Risky Negotiations (7 page)

“
Uh, huh,” Victoria said suspiciously. “So who won?”

“
Um…neither actually. Both teams were too well matched so we called it a draw,” she started but hesitated.

“
Well don’t stop there,” she said impatiently. “You have to tell me the whole thing.”

“
Victoria, you don’t really want to hear all this. What have you been doing all week? I haven’t talked to you for a while.”

“
Oh no you don’t!” Victoria exclaimed, laughing at her sister’s attempts to divert her attention. “You’re not changing the subject. Spill it, missy,” she ordered.

“
You know, you can be a little bossy sometimes,” Laci said, still trying to stall for time.

“
Yeah, yeah. So you bet that your girls would beat his boys?”

“
Well, that was the initial bet but not exactly how it turned out,” Laci explained, her thumb rubbing the white fabric of her sofa.

“
So what exactly? Good grief, Laci. Trying to get these details out of you is like pulling teeth. You aren’t usually this cagey so I’m guessing you’re getting to the funny part.”

“
It isn’t very funny from my perspective,” Laci mumbled into the receiver.

Victoria laughed at her sister’s grumbling tone. “Well of course not, you’re not sitting on the sidelines. But fill in the blanks or I’ll call Sal to finish the story.”

Laci sat up straight on that threat. “Don’t you dare!”

“
Then tell me the rest,” Victoria demanded.

Rolling her eyes, Laci hurriedly finished the story. “The two teams were tied and they were worn out. We decided to finish the battle between the two of us by playing horse.”

Victoria immediately started laughing. She laughed so hard, she could barely get her next comment out. “So you decided to play basketball against a six foot three man?” And she burst into a fresh fit of laughing.

“
It wasn’t basketball, it was horse. And if you’d ever get out onto the court, you’d know that you don’t need height to play Horse. It just takes skill,” Laci defended, needing to raise her voice over her sister’s laughing fit.

But Victoria was still laughing so hard she could barely hear Laci’s explanation. “Victoria, I’m going to hang up on you if you don’t stop,” she threatened.

“
Ok,” her sister said, taking a deep breath. Laci could imagine Victoria wiping the tears from her eyes and gritted her teeth. “So what did you lose?”

“
Well, if I’d won, he would have given in on some health benefits for the union workers.”

“
Uh huh. So what did you lose?”

Laci paused then spilled the beans. “I have to go to dinner with him tonight.”

“
Well, that’s not so bad. He’s wonderful to talk to,” her sister commiserated.

“
Hmmm…” was all Laci said.

“
Where are you going?”

“
He said I could decide.”

“
So where are you going?” she asked again.

“
I’m not sure. Some place different, I’ guess.”

“
Laci?” her sister said warningly. “What are you thinking?” she asked.

“
I’m not sure,” she said, an evil thought forming in her mind. “What about Barney’s?”

Victoria gasped at the suggestion. “No! Please not Barney’s! He’ll never go. And if you do manage to get him in there, he’ll hate it. He’s too stuffy for that place.”

“
What’s wrong with Barney’s? And Sal’s not stuffy, just very dignified.” Laci didn’t know why, but she felt the need to defend Sal to Victoria.

“
What’s wrong with it?” she repeated Laci’s question in astonishment. “Nothing if you’re into loud country music and crazy dancing. Could you picture Sal in cowboy boots and jeans?”

Laci’s mind immediately thought about that and considered it very appealing.

“
Laci!” Victoria called out when her sister didn’t reply immediately. “Not Barney’s!”

“
Barney’s is very nice,” Laci defended, liking the idea more and more.

“
You used to hang out there for years throughout college. You’re an expert at all the country music dances but that doesn’t mean Sal will fit in. He might be uncomfortable in that kind of atmosphere.”

“
Well then, it is time he branched out and experienced more than exclusive restaurants with linen table clothes and five hundred dollar bottles of wine,” he said.

“
Laci…” Victoria said again, the threat evident in her tone.

“
Don’t worry about a thing, Vic. I’ll take very good care of him. He’ll be all ready for church first thing in the morning. I’ve got to go shower.” They said their goodbyes and Laci hung up the phone.

Laci finally admitted being excited about the coming night now that she had the anticipation of bringing Sal down a few notches.

After her phone call with her sister, the afternoon flew by. She ran out and got her nails done in a soft pink, then took some time to get new makeup, finally feeling in charge of the evening. She got home and showered, pulling on a pair of well worn jeans, black cowboy boots and her new cashmere sweater. Drying her hair, she considered pulling it back and securing it in her usual knot but decided to let it hang loose around her shoulders, falling almost to the small of her back. The ends curled slightly from the humidity of the bathroom but she didn’t try and straighten it out, knowing she was running out of time.

Looking at the clock, it was two minutes until seven. The doorbell rang and she answered it quickly. “I hope you’re in for a fun…” she stopped as soon as she opened the door and saw him standing in front of it, one hand on either side of her door frame as he leaned against it.

He was wearing a pair of jeans that had to have been made exclusively for him since they fit him like an old glove. He also wore a pair of black cowboy boots and a black cowboy hat. The only piece of clothing that wasn’t complete “country” was his white button down shirt which was obviously tailor made but still suited the whole look.

“
Victoria!” she said, deflated that her sister had spilled the beans.

Sal threw back his head and laughed. After a few minutes, he stopped and looked directly at her. “Yes. I called her to get your address and she let me in on your plans.”

“
Fine!” she said and grabbed her keys. She pulled her apartment door closed behind her.

He grabbed her waist as she tried to push past him, stopping her momentarily. “Now don’t be a sore loser. I thought you were determined to show me how to have a good time and loosen up tonight,” he said. He chuckled when she slipped quickly out of his arms but didn’t mention her shiver. He liked that though. She couldn’t hide her body’s reaction to him no matter how feisty she got on the outside. He couldn’t either, he thought as his body also reacted to her closeness.

She’d never realized how small the elevator was until Sal was standing in front of her, looking down with an amused expression. “I’ve heard Barney’s has really good food,” he said.

His good humor was contagious. “I know. I’ve eaten there too many times to count,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at the buttons on his shirt. She was grateful when the doors to the elevator opened and she was free to put some space between the two of them.

He drove them to the restaurant, his black BMW eating up the miles in no time. The inside of Barney’s looked more like a huge barn rather than a normal restaurant. It even had rafters criss-crossing the ceiling and a juke box on one end of an oversized dance floor.

They were led to a table by the windows overlooking a fresh water pond. They both ordered steaks and a baked potato along with cold beers, which arrived quickly.

“
Want to go double or nothing?” she asked, a twinkle in her eyes knowing he would decline her next idea.

Sal sat back in his seat, took a long sip of his beer, and took in her expression from across the table. “I’ve already won. Why would I want to go double or nothing?”

Laci shrugged her shoulders delicately. “Well, if you can’t handle it…”

Sal chuckled. “What did you have in mind?”

She sat forward, folding her hands in front of her. “Well, have you ever ridden a mechanical bull?”

“
No way,” he said forcefully and sat back in his seat.

“
Scared?”

He shook his head again. “Laci, those are dangerous. You’ll get hurt.”

But she was already standing. “Come on. I’ll show you how it’s done,” she said and took his hand to pull him out of his chair.

He grabbed her hand and pulled back. “You’re not serious are you?”

“
Sure!” she said, smiling encouragingly as he stood up to follow her. “It’s fun. I used to do it a lot during college.”

She practically ran over to the bull pen where the mechanical bull was surrounded by large foam pads for safety, then a wooden fence to keep spectators at an appropriate distance.

As soon as she approached the fence, a huge, barrel shaped man approached her, his hat low on his forehead. “Well, missy. It’s been too long since you decided to come by this way,” he said, frowning ferociously at her.

“
Hank!” Laci exclaimed and rushed over to him, and was swept into a bear hug. “Why aren’t you at home with your grandchildren now?” she asked as soon as he released her.

“
It’s easier being here at night. I can control this place. But twelve grandkids? No way,” he laughed.

He looked behind her and his eyes widened. “Well what brings you back here?”

Laci was astonished. “How in the world do you know Hank?” she asked Sal, turning to face him, hands on her hips.

Sal leaned against the fence and crossed his arms across his chest. With one eyebrow raised, he looked down at her with a slight smile on his lips. “Why do you think I’ve never been here before?”

She took in his boots all the way to his black Stetson hat and realized that she had probably missed something about him along the way. “Ok, how is it that you know and have been to this place?” she demanded.

Hank coughed behind her. “Well, darlin’ This here’s the owner!”

Laci looked up at the ceiling, then back to Sal’s face. “Is there anything in this town you don’t own?” she groaned.

Sal chuckled, a deep, resonant sound that demonstrated his delight in her frustration. “I believe there are a few things.”

Wiping the grimace from her face, she forced an innocent look she’d perfected while playing poker in high school and college. “Ok – so you own the joint. But can you ride?” she challenged.

Again, another cough behind her. Laci turned to face Hank, her face showing her frustration and surprise. “Don’t tell me, he’s an expert, right?”

Hank laughed, his eyes crinkling up at the corners. “Well, I don’t know if I’d call him an expert. But he can hold his own. Back when he was managing this place, Sal was one of the best riders.”

Laci shook her head and turned to face Sal again, gritting her teeth when she saw the knowing smile on his face. “So, you own everything and you’ve done everything. But I’ll still take you on,” she said, poking a finger into the middle of his chest to emphasize her point. Then she moved to stand directly in front of his relaxed body, her hands on her hips, “And I’ll still raise the stakes in this little war.”

“
You think you can ride that bull better than me?” he asked, smiling as he looked down at her beautiful, challenging expression.

Laci just nodded her head. “Afraid I can beat you?” she asked when he still hesitated.

Sal took a sip of beer, watching her the whole time. Slowly, he nodded. Without taking his amused look from her face, he called out to Hank. “Set it up, Hank.”

Hank looked confused for a moment. “You’re going to ride the bull?” he asked.

“
We both are,” he said, not looking away from Laci.

“
I’ll even go first,” she said, smiling in anticipation.

Hank moved over to the controls and pulled some levers. Laci turned around, her hair flying out behind her, and hopped onto the mechanical bull. She donned the offered leather glove, then pulled the leather straps tight and wrapped it around her hand. Looking up, she nodded to Hank, then caught Sal’s eye, just before the bull whipped into gear.

Her right hand gripped the strap while her left one flew up automatically to help her balance. At first, she was a little stiff and was about to loose her balance. But she was able to persevere and righted herself just in the nick of time. She relaxed and let her body move with the mechanical bull’s movements instead of trying to anticipate where it would fly next. After what seemed like an eternity, but was only forty-five seconds, the bull slowed down and eventually came to a complete stop.