“Apologies, but the woman you were just talking to is someone very special to me. I trust that you can promise me that she’ll be okay until I get there in about … let’s say fifteen minutes.”
“Now wait a minute—”
“My name is Cooper Barnes and there’s something in it for you if you make sure that woman is sitting in her seat with a hot cup of coffee when I get there.”
“Cooper Barnes?TheCooper Barnes.”
“The one and only.”
“Aww, man, it’s nice to meet you. I never miss a game.”
“Thanks for that. Listen, I’m going to change the estimated time of arrival. I’ll be there in five. What’s your name?”
“Bob McMillan.”
“See you in five, Bob.”
* * *
I hear them before I see them.
Owens and her sister have apparently made it back to their table and are holding court.
Grinning. Slurring. Laughing.
There are three men standing around their booth and none of them look at all like they are the married Bob McMillan.
When Owens notices that it’s me literally flying through the door to get to her, her face lights up in a way that I don’t think I’ve ever noticed before. Even drunk she’s gorgeous. And my heart and my dick start pulsing.
“Coop!”
“Are any of you Bob McMillan?” I demand to know.
“Damn, are you that guy from the Nighthawks?”
“I’ll be the guy who buys you your next round if you go drink it somewhere else.”
“Sweet! No problem, CB. The ladies are all yours.”
And that’s how you clear out a room.
“Wow—is that all we’re worth?” asks a woman who looks nothing like Owens, but who I assume is her sister.
“Yeah, you paid them off with an eight dollar drink.” Owens chimes in. “I should have worn a sluttier dress.”
It hasn’t gotten past me that Owens is wearing a tight fitting, silver, strapless dress. It hugs her in all the right places, especially her ass.
“How many drinks have you had?” I ask her.
“I dunno … how many drinks have you had?” She asks the question pointing a finger directly at my nose.
Yeah, she’s definitely ten sheets to the wind.
I introduce myself to her sister for the first time ever. I’m not sure how that happened. That three years passed without me meeting one of Owens’ family members. I guess I’m a little more self-absorbed than I thought.
“Pleased to meet you. I’m Cooper Barnes. Your sister’s boss.”
“The man. The myth. The legend.”
