Page 20 of Color of Love

Chapter 7

Justine surveyed herself in the full-length mirror against the wall in her bedroom. She looked dressy but also like she’d casually thrown something on and not spent hours planning this laid-back look. She ran her hands over the black leather pants that were practically shrink-wrapped to her body, her loose, white strappy top contrasting nicely. She wore her hair down and poker-straight, where it fell to her hips, tickling the backs of her arms when she walked. She added jewelry and make-up to complete the look and, when she was satisfied, she headed out to the Rusty Bucket for the first official Ladies’ Night.

By the time she arrived, her stomach was in knots. She didn’t know how many people were going to be there. Would any of the men even be interested in her? What if they weren’t? What if it was all men she had dated before? At least Beau would be there, he could be her wingman.

“Breathe,” she muttered, calming herself before she pushed open the door and went inside.

Taylor had rearranged the bar interior, creating a row of intimate tables for two, so couples could have privacy on their dates. She’d placed a small candle on each table, the glow from the flames creating a warm and inviting atmosphere. Bouquets of roses adorned the bar, and petals were scattered here and there. She had done such a good job bringing the romantic vibes, it looked gorgeous.

A small crowd of men had already formed at the bar, eager to sign up for the evening. A sudden wave of insecurity gripped Justine and she looked around, nervously nibbling on her thumbnail. Overcome with shyness, she didn’t know what to do. She spotted Kayleigh serving drinks to the group of men gathered at the bar and wanted to go over to her, but her timidity kept her feet locked where they were. You are a strong, confident woman, you don’t need to be shy or afraid, you just need to be you!

Justine surveyed the men, not recognizing any of them from town. They were all talking together and laughing loudly, having a whale of a time. Should she go over there and introduce herself, confident as hell? Did she just take a seat and wait? How did this work? Anxiety had her blood pounding and she wished she had asked Taylor for more information before she turned up tonight. Then she spotted Taylor coming out of her office and relief coursed through her; she began to relax.

“Hey!” she hissed, snagging her attention.

“Hey Justine!” Taylor called loudly, drawing the attention of all the men who turned as one to stare at her. She felt herself flush under their scrutiny. One winked at her, another waved.

“That was subtle, thanks,” she hissed sarcastically. Taylor just laughed.

“We’re about to start, don’t worry though, I’ll explain everything. I just need to go and get the others from the bathroom,” Taylor said over her shoulder.

“The bathroom?” Justine frowned.

“The other women didn’t know what to do so they hid in the ladies’. Props for coming in and just owning it, babe!” Taylor grinned at her.

Justine may have only just arrived but she wished she had thought of hiding in the bathroom too. The group of men were still staring at her, she shot them a shy smile and busied herself by rummaging in her purse for a lip-gloss. The door to the bar opened, Beau came in and Justine nearly threw herself at him in relief.

“Wow, you look great!” he said, giving her a quick once-over. “Spin for me,” he added, a wolfish smile on his face.

She laughed and smacked his arm playfully. “Stop it! You look great too, are you excited for this?”

“Not many ladies here for the Ladies’ Night, might have to start chatting up some of these guys,” Beau said, glancing around, disappointment shining in his eyes.

“Taylor’s just fetching them from the bathroom,” Justine replied, and he perked up. Then Taylor reappeared with at least six other women, none of whom Justine recognized. They must be from the next town over, like the men.

Taylor clapped her hands to draw everyone’s attention.

“Okay everyone, are we ready to begin?” The conversation died down until all that could be heard in the background was Meatloaf’s dulcet tones singing he would do anything for love, but he won’t do that. Justine resisted singing along, she loved all old-school tunes. Eighties music was her favorite but some of those nineties hits couldn’t be denied.

“I would like all the ladies to take a seat on this side of the table.” Taylor paused while the women eagerly took their places, chairs scraping against the wooden floor in their hurry. Justine perched on the seat at the end of the row, closest to the door, just in case.

“Perfect, now all the gentlemen can take a seat opposite,” again Taylor paused while the men looked around nervously before sitting down. Beau was quick to choose a place and sat down across from a busty blond, barely containing his grin. A young-looking man-child sat down opposite Justine and fixed her with a sweet smile.

“Now, everyone has two-and-a-half minutes to chat. You can talk about anything except your previous relationships. Let’s keep things positive, people. Then at the end of your time the men will move to the next seat, until everyone has had a chance to talk to each other.”

Beau raised his hand. Taylor rolled her eyes. “Yes?” she asked through clenched teeth.

“So, it’s essentially speed dating? What makes it a Ladies’ Night?” he asked.

“It’s a Ladies’ Night because that’s what I said it is,” Taylor snapped back, then smoothed her hands over her hair like she was trying to calm herself. “Anyway, at the end of the night the ladies get to hand out their number to as many of the men as they are interested in.” Taylor finished with a pointed stare at Beau. She started explaining the rules: no touching unless requested yada yada. When Beau raised his hand again, Taylor looked like she was going to lose her shit. But instead of detonating, Taylor offered him a sickly-sweet smile.

“Yes?”

“What happens if more than one woman gives me her number?” he asked, a shit-eating grin consuming his face.

“In the unlikely event that you get more than one,” she began with another pointed stare at Beau. “Then the world would implode and this whole thing would be moot. But for everyone else, you’re free to do what you want, as long as the ladies are happy. They run the show tonight.”

While Taylor finished explaining everything, Kayleigh came around and took drinks orders for those who didn’t get a chance to go to the bar. As Justine looked around, she noticed there was a spare seat halfway down, one of the women had no one sitting with her. How awkward, does she just have to wait out one of the rounds until a man comes to sit with her?

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