Beyond the door, a luxurious lounge filled with couches, a fireplace, a full bar and a bartender, and two pool tables filled a sleek white-painted room with dark hardwood floors and stone accents. “I could just move in here, right?”
She laughed. “That’s what most say when they see this. Jacob set up an entire pool hall upstairs because these tables got used so much. The bar in here is pretty cheap, too; Jacob only charges at cost for the drinks, but the bartenders keep a close eye on intoxication levels. If you feel a need to get drunk, tell the bartender why. They’ll make sure you make it back to your unit safely. Jacob is all about making sure his residents are secure.”
“Okay. What’s wrong with this place? I mean beyond having rent that will cost me more than six thousand a month.”
“That’s the downside. The rent is lethal.”
“How much extra will it be for my dog?”
“Good question. I did mention you were interested in pets, so it may have included the pet rent. We’ll find out when we talk to the representative. Can I tempt you into a drink?”
“If I’m going to be signing a lease with rent that much, I’ll need one,” I muttered.
She laughed. “We’ll be here for more than an hour, so let’s get something to calm your nerves. Hell, I need one after that last unit. Is your ankle doing all right?”
“It’s doing okay. I’ll be limping for a while, but it feels like a sprain. I’ve gotten those enough times to recognize what they feel like. I’ll take it easy tonight and the rest of the week, and it should be fine.”
“How does a Cosmo sound to you?”
That would work. If a Cosmo couldn’t turn my day around, little would. “I’m game.”
“Excellent. You play pool?”
I eyed the table. “I do now, apparently.”
“I’ll get us some sticks and we’ll do a round. The representative will likely come get us from here, as the bartender will tell them we’re having a drink and playing a game.”
“Is the bartender also security?”
“Basically.” Margaret went to get our drinks, and I hit the nearest table, racking the balls and setting them up for our game. I’d played enough times with my brother and his friends to hold my own, and I’d even won a few of the more competitive games. I liked math, I liked geometry, and I enjoyed the satisfying thunk of the balls hitting each other. By the time Margaret returned with our drinks, I had everything ready.
The bartender brought over the cues, a bridge, and chalk. “Have a good game, ladies,” he said, lining them up against the wall. “Should you move here, there’s a good pool shop a few blocks down the way, and you can get your own cues.”
“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” I lifted my glass to him in a toast.
“I see you’ve played before. Or you’ve been put to work setting up games for people in the past.” Margaret set her drink on the nearby table and pulled a quarter out of her purse. “Flip for break. Call it.”
I nodded, and when she gave the coin a toss, I picked heads.
Tails won, and rubbing her hands together, my real estate agent grabbed a cue and went to work.
The last time I’d been run around the table, my brother had gotten it into his head I had no business getting a single shot in, and Margaret must have taken lessons from him. With systematic ruthlessness, she sank every last ball, and she took her time with the eight to make it clear she knew what she was about.
Damn. I wanted to be like Margaret if I ever grew up.
I eyed the table, chalked my cue, and gave a nod to the rack. “I see how this is, Margaret. If you’re half as ruthless on price negotiations, I’m hiring you when I buy a house. Running the table is just mean on the opening round.”
“I prefer allowing the competition to know exactly what she’s in for. To be fair, I play this a lot. I couldn’t help myself.”
I chuckled. “Rack it. My turn.”
I’d run my brother around the table once, and I meant to give Margaret a taste of her own medicine if I could. It’d been a while, but as long as I got a good break, I could make it happen, assuming the break didn’t bust me and create a bad setup for a run.
A little competition and a lot of motivation did me a world of good when playing pool, and I’d played enough I could goose serious players who underestimated me. Running the table took a lot of skill, and I’d spent a few too many hours trying to learn the trick of it so I could put my brother in his place in front of his friends if he got too uppity.
The break favored me, and if I played the table just right, I’d only have to do one damned jump draw to run the table. Damn it. I’d learned jumps to spite my brother and his billiards buddies, but I’d never tried it in a serious game before. I did a walk around the table and turned to the bartender. “Hey. Do you allow jumps on your tables?”
Instead of replying, he bent over and retrieved a new cue from below the bar and walked it over. “Try not to damage the felt. These are the only tables we allow trick shots, as we replace the felt every other month. There’s no jumps on the upstairs tables unless you’re cleared by the boss and have the right cue.”
Sweet. Life was looking good, and I accepted the jump cue, setting it aside until I needed it. “Thanks.”
“Anytime.”
I toasted Margaret, took a drink, and set my Cosmo aside, giving myself a good shake before I took my time and went to work.
As I’d planned, the jump draw happened at the end of my run, and if I did it just right, my cue ball would be in position for a light tap of the eight to win me the game. If I did it beyond perfection and called it, I might even be able to finish right off the draw. While I played, my real estate agent watched, her brows raised right up to her hairline.
Hell. I only lived once, and it was better to fail than to not try at all. “Jump to the six corner pocket and draw to the eight side pocket,” I announced, tapping the intended pockets. The damned obstacle course of striped balls could easily make a mess of my attempt, but fate and geometry had decreed if I wanted to finish in one fell swoop, I’d have to make the jump for better or worse.
“If you make that shot, I’m taking you out to dinner and introducing you to the operator of my league.”
“You play league?”
“Yeah. I’m a member of the American Pool Association. I play the amateur circuits, but I’ve had an invite to pro.”
“Well, I’d hope you’d be invited to play pro with your ability to run the table.”
“Maybe you should be the one who is invited to play pro. You’re skunking me.”
I laughed at that. “Unless the stars align and the universe pays me back in karma for spraining my ankle in a bathroom-kitchen nightmare apartment, I’m going to miss this shot.”
“Hope, you’re trying the shot. This is the sort of play that professionals use during trick-shot demonstrations. If you get anywhere near making the shot, I’m calling it your victory. You even knew to ask if they allowed jumps on the table.”
Well, that was something. “Missing could wreck the felt, and it looks like good felt.”
“It’s due to be replaced next week, so don’t be shy,” the bartender called out. “And if you make that shot, I’m buying you a drink myself.”
Apparently, I could be bribed with alcoholic drinks. “You can even record my miss if you’d like as proof I’d tried.”
The bartender grabbed his phone and took me up on my offer. “I’m Luke. Can I just say I hope I see more of you around here? We could always use another good player around.”
“I see how it is. No pressure at all. All right, cue. Don’t fail me now. I have a drink to win. I’m going to need alcohol to sign over six thousand a month.”
My real estate agent laughed. “I know your salary figures. You can afford the six thousand a month. Your base salary fits your zone of comfort for rent payments, and while on the high end, it is in your proposed percentage bracket.”
Oh, right. I’d been rather
meticulous over providing her and Garret with my budget. I could afford the six thousand a month. I’d still grimace over the money spent, but the pool tables and at-cost drinks might make it worth my while. I’d be needing a stiff drink after the hell audit. “Margaret said I’d have to inform you why I’d be drinking, and can I say I’m an auditing accountant going over a hell job?”
“That sounds like you need two drinks and someone to drive you home afterwards,” the bartender replied.
“Unfortunately, my car is parked at her work.”
“Margie?”
“If you give someone the keys, they can bring the car back here. Won’t be the first or last time Jacob’s sent someone from security to fetch somebody’s vehicle. I can drive someone back to your car if you drink too much.”
Two drinks and a ride home after viewing apartments sounded like a plan if I could land the damned shot. I took another sip of my Cosmo to steady my nerves—or ensure I’d miss and be laughed right out of the lounge. Either worked. “After the day I’ve had, going to work hungover might be worth it.”
“I’ll call Garret and tell him the last unit attacked you, and that I’m responsible for the alcohol if you show up to work a little worse for wear.”
Allies made the business world go round and round, and I toasted her with my glass before setting it aside and taking another walk around the table to make sure I picked my mark just right. Math was my friend. Ball spin wasn’t, but as long as I calculated the trajectory and rotation just right, I could pull off the shot. I’d worked a table for hours once trying, damaging the felt beyond repair to learn it. I hadn’t even felt bad about the felt; the owner had it scheduled for replacement and it’d already seen better days, and he hadn’t minded me putting it out of its misery to convince his wife it really needed to be redone.
All delaying would do would be to make me more nervous, so I chucked my last fuck into the fireplace, grabbed the cue, and gave a few test strokes before I jumped the cue ball over the obnoxious striped balls, landing it at the six, which went into the pocket just as planned. Things went sideways when the ball drew back and cracked into the eight with a hell of a lot more force than I’d intended. My angle was good, and it went into its pocket as planned, but the cue bounced off the bank and created chaos on the table as it crashed into Margaret’s balls and sent them scattering over the felt.
I held my breath, keeping an eye on the cue ball. If it dropped into a pocket, I lost. I didn’t give a rat’s ass what happened to the rest of the balls on the table, but damnit, I didn’t want to lose because I’d gotten overenthusiastic.
The cue ball, along with the rest of Margaret’s balls, remained on the felt where they belonged.
I grabbed my Cosmo and knocked it back. “And that’s how it’s done.”
“Yeah, I’d say. Why aren’t you playing professionally?”
I blinked at her. “That’s an option? Really?”
“You ran me around the table and did a high-end trick shot to make it happen. Yeah, it’s an option. Can you do that all the time, or did I get you on a good day?”
“I play with my brother and his friends, and sometimes, I like to win. But they’re good, so I have to work to win. But most of the time, I cheerfully lose so they don’t feel badly about themselves.”
“Luke, can you send me a copy of that video?”
“Sure thing. I can probably get security to get a video of both games, too. I’ll ask the boss.”
“Please do.”
An older man dressed in a clean-cut black suit, an Armani from the looks of it, with salt and peppered hair swept into the lounge, and he came armed with a bottle of wine and three glasses, which he held up in salute. “Margaret, my darling!”
“And that would be Jacob, armed with more alcohol.” My real estate agent laughed and shrugged. “I’m going to need someone to drive me home, too, Luke. And to take us to the other viewings tonight. We’ll probably need the alcohol to deal with those. They’re on the lower end.”
“You got it, Margie. Hey, boss man. They’ve got other viewings tonight, so you can’t drink them completely under the table. The lady here just ran Margaret around the table and used a jump draw to do it.”
“Please, call me Hope.”
“And you’re getting a discount on your rent for putting this evil woman in her place. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Jacob put the wine and the glasses down on the table with our Cosmos, popped the cork, and tested a sip before pouring a round and handing me a glass. “You need a little wine before we see the unit. I was just up there, and they’ve started repairs, so it’s more of a mess than I like, but I really wanted to give Margaret first crack at it, as she always brings over the nice tenants.”
“You can give me my owed drinks another day, Luke, but I’ll accept the offer of someone driving my car back to the hotel. It’s been a day.”
“You got it, Miss Hope.”
“What’s this about a jump draw?” Jacob asked.
Luke wasted no time showing his boss the video he’d taken of me making the shot, including the subsequent chaos on the table afterwards.
“In my defense, I hit the ball too hard, I meant to nudge the eight in, and it was damned luck and luck alone that it actually worked.”
“You made the shot, Hope. I couldn’t,” my real estate agent replied. “I wouldn’t have even tried, because the last time I tried a jump shot, I ruined the felt, and it was the high-end tournament felt. I ended up paying out a thousand dollars to replace it. I didn’t have to, as I had permission, but I felt guilty I’d busted the table. At least my thousand got next-day replacement.”
“She barely left a scuff, and nobody is going to care about yet another scuff on this one,” Luke replied. “That shot was something else, wasn’t it? Margie ran her around the table, and this was Hope’s revenge.”
“I will bribe you to run every damned league player in my building around the table, Hope,” the landlord announced.
I liked bribes, especially when the bribes involved playing a game I liked and could openly do well at. “What sort of bribe?”
“Free pet rent a year for each tourney player you run around the table.”
“Any bonus points if I run them around the table and they did the break?”
“I’ll figure something out. How often can you run someone around the table?”
“I’ve done it a few times. I usually target my brother when he annoys me, as there’s nothing quite as enjoyable as running him around the table in front of his friends. I usually try to lose a few times to give a surprise factor, too.”
Margaret burst into laughter. “You’re a pool shark!”
After thinking about it, I realized I really was. “I don’t take money for doing it, though. I just take payment in their pricked prides.”
“That’s just beautiful. What other tricks do you have up your sleeve? Do you play any other sports?”
“I like tennis, but I suck at it. I like to bowl, too, but I don’t have anyone to teach me. I want to try fingertip bowling, but I don’t know anyone who does it,” I admitted.
“I have a bowling alley in the building several blocks away, and I can definitely find someone to teach you the finer points of bowling.” Jacob took a sip of his wine. “Margaret told me you moved here from Washington?”
“Yes. I needed some fresh air, and New York has a lot of opportunities for auditing accountants. I just started my new job today, and I’m at a long-stay hotel down the street for the moment. This is really close to work.”
“That would put you at the Cercson Investment Group building if you’re an auditing accountant who works nearby. It’s a ten-minute walk on a bad day. The drive is quick, since the garage lets out right onto the main street, but you’ll have to battle the lights, so call it ten minutes either way. Most go around the block so they don’t have to try to make the left. It can be done, but it’s a lot faster just to come around the back and turn right onto our street and into
the garage.”
Damn. Jacob knew his business well. “That’s right.”
“Good outfit, and they treat their employees pretty fair. You should like it, and the lack of commute will be what you need after a hard day. Has Margaret gone over the perks?”
“Some of them,” my real estate agent replied. “I figured I’d show her the lounge first and save some of the perks as a surprise when we went to the clubhouse.”
“Great. Let me show you the apartment first and give you a rundown on the renovations that will need to be done. There’s a lot, as the previous tenant made a mess of the place, but once it’s done, you’ll find your rent to be well worth it. Enough was damaged I’m giving the place a complete overhaul. It’ll be two weeks until you can move in, and even after then, there’ll be work that’ll have to be completed. Three solid weeks will put the work at mostly done, with a few small tasks to be completed.”
I could handle living in a hotel for three weeks. “I can deal with the hotel life for three weeks. I don’t have any pets yet, and the hotel does allow pets in their rooms if I decide to get one before I move in. I’m looking at a dog possibly. Do you allow dogs over limit if it’s a visiting pet with a friend?”
“Absolutely. The limit is only on the animals permanently staying in the apartment for more than a few nights. If you need to babysit someone’s dog for a week, I don’t have a problem with that, just let the leasing office know there’s a temporary resident so we can register the animal. We keep a log of all animals in the building in case of a fire, as we try to make sure all residents are able to be rescued, including the pets. We can’t do anything for the fish, but if we can grab cages or other pets during an emergency, we will. Having a roster helps us make sure everybody got out, too. We do require all guests, including delivery staff, to check in at the front desk. If we have a security guard available, delivery staff are escorted to the appropriate apartment. If it’s non-food deliveries, staff make a round once a day to apartments unless it’s something you’ve flagged as time sensitive, in which case they’ll give you a call when your package arrives.”
The Run Around Page 15