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One of the girls from the table wrapped an arm around me and pulled me away. She was fussing over me and making sure I was okay. I felt fine, a little shaken but fine, so I nodded. When I looked back the man had turned his head in my direction at the same time. There was something in the way he looked at me, studying me like he was trying to figure something out. I resisted the urge to laugh like a lunatic. Hell, if he could figure me out, that would make one of us.
Chapter Three
I became obsessed with finding out who that man was and I learned his name was H. That was it. Just H.
I knew my type as sure as I knew my own name and H wasn’t it. It sounded cliché to say but he was the strong silent type and by strong I mean every ounce of him was ripped. He stood well over six feet tall with bulging biceps, a wide chest and those little muscles that stuck out over his collar bone. He had to be a body builder or something close because there was no way he was built that way by accident. H was also quiet. I never heard more than a few words come from his mouth. His warm brown eyes told me that he had a kind soul however he didn’t take shit from anybody.
In the past, my type hadn’t been quiet and having a kind soul was something they’d never possessed. Users and abusers didn’t come equipped with that quality. Every time I'd left Jimmy, I wanted so badly to find someone who was good for me. The problem was men my age usually headed for the hills the minute they learned I had two kids.
H worked at the club that much I knew. However, what he actually did was up for debate. Mostly he sat at a table in the corner with various employees. Everyone gathered there to drink, gossip or whatever they felt like usually. Dancers would sit there between sets, kitchen staff and bartenders would hang around before or after their shifts. Sometimes when I came in H would be working security at the door, or filling in behind the bar. Other times he was interviewing applicants and hiring acts, just like he did with me.
He got plenty of attention from the girls and maybe even had involvements with some of them. There was one girl in particular, a pretty blonde who only came in when H was there. She looked like she came from money, with her fancy clothes and expensive shoes. I couldn’t help feeling like she didn’t belong there but a man as attractive as H would, of course, have women all over him, even classy one’s like her. It was none of my business but it didn’t stop me from wondering. I also couldn’t help noticing the way he looked at me, just the same as he did that night and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t like it.
17 days and counting...
I was making my way through the crowd with a drink in one hand and my guitar case strapped on my back, dancing along to the music. Donnie, the actual club owner and a dead ringer for Rick Springfield, had sent me out there earlier to mingle with the customers. While I turned out to not be a lousy singer and could even hold my own with some of their best acts, I was also comfortable talking to customers. Even though I had been hired as a performer he also created a secondary job for me as a hostess on busy nights. This meant between sets, I was to cater to the VIP’s and make sure their drinks were never empty, dance with them, and chat. It sounded worse than it was but at least I got to keep my clothes on. The clients that came to the Jumpstart weren’t the sleazy kind. The club kept a well-established and loyal clientele so I usually had a good time.
I was on the dance floor in mid-twirl when I noticed H staring at me from his table. Normally if I’d gotten that kind of attention from a man he would have already made a move. Was it possible that H was shy? When someone in the crowd came up and placed a hand on my hip, encouraging me to dance with him, I went along. I couldn’t resist giving H my best over the shoulder sultry smile. His eyebrows shot up in surprise then a brief grin spread across his lips, a reaction I took as approval. Feeling encouraged, I continued to keep eye contact with him and began to sway my body to the beat with my faceless dance partner.
I let my free hand roam over my body and through my hair. The appearance of confidence was how I earned attention. The more of it I had, the more money I made. When the music stopped, I side stepped the guy who was doing something that resembled a full body muscle spasm and flashed H another smile before disappearing into the crowd.
Shortly after that, I left the dance floor and headed to the ladies’ room. As I made my way down the corridor, a familiar Hall & Oates song was playing softly through the overhead speakers. My eyes fell closed as I listened to the melody and played the chords in my head. A few moments later, I felt an overwhelming sense of awareness, as if someone was watching me. When I opened my eyes, H was standing at the other end of the hall with his head cocked to the side in part confusion, part amusement.
“Napping?” He asked with a deep chuckle as he stood there with a case of beer in one arm and two bottles of liquor in the other. I couldn’t resist admiring the way his large biceps moved and flexed under the weight of what he was carrying.
Tickled by his question, I laughed, “No, just listening to the song’s melody and figuring out how to play it.”
He nodded again, “You’re good. I have no doubt you’ll be able to.” His unexpected compliment earned a smile from me.
“Thanks.”
“Well, I’d better get this stuff over to Tammy.” He smiled and gestured down to his hands.
“Okay.” I nodded and gave him an awkward wave and disappeared into the ladies’ room. After finishing in the stall, I tidied my unruly blonde curls and applied more lipstick. At least, my makeup was holding up and my head was feeling a little more focused. I stepped into the empty hall, peeked around to see if H was still there. I wasn’t sure why I was looking out for him or whether I was hoping he would be there. Indecisiveness was unfamiliar to me. After seeing the area was clear, I made my way back to the dance floor.
Several songs later, I looked around, breathless and searching the room. I wasn’t even aware I was looking for H until my gaze settled on him. He was casually leaning against the bar top talking to Donnie. Their discussion must have been pretty amusing because both men were laughing. H had the best smile I’d ever seen. It brightened his handsome face and looked a whole lot better than the scowl he wore most of the time.
I felt an incredible pull from his direction and the urge to walk over to him and say, well…something. The more I thought about things I was coming to the conclusion that the reason he hadn’t approached me was because he wasn’t interested. I also couldn't figure out why his disinterest bothered me so much. I didn’t know what to do with that. They were always interested and it was usually me giving the cold shoulder.
Not able to stand myself and all the doubts in my head, I pushed through the crowd and walked to where I’d last seen H but he was gone. Scanning the area, I found him standing on the other side of the bar, pouring drinks and looking right at me.
“Hi.” He said, looking amused. By the smirk on his face, he knew I was looking for him. Heat rose to my cheeks as I stood the
re wondering what the hell was going on with me.
“Uh…hey.” I stuttered and shifted my eyes to the bar top.
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, yeah. I was just wondering if you had the time?” I asked, and then mentally kicked myself as we both glanced down at the watch on my wrist. “Oh, um. I think the battery is dying so I wanted to double check.” I replied quickly in an attempt to cover up my bullshit reason for standing there.
“It's almost ten o’clock.” H said without looking up from his drink mixing. He leaned forward and shoved the glasses to the customer, even amid the smoky atmosphere of the bar, he still smelled amazing. Freshly showered with a warm, earthy scent, like sage.
There was an awkward silence; well it was awkward to me at least. I could feel him staring at me and I had no clue what to say.
“Right, well, I’m going to get ready for my set. See ya.”
“See ya, darlin’.” He replied then added in a low chuckle. “Oh, and thanks for the little dance earlier.” I inwardly groaned and pretended like I hadn't heard him because, shit, what was I supposed to say? Suddenly I was all tied up in knots and I couldn't figure out how to untangle myself.
