Full Figured 8

by Skyy

“Oh. Yikes.” Dakota put her hand over her mouth, which didn’t don the red lip gloss this morning. “Sure you can work with a beginner like me?”

  “Ahhhh, I think I can handle it. What do you say we give it a shot this afternoon? The last session ends at four and then I think there is networking and a recap. What do you say we skip the networking and hit the course? I’ll schedule us a tee time.”

  “Do you mean play hooky on the very first day of class?” Dakota whispered playfully.

  “I’m a bad influence. What can I say?” He laughed.

  “Sure. I guess I’m dressed for it. I’ll just run my bag back up to my room and meet you, what, out where you catch a taxi?”

  “That’s fine, but I have a rental, so I’ll just pick you up around there and we’ll head to the course. But let’s make it three forty-five. ”

  Dakota thought for a minute. “Wait, but the last session doesn’t even end until four.”

  “Yeah, but William Staudimeier is speaking at that session. He’s not long-winded. He always finishes up early.”

  “Well, okay.” Dakota sounded slightly hesitant. She didn’t want to end up having to be rude and walk out in the middle of a presentation just so she wouldn’t keep her golf partner waiting. But reluctantly, she agreed. “Sounds like a plan then. I’ll meet you downstairs at three forty-five. Oh, and I didn’t even get your name.”

  “Sorry about that.” He set his tote down on the ground then shook hands with Dakota with his hand that was coffee free. “I’m William—”

  Before he could say another word, Dakota looked down at his badge. “William Staudimeier. Real funny, Mr. Staudimeier.” She rolled her eyes upward and smiled.

  He smiled back. “That’s me. Sorry, didn’t mean to mess with you like that.”

  “Oh, it’s okay. I don’t mind a sense of humor.”

  “Great.” He clasped his hands together and rocked back and forth. “Well, anyway, I’m going to go say hello to a couple colleagues I see. Enjoy the day’s sessions.”

  “Same to you,” Dakota replied, while noticing him looking down at her chest. Dakota slightly turned away and subconsciously covered her breast. She did have on a bra today, so she was certain her nipples weren’t poking out drawing any attention. So this man was some kind of bold to be outright looking at her boobies, she thought.

  Realizing how tense and uncomfortable Dakota appeared to be all of a sudden, William took note and put his hands up. “Oh, no, pardon me, forgive me.” He put his hands up and shook them. “I was, uh, looking for your name badge. I didn’t get your name either.”

  “Ohhhh.” Dakota, smiled, exhaled, and then relaxed. She looked down at her own chest in search of her nametag, realizing it was still in her tote. “Marie. You can call me Marie.”

  “Fine. Take care, Marie. Downstairs. Three forty-five.” He tapped his watch. “Don’t be late.”

  “Three forty-five on the dot,” Dakota reiterated and watched him walk away. She exhaled when he was no longer in her presence. She wanted to die. She’d made a date with a complete stranger. A date to get in a car and drive off with a complete stranger. Fuck Marie. That bitch wasn’t about to have her found cut up with her head severed to be found in the desert. There was living a carefree life and then there was being stupid ... and dying!

  As Dakota made her way to the room in which the conference’s first session would take place, her belly ached with nervousness. She no longer had an appetite for the Danish, so she set it on the table in the back of the room that had pitchers of ice water and glasses for the attendees to help themselves. Still somewhat in a daze at the date she’d just made with a stranger, she went and flopped down at one of the tables that wasn’t yet occupied. How the hell was she going to get out of her golf date?

  Within minutes all the tables began to fill. There were smiles and nods among those at Dakota’s table. A couple of the people chatted as if they knew one another. Dakota would have made an attempt to engage herself in a conversation, but she was too preoccupied with how to go about standing up Mr. Staudimeier.

  Eventually the speaker of the hour was introduced and got right into his topic of discussion. Dakota half listened, taking random notes. In between her business-related notes were notes of ideas of how to get out of her date with death. She’d write a suggestion down, then moments later scratch it off her list for one reason or another.

  That’s it! she thought. He’s no stranger. I’m the stranger. She had to remind herself that her Vegas trip wasn’t about complete logic. Sure she had to use wisdom, and she would. But everything in life didn’t have to have logic attached to it. Why did there always have to be a reason to just do something carefree? It’s the ‘just because,’ or the ‘because I can’ that makes life exciting.

  Chances were, any guy she went out on a first date with would pretty much be a stranger. Even after talking to someone for hours on the phone, you still can’t tell if they are a rapist, mass murderer, or something. You gotta go out there and get to know people and discern the type of person they are. When it came to William, Dakota didn’t have that kind of time nor did she need it. She’d spent all of five minutes with him and anticipated spending about another hour with him during his session. That would have to be enough. Did she really need to invest more time than that anyway into someone she’d never see again after returning home? So with that reasoning, she decided she would not break her date with William. That would also eliminate her having to avoid him for the remainder of the conference after having stood him up.

  She was going to go golfing for the first time in her life and she was going to have fun. With that settled, Dakota was able to pay attention to the speaker, take some real notes, and even participate in a little Q&A. As her stomach growled she couldn’t help but think, damn; where is that Danish?

  Chapter 9

  After making a fifteen-minute pit stop to her room before heading downstairs to meet William, Dakota was walking through the casino fully energized. Her sleep last night had been just what she needed to get her body on track and on beat with the three-hour time zone difference. The sessions had been very enlightening. She’d actually learned quite a bit that she could take back to work, share with her team, and help them better the service on the job. William, specifically, had been very inspiring. He gave good tips and was one heck of a motivational speaker. Dakota could only hope he could motivate her to get a strike, first and ten, hole in one, or whatever the right golf terminology was.

  She walked outside the transportation area and looked around. William had told her he’d be in a silver full-size car. He couldn’t remember the exact make and model of the rental. Dakota looked but didn’t see any silver cars. She didn’t have his cell phone number to call him. Or, maybe she did.

  At the end of William’s session, he’d made his business card available to the attendees. Dakota had made sure to grab one. This was where wisdom came in. During her pit stop back at her suite she’d quickly called her sister to let her know a little of what was going on.

  “I’m going for a game of golf,” Dakota had told her sister.

  “But, girl, you never go golfing,” Billie had said. “Do you even know the slightest thing about golf besides the fact that Tiger Woods plays?”

  “Who?” Dakota asked.

  Billie was just about to answer her until she realized her sister was being sarcastic. “Forget you.”

  Dakota sighed.

  “Sorry. It’s just that I’ve never known you to have the slightest interests in ... Oh, I get it. Doing something new. You’re taking my advice. See, told you. Isn’t it exciting?”

  “Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Dakota brushed her sister’s excitement off and got to her point. “Take this name down.”

  “Wait. Hold on. Let me get a pen and paper.” There was some shuffling around while Billie retrieved a writing utensil and something to write on. “Okay, go.”

  Dakota proceeded to read off William’s information from his business card. “
So that’s who I’ll be with. If you don’t hear from me by the end of the night, call 911.”

  “Girl, stop being so dramatic. You’re letting Daddy and all that ID Channel business get you all worked up.”

  “You darn right. I’m all the way here in Las Vegas by myself. I’m putting myself in the perfect scenario to be the starring subject for one of those episodes. But anyway, I’m also going to leave a note on the hotel stationary as well. At least housekeeping will know who raped and mutilated me.” Dakota sighed.

  “Oh, stop it and go golfing for crying out loud. It will be fun.”

  “Yeah, but that’s because you like to golf.” Dakota knew her sister attended the charity golf outings her boyfriend’s fraternity put on quite a bit.

  “No, it’s because I like the beer cart.” Billie laughed. “The beer cart is the best part.”

  “Figures. Anyway, I gotta go, sis. Give Mom and Dad my love the next time you talk with them.”

  “I will. Love you and be safe.”

  Now as Dakota stood there waiting for William, she wondered if the phone number on his business card that she had given Billie was his office or cell phone number. Most people included both on their business cards nowadays. She pulled the card out of her purse but was startled by the light beep of a horn. She looked up to see a Chrysler 300 and William waving.

  William put the car in park and then got out to open the passenger door for Dakota. “Marie. You didn’t stand me up.”

  “Of course not.” Dakota smiled as William patted her on the back. “Why would I?”

  “Well, I wasn’t sure if I’d bored you so badly during my presentation that you’d want to get and stay as far away from this snoozer as you could.” He feigned a yawn and put his hand over his mouth.

  “Please, you were great.” She shooed her hand.

  “Well thank you.” He took a modest bow.

  Dakota slid inside the open door, lifting her left leg and then her right. William looked a little concerned as he stood there holding the door.

  “What?” Dakota asked.

  “Do you really plan on doing any golfing, or just hanging out at the bar in the lounge?” He looked down at her feet. “Or are you going to golf in those shoes? I mean, they’re pretty nice shoes, but for golfing ...”

  Dakota looked down at the black two-inch-heel loafer-type shoes she’d worn to Vegas. The only other shoes she had were the pumps she’d purchased at the store at Caesars Palace. Those wouldn’t suffice either.

  “Darn it the snabbits.” Dakota sucked her teeth. “I forgot I don’t have any shoes to golf in.” She looked up at William with disappointed eyes, fixing to get out of the car.

  “Well, I’m sure they have some kind of gift shop, store, or something on the grounds. You should be able to find something there.”

  “You think?” Dakota squinted her face doubtfully. By this time she’d placed both feet back outside of the car, planning to nix the whole golf idea completely.

  “I’m sure they’ll have something for you. If not, the grass may feel good underneath your feet and between your toes.”

  Just the thought of something as corny as that brought out just a little bit of the old Dakota within. Now running barefoot through the grass, that was fun and exciting to wallflower Dakota. Marie had to quit being selfish and let Dakota have a little fun. So Dakota swung her feet back inside the vehicle, got nice and situated in the passenger seat, and waited for William to close her door. William then walked back around to the driver’s side, climbed in, and after the two buckled up, followed the instructions of the GPS to the golf course where they’d be spending the rest of the afternoon.

  “Yippee!” Dakota jumped up and down after getting the ball into the ninth hole.

  “Not bad,” William complimented. “You’re a natural.”

  “No, you’re just a good teacher,” Dakota said to him.

  “Correction, you are a good student. And I give you an A for effort and participation. Now what do you say we go back inside to the restaurant and celebrate your grade card over dinner, on me?”

  Because Dakota was a beginner, he’d only signed them up for nine holes, but with how well she’d done, they could have easily gone the full eighteen. Well, maybe not the full eighteen, but close enough to it.

  “Dinner on the teacher? Oh, how sweet.” Dakota rubbed her stomach. “I am a little hungry.”

  “Good, then let’s go hang up our cleats.” William began to gather all the clubs and balls while Dakota just stood there with a puzzled look on her face. “Ahhh, gotcha. Just wanted to see if you were paying attention.”

  Dakota started laughing. “Good, because I was thinking ...” She put her index finger to her temple in thought. “Don’t football players wear cleats too?”

  “You’ve just earned yourself some bonus points. Guess dessert is on me as well.”

  After gathering all their things, they hopped in the golf cart and headed back to the lobby. Once inside, they each went to their respective restroom to wash their hands, then met at the restaurant.

  Once seated, their drink orders were taken, then they conversed while browsing the menu.

  “The grilled tilapia sounds good. I think I’m going to try that,” Dakota said.

  “I’ve never really liked fish. I think I’m going to try the jambalaya with polish sausage.” He moved the menu from covering his face and said to Dakota with a serious mug, “Now I like polish sausage.” He winked then scanned the menu one last time just to be sure. “Yep, that’s exactly what I’m going to have.” He closed the menu and put it down just as the waiter brought their drinks to them.

  “Do you need a little more time, or do you know what you want?” the waiter asked.

  “I think we are ready.” William looked to Dakota for confirmation.

  “Oh, yes. We’re ready,” Dakota said to the waiter.

  The couple placed their orders, handed the waiter their menus and then went back to talking. “So, Marie. Where are you from?” William asked after taking a sip of his seltzer water.

  “Michigan.” Dakota took a sip of her limeade.

  “Detroit.”

  “No. Flint.”

  “Born and raised?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Oh, don’t call me, sir. You make me feel like my father.”

  They laughed and made a little more small talk until the waiter brought out their food. They ate, laughed, and joked over their meal. Dakota hadn’t laughed that hard since Kevin Hart’s Let Me Explain.

  “You have a wonderful sense of humor,” Dakota said, wiping tears from her eyes from laughing so hard. “I really like that about you.” She swallowed then wiped her mouth with her napkin. “Can I tell you something?”

  “Sure,” William said, wiping his mouth as he chewed his food.

  “I thought you were going to be a stiff.”

  “I can’t blame you. The speaker at an insurance conference. Whooo hoo. What a ball of fun,” he joked about himself.

  “Oh, stop it. I didn’t mean all that. But you are a pleasant surprise. Like I said, your sense of humor is amazing. So entertaining. I can’t imagine a dull moment with you.”

  “Ahhh.” He raised his fork. “My partner says that same thing about me.”

  “Partner? You own your own business aside from the work you do for your company?”

  “Well, the company I do work for is my company. But I don’t have any business partners. I meant my life partner, Rodney.”

  Dakota stopped her fork midair. “Oh.”

  William tried to read her facial expression but couldn’t. “Is there a problem?”

  “No, it’s just that ...” Dakota carefully organized her words. “It’s just that I had no idea.”

  He snapped his finger. “Oh, shoot, I did forget to have them put it on my name badge. William Staudimeier: Gay ... and not the happy gay.”

  Dakota laughed. “Well I agree with Rodney. You are a riot.” Dakota finished up her meal th
en pushed her plate away.

  William had already finished. “So you’re not one of those chicks with a so-called gaydar, huh?” Rodney used his fingers to make quotation marks.

  “Obviously not. Here I thought I was going to have to fight you off of me on the golf course. Come to find I’m not even your cup of tea.” Dakota snapped her finger and feigned disappointment.

  “Yeah, right. Like you would have been interested in a middle-aged white man.”

  “Can I share something with you?” Dakota leaned in and said almost in a whisper.

  “Sure.”

  “Last night I was just a teensy weensy bit interested in an old man from India.”

  “No way.” William looked surprised. “An old man. Girl, do you have any idea how disgusted you would be after a night of sex with him, only to wake up to his saggy booty?”

  Dakota burst out laughing. She put her napkin in front of her mouth in just enough time to spit her limeade in it. “You are crazy.”

  “No, you are crazy if you want me to believe you were going to get busy with an old Indian man.”

  “A man from India,” Dakota corrected him.

  “Whatever, still I say no way.”

  “Yes way. I don’t know if it was the fact that he had all this money, even gave me five hundred dollars in gambling chips, but I was feeling the old man.”

  “Whoa, big spender. Now I get it. Hell, think I’ve got a chance with this fella?”

  “Nah. He was married.”

  “And? That never stopped about half of the men I’ve dated.”

  Dakota shook her head. “You know, I have nothing against gay men or women. Seriously. But the whole down low thing bothers me so much. Why not just be who you are and be proud of it?”

  “Umm, I wouldn’t say it’s that easy.” William put his hand up to stop the press. “Not that I’m saying I agree with the down low thing, because I don’t. But being gay isn’t, like I alluded to earlier, something you just put on a nametag and wear proudly. There is such a stigma attached. Society is something else.” He shook his head as if reflecting on instances he wished he could forget.