Chapter 602: Bob VI—Easy to See
During the All Star game, Bob was on the phone with Sakic. Considering everything, Joe seemed pretty fine and in good spirits. It certainly had never occurred to him, Joe said, that Peter of all people would ever be plotting against him in some sort of captaincy coup. He’d have thought that something more suited to a younger pup like Drury. Definitely it didn’t seem like anything to worry too much about, since it was an obviously a prank gone wrong. It’s just Patty they had to worry about, last thing they needed was the goalie nurturing a grudge all the way through the playoffs.
“Well,” Bob said, “Patty, he is a man who likes to see justice done, eh?”
“Oh, yea, obviously,” Joe replied. “I’ll figure out something to do, if anything to keep Patrick happy.”
“Poor Peter!”
“Ha!”
Good spirits prevailed on the shoulders of their unfailingly optimistic captain.
The All Star game was barely over when Bob got the call from Peter. “Coach! Coach! You have to believe me! I didn’t mean to…”
“Yes, yes, I know that, Pete,” Bob assured him. “Pierre and I already discussed it. Obviuosly, this is a prank, someone gave you bad information, yes?”
“Well that’s the weirdest thing!” Peter cried. “A news reporter gave it to me. A reporter! I thought I could believe him. Why wouldn’t I? I mean… WHY? Who would have done this?”
“Mm,
“Ha! It would be!” Peter exclaimed. “He would want to pay me back. God dammit it was just a few bites on his ass and he didn’t like his girlfriend ANYWAY!”
Bob blinked. “Um.. what?”
“Oh, nothing,” Peter sighed. “Look coach, this is a disaster. Am I going to get traded? I don’t really want to get traded. We have a great team this year, I know we haven’t been going well, but we’re going to get better. Please don’t trade me!”
“No one’s going to trade you Peter.”
“But…but everyone hates me now! Joe and Patty and everyone!”
Bob shook his head and held his hand out as if touching the shoulder of the man he couldn’t see. “Listen Peter, no one hates you. I promise. We all know it was a prank, a bad mistake. Yes? I promise you that…” Bob’s phone beeped. “Can I call you back?”
“Kill me!” Peter moaned as he hung up.
Bob clicked to the other line. “Yes?”
“I hate that bastard Peter!” Patrick Roy barked. “I’m going to kill that shit!”
Bob grimaced. “Now, Patty, hate is a strong word.”
“And I don’t use it all the time!” Patty exclaimed.
“Now, that is not entirely true,” Hartley sighed, “I’ve heard you hate your wife, and your children, and the vending machine that didn’t give you your change back, and your puppy who ate the Smittens, and the…”
“Well
whatever!” Patty sniffed. “I want him gone. I am going to tell
“There’s going to be no trades, Patty.”
“Pfft! No trade I kill someone!”
Hartley rolled his eyes.
It took about a half hour of finagling, but Hartley got Patrick calmed down. He promised him that he’d already talked with Joe, and that Sakic was fine with the situation. Now, if Joe weren’t bothered why should Patty be? After all, wasn’t this really Joe’s business?
Bah! Joe is too nice. He wouldn’t know a rattlesnake if he stepped on it!
Patty
seemed happy, however, after hearing that due justice would be meted out to
Peter, and this from the lips of Sakic! Damage controlled, at least internally.
No doubt, this would be a media storm in
Bob hung up the phone and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Oh, what a lifesaver! My back feels better already!”
Bob opened his eyes. It sounded like Micheline, his wife, was done with her massage. She’d called Katrina over earlier, Bob hadn’t been in the room to see her arrive, but he decided not to make a show of avoiding her either.
“You take that bubble bath, Mrs. Hartley,” Katrina replied. “And get to bed early, relax! You’re going to feel like a new woman tomorrow.”
“Ah, I already do!” Micheline breathed. “Goodbye!”
“Goodbye!”
Bob met her in the foyer to help her into her coat.
“Aw, how sweet,” Katrina smiled, not entirely without gratitude. “Your wife is so sweet. She seems like the type who can just nap in a bubble bath all day. Does she?”
“After a massage she does,” Hartley replied. “You help her out considerably.”
“Well, I’m glad,” Katrina replied.
“You are very talented, Katrina. It’s a good business you have made for yourself.”
“Yes, picked a keeper,” she replied tartly, holding her keys in one hand and putting her other hand on her hip.
“You could easily start your own business and be an independent woman. You don’t need to…”
“Fuck nice women’s husbands?”
“Your mouth is too pretty for words like that young lady.” Cursing, it gnawed at Bob, a desecration of idea and decorum. The prevalence of women and young children who did it so freely nowadays was ridiculous.
Katrina smiled. “I can’t do anything right can I?”
“You can if you try.”
Katrina tilted her head. “Bob, you try so hard to convince me that you have nothing but the good in mind. It’s almost believable.”
“I only care about the good!” Bob said coolly, not for once taking the bait she laid. She wanted him to lose his temper, to snap at her, to look like a meddling bully.
Slowly, she
shook her head, a crooked smile on her lips. “Admit it Bob, the only reason
you’re in this is because you’re hot for
The sheer
randomness of this accusation needled Bob and he coughed. “I am not…not “hot”
for
Katrina pursed her lips. “Or me?”
Amazing young woman! The full blown arrogance of youth never ceased to surprise him. Her taunt, however, only served to remind Bob of this young woman’s considerable assets, her prettiness which rose far above common. He imagined that she’d discovered far too young what sort of power she could hold over a man, and the things she could get from him. By now, her seductive games were second nature more than practiced, he imagined.
Katrina
laughed. “Well I can’t imagine you’d be interested in
The purr tickled his ears and forced blood through his cheeks and neck. “Who says that I am attracted to anyone?”
“Please!” Katrina held out both arms, a slim woman lost in the folds of an expensive, and stylish winter trench coat. “Bob, if you were really interested in the good, you’d have gotten rid of me by now! Obviously, you’re a little accustomed to at least seeing me around. Let’s not kid ourselves here, you can find a good massage therapist anywhere, don’t try to hide behind the wives needing me as an excuse.”
“You’re insane.” But the words only came out as a choke, scratchy and weak.
“Am I?”
Bob scowled and pointed, feeling sweat prickling under his arms and along his lower back. “Listen…”
Katrina moved in quickly, but touched him only delicately, brushing the tip of his nose with her own in a surprisingly teasing, timid sort of way. It stopped his pulse and froze the blood in his veins and then her lips quickly touched his. Completely stunned, Bob couldn’t bring himself to move, and his inability to react only encouraged the young woman. She pressed her soft, cool palms into his cheeks and she kissed him more deeply. And then she let him go, stepping back, “Was that everything you’d hoped for?”
Bob swallowed, but didn’t say a word. The only thing he could process at this point was Katrina’s soft mouth, her sweet scent, the pretty poison of her being!
“You’re blushing, Bob.”
Hartley cleared his throat. “Well, I’ve never denied you’re attractive. Katrina, that is not the point.” Damn, he was sweating all over now, even on the point of trembling.
She raised her eyebrows.
“You would have shoved me off if it were that important to you,” She whispered. “Your wife is dry, Bob. I know her. You love her but she’s becoming old and complacent. A perfect companion but not a real lover. You may think you’re happy with this situation Bob, but you’re a man. You crave excitement. Everyone else is getting it except you, so stop kidding yourself, okay? If you really want something, why don’t you say it, just ask. Why hide behind this pretense of…morality.”
“Get out.”
“Men who repress themselves, lie to themselves like you have, they can’t keep it up for long. Sooner or later they give in and the problem is, they give in at the wrong time. Then they make a mess they can’t hide from. If you’re honest with yourself, at least you can take some precautions so you won’t get hurt. Believe me, everyone gives in.”
“Get out.”
Katrina nodded. “Right.” She left.
Sweating through his clothes now, Bob paced the foyer. He half wanted to kick through something, or to punch it. He bit his lip, his made fists, he groaned and closed his eyes. What a poisonous woman. What a smug, sad woman. He moved into the living room and paced some more, sweating more and licking his lips, tasting the last remnants of her. It only served to quicken his pulse and throb in his brain, taunting him with a confection he could never taste.
After a spell, Bob couldn’t calm himself, not a finger of brandy, not a glass of cold water. Rubbing his hands together, he went upstairs, slipping off his sweater and his shoes. Micheline cried out in surprise and laughter as he invaded her bubble bath.
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