Near the end of the next block was a pub and microbrewery that had a couple of pool tables. Mandi and Cade discovered the place to be almost empty, despite large numbers of convention attendees wandering the streets.
Two guys at a table near the window nodded to Mandi and Cade as they entered and approached the bar. Cade ordered a couple of beers and some quarters.
Gesturing around the pub, Mandi said, "Well, Ed, you did say you wanted to get away from the crowds."
As the bartender pulled a couple of glasses of beer for them, he said, "It's like this every year. The only convention that brings in less business is the Salvation Army thing." Nodding toward the window, he added, "Which just happens to be going on this week, too, of course. It's the worst week of the year for everybody but the hotels and restaurants."
The reddish-colored beer cost five bucks a glass and it tasted rather bitter. Cade decided that he preferred his usual Ice House beer as he set his local brew on a table and put quarters in one of the pool tables.
"Don't like it, huh?" asked Mandi, nodding at Cade's beer.
"Not particularly. Too bitter. I'll break."
"Oh, really? We aren't going to flip a coin?"
"No, ma'am, we aren't. I've got a strong feeling that if you break, you'll run the table."
Rolling a stick on the table to check it's straightness, Mandi said, "Oh, but maybe I'm not much of a pool player, sir."
Watching her chalk the tip of her stick by spinning the stick and lightly buffing the contact point, Cade said, "Uh, huh. That's what all the sexy blonde hustlers say."
Cade made the four on the break and made another five balls before a bad leave put the cue ball behind three of her stripes. His attempted jump shot made the seven ball, but the cue ball followed it into the pocket.
Mandi grinned as she stepped up to the table. One after another she rather elegantly pocketed all of her striped balls, including one that involved a long, almost right-angle cut to reach a distant corner pocket.
When only the eight ball remained, she eyed the six-inch shot and smilingly asked, "Want to concede the game?"
Shaking his head, Cade said, "Nope. Work for it, lady."
With a chuckle, Mandi popped the eight into the pocket. The two guys who'd been watching from a nearby table had come to stand by Cade.
"Man, she flat kicked your ass," said one of them.
"I think she got lucky on the fourteen," said the other guy.
"Yeah?" asked Cade. "Put your quarters up. You just volunteered to be her next victim."
The guy nodded and reached in his pocket, then fed the table as the other guy introduced himself as Mike and the other guy as Stan, then put his name on the chalkboard for the next game.
"Hey, there's three of us here, dude," confided Mike. "One of us has to beat her."
Glancing at Mandi, Cade chuckled and said, "Yeah, right."
Cade put his name on the board, as well, and sat down with his beer. He enjoyed watching women shoot pool, especially women in short skirts, and Mandi had magnificent legs.
Midway through her game against Stan, Mandi leaned over the table for a shot, lifting one leg slightly off the floor as she stretched. She seemed to take longer than usual about it.
The shot hadn't seemed that difficult, even with the need to stretch for it. Cade glanced from her legs to the table to try to see why she was taking so long just as Mandi turned to look grinningly back at him.
His gaze shifted from the table to her face. Her expression seemed to change to one of surprise for a moment, then she turned back around and popped the ball into the pocket.
'Ha,' thought Cade. 'She thought she'd catch me eyeballing her legs.' With a grinning mental shrug as he sipped his beer he added, 'She damned near did, too.'
Mandi gave him an odd, studying glance as she rounded the table to take her next shot. Cade deliberately pretended to find something interesting about his beer and held it up to look at the way the light filtered through it.
Mike muttered something as Mandi sank the eight, then he sighed and said, "Oh, well. It was worth the money to watch her do that, I guess."
Stan laughed and got up to take his turn. During the game Mandi chanced to be standing directly in front of Cade as she leaned across the table to aim, shifting her hips as she moved slightly to her right.
Oh, hell, yeah, Cade looked. As Mandi leaned forward, her skirt rode up a bit and tightened delightfully around her butt and thighs.
In the corner of his eye, Cade caught a motion in the big front window of the pub and glanced that direction. Mandi's reflection was grinning slightly as she looked back at him.
Cade matched her small grin, shrugged as he flicked his eyebrows at her, and went back to studying Mandi's assets as she made the shot and straightened up with a muted 'gotcha' look on her face.
As Mandi methodically worked her way through her balls, Mike leaned over to quietly ask Cade, "Where the hell did she learn to shoot like that?"
"She's from Vegas," replied Cade, as if that explained everything.
When four games had passed without Mandi missing a shot, Mike simply reached up and erased his name from the chalkboard.
"That's enough for me," he said, "I'm a believer."
Stan looked at his watch and said, "We've got time for one more game."
Mike shrugged and held up his glass.
"Go for it. I've still got some beer left."
As he racked the balls, Stan said, "I can't believe she's kicking our asses with a bar cue. Why doesn't she have a stick of her own?"
"You'll have to ask her," said Cade. "I just met her today. We haven't discussed much personal stuff yet."
"I left it at home," said Mandi. "I didn't expect to need it."
"Huh," grunted Mike. "I'd say you do all right without it."
"No shit," muttered Stan.
Two brunettes came into the pub as Mandi broke the rack. They approached and stopped at a distance as Mandi shot, then angled around the pool table.
One went to Stan; the other went to Mike, who stood up with Cade as she approached. Stan introduced them as Susan and Sara, then Cade and Mike pulled up two more chairs for them and everybody sat down to watch the game.
"Will talking disturb her?" asked Sara.
"I seriously doubt it," said Cade, with a shake of his head.
Turning to Mike, Sara said, "Sorry we couldn't get loose earlier. We got kind of busy in the ER. Do you think this game will take long? We're starving."
Mike laughed shortly and said, "No, I don't think it'll take long. She's good." Shaking his head slightly, he added, "She's real damned good. Five games and she hasn't missed yet."
"Not at all?" asked Susan.
"Not once."
Appropriately impressed, the newcomers watched Mandi quickly pocket her last three balls and the eight.
"Make that six games," said Mike. "Damn!"
After Mike and Stan had left with their starving ladies, Mandi leaned her rump on the pool table and asked, "Well? We still have time for a game, too. Want to try your luck again?"
Grinning wryly, Cade said, "Sure, if I break."
Unassing the table to reach for her beer, Mandi said, "No problem. Go for it."
After a long sip while watching Cade rack the balls, she asked, "How old are you, Ed?"
"Fifty-three. Why?"
"Just curious. If you had any health problems, you wouldn't be working with John's group, would you?"
Lining up to break the rack, Cade said, "Nope."
Sipping her beer again, Mandi said, "After the show tonight... Well, I'm thinking that I'd rather not be where anyone is likely to look for me."
Pausing to look at her, Cade asked, "Reason?"
Mandi shook her head and said, "I'd just rather not have anyone knocking on my door after the show."
With a shrug, Cade said, "We'll tell John. He'll tell the others to leave you alone."
Giving him a studious look, Mandi sipped her beer again as Cade sent the cue ball through the rack.
"I didn't say I wanted to be alone," she said. "I said I wanted to be where I wouldn't be found."
Looking up from the table, Cade set the butt of his cue stick on the floor, regarded her thoughtfully for a moment, then asked, "Would it be too much to hope for that you're referring to my room as your sanctuary?"
With a small shake of her head, Mandi smiled slightly as she said, "No, Ed. It wouldn't be too much to hope for." She sipped her beer and quietly added, "But it might be all you could hope for."
"Uh, huh. Does that mean I'd have to behave myself or that you'd have your way with me and then discard me like a used paper towel in the morning?"
Laughing, Mandi said, "No, it just means that... Well..." she hesitated further, then gestured at the pool table and said, "See if you can figure it out in the meantime. I'll understand if you're reluctant later."
After a moment of studying her, Cade nodded and lined up on the nine ball. Seven shots later, only the eight remained and it wasn't too far from a pocket. Cade called the pocket and sank the ball with a sigh of deliberately unconcealed relief.
Laughing, Mandi said, "Oh, good game, sir."
"Coming from you, that's a heavy compliment, milady." He sipped his beer and asked, "Back to what you said about being 'reluctant later'. You're gorgeous and I enjoy being with you, so I'm having trouble with the idea that I might be reluctant."
Nibbling her lip, Mandi regarded Cade for a moment, then looked around, apparently to be sure nobody else could hear.
In a low tone, she said, "You might find sex with me... ah... well, it could be somewhat... ah... unsatisfying."
Matching her soft, confidential tone, Cade stated, "You're trying to say that I couldn't get in, aren't you?"
Reddening slightly, Mandi nodded.
Cade shrugged. "Oh, well. There are other ways to please a woman."
Peering at Cade as if to determine the truth of his words, Mandi asked, "That wouldn't bother you?"
With a small smile, Cade sipped his beer again and softly said, "It wouldn't bother me anywhere near as much as knowing I missed an opportunity to taste a woman like you intimately." After a brief pause, he grinningly added the respectful afterthought, "Ma'am."
Again eyeing him as if to decide whether he'd told the truth, Mandi sipped her beer and laid her stick across the pool table. Picking up the menu from the small table, Cade looked it over and opted for another burger basket rather than some of the other items available, most of which seemed to contain pasta.
"Would you like anything?" he asked, showing Mandi the menu. "I'm getting the burger basket."
Mandi scanned the menu and said, "Same for me," as she reached into her purse for quarters she hadn't expected to need.
"I'm buying," said Cade, waving the menu.
"Thanks," said Mandi, "But I'm looking for quarters. I lost the last game, remember?"
Looking startled, Cade exclaimed, "Oh, yeah! So you did! Wowsers! Thanks for reminding me!"
"Just treasure the moment," said Mandi drily. "It may not happen again. Ever."
"Oh, yes'm!" said Cade with a nod and a tiny salute. "As you say, ma'am. Treasuring it now, ma'am. Back in a minute."
As he headed for the bar, Cade heard Mandi mutter, "Smartass," then she called, "Extra mustard, okay?"