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Chapter One
I looked at myself in the rear-view mirror one more time as I parked the car. My face was starting to look a lot more normal – the black eye was no longer visible under the makeup and it stopped swelling. The chip on my lip wasn’t that prevalent anymore. I could walk into a bar this late at night and no one would notice I looked battered and beaten.
I opened my purse and took out my lipstick and brush. Red lipstick would look nice. It would work well with my hair. I just dyed it dark red a day ago, right before I packed my bags and got on the road.
Wearing nothing but a pair of high denim shorts and a pink tank top I grabbed my purse, got out of the car and strode into the bar.
The Midnight Rodeo was not my type of bar – there were numerous topless girls wearing nothing but these skimpy skirts and large cowboy hats. Their tits were out in the open and there were a lot of strippers dancing on top of the bar counter. Even the bartenders were hot girls and for a moment I felt a little out of place.
“No, you’re just as hot as them,” I whispered to myself and continued inside. As I passed the tables I could hear lots of men whistling and hooting at me and one guy even managed to cup my ass. I didn’t mind. I didn’t swipe his hand away. I wanted to feel important.
I headed to the bar counter, took a seat and waved for a girl to get me a drink. “I’ll have a shot of your best whiskey, please.”
She gave me a nod, slid a shot glass to me and poured from a fresh bottle. “That’s a dollar ninety-nine. You don’t look like you’re from here.”
I sipped. Damn, this was good whiskey. I paid in cash and said, “Yeah, I just moved here, to be honest.”
“Where you originally from?” she asked. She looked around, saw no other customer in need of her, and just rested in front of me.
“New York,” I answered and finished my shot. “Pour me again.”
“Want me to just open up a tab?”
I looked at her. She looked a lot younger than I was and I was just twenty-four. “Ah, fuck it. Sure, that’ll be easier. Place it under Selena.”
“No problem,” she replied as she poured me another shot. “Mind if I have your credit card?”
“Oh, yeah,” I said as I took out my card from my purse and gave it to her. She took note of my name and slid the card into their registrar. I guess from this point on I might as well drink my worries away.
“Thanks,” she said and, without my asking, poured me a third shot. She gave me a quick wink before she moved on to greet a few new customers seated by the other end of her section of the bar.
I watched her leave and then got back to my drink. For the first time since I left, I had some peace of mind. For the first time in days, I could just sit back and drink without someone ranting on and on.
“What’s a fine lady like yourself doing out here all alone?”
I turned and saw a tall hunk of a man in a red plaid shirt and tight jeans standing beside me. He had in his hand a bottle of beer and it was only after studying him for a second did I notice his leather cowboy boots and elegant wristwatch. The stranger had a lean, muscular build, a neatly trimmed beard, dark hair and brown eyes. He must have been at least ten years older than me though but that didn’t seem to dissipate the big grin he had on his face.
“Oh, I was just wasting away my troubles,” I answered him and beckoned for him to sit beside me. I then reached out my hand and he shook it with a strong, firm grip. “I’m Selena, by the way.”
“I’m Richard but you can call me Dick,” he introduced himself.
I giggled when I heard his nickname and he must have noticed because he simply grinned back at me. “You actually let people call you Dick? That’s just opening the doors for all sorts of innuendos and jokes.”
Dick laughed back and nodded. “Yeah, I get that a lot. It’s okay though, at least I have a dick to be proud of.”
Wow, he ain’t wasting a second here. I chuckled and then reached for his bottle. He gave it to me without hesitation and just watched as I drank.
“Mind if I ask what troubles you’re drinking away?” he asked me. He waited for me to finish and then he took the bottle back and drank as well.
I waved at the bartender and signaled to get me a bottle of beer as well. I then looked at Dick and said, “My boyfriend – well, ex-boyfriend now – beat me a lot. I didn’t want to deal with it anymore so I ran away. I just dyed my hair, packed my things and left.”
