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“You can buy me dinner.” She came from behind me. Generally I sat where no one could come from behind, but there wasn’t a great spot at the bar for that. Plus, I knew she was there already. Her perfume smelled way too strong. And floral.
I wasn’t a flowers kind of guy. But exceptions could be made. This one was a beauty. Legs for days and tits I could happily bury myself in.
“Now why would I do that?” I teased her.
“Lots of reasons,” she said. Though I didn’t look away, from the corner of my eye I could see two of her friends sitting at a high-top watching us. “I’m Christina. What’s your name?”
There was absolutely nothing wrong with her. Slamming body. Pretty face. Probably a very good time, and it had been a few weeks courtesy of a job that never quit. But the monotony of it gave me pause. We’d fuck. She’d beg to see me again. I’d give her the slip. And if she was local, probably see her again out and about somewhere.
“Do you live here?” I asked without answering. “Or just passing by?”
“Local,” she said. “How about you.”
Figured. Just my luck.
“Just passing by. And unfortunately going to have to pass on the dinner too. Catching up with an old friend tonight,” I said, nodding to Gian.
She pouted. I hated women who pouted. One thing none of them realized? My discipline game was stronger than their tease game. This one was going to be a no. A good fuck wasn’t going to be worth the trouble in her case.
“You sure? I think we’d have a lot of fun. At...dinner.”
“I’m sure,” I said. “But thanks for the offer.”
She hesitated. I really didn’t want to go harder on the “no” but would if I had to. Thankfully, she made a face and walked away, back to her friends.
Gian came back to me.
“I’ve never once seen a man turn down Christina. Clearly you didn’t get the memo that she’s the hot ticket in town.”
“Oh, I got the memo alright. She all but read it to me.”
“You have a girlfriend now?” Gian asked.
I shook my head. “Nah. Just not my type.”
“Hmm.” Gian took my glass to refill it. “The military has changed you.”
“In more ways than one, buddy,” I said aloud. And then softer, to myself, “In more ways than one.”
THREE
natalie
“Come sit down.”
That wasn’t good. Whenever my boss said, “come sit down,” it meant shit was about to hit the fan. Dave was a good guy. As dedicated to conserving the land in our area as any, and had been in this business for nearly thirty years. But sometimes pressure from higher ups got the best of him. The guy was between the rock and proverbial hard place on most days.
“I don’t like the sound of that,” I said, sitting in a chair across from his desk.
On the rare occasions I was actually in the office, a smallish building three blocks off Main Street, Dave usually used the opportunity for a sit-down. Today, it seemed, would not be an exception.
“The inlet.”
Worse than I thought. “Please don’t tell me.” If only I were ten years old and could block his next words by covering my ears with my hands.
“I know your affinity for that property,” he began.
“Affinity is an understatement, Dave. I use it for the rowing program. Got permission to build that shed.” I stopped at saying that inlet was mine because...it actually wasn’t. Property of Finger Lakes Land Trust. But still.
