Nic Tatano - The Love Triangle

The phone went dead.

She got up, put her phone back on the charger and headed for the kitchen to get some celebratory Häagen Dazs rum raisin with the obligatory extra splash of rum. She couldn’t help but smile. Her agency was off life support for the moment, a Greek god wanted to take her to dinner (well, maybe) and she’d made a new friend out of a client.

All was right in the universe.

At least for now.

Though still bleary-eyed Saturday morning after taking the Friday red-eye from California, Kyle needed to shake off his jet lag at the gym. Shooting hoops for an hour or so and an afternoon nap would hopefully regulate his body clock before his next trip. He stopped at the desk to check out a basketball and heard the rhythmic thump from the court. “Is there actually a game going on at this hour?”

The shaggy clerk, who looked to be about eighteen, shook his head. “Just a young woman, but that’s it. You can each have a half court. I’ll be right back with a ball.”

A young woman?

He walked across the hall, looked through the plexiglass down at the court and saw the little redhead hitting shot after shot.

I’m gonna get my ass kicked again. Then again, maybe this time I can get her number…

He moved back to the desk as the clerk handed him a basketball. He wrote his name on the sign-out sheet, then looked at the clerk as he cocked his head at the court. “By the way, you know her name?”

“Sir, I can’t give out that information.”

“Sure, I understand.”

“But she’s very nice.”

He took a quick look at the sloppy signature above his. It looked like Alexandra followed by a scribble. He headed down the stairs to the basketball court and found her sitting on the bench, dripping with sweat, sipping a bottle of water. She looked up and smiled. “Well, look who’s here. Back for a re-match?”

He pretended to study her face for a moment. “I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met.”

She laughed. “Very funny. It’s Kasey, right?”

“Yeah. And I still don’t know your name.” He noticed a light jacket with monogrammed initials draped over her gym bag and pointed at it. “Ah, but it begins with A.”

She nodded. “Very perceptive, Columbo. You’ve narrowed it down.”

“Wait, don’t tell me… Amy?”

“Nope.”

“Agatha?”

She furrowed her brow and pointed to her face. “Do I look eighty years old to you?”

“Sorry. Actually about fifty-five years younger.”

“Hang on, let me do the math… eighty minus fifty-five… zero minus five, borrow the one… why thank you, kind sir.”

“You’re welcome. But back to your name… you look like you’d have something really classy.”

She pointed at her face. “This sweaty mug looks classy to you?”

“Women don’t sweat, they glow.”

“Yeah, and I’m glowin’ like Secretariat.”

“Anyway, back to your name… Alexandra?”

Her eyes widened. “Damn, you’re good.”

“Really, that’s it?”

She nodded. “Yep. Mom wanted a boy and was going to name him Alex, so Alexandra was the next best thing.”

“So, do friends call you Alex? I hope not because I think Alexandra suits you better.”

“Nope.” She grabbed a towel and wiped her face. “You can totally call me Alexandra if you like.”

“I like.”

“Well, I’m about done here, but if you’re up for a little one-on-one, I’m game.”

“Why, you need to start your weekend beating the hell out of a guy?”

“Thought you might be one of those alpha males who hates losing to a woman and needs to get even.”

“Nah, I’m one of those renaissance men who treats women as equals. Though in your case I will admit you’re better than me at one thing.”

“Just one?”

“So far that’s the only thing we have to go on. I’m willing to bet I’m better at something than you are.”

She sat up straight. “What? Shooting pool? Poker? Let’s rock.”

“Planning a date.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m an expert at planning fantastic dates.”

“So, you’re saying you’re a great date?”

“You might not fall in love with me, but women are always entertained when I take them out. I’m a Jedi date master. I’m sure you couldn’t possibly beat me planning the ultimate fun date.”

She backed up a bit. “You asking me out?”

He shrugged. “Depends.”

“Depends? On what?”

“If you think you’re better than me at planning a date.”

“So what exactly are you proposing?”

“Two dates. We each plan one. Then decide which was the most enjoyable.”

“I must admit, I have not run into this clever tactic before. You’re taking advantage of my competitive nature as a backdoor method of asking me out. Surely you realize that I realize what you’re doing.”

“Of course. But the beauty of this is that if you decline I can simply assume you’re worried about losing the bet, rather than not being interested in me. And my fragile male ego wouldn’t be bruised, since, as you know, men can be devastated for weeks when turned down for a date. But you strike me as a woman who can’t turn down a challenge.”

She locked eyes with him for a moment with those fantastic eyes, sending a shiver through his body. “Okay. But I wanna see how creative you are, so let’s make this interesting. Hundred-dollar limit on the dates. And that includes a nice dinner.”

“A hundred bucks? We’re in New York City. If we do anything besides dinner we’ll be eating at a hot dog cart.”

“Then we’ll find out who’s more creative.” She stuck out her hand. “You agree to the terms?”

He shook. “It’s a bet. Oh, what does the winner get?”

“If I win, you buy me another dinner with no expense limit at the restaurant of my choice.”

“And if I win?”

She shot him a wicked grin and batted her eyes. “You would have already won by having the pleasure of my company for two evenings.”

“Something tells me that will be enough. You’re not a very good gambler since I win either way.”

“Aw, you’re such a sweetie. So, when does this happen?”

“I’m out of town all week, but free next Saturday night. After that I’ll be gone for two more weeks.”

“Okay. Next Saturday.”

“Ladies first?”

“Hell no. I wanna see what I’ve gotta beat. And it will give me two weeks to plan.”

“Fine. I’ll pick you up at six, so I’ll need your number and address.”