5. Surf's Up
AN: Taken from the first part of "Bullets and Bikinis," Season Three, Episode 1. Hannibal's reflections. I did add one little detail that wasn't mentioned in the episode but it fits.
Disclaimer: I do not own The A Team movie or television series or any of the delightful characters found on The A Team.
From the moment we set foot in Miami, I knew it would be difficult to keep Face's mind on business.
Well, at least the business we came to do anyway.
Maybe I knew it before we even set foot on the plane. In fact, the minute Murdock and he began singing "Surf City" in the kitchen of the Seaside Shanty back in L. A., I should have figured it. Two girls for every guy, huh? I knew which one would try to cash in on that.
We had to somehow counteract the bad publicity that was driving customers and hired help away from the Beach Cove Hotel. After all, Tina and Sandy, our lovely clients, had signed the business over to us to operate. From the very beginning I said, "I like owning a hotel."
Even after the mission was over, I could look back and say it was . . . what's the word? Exciting? Exhilarating?
Two months of delinquent mortgage payments meant we had a lot of work to do to turn things around for the better. Face, our consummate PR man, was just the one to figure out the methodology. I left that part to him.
One moment he was enlisting the help of two lovely women, Sheila and Tammy, to hand out advertising fliers. In exchange for her services, he promised Tammy acting lessons. I had a feeling I knew what those would involve. All I had to do was say "Acting lessons?" with a telling smirk and slightly raised eyebrows to hear his protests of innocence. Yeah, right.
The next moment he was training a cute buxom blonde how to put together a cost efficient hot dog with just a dab of mustard and exactly two pickles.
He even planned a wet T-shirt contest. Knowing Murdock and his collection of quirky T-shirts, I did have to step in to remind our pilot that what Face had in mind was female bodies filling those soaked shirts.
The location of the hotel right on the beach gave Face more than enough female applicants to choose from to serve drinks, offer towels to customers and any of the several things necessary to make the business come alive. He had a special uniform in mind that the female hired help had to wear. Bikinis and short shorts, of course. I can't say it was a bad choice.
The Lieutenant was in top form. And I was on the jazz.
We needed Joey Epic to sit up and take notice.
Sit up and take notice, he did. That was where my part of the mission came in.
When Joey's gal Denise asked me to help her with her hotel room key, I knew she wasn't really taking me to her room. I planned on it, in fact. I may still be charming enough to turn a lady's head but I could see through her like a department store window.
I knew the guys would be watching through the binoculars from the lifeguard's platform. I wondered if Face would be jealous when he found out who was sent to escort me and what she looked like. Probably.
Even without the .357 Magnum she held on me, I would have gone with her. She said I made it too easy for them to grab me. She made it too easy to gain access to Joey Epic, despite his maximum security penthouse.
I lit one of the cigars from the box on his desk. It was not one of the finest I have ever smoked. The kid may have good taste in gorgeous women but he has a lousy taste in cigars.
Immediately after that, I burned the contract Joey was trying to get me to sign. I couldn't believe he was dumb enough to be surprised I did.
I would have preferred a few caresses from Denise to the three solid punches to the gut Joey's henchmen delivered. But we can't all get the girl.
At least I fulfilled my goal.
I pushed his buttons and prompted him to respond.