The Love Triangle

“Thank you.”

“Well, if you do think of anything, give me a call.”

“Sure. Hang in there, Todd. Bye.” She hit the button on her speakerphone, shook her head, leaned back in her chair and stretched out her five-foot-five frame as she turned to her assistant. “What?”

“And good morning to you too.” Chandler, her tall, British, slender thirty-year-old assistant moved into her office, took a seat opposite her desk and studied her face with his pale blue eyes as he swept his mop of sandy hair out of his face. “From your current expression along with the front page of The Post I would surmise there was a significant amount of ammonia covering the rolled bits of grain in your morning meal.”

“Chandler, I know you’re smarter than me and like showing it off, but next time just say you look likesomeone pissed in your corn flakes.”

He shrugged and offered a slight smile. “This from the woman who just said that barn door has sailed.”

“Fine, point taken. But, my dear assistant, as you no doubt have surmised, we lost our biggest client when the Congressman decided to play Fifty Shades of Politics. I was up all night knowing we were in trouble. Which is why I look like I just had a colonoscopy with an umbrella.”

Chandler slowly nodded. “There was nothing you could do. The Congressman was a bad, bad boy.”

“Yeah, but usually you get spanked after you’re bad. Anyway, the big problem we need to immediately address is how to replace a client who made up more than seventy percent of our income.”

He gave her a soulful look. “Lexi, we’re in this for the long haul. My salary increase can wait, if that will help. Or you can hold back a couple of paychecks.”

“That’s a wonderful gesture, Chandler, but don’t be ridiculous. We’ll find some new clients. And you’re more than my assistant. You’ve become like an extra brother.”

“But if—”

She put up her hand. “End of discussion. We’ll make do. I’ll eat mac and cheese for a month to keep this place afloat. I’ve worked too hard to get this business started and I’m not going to let a kinky client sink it.” A drop of water pinged into the steel bucket in the corner. She looked up at the stained ceiling. “Considering the leaks in this dump, that remark might turn out to be literal. Dammit, if the Congressman had won we would have gotten the bonus and we could have moved to a decent office. Hopefully one where we can’t hear the people upstairs through the air vent.”

“So what’s the game plan?”

“Find some new clients. Plural. I’ve just discovered what happens when you put all your eggs in one basket. You would think a woman who just turned thirty would have learned that already.”

He nodded. “I agree. Multiple small and medium-sized clients would be best. Perhaps you’ll find a few at that conference this afternoon. You’re quite adept at face-to-face interaction.”

She stood up. “Maybe so. But right now I need to think. So I’m going to shoot some hoops.”

“We just lost our biggest client and you’re going to play basketball?”

“Everything becomes perfectly clear to me when I’m doing something mindless. Besides, I need to blow off some steam. I don’t need to approach potential clients or give a talk to a few hundred people when I’m this pissed off. And right now my Irish temper is at DEFCON 1.”

***

Kyle Caruso, known by Kasey to close friends thanks to his initials, laced up his sneakers as he sat on the bench next to his buddies. The weekly basketball game did wonders for his stress levels, especially since the thirty-year-old sports agent refused to deal with clients behaving badly. Million dollar contracts and immaturity did not mix well. The gym was pretty deserted at this time of the morning, the only sounds coming from a woman bouncing a basketball at the other end of the court. He watched her for a moment as he wrapped a headband around his thick black hair, olive green eyes wide as he noted she was nailing every shot with nothing but net. His best friend Jim Baldwin grabbed the seat next to him. “Hey, Jimbo, ready to go?”

“Kasey, we got a problem. Jackson is stuck in court all day. So we only got nine players. We’re one short.”

“Well, shit. Anyone else wandering around the gym?”

He shook his head. “Already checked.” Jim cocked his head at the woman playing at the other end. “How about that redhead. Looks like she’s got a killer jump shot.”

Kyle furrowed his brow as he looked at her. “She’s only a little thing. Might get hurt.”

“You know, at five-seven and one-fifty you’re not exactly LeBron James and we let you play.”

“Very funny.”

“Well, it’s either ask her to join us or one of us sits out. And you know damn well no one wants to sit out.”

“Fine, let’s see if she’ll play.”

The two men got up and headed toward the slender woman, who was totally focused on the basket. Kyle couldn’t help but note she was beyond cute, despite being soaked with sweat, flaming red hair gathered up behind her head, matching headband and a ton of freckles, while her movements were incredibly fluid. “Excuse me…”

She took a shot, made it and turned to face them.

Damn, what spectacular eyes … they look like the Caribbean.

“Yeah?”

Jim took the lead. “We’re short one guy for a game. Wanna join us?”

She mopped her brow. “If you’re short one guy, why you asking me?”

“Cause you look like you’ve got game,” said Jim.

She scrunched up her face a bit as she tapped her chin with one finger. “Let me guess. There aren’t any other men in the gym, right?”

Kyle rolled his eyes and put up his hands in surrender. “Hey, forget it. Sorry we bothered you—”

“No, please forgive the attitude. It’s already been a rough day. Sure, I’ll play.” She moved closer and looked up at him. “But only if this one thinks he can guard me.”

Jim started to laugh. “Ooooh, she’s thrown down the gauntlet. I want Little Red on my team.”

She locked eyes with Kyle for a moment and smiled. “Okay then. Let’s rock.”

Jim stuck out his hand to shake. “He’s Kasey. I’m Jimbo.”

She shook Jim’s hand, then did the same to Kyle. “Nice to meet you guys.”

“And you are?” asked Kyle.

“Didn’t you hear your friend? Just call me Little Red.”

***

The redhead moved toward Kyle as the game started, at one point dribbling between her legs and behind her back, like one of the Harlem Globetrotters, while totally focused on him. He couldn’t help but be impressed as he moved forward to guard her. Her eyes looked at him for a moment, then darted around the court as it was obvious she was going to pass the ball. She raised her hand slightly and he knew she was about to pass to his right. He reached for the ball and found nothing but air as she dribbled behind her back in the other direction and left him in the dust, then pulled up and sank a long three-pointer as his feet got tangled up. He hit the floor and one of his sneakers came off.

Everyone laughed as her teammates moved forward and gave her a high five.

Jim offered a hand to help Kyle off the floor as he put his sneaker back on. “Damn, Little Red faked you out of your shoes.”

Kyle glared at Jim as he took his friend’s hand and stood up, finding the redhead looking at him while she had the ball pressed between her forearm and her side. She didn’t say anything to rub it in, didn’t smile. Just looked at him.