Page 1 of Irresistible Stranger

ChapterOne

Trista

The driver drops me off at the only bar in the city that permits smoking indoors.

The city banned smoking in most establishments in and around their premises decades ago, but not Uncle Joe’s. It’s a freestanding biker bar that was grandfathered in, exempting them from the new law. There’s nothing the city can do about it. I’ve never bought the story, but the place has been here since the sixties doing whatever the hell it wants. Tonight it’s where I’ll be shooting a few shots of something stiff. Noelle is supposed to meet me here to commiserate with me after I got stood up again.

It’s the second time in two weeks Seth has canceled on me, and it’s a hit to the self-esteem. I should’ve expected it after the first time, but he assured me it wouldn’t happen again. He insisted I get all dressed up and he’d take me to a nice restaurant downtown to make it up to me. We’ve been casually dating for two months after we connected on Tipsy’s, a dating website. I joined on a whim after Tim, my boyfriend of three years, broke it off with me because he wanted to explore other women. I was devastated at the time.

Tim swore there was no other woman he was seeing while dating me, that the breakup was about him and not me. Oddly, I believed him. But it didn’t hurt any less. How do you spend years with someone and then decide they’re not enough of what you want when you don’t even know what you want?

I was blindsided by his actions. I thought things were going in a good direction between us. We got along well. We hardly ever disagreed with each other. Sure the sex was mediocre, but none of my friends were having mind-blowing orgasms, so I assumed our sex life was normal. But I guess he was looking for a quality I didn’t possess because he ended things just over six months ago.

Tim let me have the one-bedroom apartment we shared since I could afford it, and he moved out to rent a loft for himself. It helped me out more than it did him. I hate moving, plus I like the part of the art district I live in and don’t want to leave. It’s within walking distance to work, and it’s surrounded by a variety of food places to eat. Tim didn’t particularly like it here and told me so often. He preferred suburbia. I told him I was too young for that. He didn’t like my job either, but that’s a different story. Distraught, I went on the rebound.

And here I am at Uncle Joe’s, ready to drink away my sorrows. I’ve been a bit jaded when it comes to men. I’m ready to throw in the towel and be done with the entire species.

Noelle heard the despair in my voice when I called to tell her Seth stood me up for the last time. I’m not going to beg a man to stay with me, especially when the relationship is still so new. I just agreed to his excuse, like I always did, and wished him luck. Getting stood up so close to an emotional breakup is hard on the heart. My confidence is a bit fractured after what Tim did to me.

I eye the entrance to the bar as I tug down the hem of my minidress. Most people inside will be wearing denim and boots. I doubt anyone but me will be wearing a silk hunter green dress with matching high heels that scream “fuck me.” I got dolled up for Seth tonight. I added wide waves to my long hair and even did my makeup better than I normally would. The humidity makes my hair look wild and sultry. I felt beautiful and wanted him to be pleased to see me. I wanted to be the only thing in the room he saw. I gained some weight after the breakup with Tim, and now every piece of clothing I have is bursting at the seams. This once slinky dress gives me newfound curves. I can’t say I don’t like them because I do. I feel sexy. More womanly.

I enter the dimly lit, smoky open room and make a beeline for the bar, hoping to sit between a rough around the edges guy who will appreciate my presence. My gaze scans the heads, looking for an open space to squeeze into, but my optimism fades quickly. The only available seat is next to a man who is already watching me. Our eyes connect and my heart flutters rapidly. He’s dressed in business attire and appears clean-cut, like he runs a tight ship. He’s a little out of place here, like me, and the exact opposite of what I want to be around tonight. Tim and Seth both wear dressy business attire. I don’t want to sit next to someone who reminds me of them, but it seems to be the way the world works for me lately.

Nervously, I toy with my small purse in front of me. He’s eating up the length of my body like he wants to feast on it. Awareness flutters down my spine. Maybe he’ll buy me a drink. A surge of attraction passes between us and my stomach flips. Our eyes connect again when he’s done observing me once more. My cheeks burn under his penetrating gaze as I walk toward him. Thank goodness the room has blue LED lights otherwise the deep red would be noticeable on my cheeks.

I drop my arms to hang at my sides. Swallowing back the knot in my throat, I continue forward and close the distance. He pulls the barstool out for me to sit. I offer him a timid smile and slide in. The bald bartender immediately places a white cocktail napkin in front of me and takes my order. The sleeves are torn off his denim shirt, and the tattoo on his bicep is in the old green ink that’s hard to make out after forty years.

“Shot of tequila,” I tell him, and he nods. “Make it a double, please.”

“I’ll have what she’s having,” the guy next to me says.

I hand the bartender my credit card and tell him to start a tab. He turns away, and the guy to my left turns to look at me. His gaze sears the side of my face. I pretend like I don’t notice him, but that doesn’t stop him. He leans in, and I hold my breath.

“Stood up?”

My eyes close shut. The universe is testing me.

I don’t respond and remain facing forward. The last thing I’m going to do is tell a stranger my woes. It’s embarrassing as it is, and I don’t want to talk about it. But he doesn’t take my silence as a hint.

“If the outfit didn’t give it away, your drink order did.”

I bob my head in defeat. “Is it obvious?” I ask and turn toward him. One corner of his mouth tugs up as he nods. “What kind of drink should I have gotten if I wasn’t stood up?”

“A cosmo or a glass of wine. Not two shots of straight liquor.” He pauses. “Sounds rough.”

I notice the pack of menthol cigarettes to the left of him. Maybe sitting next to him wasn’t such a bad outcome after all. I was hoping to bum one off someone since I don’t usually carry them. The bartender places the clear liquid in front of me and a small cup of lime wedges, then he does the same for the man to my left before moving on to help another customer. The man sees me eyeing the carton and picks it up. He flips the top back and offers me one. I take it and thank him with a smile. He hands me the lighter and I place both on my napkin. I want my drink first.

“Life has been rough lately,” I say. It’s my trade for the smoke.

“For what it’s worth, I’m glad he stood you up. It means I get to look at you. At least I’ll appreciate it.”

A knot forms in my throat. This guy is good.

Picking up the shot glass, I wonder for a moment if I manifested this encounter. As much as I want to be a bitch and curse the male population, the man doesn’t deserve my wrath. It might have to do with the fact that he’s a sight for sore eyes.

“Thank you.”

He picks up his glass and says, “I can’t let you drink alone.”