Bumped Off Course

PART I

"You what?" Kay exclaims as she drops her purse onto the counter. She has just put in another twelve hour day working to provide much needed therapy to abused and neglected children in the Tampa Bay area. She spent all day hearing children talk about being touched inappropriately or hit for not picking up their toys and her boyfriend of two years continues to act like I jerk.

"Kay. I just thought that before you start making me dinner that we could go upstairs and mess around for a while."

"Steve, you have got to be kidding me. I don't know where to start with that. But sure let's go upstairs so that you can screw me while I mentally make dinner plans since once again you couldn't be bothered to put something together for dinner even though you've been home for hours."

"Okay sounds like a deal to me," Steve says as he turns around and bounds up the stairs. Steve has a surprise coming when Kay never shows up in the bedroom. She immediately sets to making dinner; not out of an obligation as a woman, but out of an obligation as a hungry person.

Kay Mitchell and Steve O'Brien have been a couple for over four years. Steve is supremely content in his life. He has been living with his "exotic beauty" for longer than he ever dreamed possible. Kay is the daughter of an African-American father and a white mother. This mixed genealogy produced a woman that depending on the time of year and the way that she wore her hair could be described as looking anything from Indian, to Native American, to African. For the ultra-white Steve, Kay was the gorgeous woman that he never dreamed he could get.

Things were not as nice for Kay. She had spent many hard years in school working to get her PhD so that she could counsel the most traumatized children and families around. After just three years in practice, she was quickly becoming widely known in the therapy community. She had developed several techniques that seemed to allow abused children to open up to her. Plus, she was so approachable that parents found her very easy to talk to. She just didn't know where things were going with Steve though. When they had first met, Kay was finishing her PhD and Steve was trying to start his own contracting business. She fell in love with all of the drive and ambition that she saw in him. Now after four years of being together, he had long since given up on his dream of running his own company. He was now content to just be a grunt building houses while living off of Kay's hard earned salary. Kay felt as if she was quickly outgrowing the relationship and she didn't know what to do about it. She thought that she loved Steve, but the more her therapist brain worked, she realized that she loved who Steve once was and who he had once dreamed of becoming.

Kay wanted nothing more than to make things work with Steve. She sought counseling on her own and begged Steve to come along, but he always refused saying that he didn't have any problems to talk about. She frequently gave into his constant sexual requests. He never forced her to do anything, but she frequently found it easier to just give in and not listen to his nagging for days on end. Suffice to say, Steve thought that he had a great sex life while Kay saw her sex life as nothing more than a chore to do along with all of the cooking, cleaning, and laundry.

In an effort to regain the closeness that she once had with Steve, Kay agreed to attend a golf tournament that was being played in their home town of Tampa Bay. She couldn't stand the game, but she knew that Steve played every chance that he got. He talked like he was a great golfer when the truth was that he would struggle just to keep up with his buddies. Kay did something that she had never done before and canceled all of her therapy sessions on Thursday so that she could attend the tournament with Steve.

They woke early Thursday morning and after fending off Steve's wandering hands, she staggered to the shower to prep for the day. She really wanted to have a great day with Steve, but she didn't expect much to come of it. Steve was too dense to even realize that they had a problem.

Upon arriving at the golf course, Steve could not stop talking about how excited he was to be there. Not once did he mention how he was grateful that Kay had rearranged her week so that she could come along with him. All morning as they walked along the fairways, watching a parade of players unknown to Kay do things she did not understand, Kay became more and more frustrated. Steve all but ignored her. The only time he gave her any attention at all was when he caught a guy checking Kay out. With Kay's tan skin and curly hair, she stuck out like a sore thumb in an almost all white golf crowd. She attracted quite a bit of attention and a good portion of that attention came from other guys. Steve was once quite good looking too, but he was always jealous of the attention that Kay received from other guys. When he noticed guys looking at her, he would "innocently" grab her butt or "accidently" brush against her chest. She didn't mind public displays of affection. But she did mind public displays of ownership.

After about the fifth time that he did that, Kay became infuriated with Steve and stormed away from the fairway. Oblivious, Steve momentarily just stared dumbfounded as she walked away. After about a minute he abandoned his great seats and went after her. He caught up with Kay as she was walking into the woods. He roughly grabbed her arm and spun her around.

In his quietest voice possible he yelled "what the hell has gotten into you today? I thought that you came here to have fun with me."

"Fun with you," Kay growled back at him, "Is that what you call this? Do you really think that having my ass grabbed and breasts groped for all to see is fun to me? I didn't want to be here. I hate golf. But I wanted to spend time with you and you've done nothing but ignore me or molest me and I'm sick of it. I thought that being here with you would be a change from our everyday life but it turns out that it is nothing but the same crap as at home."

"What the hell are you talking about? We have a great life. We have a great home, go on great vacations all around the world, and if I might add a pretty damn good sex life."

"That's right. I bought us a great house. I take us on great vacations and please, speak for yourself when it comes to our sex life." With that Kay turned and stormed away from Steve for the second time in the last five minutes. She never turned around to see people snickering at Steve as they walked by.

Not knowing where she was on the golf course or how she would get home, she wandered around for a good while. She walked through woods, behind grandstands and over ropes. If she'd known how many spectator rules she'd broken, she would be embarrassed. But at that moment she was too oblivious to care. After what seemed like walking for hours, she stopped and looked around. She could hear a lot of cheers coming from the grandstands behind her and there were numerous official looking men standing around with credentials hanging around their neck.

Once again Joseph Williamson put his head down in anger as he walked out of the scorer's tent. For what seemed like the hundredth time that year he had shot an over par round and was fast on his way to missing his seventh straight cut of the year. For a season that was only in its eight week, that made for a long start to the year. If things didn't turn around quickly, he would be looking for a place to play golf next year. As he stormed towards the practice range he nearly ran over and knocked to the ground what turned out to be the only person around in a fowler mood than he. He looked up in time to stop himself from growling at the person to watch where they were going. When he looked at the woman's eyes, he noticed tears dripping down. He was immediately captivated by her mysterious dark eyes. They were bloodshot from crying and they looked as if they held a deep sorrow.

Joseph was what one would call a journeyman pro. He had been on tour for several years now, but he could count his top 10 finishes on one hand and he had never come close to winning a tournament. In fact, if he disappeared from the tour, no one would even notice that he was gone. At this point in his career he felt like he should be making great strides, but he was taking more steps back than forward. He recently divorced his wife of five years. It was no big loss to Joseph. He wasn't sure that he ever loved his wife. It was a marriage of convenience for both and though they parted on amicable terms, he was happy to have moved on. Being on tour nearly every week did not leave much time for a social life. He attended sponsor parties during the tournaments, but at best his relationships would only last five or six days until he moved on to the next town. He had met a few women, but none that he was interested in attempting a long distance relationship with.

Never a believer in love at first sight, Joseph experienced the next best thing. When he bumped into this distraught woman he experienced a strange version of lust at first sight. Though this woman was undoubtedly hot, he instantly felt something more for her. He felt an instant desire to talk to her, find out what was hurting her and to take care of her. Never the suavest of guys, Joseph did not know what to say. He stammered out a combination of "sorry" and "excuse me."

Kay was wandering around this apparently restricted area when she noticed a tall, tanned, muscular guy walk out of a tent. She felt that once familiar butterfly feeling in her stomach. She hadn't had that feeling with Steve in a long time. She was almost ashamed at how she was feeling. She felt that she was cheating on Steve just by having tingly feelings for another guy. She saw this mystery guy come walking quickly towards her. She turned her head to the side as if she was looking at something. Next thing she knew she was slammed into by someone. She struggled to maintain her balance, but slipped on some mud and went to the ground. Now a mixture of pissed off and embarrassed she looked up to see who the fool was that knocked her down. She was horrified to see that it was the gorgeous guy that had only moments before caused her to feel things that she hadn't felt in years. Amazingly, she lost all of her anger and longed to hear this man's voice.

"I am so sorry...Let me help you up."

"Uh sure," and Kay reached out her hand and grasped what had to be the strongest hand that she had ever touched. She stifled a laugh when she noticed that his left hand was as white as a ghost; while his arm had a deep tan.

"Sorry I knocked you over and sorry you had to see my lovely hand. Occupational hazard of the job."

"Occupational hazard?"

"Yeah, of being a golfer."

"Why, do you play a lot of golf?" asked Kay.

"Well, you could say that. Again, I am so sorry that I knocked you down. Please let me make it up to you somehow. Anything. You name it. By the way, what is your name?"

"Kay. Kay Mitchell. And you are?"

"Oh, sorry again. How unchivalrous of me. I'm Joseph Williamson."

"Well so not that nice to meet you this way," Kay said with a wicked smile.

"Would you like to go get something to drink? It looks like we've both had a bit of a rough day and I feel like I deserve a chance to make it up to you."

Kay took one look at her mud covered pants, thought about Steve, then looked back at Joseph and every bone in her body told her to decline the invitation and to get as far away from this man as possible. For some inexplicable reason, "sure" is what came out of her mouth.

Joseph led Kay off in the direction of the clubhouse. All along the way many people were calling out to Jay saying "better luck tomorrow" and "just a few bad breaks out there today." Kay had no idea what they were talking about.

Joseph led Kay into a bar where he was greeted with a hearty "hey Joe" from everyone in the room. He asked what she would like to drink and was surprised when she asked for a Dr. Pepper. That wasn't a drink that he was used to hearing people ask for. It just so happened to be one of his favorite drinks too.

While they waited for their drinks to arrive, they quickly settled into comfortable conversation. After the initial pleasantries, Kay broke the ice by asking Joseph why he was so popular here.

Joseph chuckled at Kay's expense. "Oh, I wouldn't say that I'm that popular. I'm actually playing in the tournament this week."

With that statement, Kay spit out a bit of her newly arrived Dr. Pepper. "That explains a lot. I thought it strange how everyone around has credentials hanging from their neck and yet you're able to walk me right into the heart of the clubhouse. Now I won't feel so bad sending you the bill for my dry cleaning," Kay said with just a hint of a devilish smile.

Even though he had only known this woman for a matter of minutes, he was already sure that he liked her wicked sense of humor. "Don't speak too quickly about not feeling bad. If I keep playing like I have been, then I might be working at the dry cleaners by the end of the year." He said that with a smile, but Kay could tell that there was a hint of truth behind his statement.

"Enough about The Great Joseph Williamson, tell me who Kay Mitchell is."

Kay was taken aback a bit with his forwardness. She was so used to Steve not caring to hear about her day, that she just assumed all guys were not interested in her.

"I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Start with what you like to do with your day when you're not walking around golf courses crying and falling into mud puddles."

Kay laughed and said "if I wasn't so hard up for some Dr. Pepper right now, I'd be outta here. Normally, I spend my days providing therapy to children and families that have come through abuse and neglect situations."

"So it is Dr. Mitchell?"

"Not quite. I have a PhD in Clinical Social work which allows me to work as a therapist. It is really long hours and I hear some really horrible stories, but I feel like I am actually making a big difference in these families' lives."

"What brought you into that field in the first place? It doesn't sound like the most glamorous job around."

"Don't get me wrong, it can be fun in its own way. Seeing a child or family have a break through and make positive changes in their life can be tremendously heartwarming. I got into doing this the same way a lot of people come about their careers. I'll say that I had an interesting childhood. That led me to study social work when I went to school...Go Spartans!"

"Go Buckeyes," Joseph cheered in an even louder voice.

"I knew there was something other than your habit of pushing women into mud puddles that I didn't like," Kay had a broad smile as she ribbed Joseph. "Anyway after school I got a job in children's protective services."

"You were a bodyguard!?"

"No, I investigated abuse and neglect of children in my community. It was tough because a lot of times I had to take children away from their families and even split siblings up. It felt like I could make a difference in their lives, but only in a very superficial way. I never got to help them recover from the trauma they went through. So, I went back to school while I kept working and got my Masters followed by my PhD in social work. I got my PhD three years ago and opened my own practice."

"Impressive. Makes my life out on the road look so inconsequential compared to what you do."

In talking to Joseph, Kay continued to have that warm feeling in her stomach. She knew that she shouldn't be there talking with this stranger, but she couldn't help herself. There was something about the way that he looked, the way that he acted and even the way that he looked at her that made her feel so special. She felt very uncomfortable at the same time.

Kay stood up and hurriedly tried to excuse herself. "I'm so sorry Joseph, I lost track of time and I really need to get going. I have some things to do tonight before work tomorrow."

"I'm sorry that you have to work tomorrow. I get these family passes for the tournament every week, but with no family to speak of, they just go to waste. I was hoping that you'd accept a pass as an apology and come follow me around the course tomorrow."

"Wow, really? You know what; I may be able to rearrange my schedule a bit." Kay felt her chest get tighter as she kept talking. What was she trying to do?

"If you can make it, stop by the will-call window at the gate and I'll have your pass waiting for you there. And don't forget to get me the bill for your dry cleaning."

"That sounds like a great idea. I hope to see you tomorrow. And don't worry about the dry cleaning. From the sounds of how your year is going, it sounds like I'm doing better than you are." And with that, Kay gently grabbed Joseph's muscular arm as she walked out of the bar. At the last possible moment, she turned and looked at Joseph. He was standing there with a big grin on his face watching her walk away.

Upon exiting the clubhouse, Kay was at a loss as to what to do. She didn't even know how to get home since she had ridden in with Steve that morning. Was Steve still even at the golf course? As she looked around, a tournament concierge thinking that she must be a player's wife or girlfriend asked her if she needed something. Perfect timing she thought. A cab is what she needed. The concierge rushed off to call a cab for her which was there in just minutes.

Kay's mind was racing as the cab made the twenty minute drive to her home. What was she going to say to Steve about storming off? Should she say anything about meeting Joseph? After all, Kay did not actually do anything other than have a Dr. Pepper with someone. Nothing happened. Or did it? She could not deny how she felt around Joseph. She did not know if it was nothing more than an unhappy woman longing for something more. She was unsure if she would take Joseph up on his offer to follow him around the tournament tomorrow.

Kay walked in the door to the sight of Steve playing video games in the living room.

"I'm home Steve," Kay yelled.

"Hi."

"It's been a long day. I'm gonna hop in the shower and then go to bed."

"I'm kinda into my game. I'll be down here for a while."

Kay was thankful that Steve was not in one of his "moods" where he wanted to have sex with her. The moment she said that she was going to take a shower, she had regretted it. She did not want it to seem like an invitation for Steve to come up. He had a habit of peeking into the shower while she was soaping up her body or shaving her legs. She liked the thought of a man being attracted to her body, but with Steve it seemed more like gawking than true admiration.

Kay was fast asleep when she felt Steve loudly thump into bed. He slithered over next to her an assumed his favorite position. He reached around with one hand and pulled a breast out of the top of her nightgown so that he could grope it all night and with the other hand pulled down the back of her underwear so that he could grab her ass. It was amazing that she was able to get any sleep at all. Even more amazing was the fact that Steve was none the wiser after Kay's countless efforts to get him to stop. With his once again uncaring attitude towards Kay and her needs, Kay decided that she would attend the golf tournament to follow Joseph.

When Kay awoke in the morning, she took a moment to put her breast back in her nightgown and pull her panties up from halfway down her thighs. She snuck out to the living room and grabbed her cell phone. She called her secretary at home and told her to cancel all of her appointments for the day when she got to the office. Kay said that she wasn't feeling well and needed to relax. Her secretary wished her well and mentioned that Kay's next appointment was not until Monday afternoon.