by Mara Jacobs
“Aaah, so that’s why you dragged me out to this blasted shack, a bird?” Binky interrupted Darío’s gaze and thoughts. “And the pretty bird who followed you all day, no less.” There was a teasing gist to his voice.
Darío didn’t pretend to misunderstand. “She was not following me. She was following Chad Curtis.”
Binky smirked. “Yeah, maybe, but do you think she could tell us what approach shot Chaddy boy shot at thirteen?” He looked around the room and shuddered. “I’ve been in my fair share of dives in my time, but I can’t say I’ve been in any worse than this one here. And you made me wear my church clothes to this place?”
Darío shrugged and ordered a beer from the man who came from the bar to their table. “I didn’t know what it was like.”
Binky slapped a hand down on the table. “Right. I knew you were telling tales when you said you’d been here before to Chaddy boy. This place is up my alley, all right, but not yours.”
“I didn’t say I’d been here before. I said I had been on Tour a long time and had heard of most local establishments. All true.”
“But you’d never heard of this one, have ya?”
“No,” Darío admitted.
Binky laughed heartily. “By God, that may be as close to fibbin’ that I’ll ever see from ya, Guv. And for a bird?” He chuckled some more. “So then why not sit with them when they offered?”
Darío shrugged. “It seemed to me that Chad and Lizzie were conducting business. I didn’t want to interfere.” That and Katie’s hand at his pants had made him so flustered that he felt it better to retreat and regain his composure. Hopefully before the night was over he would get to talk with her again. Plus, he enjoyed just watching her.
Their drinks were delivered and they ordered their dinners. Something that was fried and served in a red, plastic basket. The beer tasted cool and refreshing and Darío momentarily regretted that he only allowed himself one beer per night during a tournament. It was another one of his strict codes.
Darío was also in what Binky would call his church clothes, though Darío had not attended Mass for several weeks now. He had assumed that by the business-like demeanor Chad and the Swede’s friend had been using at the ropes after the round, that this was indeed to be a business dinner and would thus be held at a fine dining establishment. It was a good thing Darío didn’t normally travel with a sports coat, or he would have been even more overdressed than he was in his tailored slacks and white dress shirt.
The women must not have been expecting the Armadillo to be quite so…colorful, either. The woman introduced to Darío as Lizzie wore a nice blouse and slacks, looking like she’d dressed for the business occasion Darío had assumed this dinner was. Katie was a little more casual, but still much more elaborate than Darío was sure the Armadillo was used to. She wore a pale blue sundress, which highlighted her exceptional body. Form-fitting without being obvious. Darío liked that. He had never been attracted to women who flaunted themselves. And Lord knew she had plenty to flaunt if she so chose.
Her hair was loose from the ponytail she’d worn at the course and cascaded down her back, almost to her waist. Poker-straight and so blond it was nearly white. It almost seemed incandescent in the poor lighting of the Armadillo. It looked like a halo surrounding the Swede.
Katie Maki. Not Lipton. Maki.
Darío made himself as comfortable as possible in the hard chairs and sat back to let the evening unfold.
The wait was not long. Only an hour later, Katie and Lizzie’s table had turned rowdy and lewd with Chad’s hometown buddies toasting their friend’s debut on the Tour. Darío and Binky watched as Lizzie tried to leave but Katie dragged her feet. Seeming to compromise, it looked like they decided to stay, but to move to another table. As they got up and looked around, Binky motioned for the women to join them.
“I think you’re safe over here, ladies,” Binky said.
Darío couldn’t vouch for their safety, but kept his mouth shut when the women joined them. He often let others do the talking, and it would have been hard to get a word in anyway with Binky and Katie quickly becoming as acquainted as old friends.
When Katie waved for another drink, Lizzie stopped her with a head shake to the bartender and a quiet, “No, Kat, you’ll be dying tomorrow. How about some water?”
“No, Kat. No, Kat. Did you hear that Binky? I’ve just been shot down by someone I’m a whole four months older than. Do you think that’s right?”
Before Binky could come back with what Darío presumed would be an unsuitable answer to one of the women, he diffused the situation by asking, “Kat? That nickname came from Katie, I assume?”
Katie nodded, then broke into song, “Cat. Hat. In French, chat, chapeau.” She smiled at Lizzie. A smile Darío knew bridged years of friendship. Lizzie caught her cue and joined in. “In Spanish, el gato in a sombrero.” The two women giggled when they completed their song.
“From The Cat in the Hat,” Lizzie explained to Darío and Binky. “It’s been one of our favorites for years.”
“I particularly like the Spanish interpretation,” Darío said. “In my country, you would be known as Gato. Well, actually, Gata in your case.”
Both women smiled at him, but he only saw Katie. He watched the flush of her cheeks when he rolled the name out.
“Gata. Yes, I like that. You may address me as Gata.” She declared this to the whole table, with a ceremonial wave of her hand that nearly toppled Darío’s water glass.
“I must confess, I came to think of you as ‘The Swede’ today on the course, before I knew your name,” he said, chagrinned.
She waved his comment aside, this time almost taking Lizzie’s glass with her.
“That’s okay. Lizzie’s husband called me the Viking before he met me,” she said. Her brow furrowed as she continued, “Actually, he still calls me the Viking, now that I think about it.” She chuckled at this, and the furrow charmingly turned into laughter crinkles.
“Then I am forgiven for thinking of you as the Swede, eh?”
She smiled. “Where I’m from, we use ‘eh’ at the end of sentences too,” Katie said. “But it doesn’t sound as lyrical as when you do it.”
“And where exactly is it that you come from?” he asked. He was replaying her voice in his head, seeing if he’d missed some sort of accent. He didn’t think so. Years on both the European and American tours had exposed him to nearly every language spoken and he had become adept at recognizing each, and actually learning quite a few.
“From Michigan,” she said.
Darío turned his right hand to her, palm facing them both. “Show me where,” he said. He had seen a couple of the caddies that were from Michigan do this once, the upturned hand simulating Michigan’s mitten shape.
She laughed again, a lovely, tinkling sound. “See, that’s the thing. I’m from the Upper Peninsula.” She took her left hand, palm facing them, and placed it above his, almost touching the bottom edge of her pinky to the tip of his middle finger. “There’s a whole ‘nother part to Michigan that nobody realizes.”
He nodded. “That’s right, now I remember, Michigan is in two parts. Where exactly is your home?”
She used her right hand to point to the base of her thumb. “I’m from Hancock, which is part of the Copper Country, right here.”
The use of their combined hands to create the Great Lakes State had their heads in close proximity. Darío could smell her perfume, though it was soft, barely there. Some kind of tangy, fruity scent. Like oranges, or maybe some kind of berry. He was tempted to ask her the location of every single city in Michigan just so they could stay this way longer.
She looked at him and all thoughts of geography flew from Darío’s mind. Dios mio, she had the most incredible…everything. He could list her exceptional attributes, but it would take too long. She was simply as exquisite up close as she had been from behind the ropes earlier that day.
Their heads were so close he could smell her sweet breath. It was lime and
salt and something else he couldn’t name. Her lips, puffy from sunburn, were so near his own, it would only take a small movement to capture them. His head moved another fraction.
“Oh no,” Lizzie said from across the table.
Darío and Katie’s heads popped apart, as if they were children caught with their fingers in the cookie jar. Lizzie was looking beyond them.
“Chad looks like he’s trying to get out of here gracefully. I don’t think he should drive, he’s had quite a few beers since his buddies showed up,” she said, her eyes never leaving Chad Curtis, halfway across the room.
“Lizzie, he’s not even your client,” Katie said.
“Yet. And if he’s going to be my client, I can’t let him walk out of here and drive after drinking.” She grabbed her purse, opened her wallet, got her keys and made her goodbyes all at once.
Darío waved her hand away as she went to pay for the drinks she and Katie had consumed since joining the men. The drink Katie had consumed. Lizzie had drunk only water all evening as far as Darío could tell. “Please, Lizzie, allow me,” he said.
“Thanks, Darío. It was great to meet you. And you too, Binky. Come on, Kat,” Lizzie said, rising from the table. “We’ll take my car, leave his and then I’ll pick him up in the morning and bring him back here. Yes. That will work.” She said the last to herself more than her companions. She was still watching Chad who was fumbling with his keys. She didn’t seem to notice that Katie made no move to leave. She had gone several steps toward Chad when she finally realized Katie was still sitting.
As their eyes met, Katie folded her arms across her chest and gave her friend a firm shake of her head. “Uh-uh. I don’t want to leave yet, Lizard,” Katie said.
“Kat, really, I can’t let Chad drive. Please, we’ve got to go. This could ruin my plan.”
Before Darío could, Binky jumped in, “We’ll get Katie back to your hotel, Lizzie. Not to worry.”
Lizzie looked from Katie, to Binky, then finally to Darío, who nodded. “We’d be happy to bring Katie back with us. We won’t be too much longer.” He saw Lizzie’s eyes glance toward Darío’s glass of water, which he’d switched to long ago after having his one beer. He liked that she was looking out for her friend as well as her prospective client.
Lizzie looked at her friend. “Are you sure you want to stay, Kat?” There was concern in her voice. Darío could see she was visibly torn between getting to Chad in time and making sure her friend would be all right.
“Please, Lizzie, Binky and I would be happy to bring Katie back to the hotel,” Darío assured her.
“Okay. Thank you both. See you later, Kat. Stick to water from here on out, eh?”
Katie laughed. “Yes, mother.”
He watched as Lizzie caught up with Chad at the entrance and gracefully removed the keys from his hands as she led him out the door. Darío turned back to the table to see Binky and Katie both staring at him. Binky had a mischievous grin on his face. Katie was licking her sunburned lips. Her beautiful, full, tempting lips.
“Okay. Now that our resident stick-in-the-mud is gone, let’s get this party started,” Katie said and waved her empty Margarita glass at the bartender, pushing her water glass aside.
Binky laughed and waved his glass as well, while Darío could only wonder what he’d just gotten himself into.
Chapter Four
Eighteen holes of match or medal play will teach you more about your foe than will eightteen years of dealing with him across a desk.
-Grantland Rice, former sportswriter
Katie wasn’t sure if she’d said goodbye to Blanche. And she knew she’d wanted to. But here she was in the front seat of Darío’s courtesy car, provided for the players at each tournament, and she wasn’t exactly certain how she’d gotten there.
The car was stopped in front of room number 18 at a Motel 6.
Oh God, she hadn’t just made a monumental mistake, had she?
Headlines of pro athletes being accused of sexual transgressions flashed through her head. Headlines she’d proofread herself.
“What…what are we doing here?” she asked. This was not the Imperial where she and Lizzie, as well as the golfers, were staying.
Just as she was trying to remember all the things she knew Alison and Lizzie had learned as single women about being alone in this kind of situation, she saw movement in front of her. Binky was motioning goodbye and disappearing into the motel room. Darío gave his caddy a wave as Katie felt a wave of relief.
As he backed out of the lot, she saw that Darío realized she had awakened from her…uh cat nap..she decided to call it. He smiled at her. It was a soft smile, full of concern, and made her feel as warm as the sun had earlier in the day. It rushed through her body like the tequila. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked her.
Good question. She certainly didn’t feel okay. Her mind was still a little fuzzy, but slowly coming back into focus.
This was so unlike her. She hardly ever drank, and when she did, it was always just one with the girls. But Lizzie had said that these two days were about getting away from everything, and she was determined to do that. She just hadn’t thought she’d do it with alcohol. Oh well… spilt milk. Or spilt tequila in this case.
He asked if she was going to be okay. She didn’t have the answer, but she nodded at Darío anyway. “Sorry I fell asleep.”
He shrugged, seemingly not put off by either her inebriated state or her falling asleep. Maybe it was something he was used to. Binky certainly seemed no stranger to the bottle.
“Why is Binky staying here? How come he’s not at the Imperial?” she asked.
Darío kept his eye on the road as he answered, “The caddies don’t stay where the players stay. It’s too expensive for them. They usually stay at a cheaper place.”
Katie nodded. That made sense. They slowed, then stopped at a red light, and Darío turned to her. He studied her face with that same look of concern. She knew the moment the look changed from concern to desire. She thought it would startle her, even shock her, but it didn’t. It made her tingle.
Of course, that could just be the residual effects of the Margaritas, but she didn’t think so. It had been a long time since she’d seen a man show that kind of want in his eyes.
Sure, she intercepted lecherous looks all the time. And nice gazes, ones of appreciation, that she returned with a soft, asexual, smile. But to be this close to a man who was looking at her like he’d like to have her for dinner? It had been an awfully long time. And it felt…nice. More than nice, she realized as Darío moved a hand to her face.
He was going to kiss her! The thought literally made her toes curl and the straps of her sandals dug into the tops of her feet. God, she wished she had a mint.
His hand drew nearer. She could see it clearly from the streetlight. A strong, calloused hand, the indentation of the tape he’d worn earlier still evident. This one much lighter than the one still resting on the steering wheel due to wearing a golf glove so much of the time. She followed the hand down to his wrist and to his forearm. His shirtsleeve rolled nearly to the elbow gave her a clear view of that lovely arm. Which she couldn’t take her eyes off of all day. The one he would surely anchor behind her neck and pull him to her for a scorching kiss.
But no, the hand went to her mouth, and she found she liked the thought of that even better. A little nibbling on his finger as he outlined her mouth? She and Ron had been past the point of seduction years ago.
Just a little bit more and he’d be touching her. Yes, that’s it. He brought his thumb to the corner of her mouth. But instead of the gentle caress she’d been expecting, it was a rough draw across her mouth and cheek. She then watched as he took his hand away and wiped his thumb on his pants.
Oh, God! She had drooled while she’d slept and it was so obvious, he’d felt the need to wipe it off himself. The warm feeling running through her turned to a chill. His look wasn’t desire, she decided, but disgust. If she’d had any idea where i
n the world they were, she might have just jumped out of the car right then and there and walked back to the hotel.
She was saved from having to say anything – and making a dash for it – by the car behind them honking. Katie didn’t know how long the light had been green, but the cars behind them were not happy. The entrance for the expressway was just beyond and Darío turned his attention to the road.
They rode in silence for a while, until Darío finally spoke. “Tell me, why is it that you are Maki, not Lipton?”
“I drool in my sleep and my husband couldn’t take it anymore.”
Darío threw his head back and laughed and Katie noticed the white skin peeking through at the juncture of neck and throat. “Somehow, I think that waking up next to you would not be dampened by something as inconsequential as a little drool.”
She loved how he spoke. The slight accent was lovely, but his word usage… Not too many people threw around the words dampened and inconsequential in the same sentence. And this was his second language.
Oh heck, why not tell him the truth. She’d never see this man again after tomorrow.
“My husband left me,” she said quietly.
Darío didn’t say anything, only nodded for her to go on.
Which she did, and then some.
It was a purge. And this time it was not quietly spoken.
“Not only did he leave me, but he left me for a twenty-year-old that he’d gotten pregnant.”
Darío nodded.
“He couldn’t handle us not being able to have a child. Or, I guess I should say, me not being able to have a child. Because it’s darn sure obvious now that he can.”
Darío nodded but kept his eyes on the road.
“We’d been together since we were freshmen in college. Married for thirteen years, and he comes home and tells me he’s leaving me for some young thing. God, it’s so cliché, so laughable.”
Darío only nodded again soberly. Apparently he didn’t think it was laughable.
“I should have known though, it shouldn’t have taken me so much by surprise.”
