His End Game (MMG #1) (21 page)

Was she blackmailing him? Maybe his mother was on her death bed and her last wish was for Dillon to be with her best friend’s daughter? Could she secretly be a prostitute who he paid to treat him like utter crap? Maybe this was a secret fetish or something
.

A picture of Dana in a witch’s hat, dressed in black leather, wielding a riding crop and screaming hateful things flashed through my head.

“Hey El, do you have the hot tub heated?” Kurt asked, distracting me from my disturbing thoughts.

“Why yes I do Kurt. Are you interested in a soak?”

For years I had tried to get my aunt to put a pool in the back yard. Lord knows it’s big enough. Instead, she appeased me Christmas of my junior year in college by having a six man hot tub installed on our back patio. I’ll have to admit that it is pretty amazing but I still wanted a pool.

Maybe I could afford to put one in now
?

“You have a hot tub?” Dillon asked with his silver eyes on me.

Please stop looking at me like you want to devour me
.

“Ellie has the best damn tub in town,” bragged Polly. “Her aunt used to let me come over and soak after working doubles at my old gig. It worked wonders on my back and tootsies.” She wiggled her toes in the air.

“If you need a foot rub, just say the word. I love women’s feet,” groaned Harry. He eyed Polly’s feet as if they were covered in hot fudge.

“Ewwww,” Joss and I both shouted before breaking into laughter.

“Funny, Polly, I swear Dillon told me that you had an English degree?” Dana snarked.

I heard someone suck in a breath behind me and watched Dillon physically cringe.

“I do,” Polly replied. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Oh, nothing really. I just assumed that they would have taught you proper grammar.”

Garrett arched an eyebrow at Dana. “Why you
be
such a bitch?”

Not willing to let an opportunity to tweak Dana pass her by, Lena rode in on Garrett’s grammatically incorrect
coattails. “She
be
a bitch because she done got to pay her man for sex.”

Trying not to laugh, I held up my hands. “Okay you two, do I need to sit you in the corner?”

“Dana,” Dillon sighed, “we talked about this the other night. This is my boss and these are my co-workers that you are insulting.”

“What? I didn’t mean to insult anyone. I was just trying to be helpful.” I watched her bat her eyelashes at him innocently and wanted to poke them out of her mean little head.

“Mmmm Hmmmm. How about toning it down okay?” he warned.

“Sure, honey,” she leaned over and kissed him right on his beautiful mouth.

Disgusted with the two of them and needing a breather I said, “You guys go ahead. I’m going to grab some towels, make some margaritas and will meet you in a few. Ladies, there are some extra suits in the bathroom closet. I can’t guarantee they will fit but I will let you figure out the details. Sorry boys, but you’re on your own.”

“I’ll help you in the kitchen,” offered Garrett.

“Me too,” said Polly.

“Hurry back P. I’ll be saving a place on my bench just for you,” purred Harry.

Garrett and Polly helped me make up a batch of my special margaritas. Garrett didn’t say much. Then again, it’s hard to get a word in with Polly around. He did manage to tell me that he was from a small town somewhere in Kentucky.

I was about to ask him where when Polly bumped me with her elbow. “Saw you watching Dillon earlier, girl. Lord, that boy really heats my motor.”

“Revs my engine,” Garrett corrected.

“You too? And I had you pegged as a straight man.”

The look of horror on Garrett’s face made me laugh.

Before she terrorized him any further, I said, “While he certainly isn’t hard on the eyes, I have absolutely zero respect for him after meeting Dana. By the way, what is up with you and Harry?”

“Who knows?” she smiled mischievously, “I might let him rub my feet or… something else.”

I tried not to gag when she said this. Harry looked exactly like a long haired Dana Carvey when I first met him. The last five years had not been very kind to him as he now resembled a blonde Jack Black circa Tropic Thunder.

Garrett, still looking traumatized, headed out to the hot tub with the pitcher of margaritas.

I was following right behind when Polly stopped me. “I didn’t want to say this in front of Garrett because I really don’t know the guy, but don’t write Dillon off yet. He is a beautiful man who has no faith that he can land an equally beautiful woman. He settles for a lot less than he deserves.”

“Why her?” I couldn’t help but ask, “she’s hateful.”

“We’ve been asking him that for the past six months. I think he’s beginning to see the light, especially now that you’re in the picture.” Polly grabbed the glasses off the counter and was halfway out the door when she paused. “Just don’t write him off completely. He is a great guy who just needs the right woman to make him believe it.”

I leaned against the counter and took a deep breath. I was exhausted and hadn’t even started drinking, yet. I took another deep breath, grabbed the towel and followed after.

This was going to be a long night
.

I actually stutter stepped when I saw Dillon’s naked chest as I approached the hot tub. I was totally defeated. The man was an absolute work of art.

Why, why, why does he have to look so good
?

Not only did he have washboard abs but he also had the most amazing tattoo of some sort of fish spread across his left peck.

Thank Jesus most of his body is below sea level right now
.

My Dillon bubble burst into a thousand tiny molecules when I caught a look at Dana. She had managed to squeeze her butt and boobs into my favorite bikini….from ninth grade. There were no words to properly describe how obscene she looked.

Blech!

“I know! Let’s play a drinking game,” Joss screamed. Submerged in bubbles, she too was in one of my bikinis….from last summer, thank God. Kurt and all of the guys had opted to wear their boxer briefs while Lena and I remained fully clothed. Plunking my fanny on the edge, I dangled one foot near Garrett, the other near Harry. I wasn’t much of an exhibitionist and never had been. If I was going in I would be wearing one of my more modest suits. For now, I was just happy playing waitress.

“Oh, I love games,” Polly clapped.

“No!” Kurt and I both yelled. The last time Joss made us play one of her stupid drinking games, Kurt and I spent the next day in traction.

“Oh, come on,” Joss coaxed, trying hard not to laugh, “I promise it won’t be as bad as last time.”

Kurt threw me a bullshit look that made me laugh.

“What did you have in mind?” Garrett asked.

“How about something simple, like truth or dare?” she smiled sweetly.

Everybody groaned at this.

“No way,” Dillon said. “I stopped playing drinking games back in college.”

“Really, I mean how immature can you be?” Dana chimed in.

The hurt look on Joss’ face made me want to slap Dana.

“Why don’t I make us some munchies and put on some music? Ellie, do the speakers work out here?” Lena interrupted.

“Sure. Do you want help?”

“I’ll help her,” Polly said, hoisting her almost naked body out of the tub. She had on one of my skimpier suits, but at least it was from my college days and marginally less obscene than the one Dana was wearing. Polly’s looked about two sizes too small whereas Dana might as well have slapped on some pasties and a G-string.

Joss barely missed taking out Kurt’s nose as she slapped both hands over his eyes.

“Awwww, come on,” he complained.

“Oh sweet Jesus,” Harry sighed. “I think my boner just got a boner.”

Dramatically squinting, her hands still covering Kurt’s eyes, Joss asked, “Is that what that is? Whew, for a minute there, I thought it was Kurt’s big toe.”

“Ha, ha!” Harry said.

Jos narrowed her eyes on me, “Stop being Sally server and get in.”

“I might in a minute.”

Kurt held up his glass. “These are damn good margaritas Ellie. Is this the same recipe you used last year?”

I tapped my glass to his. “Yep, I obviously spent way too much time in college experimenting with mixed drinks and drowning my sorrows.”

“I can’t imagine what a girl like you has to be sad about,” replied Dillon.

“You’d be surprised,” I mumbled. Dana was shooting daggers through me and I fought the urge to stick my tongue out at her.

“These are great though Ellie, really,” Dillon said, completely ignoring Dana, who was getting angrier by the second.
“Hey Kurt, Thursday margaritas at Dragonfly sounds good doesn’t it? Especially if we have Ellie serving these….”

“The ones at Cantina Fifty Three are better,” Dana snapped.
Nice
.

I noticed that the margarita pitcher was almost empty. That was my excuse to get away from Miss Merry Sunshine before I strangled her. Polly and Lena passed me with a tray of food as I made my way to the kitchen. While looking for limes in the refrigerator I heard the door open.

Thinking it was Polly or Lena, I shouted, “I’m hurrying!”

“Don’t hurry on my account.”

Crap! What is Dillon doing in here
?

Ignoring him, I grabbed two limes, closed the refrigerator and continued with what I was doing.

“Ellie,” his deep voice called out.

“Hmmmm?” I was squeezing the limes to death but didn’t want to stop and have to look at him.

“Would you please look at me?”

Crap!

Slowly, I placed the decimated limes on the cutting board, took a deep breath and lifted my head to look him directly in the eyes.

Thank Jesus he is wearing a towel
.

I could see the concern in his eyes.

“I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

“For?”

“For the way that Dana has been acting tonight.”

“She should be apologizing, not you, Dillon.” I couldn’t keep the anger out of my voice. I mean, really? How was it his fault that his girlfriend was a total and complete hag?

“She just…”

I held up my hand and stopped him. “Don’t you dare excuse her behavior. I can’t pretend to understand you or your choices.
As long as you are happy dating someone like….
that
, then more power to you. I will have to say that, after spending such a lovely evening getting to know her, I will have to rescind her invitation into my house.”

He smiled when I said this. “She’s not a vampire, Ellie.”

I arched my eyebrow at him. “Oh, she’s something all right. I just haven’t figured out what that is, yet.”

“She’s just…”

“Mean Dillon, she’s mean and you’re…. not. You deserve better and I hope someday you find it.” Squeezing his arm, I grabbed the pitcher and made my way back out to the hot tub.

When Dillon appeared five minutes later, Dana was out of the hot tub, dressed and steaming mad. Wisely, he decided that it was time that they went home.

Everyone else decided to call it a night shortly after they left. Garrett spent some time looking for his flip flop and was the last to go. “Make sure to arm your alarm as soon as I’m out the door,” he commanded.

What an odd thing to say to someone you don’t really know
.

“Uh, thanks but I don’t have one. This neighborhood is super safe. It always has been.”

“Yes, but you are a beautiful woman who is living alone. Anything can happen.”

“All right Dad,” I teased. “I’ll make sure I lock the dead bolt tonight, just for you.”

“Good girl,” he smiled. “If you decide that you want to install an alarm system, I have a friend who will cut you a deal.”

“So that’s what this is about. You’re pimping alarm systems for your friend.”

He raised both hands in the air. “Guilty as charged.”

He left after I bolted the doors. I grabbed some blankets, settled on the sofa and fell asleep that night with a huge smile on my face.

Joss and I borrowed one of Benny’s trucks and headed to Greensboro the next morning. Kurt had scheduled my second and final training session for Friday night and I wasn’t about to miss it so that gave me only two days to pack up my things, quit my job and settle things with my not so happy landlord.

On our second night, I took Joss to the Cue Ball, a really cool bar that I had spent time in during the past few years.

Two beers in and Zac Brown singing about toes, asses and beaches, Joss asked, “So, what do you think of Dillon?”

“I’m surprised you waited this long to ask,” I smirked.

“Well?”

“He’s gorgeous but obviously has horrible taste.”

“According to Kurt, Dana chased him for about a year before he bit.”

I couldn’t help but comment. “And now she has her fangs in so deep that he doesn’t know which end is up.”

“Aw, he’s just killing time with her.”

“I don’t know, Joss, “maybe he’s some kind of masochist or something?”

She stared at me for a minute and then shrugged. “Dana
is
a first rate bitch.”

“Can I ask you something personal?”

“Shoot,” she said, holding up two fingers at the waitress.