sipped again and eyed a pool stick. “What are the stakes? Perhaps they’re in my range.”
“I’m sure we can accommodate you, Kasey.” Jordan paused to light a cigar. “How about a dollar a ball?”
“A dollar a ball,” she repeated and approached the table. “Let’s see, how many are there?” She frowned and counted. “Fifteen. I suppose I can handle that. How do you play?”
“Rotation might be simplest,” Jordan commented and glanced at Harry.
“Fine.” The older man began to chalk his cue.
“Rotation,” Kasey repeated, then smiled as Harry handed her his cue. “What are the rules?”
“The object is to sink the balls into the pockets in chronological order,” Jordan explained. She was wearing earrings tonight, he noticed. Small silver hoops that caught the light. Even across the table, her scent reached out to him. He brought himself back. “Or hit the next ball in order into another and sink that one, or as many as possible. Hit the cue ball, the white one, knocking it into the other balls from the lowest number to the highest. The object is to clear all the numbered balls from the table.”
“I see.” Kasey frowned down at the green baize and nodded. “It certainly sounds simple enough, doesn’t it?”
“You’ll catch on, Miss Wyatt,” Harry told her gallantly. “Would you like to practice first?”
“No, why don’t we dive right in?” She sent him another smile. “Who goes first?”
“Perhaps you’d care to break,” Harry continued, feeling expansive as Jordan racked the balls again. “Just hit the cue ball into the rack. Whatever drops in is yours.”
“Why, thank you, Dr. Rhodes.” Kasey walked down to the end of the table.
“Hold the cue this way,” Jordan instructed, positioning her fingers. “Keep it steady, but let it slide through. See?”
“Yes.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’m to smack it into the ball marked one, right?”
“That’s one way to put it.” He could kiss her now, he thought, right now, and send Harry into apoplexy. He could smell her hair as he stood over her, feel the smooth skin of her shoulder under his hand.
“I won’t be able to hit anything on the table if you keep looking at me like that,” she murmured. “And Dr. Rhodes is beginning to blush.”
He stepped away. Kasey took a moment to steady herself, then bent over the table and shot.
She sank three balls on the break. Moving around the table, Kasey positioned and shot again. And again. She leaned over, narrowed her eyes to figure the angle and neatly sank the next ball. She stopped to chalk her cue while letting her eyes sweep the table to analyze the best strategy. The room was completely quiet.
She picked up her drink, took a quick sip and went back to work. There was a clatter and the thud of balls, then Harry’s bluster as she executed a three-bank shot. Jordan watched her as she concentrated on the next quarry. Leaning on his stick, he enjoyed the view as she stretched out over the table in front of him and nipped the next ball into the pocket. She cleared the table, sending two balls into opposing corner pockets. Straightening, she rubbed her nose with the back of her hand and smiled at her opponents.
“Let’s see, that’s fifteen dollars each, isn’t it? Would you like to break this time, Harry?”
Jordan threw back his head and laughed. “Harry,” he said and patted the other man’s shoulder. “We’ve just been hustled.”
5
J ordan studied her. Kasey was reading over a portion of his notes in silence. She had been quiet for more than twenty minutes. There was something inexplicable about the way she could switch the power off and on. She was teasing his mind as no other woman had ever done. When he asked her a direct question about herself, she answered, rambling agreeably but more often than not avoiding the real question. She revealed very little about Kasey Wyatt.
What secrets roamed around in that brain of hers? he wondered.
“I’m sure we can accommodate you, Kasey.” Jordan paused to light a cigar. “How about a dollar a ball?”
“A dollar a ball,” she repeated and approached the table. “Let’s see, how many are there?” She frowned and counted. “Fifteen. I suppose I can handle that. How do you play?”
“Rotation might be simplest,” Jordan commented and glanced at Harry.
“Fine.” The older man began to chalk his cue.
“Rotation,” Kasey repeated, then smiled as Harry handed her his cue. “What are the rules?”
“The object is to sink the balls into the pockets in chronological order,” Jordan explained. She was wearing earrings tonight, he noticed. Small silver hoops that caught the light. Even across the table, her scent reached out to him. He brought himself back. “Or hit the next ball in order into another and sink that one, or as many as possible. Hit the cue ball, the white one, knocking it into the other balls from the lowest number to the highest. The object is to clear all the numbered balls from the table.”
“I see.” Kasey frowned down at the green baize and nodded. “It certainly sounds simple enough, doesn’t it?”
“You’ll catch on, Miss Wyatt,” Harry told her gallantly. “Would you like to practice first?”
“No, why don’t we dive right in?” She sent him another smile. “Who goes first?”
“Perhaps you’d care to break,” Harry continued, feeling expansive as Jordan racked the balls again. “Just hit the cue ball into the rack. Whatever drops in is yours.”
“Why, thank you, Dr. Rhodes.” Kasey walked down to the end of the table.
“Hold the cue this way,” Jordan instructed, positioning her fingers. “Keep it steady, but let it slide through. See?”
“Yes.” She glanced over her shoulder at him. “I’m to smack it into the ball marked one, right?”
“That’s one way to put it.” He could kiss her now, he thought, right now, and send Harry into apoplexy. He could smell her hair as he stood over her, feel the smooth skin of her shoulder under his hand.
“I won’t be able to hit anything on the table if you keep looking at me like that,” she murmured. “And Dr. Rhodes is beginning to blush.”
He stepped away. Kasey took a moment to steady herself, then bent over the table and shot.
She sank three balls on the break. Moving around the table, Kasey positioned and shot again. And again. She leaned over, narrowed her eyes to figure the angle and neatly sank the next ball. She stopped to chalk her cue while letting her eyes sweep the table to analyze the best strategy. The room was completely quiet.
She picked up her drink, took a quick sip and went back to work. There was a clatter and the thud of balls, then Harry’s bluster as she executed a three-bank shot. Jordan watched her as she concentrated on the next quarry. Leaning on his stick, he enjoyed the view as she stretched out over the table in front of him and nipped the next ball into the pocket. She cleared the table, sending two balls into opposing corner pockets. Straightening, she rubbed her nose with the back of her hand and smiled at her opponents.
“Let’s see, that’s fifteen dollars each, isn’t it? Would you like to break this time, Harry?”
Jordan threw back his head and laughed. “Harry,” he said and patted the other man’s shoulder. “We’ve just been hustled.”
5
J ordan studied her. Kasey was reading over a portion of his notes in silence. She had been quiet for more than twenty minutes. There was something inexplicable about the way she could switch the power off and on. She was teasing his mind as no other woman had ever done. When he asked her a direct question about herself, she answered, rambling agreeably but more often than not avoiding the real question. She revealed very little about Kasey Wyatt.
What secrets roamed around in that brain of hers? he wondered.
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