Page 3 of A Night To Remember

In normal circumstances he would have gone over to her and introduced himself, but he had to catch an early flight back to Washington, D.C., the next morning. Jake hated being away from his office for too long. He sighed before finishing his beer. It had been a few months since he’d had some pussy and his need was never more evident than it was now.

Ever since his break up with Diane, a hot redhead with a body that did not quit, he’d been celibate. Diane was a nice woman, but she was extremely clingy and a bit on the mercenary side. It was probably his fault for choosing the kind of women who would eventually want more than he was willing to offer, but damn it, at thirty-three he was entitled to a bit of fun after all the hard work he’d put into his company.

From the moment he’d left college, Jake had put most of his time and effort into building his now successful software business. Starting out with just himself, he eventually brought his best friend Steve on board when things began to take off. Steve happened to be a marketing genius, and now his company was thriving with nearly three hundred employees.

Jake had worked hard to get to where he was, and in the past few years, he’d enjoyed sowing the wild oats he missed out on in his early twenties. Was it too much for a woman to understand he wanted sex with no strings attached? Or at least for now. He’d always been up front at the beginning of a relationship about not looking for a long-term commitment. His girlfriends, however, always seemed to think they were the one who could change his mind.

Jake was the first to admit he was a bit spoiled when it came to women. From a young age, they had always thrown themselves at him. He never really knew why, but it simply happened. Without conceit, Jake realized he was attractive to the opposite sex, but it wasn’t something he dwelled on. Having been raised by a strong and loving mother, he appreciated women in all shapes, sizes and colors. He lived by the adage that variety was the spice of life.

He did however, have a soft spot for beautiful black women. When he was twelve years old, he shared his first kiss with a black girl. She had been his first crush. Angela was her name. He remembered following her around like a puppy dog and carrying her books between classes. Jake had been heartbroken the day she had to move away when her father was transferred due to a promotion. Not since then had his heart ever been engaged in a relationship. He did care about the women he dated, but love had never been involved.

His parents wanted him to settle down and start a family of his own, his mother being the most vocal about his single state. She constantly lectured him on the joys of fatherhood and having someone to come home to every night. Jake was sure his mother would have been happy if he settled down with a Martian at this point. There would come a time when he would meet someone he couldn’t live without, but until then he would enjoy his bachelorhood.

Charlie signaled to the bartender when her glass was empty. The big bald man gave her a wary look before coming over. “Can I get another whiskey, please?”

“I don’t think so, ma’am. I believe you’ve had enough, and if I may be so bold, I suggest that you check into the hotel next door if you drove yourself here.” He frowned with a shake of his head, giving her the you’ve-had-enough-to-drink-for-tonight look. “You’ve been talking to yourself practically the whole time you’ve been here. My conscience won’t allow me to give you another alcoholic beverage. But I can call you a cab if you’d like.”

Charlie would have gotten angry at his presumption but her lightheadedness got the better of her. Besides, sitting alone at a bar was downright depressing. The idea of checking into the hotel became appealing since she didn’t want to go home, not that she was in any condition to drive anyway.

“Okay, Mac. If you say so.” There was no point in arguing. The man was only doing his job. She reached for her purse to pull out her wallet.

“You’re good, miss. It’s been taken care of.”

Charlie looked at him, wondering if she had heard him correctly. “What do you mean?”

“Someone has taken care of your tab.”

“Oh, that’s nice. Who was it?” she asked, curiously looking around her.

“The gentleman over to your right.” Mac pointed in the direction of his gaze for her.

Charlie looked to see where Mac was pointing. She nearly fell off of her stool when she beheld her benefactor. Sitting alone at a table was one of the most handsome men she had ever seen. He looked as if he’d just stepped off the cover of a high fashion men’s magazine. Not bad for a white boy.

She had nothing against white men, but she had always preferred dark-skinned black men like her husband. Not many men of other ethnicities had ever turned her head the way this one did. Charlie had to admit if she had met this hunk of a man a long time ago, she wouldn’t have been averse to getting to know him better.

The room seemed to spin and her pulse raced, probably from the alcohol. She turned her back to him so he wouldn’t catch her staring. Once her heartbeat was under control again, she snuck another peek at him. This time, he was staring back at her. Their eyes met, and she couldn’t look away even if she wanted to. His magnetic gaze held her.

He was the epitome of drop-dead gorgeous. From what she could tell, his body was long and lean. Even from his sitting position she could tell he had an athletic build, which wasn’t disguised by the suit he wore. His wavy brown hair touched the collar of his jacket. It was worn longer than the current style, but it looked good on him. A stray brown lock fell carelessly over his brow. His chiseled features reminded her of the statue David. Ice blue eyes seemed to be undressing her.

He smiled at her, showing even white teeth. Everything about him seemed perfect. She shook her head, coming out of her trance. What was she thinking? She had no time for some two-bit Casanova right now. He wasn’t Paul and no one could take her husband’s place. Charlie politely smiled back at the gentleman who had fixed such an intense stare on her, before turning back around.

“Okay, Mac. It’s been a lovely evening.” She smiled at the bartender before getting up.

“Aren’t you going to go over there and thank him?”

“I didn’t ask him to pick up my tab. Before he leaves, thank him for me.”

Mac just shrugged. “Whatever.”

Charlie wasn’t in the mood for the kind of attention the man’s look offered.

Jake sat tensely as he watched his mystery woman walk out of the bar. When his eyes had locked with hers, he’d felt a jolt of something he’d never experienced before. Little beads of sweat formed on his brow. It couldn’t have been just sexual.

I must be crazy.

There was no way he could feel such a strong connection for a woman he had seen at a bar, no matter how beautiful she was. Even though Jake was a strong believer in fate, the fact that she had barely acknowledged him indicated it was not meant to be.

Besides, he was only in town for one more night. This sudden burst of feeling at one glance was obviously just lust. He needed some pussy and he planned on looking through his contact list the minute his plane landed in DC tomorrow.

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