Good Karma (14 page)

He grinned dubiously at the thought. He
wasn’t one to believe in fate, destiny, and all that. Especially
not after what had happened with Carol. If fate existed as some
kind of cosmic guiding system, why would it lead a person into a
situation that inflicted that kind of pain?

He brushed the uncomfortable memories of his
past aside before they could sour his mood. He would rather think
about Karma.

She was such a delightful woman. He loved her
hair. Longish but not too long, wavy, auburn—almost brown. And her
eyes. Karma had luminous, hypnotic eyes, which popped against her
flawless, pale skin. She was clearly a woman who didn’t believe in
tanning. Not even a spray tan.

In a way, she reminded him of Emma Stone from
the nose up, but she had a pouty, heart-shaped mouth that was more
like Scarlett Johansson’s. A kissable mouth. Very kissable.

And she was so full of promise…shy and
insecure, but willing to learn. He hadn’t expected her to unbutton
her blouse yesterday, but she had, which proved she wanted the
excitement and the daring. Of course, she had rebuttoned it before
dinner—a travesty he later corrected—but just the fact she had been
willing to loosen her collar and show more skin at his suggestion
in the first place indicated there was hope. Oh, the things he
could teach her. He would lift her confidence, show her how to
touch him, how to kiss him, as well as how to be touched and kissed
in return. But most importantly, he would show her how to be the
woman she wanted to be.

He imagined her clothes discarded on the
floor in his bedroom, a very naked and gorgeous Karma lying supine
on his bed as he massaged her incredible feet. With her expanse of
pale skin against his darker complexion, wouldn’t they look
striking against one another?

He sighed, and body parts south of his
waistline perked up, especially when he imagined her in only that
very sexy pair of black heels he’d helped her pick out last night.
Wow. Just wow. The image robbed him of breath. He inhaled sharply
to keep the oxygen flowing.

Oh yes, the things he could teach her. But
first she had to tell him yes. She seemed to be leaning in that
direction, but there was always a chance she would tell him no when
he returned to Indianapolis.

Sure, he could simply let her go, find
someone else to date, or simply be single for a while. But he
didn’t want to let Karma go. For one, he didn’t like not getting
something he wanted. Second of all, Karma fascinated him. And
third, something about Karma screamed that she needed him. He could
free her.

Maybe it was a macho thing, but something
about showing Karma the ways of pleasure he suspected she had only
ever imagined brought out his inner caveman. He wanted to beat his
chest and drag her back to his cave. Show all the other cavemen he
was better than they were and could deliver in ways they
couldn’t.

Karma had become the project within the
project…the prize in the Cracker Jack box he wanted to keep digging
for…the rose whose petals he wanted to see unfold to reveal her
as-yet-unseen depths.

Before his thoughts swept him further away,
his phone rang.

Ducking inside, he smiled at his caller ID.
“Hey, buddy. You ready to get your ass kicked?” He hadn’t talked to
Rob since the benefit last weekend.

Rob laughed. “You wish, old man. I’ve been
practicing this week.”

All the practice in the world wouldn’t help
Rob, even though he had been lucky a few times when Mark was having
an off day. But today Mark was primed to release some pent-up
energy. His game always excelled when he was keyed up, and Karma
had him keyed
up
! As in, so far up that he would need a
cinder block tied to his ankle to bring him back down.

“Old man, my ass. I’m younger than you are.”
Mark tossed his robe on the bed before snagging a T-shirt and a
pair of shorts from the dresser.

“Only by a few months.”

“So what? I’m still younger. And you’ll be
eating your words, pal. You don’t know what you’re in for. I might
have a record-scoring day.”

“Oh yeah? What’s got
you
so worked
up?”

As his best friend since junior high, Rob
knew Mark well enough to know that if he was already gloating about
a record day, something major had happened.

“Oh nothing.” Mark sneered, dropped his
change of clothes on the bathroom counter, and turned on the
shower. He was going to need another one after a few games, but he
didn’t feel fully awake until he washed off the sleep and grime
from the day before.

The line grew quiet. Then Rob started
chuckling. “Oh shit. Don’t tell me you met someone down there.”

Mark laughed. “You know me too well,
asshole.” He didn’t have to tell Rob right now that he’d actually
met Karma at the benefit. He could announce that newsflash
later.

“Jesus, Mark. Barely out of one relationship
and into another. Hopefully you’ve told her up-front not to get her
hopes up about anything serious.”

“We’re not dating. Not yet, anyway.” Mark
stripped out of his pajama bottoms.

“What? Are you telling me she can actually
resist your charm?”

Mark checked the water’s temperature.
“Something like that. Look, I’ll tell you about her later. I’ll see
you in a bit.”

“Okay. Get ready to get your ass kicked.”

“Fuck you. Not a chance.” Mark disconnected
and hopped in the shower.

Thirty minutes later, he pulled his BMW into
the parking garage across the street from the gym. He met Rob on
the court and clasped forearms with him.

“Hey, man. Lookin’ good.” Mark broke their
man embrace and pulled the basketball from his bag.

Besides being his best friend, Rob was like a
brother. Not only did he know all about Carol and the nightmare she
had caused, Rob had lived through the hell of the aftermath, trying
his best to pull Mark up by the bootstraps so he didn’t do
something stupid, like drink himself into an early grave. And there
had been a couple of times death by alcohol poisoning had sounded
appealing.

Those had been stupid times, and Mark never
drank like that, anymore. But through the nightmare, Rob had been
there every step of the way.

They hit the court and played three games
before taking a break.

Grabbing a seat on one of the courtside
benches, Mark reached inside his bag for water and a towel. The
temperature had risen since morning, and he wiped the sweat off the
back of his neck.

“Okay,” Rob said, out of breath, “you were
right. I surrender.”

Mark laughed and downed a swig of water. “I
warned you. Three games, man. I stomped your ass.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Rob wiped his face on his
sleeve. “So, what’s up with this girl? What’s her name?” Rob
plopped down beside him and grabbed his own water.

Mark lifted the water bottle from his mouth.
“Her name’s Karma.”

Rob poured water in his hand then splashed it
on his face. “I’m assuming things are progressing well, given how
you just mangled me on the court.”

“You could say that.” Mark looked at Rob out
of the corner of his eye, trying to hide the smile threatening to
break over his face.

Rob’s eyes narrowed. “Uh-oh. What’s that look
for?”

Mark sucked in a deep breath and grinned at
the irony. “She’s the executive assistant for the company I’m
consulting with in Indianapolis.”

Rob’s mouth fell open. “Whoa. Are you
serious? You could get in trouble for that shit.”

Mark held up his hand. “Cool off. I’m not
going to get in trouble. Mildly reprimanded at the worst. Besides,
she hasn’t agreed to go out with me, yet.”

“Smart girl.”

Mark scowled sideways at Rob’s verbal jab.
“She
is
smart, but I think she’ll come around. This week we
were just…you know…feeling each other out.”

“Okay…” Rob looked like he was about to play
devil’s advocate. “Let’s say she decides to go out with you. You
wine her, you dine her…you do what you do.” He gave Mark a hard
glance. “And then she decides, ‘Oh, wait, this isn’t for me. I
think I’ll file a sexual harassment complaint.’” Rob’s expression
said it all. “Because, Mark, I know you have no intention of
getting serious with her. And when you don’t, what if she gets
pissed off and retaliates?”

Mark took another drink, paced away, then
turned back around. “She wouldn’t do that.”

“How do you know? You hardly know her,
and—”

Holding up his hand, Mark cut Rob off. “I’ve
gotten to know her pretty damn well, and she’s not the type to play
those kinds of games.” He stretched his triceps. “I met her last
Saturday, at the benefit.”

“Come again?”

“She was there.” He remembered when he first
spotted her at the blackjack table. “Red dress, sexy shoes.” He
whistled. “I’m surprised you don’t remember her. Every man in the
place couldn’t take his eyes off her.”

“Where was I when she was around?” Rob poured
more water on his face.

“Slackin’, most likely.”

“If she turns on you, you could be the one
slackin’.”

“Yeah, well, this may amount to nothing. I
think she’s worried we could get into trouble if anyone finds out
we’re seeing each other outside the office.”

“She’s right.” Rob sounded like he was
scolding Mark.

Rob and his conscience. He always considered
all possible outcomes.

Still, Mark didn’t need the gloom and doom
right now. He wanted her, and she needed him.

“That won’t happen.” Mark wiped his towel
over his face. The only person who could stop him from entering an
affair with Karma was Karma herself.

“How do you know?”

“Has it ever?”

None of the women Mark dated had retaliated,
and none had become upset enough to lash out. Mark treated the
women he dated well. He didn’t disrespect them, and even though he
could have been more up-front about his intentions—and from now on,
he would be—he wasn’t an ass when he broke things off. In fact, a
couple of the women he’d dated said he’d been the best breakup
they’d ever experienced, and they had remained friends. He had even
introduced one to the man she ended up marrying.

“No,” Rob said reluctantly. “But there’s a
first time for everything.”

“Are you
trying
to piss in my
Wheaties, Rob?” Mark tossed his towel aside, irritated.

“No, but I don’t want you to lose your job,
either.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m not going
to lose my job. Seriously.” He downed the last of his water and
shoved the empty bottle back in his bag. “I like this one. She’s
different. And she needs me. So quit shitting on my parade.” He
paced away.

“Okay, okay.” Rob joined him in a hamstring
stretch at the chain link fence. “You like her. She needs you.
That’s good. It’s a good fit. I won’t shit on your parade, anymore.
Just be careful.”

Mark glanced sideways at his friend. Rob
meant well. The guy was always looking out for Mark’s back. “It’ll
be fine. And I’ll be careful. I always am.”

Rob straightened and patted his shoulder. “I
know you are.” He grinned. “But please tell me you don’t think
she’ll be on the layoff list. For the love of God, don’t let her be
one that gets the can. That would so fucking suck.”

Mark shook his head. “Not her. She’s too good
at what she does. She’s more manager material than admin, in my
opinion.”

He thought about what Karma had said during
dinner about her journalism degree. She had a passion for writing
and didn’t see herself at Solar forever, but she had been right
about one thing. She was very good at her job. Karma had all the
talent of a leader if she would just break free from whatever held
her back, both sexually and professionally. Mark had a feeling the
roadblock in both cases was one and the same.

“Oh, she is now? And you know this
after…what? Only a week? Just how much do you like this girl, Mark?
You seem to have given her a lot of thought.”

Mark scowled and pushed off the fence. “Quit
busting my balls. Are we here to talk about my lack of a love life
or shoot hoops? Because I smell another ass-whoopin’ comin’ on.” He
snagged the ball from the bench, dribbled to the court, and went in
for a layup.

Rob swept in under the basket and took the
ball, then flipped it over his head and through the net. “I can
multitask and do both, and since I’m destined to get my ass handed
to me, anyway, why bother putting up a fight.”

“You puss.” Mark took the ball and dribbled
out to the three-point line.

“So, have you got your in with her, yet?” Rob
asked.

Mark sunk another basket then rushed in,
tapped the rebound from Rob’s hands, and went in for another layup.
“Working on it.”

“Yeah, I bet you are.” Rob grinned. “I can
see your wheels turning from here.”

With a smile, Mark passed the ball back to
Rob with more zip than necessary. “Come on, old man. Play
ball.”

“Old man? Fuck you, buddy. I’ll show you old
man.” Rob drove hard.

Game on.

Discussion over.

For now.

Chapter 15

Embrace
the change in your life.

-Author Unknown

After spending Sunday afternoon hashing and
rehashing the pros and cons of taking Mark up on his offer with
Daniel, Zach, and Lisa over lunch at Olive Garden, Karma was still
waffling about what to do.

While Lisa had clung fast to her previous
sentiments, insisting Karma throw caution to the wind and go for
it, Daniel had taken a more philosophical approach.

“What do you
want
to do, Karma?” he
had asked. “What does your gut tell you?”

At the time, she hadn’t been able to answer,
but his question had simmered on her mind all night.

Ultimately, what she wanted was a
relationship like Daniel had with Zach. They were the
quintessential happily married couple, totally devoted to one
another. Once, Karma had asked Daniel why he had moved to
Indianapolis instead of insisting Zach move to Chicago, which
seemed like a better place to live for a gay couple. Daniel had
said, “Love makes you do crazy things, Karma. Zach wants to live
here, and I love him, so here is where I belong.”