Topspin (5 page)

“Spoilsport!” Jack winked at Claire.

Angela dutifully grinned at this exchange, tamping down the flash of jealousy that surged through her. What did it take to get this guy’s attention? She’d excelled in preparing for this lunch and had never looked better. Her skin tone was naturally dark, and the sun turned it an even richer shade of brown. Her hair hung halfway down her back in natural corkscrew curls, and her light layer of makeup had been expertly applied to enhance the size of her eyes and draw attention to her full, pouting lips. She’d spent hours in the gym, toning and stretching until her muscles begged for mercy. Determined to use the occasion to push her relationship with Jack forward, she’d agonized for hours over what to wear.

Jack was ensconced at the bar amidst a circle of the blokes, all traces of his hangover eradicated. He’d bought her a drink, along with everyone else, and then lost interest in her. Instead he was contributing to the raucous bout of laughter that greeted one of Nigel’s filthy jokes. Angela scowled, discouraging some of the golfing crowd from approaching her, as she pondered her inexplicable failure with Jack. She’d heard several highly colored and very graphic descriptions of Jack’s proficiency at the horizontal tango from a couple of women who’d experienced it first-hand. Were it not for that, she’d be tempted to salve her wounded pride by concluding that he must be gay…or bi…or secretly married…or nursing a broken heart. Something had to be holding him back.

Trina entered the room with a woman at her side no one had seen before, snapping Angela out of her fantasy just when it got to the interesting bit. Noticing Trina’s companion, the men stopped their conversations and blatantly gave her the once-over.

“Who’s that?” Ed asked.

“A prospective member,” Mike said. “Her name’s Jodie Austen. She did her trial game yesterday and she’s quite handy, so Trina invited her along today to meet everyone.”

“If she needs another trial, I’m willing.” Karl was nipping at Jack’s heels to win the club singles title, but because of his volatility on court, and a tendency to blame his partner if they lost, never hung on to one for long. He made a crude gesture in Jodie’s direction that drew another peal of laughter. Off court, he was amiable and dry-witted and everyone loved him.

Alerted to the possibility of a rival, Angela studied Jodie more closely. She had a heart-shaped face, piercing green eyes, and a waterfall of dark hair which, annoyingly, appeared to be natural. Jack was openly assessing her, along with everyone else. She detected a spark of interest in his eyes but quickly dismissed the possibility. Jodie was superficially pretty, but her body let her down. She had wide hips, a large bum, and small tits. Angela happened to know Jack didn’t go for pear-shaped women.

Trina clapped her hands for silence and introduced Jodie. “Jodie has just moved to the Island and is setting up shop as a freelance IT consultant. So any of you who can’t tell your hard drive from your floppy disk know who to go to.”

Trina looked bemused by the ensuing explosion of laughter. “How much do you charge, love?” shouted some wit.

Jodie blushed, embarrassed by the good-natured banter. Angela smiled. If she was that sensitive she’d be eaten alive by this lot. Jack was still casting speculative glances at the girl, and Angela, having decided that she was no competition, made up her mind to befriend her. If nothing else it would show her in a good light in Jack’s eyes.

“Come and join us, Jodie,” she called out.

“Look at ’er.” Ed nodded toward Trina and frowned. “She’s bristling like a cat what got the cream. She’s up to something, you just mark my words.”

As if to prove Ed right, Trina cleared her throat and called for silence. With all eyes focused upon her, she bounced on her toes, enjoying her moment in the spotlight. “Before we go in to lunch,” she said portentously, “I have a few announcements to make. Mobile phones absolutely must be switched
off
during play.” She glowered at Ed when his rang and he retreated to the side of the room with it glued to his ear. He shouted into it, windmilling his free arm to emphasize his point. “It’s a gross discourtesy to other players to have them ringing in the middle of a set.”

“Damn! How will I stay in touch with my broker now?” Everyone knew Gordon didn’t have two quid to his name and fell about laughing.

Everyone except Trina. “And after Monday’s session, someone left the match balls on the court.” She made it sound like the crime of the century. “They got soaked in the afternoon shower. Balls are very expensive and ought to be treated with respect.”

“Couldn’t have put it better myself,” Karl said. “Angela, do you want to treat my balls with respect?”

“Piss off back to Holland, Karl.”

Raising one badly plucked eyebrow was all it took for Trina to silence the laughter. “And now for the most exciting news of all.” She pulled herself up to her full five-foot-two and drew a deep breath, clearly trying to drag out the tension and retain the attention of a disinterested audience. “Now, as you know, we’ve been looking for a new coach for some time. Well, I’m pleased to tell you that we’ve been lucky enough to find someone with excellent qualifications. This is Colin Palmer, and he’s agreed to take the job at short notice.”

“You should have consulted the members before employing someone.” Ed flipped his phone shut and shook it in Trina’s face. “This is supposed to be a democratic club, not a bloody dictatorship.”

Trina glowered at him but didn’t dignify his tirade with a response. “But now I can present the new coach of the Porchfield Country Club Tennis Section…”

Before she could say anything more a good looking man of about forty appeared from the doorway behind Trina and moved to stand beside her. He had a thatch of thick blond hair, clear hazel eyes, the lithe, toned body of an athlete, and a tan that put even Angela’s to shame. Angela smiled to herself. Jack would have some competition now. She turned to look at him, wondering how he’d respond to the introduction of this Adonis, and noticed a marked darkening of his expression. Jack was the most laid-back person she knew. She hadn’t realized he set so much stock by his personal standing in the club.

Everyone else was still looking at the new coach. There was an air of expectancy among the women. They sat up straighter and exchanged asides as they appraised the club’s newest addition, speculating about the circumstances that had landed such a well-qualified coach in this relative backwater.

Their comments barely registered with Angela. Her eyes were still trained on Jack. He muttered something beneath his breath, and she realized there was more invested in his reaction than personal pride. The concentrated fury in his expression made her go cold inside and she was grateful it wasn’t directed at her.

Jack was clearly a dangerous man. Why hadn’t she realized that about him before? She knew frustratingly little about his background and wondered if, like her, there were aspects of his past that he would prefer to keep hidden. Aspects that would get him blackballed from Porchfield if they ever came to light. She caught a glimpse of the subdued menace in his stance and shivered.

With desire rather than apprehension.

That Jack knew this man but didn’t care for him became obvious when he raised his glass in what was obviously supposed to be an ironic salute, anger radiating from hard, flat eyes that impaled Palmer with the full force of his displeasure.

Chapter Three

C
OLIN’S
A
RRIVAL
C
AUSED
Q
UITE
A S
TIR
. Most of the ladies were in relationships, but it was obvious to Claire that such concerns weren’t about to deter them from speculating about the new coach’s availability. The more pessimistic among them were already convinced that someone with his looks just
had
to be either happily married or gay. Among the men, rumors were circulating and doubts being voiced as to his suitability for the club. Claire’s instincts told her they were right to be suspicious. A frisson of excitement rippled through her when Colin’s gaze rested on her and was slow to move on. There was more to this man than met the eye. She didn’t have a clue how she knew that. Somehow she just did.

Claire couldn’t blame the girls for gaping at him. She prevented herself from following their example by adopting the attitude of polite disinterest she’d perfected over the years for use in circumstances such as these. He was certainly a hunk, guaranteed to liven up their snooty club. Even the formidable Trina wasn’t immune to his charm. She was blushing beneath the heat of the hundred-watt smile he’d just turned upon her, coquettishly emulating the behavior of the girls she’d terrorized as headmistress of a failing London comprehensive for so many years.

Claire valued her status as the best-looking woman at the club. With a great body and lovely personality to accompany those looks, the rest of the women should have been wary of her. That was the way the world worked. But because of her devotion to Joe and disinterest in other men, the women not only accepted her but looked up to her as a style guru and consulted her on any number of issues. Anything from relationships to recalcitrant children to what to wear to the next club dinner. Nothing of any import was undertaken by the ladies without first obtaining Claire’s opinion.

Naturally they were all interested in her take on Colin. She advised caution, suggesting that a man with such looks and obvious charm probably wasn’t what he appeared to be on the surface. But that wasn’t what they wanted to hear.

“If the rumors are to be believed, he’s given up a prestigious post in a much bigger club just to join us in this backwater.”

“The Porchfield Country Club is hardly a backwater,” protested someone.

“The tennis side of it is. We’ve always been considered the poor relations to the golfers, don’t forget. They resent the fact that we share their facilities but only pay a fraction of the amount they do to be members.”

“Yes, but they’ve got all those acres of fairways and stuff that need maintaining.”

“Yes, well, anyway,” Claire said, “he’ll have to start from scratch with us lot. Why would he do something like that through choice?”

“Who cares!” Sheila had yet to take her eyes off him.

Claire smiled as the others nodded their agreement. “Yes, but don’t you think it’s a bit fishy, and a bit sudden, for that matter? I happen to know that this time last week Trina still hadn’t found anyone to fill the vacancy. I doubt if his motives are purely altruistic.”

“Let’s quit the analysis and enjoy the moment while we can, just in case he decides he’s made a mistake.”

“Do you think he knows his way round the island?” Sheila asked. “If he needs a guide…” Her words trailed off amidst a bubble of subdued laughter.

“It must be fabulous to be so in love with your husband that even someone who looks like
him
doesn’t make you go weak at the knees,” Angela said. “A bit boring, though.”

Claire bit back a laugh. If only she knew! “Oh, I can see why he’s got you all steamed up, but I’ve got too much going with Joe to be tempted to stray. Don’t let it stop you, though. If nothing else, it’ll annoy Jack.”

“You think so? I get the impression that Jack knows the man.”

“It’s possible, I suppose. Jack seems to know a lot of the most unlikely people.”

“Yes, but it doesn’t matter. Jack doesn’t care what I do because he’s not interested in me that way. He’s made that blatantly obvious.” Angela sighed. “I guess I’ll just have to face the fact that I’m wasting my time with him.”

“He may not be interested now, but if I know anything about men, the moment you show an interest in someone else he’ll go all possessive on you.”

Trina had stopped blathering on and invited Colin to tell the club a little bit about himself. Angela surprised Claire by abruptly breaking off their conversation and focusing her full attention on Colin. For the first time she could remember, Angela willingly curtailed a conversation about Jack. She was obsessed with Jack. She seldom spoke about anything else when the two women were alone, seeking Claire’s advice but never acting upon it. Claire found it increasingly difficult to maintain her façade of disinterest and was almost tempted to make a move on Jack herself, just to show Angela how it ought to be done. Something told her Jack wouldn’t need a map to find his way around a woman’s body. She’d never permitted herself to think about him in that way before, but now that the seed had been planted she savored the prospect of the challenge, wondering if she dared. Would his respect for Joe hold him back? Cynically, she rather doubted it.

“I feel rather humble,” Colin said with an engaging smile. He stared down at the sea of up-turned faces, appearing anything but humble as his eyes creased above a blistering smile that screamed self-confidence. “But also very privileged to take up this position. I played county tennis in a previous life and took up coaching when I got too old to compete at that level. I’ve been working in France in a large club since then, which rather lacked the personal touch. I wanted to be somewhere smaller where I could relate directly to the players and make some sort of difference. I see player development here as a priority, and am particularly keen to bring on the junior section. We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that the kids are the future of any club.”