Encounter in Atlanta

the table to aim, shifting her hips as she moved slightly to her right. Oh, hell, yeah, Cade looked. As Mandi leaned forward, her skirt rode up a bit and tightened delightfully around her butt and thighs. In the corner of his eye, Cade caught a motion in the big front window of the pub and glanced that direction. Mandi's reflection was grinning slightly as she looked back at him. Cade matched her small grin, shrugged as he flicked his eyebrows at her, and went back to studying Mandi's assets as she made the shot and straightened up with a muted 'gotcha' look on her face. As Mandi methodically worked her way through her balls, Mike leaned over to quietly ask Cade, "Where the hell did she learn to shoot like that?" "She's from Vegas," replied Cade, as if that explained everything. When four games had passed without Mandi missing a shot, Mike simply reached up and erased his name from the chalkboard. "That's enough for me," he said, "I'm a believer." Stan looked at his watch and said, "We've got time for one more game." Mike shrugged and held up his glass. "Go for it. I've still got some beer left." As he racked the balls, Stan said, "I can't believe she's kicking our asses with a bar cue. Why doesn't she have a stick of her own?" "You'll have to ask her," said Cade. "I just met her today. We haven't discussed much personal stuff yet." "I left it at home," said Mandi. "I didn't expect to need it." "Huh," grunted Mike. "I'd say you do all right without it." "No shit," muttered Stan. Two brunettes came into the pub as Mandi broke the rack. They approached and stopped at a distance as Mandi shot, then angled around the pool table. One went to Stan; the other went to Mike, who stood up with Cade as she approached. Stan introduced them as Susan and Sara, then Cade and Mike pulled up two more chairs for them and everybody sat down to watch the game. "Will talking disturb her?" asked Sara. "I seriously doubt it," said Cade, with a shake of his head. Turning to Mike, Sara said, "Sorry we couldn't get loose earlier. We got kind of busy in the ER. Do you think this game will take long? We're starving." Mike laughed shortly and said, "No, I don't think it'll take long. She's good." Shaking his head slightly, he added, "She's real damned good. Five games and she hasn't missed yet." "Not at all?" asked Susan. "Not once." Appropriately impressed, the newcomers watched Mandi quickly pocket her last three balls and the eight. "Make that six games," said Mike. "Damn!" After Mike and Stan had left with their starving ladies, Mandi leaned her rump on the pool table and asked, "Well? We still have time for a game, too. Want to try your luck again?" Grinning wryly, Cade said, "Sure, if I break." Unassing the table to reach for her beer, Mandi said, "No problem. Go for it." After a long sip while watching Cade rack the balls, she asked, "How old are you, Ed?" "Fifty-three. Why?" "Just curious. If you had any health problems, you wouldn't be working with John's group, would you?" Lining up to break the rack, Cade said, "Nope." Sipping her beer again, Mandi said, "After the show tonight... Well, I'm thinking that I'd rather not be where anyone is likely to look for me." Pausing to look at her, Cade asked, "Reason?" Mandi shook her head and said, "I'd just rather not have anyone knocking on my door after the show." With a shrug, Cade said, "We'll tell John. He'll tell the others to leave you alone." Giving him a studious look, Mandi sipped her beer again as Cade sent the cue ball through the rack. "I didn't say I wanted to be alone," she said. "I said I wanted to be where I wouldn't be found." Looking up from the table, Cade set the butt of his cue stick on the floor, regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, then asked, "Would it be too much to hope for that you're referring to my room as your sanctuary?" With a small shake of her head, Mandi smiled slightly as she said, "No, Ed. It wouldn't be too much to hope for." She sipped her beer and quietly added, "But it might be all you could hope for." "Uh, huh. Does that mean I'd have to behave myself or that you'd have your way with me and then discard me like a used paper towel in the morning?" Laughing, Mandi said, "No, it just means that... Well..." she hesitated further, then gestured at the pool table and said, "See if you can figure it out in the meantime. I'll understand if you're reluctant later." After a moment of studying her, Cade nodded and lined up on the nine ball. Seven shots later, only the eight remained and it wasn't too far from a pocket. Cade called the pocket and sank the ball with a sigh of deliberately unconcealed relief. Laughing, Mandi said, "Oh, good game, sir." "Coming from you, that's a heavy compliment, milady." He sipped his beer and asked, "Back to what you said about being 'reluctant later'. You're gorgeous and I enjoy being with you, so I'm having trouble with the idea that I might be reluctant." Nibbling her lip, Mandi regarded Cade for a moment, then looked around, apparently to be sure nobody else could hear. In a low tone, she said, "You might find sex with me... ah... well, it could be somewhat... ah... unsatisfying." Matching her soft, confidential tone, Cade stated, "You're trying to say that I couldn't get in, aren't you?" Reddening slightly, Mandi nodded. Cade shrugged. "Oh, well. There are other ways to please a woman." Peering at Cade as if to determine the truth of his words, Mandi asked, "That wouldn't bother you?" With a small smile, Cade sipped his beer again and softly said, "It wouldn't bother me anywhere near as much as knowing I missed an opportunity to taste a woman like you intimately." After a brief pause, he grinningly added the respectful afterthought, "Ma'am." Again eyeing him as if to decide whether he'd told the truth, Mandi sipped her beer and laid her stick across the pool table. Picking up the menu from the small table, Cade looked it over and opted for another burger basket rather than some of the other items available, most of which seemed to contain pasta. "Would you like anything?" he asked, showing Mandi the menu. "I'm getting the burger basket." Mandi scanned the menu and said, "Same for me," as she reached into her purse for quarters she hadn't expected to need. "I'm buying," said Cade, waving the menu. "Thanks," said Mandi, "But I'm looking for quarters. I lost the last game, remember?" Looking startled, Cade exclaimed, "Oh, yeah! So you did! Wowsers! Thanks for reminding me!" "Just treasure the moment," said Mandi drily. "It may not happen again. Ever." "Oh, yes'm!" said Cade with a nod and a tiny salute. "As you say, ma'am. Treasuring it now, ma'am. Back in a minute." As he headed for the bar, Cade heard Mandi mutter, "Smartass," then she called, "Extra mustard, okay?"

  Chapter Twelve

  Allowing a little extra time to get back to the hotel and fight the crowd in the auditorium, Cade suggested that he and Mandi head back at eleven-fifteen. "Besides," he added, "I've only won one game tonight. That's wearing rather heavily on me, you know." "Poor baby," said Mandi, snapping in her last two balls and the eight. "If it's any consolation, nobody else has won against me in something like six months." "Well, in that case, I guess I'm all consoled now, ma'am." Mandi chuckled and racked her stick, then picked up her purse and sipped the last of her Coke. On the way to the front door, she stopped, took a look around the bar, sighed, and said, "This may have been my last night of real anonymity, Ed." Cade leaned to kiss her cheek and said, "Doubtful. Like I said, there are lots of beautiful blondes. Just try to blend in." With a ladylike grunt and a roll of her eyes, Mandi led the way to the sidewalk. Enroute to the hotel, Cade called room 423 to make sure John and Phyllis Morey were in place. By eleven-thirty they'd found standing room near the front of the auditorium and a nervous -- almost frantic -- Paul Money had spotted them from his position near the stage. He edged through the crowd to them and asked, "Is everything ready?" "Yup," said Cade, "Mandi will go change and wait for my call. I'll stay here and wait for your fifteen-minute warning. As soon as I make that call to her, I'll take some of your people and we'll rope off her route from door to door. You'll station people in here to make sure the doors stay clear. Exactly fifteen minutes from your signal, she'll walk in with the car." Paul nodded, although he was apparently still not fully convinced that things would be that simple or go smoothly. "Paul, relax," said Cade. With a sharp glance, Paul snapped, "I can't relax!" Shrugging,