Perfect Ten (13 page)

He never quit. Not only was he nice to look at, but he made me laugh too. “You’re incorrigible, you know that?”

“I do. Yes.” I could hear the smile in his voice. He was playing with me. I liked playful Joe. “You do that to me. And I’m not lying. Maybe we should try the whole petting thing.”

“I think we’ve been down that road once before. Or halfway, anyway.” What was I saying? I couldn’t pull off the whole seductive phone conversation. Sometimes I felt seriously socially inept.

“Oh, I think you went the whole way, sweetheart. At least, that’s what I think those sounds meant.”

“Okay. Stop. I’m not good at this, Joe. I’m awkward. Can we just focus on our date? Maybe leave the rest alone for now?” Now I sounded like a prude. Damn, I was going to screw this up before it even started.

“Anything you say, Faith. All our dating decisions are up to you. You set the pace. I can’t promise that I won’t try to bring that sex kitten to the forefront, though. Like it or not, you’re one hot woman.”

Holy cow. He thinks I’m hot. Hot! Me. “Well, I guess I can’t stop you.”

His laugh was deep and rough, like he was getting turned on. “Not from trying, no. I admittedly have a hard time controlling myself around you.”

There was a somewhat uncomfortable silence then. I didn’t know what to say. Where should the conversation go now? I was about to say good-bye when he started talking again.

“You know, we play basketball at Mission Bay Park on Tuesday nights. It’s the guys from Perfect Ten against the guys from Stallions—yeah, the company really is Stallions. Anyway, why don’t you bring your friends and come cheer me on? I never have anyone there to root for me.”

“You can’t be serious. I’d think you’d have girls flocking you.”

“That’s just the job. Those women are clients. They’re not a part of my life. Just come. It’s not a date. Bring your friends. The worst thing that could happen is you’d have a great view of the bay and a relaxing night with your friends.”

It sounded like fun to me. I love being outdoors, and the weather was perfect. It hovered right around sixty-five or so in the evenings. “Maybe.”

“I’ll take it. I’ll text you directions.”

“No need. I know where it is. I like to go walking around the bay there.”

“Okay. Seven o’clock. I really hope to see you there. Have a good day.”

“You too, Joe. Bye.”

I felt great after I hung up. Aside from his sexy remarks, it was a very ordinary conversation. I could get used to that.

* * *

“
Y
ou look happy today
, Faith. Get laid, did you?” The café I met Chloe in for lunch was near the parking lot at the beginning of the beach walkway, making it a perfect place to people watch.

“Ha, ha, very funny. No, but I do feel happy today. I have a date.”

“Oh yeah? With who?” As if she didn’t know.

“You know who. Joe. In just about two weeks. He’ll be a free man then.” I told her about getting the hand-delivered invitation at work and the phone call. “And he wants me to go watch him play basketball tomorrow night in Mission Bay Park. He said he needs a cheerleader. It’s Perfect Ten versus Stallions, another escort agency. Since Bill has the kids tomorrow night, would you go with me?”

“What? You want me to go watch a bunch of hot guys get all sweaty and push each other around? Do you even have to ask? You know, when Bill and I got divorced, I thought I’d never be happy again, but I have to say, it is kind of fun being single.”

I knew she didn’t mean that. As much of a loudmouth and often times embarrassment Chloe was, her divorce almost broke her. It was the classic case of finding her husband in bed with another woman he’d brought home in the middle of the day. He brought the woman home while the kids were at school and Chloe was working. Nice, huh? But Madison had gotten sick, and Chloe picked her up from school and took her home, to be greeted by his infidelity. We were all shocked. Bill was the kind of guy who wore his heart on his sleeve. He was always mooning over his wife He was so in love with her, or so we thought.

“I’ll let that comment slide and just take that as a yes.”

“We know each other too well. The truth is, I hate being single again. It’s hard, and the sick part is, as much as I hate Bill for what he did to me—what he did to our whole family—I still miss him. God, that’s pathetic, isn’t it?”

“Absolutely not. You were together for ten years! Of course you miss what you had with him. For what it’s worth, he’s a good father to the kids.” I guess that was poor consolation for getting your heart stomped on by the one person who should have cherished it forever.

“That is true. He’s a lucky fucker that he’s good to my kids. He’d be missing one of his nuts if he weren’t. Maybe the whole nut sack!” That’s my Chloe.

We were sipping ice teas and waiting for our lunch to be brought out when we found our first victim. He was an extremely tall, dark-skinned man, wearing white Daisy Duke shorts and a red tank top with a sparkling pink heart in the middle of it. In the crook of his right arm, he held a Yorkie that was yapping away at anyone who ventured too close to them. You never knew what you were going to see on the beach walkway.

“Okay, I’ll take this one.” Chloe cocked her head to the side and pressed her lips together in thought. “Hmm. I have it. He’s a wanna-be choreographer to the stars. His last boyfriend caught him in bed with a woman, but it turned out the woman had man parts also, so the three of them wound up becoming a thing. Now, he’s jealous that his boyfriend likes the new tranny better than him, and he’s strutting his stuff like a peacock showing its feathers. The Yorkie is for protection from any guy who shows interest who isn’t perfectly groomed.”

Chloe’s brain never ventured very far from sex, no matter what form. “God, where do you come up with this stuff, Chlo? A tranny, huh? Okay. My turn.”

My pick was an older woman on roller skates. She had on a white toga and was playing a ukulele, with a joint hanging out of her mouth. Yes, a joint. It was amazing how many people strolled along the walk smoking pot just like it was a cigarette.

“She’s obviously a flower child, and she’s high as a kite.” Okay, that was too easy. I needed to dig deeper. “Her children are all highly successful but still use only holistic healing and are all vegans—except her one rogue son. He owns a butcher shop and takes Advil. She’s shunned deodorant, so she smells like yesterday’s dirty laundry, and she thinks it’s unhealthy to bathe regularly.”

“Eww. I like my guy better.”

We shared a laugh, and I agreed with her. I’d take her guy over my stinky woman too.

When lunch was over, we had our plans for the following night nailed down. I would pick Chloe up at her beauty shop, and she’d try to get me to let her do something fancy with my hair. Wasn’t going to happen. Not to go watch an outdoor basketball game.

T
he beauty shop
was buzzing with ladies looking for the latest celebrity styles when I arrived to pick Chloe up. One particularly voluptuous woman was asking a stylist to cut her waist-length hair like Miley Cyrus’s when she had gone nutso and had shaved half her head. Another woman was getting long blonde extensions put in to make her short hair long. It just goes to show that we’re never happy with what we have.

“Hi, Faith! I’ll be right with you. Just finishing up.” Chloe’s customer looked gorgeous. Her warm-mahogany-colored hair was interspersed with several colors of honey blonde and a dark, subtle shade of auburn. She did such a good job of highlighting it that it looked natural.

I’ve thought about trying to do something like that to mine, but Chloe tells me it would never look like that. She says my strawberry blonde is perfect for my complexion. I don’t hate it; I just thought I’d like to try something different. She really wanted to get her scissors on me, but I’ve hidden behind my hair for so long, I’m not sure if I could handle it.

When Chloe was done, she walked over to me and took my hand. “Come on. Don’t say no, just sit down, and shut up. You need to loosen up.” She pushed me down into the empty chair and picked up her brush. I decided to let her have her way. “No arguments? Wow, that’s a first.”

“Just no scissors.”

“Sure, hon. No scissors…tonight.” When Chloe was done, I couldn’t help the grin that brightened my face. I looked like a kid, but in a good way. She had given me two long French braids that she pulled forward to rest on my chest. “Now that’s cute. Perfect for sitting outside on the bay, watching hot guys run around in shorts.”

“I actually like it.”

“Good. Maybe someday you’ll let me give you that pixie cut that I
know
would look so fabulously hot on you.”

Yeah. I didn’t see that happening anytime soon. Maybe if I could drop thirty pounds or so. My face was too round for a short cut.

“We’re not having that conversation right now. Let’s go.”

Chloe grabbed a cooler out of the back room before we took off and cracked open a beer on the way.

“Are you crazy? If I get pulled over, we’re both in trouble!”

“Why? You’re not drinking, and I’m not driving. Besides, I have these.” Chloe pulled her top down, exposing both her breasts, which, as she knew it would, brought out a big snort of laughter from me.

“Jesus. Put those things away. You’ll poke an eye out.”

“Me? Damn, Faith. Your tits are twice as big as my girls.”

“Maybe so, but I’m not whipping them out in broad daylight! Think of the kids. What would happen if you got arrested for drinking in the car?”

“Geez, fine.” But instead of putting the beer away, she pulled out one of those new sleeves that looked like a soda can and slipped it over the beer can. Now it just looked like she was drinking a can of Coke. “Happy?”

“Yes, actually I am. You had better have more of them. I’m going to need some fortification when we get there, I think. I still can’t believe I’m going.”

“Have you heard from Joe today?”

“No. I think he’s trying to give me some space until he’s done at Perfect Ten. Honestly, I was kind of surprised he invited me tonight. I mean, his friends will be there. They’ll all see me, you know?”

“Grrrr. Yes, and it’s pretty obvious to me that Joe wants to show you off. Think about that, will you?”

“Yeah. I am trying, Chloe. I guess I have to try harder, but I’m not going to change overnight. I’m thinking about hiring a trainer. Maybe getting into running or something.” I hated to exercise. Hated it, and it showed. But there were only two ways, without surgery or pills, to lose weight. Diet and exercise. My diet wasn’t too bad most of the time, but I could definitely increase my nonexistent exercise activities.

“If you want to hire a trainer, then that’s great, Faith, but running? Maybe start with walking first. Then you could add some lightweight resistance training, but don’t go overboard. You already hate exercising. If you jump into running, you might never want to exercise again.”

“True, but hey, maybe I’ll love it. You never know.”

“Uh-huh.”

There were a bunch of cars in the parking lot when we pulled in. It took me a couple of minutes to find an empty spot.

I took a deep breath as my gaze wandered over to the guys standing around the basketball court waiting for the current game to end.

“Good God. Why have we never done this before? Look at all that prime flesh.” Chloe’s mouth was hanging open as she took in the scene before us.

“Remember, they’re all escorts. They actually date and probably screw many, many women on a regular basis. Not boyfriend material.”

“Except the one who’s quitting so he can have a chance with you.”

“Sure, and how many women do you think Joe’s slept with? I know that it’s really none of my business what he’s done in his past, but it’s a hard pill to swallow. What if we do get together? How on earth can I compete with all those women? I’ve had sex a total of what, six times or something?”

Chloe shook her head at me and smiled. “See, that’s where you’re looking at it all wrong. Joe wants
you
. You’re not competing with anyone. They were competing with you—and they lost.”

“I guess that’s another way to look at it. I like that way.” I took one more deep breath, blowing it out hard enough to ruffle the long bangs, sweeping across my forehead. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

* * *

Holy shit, she
came. I couldn’t believe it. She really came. Yes! That had to be a good sign, right? And she had those cute yoga pants on women loved now. Do NOT look at her ass. I was going to have to be real careful if I didn’t want to play ball with full wood. Kind of hard to hide in my gym shorts.

She walked over to the bench farthest away from me and avoided eye contact. I wondered what else I could do to convince her I was into her. Seriously. I think it’s pretty damn obvious that she does it for me, but who the hell knows how women think? I need to figure it out, though.

I tapped Brian on the shoulder. “See that beauty over there? That’s what you missed out on when you were in Florida visiting your mom.”

He looked over with an appreciative gleam in his eye. “Yeah? Well, I’m back now, aren’t I? Think she needs another date?”

I pushed him with so much force that he fell to the ground and landed hard on his ass.

“What the fuck was that for?”

Whoops.
I put my hand out to help him up. “Uh, sorry, man. I’ve sort of staked my claim. Guess I shouldn’t even have brought it up.”

He brushed the dirt off his ass and gave me a hard glare. “Yeah, okay. I always thought you liked blondes better anyway, but whatever.”

“Huh? I do. Oh, you mean Chloe. She’s not the beauty I meant. You can have her, but I’d be careful. She’s a tough one.” I’d only met Chloe once, of course, and I liked her a lot, but she gave out a very clear warning signal not to fuck with her.

“Cool. Maybe I will.” Chloe’s dark brown ponytail slapped Faith in the face as she whipped her head around at the sound of a car backfiring.

“Go for it. Don’t fuck with her, though. I think you’d regret it.”

Since we were playing shirts and skins, I could get away with taking my shirt off and not looking like I was trying too hard to impress Faith before I approached her and Chloe. “Hi, ladies. Thanks for coming. I hope you’re ready to cheer us on.”

I was pleased to note Faith’s eyes scanning me up and down, stopping on my happy trail and following it down. God knows I was more than willing to let her explore to her heart’s content.

“You know what, Joe? You should never wear shirts. Never.” While Chloe’s eyes were slightly lecherous, I could tell she was just having fun flirting. At Faith’s glare at her, my heart flipped a bit, and I laughed out loud.

“Thanks.” I looked over to see Faith’s eyes now firmly glued to the horizon. “If only everyone felt that way.”

“Oh, she does. She’s just trying to ignore it.”

“Oh, come on. I’m sitting right here.”

Chloe playfully pushed her so that she swayed a little on the bench. “Then join in the appreciation. Look at your man. He’s beautiful.”

“He’s not my man, Chloe, but fine. You look good, Joe.” She lowered her eyes a little and said quietly, “Really, really good.”

I put my finger under her chin and raised her head up. “Thank you. You look really, really good too.” I kissed her quickly and gently on the nose and tugged on one of her braids. “And I fucking love these.” My language could probably use some polishing, but when she does something to turn me on, like wear two braids that I could easily see myself tugging on, the f-bomb comes out. I can’t help it. She’s fucking hot, and I want her.

Right before I turned around to head back to the court, something miraculous happened. She smiled at me. Right at me. Gave me a big grin and gently slapped my stomach. “Go get ’em. Win big!”

“For you. First basket’s for you.” I jogged off before I could do something stupid like grab her and kiss the daylights out of her like I always want to do.

I was the first one to put points on the board, and I could hear Faith cheering for me. I’m telling you, I’ve never felt like this before. Women threw themselves at me on a regular basis. Most of them were nice to me and pretended to care about me, but it was all in the moment. The next day, they were gone, I was back to work, and it began all over with another woman. But Faith made me feel special. She made me feel like I was worth knowing out of bed. It was something I’d like to try, although I knew how hard it would be for me.

Sex was constantly on my mind. And I’m not talking about how all men think about sex all the time. I know I mentioned it before, but I do think there is a possibility that I’m addicted to sex. Quitting it cold turkey—well, if you didn’t count the, o
h God,
coming-in-my-pants thing—was a bitch.

And, now I’m lying on the ground, flat on my back because I wasn’t thinking about the game. As an added bonus, I got road rash on my back since I was part of the skins team. Great.

“Your mind over on the benches there, Starling? Works for me. We’re up by two now. Thanks!” Huh, I thought we were up. Maybe I didn’t score the first points. Who knew? My mind wasn’t in the game.

A short while later, the score was eighteen to sixteen, and we were playing to twenty. No one had gotten any foul shots yet. The winning team had to win by two points. I couldn’t tell you how many times we went past the twenty points in past games just to get someone up by two. We were pretty evenly matched.

Another missed opportunity, and I took some more flak about my girl. “Fuck off, Mattson.” I needed to get my head in the game. I spared one last glance for Faith and that cost me a basketball to the head.

Brian slapped me hard on the back. “You really got it bad, eh?” The guys all shared a laugh at my expense, and I could see Chloe shaking Faith and laughing.

Faith cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, “Is that all you’ve got, Starling? Not too impressive from over here!”

I looked at her in disbelief. She was certainly coming out of her shell tonight. Raising my eyebrows to convey that I accepted her challenge, I grabbed the ball and started forward again. I took a shot, and all you could hear was the swish of the net. Tied at eighteen.

With sweat running down my face, I stole the ball away from the other team and took another shot, which bounced off the backboard without going in the net, but Brian caught the rebound and dunked it in for the winning basket.

“Yeah!”

“Suck it, Stallions!”

“More like geldings!”

There was always a lot of good-natured ribbing after a game.

“Aw, fuck all of you.”

“Perfect Ten…should be Perfect Pussies!”

After the name-calling ended, we all shook hands and agreed to meet the following week. Same time, same place.

My shirt was now a darker blue than it was before I wiped my sweat off on it and threw it over my head. I was drenched, but it felt good. Being an escort demanded I keep my body in top form, and basketball was a whole hell of a lot more fun than running or spending an hour on the elliptical. Of course, technically, I could stop working so hard, but I have to admit, I liked the results. And if Faith liked them? I’d keep working out just as hard. I just hope she didn’t think I expected her to. As I’ve said many times, I don’t want her to lose those succulent curves.

The girls were standing when I reached them. Each had a beer in hand. “May I?” Without waiting for an answer, I grabbed Faith’s and drank it down, trying like the devil to hold my belch in. Pretty hard to do when you just downed at least a half a can of beer. As discreetly as possible, I let it out. Really, I needed some courting lessons.

Faith turned around and bent over to grab another beer out of their cooler. Why? Why did she have to do that? With a mind of their own, my hands instinctively reached out to her glorious rump.

“Uh-uh.” Chloe shook her head at me, warning me off.

I did have the grace to look away then. “Yeah, sorry.”