By the Horns

Nadine felt Melina had wandered off as she wasn't laughing with her. She looked around one more time and suddenly she saw the dog that was at Mike's leg was joined by a third. The dog that joined him was another German Shepard, but it was very different than the others as it was an albino. The white hair contrasted so much from the two tan and black ones. Mike seemed to know where it was and as he spoke he absently took a cut of meat from his plate and tossed it to the pretty dog. It caught it in mid air and chomped it down quickly. Once it was done with it's snack it licked it's chops and turned to Nadine. Nadine stood still as the dog sized her up while it licked it's lips. It's brown eyes bore into hers and it looked like the dog was analyzing her. After a long minute of the treatment the dog walked right up to Nadine and sat in front of her. It looked up at her expectingly and raised a paw at her.

Nadine saw the look and giggled at the dog. It pawed at her a few times and on the third pawing she put her hand on it's head and pet him. As she pet the dog it raised it's head and nuzzled her arm making her laugh. Mike saw the display and excused himself from the table. He walked up as his dog began to lick Nadine's hand and get playful with her.

"Thor, kommen!" Mike commanded and the dog rushed to his side.

As the dog came up Mike knelt down and roughed it's face and ears up. The dog took the playful roughing and wagged it's tail happily. Nadine watched as Mike began to speak to it in a language she didn't comprehend.

"Ja, das ist ein guter Junge!" he said and the dog licked his face a few times.

"Geh spielen!" he said patting the dog on the side of it's chest and the dog trotted off to play with a few of the guests who knew him.

Mike chuckled as Nadine had a bright smile on her face.

"What kid of dog is he?" she asked.

"He's a White Shepard. I got him from a breeder about seven years ago," Mike said as he watched the dog run up to the youngest of Mike's kids and begin to play with him.

"He's pretty," she said.

"Yup, he's a good one Thor," he said.

"His name is Thor?" she asked.

"Yeah, he was the biggest one of the litter, and the most rambunctious," he said thinking back to when he got him.

"So what were you saying to him?" she asked.

"Oh, all my dogs are trained in German as they are pure breed from Germany. I learned to speak it in high school," Mike explained.

"Wow, you speak German?" she asked impressed.

"That and a few other languages," Mike grinned.

As he turned to face her Nadine saw his chest and abdomen had tattoos as well. Over the left side of his chest was a eagle holding a flintlock pistol and a trident. On the other side was a group of names and dates. On his abs was a large gaping wound that had a great white shark tearing it's way through his skin.

"So glad you made it though," he said and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Thank you," Nadine said happily.

"So is your husband here?" he asked.

"Yeah he's..." Nadine said as she looked through the crowd and saw her husband talking to Terrance.

"There he is," she said and walked to her husband's side.

As they got to the group Terrance saw Nadine and smiled at her.

"Hey cutie," Terrance said remembering her from the other day.

"Umm hi," Nadine blushed as he said that.

Terrance saw Mike and he pointed to Trevor, "Mike you know this is Trevor Mills from UCLA," he said.

"Yup, number 34," Mike said as he looked Trevor up and down.

"I remember the game you picked off three passes and returned them for good gains," Mike said grinning, "Won a bundle on that one! Thank you very much."

Trevor was taken back by what he said. He looked at the big man and his eyes narrowed.

"You won a bundle?" he asked.

"Yeah the over was thirty six, I took the under and when you guys shut them down seventeen to three I made out like a bandit," Mike said and patted his back.

"How much you win?" Trevor asked with a grin.

"Six hundred as it was a four game spread," Mike said tapping his chin to remember the sum.

"Well I think as it was my hard work I should get a cut thereof," Trevor said laughing.

Mike laughed at that as did Terrance. Mike chuckled and spoke as he laughed.

"Can't, it went to the IRS," he said laughing.

"What?" Trevor exclaimed.

"I owed that year. It and a few other wins I had went to those greedy bastards," Mike laughed.

"Damn, playa can't even get paid no more," Trevor said theatrically.

"Tell me about it. Make the money, they take the money, and who really wins?" Mike said and they all nodded their heads in agreement.

"So I have to get back to my investors, feel free to enjoy the party," Mike said in an upbeat manner.

"Fo sho," Trevor said and kissed Nadine on the cheek.

Nadine tilted her head to the kiss and as soon as Mike left he went back to talking to Terrance. Nadine stood by him for a few minutes, but he and Terrance were locked in a debate on football and basketball. She sighed and went back to the poolside. For a while she looked at the pool and wished she would have brought a swim suit. As she looked at the water she heard music start to play and as she looked over she saw a DJ had his table up and going. The song he played was a catchy song that had a middle eastern and Spanish flare to it. She felt the music hit her in the hips and she swayed to the song. She wasn't alone as a dance floor suddenly began to form and before she knew it Melina had walked up to her and made her case known.

"Come on mami! Show me how Dominican girls get down," Melina joked.

Nadine never danced with a girl before, but with Melina three songs later she was laughing and having a blast. Melina danced with pure passion and a grace Nadine had never seen before. The pop songs played and the people drank as the time went by. The time Nadine had was one of the best she had ever had before. As she took a break from dancing she got a call from her girlfriend Stephanie.

"Hey girl!" Stephanie said.

"Hey chick," Nadine replied having to shout as the music was a louder rock song.

"What's goin on baby girl?" Stephanie asked.

"I'm at a block party the new neighbor is throwing, wanna come?" she asked.

"Can I bring Devon?" she asked.

"Sure," Nadine replied. "Just get here, this place is bumping!"

"Will do baby girl. Any dress codes?" she asked.

"Um.. pool party," Nadine said laughing.

"OK baby girl, see ya soon," Stephanie said and hung up.

Nadine laughed as another rock song kicked on as she looked to the dance floor and saw Mike dancing with the investor lady she had seen. The two of them danced in a close friendly manner. The woman laughed as Mike tried his best to keep up with her, and succeeded. Nadine saw Trevor and she was still in a dancing mood still. She walked to him and patted his arm. Trevor looked back to Nadine and she grabbed his arm and drug him to the floor.

"Come on Nadine, I was talking to that guy about something," he complained.

"Trevor come on," she pleaded.

Trevor looked into her eyes and she mouthed "please" to him again. Trevor nodded his head in an annoyed manner and went to dance with her. Nadine tried to get close to him, but Trevor wasn't really feeling it. The dance was less than warm. What she didn't see as she walked from the floor was Mike had watched them. He and the woman danced far enough that it wasn't obvious, but he had seen how Trevor was being cold to her. Mike ended the dance after another song with the investor and he gave her a kiss on the cheek. The woman smiled and hugged him, then went back to the table. Trevor had ended the dance after a song and left Nadine on the dance floor.

When he walked away his phone rang. He answered it and after a brief conversation he walked back to Nadine.

"I gotta go. They need me tonight," he said firmly.

"But it's Saturday?" Nadine asked in a confused manner.

"The Saturday guy called out. It's overtime, I have to go," he said and kissed her cheek.

Nadine was about to stop him when he turned and left. He didn't even say goodbye. She walked up to him and spun him around. Trevor turned in a confused manner.

"Are you at least going to be home tonight so I can sleep in the same bed with you?" she asked loudly.

"Well see," he said and shoved away from her and left without a look back.

Nadine's face scrunched up and she looked like she was about to cry when a hand touched her arm. She got it under control as she turned to see Melina standing there with a concerned look on her face.

"Our good time too much for him?" she asked in a tone that Nadine never heard before.

It sounded harsh, almost scathing. Nadine felt the power of her voice and it sounded very matronly. She decided to change gears before Melina got angry.

"He had to work, by the way I have a girlfriend coming, is that OK?" she asked.

Almost as if a switch had flipped in her head Melina smiled at Nadine.

"Of course mami," she said smiling pleasantly, "But now we need you to get in the pool," Melina joked.

Nadine's eyes got big and she shook her head no.

"I don't have a swim suit," she pleaded.

"Please, I have plenty. Now come on," Melina said leaving no room for refusal.

Nadine tried to protest at first, but deep down she said why not. If Trevor wanted to run off to work and leave her with nothing to do, then she would simply make something to do. Nadine followed Melina upstairs to the master bedroom. Once inside her eyes got wide at the size of the bed. It was a massive California king size bed that took up the center of the room. On the sides were dressers and a nightstand by each end of the bed. The closet was a large walk in type that Melina took Nadine to. Inside they began the search for the holy grail. The few Nadine saw were way too short for her, but after about ten minutes she found one that would suit her. It was yellow with black dots in the center of the top that hid her breasts and the bottom had a smiley face on it. She looked in the mirror and laughed at the smiling face that met her.

"It's cute mami," Melina said laughing with Nadine.

"It is," she said and blushed.

While it covered her goodies, she realized she needed a waxing to really wear it. Melina handed her a sarong and Nadine wrapped herself up. Once proper they went back downstairs and back to the party. Nadine was handed another Mai Thai and the party began to jump some more. Nadine and Melina had a good time on the dance floor as well as the pool. Nadine and her splashed around with the kids and the good time was not lost on all around her. Mike and his caterer had come out with the main course of the cook out and the crowd was treated to a very nice grilled chicken with healthy sides dish. The crowd got plates and drinks from the table as fast as it was laid down, then meandered to tables and chairs to enjoy the host's generosity.

Nadine and Melina waited for the herd to go by and after the rush was over they went to the table. The good smell got to Nadine's nose and her tummy grumbled for food. Melina heard the grumble and laughed with Nadine as they piled food on their plates. Once they were satisfied they went to the table Mike was sitting at. Melina had a second plate and set it down in front of Mike.

"Thanks sweetie," he said and kissed her lips.

"No problem papi. Your investors happy?" she asked and sat down next to him.

"Yup. In fact next quarter we are upping the commissions for a three percent hike. Should bring in a few extra contracts to make the production team grow," Mike said and Melina's eyes brightened.

Nadine was at a loss and sat away from them, but Melina would have none of that.

"No, no,no, mami. You sit over here with us," she exclaimed and walked to Nadine and began shoving her across the bench.

Nadine laughed as she was scooted along the bench to the better spot in the shade. Nadine's food was put in front of her and before she realized it she was sitting across from Mike and Melina. The two seemed so at ease around each other and it really put her mind in a bad spot. She looked down and absently picked at her food for a few minutes when she heard Mike's voice suddenly.

"Earth to Nadine! Earth to Nadine.....come in Nadine," Mike said covering his mouth to make it sound like a radio broadcast.

Nadine blinked her eyes a few times and she saw Melina was staring at her blinking rapidly like she was being ignored.

"Gonna answer us or what mami?" she asked playfully.

"Oh...I'm sorry, just thinking," Nadine said softly.

"We can tell, there was smoke and it didn't look like it was from the grill," Melina said laughing.

"Hey!" Nadine squeaked and Mike chuckled.

"Now, now Meli, be nice," Mike chastised.

Melina put her head on Mike and batted her eyelashes at him.

"I'm sorry papi," she said in a mock good girl voice and stuck her bottom lip out at him.

Mike snorted a laugh and tickled her side making her jump. Melina slapped him on the arm and got to her feet.

"Baboso!" she exclaimed and Mike grinned at her.

"See if she gets to picking on you too badly, then just put two fingers here and..." Mike said as he extended two fingers to her ribs making Melina squeak and run from him.

Nadine laughed hard at the display. She was still laughing when Melina walked up to Mike and dumped a cup of ice water on him. That made her almost fall from the chair. Mike took the ice that was in his lap and got up to chase her. Melina screamed and shouted at Mike to stay away, but he snatched her up then stuffed the ice cubes down the back of her swim suit making her scream. As if the cold wasn't bad enough she was launched into the pool. Melina came up and her normally curly hair was stuck to her face making her look like a drowned cat.

"Oh your dead!" she hissed and got out of the pool.

Mike laughed as she came up to him and began to hit him repeatedly on the shoulder and mid section. He curled his arms to block them, but she was fast and got a few good shots in past his defenses. The people who knew the couple got into a groove of cheering on Mike or Melina, whomever they were friends with really. The crowd was hooting and laughing at the display as were the kids. After a few minutes of Melina cursing at him in Spanish and the dogs jumping around them thinking they were playing with them the fun ended. The rest of the party goers had a good laugh as did the kids who came to their mom's aid. The fun ended as Mike pulled himself out of the water and hugged his kids to him soaking them in the process. Nadine laughed at the squeals of the two young boys trying to get away from the soaking wet monster that was their dad.

Mike and company went back to enjoying their time as they sat back down and this time Nadine and them had a good conversation. Mike listened to Nadine talk about her life and her job. She was angry about her being passed over, but Mike shook his head. She gave him a curious look at the head shake and he explained how to make things better for her.

"See in this life you have to out think anyone. It doesn't matter what life does because you can't avoid the inevitable," he started off. Nadine looked at him as he went on and her mind found something of clarity by his next words.

"If life was fucking peachy we all would have a million bucks, a huge house, and three cars in the garage with our kids college paid for. But it sucks ass from the time you wake up til they toss you in the grave. It's all a matter of finding a way to kick it in the ass back that makes life manageable," he said and Melina leaned on his arm.

Nadine listened as he went on, "Take me for instance. I had my knee shot off. It was a pile of broken bones and shredded cartilage. If I let that get me down I wouldn't be where I am now. My whole life I've made life suffer for how it made me suffer," Mike said with a grin. "Besides, every day I'm still kicking and rolling is a fart in the face of life and how shitty it can be."

Nadine heard that and let out an uncomfortable laugh. She had never heard that analogy of things before. Melina rolled her eyes and looked to her to make better sense of it all.

"What he's trying to say is that you'll get yours, just make sure you grab it and take total control of it," she said and left a huge hint in the wording.

Nadine understood all at once what she was referring to. A moment of thought passed her face when suddenly she saw Stephanie walk out on the patio. Her eyes got big as she saw her walk out and she couldn't believe what she was wearing.

Stephanie Washington was what one would call the girl next door. She was a shorter white girl who had freckles and an always chipper expression on her face. While she wasn't a drop dead beauty she still had it where it counted. The girls had met in college at a party and became inseparable ever since. Nadine excused herself from the table and ran up to her friend. When Stephanie looked back and saw what Nadine was wearing her eyes bulged. They were wearing the exact same thing! Both had the exact same yellow bikini with the happy face on the front and a sarong on their hips.

"When did you become all daring?" Stephanie asked looking at her friend.

Nadine blushed and was thankful for her dark complexion. She shuffled on her feet cutely and looked to her friend seeing her boyfriend Devon walk in. Devon was a interesting figure to many people. His father was a black man who met his white mother and raised a happy family in San Diego. He had come to Burbank to go to school and while there he met Stephanie and they became a quick item. His skin was pale like his mother, but his face and body tone was more like his father. The thing that made him stand out was he had thick hair like his father that was red naturally. At six foot and one hundred sixty pounds he was attractive, but he had a great personality that made him easy going.

"Hey Nadine," he said charmingly as he walked up, but then his mouth dropped open seeing sweet Nadine in a naughty bikini.

Again it was a blush that crept up on Nadine's face. She turned away before her friends could see it.

"Um...here's the host," she blurted out seeing Mike walk up.

Mike walked up and extended his hand to the happy couple.

"Hey I'm Mike. Welcome to the party," he said politely.

Stephanie saw the man walk up to her and her eyes widened at what she saw. Her eyes were still wide as she shook his hand and then greeted Devon. The way he dwarfed Devon was amazing. He was only three inches taller than him, but Mike's massive bulk just made him seem tiny. Devon shook his hand and looked at Mike and all he could say was.

"That's a sick tat!" Devon exclaimed as he saw the sleeve tattoo.

"Which one?" Mike asked looking at his arms and chest.

Nadine chuckled at that remark as did Stephanie. Devon pointed at his left arm and Mike turned his arm so that he could see it all.

"Thanks man. It took seven trips to get it all done," he said.

"Did it hurt?' Devon asked.

"After a while you ignore it," Mike said with a grin, "Sides, this one hurt far more," he concluded as he patted his stomach.

Devon and Mike began a conversation on tattoos and left the girls to talk. Nadine took Stephanie to the table and they got her a plate of food and a drink. The two went back to the shaded table and sat down. Stephanie looked around the event and her eyes were filled with the people around. One thing she noted was all of them were very attractive people, and a few she could swear she had seen before somewhere. She put it away as she ate the chicken and rice on her plate.

"So Trevor's a no show this time?" she asked.

"No, he was here, but he left for work," Nadine said sighing.

"I swear all he does is make excuses. Shit what happened to him since college? Did he die and come back a stick in the mud?" Stephanie asked as she got a spoon full of the rice.