Match Me if You Can (11 page)

The Little Mermaid clock on her desk ticked away. Heath would be picking up Rachel about now. They were going to Tru, where caviar appeared at the table in a miniature glass staircase and dinner for two could easily run four hundred dollars. Not that she’d ever been there herself, but she’d read about it.

She considered visiting a couple of local coffee shops to pass out her business card, but she didn’t have enough energy to change clothes. Friday night. No hot date. No prospects for a hot date. The matchmaker needed a matchmaker. She wanted to get married, wanted a family, a job she loved …Was that too much to ask out of life? But how would she ever find a man of her own if she had to keep giving the best ones away? Not that Heath was the best. He was husband material only in his own mind. No, that wasn’t entirely fair. Whatever he did, he did well, and he’d give marriage his best effort. Whether or not that would prove good enough remained to be seen. Fortunately, not her problem.

She pulled out a DVD of
Waiting for Guffman,
then remembered it belonged to Rob and chose
Freaky Friday
instead. She’d just gotten to the part where Jamie Lee Curtis and her daughter switch bodies when the phone rang.

“Annabelle, it’s Rachel.”

She hit the Stop button. “How’s it going?”

“I’m out of my league.”

“What do you mean? Where are you calling from?”

“The ladies’ room at Tru. The date’s not working. I can’t understand it. Heath and I had so much fun together the night you introduced us—you remember—but now everything feels flat.”

“I knew he’d do this. He’s been on his cell all night, hasn’t he?”

“He hasn’t taken a single call. In fact, he’s been a perfect gentleman. But we’re both working too hard to keep the conversation going.”

“He’s been traveling all week. He might be tired.”

“I don’t think it’s that. It’s just—Nothing’s happening. I’m really disappointed. I felt sparks that first time. Didn’t you?”

“Definitely. Ask him about his work. Or about baseball. He’s a Sox fan. Just keep trying.”

Rachel said she would, but she didn’t seem optimistic, and when Annabelle hung up, she felt deflated …and relieved.

One more reason to be depressed.

M
oths swarmed in the caged lights over the doors. The bar, located in a former warehouse just off North Avenue, was named Suey, and the sign featured a giant red pig wearing a trucker’s cap. “Charming,” Portia drawled.

Bodie gave her a dumb, cocky grin, which went right along with his menacing shaved head, intimidating tattoos, and hit man’s muscles. “I knew you’d like it.”

“I was being sarcastic.”

“Why?”

“Because this is a sports bar.”

“You don’t like sports bars? That’s weird.” He held the door open for her.

She rolled her eyes and followed him in. The place was huge and noisy, smelling of stale beer, french fries, and aftershave, all topped off with eau de gym. The bar opened into a bigger room with tables, games, and cinder-block walls displaying the logos of the Chicago teams. She glimpsed an even larger area in the back holding metal lockers and a sand volleyball court surrounded by orange plastic fencing. Blow-up sex dolls, beer signs, and
Star Wars
light sabers hung from the open rafters. Boys would be boys. Thankfully, not the sort of place her friends would be prone to hang out.

She’d dressed down for the evening, digging out an old pair of magenta cotton slacks, a clingy navy top with a built-in bra, and flat sandals. She’d even traded in her diamond studs for simple silver hoops. She followed Bodie past a rowdy group of twenty-somethings who were ignoring the overhead televisions to do tequila shots at the bar. As the crowd parted, she grew conscious of the women’s eyes on Bodie. A few greeted him by name. Muscle-bound men always tended to look sloppy, but his espresso brown polo shirt and chinos couldn’t have fit him better, and every woman in the place noticed.

She slipped into his wake, which was large enough to keep people from bumping against her, and let him lead her to a table that afforded a view of a mechanical bull and the volleyball game in the next room. Ordering either wine or a mixed drink struck her as high risk, so she settled on a lite beer, but asked that it be served in the bottle. Easier to guard against roofies.

He kicked back with his own beer and openly studied her. “How old are you?”

“Old enough to know this is the worst date of my life.”

“Women like you are hard to figure. Your skin is great, but you’ve got old eyes.”

“Anything else?” she asked coldly.

“I figure forty-three, forty-four.”

“I’m thirty-seven,” she snapped.

“No,
I’m
thirty-seven. You’re forty-two. I did some research.”

“Then why did you ask?”

“I wanted to see if you give yourself away when you lie.” Amusement danced in his pale eyes. “Now I know.”

She resisted taking the bait. “Is this date over yet?”

“Just getting started. I think we should wait till after we play to eat, don’t you?”

“Play?”

He jerked his head toward the volleyball court. “We’ve got a game in forty minutes.”

“Oh, right. And that would be just after I walk out, right?”

“I already signed us up. You have to play.”

“Wrongo.”

“I should have told you to bring shorts.”

“You probably had too many other weighty matters on your mind.”

He smiled. “You are one beautiful bitch.”

“Thank you.”

His smile grew broader, and her skin prickled. Once again, she considered the possibility that he wasn’t as dumb as he seemed to be.

“Definitely a ballbuster,” he said. “This is my lucky day.” She flinched as he reached toward her, but when he touched the base of her throat with the tip of his finger, a tiny shock zipped along her skin. “You and me are going to be great together…as long as I keep that dog collar snapped good and tight around your neck.”

Another jolt zapped her nerve endings, and she jerked away. Fortunately, three of the men who’d been hanging out at the bar chose that moment to approach. They were all young and respectful. Bodie introduced her, but they were only interested in him. She learned he’d played pro football, and as the men talked sports, she experienced the unusual, and not unwelcome, feeling of being invisible. She let herself relax a little. When the youngsters drifted away, however, she knew it was time to take control. “Tell me about yourself, Bodie. Where are you from?”

He studied her, almost as if he were making up his mind how much he wanted to reveal. “A dot on the map in southern Illinois.”

“Small-town boy.”

“You might say. I grew up in a trailer park, the only kid in the place.” He took a sip of beer. “My bedroom looked out over a junkyard.”

His rough background was written all over him, so she wasn’t surprised. “What about your parents?”

“My mother died when I was four, and my father was a good-looking drunk who had a way with the ladies. Believe me, there were a lot of them around while I was growing up.”

It was all so sordid that Portia wished she hadn’t asked. She thought of her ex-husband, with his impeccable pedigree, of the dozens of other men she’d dated over the years, some of them self-made, but all polished and well mannered. Yet here she was in a sports bar with a man who looked like he made his living stuffing dead bodies in car trunks. One more sign that her life was veering away from her.

Bodie excused himself, and she checked her cell. A message had come in from Juanita Brooks, the director of the Community Small Business Initiative. Portia immediately returned it. Volunteering with the CSBI had helped fill the hole left in her life by her divorce. Although she’d never confess it to anyone, she wanted validation—proof that she was the best—and mentoring these new businesswomen was giving her that. She had so much hard-earned wisdom to offer. If only they would listen to her.

“Portia, I’ve spoken with Mary Churso,” Juanita said. “I know you were excited about advising her, but …she’s asked to be assigned to someone else.”

“Someone else? But that’s not possible. I’ve spent so much time with her. I’ve worked so hard. How could she do that?”

“I think she was a little intimidated,” Juanita said. “Just like the others.” She hesitated for a moment. “I appreciate your commitment, Portia. Truly I do. But most of the women who come to us need to be nurtured a bit more gently.” Portia listened incredulously as Juanita explained that she had no one else currently in mind for her to work with, but that she’d let her know if someone “special” came along. Then she hung up.

Portia couldn’t believe it. She felt as if a giant fist had squeezed all the air from her lungs. How could Juanita steal this from her? She fought off her panic with anger. The woman was a terrible administrator. The absolute worst. She’d effectively fired Portia for expecting the best from these women instead of patronizing them.

Just then Bodie reappeared. He was exactly the distraction she needed, and she shoved her cell in her purse to watch him approach. A white T-shirt molded to his chest, and black athletic shorts displayed the powerful musculature of his legs, one of which had a long, puckered scar. She was shocked to feel her senses quickening.

“Showtime.” He pulled her to her feet.

Juanita had unhinged her so much that she’d forgotten about the game. “I’m not doing this.”

“Sure you are.” He ignored her protests as he steered her toward the volleyball court. “Hey, guys, this is Portia. She’s a volleyball pro from the West Coast.”

“Hey, Portia.”

All but two of the players were male. One of the women wore shorts and looked like she meant business. The other was dressed in street clothes and also seemed to have been dragged into the game. Portia hated doing things she wasn’t good at. She hadn’t played volleyball since her freshman year in college, and the only part of her game that had ever amounted to anything was her serve.

Bodie slipped his fingers around the back of her neck and squeezed just firmly enough to remind her of his dog collar remark. “Kick off those sandals and show us what you’ve got.”

He didn’t believe she’d do it. This was a test, and he expected her to fail. Well, she wouldn’t fail. Not again. Not after what had just happened with Juanita. She kicked off her sandals and stepped into the sand. He inclined his head—a mark of respect?—and turned away to address another player.

The ball didn’t come close to her until several minutes into the game when it shot right at her chest. She couldn’t get under it, and she pushed it into the net. As it came out, Bodie dove for it, sending up a spray of sand and somehow managing to get it up and over. He was an amazing athlete, intensely physical, quick, and intimidating. He was also a team player, setting up shots for the others instead of hogging the ball. Portia played hard, but other than scoring a point on a serve, she was a liability. Still, with Bodie taking up the slack next to her, their team won both games, and as she celebrated with them, she felt an odd exhilaration. She wanted Juanita Brooks—everybody at the Community Small Business Initiative—to see her now.

She cleaned up as well as she could in the restroom, but only a shower would remove the grit that had made its way into her hair and between her toes. She returned to the table just as Bodie reappeared in his street clothes. The bar didn’t have showers, so he shouldn’t have smelled so good, of agreeable male exertion, piney soap, and clean clothes. As he took his seat, the sleeve of his knit shirt rode up on his biceps, revealing more of the intricate tribal tattoo that encircled it. He grinned. “You sucked.”

No one else was getting the best of her tonight. “Now you’ve gone and hurt my feelings,” she cooed.

“God, I can’t wait to get you into bed.”

Another of those unnerving shocks skittered through her. She snatched up the beer he’d ordered for her and took a sip, but it was too warm to cool her off. “You’re assuming a lot.”

“Not so much.” He leaned in. “How else can you make sure I’ll keep my mouth shut around Heath? It’s the damnedest thing, but I can’t seem to forget that little spying episode.”

“You’re blackmailing me with sex?”

“Why not?” He settled back in his chair with a crooked grin. “It’ll give you a good excuse to do what you want to anyway.”

If another man had delivered a line like that, she would have laughed in his face, but the pit of her stomach dipped. She had the oddest feeling Bodie knew something about her that other people didn’t understand, maybe something she’d missed herself. “You’re delusional.”

He rubbed his knuckles. “There’s nothing I love more than sexually dominating a strong woman.”

Her fingers tightened around the bottle, not because she felt threatened—he was enjoying himself too much—but because his words aroused her. “Maybe you should talk to a shrink.”

“And spoil all our fun? I don’t think so.”

No one ever played sexual games with her. She crossed her legs and gave him a withering smile. “You deluded little man.”

He leaned forward and whispered against her earlobe. “One of these nights I’m going to make you pay for that.” And then he bit.

She nearly groaned, not with pain—he wasn’t hurting her—but with an unsettling excitement. Fortunately, one of the men from the volleyball game came up to the table, so Bodie backed off, giving her a chance to regain her balance.

Their food arrived shortly afterward. Bodie had ordered without consulting her, then had the nerve to chastise her for not eating. “You don’t really bite into anything. You just lick. No wonder you’re scrawny.”

“You silver-tongued devil.”

“As long as your mouth’s open…” He slipped in a french fry. She savored the shock of the grease and the salt but turned away when he offered another. More volleyball players stopped by the table. As Bodie chatted with them, she automatically surveyed the women in the bar. Several were quite beautiful, and she itched to give them her card, but she couldn’t motivate herself to get up. Bodie’s presence had sucked the oxygen out of the room, leaving the air too thin for her to breathe.

By the time they left the sports bar and entered the lobby of her building, she’d grown almost giddy with desire. She mentally rehearsed how she’d handle him. He knew exactly the effect he was having on her, so of course he expected her to invite him up. She wouldn’t, but he’d get in the elevator anyway, and she’d respond with cool amusement. Perfect.

But Bodie Gray had one more surprise up his sleeve. “Good night, slugger.” With nothing more than a kiss on the forehead, he walked away.

S
aturday morning Annabelle got up early and headed for Roscoe Village, a former haven for drug dealers that had been gentrified in the 1990s. Now it was a pretty urban neighborhood with refurbished houses and charming shops that projected a small-town feel. She was meeting the daughter of one of Nana’s former neighbors in her storefront architectural office on Roscoe Street. She’d heard the woman was exceptionally pretty, and she wanted to meet her in person to see if she’d be a match for Heath.

As it turned out, the woman was lovely but nearly as hyperactive as he was, a surefire recipe for disaster. Annabelle considered her a good prospect for a match though, and she decided to keep her eyes open.

A hunger pang reminded her that she hadn’t taken time for breakfast. Since Heath wasn’t picking her up until noon, she made her way across the street to Victory’s Banner, a cheery, pocket-size vegetarian café operated by the followers of one of the Indian spiritual masters. Instead of a musty, incense-scented interior, Victory’s Banner had powder blue walls, sunny yellow banquettes, and chalk white tables that matched the tieback curtains at the windows. She took an empty table and began to order one of her favorites, homemade French toast with peach butter and real maple syrup, only to be distracted by a platter of golden-brown Belgian waffles passing by. She finally settled on apple pecan pancakes.

As she took her first sip of coffee, the door to the restroom at the back opened and a familiar figure emerged. Annabelle’s heart sank. The woman would have been tall even without her high-heeled woven slides. She was broad shouldered and well dressed in crisp white slacks and a short-sleeved coral blouse that complemented her shoulder-length light brown hair. Her makeup was well applied with subtle eye shadow that emphasized her familiar dark eyes.