Gage, Ronna - Send Her To Me (Siren Publishing Classic)

RONNA GAGE

Copyright © 2011

Chapter One

Carter stood in the shade of a crepe myrtle bush and mentally measured the distance between him and the pool area. Fifty yards, half the size of a football field, and the humidity surrounded him like a veil of sticky heat. Hands filled with a mini cooler, he psyched himself up for the challenge. “Okay, you got this dude,” he told himself, and then took a deep breath in. He clumsily darted on his heels toward the gate. In the heat of the late morning sun that short distance turned out to be a mission of beat-the-clock before the hot pavement scalded the bottoms of his bare feet. They received no mercy from the possibility of a burn on such a scorching day. He barely made it through the gate before the pain shot up to his knees, buckling his stride. He dropped the cooler by the only available chaise lounge closest to him, and then jumped on the cushion before blisters formed to scar his feet.

“Shit fire, that’s hot.”

His feet throbbed in tempo with his pulse and soon the ache dulled to a bearable degree.

“Hanging out by the pool sounded like a good idea earlier,” he said more under his breath instead of an internal thought. Judging by the crowd of people, the other residents of the Modern Palace complex shared his idea favorably. He looked around the perimeter of the pool. People sat on submerged lounge chairs at the shallow end, drinking beer. A group of men and women played volleyball in waist- deep water, and some couples lay out in the sun with a thick coating of sunblock on their bodies—a minimal amount of protection against the sun’s harmful rays.

The smell of chlorine hung in the air. The pool sparkled with a silent invitation for Carter to join in the fun. He dashed to the pool and jumped in feet first—immediate relief numbed the tenderness to the soles of his feet.

Even before the noon hour, the sweltering heat hit the mid- nineties. A heat wave like this would give even a mild-mannered person a short fuse of patience and spark a quick temper to volatile actions. Thankfully, the cool water and the endlessly circulating ice-cold beer provided refreshment from the sun’s burning heat. And the scantily suited women playing water volleyball helped distract and ease the mental undermining of the scorcher.

Pool parties!
What a wonderful idea to civilize the masses.

Carter pulled himself out of the cold water, sauntered to the lounge chair, and sat down in contentment. He opened the cooler and withdrew an ice-cold towel. The cool, wet material against his heated skin felt like a touch of heaven in the pits of hell. “Thank you, God!” Glad he took the initiative to stuff one inside.

He looked around at the status of various activities. Women jumped to spike the volleyball or serve it over the net in a competitive game. Flesh bounced in tiny tops, enthralling the male teammates.

Any moment, one of these women will spike that ball just right and her boobs will bounce right out of her top.

“I love luxury townhome living.”

The Modern Palace condominiums
housed the Fort Worth Rebels basketball team. The complex favored the same liking of an adult fantasyland. Gadgets and buttons ensured a bachelor’s night of erotic fun while they entertained women. On opposite wings of the main complex, separate living quarters catered to the single team members and cheerleaders. Twenty-four-hour guards secured the building from unwelcome guests and the after-curfew hookups. The married couples with families opted to house off the prestigious campus to raise their families, and looking around the noisy pool, Carter couldn’t blame them. Cool amenities such as outdoor grills, sparkling pools, tennis and basketball courts, a weight room, sauna, and whirlpool added to the fun and spontaneous whims of one of the top-ranked basketball teams in the nation.

Carter enjoyed the close relationship he had with the team, but he wasn’t one of the players or an associate on the staff. No one knew a whole lot about him. They considered him an outsider until his roommate and best friend, Dexter Reed, gave him an in to the wild lifestyle. Now, he socialized with all sorts of people, in various degrees of society. Every once in a while a resident would nod at him, wave, or give some other silent greeting. Carter enjoyed being in the background where he never worried about people knowing anymore than a “need to know” basis. The media never publicly announced an association with the team. They only referred to him as the best friend of the team’s infamous point guard—which suited him to a T. He existed as “just one of the boys.” Carter embraced the compliment wholeheartedly.

He looked in the direction of the condo block where he temporarily shared a two-room apartment on the top floor of the luxury condominiums with Dex. At least, until the construction of his house was complete in six weeks. Carter smiled.
It’s just like Dex to offer his second room to me.
It made sense to think about it. Dex and he used to room together in college, so to stay with him for this short time seemed natural. Dex was one of the few people who knew about Carter’s personal business, and it didn’t seem to bother Dex or make him look at Carter any different. In fact, Dex said he trusted Carter’s opinions and advice.

Now, taking the advice is something different.

Carter took an ice cube from the cooler and popped it into his mouth. The cold touch eased the dry mouth affliction in his throat. Staring off into the distance, he saw a haze above the pavement. He inhaled a deep breath of humid air and almost choked. It was enough to suffocate the small amount of energy from every pore of his body. He dunked the cloth back into the icy water and wrung it out over his head, instantly relieving his renewed discomfort.

He looked at the man now sitting next to him. “Hey, Vance.”

“Hey, Carter, how’s it going?”

The two men bumped their knuckles together in lieu of a handshake for a greeting. Vance Parker settled in the lounge and lathered his body with sunblock. He, Carter, and Dex hung out together quite a bit these days. Carter and he sometimes shared a philosophy on life and money. They both loved its little surprises.

“The pool party is coming to life and in full swing.” Carter commented on the thought in his mind.

Vance looked at his watch. “And all by noon.”

Scanning the residents, he mentally made little comments about the supposed gossip millers. Men and women enjoyed watching and flirting with one another while they took pleasure in the sun and festivities. Rock music blared from a shaded corner in the gym. In the pool, several women screamed and giggled when the volleyball made a hard landing in the water and splashed their faces. Carter shook his head at their antics. “I guess someone should have told them to duck.”

“But our fun would be limited.”

Another woman screamed! “There goes Tiffany!” Vance commented and pointed in the direction of the noise.

Carter looked up and barely caught a glimpse of two basketball players dumping her into the pool. She came up in a fit of coughs and giggles.

“That’s cold!” she complained and scrambled to cover her puckering nipples.

By her body’s reaction, Carter could only surmise one thing. “I guess it really is cold in there.”

“Judging by her titties, I’d agree.” Vance laughed in agreement.

Carter laughed and pulled the pair of Ray-Bans from the pocket of his swim trunks, laid back on the chaise lounge, and took in the boisterous laughter around him. “I love luxury living.”

“You got that right.” A few seconds later, Vance glanced around. “Where’s Dex?”

“He’ll be down soon. He slept in this morning.”

Vance looked at him and gave a knowing smile. “I bet.”

Carter shrugged, leaned over, and opened the cooler. His hand dug around the ice until he found a cold bottle. Lifting it up, he sighed. “Oh, good, water. You want one?”

Vance’s gratitude shimmered in his reply. “You bet your ass.”

He passed the bottle to Vance and then fished out another one for himself. After shaking the excess moisture that clung to the bottle’s exterior off, he placed it in an insulated wrapper and twisted the top.

Another woman’s screams gained his attention. He bolted up prepared to help a drowning victim.
What the hell am I going to do?
He scanned the pool and found the woman. Her arms were crossed over her chest. She dunked her head underwater.

What was that about?

“Look over there, Carter,” Vance said, pointing to the girl who found refuge under the surface.

Her swimsuit top floated by. Carter laughed softly at the poor woman’s predicament. “I hate to say this, but I can’t feel sorry for her.”

“Hell, me either, it’s too interesting to watch.”

“I knew it would happen sooner or later with the intensity they played that last round.”

The woman broke the water’s surface with her top secured. She turned to the man on her team and slapped him against the chest. “You’re an asshole.”

Carter turned his head to hide the smile tugging at his lips. His gaze turned to the gate in time to see Dex walk through and join the party. Immediately, a passel of women rushed to his sides. Each one pushed on the other to be the first one to make him comfortable. With the grin of a tomcat, Dex set his sunglasses over his eyes and gave the women that fawned over him a small token of consideration. A small kiss to the lips.

He watched him cross the hot stone surface to the pool with the unofficial harem in tow. Watching his best friend with the women awed him. Hell, Dex’s confidence impressed him. Everywhere he went, women flocked to him like pigeons in the park waiting for a morsel of his attention, but Dex didn’t back away or flinch.

Carter shook his head in amazement. “How can Dex walk around and be comfortable with his celebrity status?”

“What do you mean?” Vance asked, a bit of intrigue in his voice.

“Women find him dazzling.”

“Don’t hate, Carter. There’s plenty to go around.”

I guess Dex is a nice-looking man…If one man’s opinion of another is appropriate.
“Oh, I’m nowhere near that handsome like my other brother over there,” Carter confessed with ironic humor.

“What do you have to offer the women then if you don’t think you’re that handsome?”

Suddenly uncomfortable by Vance’s query, Carter eyed him and found that Vance didn’t look at him in adoration, just curiosity. “Nice biceps.”

Vance laughed. “Is that all?”

“Well, I am over six and a half feet tall. Lots of women like tall men.”

“So, you can say you have something positive. Carter, that is what confidence
really
is. Focus on something you like about yourself and use that to your advantage.”

Carter nodded. He thought about the advice. Focus on something positive and work with that.
“
I’m a
casual person by nature. Formality doesn’t suit me at all. My casual dress style makes me more approachable than a business suit.”

“That was the key factor in the team’s choice to use you for our investment strategies. And you are one hell of a stockbroker.”

“Thank you. And work couldn’t be better.”

Carter’s effort and laid-back nature paid off. His investment business saw profits, leaving the bulk of his wealth, his parents’ money, in a trust fund. When he moved to Texas, he made the conscious choice to leave that part of his personal history a secret—one he heavily guarded. He preferred people to like him for himself, not his money. He didn’t trust anyone enough or let anyone get close enough to know about his money. All the lawyers hired by his business conglomeration had to sign a confidentiality clause in their job contract.

These careful measures weren’t set into motion because Carter didn’t like his wealth, but he hated the influence money had over some people’s morals. People acted different the second they knew of its existence. In the past, he learned women usually overlooked a man’s appearance if they thought money played any part in the equation.

“Vance, I found another positive to work on.”

“What’s that, my friend?”

“Look at Dex and those three women. I like the fringe benefits of being Dex’s best friend.”

“I can relate to that point. I never have trouble getting laid with Dex around.”

“Don’t I know it. Whenever Dex and I go out together, in a matter of minutes women surround us.”

“No shit!”

“I know, it might sound pathetic or even wrong, but the women who don’t catch Dex’s attention turn to me.”

“No wonder you don’t have confidence,” Vance pointed out.

“No, I’m not complaining. For me, it simplifies the situation. No fuss, no muss.”

“Carter, you can have your pick of women. I bet with little effort if you keep your eye on the ball.”

“Yeah, but the women I find are usually in the bars and clubs. I mostly gravitate to those women in the tightest blouses and the shortest skirts or second-skin pants.”

“My kind of women,” Vance teased. “What charming line do you give them to keep them coming?”

Carter shrugged his shoulders. “Most of them know the score; Carter is here for the sex, just like them.”