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  Cole, “When is it?”

  “I think the beginner lessons are on Tuesdays and Saturdays. You should try next Saturday at 9am. We play right after so we can come early and watch you,” said Jess supportively. They all loved the game so much they happily encouraged new players.

  Keece, with a mischievous grin added, “Yes, that would be well worth coming early to see.”

  They were all once again absorbed in the game as the players came bounding over the boards on the edge of the field right in front of them. Everyone at the two tables jumped up to get a better view as the teams battled for the ball. One player finally knocked it free and they were off again racing down the field, pushing and shoving each other with their horses.

  Cole shook his head in wonder. “Man! That one guy was practically in the saddle of the other one. That’s crazy!”

  “Yah, wow. I think it might feel a little different in virtual reality,” responded Pele.

  “Yah, and I can just imagine the looks we’d get at the bar if you tried to sit that close to me while we were playing!” joked Radi as he scooched over and sat on half of Cole’s chair, nearly pushing him completely off.

  Cole caught himself before he took a tumble, exclaiming, “Hey!” Everyone laughed as Radi retreated and Cole righted himself.

  Pele spent the rest of the match idly chatting up Jess, applying his well-tested strategy of talking more to the friend of the girl he was really interested in than to her. It always seemed to intrigue another woman when you gave her friend attention.

  The game ended after six chukkers, periods in polo, with the pro, Luca’s team, ahead by four goals. The girls all stood and cheered enthusiastically as his team left the field. The entertainment between matches was an impressive K-9 dog demonstration. The dogs, in full chase after a running “victim,” would drop to a dead stop with a single command.

  “Wow,” commented Sidney. “I can barely get my dog to come when I call him…unless of course, it's dinnertime.”

  Pele was just beginning to engage in a conversation with Sidney about her dog when he noticed her looking over his shoulder. He turned to see what she was watching. One of the players was approaching; sweaty, handsome and charismatic. He exuded sexuality in his red jersey and dirt-stained white polo pants. He wasn't handsome in a pretty boy way, or dark and swarthy. He had more of a refined, but masculine, sophisticated Spanish look. Pele noticed all the girls were smiling at him.

  “Hello Ladies,” the player greeted them warmly and then kissed Keece on the top of her head as he came up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. She stood up and embraced him. So, this was his competition, thought Pele. Hmmm…this might be a little more challenging than I thought.

  Chapter 4

  Pele sent a withering glance over at Radi and Cole. He could tell, by their smirks, that both knew what he was up against, a twenty-something, sexy Argentinian polo pro. Bastards. He would definitely get them back for this one.

  In the meantime, Keece and the others were greeting and congratulating the pro. Pele had to admit Luca had a charming way about him. He could see why the girls all enjoyed their lessons. However, he wondered why Luca had chosen Keece. She was certainly attractive, but not necessarily more so than the others. Pele didn’t know the others well, but they seemed to be equally friendly and fun. Curious. He did notice there was a sense of calm and strength about Keece, and warmth, and then, of course, there was that mischievous smile. Something about her definitely piqued his interest. Maybe that was what had drawn Luca to her as well. Regardless, Pele looked forward to getting to know her better.

  As he was musing about Keece, Jess leaned over and, almost as if she could read his mind, said, “We all think he’s totally hot,” obviously referring to Luca, “but from the start, he had eyes only for Keece. We wanted to be jealous, but it’s hard when we like her so much. She’s terrific and the two of them certainly get along well.”

  Pele smiled and replied, “She does seem cool and clearly happy to see him.”

  “The best,” said Sidney, who had caught the tail end of their comments. “She comes across a little reserved, but she has some very funny stories. We’ve had a couple of road trips and they are always entertaining.”

  Keece interrupted their side conversation, “Luca, I want you to meet our friends. This is my heart doctor, Dr. Cole Janson and his friends Pele, Susan, Radi, and Chantel.”

  Cole chimed in, “You may find this a little unnerving, but these two are actually doctors too.” Then added mischievously as a side note, “Not sure what that says about the medical field these days…” After a giggle from his audience, he continued, “We all met in med school.”

  Grinning at Cole’s jab at his friends, Keece added, “Well, hopefully, none of us will need to test their medical skills any time soon! But more importantly, Pele and Cole want to take polo lessons.”

  “Fantastic. You’ll love it,” said Luca in his charming Argentinian accent. “Would you like to come this Tuesday evening? Or is Saturday at 9am better for you?” He was clearly a good recruiter for the school.

  Keece answered for them, “We suggested they come Saturday so we could come early and watch them before we play. Of course, if it’s more convenient for you guys, you should come Tuesday.”

  Pele, “With my surgery schedule, Saturdays are definitely better.” Tuesdays were always surgery days for him, and it was a rare day when he got out at a reasonable hour. Besides, his motivation was to see Keece again more than it was to take a lesson.

  Cole teasing Pele again, “You still do surgery? I thought with your new top-secret government job that might be beneath you.”

  Pele shot back with clear exaggeration, “Yah, hard to believe, but I’m afraid I still have to do my regular job. The extra government work is just because I’m sooo committed to keeping our fabulous country, including you, safe,” taunting Cole. Then he added with his best spy look, “But you better be careful, I might be the next 007.”

  Cole almost choked on his water from this response. “Yikes! I’m not sure what’s more frightening! You protecting us, or you trying to be a spy!” shaking his head. Then he added, “Actually Saturday is better for me too. Do we just show up at 9?”

  Luca, “Basically, yes. Wear jeans and boots if you have them. Otherwise, we take care of everything. Your ponies will be ready and waiting when you arrive,” he made a gesture as if welcoming them down the red carpet.

  This guy is good, thought Pele, even I think he’s charming.

  Keece added playfully, “They play the virtual reality version of polo—Patron Polo—so they should be stars from the start!”

  Luca looking impressed, “Really? Keece showed me how to play that once. I think she even beat me! That’s much more difficult than the real game.”

  Pele, with a roll of his eyes, “Somehow, I doubt that.”

  Keece, Luca’s arm draped around her shoulders, looked up at him with an appreciative smile and noted, “Yah, and I might have only beaten him because he’s never played a virtual reality game before!”

  Luca hugged her affectionately, giving her an equally warm smile in return.

  Pele winced a little noting the obvious intimacy between the two of them. He definitely had his work cut out for him.

  Chapter 5

  The following Saturday, Pele rolled up to the barn near a large dusty arena. Cole was already there in his jeans, cowboy boots and polo shirt, perched atop a wooden horse. Such an overachiever, thought Pele, who had barely managed to get out of bed in time to dig up some old hipster boots and throw on a scruffy t-shirt. At least he knew they would not get ruined if he stepped in horse shit or took a tumble in that dusty arena. He had learned in the conversations that the players typically started in the arena and graduated to playing on grass after they got the hang of it. Many continued to play arena polo even after they had played grass because it was less expensive and more accessible, especially in the off-winter months, when the grass was too wet to pl
ay on.

  He hustled over to where Cole was being coached by Luca on how to swing a mallet.

  “There he is! Good morning Pele. Are you ready for your first real polo lesson?” greeted Luca warmly.

  Oh God, thought Pele, he’s even charming in the morning.

  “You bet!” responded Pele, still wondering what he’d gotten himself into. How had their crazy CodeY experiment landed him here, about to get on a horse and swing a mallet at a small round ball?

  “Mighty fine lookin’ steed you got there, Cole,” Pele added. Cole was perched on top of a round-barreled wooden horse with an oversized head and awkward tale. A rough version of the real thing, but it got the job done. Cole could easily swing as if on a real horse. Next to Cole stood two other eager looking students, ready for their turn on the “pony.”

  “You like him? He’s movin’ at just my speed,” said Cole with a grin.

  “You do look comfortable, moving about the speed you go with most women,” replied Pele. He paused long enough for the other students to chuckle. Then added, “Maybe you should try riding-off.”

  “Oh, hold on there, you two. We don’t want to get too wild on old George here for the first lesson,” Luca chimed in as he patted the wood horse. “Okay Cole, let’s see that swing.”

  The lesson continued. Pele and Cole were thankful they had played Patron Polo, so they knew some of the terminology, offside forward, offside back, nearside forward, nearside back and the neck shot, the five main types of swings. They still needed a lot of help with the execution, but they at least knew the names. The other two students were Ashley and Dave. They all looked pretty good on George. This game was not too bad as long as the horse didn’t move!

  As they were about to advance from wild wooden George, the three girls showed up, Keece, Sidney, and Jess, Keece with a coffee mug in hand.

  “Oh, you brought me coffee. You are sooo sweet,” said Pele, with a cheeky grin.

  “It’s an herbal mint vanilla tea latte,” she shot back. “Have at it, slugger.” Laughing at his expression of disgust.

  “Oh, my, I suppose that doesn’t even have caffeine in it,” sulked Pele.

  “Who needs caffeine when you can play polo! That’s enough to jump-start anyone’s morning,” replied Keece with an enthusiastic grin.

  “Great way to start the day,” agreed Sidney, “but I still love my morning coffee.”

  “Yah coffee, the only way to start the day,” seconded Jess.

  Luca gave Keece a warm hug and a kiss. “Perfect timing. These four are just about to demonstrate their fabulous training on real ponies.”

  “Excellent! We’re just in time,” agreed Sidney.

  The girls helped Luca bring the horses out for the students.

  Keece led out a grey mare. “Who’s on Lorena?”

  “Pele,” said Luca as he pointed to the dry-erase board where everyone’s names were written with a corresponding horse assigned to them.

  She brought the mare over to Pele. “Have you ridden much before?” she asked, gently stroking the pony’s neck.

  “My sister had a horse, so I rode a few times growing up. Not much, though,” admitted Pele, eying his mount a little nervously.

  “Well, it’s just like riding a bike,” joked Keece with an encouraging smile. “Hop on.”

  Pele approached the side of the horse, collected the reins and reached for the stirrup.

  Keece stopped him. “A couple of tips before you get on.” She stood close, close enough so he could smell her perfume. He could not quite identify it, but it was light, not too floral, a little spicy. He definitely felt chemistry between them, but before he could get too distracted, she was instructing him on how to measure the stirrup length, the importance of checking the girth, and how to stand and turn as you mount. With a little spring in his step, he was up. He looked down at Keece and caught his breath slightly as she smiled up at him. That beautiful smile caught him off guard.

  “Ready champ?” she said warmly.

  Fortunately, the horse started off and his attention was fully back on his mount. He turned back with a smile and a thumbs-up for her. She laughed and gave him a thumbs-up back.

  He did his best to hold the reins properly in his left hand and the mallet correctly in his right as he approached the arena. His pony seemed to know where she was going, so he let her take charge. The others joined him, Cole looking even more uncomfortable than he felt.

  Luca rode in, looking completely at ease on his horse, despite the fact that it seemed completely unwilling to stand still. Pele was very appreciative of steady Lorena, who appeared to be catching a quick cat nap while they waited.

  Luca gave an overview of the basic rules, they each took a few practice swings on the ponies at a walk, and then the games began! They were put in teams of two, Cole and Ashley against Dave and Pele. Luca tossed the ball into the middle and they all started after it. Pele took the first swing at the ball. He didn’t completely whiff it, but it certainly did not go the direction he intended. Cole was there to pick it up and managed a slightly better hit. Pele tried to get his horse over to the ball before Cole got another hit. His horse broke into a slow trot. Whoa, thought Pele, that is bouncy! He managed to hang on well enough to get to the ball and attempt another swing, but he had a whole new appreciation for the coordination needed to control the horse and swing at the ball at the same time. If Keece was any good at this, she would certainly pass the coordination test!

  The rest of the lesson was a slow frenzy of comedic missteps as the riders attempted to get their mounts to move towards the ball, while they tried hitting and stealing it from each other. All were laughing so hard at their mostly futile attempts that it only made it that much more difficult to stay on. Pele thought he had a moment of glory when he got a decent hit off, but then, nearly slid off as he went for the next one. Desperately clinging to the side of his pony, he managed to right himself before a complete tumble. He was relieved to see the girls had already left for their lesson and missed his near misstep.

  Luca laughed and said, “You know you owe a case of beer if you fall off!” Apparently, this was standard polo etiquette. But Pele was less worried about providing the beer then he was about the hard ground below him.

  At the end of the lesson, all four of them signed up again. There was no denying it was good fun. Cole and Pele were already trash-talking each other in preparation for their next round.

  “You might want to polish those boots Cole. Might as well at least look good when I hook your ass,” razzed Pele, referring to the way a player blocks another one’s shot by hooking his mallet.

  “You know you can only hook when you are actually on the horse. You better start shopping for those cases of beer now,” shot back Cole. They all laughed.

  “Want to head over and watch the girls play a little?” asked Luca.

  “Sure,” they both replied eagerly.

  “After you’ve played a couple of years, you typically move to playing on grass. The girls are on field four today,” explained Luca. He went on, “They all rode before, so they’ve picked it up pretty quickly. They just need to learn to improve their hitting skills and get better at the strategy.” He was obviously proud of how well his students were playing.

  Cole and Pele walked over to the grassy area where the girls were warming up. All looked very comfortable on their horses. Luca rode out to start the lesson.

  There were eight players total, split into two teams. Jess and Keece were on one, Sidney and Layla, on the other. Luca threw the ball in. The guy right behind Keece managed to pass it out of the scramble to Jess, who started to the goal. On the second hit, the ball took a bad bounce, but Keece was there to back her up and took it towards the goal. Just as she swung for the money shot, Layla hooked her, but the guy was right behind and sent the ball through the goalposts.

  Cole and Pele cheered from the sidelines. The players headed back to center to start again. The game continued. It was a much faster pace than
Cole and Pele’s game, not at the breakneck speeds they watched on Sunday, but still mostly at a gallop.

  Cole joked, “Wow, it didn’t seem like we were moving quite that fast this morning.”

  Pele laughed. “Yah, it may have felt like it a couple times, but I think we’ll have to get out of a trot to actually go that speed! But it looks so fun. I can’t wait ‘til we can move that fast and still hit the ball, or at least not fall off!”

  Cole, “Yah, Keece or not, this is a kick. I’m definitely in for next week.”

  “Me too, but Keece is good motivation,” Pele added with a wink.

  Cole gave him a shove laughing, “Told you, you’d like her!”