Previous Story cont.
Five years previous…
Lara
I saw him the moment he entered the club and I instantly branded him a heartbreaker. He wore solely black and the way he wove around the crowd was cat-like. I watched him for awhile as he stopped occasionally to talk to a girl or guy he knew.
He sure knew his way around the place…yet I had never seen him there.
“Hey Janie!” I called over across the owner and my sister.
The tall blonde set down a mug of beer and walked over. “What’s up?”
“Who’s that guy? He been in here before?” I asked.
Janie frowned as she searched for the man. “Lara, honey, he’s just a customer. If he pays, don’t question him.”
I rolled my eyes. “Ok, fine.”
Janie stalked off to the other side of circular bar to serve customers while I continued cleaning a tall cocktail glass. The music was blaring from the stage to my right but it was damn good.
“Hey, can I get a black vodka and cranberry juice, and a Jack and coke?”
“Yup,” I spun on my heel and turned my back to the speaker. I poured the black vodka in a tall glass and the cranberry juice on top and then a Jack Daniels and coke with ice. “That’ll be six seventy five.”
I watched a pair of rather attractive, manly hands search for a ten before he passed it across the bar top. As I checked it under the ultra-violet light for forgery, I clicked the cash machine open and counted out the correct change. Just as I handed over the coins, for the first time I noticed it was him…the guy I had been watching since he walked through the door. He had dark, dark brown hair that was longish…complete bed head and from what I could see, he was slender and tall; though I did not doubt that he had powerful muscles underneath that black shirt.
“Your change…”
He turned around and I met a pair of gorgeous green eyes. He smiled. “Get yourself a drink, sweetheart.”
With a wink, he headed off toward a table which occupied another man. At least it wasn’t a girl…I smiled to myself and continued my shift.
Just before midnight, my mystery man had not left. However, as I glanced across to his table, he was saying goodbye to his black vodka drinking friend. I expected him to leave too but instead, he got up and carried his drink to the bar…right in front of me. “Sure quietens down.”
“Yeah, well it is a weeknight,” I answered lamely. “Gotta get up in the mornin’.”
I set a glass on the countertop and poured myself a whiskey.
He rubbed his eye roughly and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m guessing you don’t have a day job?”
“Nope, nearly every night I’m in here,” I sighed. “My sister, Janie owns the place.”
“So you must be a Black…what’s your first name?” he asked.
“Lara,” I answered.
There were four Black siblings, three sisters and a brother. Janie opened this bar three years ago and called it ‘Black Widow’…strange, but it got a lot of crowds after the good music and atmosphere.
“So where are you in the family?”
“Middle child,” I answered.
“Lucky,” he muttered. “I’m the baby.”
I smiled. “Haven’t seen you in here before.”
“Yeah, that guy I was with suggested it. I wanted re-do my restaurant and he’s doin’ the interior…wanted to show me how cool this place was,” he explained, poking at the napkin on the bar top.
“You got a restaurant?”
“Yeah, ‘Gaia’, it’s down near the promenade?” he raised his eyebrows.
“Really?” I laughed. “I love that place.”
He favoured me with a grin. “Thanks. I worked hard on it. But I love this place.”
I glanced over at Janie. “Well my sister Jaina opened it. I could get her over if you want?”
He followed my line of gaze and then nodded. “Sure.”
I headed over to my sister and whispered lowly in her ear. “Hey, that guy from earlier wants to talk to you about this place, he owns Gaia.”
“Wow, really?” she grinned and followed me almost immediately.
Part of me knew this was a bad move if I wanted this man…and I sorely did want him. Janie had always been the pretty one, the one who got all the guys she wanted…I was just Lara.
“Hi, Jaina Black,” she held out her perfectly tanned hand and smiled with her perfect red lips and her perfect teeth.
He accepted her handshake in his big hands. “Charlie Chase, it’s a pleasure.”
“Likewise,” she smirked. “Lara tells me you own Gaia…that place is great.”
“I could say the same about here,” he told her. “Good music from what I hear, a band for everyone.”
She leaned heavily on the bar in front of him and from the downward cast of his eyes, he could see straight down her top. He gave her a seductive smile and in that instant, I knew he’d tossed her into the pile which contained all the other women he’d bedded and left.
I rolled my eyes and began to walk off. “Hey, Lara, where ya goin’ honey?” he called.
“I gotta go clean up tables,” I muttered.
“Ask for me next time you’re at my restaurant,” he smiled and waved at me.
I let out a prolonged sigh and picked up the dishtowel.
An hour later, Charlie and Janie were still chatting at the bar. I slapped the cloth onto the table and began to wipe in circular motions, trying to shut out the ghastly sound of my elder sister’s giggles. It made me sick to hear or see her playfully pushing his arm while she laughed at him, chewing her bottom lip sexily.
How could he fall for that?
I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore them.
“Hey Lara, can you lock up for me?”
I turned around and watched Janie pull on her coat beside Charlie, ready to leave with him for ‘coffee’. He was standing side-on to me, looking at me and waiting for an answer so he could have his way. “Whatever,” I mumbled like the good little sister should.
“Thanks honey, I owe ya!” she grinned at me knowingly and caught up with Charlie, who was already at the door, she linked her arm with his and left.
Within seconds, Charlie jogged back through the door and up to the bar. He came over to me and smiled warmly. “Forgot my keys,” he jingled the set on the tip of his finger and cleared his throat. “Um…I’ll see you then Lara?”
I nodded, just wanting him to leave.
With a swift kiss on my cheek, he swept away…taking my breath away with him.
Lara
I saw him the moment he entered the club and I instantly branded him a heartbreaker. He wore solely black and the way he wove around the crowd was cat-like. I watched him for awhile as he stopped occasionally to talk to a girl or guy he knew.
He sure knew his way around the place…yet I had never seen him there.
“Hey Janie!” I called over across the owner and my sister.
The tall blonde set down a mug of beer and walked over. “What’s up?”
“Who’s that guy? He been in here before?” I asked.
Janie frowned as she searched for the man. “Lara, honey, he’s just a customer. If he pays, don’t question him.”
I rolled my eyes. “Ok, fine.”
Janie stalked off to the other side of circular bar to serve customers while I continued cleaning a tall cocktail glass. The music was blaring from the stage to my right but it was damn good.
“Hey, can I get a black vodka and cranberry juice, and a Jack and coke?”
“Yup,” I spun on my heel and turned my back to the speaker. I poured the black vodka in a tall glass and the cranberry juice on top and then a Jack Daniels and coke with ice. “That’ll be six seventy five.”
I watched a pair of rather attractive, manly hands search for a ten before he passed it across the bar top. As I checked it under the ultra-violet light for forgery, I clicked the cash machine open and counted out the correct change. Just as I handed over the coins, for the first time I noticed it was him…the guy I had been watching since he walked through the door. He had dark, dark brown hair that was longish…complete bed head and from what I could see, he was slender and tall; though I did not doubt that he had powerful muscles underneath that black shirt.
“Your change…”
He turned around and I met a pair of gorgeous green eyes. He smiled. “Get yourself a drink, sweetheart.”
With a wink, he headed off toward a table which occupied another man. At least it wasn’t a girl…I smiled to myself and continued my shift.
Just before midnight, my mystery man had not left. However, as I glanced across to his table, he was saying goodbye to his black vodka drinking friend. I expected him to leave too but instead, he got up and carried his drink to the bar…right in front of me. “Sure quietens down.”
“Yeah, well it is a weeknight,” I answered lamely. “Gotta get up in the mornin’.”
I set a glass on the countertop and poured myself a whiskey.
He rubbed his eye roughly and ran a hand through his hair. “I’m guessing you don’t have a day job?”
“Nope, nearly every night I’m in here,” I sighed. “My sister, Janie owns the place.”
“So you must be a Black…what’s your first name?” he asked.
“Lara,” I answered.
There were four Black siblings, three sisters and a brother. Janie opened this bar three years ago and called it ‘Black Widow’…strange, but it got a lot of crowds after the good music and atmosphere.
“So where are you in the family?”
“Middle child,” I answered.
“Lucky,” he muttered. “I’m the baby.”
I smiled. “Haven’t seen you in here before.”
“Yeah, that guy I was with suggested it. I wanted re-do my restaurant and he’s doin’ the interior…wanted to show me how cool this place was,” he explained, poking at the napkin on the bar top.
“You got a restaurant?”
“Yeah, ‘Gaia’, it’s down near the promenade?” he raised his eyebrows.
“Really?” I laughed. “I love that place.”
He favoured me with a grin. “Thanks. I worked hard on it. But I love this place.”
I glanced over at Janie. “Well my sister Jaina opened it. I could get her over if you want?”
He followed my line of gaze and then nodded. “Sure.”
I headed over to my sister and whispered lowly in her ear. “Hey, that guy from earlier wants to talk to you about this place, he owns Gaia.”
“Wow, really?” she grinned and followed me almost immediately.
Part of me knew this was a bad move if I wanted this man…and I sorely did want him. Janie had always been the pretty one, the one who got all the guys she wanted…I was just Lara.
“Hi, Jaina Black,” she held out her perfectly tanned hand and smiled with her perfect red lips and her perfect teeth.
He accepted her handshake in his big hands. “Charlie Chase, it’s a pleasure.”
“Likewise,” she smirked. “Lara tells me you own Gaia…that place is great.”
“I could say the same about here,” he told her. “Good music from what I hear, a band for everyone.”
She leaned heavily on the bar in front of him and from the downward cast of his eyes, he could see straight down her top. He gave her a seductive smile and in that instant, I knew he’d tossed her into the pile which contained all the other women he’d bedded and left.
I rolled my eyes and began to walk off. “Hey, Lara, where ya goin’ honey?” he called.
“I gotta go clean up tables,” I muttered.
“Ask for me next time you’re at my restaurant,” he smiled and waved at me.
I let out a prolonged sigh and picked up the dishtowel.
An hour later, Charlie and Janie were still chatting at the bar. I slapped the cloth onto the table and began to wipe in circular motions, trying to shut out the ghastly sound of my elder sister’s giggles. It made me sick to hear or see her playfully pushing his arm while she laughed at him, chewing her bottom lip sexily.
How could he fall for that?
I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore them.
“Hey Lara, can you lock up for me?”
I turned around and watched Janie pull on her coat beside Charlie, ready to leave with him for ‘coffee’. He was standing side-on to me, looking at me and waiting for an answer so he could have his way. “Whatever,” I mumbled like the good little sister should.
“Thanks honey, I owe ya!” she grinned at me knowingly and caught up with Charlie, who was already at the door, she linked her arm with his and left.
Within seconds, Charlie jogged back through the door and up to the bar. He came over to me and smiled warmly. “Forgot my keys,” he jingled the set on the tip of his finger and cleared his throat. “Um…I’ll see you then Lara?”
I nodded, just wanting him to leave.
With a swift kiss on my cheek, he swept away…taking my breath away with him.