Chapter 1

 

“So many men, so little time,” I whispered as I approached the hottest nightclub in town. There was excitement in the voices of those who lined up and down the sidewalk, dressed in their party clothes, and waited eagerly to get in.

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As I stood in front of the entrance of the glitzy night club, a mean looking 260-pound bouncer who had to be almost seven-feet tall, folded his muscular arms and gave his best power stance. I scanned the long line of party-goers and decided that, rather than wait an hour to get in, I would see if a little flirting could get me by the bouncer.

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In my skin-tight red spaghetti-strapped dress, and three-inch stiletto heels, I stepped out of line and walked toward the bouncer. The pronounced sway of my hips moved to the beat of the muffled music coming from inside.

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As planned, the bouncer’s gaze zoomed in. We made eye contact. His eyes followed my steps like a trained marksman who watched his prey. I smiled. A tiny smile appeared on his face and he moved over and opened the door to let me in. I winked as I passed and entered a large lobby area decorated with a beautiful crystal chandelier that hung in the center of the room. The carpet was a plush royal red framed with giant gold leaves. The walls were covered with floor-to-ceiling elaborately beveled mirrors. Two cashiers wore black tuxedos, thanked the guests for coming as they collected their money. Everyone looked fashionably elegant.

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Out the corner of my eye, I noticed several people waiting in line to get their hand stamped to enter. I tucked my black clutch under my arm and fell in line behind them. As I looked around for my girlfriend, the guy in front of me turned around and said, “Girl, you fine! What’s your name?”

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“Ashley, I said as I tried not to stare at his green digital glow-in-the-dark watch.

“Ashley, Um Umm Ummm.… That’s a pretty name.” He looked me up and down as if I was a menu item.

“Thank you,” I replied politely, as I eased back a step just in case he drooled on me.

“Hey man,” a male attendant interrupted him, “You going in?”

“Yeah man, I’m in.” He held his fist out and the attendant stamped his hand and gestured with his head to go inside. He turned around and smiled.

“I’ll see you again, Miss Ashley,” he said as he disappeared behind the tall royal blue velvet curtain.

“Hey Beautiful,” the attendant said to me. He then gave me a big hug.

“James? I thought that was you!” I hugged him back.

“How’s it going?”

“I’m doing good. Looks like life is treating you well,” I said as I reached over and squeezed his muscular biceps.

“Yes, it is." He looked at the line of people behind me. "I have to get back to work.” His eyes did a quick full body inspection of me. He smiled. “Listen Ash, we’ll talk later. It’s good seeing you again.” He kept his eyes fixed on me as he opened the curtain and let me in. I winked as I walked by swinging my hips to the beat.

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The atmosphere was inviting and intoxicating. I looked around and saw mirrored disco balls reflecting light off of diamonds, mirrors, gold chains, and Jheri curls. The dance floor was packed with couples who grinded to the slow beat of the Isley Brother’s “For the Love of You.”

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I eased my way through the crowd and headed towards a long beautifully carved cherry wood bar in the back. There was one seat left. I passed by many handsome men who had dates on their arms. Some of them stole looks of me out the corner of their eye as I pretended not to notice.

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On cue, the deejay changed the music to a faster beat. As people flocked to the dance floor, the aisle opened up and a big burly guy, who held a drink in each hand, barreled his way down the aisle towards me. I jumped out of the way, lost my balance, and fell backwards into a crowd. On my way down, a hand grabbed my arm and pulled me back to my feet with so much force I ended up in his arms.

Our eyes locked as he held me. I felt good in his arms, and I did not struggle to get free. Before I could come to my senses he asked in a smooth baritone voice, “Are you okay?”

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I stared at him with a blank expression, hoping the moment would never end. His head tilted to one side like he was checking me for brain damage. His steel gray eyes mesmerized me. His eyes narrowed and before he said another word, I blurted out, “Yes, I’m fine. Thank you.”

“Not a problem.”

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He released me, nodded goodbye, and turned around and continued his conversation with his friends. Feeling rejected -a feeling I don’t feel very often- I smoothed my dress and walked over to the bar. The tall, slender male bartender stopped washing glasses and asked what I wanted to drink.

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“Red wine please.”

“Sweet, dry, or semi-sweet?” he asked, flirting.

“Sweet, please.”

“Coming right up!”

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I swiveled my chair around and looked for the handsome stranger. Damn, no sign of him. Disappointed, I turned back around as the bartender placed the wine on the bar.

“Three dollars,” he said tapping his finger.

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I opened my purse and handed him a twenty. He moved to take the money and stopped. A hand appeared over my shoulder and gently pressed my wrist down on the bar. I turned around and saw beautiful steel gray eyes. It was the stranger. He found me. Hallelujah!

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“May I?” he asked.

“Yes, you may,” I said batting my eyes.

He looked at the bartender. “I got it. And bring me a Hennessy on the rocks please.”

Hmmm…Got manners. Check!

He leaned over the guy’s shoulder on my left and whispered something in his ear.

Cute butt. Double check!

Within seconds, the guy left and he pulled the chair closer to mine and sat down.

Knows how to get people out of his way. Triple check!

“So, tell me, pretty lady, do you fall into people often?”

A giggle escaped my lips and I quickly regained my composure.

“Not really,” I responded. I took a sip.

The bartender placed his drink on a napkin.

“Thanks. Run a tab please.” the bartender nodded.

“Do you come here often?” His voice was smooth. He leaned his tall muscular body closer to mine and rested his arm over the back of my chair.

“No, I don’t. I’m meeting my girlfriend.”

“Is she as beautiful as you?”

“Yes…she is.” I blushed. “Are you here with friends?”

“No, I came alone and then spotted a few coworkers and started talking. That’s where you fell into me.”

“Ohh…Lucky me.” I said slightly embarrassed. I took a big sip. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him canvassing my body so I decided to give him a better view. I sat my glass down, leaned toward him, and crossed my legs. He watched my dress slowly spit open to my thigh. He studied me for a moment and picked up his glass and said, “Touché.”

Checkmate!

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He moved in closer and his voice dropped to a near whisper. “You have beautiful long legs.”

His voice seeped into my body like fire. Beads of sweat popped across my forehead. He smiled. Dimples appeared. I lost my train of thought. I took the napkin from under my glass and patted my forehead and dried the palm of my hands. I could see him thinking, “She’s easy to arouse.” Check!

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I took a cigarette from my purse and placed it suggestively between my lips. Two can play that game.

A light appeared out of thin air as he lit my cigarette. I took a long pull and turned away from him and blew the smoke over the girl’s head next to me who had also been eyeing the stranger.

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“What’s your name?” he whispered in my ear as he glided his index finger gently down the middle of my back.

I looked at him with bedroom eyes, “My name is…”

“Ashley wake up!” my roommate, Laurie, yelled as she knocked on my bedroom door.

My eyes instantly opened. The stranger vanished.

“Damn, what time is it?” I asked trying not to sound mad and hoping I didn’t oversleep.

“Ten after seven,” she said dressed in her favorite pink bathrobe with a head full of matching pink foam rollers dangling from her hair. “Time for you to get up so you’re not late for work again.”

“Thanks for waking me up,” I said sarcastically as I watched her fumble through my jewelry box.

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“You’re welcome,” she responded, modeling my gold hoop earrings in the mirror.

Laurie and I had been best friends since fifth grade. We were college roommates, and now we share an apartment together. She treats all my possessions as community property, and hers as sole ownership. Even so, I still loved her like a sister.

“Can I borrow these?”

“Yeah. Just don’t forget to return them,” I said resting my arm over my eyes.

“Okay.”

“I dreamed about him.”

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Laurie closed the jewelry box, turned around and looked right at me. “Him…who?”

“I don’t know who. This is the second night in a row I dreamed about him.” I closed my eyes and tried desperately to recapture his image.

“Move over,” Laurie said with urgency as she pushed my legs over to the side to make room to sit on my bed. “What did he look like?”

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I looked at the ceiling and a tiny smile appeared. I took a deep breath. “Tall, muscular, chestnut brown complexion, with piercing steel gray eyes.”

Laurie let out a long sigh.  “Fine time to be dreaming about another man when you’re getting married in two weeks,” she quipped.

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“I know! You know I love Tony.”

“Yeah, I know, but your subconscious doesn’t. It’s a sign.”

“A sign of what?”

“Maybe Tony is not the one you should be marrying. You know you’ve had your share of ups and downs.”

“Most couples do right before they get married. That’s not unusual.”

“I hope you’re right.”

  

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