He’s taking control, ordering my drinks for me in a powerful way that entices me. The men around here, not that there are many anywhere close to my age, aren’t strong like this. Maybe that’s what makes me keep them at arms length, I just don’t want to know if I don’t think they can take command of me. It doesn’t even bother me that he probably acts this way all the time when it comes to women. Right now, it’s for me and me alone.
After all, this isn’t ever going to be a long term thing, is it? What do I have to worry about? “Oh right, thank you.” I let him pour me a drink. “That’s very kind of you.”
“You’re very welcome.” He stares into my eyes and I lose myself in the warm, hazelnut color looking back at me. He looks like he has layers and layers that need to be pulled back, and I can’t wait to at least do a little bit of that. “You deserve it after that singing.”
I can’t take any more compliments on my singing, it’s getting a bit overwhelming so I find a way to change the subject instead. Anything will do. “You know, I don’t actually know your name. I don’t usually accept drinks from strangers.”
“Oh right, well it’s Brandon Heath-Smith,” he tells me, as if I should know what that means. I’d look him up online to see what’s so special about him if he wasn’t sitting right in front of me. “The Heath-Smith name is famous in old money, it’s also a big one in business too. I mean, I don’t expect you to have heard of me, but yeah…”
I don’t know if that’s an arrogant comment or not so I chose to ignore it. Maybe he gets by on his name usually, but this isn’t the big city. He needs to get by on his own damn merits.
“Oh right I see, well the Boots name is important here… but then you probably already know that since you’ve been here for at least an hour.”
At first he widens his eyes in shock at my words, he can see I’m taking the piss, but soon he bursts into laughter as if I’m the funniest person alive. His chuckling is infectious and soon I’m joining in, giggling alongside him like we’re a couple of school kids acting foolish.
“Oh yeah, I heard the Boots daughter is kind of a bitch though. This singer who’s a real diva. Big dreams and even bigger demands, you know the sort?”
“Oh I know… but I didn’t hear that.” I slurp my drink, feeling a little drunk now. “I heard she’s super sweet and everyone lives her. Isn’t that right, Doreen?”
“Oh we all love you alright,” she replies while giving Brandon a warning look. “That’s why we’re all here for you, looking after you.”
She zaps a bit of fun out of the game, I start to wish I didn’t bring her into it, but then Brandon gives me a playful wink as if we’re on the same side. Us against them. I like it. It makes me want to sidle closer to him, to wrap my arms around him, to kiss him…
“What do you have planned now?” he asks me thickly. “Do you have anything that you usually do once you finish singing a set?”
“If I did, I’ve already broken it by sitting here and drinking with you. One drink is my standard, now I’ve had a couple, so I guess all routine is gone.” God, it’s freeing to say that. I didn’t realize how constricted I felt by the rut I’m in until that very moment. “It looks like anything is possible.”
“It is… the only thing we’re constricted by is the small town we’re stuck in.” When I gave him a look he quickly retracts that sentence. “Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I just presume there isn’t another bar we can go to.”
Okay, admittedly he has me there. “No, I suppose not,” I drawl slowly. “But there are other things we can do. You just need to use your imagination.”
His eyes become heavy and thick with lust. I have him exactly where I want him. “Oh yeah? Well my imagination has thousands of ideas.”
Of course he does. This is a man who knows exactly what he’s doing in the bedroom. The fantasy of his fingers all over my body, exploring every damn inch of me, might just about to become real. I shiver and smirk before sliding off my chair and making it absolutely obvious that I want to go. This is all fun but I want more. My body has been asleep for far too long and now it’s awake again. It needs to find some serious satisfaction and since it looks like I’m not going to get my ‘alone time’ anymore, I might as well have some ‘together time’ with this seriously sexy stranger. After all, how often does the opportunity for that to happen come around?
“Are we going?” he asks me happily.
“That depends.” I lean across the bar and stare intently into his eyes. “Are you finished here?”
“Oh I’m finished.” He stands up without hesitation. “I’m ready, let’s get out of here.”
And then in his commanding way he stalks from the bar, leaving me with absolutely no choice but to follow him.
Chapter 4 – Brandon
“So, what are the chances of me getting to see your place then?” I ask Lola cheekily as we leave the bar. I know I wanted to take her back to my motel to dirty the place up with her, but now that I’ve spent just a few moments with her I think she might be too good for that. Not for the being dirty part, I still want to see if she has that part in her, but the motel bit. It just seems to seedy for someone like Lola. “Or is that me pushing it a bit?”
Without answering me, Lola snakes her fingers through mine and she drags me along behind her. With any other woman the fact that she’s holding my hand might feel weird and possessive, but Lola just has this way about her that simply feels playful and fun.
“I see, you’re going to be like that, are you? Fine, I don’t mind.”
“You don’t mind?” She spins around and smirks at me. I feel like her blue eyes are piercing into my soul. “So you don’t mind letting go of control then?”
“Are you always this perceptive?” I can’t help but ask. “It’s a little weird that you can see things about me without us even talking much.”
It’s mostly weird to me that she cares. If I think back to all the meaningless experiences that have come before, I realize that’s been a two way street. I haven’t cared about learning anything about the girls, just like they haven’t me. They haven’t wanted to know what goes on deep inside me, they simply care about my name, my reputation, and my bank balance. Shedding that here in this small town, even if it’s just for a short while, is surprisingly fun.
I never thought I wouldn’t want to be a Heath-Smith, but as it turns out, for now I don’t.