TASTE
(Seducer Part 5 - Chapter 36 of Senses)
Paul walked into the bar at an early hour, as per the plan. He had left Jim's home only 30 minutes earlier cursing to himself that he should have caught it much earlier. Of course A.J. is probably like Jim, he mused to himself. Genetics, man, genetics. Although they said that Larry isn't like them. But experimenting to find out more? I was fucking well expected to catch that? Not a chance. But two brothers with the ability is no coincidence, even I must admit.
And apparently there are more of them, including Angie. Speaking of coincidences. A.J.'s probably right - the human race is mutating. This will probably change things, or at least how I think about things.
Normal women who love mutants! On the next Oprahue!
Paul shook his head and walked up to the bar and waited for Angie to finish with her current customer, then ordered a diet cola. Angie poured it without comment and began to walk away when Paul simply said, "Angie."
Angie turned back to face Paul. "Do I know you?" she asked.
Paul nodded. "Sort of," he said. "I was here the night of the match between Jim and A.J. Christopher."
"So was half of the town."
"Yeah, but I was part of the bet. It would take forever to explain, but let me just say that I've heard about you."
Angie leaned onto the bar in front of Paul. "From Jim, I assume?"
"You assume correctly."
Angie smiled. "May I also assume he told you about us."
Paul nodded. "That he did."
"And I suppose you're here to advise me to stop bothering him?"
Paul faked a look of shock. "Moi?" he asked. "His lawyer?" He shook his head. "Never happen."
Angie looked Paul up and down carefully. "Lawyer?"
Paul extended a hand. "Paul Cynic," he said.
"Angie Ramirez." She shook his hand. "Business or pleasure today?"
Paul smiled and sipped his drink. "Pleasure I think. As a general rule I try to stay out of Jim's personal life, unless he asks. He hasn't." A lie, but lying was nothing new to this lawyer.
"That's a surprise," Angie commented.
"Life is replete with surprises, Ms. Ramirez. I am curious though. You're an attractive woman. Why Jim? Why someone who's off the market?"
Angie laughed. "I like rich men," she said.
"I'm a rich man," Paul pointed out.
Angie considered for a moment. "That may mean that you're next."
Paul roared with laughter. "I'm flattered," he finally managed.
"You should be," Angie said. "Excuse me a moment, I have customers."
Paul nodded and finished his drink. So far so good, he thought to himself. When Angie returned he ordered another diet cola and asked, "So what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this? I mean, you don't strike me as a bartender like Mike does."
Angie snorted. "That," she said. "was almost sexist."
Paul shook his head. "Nope. I mean that Mike has an intuitive sense of what his customers want. He's never tried to serve me alcohol even once, despite the fact that I have a reputation as an eccentric and a lush."
"You?" Angie asked.
"Oh, I'm eccentric all right. And on the wagon, for ten years now."
Angie clapped her hands softly. "Congratulations."
"Thank you." Paul bowed in his seat. "However, I'd like an answer."
"Well....if you must know, I'm a transplanted native of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, there weren't any job offers for someone like me when I moved out here, so I took what I could."
"And what would you be rather doing?"
Angie shook a finger a Paul's face. "You don't know me well enough to find out the answer to that," she stated.
Paul took a deep breath. "I'd like to," he said.
Angie stared for a moment, then shook her head. "Why?"
"Two reasons," Paul replied. "One of which is that I'm awake at the moment and single and so far fit your criteria for eligible men."
"Hell of a reason."
"True. Besides, you've managed to do something I've only seen once before, and that's piss off Jim. I find it funny."
Angie was skeptical. "Funny?"
"I told you, I'm eccentric. What would you say to dinner, about six tonight? I know a great seafood place out by my place, and if you don't like seafood I have no further use for you."
Angie was so startled by the comment about liking seafood that she burst out laughing. "I like seafood."
Paul smiled again. "There," he comment. "One possible conflict out of the way. Can you think of any others?"
"What if I have to wash my hair, or get a pedicure, or have my cat flossed?"
"I assure you that you can get all of that done by six, even the cat flossing."
"Then I'll see you here at six." With that comment Angie walked away.
Paul smiled and left the bar, and once he was outside he sighed the breath he was holding. Jim, he mused, there are very few people I would do such a thing for. I'm glad I came here quick before I could change my mind.
Paul arrived at the front of the bar precisely at six in his red Ferrari Convertible, a car he rarely drove. Angie was waiting out front, having changed clothes, washed her hair and styled it, and on closer examination had also done her nails.
Paul looked her over and said, "You look stunning, my dear."
"I had the cat flossed too," she replied with a smile.
Paul laughed. "I'll take your word for it." He pushed a button on the dashboard and the passenger door opened, to Angie's stunned surprise. He said, "Neat, huh? Like I told you earlier, I'm eccentric and fairly wealthy. I get to do fun things like this door."
"This is fun?" Angie asked.
"Yeah! Something wrong?"
Angie got into the car, closed the door, and fastened her seatbelt. "I'm simply worried that it might open while we're in motion. Suppose you think I'm a lousy date and want to eject me?" This was said with laughter.
"The only way this thing could be street legal was if that switch were rigged not to work with the engine on."
"The engine's off?"
Paul nodded. "It always feels like it's running. It's a Ferrari." He offered no further explanation, but started the car up again and hit the road. The drive up to Moonshiner's in Malibu took only 20 minutes, and they settled into the restaurant quickly after having the valet look after the car. There was a line, but they were seated immediately upon arrival.
Angie was impressed with the service and said so. "It's an advantage to being one of Malibu's more prominent citizens," Paul replied.
"How rich are you?" Angie asked.
"Rich enough. But you know, I get the impression that a man being rich was smoke."
Angie agreed. "There are more important criteria. What's good here?"
Paul took a menu and pointed to things at random. "Everything, but the shrimp are superb, as is the lobster, and if you like teriyaki, go for the broiled mahi-mahi."
The waiter arrived and they placed their orders, and went to the salad bar (Moonshiner's salad bar is famous and of high quality), and quietly made their way through the first course. Once the salad plates had been cleared, Angie asked, "So where do we begin? Do I unravel your dark secrets or do you unravel mine?"
"Aren't first dates a bitch?" Paul stated more than asked. "And it wouldn't be a fair trade. I really have no secrets but I'm trying to find out more about you."
"And I about you. Tell you what. Let's cut to the chase and try to get the two biggies out of the way. You're on the wagon?"
Paul laughed. "Got you curious, did I?"
Angie nodded, but said nothing.
"Well, when I was seventeen and just getting started managing unknown bands, I pulled off a wild publicity stunt for one of my bands, a young outfit called Blue Shift. Hear of them? Well, I bought everyone in the place a beer. Everyone, that is, who had come to see us. I used the receipts from all of my beer purchases to prove to the owners of the club that we had indeed brought in a sizable crowd, not just the twenty people we were told we had brought in.
"Well, word about that stunt got around, and soon enough we had some pretty large crowds at our shows, and it actually became cost effective to buy the first round of drinks. Besides, we didn't care about money, we cared about getting the band signed.
"The problem was that I gained a reputation, and was drinking with everyone that I bought a drink for. Only a sip, mind you, but that would add up awfully damn quickly over the course of a night. I became a staggering drunk by the time I was eighteen.
"The the heaviest drinker I know kicked me in the ass and told me to report to rehab, or I was fired. Well, I'm an oddball, because I like managing and business more than any high that can be artificially produced. I dried out, got my law degree, and during the time I was in school four of my bands became big names in the industry. I've been clean even since."
Angie whistled. "Quite a story," she said. "Who dried you out?"
"Jim of course," Paul replied. He laughed as the meal arrived.
As they ate, Angie told her story.
"Mine begins when I was seventeen too," she started, "and I decided I wanted to become a doctor. I had good grades despite a terrible start, and got into Ohio State, then Michigan for my graduate and doctoral studies. I graduated in the top fifty of my class, moved back to rural Pennsylvania and put up a shingle."
Paul was stunned. "You're a doctor?"
"I was. The problem was that in 1991 the Pennsylvania legislature passed a law that made most abortions either illegal or severely restricted. I performed an abortion for a minor who didn't have parental consent, which meant that my conscience was against the law. Over the course of a year my license was stripped and word got through the medical establishment that I was a bad risk for being certified in another state. I can no longer practice."
Paul looked at Angie in more than mild surprise as she went back to her meal. "That was one hell of a lot more personal than my story," he finally commented. "That couldn't have been easy to talk about."
"Not at first," Angie agreed. "When I first came into that bar I was in danger of becoming just like you were. I seem to be better now, and Joshua gave me the job until I could get back on my feet. Problem is, I like the job."
Paul laughed. "There are worse places to work. I was a paralegal for ten minutes of my life. It was too long."
"Anyway, that's the story of how I got here. Do me a favor, don't tell Jim?"
"I hadn't presumed to tell anyone."
Angie smiled. "Thanks."
"Why tell me?" Paul asked.
"Because I wanted to tell someone," Angie replied. "Besides. You're the first person the ask me out since I arrived in California. Usually I have to do the hunting myself."
Paul frowned. If it's not you inside Jim's head, I'm going to owe you one hell of an apology when this is over, he thought. I may owe you one even if it is you. "Why should that be?" he asked, addressing her last comment. "You're attractive and believe it or not, brains are not a limitation for a good person. Usually a person intimidated by a partner's smarts isn't a partner at all. I'd think you'd get asked out all the time."
"Nope," Angie replied. "It's always been like that for me. If I had known that Jim had a lady in his life already I probably wouldn't have made a move on him."
"Bullshit and you know it. I know for a fact that you've met Karen. What's your real interest in Jim? I mean if he's going to be a rival for your attentions, whether he wants to be or not, I need to know what his advantage is and undermine it."
Angie considered it for a moment. "I guess you'd call it a certain sexuality that few people have," she said. "It's like watching someone like him or say, Christian Slater or David Bowie. Nothing you can really put your finger on."
Paul pretended to look insulted. "And I don't have it," he said, with a mocking tone of voice. "It's called celebrity, and you don't have to be a celebrity to have it so don't get defensive." He then laughed. "So I'll have to razzle-dazzle you with other bullshit."
Angie nodded subtly. "The lobster was a good start," she pointed out.
"Thank you," Paul acknowledged.
"So was the trading of secrets we did. I wouldn't do that with Jim."
Paul studied her for a moment. "You know, I'm starting to think you're a seducer."
Angie regarded Paul thoughtfully. "I haven't been called that in a long time," she said.
"Is it true?" Paul asked.
"Yes, I suppose it is, but it's not my favorite title."
Paul raised an eyebrow. "I sense some hidden meaning behind that comment."
"You're awake at the moment. But," she sighed and took a drink of the water a waiter had brought without either of them noticing, "that's not a first date story."
"Then perhaps I have no use for you after all," Paul said. It was said in a jovial tone, without malice or any serious intent, but Angie turned ice cold.
After a moment, Angie lightened up again as if the mood had passed, and a misunderstanding had cleared without a spoken word. "You want me," she stated.
Paul nodded. Yes, I do. And I didn't a minute ago. Jim's right, it's you. Just as quickly, the feeling went away.
"Not tonight," Angie said. "Although I am having a marvelous time."
Paul followed through. "The night is young enough," he said, "and you seem to desire me as well."
Angie nodded and said true even though it wasn't. Paul noticed that, but anyone could have. You've just made it easier on my conscience, Paul thought, but I will apologize to you anyway. "You've been delightful company," he said aloud.
"As have you," Angie replied. "The problem is that I need to be back at the bar at 3 a.m. to start my shift. Next time you make arrangements to see me, it will need to be earlier."
"Ah good, there will be a next time."
Angie smiled, and she meant it. "Yes, there will. Day after tomorrow if you can manage it."
"Three O'clock?" Paul asked.
"Deal."
Paul chuckled. "You know, you should really get some more employees at that bar."
Angie laughed softly. "Joshua's a workaholic. His life is bartending so that's all he does. Even his free time is spent trying to make his bar better. If he could run it by himself he would. As for me, have you ever met a doctor who wasn't a workaholic early in their career?"
"Nope. Nor a lawyer who wasn't for that matter," Paul pointed out.
"Well, I'm only 29 now, so I would still be a young doctor. It's not that hard for me. Besides, I like the job as much as my boss does. I can't explain why really, I just do."
"If I were still a drinker I would consider that bar a godsend. I still do anyway, but that's because Jim needed that place."
"You two are close." It was not a question.
"A long time now," Paul replied.
"Are you doing this for him?"
"What, taking you out on a date? To distract you from attacking one of my closest friends? No, even if I am that big a cynic, I try to stay out of my friends' lives, except where their careers are involved. That's what they pay me for. I'm doing this for me." Another lie. Paul check to see if he had suddenly desired her again. He had not.
This clearly surprised Angie, who seemed to go through a series of emotions if her face was any indication. She had expected a somewhat different answer. "I think I misjudged you," she finally said.
"I'm used to it," he replied. "It's okay. We still on for day after tomorrow?"
Angie smiled. "Yes, we are. And maybe I'll reconsider about going to bed with you."
"I'm flattered. I'll take you home so you can get some sleep. I can wait two more days."
Angie laughed almost until she cried. "You know," she finally said, "I think I'm going to like you."
I doubt it, Paul thought. He smiled and laughed along with her.