AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She shucks her dress, steps out of the pool of color on the floor and pulls a cigarette pouch from the side of her bag. Slowly, methodically, and with her eyes trained on mine, she lights her menthol cigarette and takes a long, lung-killing drag. “Don’t take this the wrong way, honey, but you’re terrible at this.”
“I…” The stammer doesn’t help, but I don’t know what else to say.
“You need a patron?” She slides the doors to the rooftop pool open, kicks off her shoes, and walks down the steps into the shallow end of the pool, clothed only in a silk undergarment, her bra, and panties.
There’s no point lying. Why else would I be here? I don’t want to insult her intelligence by pretending otherwise. I take off my shoes and socks, roll up my trousers, and join her, dangling my feet in the water.
“Want some advice?”
I do. I want all the advice I can get.
“Don’t do this. You’re not suited. It’s justnot you.”
JUST DESSERTS
Mariano Arias. Juniper Hotel. Palm Beach, Florida.
Adoor opens on the far side of the pool and our waiter appears with another bottle of bubbly.
“You need a certain light-heartedness to pull this off.” She blows air kisses at Pascal. He bows and retreats without a word. “It’s supposed to be fun. Diverting. A laugh.”
I have no humor in me. That evaporated when Lolly walked away from me, enraged and disgusted. Though I doubtdivertingandsexgo hand in hand for me, even if we’re well matched.
“I need to forget that I’m forty-four and paying for the company of my companion.”
I hang my head.
“Women of my ilk want to be swept off their feet. Wined and dined. Reminded of who they were.”
I know all this and still I failed.
“Stick to polo. There, you shine. Here, you’re a dud.”
But there is no polo without the backing of someone rich. And no keeping my promise to my mother, either. They’ve given up so much for me, surely I can get it up… Well, that thought took a wrong turn at the language level! If it weren’t all so depressing, I’d muster a laugh.
“I could make a couple of calls for you, if you’d like?”
“Why are you being kind when I’ve been so…”
“Limp?” She laughs, kindly this time. “Because you’re a virtuoso.”
I’ve been called many things, but “limp” and “virtuoso” in the same sentence is a first.
“You take to the field and everything else falls away.”
She’s not wrong. When I play, there’s nothing else in the world but me, my mount, and the line of sight for the ball.
“Someone like you comes along only a few times in a lifetime.” She stubs her cigarette out in a crystal ashtray that probably costs as much as a small car back home. “There’s talent. There’s training. And then there’spanache.”
“You’re too kind.”
“Nonsense. Hand me my bag.”
I don’t see her bag by the pool, so I pad back into the suite and locate it by the door. By the time I make it outside, the heat has sucked up my footprints.
Juliette leans her head back against the side of the pool, letting her legs float out in front of her. “You’re willing to do pretty much anything?”
I thought I was, but it turned out that pretty much anything was beyond me.
