through her mind, along with the goofy smile on Luke’s face as he watched her feet, trying vainly to mimic her directions. She closed her eyes and smiled sadly to herself.
“Hey! You made it!” A familiar voice turned her head, and Darrin stood next to her, holding out her drink. The only man who’d made the short list so far.
“Hi there. Yeah, I made it.” She forced her memories down and returned his friendly smile, taking her drink from him. Taking a sip, she nodded to him. “You clean up nice.”
He looked down at himself. He’d changed into a pair of fitted jeans that hung loosely on his frame and paired it with a sport jacket over a really tight tee shirt. It showed off some muscles that Kathy hadn’t noticed earlier. His hair was tousled still, but this time it was gelled that way, as if he had intentionally given himself bed-head. The look was good on him.
“Yeah, well…” He grinned sheepishly at her, and took a swig from a beer bottle. Kathy noticed he had nice hands, though they were smooth, as if he didn’t do much with them. She tried to remember what he did for a job, but the interviews seemed to mesh together in her head.
“Tell me what you do again? I’m sorry, I can’t remember.”
“I’m in finance. It’s boring, really.”
“So, you work with numbers? I’ve never really had much of a head for those.”
“Logistics mostly.” He hung his head sheepishly. “I try to be a professional gambler, but I haven’t managed to come up with a system to consistently beat the house. What do you do?”
Maybe she should re-think this. A man who gambled every day might have some sort of tendency toward addiction that she didn’t want passed down to her child. It was a depressing thought, as Darrin was the only viable candidate at the moment. “Nothing right now. I was a restaurant manager, but I quit recently, so I’ll be looking as soon as I find a place to live.” Wow. Her life sounded incredibly depressing.
“While you’re pregnant?” He asked, disbelief evident across his features. She nodded. “Wow. You’re something, you know that?” Apparently coming to a decision, he shifted tactics. “You want to get out of here? Let’s go somewhere quieter. There’s a café down the street?”
It sounded good, but she’d just paid an outrageous cover, and her drink was still fresh. The doubt must have crossed her face, because he continued. “It’s a crowded place, and we’ll stay on the strip. Good lighting.” She hadn’t even been thinking of that.
Kathy downed her drink, and decided to let him buy the coffee or pie or whatever they were going to get at the café to make up for her lost cover charge. “Sure.”
He smiled, holding out his hand to her. She took it, noticing again the lack of electricity between them, but his smile was warm and he didn’t seem dangerous.
Once outside, he didn’t let go of her hand, leading her down the street towards the corner. She looked over at him, and the play of lights across his face gave him a mischievous look.
“You ever feel dumb?” They’d reached the corner, and he turned right, heading towards a coffee shop a block down the road.
“What do you mean?”
He kept walking. “I mean, you fly half way across country, take out a personal ad for a baby daddy, meet up with a bunch of strange men in one of the most dangerous cities in the US, go out alone at night…” He stopped walking and put his hands around her waist, pushing her backwards, while his voice lowered to nearly a whisper. “Tell a complete stranger where you hide all of your personals…” His mouth covered hers to muffle her protests, as his hands dropped to the hem of her skirt, yanking it up to her breasts. To a casual passerby, they would seem like an amorous couple, getting too frisky. From out of nowhere, he produced a knife and held it to her throat, while his other hand clasped both of hers above her head. He was stronger than he looked, and he’d
“Hey! You made it!” A familiar voice turned her head, and Darrin stood next to her, holding out her drink. The only man who’d made the short list so far.
“Hi there. Yeah, I made it.” She forced her memories down and returned his friendly smile, taking her drink from him. Taking a sip, she nodded to him. “You clean up nice.”
He looked down at himself. He’d changed into a pair of fitted jeans that hung loosely on his frame and paired it with a sport jacket over a really tight tee shirt. It showed off some muscles that Kathy hadn’t noticed earlier. His hair was tousled still, but this time it was gelled that way, as if he had intentionally given himself bed-head. The look was good on him.
“Yeah, well…” He grinned sheepishly at her, and took a swig from a beer bottle. Kathy noticed he had nice hands, though they were smooth, as if he didn’t do much with them. She tried to remember what he did for a job, but the interviews seemed to mesh together in her head.
“Tell me what you do again? I’m sorry, I can’t remember.”
“I’m in finance. It’s boring, really.”
“So, you work with numbers? I’ve never really had much of a head for those.”
“Logistics mostly.” He hung his head sheepishly. “I try to be a professional gambler, but I haven’t managed to come up with a system to consistently beat the house. What do you do?”
Maybe she should re-think this. A man who gambled every day might have some sort of tendency toward addiction that she didn’t want passed down to her child. It was a depressing thought, as Darrin was the only viable candidate at the moment. “Nothing right now. I was a restaurant manager, but I quit recently, so I’ll be looking as soon as I find a place to live.” Wow. Her life sounded incredibly depressing.
“While you’re pregnant?” He asked, disbelief evident across his features. She nodded. “Wow. You’re something, you know that?” Apparently coming to a decision, he shifted tactics. “You want to get out of here? Let’s go somewhere quieter. There’s a café down the street?”
It sounded good, but she’d just paid an outrageous cover, and her drink was still fresh. The doubt must have crossed her face, because he continued. “It’s a crowded place, and we’ll stay on the strip. Good lighting.” She hadn’t even been thinking of that.
Kathy downed her drink, and decided to let him buy the coffee or pie or whatever they were going to get at the café to make up for her lost cover charge. “Sure.”
He smiled, holding out his hand to her. She took it, noticing again the lack of electricity between them, but his smile was warm and he didn’t seem dangerous.
Once outside, he didn’t let go of her hand, leading her down the street towards the corner. She looked over at him, and the play of lights across his face gave him a mischievous look.
“You ever feel dumb?” They’d reached the corner, and he turned right, heading towards a coffee shop a block down the road.
“What do you mean?”
He kept walking. “I mean, you fly half way across country, take out a personal ad for a baby daddy, meet up with a bunch of strange men in one of the most dangerous cities in the US, go out alone at night…” He stopped walking and put his hands around her waist, pushing her backwards, while his voice lowered to nearly a whisper. “Tell a complete stranger where you hide all of your personals…” His mouth covered hers to muffle her protests, as his hands dropped to the hem of her skirt, yanking it up to her breasts. To a casual passerby, they would seem like an amorous couple, getting too frisky. From out of nowhere, he produced a knife and held it to her throat, while his other hand clasped both of hers above her head. He was stronger than he looked, and he’d
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