The manager informed him that the windows were designed by a freelance decorator by the name of Starlyn Heywood. He got Miss Heywood's phone number and called for an appointment. She sounded young, earnest, and definitely interested in the job.
Around five o'clock he drove to her apartment and rang the bell. He walked up the three flights to the top floor of the Townhouse. Miss Heywood was waiting at the door. Catch did a double take when he saw her. She was a beautiful, raven-haired woman with a figure to match. She was wearing slacks and a man's shirt and there was a smudge of paint on her pretty cheek.
"Come in, Mr. Callahan. I was just doing some work."
Her apartment was small but tastefully furnished in a mixture of styles.
"May I offer you a drink?" she asked.
"A Scotch on the rocks will be fine."
"I think I'll have one too."
She went into the kitchen to pour the drinks. From where he was sitting he noticed that she used Dewars.
Good taste all the way!
After giving him his drink she sat down facing him. "I was surprised to get your call, Mr. Callahan. I didn't even know the Bayou Country Club still existed. You never hear about it."
"Well they're going to hear about it, Miss Heywood."
They clicked their glasses together and Miss Heywood continued.
"I've really done very little decorating except for a few store windows and an apartment or two. I've just graduated, and I guess this will be my first big job. Harrow's certainly is a good credit for me, but it doesn't pay all that much, and I only get to do their windows once a month."
"I liked what you did, Miss Heywood. I think you've got verve and imagination. That's what we're looking for."
Miss Heywood listened as Catch explained his concept of the new decor for the country club, ending with, "the only problem, Miss Heywood, is we can't spend a fantastic amount of money. You're going to have to do it on imagination and hard work."
"That's the way I work best, Mr. Callahan. It's easy to make something good by spending a lot of cash. But it's much more of a challenge to make something look terrific on a limited budget. The sooner I see the country club, the sooner I know what the rooms look like presently, the sooner I'll be able to get to work."
"What about now?"
"Just let me freshen up and I'll be with you in a moment. Is your drink all right?"
"Perfect. My favorite brand of Scotch."
"Good. I started off on the right foot."
By the time Catch had finished his drink, she had reappeared. She brushed her hair, put on a fresh coat of makeup and changed into a print blouse and a wraparound denim skirt.
On their way to the country club Catch told Miss Heywood about the advertising campaign he was planning to recruit the so-called "swinging singles" into membership.
"How stiff is the membership going to be?" she asked. "I like to think of myself as a swinging single but it's difficult to meet the right kind of men at bars. If it's not too expensive perhaps I may end up doing it."
"Miss Heywood, if you do a bang-up job I'll make sure you get a lifetime membership for nothing."
"Well, thanks, Mr. Callahan."
"Why don't we dispense with the last names since we're going to be working together. My first name, or rather my nickname, is Catch."
"Call me Starlyn."
"That's an unusual name."
"My parents believed they had an unusual child and so they named me according."
As they drove up the driveway leading to the country club, Starlyn remarked, "it's perfectly beautiful. I can't understand why it should be having financial problems."
"It's not the place, it's the clientele, Starlyn. The place has become like an old folks' home. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not against old people, just let us say the particular people who have run things are very dull. You know the type. Middle-aged dowagers with too much money. Alcoholic old men who never had to work a day in their lives, and the like. It doesn't make for a fun place."
"All that will change."
They got out of the car and were greeted by one of the young guards Catch had hired to keep an eye on the grounds.
"Hi, Jake. I'm going to show Miss Heywood around the club."
"Do you need anything unlocked, Mr. Callahan?"
"No thanks, Jake, I've got my keys."
Catch opened the front doors of the country club • and went to the main light board and turned on all the lights in all the rooms. After a quick tour they went into the bar. Catch fixed them both a drink and asked, "well, what do you think?"
"It's really not so bad, Catch," she replied. "Architecturally, it's sound and I think it can be done cheaply. In most cases just a fresh coat of paint and having the Salvation Army pick up some of that horrid furniture. The building is well laid out. I think if you get rid of these tables there will be plenty of room in here for a disco, and it needn't cost all that much, just some good lighting and some groovy bartenders."
She began making quick sketches on the pad she'd brought along with her.
"I think we'll have to keep the decor light and airy and not go against the feeling of the building itself with a very modern look. I had in mind lots of rattan and plants. It's cheap, it's simple, and it's very effective. I'll make some sketches for you so you can visualize it better."
"I know the look you mean. Sort of Casablanca-like?"
"That's right. Play it again, Sam."
"How about a refill, Starlyn?"
"I wouldn't mind, Catch. You know you'd make a very good bartender."
"One of my earliest ambitions."
"What happened along the way?"
"I decided to make money instead."
Catch sat down on the bar stool next to Starlyn and clinked his glass against hers. "Here's to joining our forces."
She smiled and said, "oh, is that part of my contract?"
"No," he replied, looking into her great dark eyes. "It's a matter of choice."
Catch gazed around the room. Chairs were stacked on top of the tables and the place had a lonesome feeling, as if it had been abandoned. He set down his drink and let his hand come to rest on Starlyn's lap. She didn't move, but he could hear that she'd begun breathing faster. He slid his hand down to her knee and was surprised to find it bare. Her wraparound skirt had come open.
He massaged his fingers into the surface of her knee and began moving his hand up the inside of her thigh. Starlyn leaned her head against his shoulder and stroked Catch's chin.
"Are you sure the guard stays outside?"
"He'd have no reason to come in here."
He let his lips brush against the side of her face and she turned her head toward him. They could feel one another's vibrations and they were good. Catch wrapped his arms around her shoulders and stroked her hair as he continued to fondle her thigh. He pulled her closer and moved his lips along the side of her face and he kissed her throat, letting the tip of his tongue trail out of his mouth.
Starlyn's body quivered as he pressed his lips against her hair and touched his tongue to her ear.
"I don't want you to think I'm an easy woman," said Starlyn. Her voice was low and shaky.
"Well, I'm an easy man. You can have me if you play your cards right," he said jokingly.
"I'm no good at cards, Catch."
"What are you good at, Starlyn, besides decorating any room you walk into?"
"That's sweet." She pressed her lips against his and kissed him lightly. Then she began tracing the outline of his lips with the tip of her tongue.
Catch parted his lips and his tongue met hers. They stabbed out at each other in a warm, damp struggle. He slid his tongue deep into her mouth, and her tongue wrapped around it and caressed it. Suddenly she got up from the bar stool and walked away from him a few feet.