Authors: Cassandra Cole
“Well”, Susan answered “If you would have parked it at a safer place we would not have been having this conversation”
“If you would have checked your rear view mirror before reversing we would not have been in this situation”.
Susan walked past the man and stood in the middle of the parking lot before facing him from a distant.
“Sir”, she started “Of all the cars that are parked in this parking lot right now you had to park your motor cycle behind mine?”
“What can I say, I love Aston Martins and the driver of it does not look so bad either”
“Are you hitting on me right now?”
“Couldn’t help it, you look really good in that dress”.
“Thank you”, Susan mouthed automatically and knew those were the words she had hoped to hear from her absent date that night not from a stranger in the parking lot.
“So? What say you?”
He walked to the back of his motor cycle and held out a helmet for her. “The faster you go the better”
“I want to drive there”
“Trust me my dear, you do not want to be seen driving that wherever we are heading”, he said.
“Does your mechanic accept credit cards?”
“Of course”, he said “He is a professional”
“A professional who lives in a dingy part of town”, Susan commented.
“Hey, it is not dingy”, he said sounding slightly offended “People from that side of town do not take too well to visitors and besides when was the last time you let your hair down and rode a motorcycle?”
Susan threw a look at her wrist watch and realized it was still quite early due to her cancelled date. “
This would make a good story for Chloe
”
She thought to herself and looked again at the helmet that was being stretched her way.
“Give me a minute”, she said and walked back to her car. She took out her trench coat, phone and purse and threw all of them into its deep pockets. She then walked towards the man and accepted the helmet.
“I am Susan by the way”
“Jeff”
“This is crazy”, Susan said and mounted the motor bike right behind Jeff and placed her hand securely on his waist.
“Hang on tight”, he said and started the bike.
Susan obediently did and loved the roaring of the bike as they sped out of the hotel’s parking lot and into the main road. As much as she would hate to admit it, the stranger was right; the feeling of a cool breeze blowing through her hair was exhilarating. The feel of his masculine body on her palms was also on a whole different level. She tried to remember the last time she had a man so close and it took her a while to form an image in her mind.
She loved how he expertly swerved and negotiated the different corners and how confident he seemed with the motorbike. She noticed him take several turns that she never had taken before in her life and they entered a very unfamiliar territory for her. She could hear sirens and a few people shouting in the distance, they got to a secluded house that had a few used tires and tire tubes at the front lawn. She could spot a few other car spare parts sprawled across the lawn and was more than surprised when she saw the garage light still on.
Jeff halted in front of the garage door and took off his helmet. He then turned his attention to Susan and helped her out of the motorbike as well as taking off her helmet.
“Here we are”, he announced and Susan had the chance of having a closer look at the back door of the garage. There was a small crowd of people who were all busy working through the night.
“Wasup Ben”, Jeff said and said hi to one of the men leaning over the bonnet of a Mercedes car. He looked like he knew what he was doing and Susan assumed he was the one Jeff was referring to when he said “Professional”
“Hey Jeff” he answered “What brings you here so late at night?”
“I need help with one of my side mirrors”, Jeff answered as he pointed to his motor.
“What happened to it?”
“My lovely date here knocked it over with her car”
“I am not your date”, Susan snapped.
“She is a feisty one”, Ben said and roared with laughter from the priceless expression on Susan’s face “That will cost you 150”
“Ok”, Jeff nodded and looked over at Susan “Let’s go”
“Where?”
“Over at Murphy’s”
“Why?” she probed on with a confused look on her face.
“Because, it will take a few minutes for Ben here to work on it”
“Ok”, Susan agreed “You are paying”
“I wouldn’t have it any other way”, Ben answered “After all we vouch for gender equality every day, don’t we?”
Jeff led the way out of the garage and Susan followed suit, she felt cold in her legs but at the same time still felt sexy and classy.
“Are we going over to a bar?”
“Yes”
“Do they serve food? I am starving”
“Yes they do”, Jeff answered.
They walked on in silence and Susan let out a slight chuckle without meaning to.
“What is so funny?”
“This night”, she answered before bursting into fits of giggles.
“I don’t see anything funny about it”, he answered “Care to share the joke”
“I thought I was going to spend my night wining and dining with an older gentle man at a very stylish and fancy restaurant”, she started “Look how that turned out”
“Not so bad if you ask me”
“Is this your idea of a date?”
“No”, Jeff said “It is my idea of fate having a sense of humor”
“What is that supposed to mean”
“It means you should never waste your time questioning things that you cannot change in life, just live in the moment”.
“By the look of things, it sure looks like you do that a lot,” Susan said and stared at one of his conspicuous tattoos.
“I sure do”, he winked.
They walked into the bar and the crowd was shockingly large for a weekday night. Jeff chose an empty table for them and the first thing Susan did was compare it to the table that she would have sat on at Amelia’s. It definitely lacked the splendid view and candid reception.
She stood next to her chair and looked at Jeff with a bewildered expression on her face.
“What is it, is the chair dirty?” Jeff asked. He had already sat on his and crisscrossed his palms.
“Uuuuum, you are supposed to get the chair for me, haven’t you ever been in the presence of a lady before?”
“Clearly not”, Jeff said and did not move from his seat. A waitress walked by to their table armed with an order book in her hand and stood next to Susan.
“Everything ok here ma’am?” she asked as she threw a glance over to Jeff questioningly.
“She wants me to get the chair for her”, Jeff chipped in.
“You have landed the bouge kind Jeff”, the waitress said “This one is way out of your league”.
Susan remained rooted at her spot and did not pay attention to either the waitress or Jeff. She was however pleased when she walked over to where she was supposed to sit and pulled back the chair for her.
“The customer is always right ma’am”, she said with a hint of sarcasm that could not be missed. She then walked back to the centre of the table and looked at both of them expectantly waiting for their order.
“I will have a martini please”
“Beer” Jeff said.
“Coming right up”, she said and walked away from the table.
“So do you do that often?”
“Do what?” Susan snapped back.
“Create un necessary drama?” Jeff asked.
“I like being around men who respect a woman and treat a woman right”, Susan pointed out.
“Really?” Jeff sneered “How is that working for you so far”
“Pretty good actually”,
“I would want to believe that”, Jeff answered “Your gentleman friend stood you up”
“How do you know that?”
“You were standing in the parking lot at 10:00 in the night looking like that and heading home”, Jeff pointed out.
“Ok”, Susan nodded “Let’s just say it hasn’t been working out for me of late but I could also say that your smug attitude hasn’t gotten you very far either”
“You are right” Jeff agreed without putting up a fight “But the difference is we are looking for different things”
“You do not know what I am looking for”
“Yes I do”, Jeff said “By the small dramatic show that you just put up right now I know exactly what you are looking for”
“Enlighten me”
“You are looking for Prince Charming someone who would pull the door for you when you are about to walk in a room, stand on the left side of the road when you walk, write you a sonnet, sing you a ballad etc”
“What are you looking for?”
“Not that”, Jeff let out sarcastically yet again “I am comfortable with the hit and run style of life and I am not looking for anything long term”
“Ok”
“Say it”
“Say what?” Susan asked confused.
“Say what is on your mind”.
“Nothing really, I think you have made your point”, Susan said and looked up at the waitress with a huge smile once she walked over to the table with the drinks.
“Can I get something to eat?” Susan asked the waitress just as she was about to leave the table.
“They do not serve salads here”, Jeff intervened obviously trying to be funny.
“Burger and fries please”, she said.
“Coming right up”, the waitress said and started walking away from the table.
“I will pay for that”, Susan said “And for yours as well if you want one”
“I will have one but will pay for it”
“Good”
Susan let out an amused smile and could not believe in her wildest dreams that she was on a date with Jeff.
“Can I just say something?” she said.
“Sure, feel free”
“You are not my type of guy”
“I know”, Jeff agreed “and you are not my type of girl”
“I know that” Susan agreed.
Both broke out in unified laughter after this confession and Susan loved how sincere their conversation was.
“I should try doing that more often”
“Doing what?”
“Brutal and raw honesty”
“I can do this all day”, Jeff said and raised his hands in midair.
“Can I go first?”
“Sure”, Jeff agreed.
“I think your tattoo and whole bad boy look is a cliché”, she said out loud flatly “You only need an eye patch to cover your left eye and you would have sealed the deal”
“I think you are a stuck up ice princess who takes life too seriously”, Jeff replied.
They again burst out in laughter and Susan could not help but find him funny and refreshing from the many men she had dated. The waitress arrived momentarily with the burgers and they both dug in. Jeff loved how she had dropped her guard after their conversation and show she did not bother to use cutlery on her burger. They went on to pick on each other’s appearances and looks and make light jokes about each other without the other taking any offence.
A phone call came through for Jeff that had to force them to leave the bar.
“That was Ben”, he announced after having a light conversation on the phone “My bike is ready”.
“I had better pay up then”, Susan said and started going through her purse but was astonished when Jeff stretched his hand and took care of the bill.
“I got this”, he said “But you still paying for the side mirror”
“Of course”, Susan agreed.
They walked out of the bar into the chilly night air and started heading for Ben’s garage. They did not talk much on their way back, both not wanting to part from the other’s company.
“Good as new”, Ben announced when they walked into the garage and pointed to his bike.
Susan took out a few dollar bills from her purse and handed them to Ben before accepting the helmet that Jeff handed her.
“Your carriage awaits Cinderella”, Jeff announced.
This comment made her throw a quick glance at her wrist watch “Its midnight already?”
“Oh yes”, he answered.
She mounted the bike right behind him and did not wait for him to tell her to hang on tight. His masculine back felt seductive as opposed to the hours before and she blamed it on the few martini glasses that she had just had. She loved his strong cinnamon scent and she lost herself in it.
“Here we go”, Jeff announced and started the bike. He was fully aware of her bare thighs sticking out of her dress and griping him from either side of the bike. The ride back to the restaurant this time was shorter. Susan got off the bike as soon as she spotted her car from the distance and walked over to it. Jeff was parked only a few feet from her and loved to watch her gyrate to the driver’s seat.
“Have a good night”, she said and waved to him.