Kate stroked the cue stick, grinning to herself as the shaft slipped back and forth between her fingers. She loved the game of pool. Tonight, after two glasses of beer, sexual innuendo seemed to be spinning through her mind. Kate chuckled.
Sticks and balls and holes waiting to be filled up
. She wasn't usually so crass. Leaning against the pool table, she carefully took aim. In one fluid movement, the tip of the cue stick collided with the chalk-stained white ball, causing a chain reaction on the felt-covered table surface. Her friends groaned with amused frustration as Kate's one shot sent three solid-colored balls into three different pockets.
She smiled broadly. "Don't worry ladies. If you can't pay your bets up front, I'd be happy to accept personal checks, providing you can show two forms of identification."
"Easy shot, Kate." Her partner for that round chipped in. She winked. The eight ball was poised on the very edge of the pocket. She leaned forward, her left arm against the table, her right hand gripping the end of the cue stick. Kate licked her lips, adjusted her aim, and felt something slap against her bottom.
She lurched forward. It was just enough to swat the ball in the wrong direction. As luck would have it, the white ball rolled slowly towards the side pocket, hovered on the edge for a scant moment, and then plummeted to the bottom with a pronounced clack.
"Who did that?" She spoke slowly, drawing out the words. Her friends had grins on their faces.
"He did." Joan, who had been on the opposite team, nodded her head in the direction of another table.
"Sure, Joan. You know the rules. No cheating. That'll be the 20 dollars we agreed upon." Kate stuck out her hand, palm up.
"No way. It really was that guy." Kate looked to her partner, who nodded. "He bumped into you on his way to the table."
"Which one is he?" She asked.
"He's the tall guy, with the blue shirt on." Kate turned in the direction her friend indicated. All that she saw was a pair of broad shoulders talking to a waitress. Her eyes narrowed. Clumsy jerk or not, she figured that he owed her $20 for making her lose the game.
"I'll be right back." She heard her friends laugh. Apparently, the prospect of her confronting the man amused them.
He turned slightly, and caught sight of her approaching him. She looked annoyed, to say the least. He grinned. The cute little blonde was cocky, to say the least. Tantalized at first by the way her round ass looked bent over the pool table and encased in tight denim, he had drawn close to get a better look. When he heard her bragging to her friends before her last shot, however, he couldn't help himself. He had walked by her, his hand making delicious contact with her firm rear, causing her to miss the shot.
Kate marched up to the stranger. Between the beer she'd drunk and the U2 that was blasting through the pool hall, the blood was pumping through her veins. She stood behind him, realizing belatedly that he was almost a foot taller than she was. No matter. She tapped him on his shoulder.
He turned around to face her, slowly. She breathed in abruptly. He was a giant. His shoulders must have been at least two and a half feet wide. She tilted her head up.
Good God
. Men should not have faces like that. His eyes were a deep indigo, framed by long, black eyelashes. He smiled and his teeth flashed white against his tan. His nose was straight and narrow; his chin was strong.
He was the best-looking man she had ever seen. Period.
His eyebrows shot up as she continued to stare at him, befuddled. His voice was deep, amused, "Can I help you?"
Kate snapped to attention, feeling silly for having gawked at him. "You made me miss my last shot."
"I know. I did it on purpose." He moved in closer. She smelled his cologne. He was delectable and she had trouble concentrating.
"I beg your pardon?"
"I heard you talking. You're too cocky for your own good." Her eyes lit up. He grinned at her reaction.
She was riled, "Who do you think you are?" It was getting easier to ignore how handsome he was. "Let me tell you something, we were playing for money. I think you owe me the $20 I lost."
"Really?" He moved closer, towering above her and pushing her into a corner. She gulped. Lost all desire to argue. His mouth was near her ear, his body pressed against hers. "Tell me your name."
"Kate," she whispered. The scent of him combined with the feel of his hard body pressed against hers made her weak.
"I have an idea, Kate. Do you want to know what it is?" His tongue traced the delicate shell of her ear. She nodded. "I think you should let me work it off."
