She set the beer back on the
table and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She was aware
of his eyes on her and her skin tingled. She nervously gazed at her
bottle and tugged gently at the label, a game bored females play at
bars. Soon, shreds of wet paper littered the tabletop, but it
worked. The time between placing her order and having a hot, juicy
burger placed before her dissolved.
"Yes, please," she responded to the
bartender's question. "Ketchup and mustard. Thanks."
She lifted the bun lid and poked at the
burger. Hot cheese clung to her finger and she slid it into her
mouth, sucking it clean. As she pulled her finger from her lips,
she looked up and once again saw the man watched her intently.
Blushing with embarrassment, she shifted in her seat and knocked
her purse onto the floor. As she bent over to retrieve it, she
watched in agony as a tube of lipstick rolled across the floor,
bouncing off the barstool next to the man. Sabrina pretended she
hadn't noticed it and shoved the rest of the contents back into her
purse. She decided she would buy another lipstick, considering the
tube lost.
Meanwhile, Nate brought the ketchup and
mustard and hovered at her table. "Can I get you another beer,
miss?"
"Thank you. That'd be great," she said.
She refused to look across the bar,
determined to eat her burger, drink her beer and leave while she
still had some dignity. She didn't understand why she felt
self-conscious, but after a few minutes of trying to eat daintily,
she gave up and devoured the sandwich.
To hell with him , she thought. He's
rude, staring at me like that .
Agitated, she chewed, her cheeks stuffed with
bread and meat. The burger was no longer juicy. It was cardboard,
dry and tasteless. She gulped her second beer, washing down the
last few mouthfuls.
Pulling her wallet from her purse, she
extracted two twenties and placed them on the table. She was
furious. The entire time she tried to eat her dinner, minding her
own business, the obnoxious man at the bar stared at her. Okay, so
she licked her fingers suggestively and a few times she stared back
at him, but enough was enough.
She grabbed her purse and jacket and swung
out of the booth. "Keep the change," she told the bartender, open
mouthed in astonishment at the size of her tip.
In the parking lot, Sabrina slipped into her
coat and hung her purse over her shoulder. She turned in a slow
circle, unsure which direction the hotel lay. As she did, the
tavern door opened, Jay walked out and stopped in front of her. In
his open hand, he held her lipstick. She glared at it for a heated
moment, and then looked into his face. It was shadowed, except for
his lower lip. She fixated on it.
"I hope you're happy. You've ruined my night
out."
"Me?" His voice was low and soft. Dangerous , she thought.
"Yes, you," she lashed, grabbing the lipstick
and shoving it in her front pocket. "Who do you think you are,
staring at me?"
"You were flirting with me."
Sabrina took a step back and gasped. "I was
not! I was trying to enjoy dinner, but I couldn't because of
you."
Jay stepped closer forcing Sabrina to lift
her chin to see him. It exposed the long, pale line of her neck. He
hungrily followed that line to the swell of her breasts, heaving
against the too-tight shirt. Jay also saw a wisp of dark lace. "You
fooled me."
"You're incredibly rude and you're making me
nervous." Sabrina took another step back.
He pushed his hands into his jeans pocket and
grinned. "Let's start over. I'm Jay; what's your name?"
"None of your business," she snapped,
frantically turning her head, looking for the hotel sign.
He touched her arm gently. "Hey, it's okay.
Are you lost?"
Sabrina looked up into his shadowed face,
wishing she could see his eyes. She forced herself to calm down.
She was in the parking lot of a brightly lit restaurant in the tiny
town of Warren, not a dark alley in Baltimore. "I'm not sure where
my hotel is. It's only a few blocks away, but I don't
table and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. She was aware
of his eyes on her and her skin tingled. She nervously gazed at her
bottle and tugged gently at the label, a game bored females play at
bars. Soon, shreds of wet paper littered the tabletop, but it
worked. The time between placing her order and having a hot, juicy
burger placed before her dissolved.
"Yes, please," she responded to the
bartender's question. "Ketchup and mustard. Thanks."
She lifted the bun lid and poked at the
burger. Hot cheese clung to her finger and she slid it into her
mouth, sucking it clean. As she pulled her finger from her lips,
she looked up and once again saw the man watched her intently.
Blushing with embarrassment, she shifted in her seat and knocked
her purse onto the floor. As she bent over to retrieve it, she
watched in agony as a tube of lipstick rolled across the floor,
bouncing off the barstool next to the man. Sabrina pretended she
hadn't noticed it and shoved the rest of the contents back into her
purse. She decided she would buy another lipstick, considering the
tube lost.
Meanwhile, Nate brought the ketchup and
mustard and hovered at her table. "Can I get you another beer,
miss?"
"Thank you. That'd be great," she said.
She refused to look across the bar,
determined to eat her burger, drink her beer and leave while she
still had some dignity. She didn't understand why she felt
self-conscious, but after a few minutes of trying to eat daintily,
she gave up and devoured the sandwich.
To hell with him , she thought. He's
rude, staring at me like that .
Agitated, she chewed, her cheeks stuffed with
bread and meat. The burger was no longer juicy. It was cardboard,
dry and tasteless. She gulped her second beer, washing down the
last few mouthfuls.
Pulling her wallet from her purse, she
extracted two twenties and placed them on the table. She was
furious. The entire time she tried to eat her dinner, minding her
own business, the obnoxious man at the bar stared at her. Okay, so
she licked her fingers suggestively and a few times she stared back
at him, but enough was enough.
She grabbed her purse and jacket and swung
out of the booth. "Keep the change," she told the bartender, open
mouthed in astonishment at the size of her tip.
In the parking lot, Sabrina slipped into her
coat and hung her purse over her shoulder. She turned in a slow
circle, unsure which direction the hotel lay. As she did, the
tavern door opened, Jay walked out and stopped in front of her. In
his open hand, he held her lipstick. She glared at it for a heated
moment, and then looked into his face. It was shadowed, except for
his lower lip. She fixated on it.
"I hope you're happy. You've ruined my night
out."
"Me?" His voice was low and soft. Dangerous , she thought.
"Yes, you," she lashed, grabbing the lipstick
and shoving it in her front pocket. "Who do you think you are,
staring at me?"
"You were flirting with me."
Sabrina took a step back and gasped. "I was
not! I was trying to enjoy dinner, but I couldn't because of
you."
Jay stepped closer forcing Sabrina to lift
her chin to see him. It exposed the long, pale line of her neck. He
hungrily followed that line to the swell of her breasts, heaving
against the too-tight shirt. Jay also saw a wisp of dark lace. "You
fooled me."
"You're incredibly rude and you're making me
nervous." Sabrina took another step back.
He pushed his hands into his jeans pocket and
grinned. "Let's start over. I'm Jay; what's your name?"
"None of your business," she snapped,
frantically turning her head, looking for the hotel sign.
He touched her arm gently. "Hey, it's okay.
Are you lost?"
Sabrina looked up into his shadowed face,
wishing she could see his eyes. She forced herself to calm down.
She was in the parking lot of a brightly lit restaurant in the tiny
town of Warren, not a dark alley in Baltimore. "I'm not sure where
my hotel is. It's only a few blocks away, but I don't
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