “Sounds like you had a good time.”

  “Dinner was fantastic. The food was unbelievable and

  the conversation was great.” She paused. “He wasn’t at all

  what I thought he’d be like. He’s a great ball player, has a

  foundation to help kids, five World Series rings and the

  man’s name is synonymous with a cottage industry. He’s got

  the goods and he’s totally relatable.” She shook her head.

  “You know, I’ve been on dates with guys with executive

  titles who can’t get out of their own way they’re such jerks.” “Wow,” Michelle sighed.

  “So? Did you kiss him?”

  She shook her head. “It’s too funny. All these years have

  gone by and you still manage to ask the little sister questions. To answer you, yes, we kissed and it was great.” “We know that much. We saw you.”

  Cathy swatted Anna. She laughed as she ran away. “You

  did say I am still the quintessential younger sister.” “Quintessentially the younger sister.”

  “You know, your sons called for you.”

  “Oh God. I was supposed to call Alex back. I totally

  forgot.”

  “Are you going to tell them about Marcus?” “I don’t know, Michelle. I really would rather wait and

  not get their hopes up.”

  “You mean your hopes up. You really like him.” Cathy sighed. “What’s not to like? I haven’t felt like this

  in eons.”

  “Well, it’s getting late and from the look of things we’ll

  be handling a bit more at the agency tomorrow.” Michelle

  smiled.

  “Oh God! That’s right. I forgot to check with E.D.

  about Laurel, Janet and Lisa.” She had a twinge of guilt. “Don’t sweat it, Cathy, all three received good offers

  today.”

  She was so tickled she clapped. ”Fantastic. We’ve gone

  from 25 signed authors to 28 in one fell swoop.” “You should be proud of yourself, Cathy. You were the

  one who worked extra hard to make it happen and now

  here it is. You’re the one who takes the after-hours calls, the

  panic attacks, the negotiations and the author/publisher

  skirmishes. You deserve some time to yourself, if for no

  other reason than to make sure you don’t go postal,”

  Michelle said as she put on her jacket.

  “I second that. It sounds to me like you deserve to have

  some fun without guilt. Besides, when was the last time you

  took a vacation?”

  “Does taking time off to drive Andrew and Alex to

  school count?” Catherine asked timidly.

  “No!” Michelle and Anna spoke at the same time. “Well, I guess that answers my question.”

  All joking aside, Anna got serious. “And you know E.D.

  is the last one to begrudge you any time off. He’s been

  trying to get you to take it easy for years now.”

  “You need a time out.” Michelle paused. “Now that we

  have 28 signed clients there are only two without

  publishing deals and we can handle that.”

  “Now that we’re not taking on any new clients, it

  should be okay.”

  “And even if we were, that’s what you have yours truly

  for, to go through the representation queries.”

  “Okay, ladies, you’ve convinced me. I’m going to head

  upstairs, take a shower and get some rest.”

  Cathy kissed Michelle on the cheek. “Talk to you

  tomorrow.”

  “Okay.”

  “Good night all.”

  “Good night.”

  Although she’d had an exciting and physical day, Cathy

  didn’t have any problems with her back going upstairs.

  When she passed by her sons’ room she couldn’t help

  smiling at Marcus’s poster.

  v

  Marcus walked back into his apartment, using his remote to turn all the lights on. He walked over to his picture window and looked at all the red and white lights of traffic below.

  The phone rang.

  “Hello?”

  “So I take it you had a good night?” Ben asked. “I did. One of the best nights I’ve had in a long time.” “Good. So you really like this girl?”

  “I do. She’s sweet, smart and very sexy in a way I never

  thought about before.”

  “What do you mean?” “I’ve never been out with a full-figured woman before and now I’m wondering why. She’s just as sexy as any woman on the runway.”

  “Beauty is beauty no matter what package it comes in. What you really have to look for is what’s inside the package.”

  “You’re right about that. Anyway, B
en, thanks for calling.”

  “Anytime. See you tomorrow.”

  “Good night.”

  Marcus dialed Cathy.

  Cathy was still floating when she got into bed.. When the phone rang, she glanced at the clock.

  “Hello?’

  “Hey there. I’m back home in one piece.”

  “Good. Now I can go to sleep.”

  Hearing his sexy voice, she closed her eyes and thought back to their good night kiss.

  “Sweet dreams, Cathy.”

  “You too, Marcus.”

  She hung up.

  “It’ll take a crowbar to get this grin off my face,” she mumbled out loud.

  v

  Marcus looked at his watch. “They’re an hour behind us so they should still be up,” he said out loud before he dialed the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Dad.”

  “Marcus. How are you, Son?”

  “I’m good, Dad. I didn’t wake you, did I?”

  “No, I was up going over some case files. What’s up?” “Is Mom up?”

  “No, she went to bed early. They’ve been doing inventory for a day or so and she’s really worn out.”

  “Oh. Give her a kiss for me in the morning.” “I will. So what’s on your mind, Son?”

  Marcus knew better than to dodge a direct question

  from his dad. “Remember what you told me about meeting Mom?”

  “Sure.”

  “You said that you knew she was the one for you by the

  end of your first date.”

  “I did know. Not that you ever believed that could

  happen.”

  “Well, it seems that I might be a convert to that way of

  thinking.”

  “I see. So you’ve met someone.”

  “I have. Her name is Catherine Chambers.” “How did you meet her?”

  “I know this is going to sound like a cliché but I saw her

  across a crowded restaurant.”

  His father laughed. “So your old dad isn’t such a sap

  anymore, huh?”

  Marcus chuckled. “They say the apple doesn’t fall far

  from the tree.”

  “So what is it about this Catherine that’s made you a

  convert.”

  Marcus paced in front of the window. “It’s not just any

  one thing, it’s a combination of things. She’s smart, pretty,

  open and down to earth. When she smiles her eyes have a

  little sparkle in them. Most of all, she was herself and I felt

  comfortable enough to be myself.”

  “That’s great, Son. I’m happy for you. I take it then

  she’s not in the entertainment industry.”

  “She’s a literary agent.”

  “Nice.”

  “She’s divorced and she has twin 18-year-old sons in

  college upstate.”

  “She has eighteen year olds? She got married young.

  How old is she? If you don’t mind me asking.”

  “She’s forty.”

  “So she’s only six years older than you. That’s not bad.

  At this stage in the game age is relative.”

  “She’s a full-figured woman, too.”

  “Great. Your mom wasn’t a Skinny Minnie when I met

  her. I like women to have some meat on their bones.” Marcus smiled. “She does have curves in all the right

  places.”

  His father laughed again. “There’s nothing wrong with

  that, just in case you needed to hear someone say that out

  loud.”

  “Dad, I can see the gossip captions already. They’re

  going to zoom in on her body.”

  “Listen, Son, she may not be part of the entertainment

  industry but I’m sure she knows and she said yes to a date

  anyway.”

  “She’s coming to the game tomorrow night.” “Oh yeah? Maybe your mom and I can fly down for the

  game.”

  “I would love for you to meet her.”

  “Tell you what. I’ll think on it and give either you or

  Ben a buzz.”

  “Okay, Dad.”

  “Now I really have to get these files done. I’ll talk to you

  sometime tomorrow, Son.”

  “Okay, Dad. Good night.”

  “Good night, Son.”

  Marcus stared out at the city again. Cathy was on his

  mind and under his skin already. He could smell her

  perfume on his shirt. He took a deep breath as if he were

  drinking her in again and headed to his bedroom to call it

  a night.

  v

  Just as Cathy was about ready to call it a night she heard banging on the door downstairs. She got up and fumbled around to get her robe. When she stepped into the hall she heard her sister cursing up a storm. Then she heard a man’s voice. It was Madison.

  As she walked downstairs, Cathy rubbed her eyes. Madison looked as if he’d been thrown down a flight of stairs. She rubbed her eyes again because there was no way he would allow himself to looked ragged. As she got further down the stairs she realized his clothes were damn near shredded.

  She turned to Anna. “What the hell happened to him?” “I can’t seem to get the story.”

  “He looks like he was rode hard and put away wet.” “Ahem. I am standing right here.”

  “So speak already!” Anna was annoyed.

  “He’s a real son of a gun! That’s all I can say.” “Who’s a son of a gun?” Cathy was too tired to play

  guessing games. “Did you get into a fight with one of your girlfriend’s ex-boyfriends or something?”

  “No. This was courtesy of a client’s now ex-husband.”

  “Your client’s ex-husband did this to you? You’re not sleeping with a client, are you?” Anna was flabbergasted.

  “No, Anna. He knows better than that. Don’t you?”

  “Yes, of course I know better. That’s not why this happened.”

  “Then what got him fired up enough to go after you?” Anna asked.

  “We’d been tracking this guy’s finances for more than a year. In fact, I had you look over some papers and you recommended a forensic accountant. Remember, Anna?”

  “Oh yeah, I remember that. I gave you the number of a professor I had in grad school.”

  “Well, he was worth the money because he hit pay dirt. We found accounts in the Cayman Islands, buildings being managed by a dummy corporation and several properties in California’s wine country.”

  “Oh my God.” Cathy was shocked.

  “You hit the mother lode.”

  “Naturally we reported it to the judge to have the matter of property division, child support and alimony revisited in light of this new information.”

  “So this guy’s major pissed with you.”

  “Tell me about it. Today the judge handed down his decision and he really cleaned this guy out. It’s not that he has nothing left, but he has to pay.”

  “Judges don’t take kindly to hiding assets,” Cathy said.

  Anna was doing the calculations in her head. “You’re talking millions here.”

  “He probably ordered him to pay the attorneys’ fees too.”

  “He did.”

  “So what happened exactly?”

  “I was walking outside my office and I see a man coming down the block towards me. I couldn’t make out who it was at first and then I realized it was this guy.”

  “What did you do?” Cathy’s eyes widened.

  “I put my briefcase in the car and I waited for him to reach me. He was screaming at me about his money and how I helped that money grubbing misspelled witch get his money. I’m a divorce attorney; it wasn’t anything I haven’t heard before.”

  “Right,” Anna interjected.

  “I figured I’d just let him vent and get it out of his system. Ne
xt thing I know, it gets physical. He’s throwing punches at me. There was no talking to this guy. I knew I had to get back to my office or the building lobby to call security or this guy was going to kill me.”

  Anna looked at his ripped clothes. “It looks like he made a good start.”

  “He did. I was almost home free when he picked me up and threw me down the steps in front on the building. He was going to finish me off but the police came and grabbed him before he could do anything else.”

  “Who called the police?” Cathy breathed a sigh of relief.

  “My secretary Nancy called. He’d been to the office ranting and raving. She called the police right away.”

  “Good thing she did. It’s a wonder he didn’t kill you.”

  “Don’t I know it, Cathy? I had him arrested for assault. I’m just coming back from making my statement.”

  “Did you go to the hospital and get checked out?” Anna asked.

  “No. I just wanted to get out of there.” He looked in the mirror over the mantle. “I’m a little the worse for wear, but I’ll be okay.”

  Cathy got up and poured him a glass of wine. “You might make a lot of money as a divorce lawyer, but no one can say you don’t earn it.” She handed him the glass and watched as he drank it all in two gulps.

  “I hate to say this, but do you have anything stronger? I need a stiff drink.”

  Anna went to the bar and took out the Johnny Walker Blue, a gift from a client. She poured him a double. “You want ice?”

  “I’ll take it straight.” He was shaken.

  He downed it. “Hit me again.”

  Anna poured him another double. For the most part they were a family of teetotalers, but if anyone needed a few tonight, it was Mad.

  “You’re staying here tonight. You can sleep in the boys’ room.”

  Usually Anna and Cathy liked to kid around with Madison, but tonight wasn’t the night for jokes.

  “This was one of my favorite suits. He ruined my vintage Armani suit.”

  “You can buy another suit, Madison. It’s your life we can’t replace.” Anna spoke calmly.

  “Yeah. You know, this is the first time anything like this has ever happened to me. I know threats come with the territory, from both men and women, but this the first time I’ve ever felt so helpless.” His voice cracked

  “You fought back, right?” Cathy asked

  “I got a few swings in, but this guy was like a bull. He was snorting and cursing and behaving like an animal.” Madison was more shaken than he wanted to let on.